Sheet piece formation device and attachment device

Abstract

This sheet piece formation device makes it possible, using a strip-shaped sheet in which a plurality of regions to serve as sheet pieces are formed, to sequentially form sheet pieces from, among the plurality of regions, the leading region at the start of the strip-shaped sheet. The sheet piece formation device comprises: a cutting blade fixed in a prescribed position; a dispensing unit; and a delivery unit. The dispensing unit enables dispensing of the strip-shaped sheet from an upstream-side nip position, which is a nip position on an upstream side of the cutting blade, and the delivery unit enables retraction of the strip-shaped sheet to a downstream-side nip position, which is a nip position on a downstream side of the cutting blade. The prescribed position is a position where the strip-shaped sheet comes into contact with the blade edge of the cutting blade when the strip-shaped sheet assumes a stretched state of being stretched without slack between the upstream-side nip position and the downstream-side nip position.

Description

Sheet piece forming device and pasting device

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for forming sheet pieces such as labels from a continuous strip of sheet, and to a bonding technique using the sheet pieces.

[0002] As a technique for forming sheet pieces from a continuous strip-shaped sheet, a technique for cutting the strip-shaped sheet at predetermined positions using a retractable cutting blade is generally known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which the strip-shaped sheet is fed out by a predetermined length, and then the cutting blade is lowered to cut the strip-shaped sheet along perforations to form sheet pieces of a predetermined length.

[0003] JP 2018-89770 A

[0004] However, conventional techniques using retractable cutting blades have problems such as the need for a complex mechanism to move the cutting blade back and forth, and the need for safety measures because the cutting blade moves. The inventors have considered that these problems can be solved by fixing the cutting blade.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to enable cutting of a strip-shaped sheet using a fixed cutting blade in a technique for forming sheet pieces by cutting the strip-shaped sheet.

[0006] The sheet piece forming device of the present invention is a device that uses a strip-shaped sheet having multiple regions that will become sheet pieces and enables the formation of sheet pieces sequentially starting from a leading region at the forefront of the strip-shaped sheet among the multiple regions, and includes a cutting blade fixed at a predetermined position, a payout unit, and a delivery unit. The payout unit is a unit that pays out the strip-shaped sheet from the upstream side of the cutting blade and includes an upstream nip mechanism that nips the strip-shaped sheet at a position upstream of the cutting blade and a payout drive mechanism that enables the payout of the strip-shaped sheet from the upstream nip position, which is the nipping position by the upstream nip mechanism. The delivery unit is a unit that feeds out the sheet pieces downstream of the cutting blade and includes a downstream nip mechanism that nips the strip-shaped sheet at a position downstream of the cutting blade and a retraction drive mechanism that enables the retraction of the strip-shaped sheet to the downstream nip position, which is the nipping position by the downstream nip mechanism. The predetermined position is a position where the strip of sheet comes into contact with the cutting edge of the cutting blade when the strip of sheet is in a taut state without slack between the upstream nip position and the downstream nip position.

[0007] The sheet piece forming device described above makes it possible to perform the following control: Specifically, by having the payout drive mechanism and the retraction drive mechanism alternately pay out the strip sheet from the upstream nip position and retract the strip sheet to the downstream nip position, it becomes possible to alternately form a slack state and a taut state of the strip sheet between the upstream nip position and the downstream nip position.

[0008] According to this configuration, the strip-shaped sheet can be shifted from a slack state to a taut state, whereby the strip-shaped sheet can be pressed against the cutting edge of the cutting blade and cut.

[0009] In the above-mentioned sheet piece forming device, the retraction drive mechanism may include a guide belt that moves the leading edge of the strip sheet unwound from the upstream nip position to the downstream nip position, and a delivery belt that retracts the leading edge of the strip sheet that has reached the downstream nip position further downstream.

[0010] The above configuration makes it possible to perform the following control. Specifically, after the start of payout of the strip sheet from the upstream nip position, if the leading edge of the strip sheet abuts against the stopped guide belt, causing slack in the strip sheet, the guide belt can be made to start moving the leading edge toward the downstream nip position. When the leading edge of the strip sheet subsequently reaches the downstream nip position and is pulled further downstream by the delivery belt, the payout drive mechanism can be made to stop payout of the strip sheet from the upstream nip position, thereby transitioning the strip sheet from a slack state to a taut state.

[0011] With this configuration, while continuing to pay out the strip sheet from the upstream nip position, the leading edge of the strip sheet (the leading edge abutting the guide belt) starts to move toward the downstream nip position after slack occurs in the strip sheet, making it possible to move the leading edge of the strip sheet to the downstream nip while maintaining the slack state of the strip sheet. Also, by stopping the payout of the strip sheet from the upstream nip position, the payout of the strip sheet from the upstream nip position stops, while the pull of the strip sheet toward the downstream nip position continues, making it possible to transition the strip sheet from a slack state to a taut state.

[0012] In the sheet piece forming device, the strip sheet may be a sheet in which multiple regions are continuously connected via perforations. In this case, the following control can be performed. Specifically, after the strip sheet is cut at the perforations, the feeding drive mechanism can be caused to feed the length of the strip sheet from the perforation to the next perforation between the start and end of feeding.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the perforations are weak and easily broken in the strip sheet, so even if the perforations are misaligned with the cutting edge of the cutting blade when the strip sheet is in a taut state, it is possible to cut the strip sheet at the perforations as long as the misalignment is small.

[0014] The sheet piece forming device may further include a tongue portion for preventing the leading region formed by cutting with the cutting blade from being rolled up. This configuration can prevent roll-up of the strip-shaped sheet, thereby enabling continuous sheet piece formation without interruption.

[0015] The bonding device according to the present invention includes the sheet piece forming device and a conveying device, and bonds the sheet piece formed by the sheet piece forming device to an object conveyed by the conveying device.

[0016] According to the present invention, in a technique for forming sheet pieces by cutting a strip-shaped sheet, the strip-shaped sheet can be cut using a fixed cutting blade.

[0017] FIG. 1(A) is a front view conceptually illustrating a bonding device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1(B) is a block diagram conceptually illustrating the bonding device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating a strip film (an example of a strip sheet) used in a sheet piece forming device provided in the bonding device. FIG. 3 is a front view conceptually illustrating the sheet piece forming device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a feed mechanism provided in the sheet piece forming device as viewed from the direction of arrow Dz (see FIG. 1(A)). FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control process executed by a control device provided in the bonding device and the resulting changes in the state of the strip film. FIG. 6A is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film. FIG. 6B is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film. FIG. 6C is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film. FIG. 6D is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film. FIG. 6E is a conceptual diagram sequentially illustrating the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film. Fig. 6F is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film in sequence. Fig. 6G is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the sheet piece forming device and the state of the strip film in sequence. Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a part (cutting blade and its surrounding area) of the sheet piece forming device according to the first modified example.

[0018] [1] Configuration of the bonding device Figures 1(A) and 1(B) are a front view and a block diagram conceptually illustrating a bonding device according to an embodiment. As shown in these figures, the bonding device includes a sheet piece forming device 1, a conveying device 2, a bonding mechanism 3, and a control device 4. The configuration of each part will be specifically described below.

[0019] [1-1] Sheet Piece Forming Apparatus FIG. 2 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating a strip of film 10 used in the sheet piece forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the strip of film 10 is a long film in which multiple regions Rf are continuously connected via perforations Pm. Here, each region Rf is an area that will become a film piece Qf (e.g., a label) to be attached to an object 20 (e.g., a container or a packaged product; see FIG. 1A). Note that the film piece Qf is an example of a sheet piece that can be formed by the sheet piece forming apparatus 1. The sheet pieces are not limited to the strip of film 10, and strip-shaped sheets formed from materials other than film (e.g., paper) can also be used to form the sheet pieces.

[0020] An adhesive is applied to the strip of film 10 in advance to enable the film piece Qf to be attached to the object 20. In this embodiment, the adhesive is applied to the entire surface of one side of the strip of film 10. Specifically, the adhesive is applied to the side opposite to the side that is sucked by the suction device 131D of the delivery unit 13 (see Figures 3 and 4), which will be described later (in other words, the side that comes into contact with the delivery belt 131C when the film is held by the delivery belt 131C by suction). For ease of explanation, the side to which the adhesive is applied will be referred to as the "adhesive side," and the side opposite to that side (the side that is sucked by the suction device 131D) will be referred to as the "back side."

[0021] 3 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating the sheet piece forming device 1. The sheet piece forming device 1 is a device that enables the formation of film pieces Qf using the above-described strip film 10, starting from the leading region Rft (see FIG. 2 ) at the leading end of the strip film 10 among the multiple regions Rf, and includes a cutting blade 11, a feeding unit 12, and a delivery unit 13.

[0022] <Cutting Blade> The cutting blade 11 is a cutting blade that cuts the strip film 10. In this embodiment, the cutting blade 11 is fixed at a predetermined position Xp, and no complicated mechanism is required to move it back and forth. Fixing the cutting blade 11 in this manner makes it easier to ensure the safety of workers during operation and maintenance of the bonding device. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cutting blade 11 only needs to be capable of tearing the strip film 10 at the perforations Pm, and does not need to be sharp enough to cut the strip film 10 at locations where there are no perforations Pm. This further improves safety. The predetermined position Xp will be described in detail later.

[0023] <Pay-out Unit> Pay-out unit 12 is a unit that pays out strip film 10 from the upstream side of cutting blade 11. Specifically, pay-out unit 12 includes a pay-out drive mechanism 121 and an upstream nip mechanism 122.

[0024] The payout drive mechanism 121 includes a drive roller 121A, a driven roller 121B, and a payout belt 121C (endless belt) stretched over these rollers, and converts the rotational motion of the drive roller 121A into the circular motion of the payout belt 121C. In the example of Figure 3, the driven roller 121B is located closer to the cutting blade 11 than the drive roller 121A, and the strip film 10 is paid out from the drive roller 121A toward the driven roller 121B by the circular motion of the payout belt 121C.

[0025] The upstream nip mechanism 122 has a nip roller 122A, and is configured to urge the nip roller 122A toward the driven roller 121B of the payout drive mechanism 121 so that the payout belt 121C and the strip film 10 can be sandwiched between the nip roller 122A and the driven roller 121B.

[0026] With this configuration of the pay-out unit 12, it is possible for the upstream nip mechanism 122 to nip the strip film 10 at a position upstream of the cutting blade 11, and for the pay-out drive mechanism 121 to pay out the strip film 10 from the nip position by the upstream nip mechanism 122 (hereinafter referred to as the ``upstream nip position Xn1'').

[0027] In the example of Figure 3, the strip film 10 is wound around a core or the like to form a roll 10R (see also Figure 2), and the portion pulled out from the roll 10R is guided to the payout drive mechanism 121 via a tension roller 123 and a guide roller 124, and then guided over the payout belt 121C of the payout drive mechanism 121 to the upstream nip position Xn1. The payout belt 121C is then rotated in this state, causing the strip film 10 to be paid out from the upstream nip position Xn1. In this embodiment, the strip film 10 is paid out so that the adhesive side is in contact with the payout belt 121C as it passes over it (in the example of Figure 1, the adhesive side is facing downwards).

[0028] <Feed-Out Unit> The feed-out unit 13 is a unit that feeds the film piece Qf formed by cutting with the cutting blade 11 downstream of the cutting blade 11. Specifically, the feed-out unit 13 includes a feed-out mechanism 131 and a guide mechanism 132.

[0029] The feed-out mechanism 131 includes a drive roller 131A, a driven roller 131B, and a feed-out belt 131C (endless belt) stretched over these rollers, and converts the rotational motion of the drive roller 131A into the circular motion of the feed-out belt 131C. The feed-out mechanism 131 also includes a suction device 131D. The suction device 131D holds the film piece Qf formed by cutting with the cutting blade 11 on the feed-out belt 131C by sucking it from its back side. More specifically, this is as follows.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the feed-out mechanism 131 as viewed in the direction of arrow Dz (see FIG. 1A ). As shown in this figure, the feed-out belt 131C includes two endless belts 133 that are smaller than the width of the film piece Qf (the width of the strip film 10), and these endless belts 133 are arranged parallel to and spaced apart from each other. The suction device 131D holds the film piece Qf on the two endless belts 133 by sucking the back surface of the film piece Qf through the suction port Hv from the area (gap) between the two endless belts 133 and the area outside the two endless belts 133. In the example of FIG. 4 , the suction device 131D has multiple slits that intersect with the endless belts 133, arranged as suction ports Hv, in the feed-out direction Dt. Therefore, the film strip Qf is held on the delivery belt 131C (two endless belts 133) and delivered from the position of the driven roller 131B (in this embodiment, the downstream nip position Xn2 described below) to the position of the drive roller 131A.

[0031] The guide mechanism 132 is composed of a drive roller 132A, a nip roller 132B (driven roller), and a guide belt 132C (endless belt) stretched over these rollers, and the rotational motion of the drive roller 132A is converted into the circular motion of the guide belt 132C. The guide mechanism 132 is also configured to urge the nip roller 132B toward the driven roller 131B of the feed-out mechanism 131, thereby sandwiching the guide belt 132C, the strip film 10, and the feed-out belt 131C between the nip roller 132B and the driven roller 131B.

[0032] The guide mechanism 132 is positioned so that the leading edge of the strip film 10 unwound from the upstream nip position Xn1 abuts against the guide belt 132C. Therefore, when the guide belt 132C is rotated, the leading edge of the strip film 10 abutting against the guide belt 132C moves to the nip position of the nip roller 132B (hereinafter referred to as the "downstream nip position Xn2"). In this embodiment, the adhesive surface of the strip film 10 (the surface that was in contact with the payout belt 121C of the payout unit 12) comes into contact with the guide belt 132C. In other words, the strip film 10 is guided to the downstream nip position Xn2 with the adhesive surface facing downward.

[0033] With this configuration of the delivery unit 13, when the leading edge of the strip film 10 reaches the downstream nip position Xn2, the leading edge can be pulled further downstream by the rotation of the delivery belt 131C. This allows the strip film 10 to be nipped by the nip roller 132B at a position downstream of the cutting blade 11. In this embodiment, the back surface of the portion of the strip film 10 pulled further downstream from the downstream nip position Xn2 comes into contact with the delivery belt 131C, and is held by the delivery belt 131C as the back surface is sucked by the suction device 131D. In other words, the portion pulled downstream is held by the delivery belt 131C with the adhesive side facing away from the suction device 131D (downward in the example of FIG. 1 ).

[0034] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the above-described feed-out unit 13, the mechanism of the guide mechanism 132 that is configured to urge the nip roller 132B toward the driven roller 131B can be understood as a "downstream nip mechanism" that nips the strip film 10 at a position downstream of the cutting blade 11. Furthermore, the mechanisms of the feed-out mechanism 131 and the guide mechanism 132 that are configured to move the leading edge of the strip film 10 that has contacted the guide belt 132C to the downstream nip position Xn2 and to retract that leading edge further downstream by the feed-out belt 131C can be understood as a "retraction drive mechanism" that enables the strip film 10 to be retracted to the downstream nip position Xn2.

[0035] <Fixed Position of Cutting Blade (Predetermined Position Xp)> In the sheet piece forming device 1 configured as described above, the predetermined position Xp at which the cutting blade 11 is fixed is a position where the strip film 10 contacts the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 when the strip film 10 is in a taut state without slack between the upstream nip position Xn1 and the downstream nip position Xn2 (see FIG. 6F ). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the predetermined position Xp is set to a position where the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 contacts the back surface of the strip film 10 (the surface opposite the adhesive surface) when the strip film 10 is in a taut state. In other words, the cutting blade 11 is positioned so that its cutting edge does not contact the adhesive surface of the strip film 10. Therefore, when the strip film 10 is in a taut state, the back surface of the strip film 10 is pressed against the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11.

[0036] [1-2] Conveying Device The conveying device 2 is a device such as a conveyor that enables the conveyance of an object 20 (such as a container or a packaged product) (see FIG. 1(A)). The conveying device 2 conveys the object 20 through an attachment position where the film piece Qf is attached.

[0037] [1-3] Attachment Mechanism The attachment mechanism 3 is a device that attaches the film piece Qf delivered from the delivery unit 13 to the target object 20 (see FIG. 1A). In this embodiment, the attachment mechanism 3 has a rotatable pressure roller 31 installed downstream of the delivery unit 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and is configured to be able to sandwich the film piece Qf between itself and the target object 20 conveyed by the conveying device 2.

[0038] [1-4] Control Device The control device 4 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42 (see FIG. 1(B)). The storage unit 41 is a unit that stores information necessary for controlling the bonding device (such as parameters necessary for controlling the sheet piece forming device 1 and the conveying device 2), and is composed of storage devices such as ROM and RAM. The control unit 42 is a unit that executes control of the bonding device, and is composed of a processing device such as a CPU. The control process executed by the control device 4 in the bonding device will be specifically described below. The control device 4 may be regarded as one of the components of the sheet piece forming device 1.

[0039] 5 is a flowchart showing the control process executed by the control device 4 and the resulting changes in the state of the film strip 10. Also, FIGS. 6A to 6G are perspective views sequentially showing the operation of the sheet piece forming device 1 and the state of the film strip 10 resulting from the control process.

[0040] The control device 4 first controls the payout unit 12 to cause the payout unit 12 to start paying out the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1 (step S101, FIG. 6A). At this time, the direction in which the strip film 10 is paid out from the upstream nip position Xn1 (hereinafter referred to as the "payout direction") is adjusted so that the leading edge of the strip film 10 can pass in front of the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11. In other words, the payout direction is adjusted so that the leading edge of the strip film 10 can be paid out without coming into contact with the cutting blade 11.

[0041] The control device 4 then causes the payout unit 12 to continue paying out the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1, causing the leading edge of the strip film 10 to abut against the stopped guide belt 132C (see FIG. 6B). This limits the movement of the leading edge of the strip film 10 (movement associated with payout). Meanwhile, the payout of the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1 continues, causing slack in the strip film 10 (see FIG. 6C). By adjusting the position of the guide mechanism 132, etc., so that the incident angle θd when the leading edge of the strip film 10 abuts against the guide belt 132C (specifically, the angle between the strip film 10 and the portion of the guide belt 132C opposite the downstream nip position Xn2 from the contact point of the strip film 10) is acute, slack in the strip film 10 can be caused to curve away from the cutting blade 11.

[0042] After step S101, the control device 4 continues to have the payout unit 12 pay out the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1. If the slack occurs in the strip film 10, the control device 4 controls the guide mechanism 132 to start rotating the guide belt 132C (step S102). As a result, the leading edge of the strip film 10 begins to move toward the downstream nip position Xn2 while remaining in contact with the guide belt 132C. In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the guide belt 132C is set to be the same as the payout speed of the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1. Therefore, by starting the rotation of the guide belt 132C after slack occurs in the strip film 10 and continuing to pay out the strip film 10, the leading edge of the strip film 10 can be moved to the downstream nip position Xn2 while maintaining the slack in the strip film 10.

[0043] Furthermore, the control device 4 controls the feed-out mechanism 131 to cause the feed-out mechanism 131 to start rotating the feed-out belt 131C by the time the leading edge of the strip film 10 reaches the downstream nip position Xn2 (step S103). As an example, step S103 is executed at the same time as step S102. According to step S103, when the leading edge of the strip film 10 reaches the downstream nip position Xn2 (see FIG. 6D), the leading edge can move further downstream from the downstream nip position Xn2 (see FIG. 6E).

[0044] In this embodiment, in step S103, the control device 4 also controls the feed-out mechanism 131 to start suction using the suction device 131D so that the leading edge of the strip film 10 pulled into the downstream nip position Xn2 can be held on the feed-out belt 131C (in other words, so that the film piece Qf formed by subsequent cutting with the cutting blade 11 can be held on the feed-out belt 131C).

[0045] After steps S102 and S103, when the leading edge of the strip film 10 is pulled into the downstream nip position Xn2 by the delivery belt 131C, the control device 4 controls the payout unit 12 to stop the payout unit 12 from the upstream nip position Xn1 (step S104). According to step S104, the payout of the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1 is stopped, while the strip film 10 continues to be pulled into the downstream nip position Xn2. This allows the strip film 10 to transition from a slack state (slack state) to a taut state (tension state; see FIG. 6F). Then, when the strip film 10 reaches the taut state (see FIG. 6F), the strip film 10 comes into contact with the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11.

[0046] This control process allows the strip film 10 to transition from a slack state to a taut state, thereby allowing the strip film 10 to be pressed against the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 and cut (see Figure 6G).

[0047] Here, in this embodiment, the control device 4 causes the unwinding unit 12 to unwind an amount that will enable the position of the perforation Pm or a position nearby to come into contact with the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 when the strip film 10 is in a taut state (see Figure 6F), as the unwinding amount between the start of unwinding of the strip film 10 (step S101) and the stop of unwinding (step S104).

[0048] The location of the perforation Pm on the strip film 10 is a weak location that is prone to breaking. Therefore, even if the position of the perforation Pm is misaligned from the position of the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 when the strip film 10 is pressed against the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11, the strip film 10 can be cut at the position of the perforation Pm as long as the misalignment is slight.

[0049] The film piece Qf formed by cutting with the cutting blade 11 (see FIG. 6G) is sent out to the joining position by the joining mechanism 3 (pressing roller 31) by the rotation of the feed belt 131C. The film piece Qf is then sandwiched between the object 20 that has been transported to the joining position and the pressing roller 31, and is joined to the object 20 (see FIG. 1A).

[0050] Then, when the attachment of the film piece Qf to the object 20 is completed, the control device 4 causes the feed unit 13 to stop the rotation of the guide belt 132C, stop the rotation of the feed belt 131C, and stop suction by the suction device 131D (step S105).

[0051] Thereafter, the control device 4 returns to step S101 and repeats the process from step S101 onward, thereby enabling the formation and attachment of the film pieces Qf to be repeatedly and continuously performed.

[0052] Furthermore, in the process of repeating the processing from step S101, after cutting the strip film 10 at the perforation Pm, the control device 4 can cause the unwinding unit 12 to unwind the strip film 10 for the length from the perforation Pm to the next perforation Pm between the start of unwinding the strip film 10 (step S101) and the stop of unwinding (step S104).

[0053] According to the joining device of this embodiment, the unwinding unit 12 and the delivery unit 13 can alternately unwind the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1 and retract the strip film 10 to the downstream nip position Xn2, thereby allowing the strip film 10 to alternate between a slack state and a taut state between the upstream nip position Xn1 and the downstream nip position Xn2. By transitioning the strip film 10 from a slack state to a taut state, the strip film 10 can be pressed against the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 and cut. Therefore, in a technique for forming film pieces Qf by cutting the strip film 10, the fixed cutting blade 11 can be used to cut the strip film 10.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, when the strip film 10 is in a taut state, it is pressed from its back side against the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 and cut (see FIG. 6G ). In other words, the strip film 10 is cut without the adhesive surface coming into contact with the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11. Therefore, the adhesive applied to the adhesive surface is less likely to adhere to the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11, and as a result, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11 is less likely to be soiled by the adhesive. This reduces the frequency of cleaning the cutting blade 11 and replacing it due to deterioration over time. This not only improves safety by fixing the cutting blade 11, but also improves maintainability.

[0055] [2] Modifications [2-1] First Modification Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a portion (cutting blade 11 and its surrounding area) of a sheet piece forming apparatus 1 according to a first modification. As shown in this figure, the sheet piece forming apparatus 1 described above may further include a tongue portion 15 that prevents the leading region Rft, which has been cut by the cutting blade 11, from being rolled in. Specifically, this tongue portion 15 prevents the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 from curling and getting caught between the cutting blade 11 and the nip roller 122A.

[0056] According to the first modified example, it is possible to prevent the film strip 10 from getting caught in the film, and as a result, it is possible to form the film pieces Qf continuously without interruption.

[0057] [2-2] Second Modification In the sheet piece forming device 1 described above, the rotation speed of the guide belt 132C may be set to be slower than the payout speed of the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1. With this configuration, the amount of movement of the leading edge of the strip film 10 by the guide belt 132C is smaller than the amount of payout of the strip film 10 from the upstream nip position Xn1, thereby creating slack in the strip film 10. In this case, in step S102 (see FIG. 5 ), the guide belt 132C can begin to rotate without waiting for slack to develop in the strip film 10. Therefore, the guide belt 132C may begin to rotate immediately when the leading edge of the strip film 10 contacts the guide belt 132C, or the guide belt 132C may be kept rotating continuously.

[0058] [2-3] Other Modifications The sheet piece forming device 1 described above is not limited to forming film pieces Qf from the strip film 10, but can also be used to form sheet pieces (such as labels or stickers) from strip sheets made of materials other than film (such as paper). The attachment device described above can also be used to attach such sheet pieces to an object 20.

[0059] The sheet piece forming apparatus 1 described above can be applied not only to forming sheet pieces for application (such as labels and stickers) but also to forming sheet pieces for packaging. In addition, a packaging device including such a sheet piece forming apparatus 1 may be configured instead of an application device.

[0060] Furthermore, the sheet piece forming device 1 described above can also be applied to forming sheet pieces from a strip-shaped sheet without perforations Pm by appropriately changing the sharpness of the cutting edge of the cutting blade 11.

[0061] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described embodiments and modifications, but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent to the scope of the claims and fall within the scope thereof.

[0062] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 sheet piece forming device 2 conveying device 3 bonding mechanism 4 control device 10 strip film 10R roll 11 cutting blade 12 payout unit 13 feed unit 15 tongue portion 20 target object 31 pressing roller 41 memory unit 42 control unit Dt feed direction Dz arrow Hv suction port Pm perforation Qf film piece Rf area Xp predetermined position θd incident angle 121 payout drive mechanism 121A drive roller 121B driven roller 121C payout belt 122 upstream nip mechanism 122A nip roller 123 tension roller 124 guide roller 131 feed mechanism 131A drive roller 131B driven roller 131C feed belt 131D suction device 132 Guide mechanism 132A Drive roller 132B Nip roller 132C Guide belt 133 Endless belt Rft Leading region Xn1 Upstream nip position Xn2 Downstream nip position

Claims

1. A sheet piece forming device that uses a strip-shaped sheet having a plurality of regions that will become sheet pieces, and enables the sheet pieces to be formed in sequence starting from a leading region at the front of the strip sheet among the plurality of regions, the device comprising: a cutting blade fixed at a predetermined position; a pay-out unit that pays out the strip sheet from the upstream side of the cutting blade; and a delivery unit that sends out the sheet pieces downstream of the cutting blade, the pay-out unit including an upstream nip mechanism that nips the strip sheet at a position upstream of the cutting blade, and a pay-out drive mechanism that enables the strip sheet to be paid out from the upstream nip position, which is the nip position by the upstream nip mechanism, the delivery unit including a downstream nip mechanism that nips the strip sheet at a position downstream of the cutting blade, and a retraction drive mechanism that enables the strip sheet to be retracted into the downstream nip position, which is the nip position by the downstream nip mechanism, The specified position is a position where the strip sheet comes into contact with the edge of the cutting blade when the strip sheet is in a taut state without slack between the upstream nip position and the downstream nip position, in a sheet piece forming device.

2. A sheet piece forming device as described in claim 1, further comprising a control device which causes the payout drive mechanism and the retraction drive mechanism to alternately pay out the strip sheet from the upstream nip position and retract the strip sheet into the downstream nip position, thereby alternately forming a slack state in which the strip sheet is slack and the taut state between the upstream nip position and the downstream nip position.

3. The sheet piece forming device of claim 2, wherein the retraction drive mechanism includes: a guide belt that moves the leading edge of the strip sheet reeled out from the upstream nip position to the downstream nip position; and a delivery belt that retracts the leading edge of the strip sheet that has reached the downstream nip position further downstream.

4. The sheet piece forming device described in claim 3, wherein, when slack occurs in the strip sheet due to the leading edge of the strip sheet coming into contact with the stopped guide belt after the start of payout of the strip sheet from the upstream nip position, the control device causes the guide belt to start moving the leading edge toward the downstream nip position, and then, when the leading edge of the strip sheet reaches the downstream nip position and is pulled further downstream by the feed belt, the control device causes the payout drive mechanism to stop payout of the strip sheet from the upstream nip position, thereby transitioning the strip sheet from the slack state to the taut state.

5. The sheet piece forming device of claim 4, wherein the strip sheet is a sheet in which the multiple regions are continuously connected via perforations, and the control device, after cutting the strip sheet at the perforations, causes the payout drive mechanism to pay out the length from one perforation to the next perforation between the start and stop of payout of the strip sheet.

6. A sheet piece forming device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a tongue portion for preventing rolling-in of the portion that has become the leading region as a result of cutting with the cutting blade.

7. A bonding device comprising: a sheet piece forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and a conveying device, which bonds a sheet piece formed by the sheet piece forming device to an object conveyed by the conveying device.

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