EP3095740B1 - Trennvorrichtung für gefördertes material und fördervorrichtung für gefördertes material damit - Google Patents

Trennvorrichtung für gefördertes material und fördervorrichtung für gefördertes material damit Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3095740B1
EP3095740B1 EP16170721.1A EP16170721A EP3095740B1 EP 3095740 B1 EP3095740 B1 EP 3095740B1 EP 16170721 A EP16170721 A EP 16170721A EP 3095740 B1 EP3095740 B1 EP 3095740B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
conveyed
conveyance
retaining
units
materials
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
EP16170721.1A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP3095740A1 (de
Inventor
Takashi Fukumoto
Yasuo Niikura
Shinji Asami
Tomohiro Furuhashi
Toshihiro Okutsu
Hideaki Takahashi
Hidetoshi Kojima
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Ricoh Co Ltd
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Ricoh Co Ltd
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Publication date
Priority claimed from JP2016092573A external-priority patent/JP6759688B2/ja
Application filed by Ricoh Co Ltd filed Critical Ricoh Co Ltd
Publication of EP3095740A1 publication Critical patent/EP3095740A1/de
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Publication of EP3095740B1 publication Critical patent/EP3095740B1/de
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
    • B65H3/12—Suction bands, belts, or tables moving relatively to the pile
    • B65H3/124—Suction bands or belts
    • B65H3/128—Suction bands or belts separating from the top of pile
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/46—Supplementary devices or measures to assist separation or prevent double feed
    • B65H3/48—Air blast acting on edges of, or under, articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2402/00—Constructional details of the handling apparatus
    • B65H2402/10—Modular constructions, e.g. using preformed elements or profiles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/20—Location in space
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/40—Identification
    • B65H2511/417—Identification of state of the machine

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a conveyed-material separation device and a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus including the conveyed-material separation device.
  • JP-2003-311769-A Devices and methods for separating and conveying prepregs are known (for example, see JP-2003-311769-A ).
  • JP-2003-311769-A a device and a method for supplying prepreg are disclosed.
  • JP-2003-311769-A describes that an attraction pad rotated by a cylinder or the like is used to attract and raise (upward rotation) an attracting portion or an end portion of the first prepreg of stacked prepregs, and another attraction pad moved up and down by another cylinder is used to attract and raise an end portion of the second prepreg. Then, both of the attraction pads are simultaneously moved horizontally, for example, about 50 mm to separate and convey two prepregs needed.
  • JP-2003-311769-A has a problem that separation of prepregs are not easily performed in accordance with the width dimension of the prepregs.
  • a purpose of the present invention is to provide a conveyed-material separation device to easily separate conveyed materials, such as circuit board sheets or prepregs, in accordance with the width dimension of the conveyed materials.
  • JP-A-2000-128372 discloses an apparatus for separation and carriage of a sheet material having a plurality of suction devices for lifting the top sheet of a stack, the suction devices being movable in accordance with the width of the sheet to be conveyed.
  • EP 1 466 848 A discloses a sheet feeder for separating sheets from a stack which includes a plurality of suction separators that are selectively operated in accordance with the width of the sheet to be separated.
  • a conveyed-material separation device that includes the conveyed-material separation device and a conveyor to convey the conveyed material retained by conveyed-material separation device.
  • a conveyed-material separation device can be provided that easily separates conveyed materials, such as circuit board sheets or prepregs, in accordance with the width dimension of the conveyed materials.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus as a reference example.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outer appearance of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus of FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a separation stage of a conveyed material in the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus.
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus of FIG. 2 .
  • arrows AF indicate directions of air flowing into the devices.
  • a bundle of conveyed materials (hereinafter, conveyed material bundle) 1 is a plurality of conveyed materials in a stacked state.
  • the conveyed material bundle 1 is mounted and arranged in a stacked stated on a stack table 136 as a bottom plate in a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130.
  • the conveyed materials to be separated and conveyed in this reference example are, for example, thin-plate or sheet materials separatable and conveyable by the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus.
  • the conveyed materials include resin, front/rear surface protector papers, electronic circuit board materials processed with metal foil, such as copper foil, or plated and electronic circuit board sheets, such as paper, special film, plastic film, and prepreg.
  • the prepreg examples include a sheet-like reinforced plastic molding material made of a fiber reinforcing material, such as carbon fiber or glass cloth.
  • the fiber reinforcing material is impregnated with a thermoplastic resin or the like by mixing additives, such as a curing agent or a coloring agent, in the fiber reinforcing material, and heated or dried to a semi-cured state.
  • Each of the conveyed-materials to be used has, for example, a width of from about 100 mm to 700 mm and a thickness of from about 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm.
  • the conveyed materials that can be used in this reference example have, for example, a width dimension of about 210 mm in a width direction of the conveyed materials (conveyed-material width direction) indicated by arrow Y in FIG. 1 , and a length of about 297 mm in a conveyance direction indicated by arrow X in FIG. 1 .
  • Such relatively small-sized conveyed materials can be separated and conveyed in the structure of the reference example. Note that the above-described width, length, and thickness of the conveyed material are only examples.
  • the conveyance direction X corresponds to a direction of conveyance of the conveyed material.
  • a vertical direction of the conveyed materials indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 1 corresponds to a direction in which the conveyed materials are stacked one on another.
  • the width direction Y of the conveyed material corresponds to a direction perpendicular to each of the conveyance direction X and the vertical direction Z of the conveyed material.
  • the stack table 136 may also be referred to as a supply table and functions as a preparation unit to prepare the conveyed materials in the stacked state.
  • the stack table 136 is movable in the vertical direction Z by an elevation assembly as a conveyed-material-stacker driving device.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 includes a conveyed-material sensor 20 (illustrated in FIG. 3 ) and a conveyed-material position controller.
  • the conveyed-material sensor 20 as a conveyed-material detector detects a position of the upper surface of the conveyed material bundle 1.
  • the conveyed-material position controller controls the operation of the elevation assembly to adjust the position of the upper surface of the conveyed material bundle 1.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 includes a pair of side fences 137 as a pair of conveyed-material position regulators, a front end guide plate 138, and end fences 139.
  • the side fences 137 are disposed on both sides of the stack table 136 in the width direction Y of the conveyed materials to position the conveyed material bundle 1 in the width direction Y of the conveyed materials crossing (or perpendicular to) the conveyance direction X of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials.
  • the front end guide plate 138 positions the front end of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials in the length direction which is equivalent to the conveyance direction X.
  • the end fences 139 also position the rear end of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials in the length direction.
  • Side air nozzles 370 indicated in broken lines and provided on one side of the side fences 137 (in the far left of FIG. 2 ), functions as a second air jetting unit being an isolation blower or an air jetting device, to jet and blow side air Ac (see FIG. 4 ) to the side end of the conveyed material bundle 1.
  • the side air nozzles 370 are disposed on both the side fences 137 and connected to a side blower 380 as a side air generator or a side air blower to generate side air Ac.
  • a centrifugal blower such as a sirocco fan, is used as the side blower 380.
  • an axial blower may also be used.
  • a conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160 includes a drive roller 162, a driven roller 163, a conveyance belt 161, a negative pressure air chamber 310, and a suction blower 390.
  • the drive roller 162 is driven to rotate in a direction indicated by arrow R1 in FIG. 2 about a drive shaft 162s that is connected to a drive motor as a belt conveying unit.
  • the driven roller 163 is formed unitarily with a rotatably supported driven shaft, and rotates in a direction indicated by arrow R2 in FIG. 2 according to the rotation and movement of the conveyance belt 161 by the drive roller 162.
  • the suction blower 390 has a function as a suction air generator to generate suction air Ad.
  • a centrifugal blower such as the sirocco fan, is used as the suction blower 390, but an axial blower may also be used alternatively.
  • the centrifugal blower (sirocco fan) having a multiblade fan is small and reasonable in cost, and is also advantageous in that a large pressure increase can be achieved easily in a single stage at a lower noise level, when compared to the axial blower.
  • the conveyance belt 161 of the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160 functions as a retaining unit (retaining member) to attract and retain a floated conveyed-material by a negative pressure generated by air suction to separate the floated conveyed-material from other conveyed materials and a conveyor to convey the retained conveyed-material.
  • the size of the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160 may be increased in accordance with the size of the conveyed material.
  • An air jetting nozzle device 300 that also functions as an air blower is disposed at a position facing the front end of the mounted bundle 1 of the conveyed materials.
  • the air jetting nozzle device 300 includes an air chamber 320 that stores air fed from an external floating blower in a pressurized manner. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the air chamber 320 includes two floating nozzles 322.
  • the floating blower functions as a floating air blower or a floating air generator to generate floating air.
  • a centrifugal blower such as the sirocco fan
  • an axial blower may also be used as the floating blower.
  • the air jetting nozzle device 300 functions as an air jetting device to blow air to conveyed materials stacked and prepared on the stack table 136 to float an end of the conveyed materials.
  • air, or gas include a diselectrified air or other gases used for floating and separating the conveyed materials one after another.
  • the conveyed materials in the stacked state are in close contact with each other due to electrostatic action, it is difficult to separate the conveyed materials from each other one by one. It is effective, therefore, to blow the diselectrified air to the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials in the stacked state.
  • the floating nozzles 322 blow a floating air Aa toward an end portion on the front (referred to as the front end portion hereinafter) of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials to float a conveyed material from the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials.
  • the floating nozzles 322 functions as a first air jetting unit to blow air to the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction X to float and separate the conveyed materials. Note that, when warm air is used as the blowing air, an effect of dehumidifying the conveyed materials can be further obtained, thus allowing more effective separation and isolation of the conveyed materials.
  • FIG. 5 is a flowchart of main steps performed by the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus of Figures 1 to 4 .
  • FIGS. 6A , 6B , 6C , 7A, and 7B are illustrations of an operational transition by the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 blows floating air Aa from the floating nozzles 322 of the air chamber 320 toward a front end face of the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked on the stack table 136, to float the conveyed material bundle 1 up to the height of the conveyance belt 161 (conveyed-material retainer).
  • the suction blower 390 is then operated to retain the conveyed material 1A, which is the uppermost sheet of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials, by the conveyance belt 161.
  • the uppermost conveyed material 1A retained on the conveyance belt 161 is not always separated as a single sheet, but one or more conveyed materials may be in close contact with the conveyed material 1A.
  • the side air nozzles 370 which are disposed as the isolation blowers on the side fences 137, blow the side air to isolate the conveyed material 1A retained by the conveyance belt 161 from other conveyed materials to be a single sheet.
  • the term "isolation" represents jetting air from the side air nozzles to reduce the attractive force acting between conveyed materials to assist separation.
  • the conveyed material 1A is conveyed to the destination of conveyance by the conveyance belt 161, and subsequent processing is performed.
  • a conveyed-material stopper 177 is disposed between the air chamber 320 and the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials mounted on the top to prevent conveyance of the conveyed materials other than the uppermost conveyed material 1A.
  • a conveyed-material sensor 20 to detect the height of the conveyed material is provided to keep a fixed distance h between the conveyance belt 161 and the position of the top surface of the conveyed materials, although the distance h tends to decrease due to feeding and sending of the conveyed materials.
  • the conveyed-material sensor 20 is a reflection-type photosensor.
  • the conveyed-material-stacker driving device (elevation assembly) raises and adjusts the stack table 136 in response to detected signals of the conveyed-material sensor 20.
  • the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials are aligned, with the front end face being a reference surface, to fit the size of the conveyed materials on the stack table 136.
  • a sheet feeding sensor 179 to detect the arrival of the conveyed materials is disposed at a downstream side in the conveyance direction X in the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160.
  • a preparation step (step S1 of FIG. 5 ) for preparing the conveyed materials in a stacked state is performed, for example, in the following manner. Specifically, an operator stacks the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials on the stack table 136. At the same time, the operator hits the front end face of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials against the front end guide plate 138 to form a reference surface to allow the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials to be set and aligned conforming to the size of the conveyed materials.
  • the side fences 137 and the end fences 139 are manipulated to align the side end faces and the rear end face, respectively, of the bundle 1 of the conveyed materials.
  • robots or other specialized devices may perform the stacking or size-alignment operation of the conveyed material bundle 1, as mentioned above, instead of the human operator.
  • the air chamber 320 of the air jetting nozzle device 300 and the isolation blower including the side air nozzles 370 operate.
  • the floating step as a first step to blow air to the end portions of the conveyed materials starts (step S11 of FIG. 19 ).
  • the floating blower of the air chamber 320 and the side blower 380 of the side air nozzles 370 operate, floating air Aa is blown from the floating nozzles 322 of the air chamber 320 and side air Ac is blown from the side air nozzles 370.
  • the contact areas between the uppermost conveyed materials 1A, 1B, and 1C are changed by floating uppermost conveyed materials 1A, 1B, and 1C prepared on the stack table 136.
  • a retaining step (step S3 of FIG. 9 ) as a second step to retain the floated conveyed materials starts to suction air by the conveyance belt 161.
  • the uppermost conveyed material 1A is floated, attracted, and retained on the conveyance belt 161, as illustrated in FIG. 6B .
  • the term AD parenthesized following the air chamber 320 or the conveyance belt 161 represents that the air chamber 320 is in blowing operation state or the conveyance belt 161 is in sucking operation state.
  • the term ST parenthesized following the conveyance belt 161 represents that the conveyance belt 161 is in stopped state.
  • the isolation step indicated by step S4 of FIG. 5 is a step of isolating the conveyed materials retained by the conveyance belt 161 and performed by the isolation blower including the side air nozzles 370.
  • the floating amount or the isolation state of the conveyed materials differs depending on thickness, weight, or size of the stacked conveyed materials when the air volume is fixed at a certain value. For example, if the floating amount of the conveyed materials is small, no supply (no feed) of the conveyed materials occurs. In contrast, if the conveyed material is floated exceedingly, the conveyed materials come in close contact with each other to cause the multifeed. If the power of the suction blower 390 is small, the conveyed materials cannot be conveyed successfully, and the no-supply also occurs.
  • the air volume is previously fixed according to the stacked conveyed materials, such that the fixed air volume is reached automatically when the user or operator chooses the conveyed material to be fed.
  • the air volume is adjusted according to a duty ratio of the blower.
  • circuit board sheets are used as the conveyed materials, for example, a circuit board produced with a damaged circuit board sheet would have a failure in electrical characteristics (resistance values). Therefore, there is a problem to be solved that the separation of circuit board sheets should be performed while preventing occurrence of a failure in electrical characteristics (resistance values) of separated circuit board sheets. For the problem to be solved, the following effects can be achieved by the following technical configurations of the above-described reference example.
  • a conveyed-material separation method includes the preparation step, such as step S1, to prepare circuit board sheets, such as the conveyed material bundle 1 constituted of circuit board sheet, in the stacked state, a first step as the floating step, such as step S2, to float an end of the circuit board sheets by jetting air from the air jetting device or air jetting unit, such as the air jetting nozzle device 300, and a second step as the retaining step, such as step S3, to retain and separate the floated circuit board sheets by the retainer, such as the conveyance belt 161.
  • the effect is achieved of providing the conveyed-material separation method capable of easily separating the circuit board sheets without reducing qualities of the circuit board sheets.
  • a circuit board produced with a damaged circuit board sheet would have a failure in electrical characteristics (e.g., resistance values).
  • the above-described reference example provides the conveyed-material separation method capable of easily separating the circuit board sheets without reducing qualities of the circuit board sheets, thus preventing such a failure of the circuit board.
  • the above-described reference example also have a technical configuration relating to a conveyed-material separation method employing the air jetting device, such as the air jetting nozzle device 300, to jet air in a direction opposite a conveyance direction, such as the conveyance direction X, of the conveyed materials, the first air blower, and the second air jetting unit, such as the side air nozzles 370, to jet air in a width direction, such as the width direction Y, perpendicular to the conveyance direction.
  • the air jetting device such as the air jetting nozzle device 300
  • the retaining step also includes the isolation step, such as step S4, to isolate conveyed materials by the second air jetting unit.
  • the conveyed-material separation method according to the above-described reference example also has a technical configuration of stopping air jetting from the air jetting unit after the retaining step (the second step) ends.
  • the retainer such as the conveyance belt 161 attracts and retains a floated conveyed material by air suction.
  • the conveyed-material separation method according to the above-described reference example also has a technical configuration of controlling the stack table, such as the stack table 136, to elevate up and down so that the position of the upper surface of conveyed materials stacked on the stack table that stack the conveyed materials thereon and can elevate up and down in the direction in which the conveyed materials are stacked.
  • the effect is achieved of providing the conveyed-material separation method capable of easily and reliably separating conveyed materials without reducing qualities of the conveyed materials.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance method employing the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus has a technical configuration including the third step as the conveyance step, such as step S5, to convey the retained conveyed material.
  • the effect is achieved of providing the conveyed-material conveyance method capable of reliably conveying the separated circuit board sheet.
  • the above-described reference example has a technical configuration according to the conveyed-material separation device that includes the preparation unit, such as the stack table 136, to prepare conveyed materials, such as the conveyed material bundle 1, the air jetting device, such as the air jetting nozzle device 300, to jet air the conveyed materials prepared and stacked to float an end of the conveyed materials, and the retaining unit and the retainer, such as the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130, to retain and separate the floated conveyed materials.
  • the preparation unit such as the stack table 136
  • the air jetting device such as the air jetting nozzle device 300
  • the retaining unit and the retainer such as the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130, to retain and separate the floated conveyed materials.
  • the above-described reference example has a technical configuration in that the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus includes the conveyed-material separation device according to any one of the above-described technical configurations and the conveyance unit, such as the conveyance belt 161, to convey the retained conveyed materials. According to the above-described reference example, the effect is achieved of providing the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus capable of reliably conveying the separated conveyed material.
  • FIG. 8A is a perspective view illustrating, in a partly schematic manner, a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus including a conveyed-material separation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8A for example, retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, suction units 6A to 6C, a multifeed detecting sensor 5, an ionizer 7, a laser feed monitor 8 are schematically illustrated.
  • FIG. 8A for example, retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, suction units 6A to 6C, a multifeed detecting sensor 5, an ionizer 7, a laser feed monitor 8 are schematically illustrated.
  • a conveyed material 1 is illustrated intentionally in a transparent manner for easier understanding of front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C, suction units 6A to 6C, and return nozzle units 9A and 9B that are positioned below the conveyed material 1 that is being conveyed.
  • Embodiment 1 mainly differs from the above-described embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7B in that a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 8A is used instead of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 illustrated in, for example, FIGS. 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 , and 7 .
  • the other portions of the structure are similar to those of the above-described embodiment (this also applies to other embodiments described later, such that the notice like this will not be repeated hereinafter).
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 mainly differs from the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 in that the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 includes a configuration described below capable of separating conveyed materials for conveyance according to size, including width, of the conveyed materials.
  • a large size is about 700 mm ⁇ about 700 mm
  • an intermediate size is about 420 mm ⁇ about 594 mm
  • a small size is about 210 mm ⁇ about 297 mm.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 uses a plurality of (three in Embodiment 1) front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C, which are provided as common air jetting devices and floating units, in place of the single air jetting nozzle device 300.
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C are detachably attachable relative to the front end guide plate 138 in accordance with the width dimension of the conveyed materials.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 uses a plurality of (six in Embodiment 1) retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, which are provided as common retaining units, in place of the single conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160.
  • the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are detachably attachable relative to an upper body frame 101b according to the width dimension of the conveyed materials.
  • the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F have a unique configuration of attracting and retaining the conveyed materials, compared to the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160, which will be further described later.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 uses a plurality of (two in Embodiment 1) return nozzle units 9A and 9B that are provided as suction units to suck and attract the floated conveyed materials in a direction opposite to the floating direction, after the conveyed materials are attracted and retained by the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3C.
  • the return nozzle units 9A and 9B will be further described later.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 differs from the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 in that the two side fences 137 illustrated in, e.g., FIGS. 2 and 4 are disposed at each of an upstream side and a downstream side in the conveyance direction X, that is, the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 includes a total of four side fences 137.
  • a plurality of (two in Embodiment 1) common side nozzle units 11A and 11B is used in place of the pair of side air nozzles 370 disposed on the pair of left an right side fences 137 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 .
  • the side nozzle units 11A and 11B are detachably attached relative to the side fences 137 via a screw as a fastener or an attachment-detachment member according to the width of the conveyed materials.
  • the side nozzle units 11A and 11B function as the second air jetting unit being an isolation blower or an air jetting device to jet and blow side air to a side end of the conveyed material bundle 1.
  • the side nozzle units 11A and 11B include, for example, side air nozzles 370 and a side blower 380 similar to those illustrated in, e.g., FIGS. 4 and 7 .
  • the side nozzle unit 11A is detachably attached relative to the left and right side fences 137 at the upstream side in the conveyance direction X in FIG.
  • the side nozzle unit 11B is detachably attached relative to the left and right side fences 137 at the downstream side in the conveyance direction X in FIG. 8A .
  • the configuration of the side nozzle units 11A and 11B are not limited to the above-described configuration but may be the following configuration.
  • only the side air nozzles 370 are detachably attached relative to the side fences 137 and the side blower 380 is secured to the body frame 101 in an area outside the range of movement of the side fences 137 in the width direction of conveyed materials.
  • the side air nozzles 370 and the side blower 380 may be communicated with each other via a flexible duct being expandable and contractible.
  • suction units 6A to 6C are employed are, for example, as follows.
  • the suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C disposed downstream from the retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, and 3C By attracting and conveying the conveyed materials, such as prepregs, by the suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C disposed downstream from the retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, and 3C, pressed marks or damage are less given to the conveyed materials than a configuration in which the conveyed materials, such as prepregs, are pressed and conveyed by, e.g., a roller.
  • a problem of conveyance specific to material sheets used for electronic circuit board materials can be resolved.
  • the glass fiber may become powdery, and separated and scattered from the end portions (front and rear end portions and lateral end portions) of the conveyed materials.
  • the suction units 6A to 6C are employed is to prevent powder substances, such as glass fiber, from adhering to a conveyance roller and damaging and degrading a surface of the conveyance roller, for example, in a configuration in which the conveyance roller employs a friction rotation system and is disposed downstream from the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F to convey the above-described type of conveyed materials.
  • the ionizer 7 is a unit or a device to diselectrify the conveyed materials being conveyed.
  • the laser feed monitor 8 is a unit or a device to measure skew of the conveyed materials being conveyed.
  • a configuration of the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C is similar to the configuration of the air jetting nozzle device 300 according to the above-described embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 .
  • Common specifications in, e.g., the shape, attachment dimensions, internal components, and blowers, are employed for the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C.
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C are detachably attached relative to the front end guide plate 138 via a screw 102 as a fastener or an attachment-detachment unit, in accordance with the width of the conveyed materials.
  • the front end guide plate 138 is secured to the body frame 101 with a fastener, such as a screw.
  • the front end guide plate 138 includes a plurality of screw holes 103 as an attachment-detachment unit to attach and detach the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C in accordance with the width of the conveyed materials.
  • the front nozzle unit 2C is illustrated as an example in which one screw 102 is used and fastened into one screw hole 103.
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C are fastened with more than one screws at more than one positions, respectively, so as to be reliably secured to the front end guide plate 138.
  • the fastener or the fastening member is not limited to the screw 102, and may be, for example, a clamp member capable of fastening and releasing fastening in one-touch operation.
  • the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are fastened with more than one screws at more than one positions, so as to be reliably secured to the upper body frame 101b.
  • the fastener or the fastening member is not limited to the screw 102, and may be, for example, a clamp member capable of fastening and releasing fastening in one-touch operation.
  • FIG. 8A For example, with the above-described detachably attachable configuration of the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, the following arrangement and operational use are available in FIG. 8A .
  • the front nozzle unit 2B and the retaining conveyance unit 3B which are disposed in the center of the conveyed material, are attached and used with other front nozzle units and the retaining conveyance units removed.
  • large-sized conveyed materials all of three front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and all of the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are attached and used, as illustrated in FIG. 8A .
  • two adjacent front nozzle units 2A and 2B or two adjacent front nozzle units 2B and 2C, and corresponding adjacent retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, 3D and 3E or adjacent retaining conveyance units 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F are attached and used at appropriate positions in the width direction Y of the medium-sized conveyed material.
  • the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are used as at least one retaining unit or a plurality of retaining units, and the positions of such retaining units can be changed according to the width of the conveyed material in the width direction Y of the conveyed material perpendicular to the floating direction of the conveyed material.
  • the side nozzle units 11A and 11B are also arranged and driven for use, under a technical thought similar to that of the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F.
  • the following table 1 shows a relationship of arrangement of the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, the side nozzle units 11A and 11B, and the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C.
  • FIGS. 8B to 8G are plan views of examples of the arrangement of the units of Embodiment 1 in table 1.
  • the conveyed-material length L represents the length of a conveyed material in the conveyance direction X of the conveyed material (longitudinal dimension).
  • the conveyed-material width W represents the width (lateral dimension) of a conveyed material in the width direction Y of the conveyed material. As illustrated in FIG.
  • a conveyance material having a conveyed-material length L of 300 mm and a conveyed-material width W of 300 mm is associated with a unit arrangement of UA ( FIG. 8B ).
  • the numbers of the retaining conveyance units, the side nozzle units, the front nozzle units are 1, 2, and 1, respectively.
  • FIGS. 8B to 8G are examples of the arrangements corresponding to the unit arrangements of UA, UB, UC, UD, UE, and UF shown in table 1.
  • the conveyed-material length L vertical size
  • the conveyed-material width W horizontal size
  • Units indicated by shading and broken line In FIGS. 8B to 8G are units to be operated.
  • the retaining conveyance units 3A, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F indicated by broken lines in FIG. 8B and the retaining conveyance units indicated by 3A, 3C, 3D, and 3F indicated by broken lines represent the positions and states in which the respective units are removed from the upper body frame 101b.
  • FIGS. 8D, 8E , and 8F the retaining conveyance units removed from the upper body frame 101b are omitted for simplicity. Note that the ranges of the conveyed-material length L and the conveyed-material width W, the numbers of units, and the arrangements of the respective units are only examples and are not limited to them.
  • FIG. 9 is a cross sectional side view of a portion of the retaining conveyance unit 3A used in Embodiment 1, when seen diagonally from the upper right.
  • FIG.10 is a perspective view of the retaining conveyance unit 3A when seen diagonally from a lower right side thereof.
  • FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the air flow of the suction air of the retaining conveyance unit when seen diagonally from a lower left side thereof.
  • FIG. 12 is a perspective view of areas retained by conveyance belts of the retaining conveyance unit.
  • the retaining conveyance unit 3A mainly differs from the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160 in that a retaining unit 165 including conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c is used in place of the conveyance belt 161, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 11 .
  • the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c are formed by dividing a conveyance belt into three parts to be identical with each other and have the same circumferential length.
  • the conveyance belt 161a and the conveyance belt 161b that form the retaining conveyance unit 3A are arranged on both sides of and across the central conveyance belt 161c in the width direction Y of the conveyed materials.
  • the conveyance belt 161c is stretched over a tension roller 167, a free roller 162c, and a driven roller 163c.
  • the free roller 162c has a diameter smaller than the diameter of a drive roller 162a or a drive roller 162b
  • the driven roller 163c has the same diameter as the diameter of a driven roller 163a or a driven roller 163b.
  • the tension roller 167 is disposed further above the upper surfaces of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b at a position closer to the downstream side in the conveyance direction X.
  • the tension roller 167 is supported rotatably to a unit frame via a shaft 167s.
  • the conveyance belt 161a is stretched between the drive roller 162a and the driven roller 163a.
  • the conveyance belt 161b is stretched between the drive roller 162b and the driven roller 163b.
  • the drive rollers 162a, 162b and the free roller 162c are mounted on the common drive shaft 162s. Only the free roller 162c is guided and supported at a predetermined gap from the drive shaft 162s to allow free rotation.
  • Each of the drive rollers 162a and 162b is integrally molded with the corresponding drive shaft 162s.
  • the driven rollers 163a, 163b, and 163c are integrally molded with and mounted on the common driven shaft 163s.
  • the drive shaft 162s and the driven shaft 163s are supported rotatably to the unit frame 169, which is the unit body of the retaining conveyance unit 3A, via bearings.
  • the drive shaft 162s is coupled with a drive motor 168, which is a conveyance belt drive unit, via a teethed pulley and a teethed belt, both of which function as rotation transmitters.
  • the drive motor 168 is secured to the unit frame 169 via a motor mount fixed to the unit frame 169, to drive and rotate the conveyance belts 161a and 161b via the drive rollers 162a and 162b.
  • the conveyance belt 161c is driven by the rotational force of the driven roller 163c that is driven to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b.
  • the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c are run to rotate at the same circumferential speed in the same rotational direction indicated by arrows in FIG. 9 .
  • a plurality of suction holes 164 is formed in the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c to retain the conveyed material.
  • the suction holes 164 are illustrated as if the suction holes 164 are formed at a portion of a lower side of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c.
  • the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c are formed over the whole circumference of each of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c
  • the suction blower 390 is driven to generate the air flow of the suction air Ad.
  • Both a suction duct 311 connected to the suction blower 390 and a negative pressure air chamber 310 connected to the suction duct 311 come to a negative pressure state.
  • the suction air Ad is sucked from the suction holes 164 of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c to attract and retain the conveyed material on the belt retaining surfaces of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c.
  • FIG. 11 the suction blower 390 is driven to generate the air flow of the suction air Ad.
  • a retaining area 166 which is illustrated in a transparent manner, for retaining the conveyed material is formed on the retaining conveyance unit 3A in the width direction Y of the conveyed material.
  • the retaining area 166 corresponds to an area where many suction holes 164 are formed in the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c.
  • FIG. 13 is a back view of an arrangement of the return nozzle units.
  • floating air Aa illustrated in FIG. 13 is generated with a floating blower 330, is stored in the air chamber 320, and is jetted from the two floating nozzles 322. Since the return nozzle units 9A and 9B have a common configuration, the return nozzle unit 9A is described as a representative.
  • the return nozzle unit 9A includes a return nozzle 9b with an opening 9a to suck the return air Ar formed therein and a return air suction blower 9c connected to the return nozzle 9b.
  • the sirocco fan for example, may be used as the return air suction blower 9c. As illustrated in FIGS.
  • the return nozzle units 9A and 9B are disposed between two adjacent units of the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C. Specifically, the return nozzle units 9A and 9B are disposed between the retaining conveyance units 3A and 3B and between the retaining conveyance units 3B and 3C, respectively, in the width direction Y of the conveyed material.
  • FIG. 14 is an illustration of steps to be executed by the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus of Embodiment 1. Specifically, FIG. 14 is a flowchart of start timing of driving of various types of air.
  • FIG. 15 is a front view of the conveyed-material separation device in a state in which conveyed materials are isolated and separated with the conveyed-material separation device and attracted and retained by one of the plurality of retaining conveyance units.
  • FIG. 16 is a schematic view of action of return air in Embodiment 1. Note that, in the retaining step described later, as illustrated in FIG.
  • FIG. 15 shows, as a representative, the state in which the conveyed material 1A is attracted and retained with the retaining conveyance unit 3A.
  • the sucked and attracted state of the conveyed material 1A is as follow.
  • a central leading end portion 1Ac of the conveyed material 1A is deformed in a curved manner to project upward (inverted U-shape) by the suction air Ad from the belt retaining surface of the conveyance belt 161c as a central step portion segmented in the conveyance belt 161.
  • a central left portion 1Aa and central right portion 1Ab corresponding to the left-side conveyance belt 161a and the right-side conveyance belt 161b, respectively, are retained on the belt retaining surface within the formation range of the belt retaining surface, by suction air Ad blown from the belt retaining surface.
  • a left-side leading end portion 1Aaa and a right-side leading end portion 1Abb (the right side of the conveyed material 1A is cut and omitted in FIG. 15 ) separated away from the belt retaining surface further hang down toward lateral ends of the conveyed material 1A.
  • the first conveyed material 1A is disposed approximately horizontally to the belt retaining surface.
  • the air flow of the side air Ac toward the rear end of the conveyed material 1A keeps the floating state of the conveyed material 1A and bulges the center of the conveyed material 1A, such that the conveyed material 1A comes to an upward arch shape (semi-circular shape) when seen from the rear end portion.
  • a central leading end portion thereof is deformed in a curved manner to project upward (inverted U-shape) by floating air and side air, and floats in such a manner that the leading end thereof further hangs down toward lateral ends thereof by its own weight.
  • the floating and separated state illustrated in FIG. 15 is just an example in which a conveyed material of a type has a thickness of from 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm. Although depending on the material type, for example, as the thickness approaches 0.02 mm and is smaller, the degree of the above-described curve is greater.
  • the degree of the above-described curve is smaller and the conveyed material floats in a state closer to a horizontal state.
  • the conveyed materials 1B and 1C does not float and are retained similarly to the initial stacked state.
  • the conveyed-material separation device includes the air jetting units, such as the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C, to float an end of stacked conveyed materials, such as the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked, and at least one retaining unit, such as the retaining conveyance unit 3A, 3B, or 3C, to retain and separate the floated conveyed materials.
  • the position of the at least one retaining unit is adjustable according to the width of the conveyed materials in the width direction, such as the width direction Y, perpendicular to the floating direction of the conveyed-materials.
  • the conveyed-material separation device capable of easily separating the conveyed materials according to the width of the conveyed materials is provided without generating a failure, such as multifeed or no feed.
  • the at least one retaining unit in the conveyed-material separation device according to the first technical configuration, is detachably attachable relative to the body, such as the body frame 101, of the conveyed-material separation device.
  • the at least one retaining unit in the conveyed-material separation device according to the first or second technical configuration, includes a plurality of retaining units, such as the retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F, and the retaining units constitute a plurality of common units that are detachably attachable relative to the body of the conveyed-material separation device.
  • the number of components constituting the units and cost can be reduced.
  • the plurality of common units is disposed at three positions corresponding to a center portion and both end portions of the conveyed material in the width direction on a downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyed materials.
  • the plurality of units is disposed at three positions including the center and both sides of the conveyed material in the width direction on the downstream side of the conveyance direction of the conveyed materials.
  • the conveyed-material separation device capable of easily separating the conveyed materials according to the width (lateral dimension) and the length (longitudinal dimension) of the conveyed materials is provided.
  • the suction units such as the return nozzle units 9A and 9B, are included, the suction units sucking the floated conveyed material in a direction opposite to the floating direction after the conveyed material is retained by the plurality of units, the plurality of floating units are disposed corresponding to the plurality of units, and the suction units are disposed between adjacent floating units of the plurality of floating units in the width direction.
  • the influence of disturbance of air is suppressed, and the conveyed materials can be separated easily and securely.
  • Embodiment 1 may also include the following configuration.
  • the four side fences 137 illustrated in FIG. 8A include the size detectors of the conveyed materials capable of automatically detecting the width of the conveyed material when the side end faces of the conveyed material are positioned.
  • the controller provided in the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 may inform based on the size data of the conveyed material obtained as a result of the positioning of the lateral direction of the conveyed material by the four side fences 137.
  • the following notice or alert may be displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) display screen or the like at an input unit, such as an operation panel disposed at the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100.
  • LCD liquid crystal display
  • a message or alert may be displayed as follow: "The size of the conveyed material is not compatible with the configuration of the apparatus. Therefore, please remove and attach the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C, the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, or the return nozzle units 9A and 9B of FIG. 8A .”
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, 2C, the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F, or the return nozzle units 9A, 9B of FIG. 8A may be automatically moved rather than being removed and attached by a service operator or a user (such a modification will be included within the concept of the present invention).
  • Variation 1 differs from the above-described Embodiment 1 as follows.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 in a state illustrated in FIG. 8A in which all of the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are attached and mounted, the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 can separate and convey a conveyed material of a maximum size usable in the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100.
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are selectively driven and used according to the size of the conveyed materials to be used.
  • the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, 3D, and 3E or the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F are driven.
  • the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, 3D, and 3E or the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F are arranged at appropriate positions in the width direction Y of the conveyed material during the conveyance of the intermediate-sized conveyed materials.
  • the plurality of units including the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F has a common configuration.
  • the plurality of units may not have a common configuration.
  • a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus according to Embodiment 2 is described below by focusing on differences from the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1.
  • the three front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are not detachably attachable and have the following configuration.
  • a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus of Embodiment 2 is configured to allow separation and conveyance of a largest size of the conveyed materials usable in the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus.
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are selectively driven and used according to the size of the conveyed materials to be used.
  • the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C may be selectively driven and used according to the size of the conveyed material. For example, when small-sized conveyed materials, for example, are used, only the front nozzle unit 2B disposed in the center of the conveyed material is driven. When large-sized conveyed materials are used, all of the three front nozzle units 2A, 2B, 2C are driven. When intermediate-sized conveyed materials are used, the two adjacent front nozzle units 2A and 2B or the two adjacent front nozzle units 2B and 2C are driven. The two front nozzle units 2A and 2B, or 2B and 2C are arranged at appropriate positions in the width direction Y of the conveyed material during the conveyance of the intermediate-sized conveyed materials.
  • the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F may be selectively driven and used according to the size of the conveyed material. For example, when the small-sized conveyed materials are used, only the retaining conveyance unit 3A disposed corresponding to the center of the conveyed material is driven. When the large-sized conveyed materials are used, all of the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F are driven. When the intermediate-sized conveyed materials are used, the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, 3D, and 3E or the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F are driven.
  • adjacent retaining conveyance units 3A, 3B, 3D, and 3E or the adjacent retaining conveyance units 3B, 3C, 3E, and 3F are arranged at appropriate positions in the width direction Y of the conveyed material during the conveyance of the intermediate-sized conveyed materials.
  • the plurality of units including the front nozzle units 2A, 2B, and 2C and the six retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F has a common configuration.
  • the plurality of units may not have a common configuration.
  • Embodiment 2 the effects of Embodiment 1 mentioned above can also be achieved with a simpler configuration.
  • FIG. 17 is a front view of a conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 including a conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 260 as the conveyed-material separation device according to another reference example of the present invention.
  • FIG. 18 is a plan view of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 of FIG. 17 .
  • FIGS. 19A to 19C are schematic views of operational transition states of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130.
  • FIGS. 20A to 20C are schematic views of operational transition states of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 following the state of FIG. 19C .
  • the reference example illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 differs from the above-described reference example illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 in that the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 is used in place of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 includes the conveyed-material sensor 20, the conveyed-material position controller to control driving of the elevation assembly to control the position of the upper surface of the conveyed material bundle 1, and the front end guide plate 138, which are similar to, even if not the same as, those of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130 of FIGS. 1 to 4 .
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 includes, for example, the pair of side fences 137, the end fences 139, the side air nozzles 370, and the side blower 380, which are similar to, even if not the same as, those of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 includes the air chamber 320 and the air jetting nozzle device 300 including the floating nozzles 322, which are similar to, even if not the same as, those of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 130.
  • the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 260 includes the attraction roller 261, a negative-pressure air chamber 263, a shutter 270, an air pipe 235 as a suction duct, and a suction fan 280 as a suction air generator to generate suction air.
  • the suction air generator is not limited to the suction fan 280 but may be, for example, an air compressor or any other suitable type of suction air generator.
  • the attraction roller 261 includes a shaft 261s rotatably supported on a body frame. The shaft 261s is coupled with a drive motor 268 as a drive device. The drive motor 268 drives the attraction roller 261 to rotate in a direction to reel out a conveyed material.
  • the shutter 270 is a valve to control on-and-off of the flow of suction air, generated by driving of the suction fan 280, from the negative-pressure air chamber 263 and the attraction roller 261 disposed downstream from the shutter 270.
  • the attraction roller 261 is an attraction rotator of a roller shape having a plurality of suction holes 264 in an outer circumferential portion thereof.
  • the attraction roller 261 includes the negative-pressure air chamber 263.
  • the negative-pressure air chamber 263 is communicated with the shutter 270 via the air pipe 235 and communicated with and connected to the suction fan 280 via the air pipe 235.
  • the suction holes 264 are disposed at upper positions opposite a front end portion of the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked on the stack table 136.
  • the attraction roller 261 is communicated with the shutter 270 and connected to the suction fan 280 via the air pipe 235 connected to the negative-pressure air chamber 263.
  • the attraction roller 261 of the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 260 functions as a retaining unit (retaining member) to attract and retain a floated conveyed-material by a negative pressure generated by air suction to separate the floated conveyed-material from other conveyed materials and a conveyor to convey the retained conveyed-material.
  • the size of the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 260 may be increased in accordance with the size of the conveyed material.
  • FIGS. 19A t0 19C and 20A to 20C an example of operation of the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 including the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 260 is described with reference to FIGS. 19A t0 19C and 20A to 20C.
  • the stack table 136 elevates up as indicated by arrow D1 in FIG. 19A and stops at a predetermined position.
  • predetermined position represents a position at which the conveyed material 1A at an uppermost surface of the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked on the stack table 136 floats as described later and is attractable by the attraction roller 261.
  • the shutter 270 is closed.
  • floating air Aa is blown from floating nozzles of the air chamber toward a front end face of the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked on the stack table 136, and side air is blown from side air nozzles.
  • Such air floats up the conveyed material 1A, 1B, and 1C at an upper portion of the conveyed material bundle 1 stacked on the stack table 136.
  • the conveyed material 1A at the uppermost face of the conveyed material bundle 1 floats up to a position close to the height of the attraction roller 261 (the conveyed-material retainer). Accordingly, the contact areas between the uppermost conveyed materials 1A, 1B, and 1C are changed by floating the uppermost conveyed materials 1A, 1B, and 1C prepared on the stack table 136 (floating step).
  • the conveyed material 1A attracted and separated is conveyed to a destination of conveyance downstream in the conveyance direction X (conveyance step).
  • a feeding sensor is disposed at a downstream side in the conveyance direction X in the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 to detect the arrival of the conveyed material.
  • the shutter 270 is closed to turn the inside of the negative-pressure air chamber 263 into the atmospheric pressure.
  • the floating amount or the isolation state of the conveyed materials differs depending on thickness, weight, or size of the stacked conveyed materials when the air volume is fixed at a certain value. For example, if the floating amount of the conveyed materials is small, no supply (no feed) of the conveyed materials occurs. In contrast, if the conveyed material is floated exceedingly, the conveyed materials come in close contact with each other to cause the multifeed. If the power of the suction fan 280 is small, the conveyed materials cannot be conveyed successfully, and the no-supply also occurs.
  • the air volume is previously fixed according to the stacked conveyed materials, such that the fixed air volume is reached automatically when the user or operator chooses the conveyed material to be fed.
  • the air volume is adjusted according to a duty ratio of the blower.
  • the conveyed-material conveyance apparatus 230 employing the attraction roller 261 and so on resolves the above-described problem similar to that of the above-described reference example and obtains the effects equivalent to those of the above-described reference example.
  • the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying devices 160 is arranged as a plurality of units in the width direction or the conveyance direction of the conveyed material, in accordance with the size of the conveyed material.
  • the positions of the plurality of units may be configured to be adjustable or detachably attachable, thus obtaining effects equivalent to those of Embodiments 1 and 2.
  • the plurality of units may be configured to be selectively driven and used. Further, the above-described configurations may be combined.
  • the embodiments of the present invention are also applicable to technical fields of a sheet separation device and a sheet conveyance device to separate sheets of paper including very large-sized sheets of paper (e.g., having a width of about 700 mm), special paper, such as coated paper, or films for the overhead projector (OHP) and so on.
  • very large-sized sheets of paper e.g., having a width of about 700 mm
  • special paper such as coated paper
  • OHP overhead projector
  • the retaining conveyance units are not limited to the retaining conveyance units 3A to 3F of, e.g., Embodiment 1.
  • a plurality of conveyor belts of a common configuration (or different configurations) not forming a step portion may be used in place of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c forming the above-described central step portion.
  • a plurality of (for example, three) conveyance belts which has the same configuration as the conveyance belt 161 of the conveyed-material floating-retaining-conveying device 160 used in the above-described embodiment, may be arranged side by side in the width direction of the conveyed material.

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Claims (7)

  1. Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung (100, 130, 230) umfasst:
    eine Luftstrahleinheit (370, 322), um Luft auf gestapelte Fördergüter (1) auszustoßen, um ein Ende eines Förderguts in Schweben zu versetzen (1A); und
    eine Rückhalteeinheit (3A bis 3F), um das durch die Luftstrahleinheit (370, 322) in Schweben versetzte Fördergut zurückzuhalten und abzutrennen, und die eine Vielzahl von Rückhalteeinheiten (3A bis 3F) beinhaltet; gekennzeichnet dadurch, dass
    die Vielzahl von Rückhalteeinheiten (3A bis 3F) eine Vielzahl von gemensamen Einheiten umfasst, die in Bezug auf den Körper der Fördergut-Trennvorrichtig lösbar angebracht werden können, und die an drei Poisitionen angeordnet sind, einschließlich eines mittleren Abschnitts und beider Endabschnitte in der Breitenrichtung (Y) des Förderguts auf einer stromabwärts befindlichen Seite in einer Förderrichtung (X) des Förderguts;
    die Luftstrahleinheit (370, 322) eine Vielzahl von Luftstrahleinheiten (370, 322) umfasst, die entsprechend der Vielzahl von gemeinsamen Einheiten angeordnet sind, und durch
    eine Absaugeinheit (9A, 9B), um das schwebene Fördergut in einer Richtung entgegen der Schweberichtung (D1) anzusaugen, nachdem das Fördergut von der Vielzahl von gemeinsamen Einheiten (3A bis 3F) zurückgehalten wurde und zwischen der Vielzahl von Luftstrahleinheiten in der Breitenrichtung angeordnet ist.
  2. Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei eine Position der Rückhalteeinheit gemäß einem Breitenmaß des Förderguts in eine Breitenrichtung (Y) senkrecht zu einer Fließrichtung (D1) der Fördergüter veränderbar ist.
  3. Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1 oder 2,
    wobei die Rückhalteeinheit (3A bis 3F) in Bezug auf einen Körper (101) der Trennvorrichtung für Fördergüter abnehmbar und ansteckbar ist.
  4. Trennvorrichtung für Fördergüter nach Anspruch 1,
    wobei die Vielzahl von gemeinsamen Einheiten (3A bis 3F) ferner an drei Positionen angeordnet ist, einschließlich eines mittleren Abschnitts und beider Endabschnitte in der Breitenrichtung (Y) des Förderguts auf einer stromaufwärts befindlichen Seite in der Förderrichtung (X) des Förderguts.
  5. Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1,
    wobei die Vielzahl von Rückhalteeinheiten (3A bis 3F) an Positionen angeordnet ist, die in der Lage sind, ein Fördergut zurückzuhalten, das eine maximale Größe aufweist, das in der Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung verwendet werden kann, und
    wobei die Vielzahl von Rückhalteeinheiten gemäß einer Größe des Förderguts, das verwendet werden soll, selektiv angesteuert und verwendet wird.
  6. Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Vielzahl von Rückhalteeinheiten (3A bis 3F) gemäß einer Größe des Förderguts, das verwendet werden soll, selektiv angesteuert werden kann.
  7. Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung, umfassend:
    Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6; und
    einen Förderer, um das von der Fördergut-Trennvorrichtung zurückgehaltene Fördergut zu befördern.
EP16170721.1A 2015-05-20 2016-05-20 Trennvorrichtung für gefördertes material und fördervorrichtung für gefördertes material damit Active EP3095740B1 (de)

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