JP2000246469A - Device and method for connecting strip-like metal sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect strip-like metal sheets to each other without forming any stepped portions or projecting portions. SOLUTION: A proceeding sheet B1 and a succeeding sheet B2 are respectively held by an outlet side clamping device 41 and an inlet side clamping device 42, and in that state, end faces opposite to each other are butted to each other on a back bar 451 by moving the outlet side clamping device 41 and the inlet side clamping device 42 in the direction approaching each other. The preceding sheet B1 is laser beam welded to the succeeding sheet B2 by moving a laser beam emission torch 452 along a butted portion while the butted portion of the preceding sheet B1 and the succeeding sheet B2 is irradiated with the laser beam from the laser beam emission torch 452.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shadow mask and an aperture grill for a color picture tube (for a trinitron tube or the like), and a connection device and a connection method for connecting strip-shaped metal thin plates used in a lead frame of a semiconductor device. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a production line for a shadow mask and an aperture grill for a color picture tube is provided with a surface-coating line for adjusting the surface of a strip-shaped metal thin plate and for applying and drying a resist, and for forming a resist into a predetermined baking pattern. A baking line for exposure, a development line for melting and removing the resist in the unexposed area to pattern the resist, and an etching line for etching the strip-shaped metal sheet using the patterned resist as a mask to form an opening defining an electron beam passage opening. And a stripping line for stripping and removing the resist remaining on the surface of the strip-shaped sheet metal. In each of these lines, a plurality of transport rollers for transporting the strip-shaped metal sheet are arranged, and while transporting the strip-shaped metal sheet unreeled from the hoop wound up in a roll shape while transporting the strip-shaped metal sheet in its longitudinal direction. , A series of processes are performed.

For example, a flattening coating line includes a cleaning tank for cleaning the surface of a strip-shaped metal sheet, a resist tank in which a resist solution is stored, and a resist drying chamber for drying the resist on the surface of the strip-shaped metal sheet. . After the surface of the strip-shaped metal sheet is cleaned by the cleaning tank, the resist is applied to the surface by passing through the resist solution stored in the resist tank. Is dried. The strip-shaped sheet metal immediately after passing through the resist solution is lifted up through a pair of squeegee rollers and guided to a resist drying chamber. By the function of the squeegee roller, the resist is applied with a uniform thickness on the front and back surfaces of the strip-shaped metal sheet.

[0004] In the case where a plurality of hoops of the same kind or different kinds of strips are wound continuously to be treated, the preceding strips (hereinafter referred to as "preceding sheets") are treated. The front end of the succeeding strip-shaped sheet metal (hereinafter, referred to as “the following thin sheet”) is connected to the rear end. In a typical conventional technique for this connection, as shown in FIG. 16, the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 and the front end of the succeeding thin plate B2 are overlapped and adhered with the double-sided tape 121, and further, the eyelet 122 The connection of the overlapped part is strengthened by fixing devices such as. An example of a specific procedure in this case is as follows. (1) Trailing Hoop Setup During the processing of the preceding thin plate B1, the trailing thin plate B2 is set up.

[0005] That is, the vicinity of the tip of the following thin plate B2 is degreased with alcohol, and a double-sided tape 121 is stuck thereon.
Further, the tip is cut to adjust the shape of the cut end face. (2) Preceding hoop setup The rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 is cut to shape its end face, and the vicinity of the cut end is degreased with alcohol. (3) Connection The rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B with the double-sided tape 121
2 and superimpose the tip. After that, the tape portion is heated with an iron to strengthen the adhesion, and the protruding portion of the double-sided tape 121 is cut off with a cutter. Next, the overlapping connection portion is hit with a rubber hammer to further strengthen the adhesion. Then, measures are taken to prevent the double-sided tape 121 from peeling by mechanically fixing the connecting portion by the eyelet 122, and finally the eyelet 122 is crushed by a hammer.

[0006]

As described above, the connection of the strip-shaped sheet metal sheet is mainly performed by hand. However, this work is troublesome as described above, and furthermore, the preceding sheet metal sheet B1 is connected to the succeeding sheet metal sheet B1. Skill is required to accurately align the longitudinal direction with the thin plate B2. Even a skilled worker may vary in connection quality depending on physical condition and the like. If the longitudinal directions of the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 are not correctly aligned, the strip-shaped thin metal plate will meander in the line, which may cause a processing failure. In such a situation, the trailing thin plate B2 must be cut, and the line must be stopped accordingly, resulting in a significant decrease in productivity.

On the other hand, the connecting portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2 is thicker than other portions because the two thin plates are overlapped, and a remarkable step is formed.
Moreover, when mechanically joined by the eyelets 122, that portion forms a further protruding portion. Therefore, the squeegee roller is damaged when the connecting portion reaches the above-described squeegee roller and passes between them. As a result, the processing by the squeegee roller thereafter becomes defective, and the resist film cannot be formed with a uniform film thickness on the surface of the strip-shaped metal sheet. A similar problem occurs in the above-described baking line, in the baking processing section for bringing the baking pattern plate into close contact with the strip-shaped metal sheet, and in the above-described series of processing lines such as cleaning, development, etching, or stripping, in the processing such as strip-shaped metal sheet. This also occurs in the sponge roller for wiping the processing liquid supplied to the sponge. That is, the baked pattern plate or the sponge roller may be damaged, and the subsequent processing may be defective.

Therefore, conventionally, when the connecting portion passes, the squeegee roller, the printing pattern, and the sponge roller are respectively retracted so that they do not contact the connecting portion. However, further problems derived from this cannot be avoided. That is, for example, if the squeegee roller is avoided when the connection portion passes, the resist film becomes thicker before and after the connection portion. For this reason, the dripping of the resist solution occurs, the time required for the resist drying process in the resist drying chamber becomes longer, or when the resist drying process is insufficient, the transport for transporting the strip-shaped metal sheet is performed. There is a problem that the rollers and the like are stained and the stains are transferred to the belt-shaped metal sheet.

In the first place, when the connecting portion passes,
A mechanism for retracting the squeegee roller, the printing pattern, the sponge roller, and the like is required, which complicates the configuration of the processing apparatus that processes the band-shaped metal sheet. Further, since the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 are bonded and connected with the double-sided tape 121,
There is a possibility that the glue protruding from the tape 121 may adhere to a transport roller or the like, and when this is transferred to a strip-shaped metal sheet,
There is also a problem that a processing failure occurs.

This problem can be solved by joining the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 by, for example, seam welding as shown in FIG. 17, but the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 are joined together. The above-mentioned problem cannot be avoided as long as the two are overlapped and joined. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, and to provide a connecting device and a connecting method of a strip-shaped metal sheet, which can connect the strip-shaped metal sheets without generating a remarkable step portion or a protruding portion. It is to be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connecting device and a connecting method for a strip-shaped metal sheet which can reduce the trouble of connecting the strip-shaped metal sheet. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a connecting device and a connecting method for a strip-shaped thin metal plate, which can prevent processing defects caused by a connecting portion. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a connecting device and a connecting method for a strip-shaped metal sheet which can simplify the configuration of a processing apparatus for processing the strip-shaped metal sheet.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, one end of a first strip-shaped metal sheet and one end of a second strip-shaped metal sheet are connected. A connection device for connecting, the first holding means for holding the first band-shaped thin metal plate (preferably near one end thereof), and the second band-shaped thin metal plate (preferably near one end thereof). By bringing the second holding means for holding the first and second holding means close to each other, each of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets held by the first and second holding means is brought closer. Abutting means for bringing the one end portions close to each other and butting the end surfaces together, and welding the respective one end portions of the first and second strip-shaped metal thin plates whose end surfaces are butted by the butting means, thereby welding the first metal plate. And the second A connecting device of the belt-like sheet metal which comprises a welding means for connecting Jo sheet metal.

According to the above arrangement, the end surfaces of the first and second metal strips are butted and welded to each other, whereby the first and second metal strips are welded. Connection is achieved. Therefore, a remarkable step portion or a protruding portion does not occur in the connection portion. Therefore, in the processing apparatus for performing the processing on the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets, a configuration for avoiding the connection portion is not required. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified. In addition, since it is not necessary to avoid the connecting portion, there is no occurrence of a processing failure caused by avoiding the connecting portion. Further, since a double-sided tape is not used, there is no possibility that a processing failure due to the transfer of the adhesive occurs.

On the other hand, the first band-shaped metal sheet is held by the first holding means, the second band-shaped metal sheet is held by the second holding means, and the first and second band-shaped metal sheets are brought close to each other. Since the welding is performed by the welding means in abutted state, most of the connecting operation of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets is automated. Thereby, the labor required for connecting the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets can be remarkably reduced, and the both strip-shaped metal sheets can be connected with a constant quality.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the welding means includes:
2. A connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to claim 1, further comprising a laser welding means for welding and connecting said one ends of said first and second strip-shaped metal sheets with a laser beam. In this configuration, since the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are connected by laser welding, it is possible to weld and connect extremely thin metal sheets.
Good reproducibility of welding and high reliability. In addition, by branching the laser oscillated from the laser output device with an optical fiber, one laser output device can be welded and connected at a plurality of arbitrary locations, which is economical.

As the welding means, a laser welding means, a plasma welding apparatus, a TIG welding apparatus, or the like can be used. These are all suitable for welding connection in a state where the end faces of the respective one end portions of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are butted against each other. Claim 3
The invention described above is characterized in that the laser welding means includes a YAG laser welding means for welding and connecting each end of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal sheets with a YAG laser beam. Is a connecting device for a strip-shaped thin metal plate.

According to this configuration, since the laser welding is performed by the YAG laser capable of outputting a large power, the welding of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal plates can be performed quickly. In addition to the YAG laser welding, a carbon dioxide laser welding means for performing welding with a carbon dioxide laser beam can be applied.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, one end of each of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets is cut off, and a new cut is made at each end of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets. 4. A cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising cutting means for forming an end face, wherein said butting means is for joining said first and second cut end faces formed by said cutting means. A connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet described in Crab.

According to this configuration, a new cut end face is formed by cutting off a part of each end of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets, and the new cut end faces are butted and welded. Therefore, the shapes of the end faces to be abutted can be easily matched. Thereby, the first
And the connection of the second strip-shaped metal sheet can be reliably performed.

The cutting means includes an end portion of the first band-shaped metal sheet held by the first holding member and an end portion of the second band-shaped metal sheet held by the second holding member. Preferably, a part of each one end is cut off so as to form parallel cut end faces. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the cutting means and the welding means are switched and arranged near one end of each of the first and second thin metal plates held by the first and second holding means, respectively. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to claim 4, further comprising a switching means for causing the switching.

According to this structure, the first means is provided by the cutting means.
After each end of the second strip-shaped metal sheet is cut off to form a new cut end face, the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are held by the first and second holding means. The welding means can be located near one end of each of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets. Therefore, while maintaining the new cut end face of each end part of a 1st and 2nd strip | belt-shaped metal sheet in favorable positional relationship, these cut end faces can be butted and welded.

The switching means includes a slide frame which holds the cutting means and the welding means and is slidable along the width direction of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal plates. You may. Further, the switching means holds the cutting means and the welding means, and performs the cutting on each end of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal sheets held by the first and second holding means. It may include a rotating frame rotatably provided (around an axis along the width direction) so that the means and the welding means can be selectively opposed to each other.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a cut portion removing means for removing a part of each end of the first and second thin metal plates cut off by the cutting means by blowing off the gas jet stream. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: According to this configuration, since the unnecessary portion removed from each end of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal plates is blown off and removed by the gas jet from the cut-out portion removing means, the unnecessary portion may be deposited. There is no. Further, by using the gas jet, the unnecessary portion can be removed as necessary without requiring a complicated mechanism.

The cut-off portion removing means is operated by the function of the switching means when the upper cutting means is retracted from one end of each of the first and second strips. It is preferable to remove unnecessary portions cut off from one ends of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets. The invention according to claim 7 is that the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are previously cut off by the cutting means before a part of one end of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets is cut off. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a pre-cutting means for cutting a part of one end of the metal sheet or less.

One end of the first or second strip-shaped metal sheet may have an incorrect end shape that cannot be properly shaped by the cutting means. Therefore, in the present invention, the shaping by the cutting means is ensured by cutting a part of one end of one of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal sheets in advance, and thereby, both ends by butt welding are obtained. The connection of the band-shaped sheet metal is ensured.

Such a preliminary cutting may be performed manually by an operator. However, by automating the preliminary cutting, the connecting operation of the strip-shaped metal sheet can be simplified, and a higher quality can be achieved. Connection can be achieved. The invention according to claim 8 further includes rolling means for rolling a welded portion of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets welded and connected by the welding means.
5. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal thin plate according to any one of the above.

According to this configuration, by rolling the welded portion, it is possible to form a smooth connecting portion with less protruding portions. This makes it possible to form a connection portion that does not adversely affect the processing apparatus that processes the strip-shaped metal sheet, and it is possible to further increase the effects described in relation to the first aspect. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, at least both ends in the width direction of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets among the welded portions of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets welded and connected by the welding means. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising welding both end removing means for removing the vicinity.

According to this configuration, since the protrusion in the width direction at the connecting portion between the first and second strip-shaped thin metal plates is eliminated, it is possible to carry out the transfer process and other processes for this connecting portion in a good condition. . In addition, when the first and second strip-shaped thin metal plates are different, the welded portion removing means may be used.
The first and second band-shaped thin metal plates also serve as ear cutting means for cutting the ear near the one end of the wide one having a large plate width and shaping it into a tapered shape connected to the one end of the small thin plate without any step. When the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are substantially the same, the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are preferably
It is also preferable that it also serves as an ear cutting means for cutting only the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the welded portion of the strip-shaped thin metal plate.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connecting method for connecting one end of the first strip-shaped metal sheet and one end of the second strip-shaped metal sheet, wherein the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are connected. A butting step of bringing the end faces of the one end portions of the metal sheet close to each other and butting, and welding each end of the first and second strip-shaped sheet metal sheets whose end faces are butted in the butting step, And a welding step of connecting the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets.

According to the present invention, the first and second band-shaped thin metal plates are connected by butt-welding the end surfaces of the respective ends of the first and second band-shaped metal plates to each other. The problem caused by the overlapping connection can be solved at once. Also in the invention described in claim 10, it is possible to improve the connection method by combining the features described in claims 2 to 9 as in the case of the invention in claim 1. it can.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a connecting device for a strip-shaped thin metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. This connection device connects a front end of a succeeding strip-shaped metal sheet (following thin sheet) to a rear end of a preceding strip-shaped metal sheet (preceding thin sheet) to manufacture, for example, a shadow mask or an aperture grill for a color picture tube. This is a device for sending to the processing device ME. In this connection device, for example, a strip-shaped metal sheet B1 of the first hoop set in the first unwinder HP1 and a strip-shaped metal sheet B2 of the second hoop set in the second unwinder HP2 are connected. ,
In the case where the first hoop or the second hoop is wound by overlapping and connecting a plurality of strip-shaped metal thin plates, the overlap-connected portion is removed to separate the strip-shaped metal thin plates. Or reconnect the strip-shaped metal sheet.

In order to realize such a function, the connecting device is provided with a top shear portion 10, an entrance pinch portion 20, a tape shear portion 30, a connection mechanism portion along the sending direction T of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1, B2. 40, a rolling section 50, an ear shear section 60 and an exit pinch section 70 are arranged in this order. Further, between the inlet pinch section 20 and the tape shear section 30, between the tape shear section 30 and the connection mechanism section 40, between the connection mechanism section 40 and the rolling section 50, and between the ear shear section 60 and the edge shear section 60.
And the exit pinch portion 70, between the strip-shaped metal sheets B1, B
Aligner 8 for positioning 2 in its width direction
0 is arranged.

Before supplying the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 to the connecting device, the top shear section 10 sets the strip-shaped metal sheet B
This is for cutting the front end portions of the front end portions 1 and B2 such that the end surfaces thereof are approximately orthogonal to the sending direction T. The entrance pinch portion 20 includes a drive roller 21 that is driven to rotate about a horizontal axis orthogonal to the delivery direction T, and a pinch roller 22A that is provided to be able to approach / separate from the drive roller 21.
22B, and thin-sheet presence / absence sensors 23A and 23B for detecting the presence / absence of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2, respectively. The driving roller 21 can be rotated clockwise in a state where the belt-shaped metal sheet B1 is sandwiched between the driving roller 21 and the pinch roller 22A, and can feed the band-shaped metal sheet B1 in the delivery direction T. Metal strip B2
Is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in the figure while the band-shaped metal sheet B2 is held, and the strip-shaped metal sheet B2 can be sent out in the sending direction T.
Further, with the driving roller 21 stopped, the driving roller 2 is stopped.
1 and the pinch rollers 22A and 22B, respectively, the metal strips B1 and B2 are held between them, so that the metal strips B1 and B2 to be sent out in the sending direction T can be kept on standby.

When the first hoop or the second hoop is wound by overlapping and connecting a plurality of strip-shaped metal thin plates, the tape shear section 30 is for cutting off the overlapping connection portion. And a tape thickness sensor 31 for detecting the overlapped connection portion of the strip-shaped metal sheet, and a tape cutting device 32 for cutting off the overlapped connection portion. The thickness sensor 31 is disposed upstream of the tape cutting device 32 in the sending direction, and the operation of the cutting device 32 is controlled based on the output of the thickness sensor 31. The overlapped connection portion cut by the cutting device 32 is taken out of the cutting device 32 by the vacuum device 33, dropped on the collection tray 34, and collected.

As the sheet thickness sensor 31, for example, a magnetic sensor capable of detecting the amount of magnetism that changes depending on the thickness of the strip-shaped metal sheet can be used. The connection mechanism 40 includes an output-side clamp device 41 for holding the vicinity of the rear end of the preceding thin plate, and an entry-side clamp device 42 for holding the vicinity of the front end of the following thin plate. The exit-side clamp device 41 and the entrance-side clamp device 42 are configured to be able to reciprocate in directions approaching and moving away from each other. The connection mechanism 40 also includes an end cutting device for cutting the rear end of the preceding thin plate held by the output-side clamp device 41 and the front end of the succeeding thin plate held by the input-side clamp device 42. And a cutting / welding device 43 incorporating a welding device for welding the rear end of the preceding thin plate and the front end of the following thin plate.

With this configuration, the front end of the preceding thin plate held by the output side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 4
2 and can be welded by the welding device of the cutting / welding device 43.
Further, before welding the rear end of the preceding thin plate and the front end of the following thin plate, the rear end of the preceding thin plate and the front end of the following thin plate are cut in advance by the end cutting device of the cutting / welding device 43. By doing so, the shapes of the end faces to be abutted can be matched, and the connection between the preceding thin plate and the following thin plate can be reliably performed.

The rolling portion 50 is for rolling the protruding portion of the welded portion between the preceding thin plate and the succeeding thin plate welded by the connection mechanism portion 40 to smooth the surface (upper surface), and is a strip-shaped metal thin plate. Is provided with a rolling roller 51 that can roll in the width direction (horizontal direction substantially orthogonal to the sending direction T). When welding of the preceding thin plate and the succeeding thin plate is completed in the connection mechanism unit 40, the welded portion is sent to the rolling position (on the track of the rolling roller 51) by the rolling roller 51. Then, the surface of the welding portion is smoothly rolled by the rolling roller 51 by being rolled while the rolling roller 51 is pressed against the welding portion.

The ear shear portion 60 is for cutting off the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the connecting portion between the preceding thin plate and the succeeding thin plate welded by the connecting mechanism unit 40. In the case where the sheet width of the thin sheet is different, the ear near the one end of the leading thin sheet and the following thin sheet is cut off and shaped into a tapered shape, so that a step is formed at one end of the small sheet width. In particular, when the leading thin plate and the trailing thin plate have substantially the same plate width, the rolling is performed by cutting off only the both ends in the width direction of the connecting portion of the leading thin plate and the trailing thin plate. Part 50
After rolling the connecting portion in the above, the rolling projections generated by projecting the welding portion in the sheet width direction near both ends in the sheet width direction can be removed.

The exit pinch unit 70 includes a driving roller 71,
A pinch roller 72 is provided so as to be able to approach / separate from the drive roller 71. The drive roller 71 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure by the rotational driving force of a motor (not shown) in a state where the belt-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 are sandwiched between the drive roller 71 and the pinch roller 72, and the belt-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 are rotated. It can be sent in the sending direction T.

For example, the strip-shaped metal sheet B1 of the first hoop
Is used as the leading thin plate, the strip-shaped metal sheet B2 of the second hoop is used as the trailing thin plate, and when the front end of the trailing thin plate B2 is connected to the rear end of the leading thin plate B1, the leading thin plate B1 is first sent out. In the meantime, the front end of the trailing thin plate B2 is cut by the top shear portion 10 so that the end face is substantially perpendicular to the sending direction T. Then, the front end of the succeeding thin plate B2 is introduced into the entrance pinch portion 20 and is held between the drive roller 21 and the pinch roller 22B, so that the trailing thin plate B2 is kept waiting at the entrance pinch portion 20. . In addition, preceding thin plate B
The conditions necessary for the connection process between the preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2, such as the thickness, the width, and the material of the first thin plate B2 and the following thin plate B2, are input from an operation panel (not shown). Thus, preparation for connection between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is completed.

Next, the operator operates the preceding thin plate B of the first hoop.
After confirming the end of No. 1, the connection start switch arranged on the operation panel is turned on to instruct the start of the connection process between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2. Then, the nip device N provided near the entrance of the manufacturing processing apparatus ME operates, and the supply of the preceding thin plate B1 to the manufacturing processing apparatus ME is stopped. Thereafter, when a predetermined time elapses, the first unwinder HP1 is stopped, and the pinch roller 72 of the exit pinch unit 70 is brought close to the drive roller 71, and the leading roller 72 and the pinch roller 72 The thin plate B1 is nipped and fed by a predetermined amount. As a result, the preceding thin plate B1 between the connecting device and the manufacturing processing device ME has:
When the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 are butted by the connecting mechanism 40, a slack is formed by the moving amount of the preceding thin plate B1.

The manufacturing processing apparatus ME is provided with an accumulator unit capable of accumulating an amount (length) of the preceding thin plate B1 processed by the manufacturing processing apparatus ME in a predetermined time. Therefore, even if the supply of the preceding thin plate B1 from the connection device to the manufacturing processing apparatus ME is stopped for connection between the preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2, if the stop time is equal to or less than the predetermined time. , Manufacturing processing equipment ME
It is not necessary to stop the processing operation.

Next, the pinch roller 72 is driven by the drive roller 7.
1 at the exit pinch 70 at the exit pinch 70
After the nip is released, the preceding thin plate B1 is positioned in the width direction by the four alignment units 80. Thereafter, the output side clamp device 41 of the connection mechanism 40 is operated, and the end cutting device of the cutting / welding device 43 is operated in a state where the preceding thin plate B1 is held by the output side clamp device 41. Thereby, the preceding thin plate B1 is connected to the output side clamping device 4.
It is cut between the first clamp device 1 and the entrance clamp device 42 and is divided into a portion on the exit clamp device 41 side and a portion on the entrance clamp device 42 side.

When the preceding thin plate B1 is cut, the first unwinder HP1 is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction in which the preceding thin plate B1 is sent out in the delivery direction T, so that the first thin plate HP1 on the entrance side clamping device 42 side. B1 is rewound by the first unwinder HP1. Then, when the preceding thin plate B1 comes out of the entrance pinch portion 20 and this is detected by the thin plate presence / absence sensor 23A, the drive roller 21 of the entrance pinch portion 20 is rotated, and between the drive roller 21 and the pinch roller 22B. The trailing thin plate B2 being held is fed by a predetermined distance, and is fed until it enters between the output-side clamp device 41 and the input-side clamp device 42. The feeding of the following thin plate B2 is carried out by a predetermined distance empirically predetermined.
2, the trailing thin plate B2 may be stopped, or the trailing thin plate B2 may be stopped based on the detection timing by a detecting means (not shown) for detecting the leading end of the trailing thin plate B2. Feeding may be automatically stopped.

When the feeding of the trailing thin plate B2 is stopped by stopping the pinch roller 22B, the position between the entrance pinch portion 20 and the tape shearing portion 30 and the position between the tape shearing portion 30 and the connection mechanism portion 40 are reduced. The trailing thin plate B2 is positioned in the width direction by the alignment unit 80. Then, after the trailing thin plate B2 is held by the entry-side clamp device 42,
The trailing thin plate B is cut by the end cutting device of the cutting / welding device 43.
The front end of 2 is cut off. Next, the output side clamping device 4
1 and the entrance-side clamp device 42 are moved in a direction approaching each other, and the rear end surface of the preceding thin plate B1 held by the exit-side clamp device 41 and the front end surface of the subsequent thin plate B2 held by the entry-side clamp device 42 And are matched. And cutting /
The butted preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2 are welded by the welding device of the welding device 43.

When the welding of the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 is completed, the holding of the leading thin plate B1 by the exit-side clamp device 41 and the holding of the trailing thin plate B2 by the entry-side clamp device 42 are released. Further, the pinch roller 72 of the exit pinch section 70 is brought close to the drive roller 71,
1 and the pinch roller 72, the preceding thin plate B1 is nipped. Subsequently, the drive roller 71 is rotated, and the welded portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is moved to a rolling position in the rolling unit 50. And the welding part of the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is rolled by the rolling of the rolling roller 51.

After rolling by the rolling section 50, the drive roller 71
Is further rotated, and the welded portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is fed into the ear shear portion 60. Then, the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the welded portion is cut off, whereby the connection between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is completed.
After the connection is completed, the pinch roller 72 of the exit pinch unit 70 is separated from the drive roller 71, and then the second unwinder HP2
However, the trailing thin plate B2 is rotated by a fixed amount in a direction opposite to the direction in which the trailing thin plate B2 is sent in the sending direction T. Thereby, the succeeding thin plate B2 is rewound to the second unwinder HP2, and the slack of the preceding thin plate B1 generated between the connecting device and the manufacturing processing device ME is eliminated. Thereafter, the nip of the preceding thin plate B1 by the nip device N of the manufacturing processing device ME is released, the second unwinder H2 is rotated forward, and the succeeding thin plate B2 connected to the preceding thin plate B1 is sent to the manufacturing processing device ME. I will go.

The connection process between the preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2 may be started by the operator pressing the connection start switch, as described above. May be provided and automatically started in response to the output of this sensor. In this case, the labor required for connecting the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 can be further reduced.

FIG. 2 shows that the top shear portion 10 is
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to FIG. The top shear portion 10 includes a lower cutting device 11A for cutting the front end of the strip-shaped metal sheet B1 and an upper cutting device 11B for cutting the front end of the strip-shaped metal sheet B2. It is arranged and arranged.

The lower cutting device 11A has a pair of upper blades 13 and lower blades 14 extending in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2) of the strip-shaped metal sheet B1. The upper blade 13 is attached to a lower end of a movable block 16 that is movable along a guide rail 15 that extends substantially vertically. Moving block 1
A rod of a cylinder 17 is connected to 6, and the cylinder 17 is arranged so that the rod can be expanded and contracted in a direction parallel to the guide rail 15. On the other hand, the lower blade 14 is fixed to the frame 12. With this configuration, the upper blade 13 attached to the moving block 16 can be moved closer to the lower blade 14 or separated from the lower blade 14 by extending and contracting the rod of the cylinder 17.

Since the upper cutting device 11B is constructed in the same manner as the lower cutting device 11A, each part of the upper cutting device 11B is indicated by the reference numeral of the corresponding part of the lower cutting device 11A. Description is omitted. Top shear part 10
When cutting the front ends of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 with
The front edges of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 are respectively connected to the upper blade 13 and the lower blade 14 of the lower cutting device 11A and the upper cutting device 11B.
To enter between. Then, by operating the toggle clamps 18A and 18B (see FIG. 1) provided in association with the lower cutting device 11A and the upper cutting device 11B, the band-shaped metal that has entered between the upper blade 13 and the lower blade 14 is operated. Sheet B1,
B2 is fixed. Thereafter, by extending the rod of the cylinder 17 and lowering the upper blade 13 toward the lower blade 14, the strip-shaped metal sheet B1, between the upper blade 13 and the lower blade 14, is formed.
B2 can be cut such that its front end surface is substantially perpendicular to the side surface in the width direction.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view when the inlet pinch portion 20 is cut along a vertical plane parallel to the sending direction T. The entrance pinch section 20 includes the drive roller 21 and the pinch rollers 22A and 22B as described above. Drive roller 2
Numeral 1 is supported so as to be rotatable around a rotating shaft 21a extending in the width direction of the band-shaped thin metal plates B1 and B2, and a rotational driving force of a motor (not shown) is input to the rotating shaft 21a. It has become.

Each of the pinch rollers 22A and 22B has a shaft 22 extending in parallel with the rotation shaft 21a of the drive roller 21.
Both ends of the shafts 22a and 22b are rotatably received by the holding blocks 24A and 24B, so that the shafts 22a and 22b are rotatably supported. Holding block 2
4A and 24B are respectively moved along guide rails 26A and 26B extending in a direction approaching / separating from the drive roller 21 by cylinders 25A and 25B. With this configuration, the holding block 24
A and 24B can be moved along the guide rails 26A and 26B to move the pinch rollers 22A and 22B held by the holding blocks 24A and 24B toward and away from the drive roller 21.

A path adjusting roller pair 27A is provided downstream of the driving roller 21 and the pinch rollers 22A and 22B with respect to the sending direction T so as to make the moving path (path) of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 in this connecting device constant. , 27
B is provided. This path adjusting roller pair 27A, 2
7B is rotatably held by a vertically moving block 271 in a vertically arranged state.
Is raised and lowered by a cylinder 272. With this configuration, the driving roller 21 and the pinch roller 2
2A, the vertical movement block 271 is raised by the cylinder 272, and the band-shaped sheet metal B1 is moved by the path adjusting roller 27B.
When the metal strip B2 is being fed out from between the drive roller 21 and the pinch roller 22B, the vertical movement block 271 is lowered by the cylinder 272, and the metal strip B2 is pushed down by the path adjusting roller 27A. In addition, the path of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 can be kept constant.

Pinch roller 22A and path adjusting roller pair 2
7A and 27B, and between the pinch roller 22A and the path adjustment roller pair 27A and 27B, respectively.
Positioning cylinders 28A and 28B are provided.
The positioning cylinders 28A and 28B are arranged so that their respective rods extend and contract between a state in which they protrude on the movement path of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 and a state in which they are retracted from the movement path. Therefore, the positioning cylinder 28
By extending the rods of A and 28B and abutting the end surfaces of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 against the side faces of these rods, the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 can always be set at a predetermined standby position. . Then, by bringing the pinch rollers 22A and 22B closer to the drive roller 21 in this state, the strip-shaped thin metal plates B1 and B2 can be kept at a predetermined standby position.

The rollers 29A and 29B arranged on the upstream side of the pinch rollers 22A and 22B respectively have the state in which the pinch rollers 22A and 22B are separated from the drive roller 21, and the belt-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 have the drive rollers. 21 so as not to come into contact with both the pinch rollers 22A and 22B. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when the connection mechanism 40 is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to the sending direction T. 5 and 6 show the connection mechanism 4
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view when cutting 0 along a vertical plane parallel to the sending direction T, FIG. 5 shows a state when the strip-shaped metal sheet is cut, and FIG. 6 shows a state when the strip-shaped metal sheet is welded.

The connection mechanism 40 includes an output side clamp device 41.
Cutting / welding device 43 between the
Are arranged. The exit side clamp device 41 is
A lower moving plate 92 that can reciprocate along a guide rail 91 that extends in the sending direction T, and an elevating block 93 that can move up and down with respect to the lower moving plate 92 are provided. Lower moving plate 92
A lower clamp claw 94 having a tapered cross section is attached along a leading edge facing the entry-side clamp device 42. Further, a cylinder 95 is connected to the lower moving plate 92, and the lower moving plate 92 can be reciprocated along the guide rail 91 by extending and contracting a rod of the cylinder 95. .

At the end of the rod of the cylinder 95, a contact pin 96 for restricting the amount of movement of the lower moving plate 92 in the direction approaching the entry side clamping device 42 when welding the strip-shaped metal sheet is attached. ing. Further, the lower moving plate 9
2 includes a lower moving plate 92 when cutting a strip-shaped metal sheet.
The contact piece 97 for restricting the amount of movement in the direction approaching the entry-side clamp device 42 is attached.

The elevating block 93 is attached to a connecting plate 99 which is movable along a guide rail 98 which extends substantially vertically. A rod of the cylinder 100 is connected to the connecting plate 99, and the connecting plate 99 can be moved along the guide rail 98 by expanding and contracting the rod. With this configuration, the connecting plate 99 can be reciprocated along the guide rail 98, and the elevating block 93 can be moved up and down with respect to the lower moving plate 92.

The guide rail 98, the connecting plate 99 and the cylinder 100 are shown in FIG. In the lifting block 93,
Oscillating shaft 101 extending in the width direction of band-shaped metal sheets B1, B2
An upper swing plate 101 that can swing around the center a is provided, and an upper clamp claw 102 that is paired with the lower clamp claw 94 is attached along a distal end edge of the upper swing plate 101. The upper rocking plate 101 is elastically biased by a spring 103 in a direction in which the upper clamp claw 102 is separated from the lower clamp claw 94, and the upper rocking plate 101 is moved against the elastic force of the spring 103. By rotating by a small angle, the leading edge of the upper clamp claw 102 can be brought into contact with the leading edge of the lower clamp claw 94.

The entrance-side clamp device 42 and the exit-side clamp device 41 are configured symmetrically in FIGS. 5 and 6. Therefore, each part of the entrance-side clamp device 42 will be denoted by the reference numeral of the corresponding part of the exit-side clamp device 41, and the description thereof will be omitted. Cutting / welding device 43
Is an end cutting device 44 for cutting the rear end of the preceding thin plate held by the output side clamping device 41 and the front end of the following thin plate held by the entering side clamping device 42; And a welding device 45 for welding the front end of the following thin plate to the front end of the thin plate.

The end cutting device 44 and the welding device 45 can be switched between the output side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42. More specifically, the end cutting device 44 and the welding device 45 are slidably provided along a guide rail 46 extending in the width direction of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 in a state of being arranged in the width direction. It is attached to the frame 47. The slide frame 47 is provided with a ball nut 48B screwed to a screw shaft 48A arranged along the guide rail 46, and the screw shaft 48A receives a rotational force from a motor 49 capable of normal and reverse rotation. Is to be given. As described above, the ball for switching the end cutting device 44 and the welding device 45 between the output side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42 by the screw shaft 48A, the ball nut 48B, the motor 49, and the like. A screw mechanism (switching means) is configured.

The end cutting device 44 comprises a band-shaped metal sheet B1,
It has two lower blades 441A and 441B extending in the width direction of B2. The two lower blades 441A and 441B are arranged at a predetermined interval (for example, 50 mm) in the sending direction T. Above the lower blades 441A and 441B, a mounting block 444 that is moved by a cylinder 442 along a guide rail 443 extending in a substantially vertical direction is provided. A lower blade 44 is provided at the lower end of the mounting block 444.
An upper blade 445 having substantially the same thickness as the interval between 1A and 441B and having substantially the same width (length in the depth direction in FIGS. 5 and 6) as the lower blades 441A and 441B is attached. The blade 445 enters between the lower blade 441A and the lower blade 441B when the mounting block 444 is lowered.

Further, between the lower blade 441A and the lower blade 441B, there are strip-shaped metal sheets B1, B2 inserted between them.
An exclusion bar 446 is provided for excluding a piece of the exclusion. A rod of a cylinder 447 is connected to the exclusion bar 446, and by extending this rod, the exclusion bar 446 can be pushed up above the upper end edges of the lower blades 441A and 441B. .

Further, for example, lower blades 441A, 441B
A top opening of an air supply pipe 448 (see FIG. 5) for blowing air toward the upper surface of the exclusion bar 446 is disposed above the exclusion bar 446 in a state where the exclusion bar 446 is pushed upward. Air is supplied to the air supply pipe 448 from an air supply source (not shown) via an electromagnetic valve 449.

The end cutting device 44 faces the contact piece 97 of the output-side clamp device 41 and the input-side clamp device 42, and moves the output-side clamp device 41 and the input-side clamp device 42 in the approaching direction. Abutment blocks 440A and 440B for regulating the amount of movement are provided. The abutment blocks 440A and 440B allow the upper clamp claw 102 of the output side clamp device 41 to be in contact with the abutting piece 97.
Metal sheet B between the leading edge of the lower blade 441B and the leading edge of the lower blade 441B
1, B2 in the longitudinal direction, and the leading edge of the upper clamp claw 102 and the lower blade 441 of the upper clamp claw 102 of the entry-side clamp device 42.
A predetermined distance (for example, 0.5 mm) is set in such a manner that the gap in the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped metal thin plates B1 and B2 with the leading edge of A is predetermined.
It is arranged in such a position.

The welding device 45 comprises strip-shaped metal sheets B1, B2.
Back bar 451 extending in the width direction of the
1 and a laser emission torch 452 provided above. The laser emitting torch 452 includes an optical fiber 45.
3, a laser output device 454 (see FIG. 4) is connected. As the laser output device 454, for example, YAG (Y ₃ Al
A YAG laser output device for outputting a ₅ O ₁₂ ) laser is applied. YA output from laser output device 454
The G laser is sent to the laser emission torch 452 via the optical fiber 453, and is emitted from the laser emission torch 452.

The laser emission torch 452 is provided so as to be movable along a guide rail 455 extending in the width direction of the band-shaped thin metal plate. Specifically, the laser emission torch 45
2 is attached to a torch holder 456, and the torch holder 456 has a ball nut 45 screwed to a screw shaft 457A arranged along the guide rail 455.
7B is provided. A pulley 458 is attached to one end of the screw shaft 457A, and a rotational force from a motor 459 capable of normal and reverse rotation is applied to the pulley 458. Also, the laser emission torch 45
2 is raised and lowered by a cylinder 460 between a position close to the back bar 451 and a position separated from the back bar 451.

Further, the welding device 45 has an amount of movement in the approach direction of the exit side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42 facing the contact pin 96 of the exit side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42. Are provided with abutment blocks 450A and 450B for regulating the pressure. The abutment blocks 450A and 450B are formed by the end cutting device 44 so as to protrude from the leading edges of the clamp claws 94 and 102 by a predetermined length (for example, 0.5 mm). Is arranged at a position where it can abut against the front end.

As the laser output device 454, for example, a carbon dioxide laser output device for outputting a carbon dioxide laser may be used in addition to the above-described YAG laser output device. 7 and 8 are illustrative cross-sectional views for describing the operation of the connection mechanism 40. Here, for example, the operation of connecting the front end of the succeeding thin plate B2 to the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 will be described.

When the process of connecting the preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2 is started, as shown in FIG.
4 is disposed between the output-side clamp device 41 and the input-side clamp device 42. At this time, the end cutting device 4 has already been used.
4 is retracted upward, and the lower blades 441A, 4
The output clamp device 41 and the input clamp device 42 are separated from each other by a large distance in the sending direction T. Upper clamp claw 10
2 is retracted upward and is on standby in a state of being largely separated from the lower clamp claw 94. The reason why the connection mechanism unit 40 is in standby in this state in advance is that the connection mechanism unit 40
This is because when the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 are not connected to each other, the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 are sequentially conveyed between the clamp claws 94 and 102 in the longitudinal direction.

Next, the output side clamp device 41 is moved in a direction approaching the input side clamp device 42. During this movement, the contact piece 97 of the output side clamp device 41 comes into contact with the contact stop block 440A, whereby the movement of the output side clamp device 41 is restricted, and the output side clamp device 41 is moved to a predetermined cutting position. Be moved. Subsequently, the upper clamp claw 10
After the 2 is lowered to a position close to the lower clamp pawl 94, its front end is pushed down toward the lower clamp pawl 94. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the preceding thin plate B1 is held between the lower clamp pawl 94 and the upper clamp pawl 102.

Next, as shown in FIG.
5 is lowered, and the upper blade 445 is lowered to the lower blades 441A and 441B.
The lower blade 441A, 441B of the preceding thin plate B1
The part located in between is cut off. As a result, the preceding thin plate B1 is divided into a portion on the exit side clamp device 41 side and a portion on the entrance side clamp device 42 side. At this time, the preceding thin plate B1 held by the output side clamp device 41 is in a state of protruding from the distal end edges of the lower clamp claws 94 and the upper clamp claws 102 by a fixed length D1 (for example, 0.5 mm).

When the preceding thin plate B1 is cut, as shown in FIG.
Is extracted from this connection device. Subsequently, the trailing thin plate B2 is sent between the lower clamp claw 94 and the upper clamp claw 102 of the entrance-side clamp device 42. The trailing thin plate B2, as shown in FIG.
The second blade 441A is stopped at a position fed by a predetermined distance D2 (for example, 25 mm) from the leading edge of the lower blade 441A. Then, both the lower clamp claw 94 and the upper clamp claw 102 of the entry-side clamp device 42 are advanced, and the upper clamp claw 102 of the entry-side clamp device 42 is pushed down toward the lower clamp claw 94, and the lower clamp claw 94 and upper clamp claw 1
02, the following thin plate B2 is held.

When the trailing thin plate B2 is clamped by the entry side clamping device 42, as shown in FIG. 7 (f), the front end of the trailing thin plate B2 is cut by the upper blade 445 and the lower blade 441A. . As a result, the trailing thin plate B2 held by the entry-side clamp device 42 includes the lower clamp pawl 94 and the upper clamp pawl 1.
02 from the leading edge of D2 (for example, 0.5 mm)
Only in a protruding state.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (g), the welding device 45 includes the output side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42.
And placed between. Then, as shown in FIG.
The outlet clamp device 41 and the inlet clamp device 42
They are moved in directions approaching each other. During this movement,
The contact pins 96 of the exit-side clamp device 41 and the entrance-side clamp device 42 are respectively brought into contact with the stop blocks 450A, 450A.
50B, whereby the movement of the output side clamp device 41 and the input side clamp device 42 is restricted, and the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 held by the output side clamp device 41 and the input end clamp device 42 are held. And the front end of the following thin plate B2.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8 (i), the back bar 451 is raised and the laser emission torch 452 is moved.
Is lowered to a position close to the upper end surface of the raised back bar 451. The laser emission torch 452 is moved along the abutting portion while the YAG laser is irradiated from the laser emitting torch 452 to the abutting portion between the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 and the front end of the following thin plate B2. The preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 are laser-welded.

As described above, the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 and the front end of the succeeding thin plate B2 are butted and welded, so that a remarkable stepped portion is formed at the connecting portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2. And the possibility that a protrusion may occur can be eliminated.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8 (j), after the end cutting device 44 is retracted from between the output side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42, the exclusion bar 446 is pushed up and this pushing up is performed. Air is blown from the air supply pipe 448 in a substantially horizontal direction toward the upper surface of the exclusion bar 446. Thereby, the cut pieces of the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 can be removed from the upper surface of the exclusion bar 446. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cut pieces of the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 from being deposited between the lower blades 441A and 441B.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view when the rolling section 50 is cut along a vertical plane parallel to the sending direction T. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view when the rolling section 50 is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to the sending direction T. It is sectional drawing. The rolling section 50 is provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the plate 52 with respect to the sending direction T, and the strip-shaped metal sheet B1, B2 is provided. There are holding plates 54A and 54B for holding against the surface 53.

The rolling roller 51 is rotatably held by a swing holder 55. The swing holder 55 includes a connecting pin 5 at a lower end of a connecting block 57 movable along a guide rail 56 extending in the width direction of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2.
It is attached so as to be swingable about 5a. A rod of a cylinder 58 is connected to one end of the swing holder 55. The cylinder 58 pushes down one end of the swing holder 55 so that the rolling roller 51 is directed toward the plate 52 at a predetermined pressure. Can be pressed.

The connecting block 57 is moved along the guide rail 56 by the moving mechanism 59. The moving mechanism 59 includes two pulleys 591A and 591B that are disposed apart from each other in the width direction of the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2.
And a chain 592 wound around the two pulleys 591A and 591B, and a motor 593 for applying a rotational force to one pulley 591A. Chain 592
Are connected to the upper end of the connection block 57. When the pulley 591A is rotated by the rotational force of the motor 593, the chain 592 is driven, and the connection block 57 moves along the guide rail 56.

The holding plates 54A and 54B have the cylinder 5
42 are connected to each other, and pressing plates 54A, 54A
B is moved up and down along a substantially vertical direction while being guided by guides 541A and 541B by extending and contracting a rod of a cylinder 542. FIG.
FIG. 4 is an illustrative plan view for describing an operation of a rolling unit 50. Here, the operation in the case of rolling the welded portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 will be described.

Before the welding portion of the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is sent, the holding plates 54A and 54B are largely separated above the thin plate moving surface 53. FIG. 11 (a)
, The holding plates 54A, 54B separated upward
Is indicated by a two-dot chain line. When the welded portion between the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 is sent and the welded portion is located on the plate 52, as shown in FIG.
A, 54B are lowered, and the holding plates 54A, 54B
As a result, the leading thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 are pressed against the thin plate moving surface 53. The cylinder 58 (FIG. 10)
), The rolling roller 51 is pressed toward the plate 52.

Next, the motor 593 (see FIG. 10) is driven, and as shown in FIG.
Is moved in the width direction of the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2. As a result, the rolling roller 51 held by the connection block 57 rolls over the entire width of the welded portion while being pressed against the welded portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the succeeding thin plate B2. Thereby, the surface of the welded portion can be smoothly rolled, and the protrusion on the surface of the welded portion can be eliminated. Further, the rolling roller 51 may be rolled only in one direction of the entire width of the welded portion, or may be rolled back and forth.

The rolling operation of the rolling section 50 causes
Although the surface of the welded portion can be rolled smoothly, conversely, depending on the magnitude of the rolling pressure, the above-described rolled protrusions are formed at both end portions in the plate width direction of the welded portion. There are cases. When the rolling projections are formed, there is a possibility that a problem such as catching occurs in a series of processing of the thin plate, particularly in the conveyance of the thin sheet. However, in order to solve this, it is necessary to provide the ear shear part 60 described below. Good.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view when the ear shear portion 60 is cut along a vertical plane parallel to the sending direction T.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when the ear shear portion 60 is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to the sending direction T. The ear shear part 60 is a right ear part cutting device 61 for cutting the vicinity of the right end of the connection part between the preceding thin plate and the following thin plate welded by the connection mechanism part 40, and for cutting the vicinity of the left end of the connection part. A left ear cutting device 62,
An interlocking movement mechanism 63 for moving the right ear cutting device 61 and the left ear cutting device 62 in a direction approaching and moving away from each other is provided.

The right ear cutting device 61 is a belt-shaped metal sheet B
The frame 64 includes a frame 64 movably provided along a guide rail 641 extending in the width direction of the first and the second blades B, and a pair of upper blades 65A and lower blades 65B bent in a substantially rectangular shape in a plane. The upper blade 65A and the lower blade 65B are provided in a state where their bent portions protrude toward the left ear cutting device 62 side. The upper blade 65A is attached to a lower end of a lifting block 66, and the lifting block 66 is moved by a cylinder 67 along a guide rail 68 extending in a substantially vertical direction.

Further, the right ear cutting device 61 has a pressing plate 69 for pressing the vicinity of the right end in the width direction of the strip-shaped metal thin plate against the thin plate moving surface 691. The rod of the cylinder 692 is connected to the holding plate 69, and the holding plate 69 is moved up and down along a substantially vertical direction while being guided by the guide 693 by extending and contracting the rod of the cylinder 692. I have.

The left ear cutting device 62 includes the right ear cutting device 6.
1 and the strip-shaped metal sheets B1 and B2 are symmetrical in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 13). Therefore, each part of the left ear cutting device 62 is denoted by the reference numeral of the corresponding part of the right ear cutting device 61, and the description thereof is omitted. A screw shaft 631 arranged along the guide rail 641 and a frame 64
A ball nut 632 screwed to the screw shaft 631, and a forward / reverse rotatable motor 6 for applying a rotational force to the screw shaft 631
33 are provided. The screw shaft 631 is in the sending direction T
The thread is cut in the right half and the left half in reverse, a ball nut 632 attached to the right ear cutting device 61 is screwed into the right part, and the left ear is cut into the left part. Ball nut 632 attached to device 62
Is screwed. Thus, when the rotational force of the motor 633 is applied to the screw shaft 631 to rotate the screw shaft 631 in one direction, the right ear cutting device 61 and the left ear cutting device 62 are rotated.
Move in conjunction with each other in a direction approaching each other, and the screw shaft 63
When 1 is rotated in the other direction, the right ear cutting device 61 and the left ear cutting device 62 move in conjunction with each other in a direction away from each other.

FIG. 14 is an illustrative plan view for explaining the operation of the ear shear section 60. As shown in FIG. Here, when the width of the preceding thin plate B1 and the width of the following thin plate B2 are different,
For example, an operation when the width of the preceding thin plate B1 is larger than the width of the following thin plate B2 will be described. Before the welded portion between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is sent, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), the right ear cutting device 61 and the left ear cutting device 62 are largely separated right and left. Have been. When the welding portion of the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is sent, the motor 633 (see FIG. 13) is driven, and the right ear cutting device 61 and the left ear cutting device 62 approach each other. Moved to Then, as shown in FIG. 14B, the bent portions of the upper blade 65A and the lower blade 65B are
When the motor is moved to a position opposing a position slightly inside the edge of the trailing thin plate B2 having a small plate width, the driving of the motor 633 is stopped.

Next, the rod of the cylinder 692 (see FIG. 12) is extended, and the holding plate 69 is lowered. Thereby, the vicinity of both ends of the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 is pressed against the thin plate moving surface 691 by the pressing plate 69. Next, the rod of the cylinder 67 is extended,
The upper blade 65A descends toward the lower blade 65B, and as shown in FIG. 14 (c), the ear near the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 is cut off by the upper blade 65A and the lower blade 65B. Thereby, the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 can be shaped into a substantially tapered shape, the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 can be connected to the front end of the following thin plate B2 without any step, and the thin plate is caught in the conveyance. And the like can be prevented. At the same time, both edges near the front end of the succeeding thin plate B2 are also cut off, so that the above-mentioned rolling protrusions generated by the rolling of the rolling unit 50 are removed, which also causes problems such as catching in the conveyance of the thin plate. Can be prevented.

In the case where the rolling projection does not occur, it is not necessary to cut off both edges near the front end of the following thin plate B2. In this case, the upper blade 65A and the lower blade 65B
Is moved to a position facing the edge of the trailing thin plate B2 having a small plate width, the driving of the motor 633 is stopped, and only the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 is cut off. Even when the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2 have substantially the same width, the bent portions of the upper blade 65A and the lower blade 65B are slightly inside the edges of the leading thin plate B1 and the trailing thin plate B2. In this positional relationship, the upper blade 65A descends toward the lower blade 65B, and one end of each of the vicinity of the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 and the vicinity of the front end of the following thin plate B2. It is good to remove the part. In this way, the above-mentioned rolling projections at both end edges of the welded connection between the preceding thin plate B1 and the following thin plate B2 can be removed, so that the rear end of the preceding thin plate B1 can be removed from the trailing thin plate B2.
Can be connected to the front end of the thin plate without a step, thereby preventing a problem in transporting the thin plate. In this case, if the rolling projections are not generated, it is not necessary to cut off the ears in the ear shears 30.

Further, even when welding only the central portion other than both end portions (ear portions) in the width direction of the strip-shaped metal sheet, the cutting of the ear portions by the ear shear portion 30 is effective. The reason why only the central portion of the strip-shaped metal sheet is welded in some cases is that if welding is performed on the entire width of the sheet, both end portions of the sheet may melt off.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the rear end of the preceding thin plate and the front end of the succeeding thin plate are butted and welded. There are no steps or protrusions. Therefore, in the manufacturing processing apparatus ME, a configuration for avoiding a connection portion between the preceding thin plate and the following thin plate is unnecessary, and the configuration of the device can be simplified. Further, since it is not necessary to avoid the connecting portion, there is no possibility that a processing defect caused by avoiding the connecting portion may occur. Further, since the double-sided tape is not used for connecting the preceding thin plate and the following thin plate, there is no possibility that a processing failure due to the transfer of the adhesive occurs.

Further, the leading thin plate and the trailing thin plate are cut by the end cutting device 44 to form a new cut end surface, and the new cut end surfaces are welded to each other. The shapes of the thin plates match each other, so that the preceding thin plate and the following thin plate can be connected well. Further, in this embodiment, when the front end of the succeeding thin plate drawn from a different hoop is connected to the rear end of the preceding thin plate, the front end of the succeeding thin plate is cut by the top shear portion 10 and then the inlet is connected. It is set on the pinch section 20. Therefore, even if the front end of the following thin plate before cutting has an incorrect end shape, the front end surface of the following thin plate after cutting by the top shear portion 10 is substantially orthogonal to the side surface in the width direction. As a result, the front end of the following thin plate can be reliably accommodated between the lower blades 441A and 441B of the end cutting device 44, and the end face can be reliably shaped by the end cutting device 44.

Further, in this embodiment, after the connecting portion (welded portion) between the preceding thin plate and the succeeding thin plate is rolled by the rolling portion 50, it further protrudes in the width direction at the connecting portion by the ear shear portion 60. Since the ears of the leading thin plate or the trailing thin plate are cut off, it is possible to reliably prevent a step portion and a projecting portion from being formed in the connecting portion. Therefore, in the manufacturing processing apparatus ME, the transporting process of the connection portion between the preceding thin plate and the succeeding thin plate and other processes can be performed more favorably.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the end cutting device and the welding device are attached to the slide frame slidable in the width direction of the strip-shaped metal sheet. Instead of this configuration, as shown in FIG. A configuration may be adopted. That is, above and below the exit clamp device 41 and the entrance clamp device 42, respectively.
Rotating frame 14 that can rotate around a substantially horizontal axis
1 and 142, the upper blade 445 and the laser emission torch 452 are attached to the upper rotating frame 141, and the lower blades 441A and 441B and the back bar 451 are attached to the lower rotating frame 142. Then, the upper blade 445 and the lower blades 441A and 441B are opposed to each other between the output side clamp device 41 and the input side clamp device 42, and the upper blade 445 is formed.
And the lower blades 441A and 441B cut the strip-shaped metal sheet, and the laser emission torch 452 and the back bar 45 are cut.
The leading thin plate 1 and the trailing thin plate may be welded by the laser from the laser emission torch 452 with the output side 1 facing the output side clamping device 41 and the entrance side clamping device 42.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the leading thin plate and the trailing thin plate are laser-welded has been described. For example, the inert gas is supplied toward the butt portion between the leading thin plate and the trailing thin plate. A configuration (TIG welding, plasma welding) for welding the preceding thin plate and the following thin plate by performing the discharge while performing the discharge may be applied. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the front shearing (preliminary cutting) of the trailing thin plate by the top shear portion is performed by the operator setting the trailing thin plate on the top shear portion. Alternatively, the front end of the following thin plate may be automatically cut off. In this case, the connection work between the preceding thin plate and the succeeding thin plate can be simplified, and a higher quality connection can be achieved.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a connecting device for a strip-shaped thin metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view when the top shear portion is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to a sending direction.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view when the inlet pinch portion is cut along a vertical plane parallel to a feeding direction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when the connection mechanism is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to the sending direction.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an end cutting device.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a contact device.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative sectional view for explaining an operation example of the connection mechanism.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative sectional view for explaining an operation example of the connection mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view when the rolling section is cut along a vertical plane parallel to the feeding direction.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view when the rolling section is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to the feeding direction.

FIG. 11 is an illustrative plan view for describing an operation example of a rolling unit.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view when the ear shearing part is cut along a vertical plane parallel to the sending direction.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view when the ear shear portion is cut along a vertical plane perpendicular to the sending direction.

FIG. 14 is an illustrative plan view for describing an operation example of an ear shear section.

FIG. 15 is an illustrative sectional view for explaining another configuration example of the connection mechanism.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a strip-shaped metal thin plate connected using a double-sided tape.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a configuration of a strip-shaped metal sheet connected by seam welding.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Top Shear Part (Preliminary Cutting Means) 41 Outlet Clamping Device (First Holding Means) 42 Inlet Clamping Device (Second Holding Means) 44 End Cutting Device (Cutting Means) 45 Welding Device (Welding Means) 46 Guide rail (switching means) 47 Slide frame (switching means) 48A Screw shaft (switching means) 48B Ball nut (switching means) 49 Motor (switching means) 50 Rolling section (rolling means) 60 Ear shear section (welding both end removing means) ) 95 cylinder (butting means) B1 preceding thin plate (first strip-shaped metal sheet) B2 succeeding thin sheet (second strip-shaped metal sheet)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A connection device for connecting one end of a first strip-shaped metal sheet to one end of a second strip-shaped metal sheet, wherein a first holding device for holding the first strip-shaped metal sheet is provided. Means, second holding means for holding the second strip-shaped metal sheet, and the first and second holding means being close to each other, whereby the first and second holding means are held by the first and second holding means. Butting means for bringing the one end portions of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets closer to each other and abutting the end faces, and each end part of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets whose end faces are butted by the butting means. And a welding means for connecting the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets by welding each other. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said welding means includes laser welding means for welding and connecting said one ends of said first and second strip-shaped metal thin plates with a laser beam. Connecting device for strip-shaped metal sheet. 3. The laser welding means according to claim 2, wherein said laser welding means includes YAG laser welding means for welding and connecting each end of said first and second strip-shaped metal sheets with YAG laser light. Metal strip connecting device. 4. A cutting means for cutting a part of each end of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets to form a new cut end face at each end of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets. The strip-shaped metal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: abutting means for abutting the first and second cut end faces formed by the cutting means. Thin plate connecting device. 5. A switching means for switching and arranging said cutting means and said welding means near each end of said first and second thin metal plates respectively held by said first and second holding means. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to claim 4, further comprising: 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cut-off portion removing means for removing a part of each end of said first and second thin metal plates cut off by said cutting means by blowing off with a gas jet. The connection device for a strip-shaped metal sheet according to 4 or 5. 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second cutting means are provided by said cutting means.
Before a part of one end of the strip-shaped metal sheet is cut off, a part of one end of one of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets is cut in advance. 7. The apparatus for connecting a strip-shaped metal sheet according to claim 4, further comprising a preliminary cutting means. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising rolling means for rolling a welded portion of said first and second strip-shaped metal sheets welded and connected by said welding means.
5. The connecting device for a strip-shaped metal thin plate according to any one of the above. 9. A welding portion of said first and second strip-shaped metal sheets welded and connected by said welding means, at least portions near both ends in the width direction of said first and second strip-shaped metal sheets are removed. 9. The apparatus for connecting a strip-shaped metal sheet according to claim 1, further comprising means for removing both ends of the welding. 10. A connection method for connecting one end of a first strip-shaped metal sheet and one end of a second strip-shaped metal sheet, wherein each end of the first and second strip-shaped metal sheets is connected. Abutting step of bringing the end faces of the first and second strip-shaped thin metal plates whose end faces are abutted in the abutting step to each other, and welding the first and second strips. And a welding step of connecting the strip-shaped metal sheets.