JP2007230765A - Spreading device for rectangular fabric piece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device formed of a simple mechanism at reduced equipment cost, and capable of spreading a towel or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This spreading device comprises carrying means 2, 3, 4 for suspending and carrying rectangular fabric pieces, a first lower side air blowing device 5 disposed on the floor surface side along the carrying direction, a first upper side air blowing device 10 disposed forward of the carrying means 3, a floor side band conveyor 14 disposed forward of the first upper side air blowing device, having, in a band area, a position to which the spread rectangular fabric piece falls, and in which a band is so formed that air passes therethrough, second lower air blowing devices 11, 12 for blowing air upward through the ventilation part of the band of the floor side band conveyor, a top side band conveyor 18 so disposed above the floor side band conveyor as to face each other, a second upper side air blowing device 16 for generating a turbulent flow progressing downward to spread from the center to both ends of the band through the ventilation part of the band of the top side band conveyor, and an impact device 15 for imparting vibration to the band of the top side band conveyor facing the floor side thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a commercially available folding machine which takes in and spreads rectangular cloth pieces such as face towels and bath towels, which are washed in a laundry factory, dehydrated and dried, and then piled up on a place for placement on a conveyor or the like. It is related with the expansion | deployment apparatus carried in to the input conveyor.

  In conventional laundry factories, used face towels collected from hotels and inns, etc., rectangular cloth pieces such as bath towels, etc. are washed, dehydrated and dried, and then temporarily piled up in large quantities on the place. After that, it was manually placed on a cart, placed on the side of the folding machine, hand-held one by one, grasping the opposite side angle of the short side of the rectangular cloth piece with both hands, and placed on the folding conveyor input conveyor .

  However, in this method, after placing on the input conveyor, the other end short side that hangs down is shaped with both hands and shaped and sent to the input conveyor, so there are many places that depend on the operator's familiarity and feeling, and unfamiliar work The person could not expect improvement in efficiency.

  Also, the factory is hot in the winter due to the heat of the dryer and the heat of the boiler, especially in the summer, because the work is in a dull heat, so the labor of the worker becomes large, as well as in the summer, etc. In many cases, the sweating of the dry towel was often caused by sweating by the worker.

Therefore, in order to automate the expansion work of the rectangular cloth pieces, the present applicant invented a technique for sucking and picking up the rectangular cloth pieces T one by one and automatically spreading them, and then supplying them to a folding machine or the like. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-237055).
JP-A-2004-237055

  As shown in FIG. 26, the unfolding device for a rectangular cloth piece described in JP-A-2004-237055 is a rectangular cloth after drying, as shown in FIG. The storage device 2a that stores the pieces and feeds them by a conveyor, a suction device that freely rotates by sucking an arbitrary portion of a rectangular cloth piece, a drum 3 that rotates by mounting the suction device, and a wind pressure fan 7F ' A semi-developing device for semi-developing a shape cloth piece, and a unfolding apparatus for spreading the semi-developed rectangular cloth piece by wind pressure, sucking the short side of the rectangular cloth piece T and inserting it into the sandwiching conveyor 12 for development. 11 and a conveyor device 2c that makes it easy to remove the rectangular cloth pieces that have fallen from the storage device 2a.

  However, this unfolding apparatus is a method of grasping from the upper side after the rotating operation as the unfolding process of the rectangular cloth piece, and the mechanism is complicated and its installation is large. In particular, when inserting into the conveyor 12, the rectangular cloth pieces often do not mesh well, which hinders the unfolding operation. More precisely, there were the following problems.

1. When the rectangular cloth piece T that holds an arbitrary portion of the rectangular cloth piece T and is adsorbed to the freely rotating suction port hangs down from the arbitrary place on the short side is equal, the focal point may not be determined and may be rotated by wind power.
2. If the short side where the rectangular cloth T that holds the arbitrary part of the rectangular cloth T and is adsorbed to the suction port that freely rotates hangs down from the arbitrary part is extremely different, the adsorbent is the rectangular cloth T May not be able to capture.
3. In the wind force reflected by the reflecting plate configured on the vertical partition wall, the short short side (which is extremely short) hanging from an arbitrary location may not be developed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can perform a deployment work reliably while having a simple mechanism and a low equipment cost.

Therefore, the rectangular cloth piece unfolding device according to the present invention is
A transfer means (2, 3, 4) for suspending a rectangular cloth piece so that it can be opened freely and transferring it to a predetermined open position in the suspended state;
A first lower wind blowing device (5) arranged on the floor side along the transfer direction of the transfer means and blowing wind upward;
A first upper wind blowing device (10) that is arranged on the front side of the transfer means (3) and blows wind on a surface side of a rectangular cloth piece that is opened and dropped;
A floor-side belt type conveyor (disposed at the front side of the first lower wind spraying device (5), including at least a position where an open rectangular cloth piece falls in the belt range, and the belt is formed to allow ventilation. 14)
A second lower air blowing device (11, 12) for blowing air upward through the ventilation portion of the belt of the floor belt conveyor (14);
A top side belt type conveyor (18) which is arranged above the floor side belt type conveyor (14) so as to face the belt and is formed so as to be ventilated;
A second upper wind spraying device (16) for generating a downward turbulent flow extending from the center of the belt to both ends through the ventilation portion of the belt of the top belt type conveyor (18);
An impact device (15) for applying a predetermined vibration to a belt facing the floor side of the top belt type conveyor (18), wherein the reference numerals of each component are used for understanding the configuration. For the sake of simplicity, the reference numerals corresponding to those in the embodiments described later are given for convenience, and the reference numerals in the “Means for Solving the Problems” section are the same).

  Such an unfolding apparatus according to the present invention is normally started by the transfer means (2, 3, 4) taking out rectangular cloth pieces such as towels that have been washed, dried and piled up. The transfer means (2, 3, 4) transfer the taken-out rectangular cloth pieces while suspending them. At this time, the floor-side first lower wind blowing device (5) blows air upward, and the suspended rectangular cloth pieces are transferred by the wind while the rear side is spread. The transfer means (2, 3, 4), after being transferred to a predetermined position, opens the rectangular cloth piece and drops it downward. Also at this time, since the wind from the first lower wind blowing device (5) is blown, the rectangular cloth piece falls so as to spread. At the same time, the first upper wind blowing device (10) blows wind on the surface side of the rectangular cloth piece so that the rectangular cloth piece falls in a neatly spread state without twisting.

  A floor side belt type conveyor (14) is disposed at the dropped position, and the rectangular cloth piece is dropped on the belt. Although the rectangular cloth piece is transferred as the belt advances, it is lifted upward while maintaining the spread state by the wind from the second lower wind blowing device (11, 12) through the ventilation portion of the belt. . Finally, it is stuck to the belt surface (lower surface) of the top belt type conveyor (18) and is transported by the belt in that state. At this time, it spread on the belt surface by blowing a turbulent flow that spreads from the center to both ends from the second upper wind blowing device (16) through the ventilation portion of the belt and applying vibration by the impact device (15). The bending and twisting of the rectangular cloth pieces stuck in the state are eliminated. At the position where the second lower wind blowing device (11, 12) disappears while moving while producing such an action, the rectangular cloth piece falls in an expanded state, and thereafter any transfer device As a result, it is transferred to the folding device in the next process.

  Here, the wind generated by the second lower wind blowing device (11, 12) may be in various directions and intensities, but in particular, if an upward turbulent flow spreading from the center of the belt to both ends is included. When the rectangular cloth piece is lifted, the bending and twisting can be eliminated, which is beneficial.

  Further, an auxiliary belt type conveyor (6) in which the belt is formed so as to be freely ventilated is disposed in front of the floor side belt type conveyor (14), and the first lower wind blowing device is passed through the ventilation portion of the belt. It is good also as what blows a wind from (5). In this embodiment, if the rotational speed of the belt of the floor side belt type conveyor (14) is made slower than the transfer speed of the transfer means (2, 3, 4), the rear end of the suspended rectangular cloth piece will be If it is in contact with the belt, the speed of the belt is slow, so that the rear end in contact with the belt extends further rearward. As a result, it is possible to further ensure the spread of the rectangular cloth piece that is suspended and transferred.

  Further, apart from the first lower wind blowing device (5), a third lower wind blowing device (7) that blows wind toward the front back side of the rectangular cloth that is opened and dropped can be arranged. In this case, the spread of the front end side of the rectangular cloth piece at the time of falling can be further ensured, which is beneficial.

  As described above, according to the deployment device according to the present invention, rectangular cloth pieces such as towels piled up can be taken out and reliably deployed.

  That is, after washing and drying, the rectangular cloth pieces piled up on the place where the conventional equipment is placed can be automatically taken in, spread reliably, and sent out to a commercially available folding machine.

  In addition, the mechanism is simple and the efficiency can be increased with low equipment costs. Moreover, since it can be expanded using wind power, the apparatus can be simplified, and there is an advantage that the rectangular cloth piece is not damaged.

  A specific example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall plan view, FIG. 2 is an overall schematic diagram, and FIG. 3 is a side end view along YY in FIG.

  The following embodiment is an example in which a towel is used as a rectangular cloth piece, but other cloth pieces may be used. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the unfolding device 1 of this embodiment is composed of an intake part A and an expanded part B (note that the constituent parts of A and B are for convenience of explanation. , Not necessarily the intended effect from the name).

  The take-in part A includes transfer means, an entanglement wind pressure device 5 as a first lower wind blowing device, a transport conveyor device 6 as an auxiliary belt type conveyor, and an isolation blower device as a third lower wind blowing device. 7 and an anti-blow blower device 10 as a first upper wind blowing device.

  The transfer means includes a holding device 2, a moving device 3, and an arm frame device 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 15, the holding device 2 is attached to the belt 30 disposed in the arm frame device 4, and moves together with the belt 30 in the moving range of the belt 30. An openable / closable chuck 20 ′ is attached to the tip of the holding device 2. In this embodiment, only one holding device 2 is attached, but a plurality of holding devices 2 may be attached as shown in FIG. In addition to the chuck 20 ', the holding towel T can be arbitrarily selected by a suckable mechanism (29 in the drawing is a suction port) as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, or a releasably hooking mechanism (not shown). As long as it is a means that can be opened, a mechanism for freely changing the holding force may be provided. Furthermore, an expansion / contraction mechanism may be provided so that the expansion / contraction is possible as shown in FIG.

  The arm frame device 4 includes a movable arm portion that supports the belt 30 via a pulley, and a support frame portion that rotatably supports the movable arm portion on a shaft 41, and the movable arm portion is centered on the shaft 41. A cylinder device 42 is arranged to be rotated.

  The support frame portion includes two support columns erected so as to sandwich the movable arm portion, and a substrate frame 1a that fixes the lower end of each support column. A support bar is installed between the upper ends of both support columns, and the cylinder 42 body is pivotally supported by the support bar. The movable arm portion is pivotally supported via a shaft 41 slightly below the support rod. On the other hand, the wind dividers 8 are arranged in contact with the inside of each substrate frame 1a on the lower end side. At the rear end of the wind divider 8, measurement sensors 4 s are arranged along the top and bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the movable arm portion includes a pulley at the front and rear end portions, and the belt 30 is wound around the pulley so as to be movable. The rear end side of the pulley is connected to the motor 31 by a V-belt to form a drive wheel, and the belt 30 is operated by this drive. The moving mechanism of the holding device 2 by the pulley, the motor 31 and the belt 30 is the moving device 3. By the movement of the belt 30 of the moving device 3, the holding device 2 attached to the moving device 3 moves (laterally moves) a range of an arbitrary portion between the front and rear pulleys. This lateral movement range may be limited to only an arbitrary range among the pulleys, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23, the full range between the pulleys, that is, p ′ to p ″ ( Note that the height of p ′ is also set in advance. Further, p ″ is an opening position of an arbitrary portion of the towel T). The moving speed of the belt 30 (pulley rotation speed) can be changed depending on the amount of the towel T. For example, in this embodiment, by setting the moving speed faster than the moving speed of the conveyor belt 6A of the transfer conveyor device 6 described later, It is also possible to expand the rear end side of the towel T backward. Of course, a transmission means such as a chain or a cylinder may be used in place of the belt 30.

  A bracket is attached to an intermediate portion of the movable arm portion, and a rod tip of the cylinder 42 is attached to the bracket. As a result, the movable arm portion rotates about the shaft 41 by the expansion and contraction of the rod of the cylinder 42. This rotation operation is controlled by a control mechanism (not shown) according to the position of towels piled on the placing floor board 21 by the measurement sensor 4s. Here, since the holding device 2 is attached to the belt 30, the holding device 2 is also driven by the turning operation of the movable arm portion, and the chuck 20 ′ at the tip thereof moves up and down. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the chuck 20 ′ moves down to the holding position p (grasping position) by reading the measurement sensor 4 s of the quantity height of the towels T stacked on the mounting plate 21, so that the chuck 20 If an arbitrary portion of the towel T is held by ', the ascending operation is performed up to a predetermined position p' (a preset height position) while being held. At that position, it is moved laterally by the moving device 3, and the chuck 20 'is opened at a predetermined position p "(open position at an arbitrary position of the towel T) to drop the towel. The towel T is dropped at the predetermined position p". The holding device 2 that has opened is returned to a predetermined position p ′ (a preset height position) by the control mechanism, and the same operation is repeated. Note that the predetermined position p ′ (predetermined height position) and the predetermined position p ″ (open position of an arbitrary portion of the towel T) of the holding device 2 are arbitrarily determined in advance depending on the size and weight of the towel T. Set.

  Further, in this embodiment, the vertical movement of the holding device 2 is performed together with the rotation of the arm frame device 4 by the detection of the measurement reading sensor 4s having the reading means of the quantity height of the towels T piled up at the placement place. However, other mechanisms may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the position of the sensor 4s is changed, and other mechanisms such as a weight sensor are used. It is also good. FIG. 17 shows an example of this. In this case, a weight sensor (not shown) is attached to the mounting floor 21, and the weight per unit of the towel T is measured in advance, and the mounting floor plate 21 corresponding to the weight is measured. The upper height is set, the target height is calculated from the measured value of the actual weight of the mounting floor 21 measured by the sensor and the set value, and the mounting floor 21 itself is hydraulically or the like (in FIG. 17). 27 is a hydraulic cylinder) that can be raised and lowered (of course, the holding device 2 side may be raised and lowered). In addition, 26 in FIG. 17 has shown the conveyor which transfers the towel T to the mounting floor 21. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 14, the entanglement wind pressure device 5 includes a mesh belt 6 </ b> A of the transfer conveyor device 6 installed on the floor side along the transfer direction (belt 30) of the moving device 3. On the lower side, a plurality of belts are arranged along the belt 6A. The entanglement wind pressure device 5 includes an axial flow type fan 50 that is arranged with the wind direction upward, and a louver 51 that is arranged above the fan 50.

  The axial fan 50 has a function of blowing the wind from below and expanding the front and rear ends of the towel T during the lateral movement of the towel T held by the chuck 20 ′ of the holding device 2. In the lowered state (when held on the chuck 20 'in a folded state, or when holding one end of the long sides Tc and Td of the towel T, or near the end sides of the short sides Ta and Tb) Depending on the case of holding or the case where the short sides Ta and Tb hang down to the same level, the tangling portion on the rear end side where the towel T hangs down and the function of preventing entanglement are provided. It should be noted that, instead of the axial flow type fan 50, for example, another wind blowing mechanism as shown in FIG. 19 may be used (this is the same for the rising wind pressure generator 11 described later).

  As shown in FIG. 9, the louver 51 is formed with a plurality of parallel blades attached to a shaft 52 whose inclination is freely changeable, and has a function of causing the wind from the axial flow fan 50 to be parallel wind toward a predetermined direction. Have By this inclination change, an efficient entanglement operation according to the suspended state of the towel T can be achieved.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 14, the transport conveyor device 6 is a belt-type conveyor having a belt 6 </ b> A having a mesh-like surface through which the wind from the entanglement wind pressure device 5 passes. The belt 6A is movably wound around the rotation shafts 6a, 6b, and 6c arranged at three positions in the front and rear directions (particularly, the belt 6A has a triangular shape in a side view as shown in FIG. 3). The output side rotation shaft around which the belt 6A is wound is arranged at two places in the upper and lower directions, and the upper side rotation shaft 6c is arranged at a position higher than the entry side rotation shaft 6a. The rotating shaft 6 b disposed below the exit side is a drive shaft that is rotated by the motor 61.

  Of course, the belt winding configuration of the conveyor may be in any other form as long as the wind is blown upward by a wind blowing device disposed below the belt through the ventilation portion of the belt. For example, as shown in FIG. In addition, only two front and rear shafts may be used. Also, the belt is formed with the ventilation part (the shape of the ventilation part can also be freely determined, for example, a slit or a notch is formed in the flat plate strip), and other elements are not particularly limited. The material is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that does not damage the surface of T and is easy to operate, and has no dust or the like and has durability. These points are the same in the wind blowing conveyor device 14 described later.

  The belt moving speed of the conveyor device 6 is set slower than the moving speed of the moving device 3 connected to the upper holding device 2 (moving speed of the belt 30). This is because when the holding device 2 is moved while holding the towel T by moving the belt 30, the rear end of the towel T touches the belt surface 6A (assuming that the height of the holding device 2 is assumed). If the speed of the belt 6A is slower than the moving speed of the towel T, the rear end of the towel touching the belt 6A spreads more backward. That is, the aim is to expand the towel held by the holding device 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 14, the isolation blower device 7 is disposed on the side of the exit side of the conveyor device 6, and the blower port is connected to the wind power operation line (dotted line) shown in FIG. 23. As shown by (), it is directed rearward and obliquely upward. The angle of the blower opening is adjusted so that the wind from the blower hits the front back side of the towel T dropped by the chuck 20 'of the holding device 2 being opened. As shown in FIG. 23, the blower device 7 is intended to further expand the front end side of the falling towel T. Accordingly, the installation location of the holding device 2 in FIG. The position of pt before the opening position p ″ of the chuck 20 ′ is set to a position pt. In this embodiment, the on / off operation of the blower device 7 is performed by automatic control based on a position sensor, and the holding device 2 is positioned above the position pt. Is set so that the operation of the blower device 7 is turned on for a few seconds when moving to the position, thereby reliably blowing the wind toward the front end of the falling towel T. The position of the pt serving as control sensing may be appropriately adjusted depending on the size and weight of the towel T. Of course, the strength of the wind force of the blower device 7 is also the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 14, and 15, the wind partition device 8 includes two partition plates that are arranged so as to sandwich the transport conveyor device 6. As described above, the respective partition plates are brought into contact with the inside of the substrate frame 1 a disposed on both sides of the transport conveyor device 6. Although the height of the partition plate is arbitrary, it is preferable that the height of the partition T is such that the towel T held by the chuck 20 'of the holding device 2 during movement is hidden from the side. This wind partitioning device 8 eliminates the influence of the wind from the outside of the partition plate, and efficiently uses the wind from the entanglement wind pressure device 5, the isolation blower device 7, and the anti-blow blower device 10 (which will be described later). It is intended to hit the towel T. The distance between the partition plates may be determined in accordance with the width of the towel T held by the holding device 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 15, the anti-blow blower device 10 is attached to the upper front end of the partition plate and includes a long blower nozzle that extends downward therefrom. As shown in FIG. 23, the blower port of the nozzle is set so as to be disposed between p ″ (towel T opening position) and pt (blower device 7 operation start position), and the chuck of the holding device 2 Wind is blown to the surface side of the towel T that has been opened and dropped by 20'.This anti-blow blower device 10 also passes the position of pt by the automatic control by the position sensor in the same manner as the blower device 7. At this time, the operation is turned on for a few seconds, and the position pt may be appropriately changed according to the weight, size, etc. of the towel T as in the blower device 7.

  Next, the expanded portion B will be described. The expanding portion B includes a rising wind pressure generator 11 and an expanding wind generator 12 as second lower wind blowing devices, a wind blowing conveyor device 14 as a floor belt conveyor, and a tapping device as an impact device. 15, a widening wind generating device 16 as a second upper wind blowing device, a transfer conveyor device 18 as a top side belt type conveyor, a carry-in guide partition device 9, a wind guide widening adjusting device 13, and wind receiving reflection The plate 17, the wind partition device 19, and the guide 20 are included.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 7, and 10, the ascending wind pressure generator 11 is a mesh surface belt 14 </ b> A of an air blowing conveyor 14 that is continuously disposed on the conveyor device 6 (this will be described later). Are arranged along the belt 14A. The ascending wind pressure generator 11 includes an axial-flow fan 110 that is arranged with the wind direction upward, and a louver that is arranged above the fan. The axial flow fan 110 may be a blower such as a sirocco fan as shown in FIG. 19, for example, as long as it blows air from the lower surface of the towel T to impart a levitation force to the towel T. The louver allows the wind to be efficiently blown from the axial flow fan 110 by adjusting the angle of the wind and forming a parallel wind.

  The ascending wind pressure generating device 11 is for blowing the towel T transferred from the conveying conveyor device 6 by blowing from below, and ascending the towel T to the top transfer conveyor 18 while unfolding. Together with the open wind power generation device 12, the second lower wind blowing device constitutes a means. In addition, partition devices 19 are disposed at both ends of the ascending wind pressure generating device 11 (this configuration will be described later) to prevent the blowing air from each axial flow fan 50 from spreading to the left and right.

  As shown in FIGS. 7, 10, 11, and 13, wind guide widening adjusting devices 13 are disposed at both ends in the width direction of the rising wind pressure generator 11. The wind guide widening adjusting device 13 includes a duct arranged along the longitudinal direction of the rising wind pressure generating device 11, and a nozzle cylinder 13a provided at an appropriate interval at an arbitrary position of the duct. The duct is a blower 13c. Connected to. The nozzle cylinder 13a has its mouth facing upward, and directs the wind sent from the blower 13c upward. This upward wind serves as an air wall, and serves as a guide on both ends when the towel T sent from the conveyor device 6 passes through the expanded portion B. Further, above the nozzle cylinder 13a (inside the belt 18A of the transfer conveyor device 18), as shown particularly in FIG. 11, a reflector 17 for reflecting the wind from there horizontally and obliquely downward is disposed. As a result, a part of the wind-up wind that has risen is reflected on the wind receiving reflection plate 17 at the ceiling and sprayed from the back surface of the towel T, and the interval between each partition plate 19 and the long side of the cloth piece T is increased. It also has the function of equalizing. Alternatively, the position of the towel T may be detected and control may be performed so that the nozzle cylinder 13a near the towel T is sprayed only when the towel T passes.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 10, 11, and 13, the spreading wind generator 12 is located below the mesh belt 14 </ b> A of the wind blowing conveyor 14 and generates the rising wind pressure. Arranged at the top of the device 11. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the expansion wind generator 12 includes two rotatable hollow cylinders 12 a arranged along the longitudinal direction of the ascending wind pressure generator 11, and the hollow cylinders. The turbo fan 120 sends wind to the body 12a. The hollow cylindrical body 12a is disposed substantially at the center in the width direction of the ascending wind pressure generator 11, and the blowing ports 12b are formed at predetermined intervals on the surface along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body 12a. Both end portions are supported by bearings and can be rotated by a motor. More specifically, the hollow cylinders 12a rotate in the opposite directions, and more specifically, the upward wind from the blowing port 12b is different from each other so that the air flows from the center to the outside of the both cylinders 12a. Rotate. Thereby, when the wind is sent from the turbo fan 120, the rising wind from each hollow cylinder 12a becomes a turbulent flow from the center toward the outside. Such a turbulent flow from the center to the outside causes an action of eliminating folding and bending when the towel T rises. In the present embodiment, this action is intended. Of course, the generation mechanism of the rising turbulent flow that causes the action is not limited to this embodiment, and other mechanisms may be used. In addition, as a blower, instead of the configuration of the turbo fan 120 (for example, blowing compressed air by a compressor), a mechanism for automatically starting wind blowing after confirming the position of the towel T by providing a position sensor, etc. good.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the air blowing conveyor device 14 is disposed on the exit side (the front side of the entanglement wind pressure device 5) of the transport conveyor device 6. Both conveyor devices 6 and 14 are arranged adjacent to each other so that both belts 6A and 14A are continuous. As shown in FIGS. 7, 10, 11, and 13, the wind blowing conveyor device 14 is a belt 14 </ b> A having a mesh-like surface through which the wind from the rising wind pressure generator 11 and the expanding wind generator 12 is passed. A belt type conveyor is used. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 23, the belt 14A is wound around rotating shafts 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d disposed at four front and rear positions so that the belt 14A rises in the traveling direction (side surface). Trapezoidal), the upper rotary shaft 14d on the exit side is arranged at a higher position than the upper rotary shaft 14a on the entry side. The lower rotation shaft 14c is a drive shaft that is rotated by a motor 141. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 23, the belt inclination on the entrance side is matched with the belt inclination on the exit side of the conveyor 6 (the belt surfaces 6A and 14A have the same height). An integral conveyor device is formed. However, the speeds of the two belts 6A and 14A may be arbitrarily set (in addition, if the belt speeds of the two conveyor devices 6 and 14 are not different, the conveyors 6 and 14 may be integrated).

  As shown in FIG. 23, the position on the entrance side of the wind blowing conveyor device 14 is set at least in front of the towel T opening position p ″ of the holding device 2. As a result, the holding device 2 is opened and dropped. The incoming towel T is surely placed on the belt 14A of the wind-blasting conveyor device 14 (however, in this embodiment, the rear end of the towel T is set on the belt 6A). As shown in Fig. 8, a carry-in guide partition device 9 is arranged on both sides of the belt 14A on the entrance side of the wind blowing conveyor device 14. The carry-in guide partition device 9 is provided with the partition. It arrange | positions inside the board 19 and guides the flow of the towel T in the belt 14A entrance side.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 10, 11, and 12, the tapping device 15 is disposed on the lower surface side net belt 18 </ b> A of the transfer conveyor device 18, which will be described later. In particular, as shown in FIG. 12, the transfer conveyor device 18 includes a support frame 15a disposed on both ends, a plurality of shaft bodies 15b rotatably supported at arbitrary positions of the support frame 15a, and each shaft body 15b. The shaft body 15b is given a rotational force by the motor 161. When the shaft body 15b is rotated by driving the motor 161, each hitting portion 15c arranged there rotates with the shaft body 15b to hit the lower surface side belt 18A from the upper side (back surface). If this tapping action gives vibration to the belt 18A, and the towel T is stuck on the lower side (front surface) (this process will be described later), the back surface of the towel T is stretched. The hitting device 15 may have another configuration as long as it applies vibration to the belt 18A.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 10, 11, and 12, the expanded wind power generation device 16 is disposed along the belt 18 </ b> A on the upper side of the lower surface side mesh belt 18 </ b> A of the transfer conveyor device 18 described later. Is done. The expanding wind generator 16 is substantially the same mechanism as the expanding wind generator 12, and includes two freely rotatable hollow cylinders 16a disposed along the longitudinal direction of the belt 18A, and the hollow It comprises a turbo fan 160 that sends wind to the cylinder body 16a. The hollow cylindrical body 16a is disposed substantially at the center in the width direction of the belt 18A, and spray ports 16b are formed at predetermined intervals on the surface of the cylindrical body 16a along the longitudinal direction. Both end portions are supported by bearings and are freely rotatable by a motor 161. More specifically, the hollow cylinders 16a rotate opposite to each other, more specifically, so that the downward wind from the blowing port 16b is directed outward from the center of the both cylinders 12a. Rotate. That is, this rotation direction is different from that of the expanding wind power generator 12. Accordingly, when the wind is sent from the turbo fan 160, the descending wind from each hollow cylinder 16a becomes a turbulent flow from the center toward the outside. Such a turbulent flow from the center to the outside causes an effect of eliminating folding and bending when the towel T is attached to the lower surface of the belt 18A and transferred (this process will be described later). In the present embodiment, the operation is intended. Of course, the generation mechanism of the rising turbulent flow that causes the action is not limited to the present embodiment, which is the same as the wind power generator 12 for expansion.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 6, 10, and 11, the transfer conveyor device 18 is disposed above and facing the air blowing conveyor device 14. As the transfer conveyor device 18, a belt type conveyor using a belt 18 </ b> A having a mesh surface through which the wind from the wind power generator 16 for expansion is passed is used. The belt 18A is wound around rotary shafts 18a and 18b disposed at two front and rear positions, and the rotary shaft 18b is connected to a motor 181 to serve as a drive shaft.

  The conveyor belt 18A is a belt-like belt having wind blow-out means and expansion / contraction means, and if the material does not damage the surface of the towel T, the spreading operation means can smoothly perform the operation process. Any kind of metal, resin, rubber or the like can be used as long as it is a flexible body that does not adhere to dust or the like and has durability. Even when a member that does not expand and contract is used as the belt material, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the same effect can be obtained if an elastic member such as rubber is used for the joint member 24 of the constituent belt member 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 10, 11, and 23, the transfer conveyor device 18 is configured to transfer a towel T that rises in response to rising air from the rising wind pressure generator 11, on the lower surface side of the belt. Receive at 18A and transport to the exit side. For this reason, the rotation direction of the belt 18A is opposite to the rotation direction of the belt 14A of the floor-side wind blowing conveyor device 14.

  Further, as described above, the wind power generator 12 for spreading, the hitting device 15, and the wind receiving reflector 17 are disposed in the transfer conveyor device 18 (see particularly FIGS. 10 to 11).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 23, the wind partitioning device 19 is disposed on both sides of the wind blowing conveyor device 14 and the transfer conveyor device 18. The partition device 19 is composed of partition plates 19a and 19b that cover the entire surfaces of both sides of the conveyor devices 14, 18, and 6, and bearings 18a 'and 18b' of the umbrella-covered conveyor device 18 are placed on the upper portion of the hitting device 15. The bearings 15a are fixed to the left side of the lower portion with the bearings 14c 'and 14d' of the wind blow conveyor device 14 and the bearings 14a'14b 'to the right side. The width of both side surfaces of the partition device 19 is larger than the short side width of the towel T, the inner surface side is made of a wind-smooth surface, and a plurality of wind inlets 19a 'are provided on the floor side. Yes. The inner surface of the wind divider 19 is finished with a smooth surface so that the cloth piece T will not be damaged even if the surface and each part of the towel T are touched. In addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 24, a wind-smooth surface may be provided detachably on both side surfaces of each conveyor, and a bearing or the like of each device may be configured outside the wind-smooth surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the guide 20 is a device that guides the towel T developed by the developing device 1 according to the present embodiment to a folding machine (not shown) in the next process, and has a smooth surface on the shaft. The wire holding is fixed, and the shaft end side is fixed to the partition plates 19a and 19b. The guide 20 has a durable structure using a material that does not damage the surface of the towel T and has a smooth surface.

  Next, the operation of unfolding the towel T in the unfolding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  The towels T that have been washed and dried are piled up on the mounting plate 21, and the measurement sensor 4s measures the height thereof. Based on the measured value, the cylinder 42 is extended, the movable arm of the transfer means is lowered, the holding device 2 is brought closer to the towel T, the tip chuck 20 'is closed, and the towel T is gripped. When the towel T is firmly held, the cylinder 42 is reduced and the movable arm is returned to the horizontal position p ′, where the pulley is driven and the holding means 2 is moved laterally by the belt 30. At this time, the towel T is suspended from the chuck 20 ′ and moved while the rear side is widened, but since the wind is blown from below by the entanglement wind pressure device 5, the rear side is further spread. Further, when the rear end touches the belt 6A of the transport conveyor device 6, the speed of the belt 6A is slower than the moving speed of the holding means 2 (speed of the belt 30), and therefore the rear spreading effect is further promoted.

  When the holding means 2 is moved to pt, the isolation blower device 7 and the tacking blower device 10 start spraying (this may be delayed somewhat). When the holding means 2 is moved to the open position p ″, the chuck 20 ′ is opened and the towel T is opened. The towel T falls while the rear side is expanded, but at this time, from the lower isolation blower device 7 Since wind is blown to the front back surface of the towel T and further wind is blown from the upper anti-blow blower device 10 to the entire surface of the towel T, the wind blower conveyor device is maintained while the towel T is properly spread. 14 is dropped onto the belt 14A on the entrance side (only a part of the rear end is applied to the belt 6A) At this time, since the carry-in guide partition device 9 is formed on the entrance side of the conveyor device 14, The towel T does not protrude from the belt 14A.

  The fallen towel T is transferred to the exit side by the belt 14A, but the towel T is gradually raised upward while maintaining the expanded state by blowing air from the wind pressure generator 11 for raising below the belt 14A. It is done. At this time, the rising wind includes a turbulent flow that spreads from the center to the outside from the wind power generator 12 for expansion, so that even if the towel T is twisted or overlapped, they are properly stretched. Go. When it rises, there is a transfer conveyor 14 on the top side, so the towel T is attached to the belt 14A and transferred to the outlet side by the belt 14A. At this time, a turbulent flow is blown from the expanded wind power generation device 16 inside the belt 14A (through the mesh of the ventilation portion) toward the sticking surface of the towel T, and vibration from the tapping device 15 is transmitted through the belt 14A. When it is transmitted and the towel T is twisted, it is eliminated. As a result, while the towel T is neatly spread and attached to the belt 14A, the towel T is moved to the exit side, sent to the guide 20, and sent to the next folding machine.

It is a whole top view showing an example of a deployment device concerning the present invention. It is a whole perspective view of FIG. FIG. 2 is a YY end view in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of the lower part side of the taking-in part A. FIG. It is a perspective view of a holding device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an upper side of an expanded portion B. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lower side of the expanded portion B. It is a perspective view of a carrying-in guidance partition device. It is explanatory drawing of a louver. It is partial explanatory drawing which shows the internal relationship of the conveyor apparatus for wind blowing (lower side) and a transfer conveyor apparatus (upper side). It is explanatory drawing explaining the flow of the wind from a wind guide widening adjustment apparatus. It is a top view of the state which removed the transfer conveyor among the expansion parts B. FIG. It is the top view seen from right above the conveyor apparatus for wind blowing among the expansion parts B. FIG. It is the top view seen from right above a conveyance conveyor apparatus among the transfer parts A. FIG. It is a side view of the transfer part A. It is another example of a holding device, and is a perspective view when a plurality of holding devices are provided. It is a side view which shows the other example of a mounting floor. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of a transfer conveyor and the conveyor apparatus for wind blowing. It is explanatory drawing of the other form example of an entanglement wind pressure generator and the wind pressure generator for a raise. It is explanatory drawing of the other form example of a conveyor belt. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of a towel holding mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of the form example which further changed the form example shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which showed the operating condition of the expansion | deployment apparatus which concerns on this form example. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of a bearing arrangement | positioning. It is explanatory drawing of the other form example of a holding | maintenance apparatus. This is a conventional structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-2370550.

Explanation of symbols

1 unfolding device 2 holding device (transfer means)
3 Moving device (transfer means)
4 Arm frame device (transfer means)
5 Entanglement wind pressure device (first lower wind blowing device)
6 Conveyor device (auxiliary belt type conveyor device)
7 Isolation blower device (third lower air blowing device)
8 Wind Venting Device 9 Carrying-in Guide Partitioning Device 10 Anti-blow Blower Device (First Upper Wind Blowing Device)
11 Ascending wind pressure generator (second lower wind blowing device)
12 Wind power generator for expansion (second lower wind spraying device)
13 Wind guide widening adjustment device 14 Conveyor for air blowing (floor side belt type conveyor)
15 Striking device (impact device)
16 Expanded wind power generation device (second upper wind blowing device)
18 Transfer conveyor device (top side belt type conveyor)

Claims (1)

A transfer means for suspending a rectangular cloth piece so as to be freely opened and transferring the cloth piece to a predetermined open position in the suspended state;
A first lower wind blowing device arranged on the floor side along the transfer direction of the transfer means and blowing wind upward;
A first upper wind blowing device which is arranged on the front side of the transfer means and blows wind on the surface side of the rectangular cloth pieces which are opened and dropped;
A floor-side belt-type conveyor that is disposed on the front side of the first lower wind spraying device, includes at least a position where the open rectangular cloth piece falls in the belt range, and the belt is formed to be freely ventilated;
A second lower air blowing device for blowing air upward through the ventilation portion of the belt of the floor side belt type conveyor;
A top side belt type conveyor that is arranged above the floor side belt type conveyor so as to be opposed to the floor side belt conveyor, and is formed to allow ventilation.
A second upper wind blowing device for generating a downward turbulent flow that spreads from the belt center to both ends through the ventilation portion of the belt of the top side belt type conveyor,
An unfolding device for rectangular cloth pieces, comprising: an impact device that applies a predetermined vibration to a belt facing the floor side of the top belt type conveyor.

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