JP2024054456A - Cleaning Device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention aims to provide a cleaning device that can effectively remove burrs that have formed and protrude in the transport direction of an object. [Solution] The cleaning device of the present invention is a cleaning device that cleans at least one side of a sheet-like object being transported, the object having a pair of side edges parallel to the transport direction and equipped with a tab protruding outward in the width direction from at least one of the side edges, and equipped with a burr-removing brush that contacts the tab of the object from the side of the one side, and the burr-removing brush ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device.

In recent years, cleaning devices have been developed to remove foreign matter such as dust that adheres to the surfaces of objects such as glass substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs), printed circuit boards carrying electronic components, thin resin plates, film materials, and thin metal plates.

In the case of objects such as thin resin plates and film materials, burrs may occur on both side edges of the surface during the manufacturing process. A part of the burr is connected to the object. As a cleaning device that can effectively remove the burrs, a cleaning device has been proposed that includes a pair of cleaning brushes that are rotated in contact with one side of a sheet-like object being transported, in which the rotation direction of one cleaning brush at the contact point with the one side is forward relative to the transport direction of the object, and the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush at the contact point with the one side is reverse to the transport direction of the object (see International Publication No. WO 2021/112148).

In this conventional cleaning device, the cleaning brush rotated in the forward direction removes burrs that are floating away from the target object on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the cleaning brush rotated in the reverse direction removes burrs that are floating away from the target object on the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, this cleaning device can remove burrs that are floating away from the target object in either direction, so it can effectively remove burrs that have formed on the surface of the target object.

International Publication No. 2021/112148

The above conventional cleaning device is effective for removing burrs that are floating above the surface of the object to be cleaned. It is also known that it can remove burrs that protrude outward from a pair of side edges that are parallel to the transport direction of the object.

However, some of the above objects have tabs that protrude from the side edges toward the outside in the width direction. In such objects, burrs may be present that protrude from the tabs parallel to the conveying direction. The above-mentioned conventional cleaning devices are not always able to adequately remove burrs that protrude parallel to the conveying direction.

The present invention was made in consideration of these inconveniences, and aims to provide a cleaning device that can effectively remove burrs that protrude in the transport direction of the object.

A cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a cleaning device that cleans at least one surface of a sheet-like object being transported, the object having a pair of side edges parallel to the transport direction and a tab protruding outward in the width direction from at least one of the side edges, a deburring brush that contacts the tab of the object from the one surface side, and the deburring brush ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object.

The cleaning device of the present invention can effectively remove burrs that protrude in the transport direction of the object.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing a roller configuration of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a roller configuration of the cleaning device of FIG. 1 . 3 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a first cleaning unit of the cleaning device of FIG. 2. 2 is a schematic top view showing a roller configuration of a cleaning device different from that shown in FIG. 1 . 5 is a schematic side view showing a roller configuration of the cleaning device of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the second cleaning brush and the cleaning roller in FIG. 4 . 5 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the second cleaning brush and the cleaning roller in FIG. 4 when the transport of the object is stopped. FIG.

[Description of the embodiments of the present invention]
First, the embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

A cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a cleaning device that cleans at least one surface of a sheet-like object being transported, the object having a pair of side edges parallel to the transport direction and a tab protruding outward in the width direction from at least one of the side edges, a deburring brush that contacts the tab of the object from the one surface side, and the deburring brush ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object.

The cleaning device is equipped with a deburring brush that contacts the tab of the object from the one side. This deburring brush is ultrasonically vibrated in the width direction of the object. At this time, the tip of the burr protruding from the tab parallel to the transport direction extends in the width direction, and is subjected to friction in the width direction due to the ultrasonic vibration of the deburring brush, resulting in wear. Therefore, the cleaning device can effectively remove burrs that have formed so as to protrude in the transport direction of the object.

It is preferable to provide an opposing deburring brush that faces and contacts the deburring brush from the other side of the tab. By providing an opposing deburring brush that faces and contacts the deburring brush from the other side of the tab in this way, the burrs can be pinched and worn away by the brushes from both sides, so that the burrs can be removed more reliably.

It is preferable that the object has the tabs on both side edges, that a pair of deburring brushes are provided, and that the deburring brushes are disposed on each of the side edges. By disposing the deburring brushes on both side edges in this manner, burrs that occur on the tabs on both side edges can be effectively removed.

The tab is preferably rectangular, and when the leading edge of the tab passes the deburring brush, the deburring brush contacts the entire leading edge of the tab. By configuring the deburring brush to contact the entire leading edge of the tab when the leading edge of the rectangular tab passes the brush in this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of burrs left behind.

The cleaning device includes a pair of cleaning brushes that are rotated in contact with the one surface, and a pair of rollers that face the pair of cleaning brushes and contact the other surface of the object, and the pair of cleaning brushes has a cylindrical core and a brush portion formed of multiple bristles and provided on the circumferential surface of the core, and the brush portion contacts at least both side edges of the one surface, and the rotation direction of one of the pair of cleaning brushes at the contact portion with the one surface of the cleaning brush is forward with respect to the transport direction of the object, and the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush at the contact portion with the one surface of the cleaning brush is reverse to the transport direction of the object. By configuring the pair of cleaning brushes in this way, the cleaning brush rotated in the forward direction can remove burrs that are floating away from the object on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the cleaning brush rotated in the reverse direction can remove burrs that are floating away from the object on the downstream side in the transport direction. This pair of cleaning brushes can remove burrs that are floating upward from the one surface and burrs that protrude outward from a pair of side edges parallel to the transport direction of the object. Therefore, most of the burrs that occur on the object can be removed.

It is preferable that the deburring brush is disposed upstream of the pair of cleaning brushes in the transport direction. By disposing the deburring brush upstream of the pair of cleaning brushes in this manner, burrs whose connection with the tab has weakened due to the ultrasonic vibration of the deburring brush, even if the base end has not been severed, can be removed by the pair of cleaning brushes following the deburring brush. This makes it possible to more reliably remove burrs protruding from the tab parallel to the transport direction.

The cleaning device may include a cleaning roller that contacts the one surface with its surface being charged, the rotation direction of the cleaning roller at the contact point with the one surface being forward with respect to the transport direction of the object, the one cleaning brush, the other cleaning brush, and the cleaning roller being arranged in this order from the upstream side of the transport direction, and the other cleaning brush contacting the one surface across the width direction. By configuring the cleaning device as described above, burrs can be effectively removed, and foreign matter adhering to the one surface of the object, including the removed burrs, can be effectively removed regardless of their size. Moreover, the cleaning device can be easily miniaturized because it can be configured with a total of three cleaning brushes and cleaning rollers.

Here, "ultrasonic vibration" refers to vibration with a frequency of 16 kHz or more.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
A cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
1 and 2 is a cleaning device that cleans both sides of a conveyed sheet-like object S. The cleaning device 1 includes a first cleaning unit 10 and a second cleaning unit 20.

(Object)
There is no particular limitation on the target object S to be cleaned by the cleaning device 1 as long as it is in a sheet shape. For example, the target object S may be a glass substrate for an FPD, a printed circuit board on which electronic components are mounted, a thin resin plate, a thin metal plate, a metal foil, an aluminum foil, a film material, a laminate of these, or a laminate in which various functional substances are applied onto the surface of these substrates.

As shown in FIG. 1, the object S has a pair of side edges E parallel to the conveying direction, and is provided with tabs T protruding outward in the width direction from both side edges E. In the object S shown in FIG. 1, the tab T is rectangular. Among them, as shown in FIG. 1, an isosceles trapezoid is preferable, with the tip edge as the upper base and the base edge as the lower base, and the upper base being shorter than the lower base. In addition, the four corners of the tab T may be rounded off as shown in FIG. 1.

When the object S passes through the first cleaning unit 10 and the second cleaning unit 20, the tab T moves while being sandwiched between the guides described below. This fixes the object S, and both sides of the object S can be effectively cleaned. The configuration of the tab T for the object S is not particularly limited as long as it can be guided by the guide, but it can be configured such that multiple tabs T are discretely arranged, for example, as shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the target object S is preferably one having a burr S1, and examples of such objects include thin plastic plates, thin metal plates, or laminates of these. The cleaning device 1 is particularly effective for thin metal plates.

Among the burrs S1, whisker burrs are the ones that tend to occur on the surface of the object S. The whisker burrs have a thread-like or long plate-like shape, and their length direction tends to coincide with the length direction (conveying direction) of the object S, and tend to occur mainly on both side edges of the surface of the object S and the leading edge T1 and trailing edge T2 of the tab T. The whisker burrs located on both side edges of the surface of the object S have one end connected to the surface of the object S and the other end floating above the surface of the object S. Therefore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the burrs S1 are mainly composed of whisker burrs S1 (hereinafter also referred to as "reverse whisker burrs S1a") that are connected to the object S on the upstream side along the conveying direction (arrow direction in Figures 1 and 2) and floating above the surface of the object S on the downstream side, and whisker burrs S1 (hereinafter also referred to as "forward whisker burrs S1b") that are connected to the object S on the downstream side along the conveying direction and floating above the surface of the object S on the upstream side.

Burrs S1 also occur on the leading edge T1 and trailing edge T2 of the tab T. These burrs S1 are formed by cutting residues that remain when the tab T is formed by cutting, or by crystal growth at the interface when laser cutting, and protrude from the leading edge T1 and trailing edge T2 of the tab T in the conveying direction (hereinafter, these burrs are also referred to as "conveying direction protruding burrs S1c").

The following description will be given using an example in which the target object S has burrs S1 (reverse burrs S1a, forward burrs S1b, and burrs protruding in the conveying direction S1c) as shown in Figures 1 and 2, but this does not mean that the target object S of the cleaning device 1 is limited to those having the above-mentioned burrs.

The object S may be a flexible film-like object, or a less flexible plate-like object. In this regard, the average thickness of the object S is not particularly limited, but the lower limit of the average thickness of the object S is preferably, for example, 5 μm, more preferably 10 μm, and even more preferably 50 μm. If the average thickness of the object S is less than the above lower limit, it may be difficult to transport the object S.

The object S is transported at a constant speed in the transport direction shown in Figures 1 and 2 by a drive device (not shown) installed outside the cleaning device 1. The transport speed of the object S is not particularly limited, but the lower limit of the transport speed of the object S is preferably 5 m/min, more preferably 20 m/min, and even more preferably 50 m/min. On the other hand, the upper limit of the transport speed of the object S is preferably 150 m/min, and more preferably 120 m/min. If the transport speed of the object S is below the lower limit, the cleaning efficiency and therefore the productivity of the object S may decrease. Conversely, if the transport speed of the object S exceeds the upper limit, power consumption may become too high.

[First cleaning unit]
3, the first cleaning unit 10 includes a pair of cleaning brushes (first cleaning brush 11 and second cleaning brush 12), a pair of rollers (first roller 13 and second roller 14), a pair of deburring brushes 30 and an opposing deburring brush 31. The first cleaning unit 10 also includes a dust collection roller 15 (first dust collection roller 15a and second dust collection roller 15b), a scraper 16 (first scraper 16a and second scraper 16b), a foreign object guide plate 17 (first foreign object guide plate 17a and second foreign object guide plate 17b), a foreign object discharge portion 18, and a frame 19 that stores these.

<Cleaning brush>
The pair of cleaning brushes (first cleaning brush 11 and second cleaning brush 12) are, for example, roller-shaped, and are rotated in contact with one surface of the object S. The rotation direction of the first cleaning brush 11 at the contact portion with the one surface is the opposite direction to the transport direction of the object S, and the rotation direction of the second cleaning brush 12 at the contact portion with the one surface is the forward direction to the transport direction of the object S. In other words, in the cleaning device 1, the rotation direction of one cleaning brush (second cleaning brush 12) at the contact portion with the one surface of the pair of cleaning brushes is the forward direction to the transport direction of the object S, and the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush (first cleaning brush 11) at the contact portion with the one surface of the object S is the opposite direction to the transport direction of the object S.

(First cleaning brush)
3, the first cleaning brush 11 has a cylindrical core 11a and a brush portion 11b formed of a plurality of bristles and provided on the circumferential surface of the core 11a. The brush portion 11b may be formed by directly implanting a plurality of bristles on the circumferential surface of the core 11a, or may be formed by wrapping a nap-like woven fabric around the surface of the core 11a.

The first cleaning brush 11 can mainly remove reverse-direction burrs S1a because the rotation direction at the contact point with the one surface is the opposite direction to the transport direction of the object S. In other words, because the first cleaning brush 11 rotates in the opposite direction, the bristles of the brush portion 11b come into contact with the burr S1 from the downstream side of the transport direction. The downstream side of the reverse-direction burr S1a floats above the surface of the object S along the transport direction, so the bristles of the brush portion 11b easily enter this gap and push the reverse-direction burr S1a upward, allowing the reverse-direction burr S1a to be peeled off from the object S.

The configuration of the first cleaning brush 11 is described below.

The core metal 11a is made of a conductive material. Examples of the conductive material include metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum.

The central axis of the core metal 11a is the rotation axis of the first cleaning brush 11. In the cleaning device 1, the rotation axis is approximately perpendicular to the transport direction and approximately parallel to one surface of the object S. Note that "approximately parallel to the surface" means that the angle with the surface is within ±10°, and "approximately perpendicular to the transport direction" means that the angle with the transport direction is within 90° ±10°.

The diameter (average diameter) of the core 11a is determined appropriately based on factors such as the strength of the bristles of the brush portion 11b, but is, for example, 6 mm to 16 mm. Note that "average" refers to the average value of measurements taken at any 10 points. The same applies throughout the rest of this specification.

The length of the core bar 11a is set to a length that can cover the distribution of the burrs S1 to be removed in the width direction of the object S.

The brush portion 11b is provided on at least both side edges of the one surface. This allows the first cleaning brush 11 to come into contact with at least both side edges of the one surface of the object S. The area in which the brush portion 11b comes into contact with the one surface of the object S is preferably a range that covers at least 1/5 of the one surface in the width direction from both side edges in a plan view, and more preferably a range that covers 1/3 of the one surface. By covering the above range, it is possible to reduce the contact resistance between the brush portion 11b and the one surface of the object S while preventing burrs S1 from being left unremoved.

On the other hand, the brush portion 11b may be provided over the entire length of the core metal 11a. In this case, the first cleaning brush 11 contacts one side of the object S over the entire width direction, thereby achieving a dust removal effect on the surface of the object S.

The bristles forming the brush portion 11b are preferably ones to which foreign matter can physically adhere easily, such as fibers made of synthetic resin. Examples of the synthetic resin include polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, and fluorine-containing resins such as tetrafluoroethylene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polychlorotrifluoroethylene. Of these, polyester is preferred, as it is easy to ensure appropriate rigidity and has a high efficiency in removing burrs S1.

The bristles forming the brush portion 11b are preferably electrically charged to attract foreign matter by the force of an electric field, and synthetic resin fibers containing conductive materials such as carbon black, carbon fiber, metal powder, and metal whiskers are suitable. By using bristles to which foreign matter easily adheres as bristles forming the brush portion 11b, the burrs S1 removed from one side of the object S can be collected as is, and the burrs S1 can be prevented from adhering to the object S again as foreign matter. Note that the first cleaning brush 11 is preferably charged when used, but foreign matter will adhere to the brush portion 11b even without the force of an electric field, so the first cleaning brush 11 does not necessarily have to be charged.

The cross-sectional shape of the bristles of the brush portion 11b is not particularly limited, and the bristles may have a cross-sectional shape such as a circular, elliptical, or star-shaped shape. The outer shape of the brush portion 11b is also not particularly limited, and the bristles may have an outer shape such as a straight line, a wavy curve, or a shape that combines curves and straight lines. From the viewpoint of enhancing the effect of removing burrs S1 by the brush portion 11b, the bristles forming the brush portion 11b may preferably have a cross-sectional shape such as a star-shaped shape.

The lower limit of the average length of the bristles of the brush part 11b is preferably 3 mm, and more preferably 4 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the average length of the bristles of the brush part 11b is preferably 15 mm, and more preferably 10 mm. If the average length of the bristles of the brush part 11b is less than the above lower limit, the tips of the bristles may not be able to fully penetrate into the gap between the burr S1 and the surface of the object S, which may result in burrs S1 that cannot be removed. Conversely, if the average length of the bristles of the brush part 11b exceeds the above upper limit, the bristles may become too flexible, and the burrs S1 may not be scraped off.

The lower limit of the stiffness index of the bristles of the brush part 11b is preferably 20, and more preferably 30. On the other hand, the upper limit of the stiffness index of the bristles of the brush part 11b is preferably 100, and more preferably 75. If the stiffness index of the bristles of the brush part 11b is below the lower limit, the efficiency of removing burrs S1 may decrease. Conversely, if the stiffness index of the bristles of the brush part 11b exceeds the upper limit, the surface of the object S may be damaged.

The lower limit of the bristles fineness of the brush part 11b is preferably 4D, and more preferably 5D. On the other hand, the upper limit of the bristles fineness of the brush part 11b is preferably 13D, and more preferably 10D. If the bristles fineness of the brush part 11b is less than the lower limit, the rigidity may be insufficient, and the efficiency of removing burrs S1 and foreign matter may decrease. Conversely, if the bristles fineness of the brush part 11b exceeds the upper limit, the surface of the target object S may be damaged.

The lower limit of the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11 (the sum of the diameter of the core 11a and the average length of the bristles of the brush portion 11b) is preferably 15 mm, and more preferably 20 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11 is preferably 50 mm, and more preferably 45 mm. If the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11 is less than the lower limit, the length of the bristles of the brush portion 11b may not be sufficient, and burrs S1 that cannot be removed may be generated. Conversely, if the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11 exceeds the upper limit, the cleaning device 1 may become unnecessarily large.

The lower limit of the pushing amount of the first cleaning brush 11 is preferably 0.3 mm, more preferably 0.4 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the pushing amount of the first cleaning brush 11 is preferably 3 mm, more preferably 2 mm. If the pushing amount of the first cleaning brush 11 is less than the lower limit, the burr S1 may not be sufficiently scraped off. On the other hand, if the pushing amount of the first cleaning brush 11 exceeds the upper limit, the bristles hit one side of the object S hard, so that the bristles bend backward (downstream in the conveying direction) before the bristles abut against the burr S1. For this reason, the bristles may not be able to fully enter the gap between the burr S1 and the surface of the object S, resulting in the generation of burrs S1 that cannot be removed. The pushing amount can be controlled by adjusting the distance between the rotation axis of the first cleaning brush 11 and the rotation axis of the first roller 13 described later according to the thickness of the object S. Here, the "pushing amount" is the value obtained by subtracting the distance between the rotation axis of the cleaning brush and the surface of the object from the radius of the cleaning brush. When this number is positive, the bristles of the cleaning brush come into contact with the target surface.

The lower limit of the circumferential speed of the first cleaning brush 11 is preferably 1 m/min, and more preferably 3 m/min. On the other hand, the upper limit of the circumferential speed of the first cleaning brush 11 is preferably 30 m/min, and more preferably 15 m/min. If the circumferential speed of the first cleaning brush 11 is below the lower limit, the burrs S1 on one side of the object S may not be sufficiently scraped off. Conversely, if the circumferential speed of the first cleaning brush 11 exceeds the upper limit, the frictional force between the brush portion 11b and one side of the object S increases, and the transport speed of the object S may not be maintained.

The first cleaning brush 11 is preferably rotated and the contact portion vibrates in the direction of the rotation axis. By vibrating the first cleaning brush 11 in the direction of the rotation axis in this manner, it becomes easier to scrape off burrs S1 that are floating away from the object S in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, so that the burrs S1 can be removed more effectively.

When vibrating the first cleaning brush 11, the lower limit of the amplitude is preferably 1 mm, and more preferably 2 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the amplitude is preferably 10 mm, and more preferably 5 mm. If the amplitude is below the lower limit, the effect of improving the removal of burrs S1 by vibration may not be sufficiently obtained. Conversely, if the amplitude exceeds the upper limit, it becomes necessary to move the first cleaning brush 11 at high speed in the width direction of the object S to achieve the desired vibration period, which may unnecessarily increase the manufacturing cost of the cleaning device 1 and unnecessarily increase power consumption.

The vibration period also depends on the transport speed of the object S. If the time required for the object S to move 1 m is t (seconds), the upper limit of the vibration period is preferably 1/3t, and more preferably 1/5t. If the vibration period is less than the lower limit, the angle of contact with the burr S1 from the diagonal direction becomes shallow, and the effect of improving the removal of the burr S1 by vibration may not be sufficiently obtained. The lower limit of the vibration period is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1/20t. If the vibration period is less than the lower limit, it becomes necessary to move the first cleaning brush 11 at high speed in the width direction of the object S, which may unnecessarily increase the manufacturing cost of the cleaning device 1 and unnecessarily increase power consumption.

(Second cleaning brush)
3, the second cleaning brush 12 has a cylindrical core 12a and a brush portion 12b formed of multiple bristles and provided on the circumferential surface of the core 12a. The second cleaning brush 12 can be disposed so as to be in contact with the first cleaning brush 11, but it is preferable that the second cleaning brush 12 is disposed away from the first cleaning brush 11, that is, the pair of cleaning brushes are disposed at a distance from each other.

The second cleaning brush 12 can mainly remove forward burrs S1b because the rotation direction at the contact point with the one surface is forward relative to the transport direction of the object S. In other words, because the rotation direction of the second cleaning brush 12 is forward, the bristles of the brush portion 12b come into contact with the burr S1 from the upstream side in the transport direction. The upstream side of the forward burr S1b floats above the surface of the object S along the transport direction, so the bristles of the brush portion 12b easily enter this gap and push the forward burr S1b upward, allowing the forward burr S1b to be peeled off from the object S.

The configuration of the second cleaning brush 12 will be described below. The second cleaning brush 12 rotates in a different direction from the first cleaning brush 11, and therefore can be configured in the same way as the first cleaning brush 11, except for the difference in peripheral speed and the difference in configuration resulting from this difference. Below, the above differences will be described, and detailed explanations of the same configuration as the first cleaning brush 11 will be omitted.

It is preferable that the peripheral speed of the second cleaning brush 12 is greater than the transport speed of the object S. By making the peripheral speed of the second cleaning brush 12 greater than the transport speed of the object S in this way, the bristles of the brush portion 12b can be more reliably inserted into the gap between the burr S1 and the surface of the object S.

The lower limit of the speed difference between the circumferential speed of the second cleaning brush 12 and the transport speed of the object S is preferably 1 m/min, and more preferably 3 m/min. On the other hand, the upper limit of the speed difference is preferably 30 m/min, and more preferably 15 m/min. If the speed difference is below the lower limit, the burrs S1 on one side of the object S may not be sufficiently scraped off. Conversely, if the speed difference exceeds the upper limit, the frictional force between the brush portion 12b and one side of the object S becomes large, and the transport speed of the object S may not be maintained.

As described above, the absolute values of the circumferential speeds of the first cleaning brush 11 and the second cleaning brush 12 are different, and the circumferential speed of the second cleaning brush 12 is generally set higher. As a method for increasing the circumferential speed of the second cleaning brush 12, the first cleaning brush 11 and the second cleaning brush 12 are made to have the same diameter and the rotation speed of the second cleaning brush 12 is increased. In this method, the same type of cleaning brush can be used as the first cleaning brush 11 and the second cleaning brush 12, which promotes low cost and ease of manufacturing of the cleaning device 1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, another method is to make the diameter of the second cleaning brush 12 larger than the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11. In this case, the diameter ratio should be determined so that the desired circumferential speed can be obtained at the same rotation speed. In this method, the cleaning device 1 can be operated at the same rotation speed, which makes it easier to control the operation.

<Laura>
The pair of rollers (first roller 13 and second roller 14) face and contact the pair of cleaning brushes on the other surface of the object S. Specifically, the first roller 13 faces and contacts the first cleaning brush 11 on the other surface of the object S, and the second roller 14 faces and contacts the second cleaning brush 12 on the other surface of the object S.

(First roller)
The first roller 13 is rotatably disposed in a position substantially parallel to and facing the first cleaning brush 11 .

The first roller 13 rotates as the object S is transported. In other words, the first roller 13 rotates due to the frictional force between the first roller 13 and the object S as the object S moves, and the rotation shaft of the first roller 13 itself is not rotated.

The first roller 13 is formed in part or in whole from a conductive material. Examples of such conductive materials include metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum, and conductive resins. In order to accurately control the amount of pressure applied by the brush portion 11b of the first cleaning brush 11 against the object S, it is advantageous for the first roller 13, which holds the object S on its underside, to have a high hardness. From this perspective, a metal material that is easy to ensure hardness is preferable as the conductive material. The first roller 13 may be formed only from such a conductive material, or may be configured so that the outer circumferential surface of a core metal formed from such a conductive material is covered with an insulating layer of synthetic resin or the like.

When the first cleaning brush 11 is used while being charged, the first roller 13 is grounded. This promotes the attraction effect caused by the electric field force of the first cleaning brush 11, making it easier for the burrs S1 removed from one side of the target object S to be attracted to the first cleaning brush 11. Alternatively, the first roller 13 can be configured so that no voltage is applied.

The length of the first roller 13 is preferably the same as the length of the core metal 11a of the first cleaning brush 11. The diameter of the first roller 13 is not particularly limited, but is preferably the same as the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11.

(Second roller)
The second roller 14 is rotatably disposed in a position substantially parallel to and facing the second cleaning brush 12 .

The second roller 14 can be configured in the same way as the first roller 13, so a detailed description will be omitted. Note that, if the diameter of the second cleaning brush 12 is larger than the diameter of the first cleaning brush 11, it is preferable that the diameter of the second roller 14 is the same as the diameter of the first roller 13. By making the diameters of the first roller 13 and the second roller 14 the same, it becomes easier to transport the object S horizontally.

<Deburring brush>
The deburring brush 30 comes into contact with the tab T of the object S from the one surface side.

The deburring brush 30 ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object S. The deburring brush 30 is effective in removing burrs S1c that protrude in the transport direction among burrs S1. When the deburring brush 30 ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction and comes into contact with a burr S1c that protrudes in the transport direction, it can vigorously rub and wear away the burr S1c. This wear removes the burr S1c that protrudes in the transport direction. Here, "vibrating in the width direction" means that the vibration contains a width component. It does not necessarily mean that the component in the transport direction is zero, and therefore may include cases where the deburring brush 30 vibrates diagonally relative to the width direction. However, from the viewpoint of removal efficiency, it is preferable to vibrate perpendicular to the transport direction.

The lower limit of the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration of the deburring brush 30 is preferably 0.1 mm, and more preferably 0.15 mm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the amplitude is preferably 0.5 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm. If the amplitude is below the lower limit, the burrs S1c protruding in the transport direction may not be sufficiently worn away. Conversely, if the amplitude exceeds the upper limit, the power consumption for vibration may increase too much compared to the improvement in the deburring effect, and the power efficiency may decrease. In addition, the mechanical load may increase, which may impair the durability of the device.

The lower limit of the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration of the deburring brush 30 is preferably 20 kHz, more preferably 30 kHz. On the other hand, the upper limit of the frequency is preferably 100 kHz, more preferably 50 kHz. Since the time that the deburring brush 30 is in contact with the burr S1c protruding in the transport direction is finite, if the frequency is below the lower limit, the number of times the burr S1c protruding in the transport direction is rubbed is insufficient, and the burr S1c protruding in the transport direction may not be sufficiently removed. Conversely, if the frequency exceeds the upper limit, the power consumption for vibration may increase too much compared to the improvement in the deburring effect, and the power efficiency may decrease. In addition, the mechanical load may increase, which may impair the durability of the device.

The cleaning device 1 is provided with a pair of deburring brushes 30, one for each side edge E of the object S. By disposing the deburring brushes 30 on both side edges E in this manner, burrs S1 occurring on the tabs T of both side edges E can be effectively removed.

The deburring brush 30 can be positioned anywhere as long as it does not interfere with other rollers, etc., but it is preferable to position it upstream of the pair of cleaning brushes in the transport direction. By positioning the deburring brush 30 upstream of the pair of cleaning brushes in the transport direction in this way, burrs S1 whose bond with the tab T has weakened due to the ultrasonic vibrations of the deburring brush 30, even if the base end has not been severed, can be removed by the pair of cleaning brushes following the deburring brush 30. This makes it possible to more reliably remove burrs S1 protruding from the tab T parallel to the transport direction.

When the leading edge T1 of the tab T passes through the deburring brush 30, it is preferable that the deburring brush 30 contacts the entire leading edge T1 of the tab T. By adjusting the length of the deburring brush 30 in the width direction of the object S, it is possible to contact the entire leading edge T1. By configuring the deburring brush 30 to contact the entire leading edge T1 of the tab T when the leading edge T1 of the tab T passes through the deburring brush 30 in this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of burrs S1 left behind. Note that when the tab T is square, if the deburring brush 30 contacts the entire leading edge T1 of the tab T, the deburring brush 30 will also contact the entire trailing edge T2 of the tab T. Therefore, with this configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of burrs S1 left behind on the trailing edge T2 as well.

As shown in FIG. 3, the deburring brush 30 has a base 30a and a brush portion 30b. The base 30a is a base that fixes and supports the brush portion 30b, and can be made of metal materials such as stainless steel or aluminum, resin, wood, etc. The brush material of the brush portion 30b can be the same as that of the brush portion 11b of the first cleaning brush 11, or synthetic fibers commonly used as fibers such as nylon, natural fibers such as vegetable fibers or animal fibers, metal fibers such as steel wire, brass wire, stainless steel wire, etc. can be used according to the object S. The brush portion 30b may be charged, but charging is not a required configuration.

The cleaning device 1 preferably also includes a positioning mechanism that can adjust the mounting position of the deburring brush 30, and/or a damper mechanism for adjusting the contact pressure with the object S. By adjusting the position and contact pressure of the deburring brush 30 according to differences in the material of the object S, etc., the efficiency of deburring the burrs S1c protruding in the transport direction can be improved.

<Opposing deburring brushes>
The opposing deburring brush 31 faces and comes into contact with the deburring brush 30 from the other surface side of the tab T. By providing the opposing deburring brush 31 that faces and comes into contact with the deburring brush 30 from the other surface side of the tab T in this manner, the burr S1 can be pinched and worn away by the brushes from both sides, so that the burr S1 can be removed more reliably.

The opposing deburring brush 31 has a base 31a and a brush portion 31b. The opposing deburring brush 31 can be configured in the same way as the deburring brush 30, so a detailed description will be omitted.

<Other configurations>
The dust collection roller 15 is disposed substantially parallel to the pair of cleaning brushes so that the surface of the dust collection roller 15 contacts the outer periphery of the pair of cleaning brushes while being charged and driven to rotate. A scraper 16 scrapes off foreign matter adhering to the surface of the dust collection roller 15, and a foreign matter guide plate 17 guides the scraped off foreign matter to a foreign matter discharge section 18 via a foreign matter recovery section 19a (described later). The foreign matter discharge section 18 discharges the foreign matter to the outside of the first cleaning unit 10.

The dust collection roller 15, scraper 16, foreign object guide plate 17, and foreign object discharge section 18 are housed inside a frame 19 together with a pair of cleaning brushes and a pair of rollers. The frame 19 has a front plate and a rear plate arranged approximately perpendicular to the transport direction of the object S and at the front and rear of the transport direction, a pair of side plates arranged approximately parallel to the transport direction and approximately perpendicular to the surface of the object S, and a top plate arranged approximately parallel to the surface of the object S. The top plate is connected to the upper ends of the pair of side plates, the front plate, and the rear plate.

In the first cleaning unit 10 shown in FIG. 3, a first dust collection roller 15a that contacts the outer periphery of the first cleaning brush 11 and a second dust collection roller 15b that contacts the outer periphery of the second cleaning brush 12 are provided independently, and each dust collection roller 15 is provided with a pair of scrapers 16 (a pair of first scrapers 16a and a pair of second scrapers 16b). In addition, each scraper 16 is provided with a foreign object guide plate 17 (a pair of first foreign object guide plates 17a and a pair of second foreign object guide plates 17b). Below, the first dust collection roller 15a, the first scraper 16a, and the first foreign object guide plate 17a will be described, but the second dust collection roller 15b, the second scraper 16b, and the second foreign object guide plate 17b can also be configured in a similar manner.

(First dust collecting roller)
The first dust collecting roller 15a is made of a conductive material. Examples of such conductive materials include metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum. When the first dust collecting roller 15a is made of a conductive material that is easily oxidized, such as aluminum, it is preferable to perform a corrosion-resistant plating treatment, such as nickel plating or gold plating, on the surface of the first dust collecting roller 15a.

When charging the first cleaning brush 11, a voltage higher than the voltage applied to the first cleaning brush 11 is applied to the first dust collection roller 15a. This causes the surface of the first dust collection roller 15a to have a higher potential than the outer periphery of the first cleaning brush 11, so that foreign matter adhering to the first cleaning brush 11 is attracted to the surface of the first dust collection roller 15a, and the foreign matter adhering to the first cleaning brush 11 moves to the first dust collection roller 15a. This makes it possible to omit or reduce the work of removing foreign matter accumulated on the first cleaning brush 11.

The first dust collection roller 15a may rotate in either direction.

(First scraper)
The first scraper 16a is, for example, a rectangular plate, and has a portion that can contact the surface of the first dust collecting roller 15a along the axial direction. In the first cleaning unit 10 in Fig. 3, the first scrapers 16a are provided in pair on both sides of the first dust collecting roller 15a in a side view, but the number of first scrapers 16a may be one. Here, the long side of the first scraper 16a that contacts the surface of the first dust collecting roller 15a is referred to as a tip portion.

The first scraper 16a is formed of an elastic body made of a synthetic resin such as thermosetting polyurethane. As the first dust collection roller 15a rotates, the tip of the first scraper 16a comes into contact with the surface of the first dust collection roller 15a and scrapes off foreign matter adhering to the surface of the first dust collection roller 15a. This leaves the surface of the first dust collection roller 15a in a clean state with no foreign matter removed.

(First foreign object guide plate)
The first foreign object guide plate 17a is, for example, a rectangular plate, and is disposed from directly below the first scraper 16a to directly above a foreign object collection section 19a provided on the frame 19, described later, with one surface facing upward. The first foreign object guide plate 17a is also provided at an incline so that the foreign object collection section 19a side is lowered. With this arrangement, foreign objects scraped off by the first scraper 16a fall onto the surface of the first foreign object guide plate 17a, are guided by the inclination of the first foreign object guide plate 17a to directly above the foreign object collection section 19a, and fall into and are collected in the foreign object collection section 19a.

In the first cleaning unit 10 shown in FIG. 3, the dust collection roller 15, scraper 16, and foreign object guide plate 17 are provided independently for the pair of cleaning brushes, but it is also possible to configure the dust collection roller 15, scraper 16, and foreign object guide plate 17 to be shared by positioning one dust collection roller 15 so that it contacts the outer periphery of the pair of cleaning brushes.

(Foreign matter collection section)
Foreign matter collection sections 19a, 19b are provided on the lower parts of the front and rear panels of the frame 19 and on the lower center part of the frame 19. In the first cleaning unit 10 shown in FIG.

The foreign object collector 19a, which is provided directly below the lower end of the inclined foreign object guide plate 17, collects foreign objects that fall from the foreign object guide plate 17. One foreign object collector 19a may be provided for each foreign object guide plate 17, but one foreign object collector 19a may be provided to collect foreign objects from two or more foreign object guide plates 17, such as the foreign object collector 19a at the bottom center of the frame 19 in FIG. 3.

The foreign matter collection section 19b, located directly below the deburring brush 30 and the opposing deburring brush 31, collects foreign matter that falls from the deburring brush 30 and the opposing deburring brush 31.

The shape of the foreign object collection sections 19a and 19b is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that they are dish-shaped, i.e., flat plates with ends bent upward. By making the foreign object collection sections 19a and 19b dish-shaped, it is possible to prevent the collected foreign objects from scattering outside the foreign object collection sections 19a and 19b.

(Foreign matter discharge section)
The foreign matter discharge section 18 discharges the foreign matter collected in the foreign matter collection sections 19a and 19b to the outside of the first cleaning unit 10. The foreign matter discharge section 18 is provided in each of the foreign matter collection sections 19a and 19b (the foreign matter discharge section 18 corresponding to the foreign matter collection section 19b is not shown in FIG. 3). In the first cleaning unit 10 shown in FIG. 3, the foreign matter discharge section 18 is configured as a suction duct, and a suction device (not shown) sucks the foreign matter accumulated in the foreign matter collection sections 19a and 19b through the suction duct and discharges it to the outside of the first cleaning unit 10.

The configuration of the foreign object discharge section 18 is not limited to a suction duct, and other configurations can be used, such as a configuration in which the foreign object is swept out using a brush, etc.

[Second cleaning unit]
The second cleaning unit 20 includes a pair of cleaning brushes (third cleaning brush 21 and fourth cleaning brush 22), a pair of rollers (third roller 23 and fourth roller 24), a dust collection roller, a scraper, and a frame.

The pair of cleaning brushes (third cleaning brush 21 and fourth cleaning brush 22), like the pair of cleaning brushes of the first cleaning unit 10, has a cylindrical core and a brush portion formed of multiple bristles and provided on the circumferential surface of the core, and is rotated so that the brush portion contacts at least both side edges of the other surface of the object S. In addition, the rotation direction of the third cleaning brush 21 at the contact portion with the other surface is the opposite direction to the transport direction of the object S, and the rotation direction of the fourth cleaning brush 22 at the contact portion with the other surface is the forward direction to the transport direction of the object S. In other words, in the cleaning device 1, the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush (fourth cleaning brush 22) of the pair of cleaning brushes at the contact portion with the other surface is the forward direction to the transport direction of the object S, and the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush (third cleaning brush 21) at the contact portion with the other surface is the opposite direction to the transport direction of the object S.

The pair of rollers contact one side of the object S facing the pair of cleaning brushes. Specifically, the third roller 23 contacts one side of the object S facing the third cleaning brush 21, and the fourth roller 24 contacts the other side of the object S facing the fourth cleaning brush 22.

As described above, the second cleaning unit 20 can be configured in the same way as the first cleaning unit 10, except that the surfaces of the object S that the pair of cleaning brushes and the pair of rollers come into contact with are different, and the first cleaning unit 10 has a deburring brush 30 and an opposing deburring brush 31, whereas the second cleaning unit 20 does not. Therefore, further detailed explanation will be omitted.

〔guide〕
The cleaning device 1 is preferably provided with a guide since the object S has a tab T. By providing a guide in this manner, the tab T of the object S can pass smoothly through each brush without getting caught when entering the brush.

The above guide can be configured to have a first guide attached to the first cleaning unit 10 and a second guide attached to the second cleaning unit 20. By providing a guide for each cleaning unit in this way, it becomes easier to unitize the cleaning device 1, and the manufacturing efficiency of the cleaning device 1 can be improved. Since the first guide and the second guide can be configured in the same way, the following description will be given taking the first guide as an example.

The first guide is composed of a pair of strips arranged on either side of the object S along the conveying direction, for example. Each strip has two opposing plates, and is configured so that the tab T of the object S can pass between the two plates. The plates can be made of a metal such as stainless steel.

The two plates preferably have their upstream ends in the conveying direction widen in the vertical direction toward the upstream side. With this configuration, the tab T moving from the upstream side in the conveying direction can be securely sandwiched between the two plates.

The vertical width of the two plates is adjusted so that at least the downstream end of each plate in the conveying direction abuts against the tab T. This configuration prevents the object S from swinging in the vertical direction, ensuring that the pair of cleaning brushes and the pair of rollers come into contact with the object S.

The pair of strips may be continuous in the width direction of the object S, but are not arranged at a position where at least the pair of cleaning brushes and the pair of rollers come into contact with the object S.

In the above embodiment, the first cleaning unit 10 has a first guide, and the second cleaning unit 20 has a second guide. However, it is also possible to integrate the first guide and the second guide into one guide.

〔advantage〕
The cleaning device 1 includes a deburring brush 30 that contacts the tab T of the object S from the one surface side. The deburring brush 30 ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object S. At this time, the tip of the burr S1 protruding from the tab T parallel to the transport direction extends in the width direction, and is subjected to friction in the width direction due to the ultrasonic vibration of the deburring brush 30, causing it to wear away. Therefore, the cleaning device 1 can effectively remove the burr S1 that has arisen so as to protrude in the transport direction of the object S.

The cleaning device 1 can also remove burrs S1 whose upstream side in the transport direction is floating away from the object S by using the second cleaning brush 12 and fourth cleaning brush 22 that are rotated in the forward direction, and can remove burrs S1 whose downstream side in the transport direction is floating away from the object S by using the first cleaning brush 11 and third cleaning brush 21 that are rotated in the reverse direction. These cleaning brushes can remove burrs S1 that float upward from both sides of the object S and burrs S1 that protrude outward from a pair of side edges E that are parallel to the transport direction of the object S. Therefore, the cleaning device 1 can remove most of the burrs S1 that occur on the object S.

[Second embodiment]
Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

The cleaning device 2 shown in Figures 4 and 5 is a cleaning device that cleans one side of the sheet-like object S being transported.

The object S has a pair of side edges E parallel to the conveying direction, and is equipped with tabs T protruding outward in the width direction from both side edges E. The object S is similar to the object S in the first embodiment, so it is given the same reference numerals and other detailed descriptions are omitted.

The cleaning device 2 includes a deburring brush 30 that contacts the tab T of the object S from one side, and the deburring brush 30 ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object S. The cleaning device 2 also includes an opposing deburring brush 31 that contacts the tab T from the other side opposite the deburring brush 30. The deburring brush 30 and the opposing deburring brush 31 can be configured in the same way as the deburring brush 30 and the opposing deburring brush 31 of the first embodiment, so they are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

The cleaning device 2 includes a pair of cleaning brushes (first cleaning brush 41 and second cleaning brush 42) that are rotated while in contact with the one surface, a pair of rollers (first roller 43 and second roller 44) that face the pair of cleaning brushes and come into contact with the other surface of the object S, a cleaning roller 45 that comes into contact with the one surface while charging its surface, and a third roller 46 that faces the cleaning roller 45 and comes into contact with the other surface of the object S.

In the cleaning device 2, the rotation direction of one of the pair of cleaning brushes (first cleaning brush 41) at the contact point with the one surface is forward relative to the transport direction of the object S, and the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush (second cleaning brush 42) at the contact point with the one surface is reverse to the transport direction of the object S. In addition, the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 45 at the contact point with the one surface is forward relative to the transport direction of the object S.

In the cleaning device 2, the one cleaning brush (first cleaning brush 41), the other cleaning brush (second cleaning brush 42), and the cleaning roller 45 are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the conveying direction. In addition, the other cleaning brush (second cleaning brush 42) is in contact with the one surface across the width direction.

<First cleaning brush>
The first cleaning brush 41 can be configured in the same manner as the second cleaning brush 12 in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Since the rotation direction of the first cleaning brush 41 at the contact point with the one surface is the forward direction with respect to the transport direction of the target object S, the first cleaning brush 41 can mainly remove the forward burrs S1b.

<Second cleaning brush>
As described above, the second cleaning brush 42 is in contact with one surface of the object S across the width direction. Other than this, the second cleaning brush 42 can be configured similarly to the first cleaning brush 11 in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description of other configurations will be omitted.

The second cleaning brush 42 is driven to rotate so that the direction of rotation at the contact point with one side of the object S is opposite to the transport direction of the object S. Therefore, the second cleaning brush 42 can mainly remove reverse-direction burrs S1a. In addition, since the second cleaning brush 42 contacts the one side of the object S across the width direction, when it contacts the one side of the object S, foreign matter adhering to the one side of the object S is scratched up. Note that the scratching up of relatively large millimeter-sized foreign matter is scratched up, so that the second cleaning brush 42 effectively removes relatively large millimeter-sized foreign matter from the one side of the object S.

<Cleaning roller>
As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning roller 45 has a cylindrical core metal 45a, a cylindrical inner layer portion 45b covering the peripheral surface of the core metal 45a, and a thin cylindrical outer layer portion 45c covering the outer peripheral surface of the inner layer portion 45b.

The core metal 45a is made of a conductive material. Examples of the conductive material include metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum.

The central axis of the core metal 45a becomes the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 45, which is arranged to be freely rotatable. In the cleaning device 2, the rotation axis is approximately perpendicular to the conveying direction and approximately parallel to one side of the object S. This cleaning roller 45 rotates as the object S is conveyed. In other words, the cleaning roller 45 rotates due to the frictional force between the object S and the cleaning roller 45 as the object S moves, and the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 45 is not driven to rotate.

The material of the inner layer 45b is an elastic material having electrical conductivity. Examples of such elastic materials include polyester-based urethane containing carbon.

The material of the outer layer 45c may be any material that can be charged with an electric charge that attracts foreign matter attached to one side of the target object S by the force of an electric field, and examples of such materials include polyurethanes, such as acrylic-mixed polyurethane and fluorine-mixed polyurethane. By forming the outer layer 45c from polyurethane, the abrasion resistance is superior to that of silicone resin, butyl rubber, etc., and contamination by plasticizers and low molecular weight substances can be reduced.

The acrylic-mixed polyurethane refers to a mixture that contains polyester polyurethane or polyether polyurethane as the main component, and further contains (1) thermoplastic polyurethane and silicone-acrylic copolymer resin, (2) acrylic resin (e.g., a graft compound in which an aminoethyl group is grafted onto a main chain made of methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate copolymer) and thermoplastic polyurethane, or (3) acrylic resin, polyurethane, and a fluorine-based surface coating agent. By using acrylic-mixed polyurethane as the material for the outer layer portion 45c, foreign matter that is easily negatively charged can be easily removed from one side of the target object S. The "main component" refers to the component that is most abundant, for example, a component that is contained in an amount of 50% by mass or more.

The fluorine-mixed polyurethane is a mixture containing polyurethane as the main component, and includes thermoplastic polyurethane and a urethane-fluorine copolymer. By using fluorine-mixed polyurethane as the material for the outer layer 45c, foreign matter that tends to be positively charged can be easily removed from the target object S.

The lower limit of the average thickness of the outer layer 45c is preferably 2 μm, and more preferably 5 μm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the average thickness of the outer layer 45c is preferably 500 μm, and more preferably 50 μm. If the average thickness of the outer layer 45c is less than the above lower limit, the surface of the cleaning roller 45 cannot be sufficiently charged, and there is a risk that the foreign matter adsorption effect will not be sufficiently obtained. Conversely, if the average thickness of the outer layer 45c exceeds the above upper limit, there is a risk that good charging characteristics for adsorbing foreign matter will not be obtained.

As described above, the cleaning roller 45 rotates with the object S being transported by contacting its surface with the object. In other words, the cleaning roller 45 rotates in the same direction as the transport direction of the object S at the contact point with one side of the object S. Since the cleaning roller 45 is charged, when one side of the object S being transported approaches the surface of the cleaning roller 45, foreign matter on one side of the object S is attracted to the cleaning roller 45 by the force of the electric field. In the cleaning device 2, even minute foreign matter can be effectively removed by being attracted to the surface of the cleaning roller 45 by the force of this electric field.

The lower limit of the voltage applied to the cleaning roller 45, which is charged when used, is, for example, -400V, and preferably -200V. On the other hand, the above applied voltage is, for example, less than 0V, and preferably -50V or less. By setting the voltage applied to the cleaning roller 45 within the above range, relatively fine foreign matter can be efficiently removed. The reference potential (0V potential) of the applied voltage is the rotation axis of the third roller 46. The same applies to the reference potential of the applied voltage described below.

<Laura>
The first roller 43 is rotatably disposed in a position substantially parallel to and facing the first cleaning brush 41. The second roller 44 is rotatably disposed in a position substantially parallel to and facing the second cleaning brush 42. The third roller 46 is rotatably disposed in a position substantially parallel to and facing the cleaning roller 45.

These rollers are grounded and rotate as the object S is transported. These rollers can be configured in the same way as the first roller 13 in the first embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted.

<Other configurations>
The cleaning device 2 may include a first dust collecting roller that is disposed substantially parallel to the first cleaning brush 41 and that contacts the outer circumferential side of the first cleaning brush 41 with its surface being charged, and a first scraper that scrapes off foreign matter adhering to the surface of the first dust collecting roller. The first dust collecting roller and the first scraper may be configured in the same manner as the first dust collecting roller 15a and the first scraper 16a in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning device 2 further includes a brush roller 47 that is charged and rotated while contacting the surface of the cleaning roller 45, a second dust collection roller 48 that is arranged approximately parallel to the second cleaning brush 42 and the brush roller 47 and contacts the outer periphery of the second cleaning brush 42 and the brush roller 47 while its surface is charged, and a second scraper 49 that scrapes off foreign matter adhering to the surface of the second dust collection roller 48.

(Brush roller)
The brush roller 47 is disposed substantially parallel to the cleaning roller 45 .

The brush roller 47 has a cylindrical core 47a and a brush portion 47b formed of multiple bristles and attached to the peripheral surface of the core 47a.

The core metal 47a and the brush portion 47b can be made of the same material as the core metal 11a and the brush portion 11b of the first cleaning brush 11 described in the first embodiment, for example.

The rotation direction of the rotating brush roller 47 may be in either direction, but it is preferable that the directions of movement on the circumferential surfaces of the cleaning roller 45 and the brush roller 47 are opposite at the contact point between them. By rotating the brush roller 47 in this way, foreign matter adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller 45 is easily scratched up, making it easier for the foreign matter to move to the brush roller 47. In this case, the brush roller 47 is rotated in the same direction as the cleaning roller 45.

A voltage of the same polarity and higher absolute value than the voltage applied to the cleaning roller 45 is applied to the brush roller 47. This causes the outer periphery of the brush roller 47 to have a higher potential than the surface of the cleaning roller 45, so that foreign matter adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller 45 is attracted to the brush roller 47, and the foreign matter on the surface of the cleaning roller 45 moves to the brush roller 47.

Specifically, the lower limit of the voltage applied to the brush roller 47 (the voltage applied to the core metal 47a) is preferably -800V, and more preferably -600V. On the other hand, the upper limit of the applied voltage is preferably -200V, and more preferably -300V.

(Second dust collecting roller)
The second dust collecting roller 48 is disposed approximately parallel to the second cleaning brush 42 and the brush roller 47 so that its surface contacts the outer periphery of the second cleaning brush 42 and the outer periphery of the brush roller 47 while being charged and rotatably driven.

The material of the second dust collection roller 48 can be the same as that of the first dust collection roller 15a described in the first embodiment.

The second dust collection roller 48 may rotate in any direction. It is preferable to drive the second dust collection roller 48 in a rotation direction that makes it easy to collect foreign matter scraped off the surface of the second dust collection roller 48 by the second scraper 49 described below.

A voltage of the same polarity and higher absolute value than the voltage applied to the brush roller 47 is applied to the second dust collection roller 48. This causes the surface of the second dust collection roller 48 to have a higher potential than the outer periphery of the second cleaning brush 42 and brush roller 47, so that foreign matter adhering to the second cleaning brush 42 and brush roller 47 is attracted to the surface of the second dust collection roller 48, and the foreign matter adhering to the second cleaning brush 42 and brush roller 47 moves to the second dust collection roller 48. This makes it possible to omit or reduce the work of removing foreign matter accumulated on the second cleaning brush 42 and brush roller 47.

Specifically, the lower limit of the voltage applied to the second dust collection roller 48 is preferably -1500V, and more preferably -1200V. On the other hand, the upper limit of the applied voltage is preferably -400V, and more preferably -600V. By keeping the applied voltage within the above range, foreign matter adhering to the brush roller 47 can be attracted to the outer circumferential surface of the second dust collection roller 48.

The lower limit of the absolute value of the difference between the voltage applied to the second dust collection roller 48 and the voltage applied to the brush roller 47 is preferably 200 V, more preferably 300 V. On the other hand, the upper limit of the absolute value of the difference is preferably 600 V, more preferably 500 V. By keeping the difference within the above range, foreign matter adhering to the brush roller 47 can be effectively attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the second dust collection roller 48.

(Second scraper)
The second scraper 49 is, for example, a rectangular plate, and has a portion across the axial direction that can contact the surface of the second dust collecting roller 48. The second scraper 49 may be, for example, the same as the first scraper 16a in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Stopping mechanism)
The cleaning device 2 may include a stop mechanism that operates when the transport of the object S is stopped. As the stop mechanism, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, a mechanism that moves the cleaning roller 45 to a position where it does not contact the surface of the object S can be mentioned. The stop mechanism shown in Fig. 7 will be described below.

In this stopping mechanism, when the transport of the object S stops, the cleaning roller 45 is quickly moved upward to be out of contact with the surface of the object S. Specifically, for example, a method can be used in which the transport speed of the object S is detected to be 0, and the cleaning roller 45 is moved upward in accordance with this detection signal, but this is not limited to the above.

The distance by which the cleaning roller 45 is moved upward is not particularly limited as long as it does not come into contact with the surface of the object S, but can be, for example, 1 mm to 10 mm. If the moving distance is less than the lower limit, the cleaning roller 45 may come into contact with the surface of the object S. Conversely, if the moving distance exceeds the upper limit, there is a risk of interference with other components of the cleaning device 2. For example, when the cleaning roller 45 is moved upward, it comes into strong contact with the brush roller 47, but if the moving distance is equal to or less than the upper limit, this is absorbed by the bristles of the brush roller 47 bending, and interference with the operation of the brush roller 47 can be prevented.

The operation of this stopping mechanism will be described below. Figure 6 shows the rotation direction of each roller when the object S is being transported. The cleaning roller 45 is configured to rotate together, so that the transport of the object S tries to rotate the cleaning roller 45 in the forward direction relative to the transport direction of the object S, and the brush roller 47, which is rotated, tries to rotate the cleaning roller 45 in the reverse direction relative to the transport direction of the object S. Although the directions in which the two rollers try to rotate are opposite to each other, the brush roller 47 comes into contact with the cleaning roller 45 at the bristles, so the force that drags the brush roller 47 is weak, and the amount of pressure that the brush roller 47 presses against the cleaning roller 45 is appropriately adjusted, so the cleaning roller 45 rotates together with the object S.

If the transport of the object S is stopped here, if the cleaning roller 45 remains in contact with the object S, the transport of the object S will not exert a force that rotates the cleaning roller 45 in the forward direction relative to the transport direction of the object S, and the brush roller 47 will rotate the cleaning roller 45 in the reverse direction relative to the transport direction of the object S. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning roller 45 rotates so as to push the object S back upstream in the transport direction, so if the cleaning roller 45 is left in contact with the object S, there is a risk that wrinkles will occur in the object S between the second cleaning brush 42 and the cleaning roller 45. The above-mentioned stopping mechanism can prevent the cleaning roller 45 from wrinkling the object S by moving the cleaning roller 45 to a position where it does not contact the surface of the object S.

The configuration of the above-mentioned stopping mechanism is not limited to a method of moving the cleaning roller 45 upward, but may be a configuration of moving the third roller 46 downward, for example.

〔guide〕
In the cleaning device 2, it is also preferable to provide a guide since the object S has the tab T. The guide can be configured in the same manner as the first guide in the first embodiment, for example, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

〔advantage〕
The cleaning device 2 can effectively remove the burrs S1 and can also effectively remove foreign matter, including the removed burrs S1, attached to one side of the target object S, regardless of the size of the foreign matter. Moreover, the cleaning device 2 can be configured with a total of three brushes, the first cleaning brush 41, the second cleaning brush 42, and the cleaning roller 45, and therefore can be easily made compact.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various other forms in addition to the above-described forms with various modifications and improvements.

In the above embodiment, the object has tabs on both side edges, but the tabs may protrude outward in the width direction from only one of the pair of side edges. In this case, the deburring brush is disposed so as to contact the tabs of the object from one side. Alternatively, even if tabs are provided on both side edges, a certain degree of effect can be achieved by disposing the deburring brush only on the tab located on one side edge.

In the above embodiment, the tab of the object is described as being rectangular, but the shape of the tab is not limited to being rectangular and may be, for example, semicircular.

In the above embodiment, the case where the opposed deburring brushes are provided has been described, but the opposed deburring brushes are not a required configuration and can be omitted. The same effect can be achieved even in a cleaning device that does not include opposed deburring brushes, i.e., is composed only of a deburring brush.

In the first embodiment, the cleaning device cleans both sides of an object, but the cleaning device of the present invention may clean only one side of an object. In this case, for example, the second cleaning unit may be omitted, and only the first cleaning unit may be used.

Conversely, while the second embodiment described above is a case in which the cleaning device cleans one side of an object, the cleaning device of the present invention may also clean both sides of an object. In this case, a cleaning device that cleans both sides of an object further includes a pair of cleaning brushes that contact the other side of the object, and a cleaning roller that contacts the other side while charging the surface.

When cleaning only one side of the surface of the object, the deburring brush and the cleaning brush, etc. may be arranged on different sides. In other words, it is possible to configure the deburring brush to contact the tab of the object from one side, and the cleaning brush, etc. to contact it from the other side.

Furthermore, the configuration for cleaning the surface of the object of the cleaning device may be a configuration other than the first and second embodiments described above. Alternatively, the device may not have a configuration for cleaning the surface. It is also possible to provide a cleaning device that is equipped only with a deburring brush for the sole purpose of deburring the tab.

In the first embodiment, the cleaning brush with the reverse rotation direction is arranged on the upstream side of the transport direction of the object, and the cleaning brush with the forward rotation direction is arranged on the downstream side. However, this order can be reversed, that is, the cleaning brush with the forward rotation direction is arranged on the upstream side of the transport direction of the object, and the cleaning brush with the reverse rotation direction is arranged on the downstream side. In addition, the order of arrangement does not need to be the same for the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, and the order may be different between the two. Furthermore, a pair of cleaning brushes of the first cleaning unit and a pair of cleaning brushes of the second cleaning unit may be nested. Specifically, for example, it is possible to arrange the cleaning brushes in the order of a first cleaning brush that contacts one side of the object and rotates in the forward direction, a second cleaning brush that contacts the other side and rotates in the forward direction, a third cleaning brush that contacts one side and rotates in the reverse direction, and a fourth cleaning brush that contacts the other side and rotates in the reverse direction.

In the above embodiment, the rotation axis of the pair of cleaning brushes is approximately perpendicular to the transport direction of the object and approximately parallel to one side of the object, but the rotation axis does not have to be approximately perpendicular to the transport direction of the object. In other words, the rotation axis may be inclined with respect to the width direction of the object. By arranging the rotation axis in this way with an inclination with respect to the width direction of the object, that is, by making it non-parallel and non-perpendicular to the width direction, the same effect as when the pair of cleaning brushes are vibrated can be obtained.

In the second embodiment, the first dust collection roller removes foreign matter from the first cleaning brush, and the second dust collection roller removes foreign matter from the second cleaning brush and cleaning roller. However, the configuration of the dust collection roller that removes foreign matter is not limited to this. For example, the first cleaning brush, the second cleaning brush, and the cleaning roller may each have a dust collection roller, or a first dust collection roller may be shared for removing foreign matter from the first cleaning brush and the second cleaning brush, and a second dust collection roller may be used for removing foreign matter from the cleaning roller.

In addition, the means for removing foreign matter is not limited to the configuration using a dust collection roller or the like in the above embodiment, and other configurations can also be adopted.

As described above, the cleaning device of the present invention can effectively remove burrs that protrude in the transport direction of the object.

1, 2 Cleaning device 10 First cleaning unit 11 First cleaning brush 11a Metal core 11b Brush portion 12 Second cleaning brush 12a Metal core 12b Brush portion 13 First roller 14 Second roller 15 Dust collection roller 15a First dust collection roller 15b Second dust collection roller 16 Scraper 16a First scraper 16b Second scraper 17 Foreign matter guide plate 17a First foreign matter guide plate 17b Second foreign matter guide plate 18 Foreign matter discharge portion 19 Frame 19a, 19b Foreign matter recovery portion 20 Second cleaning unit 21 Third cleaning brush 22 Fourth cleaning brush 23 Third roller 24 Fourth roller 30 Deburring brush 30a Base 30b Brush portion 31 Opposing deburring brush 31a Base 31b Brush portion 41 First cleaning brush 42 Second cleaning brush 43 First roller 44 Second roller 45 Cleaning roller 45a Metal core 45b Inner layer portion 45c Outer layer portion 46 Third roller 47 Brush roller 47a Core metal 47b Brush portion 48 Second dust collecting roller 49 Second scraper S Object S1 Burr S1a Reverse direction burr S1b Forward direction burr S1c Conveying direction protruding burr E Side edge T Tab T1 Front edge T2 Rear edge

Claims (7)

A cleaning device for cleaning at least one surface of a sheet-like object being conveyed, comprising:
The object has a pair of side edges parallel to the conveying direction, and is provided with a tab protruding outward in the width direction from at least one of the side edges,
a deburring brush that contacts the tab of the object from the one surface side;
A cleaning device in which the deburring brush ultrasonically vibrates in the width direction of the object. The cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising an opposing deburring brush that faces and contacts the deburring brush from the other side of the tab. the object has the tabs on both side edges;
A pair of the deburring brushes is provided,
3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the deburring brush is provided for each of the side edges. The tab is rectangular;
3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the deburring brush contacts the entire leading edge of the tab as the leading edge passes over the deburring brush. a pair of cleaning brushes that are in contact with the one surface and are driven to rotate;
a pair of rollers that face and contact the pair of cleaning brushes on the other surface of the object;
the pair of cleaning brushes each have a cylindrical core and a brush portion formed of a plurality of bristles and provided on a peripheral surface of the core, the brush portion contacting at least both side edges of the one surface;
3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation direction of one of the pair of cleaning brushes at the contact point with the one surface is forward relative to the transport direction of the object, and the rotation direction of the other cleaning brush at the contact point with the one surface is reverse to the transport direction of the object. The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the deburring brush is disposed upstream of the pair of cleaning brushes in the transport direction. a cleaning roller having a charged surface and contacting the one surface;
a rotation direction of the cleaning roller at a contact portion with the one surface is a forward direction with respect to a conveying direction of the object,
the one cleaning brush, the other cleaning brush, and the cleaning roller are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the conveying direction,
6. The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the other cleaning brush contacts the one surface across the width direction.

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