JP3333436B2 - Separate stacking device for sheet material - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of dividing a plurality of types of compression molded articles obtained by stacking and compressing sheet-like raw materials made of, for example, tobacco raw materials into pieces having a predetermined thickness, and dividing the plurality of divided pieces into pieces. The present invention relates to a sheet material dividing and stacking apparatus that forms a stacked material in which a plurality of types of sheet materials are blended by stacking sequentially.

[0002]

2. Related Art Harvested leaf tobacco is classified into varieties and grades, and then separated into mesophyll (lamina) and midbone (stem). Leaf meat of the same type and grade is stacked and stored as a sheet-like material in a container such as a cardboard box or barrel, and is compression-molded in the container to become a compression-molded product. Thereafter, the compression-molded product in the container is stored and aged for a predetermined period.

[0003] Cigarettes are manufactured by mixing a plurality of types of leaf tobacco at a predetermined blend ratio according to the brand. In order to efficiently blend such a plurality of types of leaf tobacco, the compression molded product of the above-mentioned leaf meat was divided into slice pieces having a predetermined thickness as a pretreatment, and obtained from the multiple types of compression molded products. Stacked pieces are stacked in accordance with the blend ratio to produce a stowed raw material.

[0004] The blending of leaf tobacco is carried out by unraveling the stowage raw material and then subjecting the leaf meat to humidity control, flavoring, and the like. Incidentally, in order to cope with the production of cigarettes of small lots, the stowed raw material may be vertically divided into two or four parts, and the divided stowed raw material may be unraveled as a processing unit.

[0005]

Conventionally, in the production of stowage materials, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-38139, a plurality of types of leaf molded articles are prepared and the first compression molded article is prepared. After cutting out a slice piece of a predetermined thickness from the product and placing it on a predetermined pallet, the next slice piece is cut out from the next compression-molded product and stacked on the slice piece placed on the pallet. This is performed by repeatedly executing the processing procedure described above. Alternatively, slice pieces cut out from a plurality of types of leaf medicinal compression molded products are stocked in a predetermined flow rack, and slice pieces are selectively taken out from the flow rack according to a predetermined blend ratio and sequentially stacked. Production of stowage raw material is performed.

However, according to the procedure described above,
When producing stacking raw materials by stacking sequentially while cutting out slice pieces from multiple types of compression molded products,
Since it is necessary to replace the compression molded product and cut out the slice pieces, it is troublesome and the production efficiency is very poor. In addition, when stocking sliced pieces from a plurality of types of compression-molded products in advance on a flow rack, and sequentially stacking the pieces while selectively taking out the same to produce a stock material, it is said that the management becomes extremely troublesome. There's a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a purpose of the present invention is to obtain a predetermined blend by, in particular, sequentially stacking pieces of a predetermined thickness obtained by dividing a plurality of compression molded products of leaf tobacco raw materials. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet-like material split stowage apparatus suitable for producing a stowage material in which pieces of a plurality of types of leaf tobacco materials are stacked in a ratio and capable of increasing the production efficiency.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a sheet material dividing and stacking apparatus according to the present invention comprises a dividing knife movably provided in a horizontal plane, for example, a sheet made of leaf tobacco material. Device that cuts a compression-molded product of a raw material into pieces of a predetermined thickness, and a stacking device that sequentially stacks a plurality of pieces cut out from a plurality of types of compression-molded products by this division device to form a stowage material Device, in particular, the dividing device, while placing the compression-molded product supplied via a transport mechanism, and vertically moved by an elevating mechanism to control the height of the compression-molded product, A split lifter positioned on the side of the split knife, and a sliding drive of the split knife to cut the compression-molded product on the split lifter to divide it into pieces of a predetermined thickness,
A slide mechanism for temporarily holding the cut piece on the split knife; and a slide mechanism positioned on the side of the split knife or the side of the lifter and left on the piece or lifter held on the split knife. And a plate for receiving the piece, while the stowage device is provided so as to be movable up and down and holds the piece sent out from the plate, descends, and places the piece on a pallet. It is characterized by comprising a stacking lifter that sequentially stacks, and a pallet transport mechanism that sequentially transports a plurality of pallets and selectively positions the stacking position below the stacking lifter.

That is, in the dividing device, the compression molded product is sequentially divided into pieces having a predetermined thickness by the vertical movement of the compression molded product by the division lifter and the sliding drive of the division knife, and the pieces cut out from the compression molded product are separated. Temporarily hold on a dividing knife, and send the pieces held on the dividing knife or the pieces left on the dividing lifter to the plate, while in the loading device,
The pieces supplied from the plate are transferred to a lower loading position by a loading lifter that moves up and down, and a plurality of pallets are sequentially and selectively positioned at the loading position by a pallet transfer mechanism. By sequentially stacking the pieces on top, the process of dividing a piece of predetermined thickness from the compression molded product and the process of stacking the divided pieces are separated, and these processes are performed in parallel. It is characterized by:

In a preferred form of the pallet transport mechanism, a plurality of pallets corresponding to the number of compression molded products divided by the dividing device are reciprocated or circulated to form the pallet transport mechanism. It is characterized in that it is selectively positioned at the stowage position below the attached lifter.
At this time, when the number of divisions is small, it is preferable to move a plurality of pallets back and forth, and when the number of divisions is large, it is preferable to move the plurality of pallets cyclically.

In a preferred form of the dividing device, the lifting device is operated in association with the sliding of the dividing knife by a sliding mechanism, so that the dividing lifters are sequentially moved by a predetermined height. Raise,
Thereby, it is preferable that the compression molded product on the divided lifter is sequentially cut as a piece having a predetermined thickness, and in connection with this cutting operation, it is preferable to control the pieces cut out from the compression molded product to be sequentially extruded onto the plate. .

[0012]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for dividing and stacking sheet-like raw materials according to an embodiment of the present invention;
In particular, a description will be given of an example of a system in which a compression molded product of a leaf tobacco raw material is divided into pieces having a predetermined thickness, and pieces of the leaf tobacco raw material are sequentially stacked at a predetermined blend ratio to produce a stowage raw material.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall schematic structure of a split tobacco raw material stowage apparatus (system). This apparatus is generally provided with a transport mechanism A for sequentially transporting compression molded articles (a, b, c,...) Of leaf tobacco raw materials taken out of the container by unpacking the container, and supplied through the transport mechanism A. Device B which receives a compression-molded product, and cuts out the sliced product of a predetermined thickness in a so-called round slice in the horizontal direction.
And a stacking device C for sequentially stacking the slice pieces cut out by the dividing device B on a pallet to produce a stock material. The transport mechanism A, the dividing device B, and the stowage device C are arranged in parallel as shown in a plan layout structure in FIG. 1, and are driven in parallel in association with each other.

In addition, compression molded articles a, b, c,
... are obtained by laminating leaf tobacco leaves in a container as described above and compressing a laminate of these leaf meats. Each of these compression molded articles a, b, c,.
It has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a length of 1000 mm and a height of about 700 mm, and has a weight of 100 to 200 kg.
The plurality of types of compression molded products a, b, c,... Have different leaf varieties and grades. These compression-molded products a, b, c,... Are respectively placed on a pallet 4 and supplied to a conveyor A together with the pallet 4.

The transport mechanism A includes a supply conveyor 2 extending in the horizontal direction, a transfer conveyor 5 disposed adjacent to the end of the supply conveyor 2, and the supply conveyor 2 with the transfer conveyor 5 interposed therebetween. And a standby conveyer 12 provided on the opposite side. The supply conveyor 2 is selectively driven in the forward and reverse directions, and the compression molded product a
It receives the pallet 4 on which (b, c,...) Are placed, and sends out the pallet 4 onto the transfer conveyor 5.
Conversely, an empty pallet 4 returned from the transfer conveyor 5
And plays the role of discharging this from the start end side.
Note that the standby conveyor 12 has a role of temporarily retreating the empty pallets 4 on the transfer conveyor 5. The supply conveyor 2 and the standby conveyor 12 are, for example, belt conveyors.

The transfer conveyor 5 comprises a roller conveyor which is selectively driven in the forward and reverse directions to transfer the pallet 4 between the supply conveyor 2 and the standby conveyor 12. Above the transfer conveyor 5, the compression molded product a received together with the pallet 4 from the supply conveyor 2
A stopper 6 for positioning (b, c,...) At a predetermined supply position is provided. The stopper 6 is provided so as to be movable in the transfer direction of the pallet 4 by the transfer conveyor 5. Further, the transfer conveyor 5 is provided so as to be movable in a lateral direction orthogonal to the transfer direction of the pallet 4, and can position the pallet 4 on a side portion of a later-described divided lifter 18 of the dividing device B. It has become. During this lateral movement, the pallet 4 on the transfer conveyor 5 is fixed to the transfer conveyor 5 by fixing means (not shown).

On the side of the transfer conveyor 5, a pusher 8 is arranged in the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of the pallet 4 on the transfer conveyor 5. The pusher 8 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the pallet 4 is transferred by the transfer conveyor 5. More specifically, the pusher 8 is reciprocated by an air cylinder (not shown), and a compression molded product a (b, c,...) On the pallet 4 is formed.
Can be extruded to the side.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which one compression-molded product b is positioned together with a pallet 4 on a transfer conveyor 5 which is a supply position thereof. At this time, the compression molded product b is in contact with the stopper 6, and the pusher 8 is retracted to the standby position. Also, at this time, the compression molded article c to be supplied next is on standby together with the pallet 4 on the supply conveyor 2.

In addition, above the transfer conveyor 5, for example, three sensors 10 are arranged above the compression molded product b which is the supply position. These sensors 10 are provided so as to be able to move up and down, and contact the upper surface of the compression-molded product b to measure the height thereof. Especially these three
The two sensors 10 are arranged along the diagonal line of the compression-molded product b as shown in FIG. 1, and measure the height of the compression-molded product b at the center position and two corner portions of the compression-molded product b, respectively. It has become. Based on these measurement results, the average height of the compression molded product b is determined.

The dividing device B for receiving the compression-molded product from the transport mechanism A described above is disposed on the side of the transfer conveyor 5, that is, on the opposite side of the pusher 8 described above. The dividing device B includes a main frame 16 extending from the supply conveyor 2 along the standby conveyor 12.
A split lifter 18 is arranged in the main frame 16 so as to be vertically movable. More specifically, the split lifter 18 is slidably supported by a plurality of vertical guide rods (not shown), and is connected to a vertically provided feed screw 20 via a connection mechanism 22 as shown in FIG. Have been. With the forward and reverse rotation of the feed screw 20, the divided lifter 18 is driven to move up and down along the guide rod. The feed screw 20 has a servo motor 24 connected to its lower end.
Is driven to rotate. In addition, the feed screw 2
0 and the guide rod are connected to the main frame 16 respectively.
It is supported by.

Incidentally, the transfer conveyor 5 is laterally moved toward the lifter 18 while the divided lifter 18 is positioned at the same height as the pallet 4 on the transfer conveyor 5 described above. The pallet 4 on the transfer conveyor 5 is connected to the divided lifter 18 by this lateral movement. In this state, the compression molded product b on the pallet 4 is
, And transferred onto the divided lifter 18 as shown in FIG. After the compression molded article b is sent out onto the divided lifter 18 in this manner, the pusher 8 returns to the standby position and retracts from the divided lifter 18. With the return of the pusher 8 to the standby position, the transfer conveyor 5 also returns to the original position. Then, the empty pallet 4 on the transfer conveyor 5 is moved onto the standby conveyor 12, and at the same time, the transfer conveyor 5
On the upper side, the next compression molded product c is supplied together with the pallet 4 from the supply conveyor 2.

On the upper surface of the main frame 16 described above, a plate-shaped split knife 26 extending along the longitudinal direction of the main frame 16 is arranged. The split knife 26 is slidably supported on both side edges thereof by the main frame 16 and reciprocally moves in a horizontal plane. The split knife 26 is driven by a feed screw 28 disposed on the lower surface thereof. It is supposed to be. The feed screw 28 extends horizontally at the center of the lower surface of the split knife 26, and both ends thereof are supported by the main frame 16. The feed screw 28 and the split knife 26
Are connected to each other via a connection mechanism. The feed screw 28 is connected to the motor 3 connected to one end thereof.
0 for forward and reverse rotation.

The dividing knife 26 will be briefly described. The cutting edge of the dividing knife 26 is the above-described dividing lifter 18.
And is V-shaped toward the lifter 18.
In particular, the split knife 26 is a plate-shaped knife holder 32
And a pair of blades 34 forming an effective cutting edge region.
It can reciprocate above. Blades 34 are fixed to the V-shaped one edge of the knife holder 32, respectively.

More specifically, FIG.
In order to show the connection structure between the knife holder 32 and one of the blades 34 in detail, steps that mesh with each other are formed on the inclined edge of the knife holder 32 and the peak of the plate 34, respectively.
Through these steps, the knife holder 32 and the blade 34
And their upper and lower surfaces are connected to each other in the same plane. The pair of blades 34 are detachably connected to the knife holder 32 via a plurality of countersunk screws 36, but the countersunk screws 36 do not project from the upper and lower surfaces of the split knife 26. The plurality of countersunk screws 36 are arranged, for example, in two rows along the blade 34 and alternately.

The blade 34 has a wedge-shaped cross section, and the leading edge is formed as a cutting edge 38. This cutting edge 38
Is obtained by pressing a plate member 40 made of high-speed tool steel against the metal of the blade 34 and then polishing the plate. The angle α formed by the cutting edge 36 of the pair of blades 34
(See FIG. 4) is 60 to 120 °, preferably 70 to 9 °.
It is set to 0 °. The area where the cutting edges 38 of the pair of blades 34 are in contact may be arc-shaped.

When the divided lifter 18 on which the above-mentioned compression-molded article b is placed is driven to move up and down, the divided knife 26 is positioned at a rest position away from the divided lifter 18 as shown in FIGS. . Therefore, the split lifter 18
The lifting / lowering of the compression-molded product b by the lifting / lowering drive is not hindered by the dividing knife 26, whereby the compression-molded product is positioned to the side of the dividing knife 26.

Here, the ascending position of the divided lifter 18 is set according to the size, weight and the number of divisions of the compression molded product b. That is, the split lifter 18 is driven to move up so as to position the uppermost target slice surface among the target slice surfaces of the compression-molded product b in the same plane as the above-described split knife 26. Incidentally, the weight of the compression-molded product b is, for example, the divided lifter 1
8 is measured.

When the compression-molded product b is raised to a predetermined position together with the divided lifter 18, as shown in FIG. 4, an upper pressing member 42 and a side stopper 44 press against the upper surface and the side surface of the compression-molded product b. Can be The pair of pressing pads 46 provided on the upper pressing member 42 has a role of pressing the end opposite to the split knife 26 when viewed in the upper surface of the compression molded product b with a force equivalent to, for example, a weight of 15 kg. . The pressing pad 48 provided on the side stopper 44 plays a role of pressing the side surface of the compression-molded product b located on the side opposite to the split knife 26.
An opening for allowing the divided knife 26 to enter, that is, an escape 50 is secured between the presser pads 48.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper retainer 42 is connected to a piston rod 54 of a vertical cylinder 52, and is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction so as to come into contact with and separate from the upper surface of the compression molded product b. . Also, the side stopper 44
It is connected to a piston rod 58 of a horizontal cylinder 56, and is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction so as to come into contact with and separate from the side surface of the compression molded product b. These cylinders 52, 5
Reference numeral 6 denotes an air cylinder. One cylinder 56 is supported by the main frame 16 described above, and the other cylinder 52 is supported by a sub-frame 60 projecting upward from the main frame 16. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the divided lifter 18 is raised most.

When the compression-molded product b is positioned on the side of the split knife 26 as shown in FIG. 4, the compression-molded product b is sandwiched between the lifter 18 and the upper pressing member 42. Side stopper 4 on the side of compression molded product b
4 is pressed. Therefore, even if the side stopper 44 is pressed against the compression molded product b, the compression molded product b
8 does not move.

In this state, the dividing knife 26 is moved to the compression molded product b.
, The dividing knife 26 cuts into the compression-molded product b from the pair of blades 34 along the target slice plane. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the compression molded product b is cut by the dividing knife 26, and a slice piece SPb is formed on the dividing knife 26. Here, the moving speed of the dividing knife 26 is 50 to 8
0 m / min, preferably 60 to 70 m / min.

When the blade 34 of the split knife 26 completely escapes from the compression-molded product b, the blade 34 enters the clearance 50 of the side stopper 44, so that the split knife 26
Does not interfere with the side stopper 44. When the blade 34 of the dividing knife 26 reaches a predetermined position,
This arrival is detected by a limit switch (not shown). At the time of this detection, the advance of the division knife 26 is stopped, and the division knife 26 is held at the slice position.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, when the dividing knife 26 cuts into the compression-molded product b, the pair of V-shaped blades 34 compresses the compression-molded product b while sandwiching it from both sides. Proceed inside the molded article b. Therefore, since the cutting force of the pair of blades 34 acts toward the center of the compression-molded product b, chipping occurs on the outer periphery of the compression-molded product b, that is, the slice piece SPb and the remaining outer periphery of the compression-molded product b. There is no.

When the pair of blades 34 come out of the compression-molded product b, the chipping of the outer periphery tends to occur particularly at the corners of the compression-molded product b as indicated by the dashed-dotted circle X in FIG. In other words, the leaf at the corner of the compression-molded product b has a weak connection with the surrounding leaf, and thus is easily chipped at the corner, and the leaf tobacco raw material spills around. In this regard, according to the split knife 26 having the above-described structure, the V-shaped blade 34 comes out of the compression-molded article b while pushing the corner of the compression-molded article b toward the center of the compression-molded article b. No chipping occurs at the corners of the product b.

In particular, when the angle α between the pair of blades 34 is 6
Since the angle is set to 0 to 120 °, the dividing knife 26 can satisfactorily divide the compression-molded product b without increasing the size of the dividing device B. If the angle α between the pair of blades 34 is larger than 120 °, the cutting angle of the blade 34 with respect to the compression-molded product b becomes too shallow, so that the cutting of the compression-molded product b by the dividing knife 26 is so-called push-cutting. Cutting becomes difficult to be performed smoothly, which causes an increase in cutting waste. The angle α between the pair of blades 34
Is smaller than 60 °, the pair of blades 34 must be elongated in order to enable the compression molded article b to be sandwiched between the pair of blades 34. Then split knife 26
, The reciprocating stroke becomes longer, which results in an increase in the size of the dividing device B. Further, the cutting force from the pair of blades 34 toward the center of the pair of compression-molded articles b becomes excessive, and the slice piece is cut out while rising. As a result, there occurs a problem that the thickness at the center of the slice piece is larger than the thickness at the periphery.

For the above reasons, it is preferable to set the angle α between the pair of blades 34 in the range of 60 to 120 °. In consideration of the amount of chips generated and the size of the dividing device B, the angle α Is optimally 70 to 90 °. In particular, if the angle α between the pair of blades 34 is in the range of 70 to 90 °, these blades 34, that is, the split knife 2
6 cuts the compression molded product b like scissors, so that the cut surface of the compression molded product b (slice piece) becomes smooth.

When the slice piece SPb is cut out of the compression-molded product b using the dividing knife 26 as described above, the upper holding member 42 and the side stopper 44 are returned to their rest positions, and the slice piece SPb is returned. SPb and the compression molded product b remaining on the divided lifter 18 are separated from each other. Thereafter, the divided lifter 18 slightly descends, and the compression molded product b on the divided lifter 18 is
Is separated from the lower surface of the dividing knife 26 as shown in FIG. At this time, the slice piece SPb is temporarily held on the dividing knife 26. Split knife 26 at this slice position
The connection plate 62 is positioned on the side as shown in FIG. The slice piece SPb is sent out onto a connection plate 62 positioned on the side of the dividing knife 26, and is supplied to a later-described stowage device C via the connection plate 62.

The connection plate 62 is positioned beside the divided knife 26 at the slice position as described above, but is raised to a predetermined position when the last slice piece SPb left on the divided lifter 18 is dispensed. The divided lifter 18 is positioned beside the divided lifter 18. In particular, the connection plate 62 is located on the same horizontal plane as the dividing knife 26 and is movably supported on a support 64 mounted on the main frame 16 side. The connection plate 62 is connected to an air cylinder 66 provided below the support base 64 and is driven by the air cylinder 66 to move toward and away from the division knife 26.

The transfer of the slice piece SPb temporarily held on the division knife 26 at the slice position or the slice piece SPb left on the division lifter 18 to the connection plate 62 is performed above the division knife 26. Then, the side portion of the slice piece SPb is pushed out by a piece pusher 72 moving on a guide rail 70 extending horizontally to a position above a stack plate 68 of the stowage device C described later. That is, the piece pusher 7
Numeral 2 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate along the guide rail 70, and is moved and driven by a feed screw (not shown) rotated forward and backward by a servomotor.

When the transfer of the slice pieces SPb onto the stack plate 68 is completed, the stacking device C is operated in response thereto, and the stack plate 68 on which the slice pieces SPb are placed is lowered. In connection with the operation of the loading device C, the connection plate 62 is returned to the retracted position on the stack plate 68 side, and the split knife 26
Get away from the side of. Further, the dividing knife 26 is returned to the rest position from the slice position, and the piece pusher 72 is returned to the rest position from above the stack plate 68. Thereafter, the divided lifter 18 is driven to move up again, and the next target slice surface of the compression-molded product b on the divided lifter 18 is positioned at the same height position as the divided knife 26. In this way, the compression molded product b on the divided lifter 18 is raised, and the connection plate 62 returns to the retracted position, so that the compression molded product b can be sliced by the division knife 26. Then, the next slice piece SPb is cut out in the same manner.

The stacking device C sequentially transfers the stack plate 68 as a stacking lifter positioned on the side of the connection plate 62 and a plurality of stack pallets 74 as shown in FIG. A pallet transport mechanism for selectively positioning the stack pallet 74 at a stacking position (stack position) below the stack plate 68;

The stack plate 68 constituting the stacking lifter is provided in the lifter mechanism 69 so as to be movable in the vertical and horizontal directions. When the slice piece SPb is received from the connection plate 62, the stack plate 68 shown in FIG. It is positioned at the highest position as shown. The highest position of the stack plate 68 is set slightly lower than the surface of the connection plate 62. In this state, the stack plate 68
Is connected to the dividing knife 26 via a connection plate 62. In this state, the above-mentioned piece pusher 72 is moved and driven from its rest position toward the stack plate 68, and the piece pusher 72 pushes out the slice piece SPb on the dividing knife 26, and the connection plate 62
Through the stack plate 68. The compression molded product finally remaining on the divided lifter 18, that is, the last slice piece SP is transferred from the divided lifter 18 to the stack plate 68 via the connection plate 62. When the slice piece SPb passes over the connection plate 62, the connection plate 6
The slice piece S is measured by the measuring device provided on the side
The width of Pb is to be measured.

As shown in FIG. 8, a stack pallet 74 is disposed below the stack plate 68. The stack plate 68 holding the slice piece SPb is lowered by the lowering of the stack piece SP.
b on the stack pallet 74 in order. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, a slice piece SPa obtained by the previous slice batch process is already placed on the stack pallet 74.
Therefore, the stack plate 68 has the slice piece SPb.
Is held, the slice piece SPb is moved to the slice piece S placed on the stack pallet 74.
It will be placed on Pa. This slice piece SP
The next slice piece SPb is placed on a through the stack plate 68, and thereafter, the stack plate 68 is pulled out as described later. Here, the slice piece SPa is a slice piece obtained by dividing a compression molded product a different from the compression molded product b in the previous slice batch process, and the compression molded products a and b are varieties and grades of the leaf meat. Are different.

The stack plate 68 is provided with a pea stopper 76 so as to be able to reciprocate. The piece stopper 76 is located at the retracted position when the stack plate 68 is at the raised position. Therefore,
When the stack plate 68 at the raised position receives the slice piece SPb via the connection plate 62, the piece stopper 76 is separated from the slice piece SPb on the stack plate 68. After a while
Stack plate 68 holding slice piece SPb
When the slice piece SPb is positioned above the slice piece SPa, the piece stopper 76 moves from the retracted position to the advanced position and comes into contact with the side of the slice piece SPb. In this state, the stack plate 68 retreats and is pulled out from between the slice pieces SPa and SPb as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8, and the slice piece SPb is directly superimposed on the slice piece SPa. When the stack piece 68 is pulled out in this manner, since the piece stopper 76 is in contact with the slice piece SPb, the slice piece SPb does not move by being dragged by the stack plate 68.

When the removal of the stack plate 68 is completed, the piece stopper 76 returns to the lower retreat position, and the stack plate 68 moves up together with the piece stopper 76, and then advances to the above-described ascending position. In this raised position, the stack plate 68 sunk below the connection plate 62 in the retracted position as described above, so that the stack plate 68 and the connection plate 62 partially overlap. By repeating the above-described operation of the stacking lifter including the stack plate 68 having the piece stopper 76, the slice pieces cut out by the dividing device B are sequentially stacked on the stack pallet 74. .

The above-mentioned stack pallets 74 are prepared, for example, in a number corresponding to the number of divisions of the slice pieces cut out from the compression molded product. The plurality of stack pallets 74 are arranged on, for example, a circulating conveyor 78 as a pallet transport mechanism. Selectively positioned. The circulation conveyor 78 has an entrance conveyor 8.
0 is connected. An empty stack pallet 74 is supplied onto the circulation conveyor 78 via the entrance conveyor 80. Conversely, a stack pallet 74 on which a loading material formed by stacking a predetermined number of slice pieces is placed is taken out from the circulation conveyor 78 via an entrance conveyor 80.

That is, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of stack pallets 74 are supplied on the stack 8, and these stack pallets 74 are sequentially and selectively positioned at the stack position (stacking position) below the stack plate 68 described above. As described above, the stack pallet 74 on which the slice pieces SPb are stacked at the stack position is conveyed from the stack position on the circulation conveyor 78, and the next stack pallet 74 is positioned at the stack position. Then, on the next stack pallet 74, slice pieces SPb similarly cut out from the compression-molded product b are stacked in the same manner. By repeating such a processing operation sequentially, the slice piece SP cut out from the compression molded product b
b is distributed and stacked on the corresponding stack pallet 74.

Accordingly, FIG. 9 schematically shows the procedure from the division of the compression-molded product to the stacking of the slice pieces.
On each stack pallet 74, slice pieces divided from various compression molded products are sequentially stacked. The stack (stacking material) obtained by stacking the slice pieces is discharged from the circulation conveyor 78 to the entrance conveyor 80 together with the stack pallet 74,
Then, it is supplied from the entrance conveyor 80 to the next step.

Here, the function of the stowage device C will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 10, the circulation conveyor 78 for conveying the stack pallet 74 is provided at the stowage position below the stowage lifter. A stowage conveyor 82,
It is composed of transport conveyors 84 and 86 connected to both ends of the loading conveyor 82, respectively. In particular, the loading conveyor 82 can be driven independently of the transport conveyors 84 and 86 to move the stack pallet 74 back and forth. It has become. The stowage conveyor 82 is provided so as to be displaceable up and down, and is configured to be able to shift up and down a transport surface thereof, and furthermore, a stack pallet 74 placed on the conveyor.

At the position above the conveyors 84 and 86, the height position of the stack pallet 74 guided on the conveyors 84 and 86 or the slice pieces placed on the stack pallet 74 is measured. Distance sensors 88 and 90 are provided. Further, on the side of the connection plate 62, there are provided distance sensors 92 and 94 for measuring the distance to the side of the slice piece passing through the connection plate 62 to obtain the width of the slice piece. These distance sensors 88, 90, 92,
Reference numeral 94 denotes a laser length measuring device, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like.

The distance sensors 88 and 90 provided above the transporting conveyors 84 and 86 are used to move the stack pallet 7 to be delivered next onto the loading conveyor 82 which is the loading position.
By measuring the height of the slice pieces already placed on the stack pallet 4, that is, the stacking height, the stack pallet 74 is measured.
Plays a role in adjusting the lowering position of the stack plate 68 when it is positioned on the loading conveyor 82.
By adjusting the descending height position of the stack plate 68,
The mounting surface of the stack pallet 74 or the upper surface of the slice piece already mounted on the stack pallet 74 is positioned. Incidentally, the stack plate 68 is driven up and down by a servomotor (not shown) to adjust the stacking height. The stowage conveyor 82 is driven up and down when the weight of the slice piece is measured by a weighing machine incorporated in the conveyor 82.

As shown in FIG. 11A, a pair of distance sensors 92 and 94 provided on the side of the connection plate 62 measure the width of the slice piece SPb, and determine the center position thereof. Then, in accordance with the information on the center position, a shift Z from the center position of the slice piece SPa already placed on the stack pallet 74 is obtained, and as shown in FIG. Is driven. And this stowage conveyor 8
The position of the stack pallet 74 is adjusted by driving the stack pallet 74 as shown in FIG.
The center position of the slice piece SPa placed on top is aligned with the center position of the next slice piece SPb to be stacked thereon.

That is, as described above, in the dividing device B, the compression molded product is positioned and divided into slice pieces by pressing one side of the compression molded product with the side stopper 44, and the divided slices are divided. The pieces are pushed laterally from this state and guided to the stowage device C. Therefore, the slice piece is supplied to the stowage device C in a state where the position of one end side is regulated, but the center position itself is displaced in the width direction depending on the size of the compression molded product. Moreover, when the slice pieces are transported from the dividing device B to the stacking device C, it is naturally expected that the slice pieces are shifted in the width direction.

When a plurality of types of slice pieces having such a shift in the center position are sequentially stacked, it is inevitable that the slice pieces are in a so-called single stack state. Therefore, in the present apparatus, as described above, a plurality of distance sensors 92 and 94 are used in accordance with the width of the slice piece supplied to the stowage device C, in particular, according to the information on the center position of the slice piece obtained from the information on the width. In order to stack the seed slice pieces evenly in order with their centers aligned, the stowage conveyor 8
2 is driven to adjust the position of the stack pallet 74.

Thus, according to the stowage apparatus C having such an adjusting function, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of types of slice pieces having different widths are sequentially stacked on the stack pallet 74, and the stowage material (stack) is obtained. Is formed, the stowed state can be equalized. As a result, in order to cope with the production of a small lot, for example, as shown in FIG.
Even in the case of dividing into two, it is possible to keep the blend ratio of slice pieces in the stowed raw material constant. In other words, the raw materials can be divided without changing the blending ratio.

As described above, according to the split stowage apparatus configured as described above, the splitting apparatus B for cutting the compression molded product and splitting it into a plurality of slice pieces, and the splitting apparatus B A stacking device C for sequentially stacking the sliced pieces on the stack pallet 74 is provided separately, and these devices B and C are configured to operate in association with each other.

Therefore, according to the present apparatus, a plurality of types of compression-molded products a, b, c,... Supplied to the dividing device B are sequentially divided to cut out slice pieces, and these slice pieces are placed in the stacking device C. And a plurality of types of slice pieces are sequentially stacked on each stack pallet 74 while being distributed to the plurality of stack pallets 74. Therefore, a stack formed by stacking pieces divided from a plurality of types of compression molded products. (Stow raw materials) can be manufactured in batches. Therefore, as compared with a conventional system in which one slice piece is cut out from a compression-molded product, the next compression-molded product is replaced, the next slice piece is cut out, and the sliced piece is stacked on the previously cut out slice piece. Can be improved in each stage, and the production efficiency can be increased.

In particular, the compression-molded product set in the dividing device B is sequentially cut by using the dividing knife 26 to cut out a plurality of slice pieces at once, and the stacking device C is linked to the cutting of the slice pieces. Since the slice pieces are sequentially stacked while being distributed on a plurality of pallets, these processes can be executed in a pipeline manner, and the production efficiency of the stowed raw material can be greatly improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the number of slice pieces to be divided from the compression-molded product may be set according to the blend ratio of the raw material of the leaf tobacco. The number of the stack pallets 74 to be prepared in the loading device C may be determined, for example, as the maximum number of slice pieces to be divided from one compression-molded product. Further, for the means for transferring slice pieces between the dividing device B and the stowage device C, for example, a conveyor can also be used. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist thereof. It is possible to

[0060]

As described above, according to the present invention, a compression molded product of a sheet-like raw material made of, for example, leaf tobacco raw material is formed into a piece having a predetermined thickness by using a dividing knife movably provided in a horizontal plane. A dividing device that cuts and sequentially sends the pieces, and a plurality of pieces cut out from the compression-molded product by the dividing device is configured as a stacking device that sequentially stacks and forms a stock material while distributing the pieces on a plurality of pallets. Therefore, the process of cutting out pieces from the compression-molded product and the process of stacking pieces can be performed in parallel and in a pipeline manner, and the production efficiency can be greatly improved.

Furthermore, since it is only necessary to operate the dividing device and the stowage device in association with each other, not only the control thereof is simple, but also the collective management of the stowage materials becomes practically enormous. The effect is achieved. In particular, claim 2
As described in the above, a plurality of pallets corresponding to the number of divisions of the compression molded product are reciprocated or circulated, and the stacking operation of the pieces is performed while being selectively positioned at the stacking position below the stacking lifter. Therefore, effects such as simplification of the configuration of the stowage device and simplification of the stowage operation itself can be obtained. Furthermore, as described in claim 3, pieces of a predetermined thickness are sequentially cut out while sequentially changing the height position of the compression-molded product in relation to the slide of the division knife, so that the compression-molded product is divided efficiently. An effect such as gain is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of a sheet material dividing and stacking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a dividing device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a structure of a dividing knife. ,

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a function of dividing a compression molded product by a dividing device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pressing mechanism for a compression-molded product in the dividing device.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an operation of dividing a compression-molded product by a dividing knife.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a state of a compression molded product immediately after division.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a transfer mechanism of a slice piece from a dividing device to a stowage device.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic procedure from division of a compression molded product to stacking of slice pieces.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of the stowage device.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view showing the function of centering the slice pieces by the stacking device.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating an example of stowed raw materials that are stacked with center alignment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS A Conveying mechanism B Splitting device C Stowage device 18 Splitting lifter 26 Splitting knife 62 Connection plate 68 Stack plate (stacking lifter) 74 Stack pallet 78 Circulating conveyor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hideo Matsumura 2-2-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan Tobacco Inc. (72) Inventor Mitsugu Ueda 1-31 Kurobeoka, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa Japan Tobacco Examiner Chiharu Shiba, Production Technology Development Center, Kosangyo Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-8-38140 (JP, A) JP-A-5-176741 (JP, A) JP-A 63-165197 (JP, U Special table 1983-500230 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A24B 3/00 A24B 3/08

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A dividing device comprising a dividing knife movably provided in a horizontal plane, for cutting a compression molded product of a sheet material into pieces of a predetermined thickness, and a plurality of types of compression molded products by the dividing device. A stacking device for sequentially stacking a plurality of pieces cut out from each other to form a stowage material, wherein the dividing device places the compression-molded product supplied through a transport mechanism, and vertically moves by a lifting mechanism. A split lifter that is moved to position the compression-molded product on the side of the split knife, and slide-drives the split knife to cut the compression-molded product on the split lifter into pieces having a predetermined thickness, and cut the cut pieces. A slide mechanism for holding on the split knife, and a piece positioned on a side of the split knife or a side of the lifter and a piece on the split knife or left on the lifter. A stowage lifter, which is provided so as to be movable up and down and holds the pieces sent out from the plate, descends, and sequentially stacks the pieces on a pallet; A pallet transfer mechanism for sequentially transferring a plurality of pallets and selectively positioning the pallets at a stowage position below the stowage lifter. 2. The pallet transport mechanism reciprocates or circulates a plurality of pallets corresponding to the number of compression molded products divided by the dividing device, and selectively moves the pallets to a stowage position below the stowage lifter. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material is positioned. 3. The dividing device according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism is operated in association with the sliding of the dividing knife by the slide mechanism to sequentially raise the divided lifters, and sequentially cut the compression molded products on the divided lifters. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pieces divided from the compression-molded product are sequentially transferred onto the plate.