JP6931194B2 - Rubber sheet material transfer device and transfer method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport device and a transport method for transporting a rubber sheet material.

It is known that an unvulcanized rubber sheet material extruded by a rubber extruder shrinks with the passage of time due to internal stress. Therefore, Patent Document 1 below describes that the rubber sheet material placed on the conveyor is wetted with water to promote its shrinkage and stabilize the shape of the rubber sheet material.

However, in recent years, there has been a problem of further promoting the shrinkage of the rubber sheet material.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-305792

The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport device and a transport method for a rubber sheet material capable of promoting shrinkage of the rubber sheet material.

The present invention is an apparatus for transporting an unvulcanized rubber sheet material extruded by a rubber extruder, and the rubber sheet material is moved to the downstream side in the transport direction while floating in the air. Including part.

In the rubber sheet material transport device according to the present invention, the aerial transport unit moves the holding means for holding the downstream end of the rubber sheet material in the transport direction and the holding means for moving the holding means to the downstream side. It is desirable to include means and blower means for supplying a gas for floating the rubber sheet material held by the holding means in the air.

It is desirable that the rubber sheet material transporting device according to the present invention includes an air volume adjusting tool for changing the gas supply amount based on the floating height of the rubber sheet material.

In the rubber sheet material transporting device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the air volume adjusting tool includes a measuring means for measuring the floating height.

In the rubber sheet material transport device according to the present invention, a first conveyor having a first mounting surface on which the rubber sheet material is mounted is provided on the upstream side of the air transport portion in the transport direction, and the first conveyor is provided. 1 It is desirable that the mounting surface is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the transport direction.

In the rubber sheet material transport device according to the present invention, a second conveyor having a second mounting surface on which the rubber sheet material is mounted is provided on the downstream side of the air transport portion in the transport direction, and the first 2 It is desirable that the mounting surface is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the transport direction.

It is desirable that the rubber sheet material transporting device according to the present invention is provided with a cooling means for cooling the rubber sheet material on the upstream side of the aerial transporting portion.

The present invention is a method for transporting an unvulcanized rubber sheet material extruded by a rubber extruder, and the rubber sheet material is moved to the downstream side in the transport direction while floating in the air. Includes steps.

In the method for transporting the rubber sheet material according to the present invention, the aerial transport step includes a step of holding the end portion of the rubber sheet material on the downstream side in the transport direction and a step of holding the held rubber sheet material on the downstream side. It is desirable to include a step of moving the rubber sheet material to the downstream side and a step of supplying gas from below in order to float the rubber sheet material moving to the downstream side in the air.

In the rubber sheet material transporting device of the present invention, the rubber sheet material can be transported in a state of being floated in the air. The rubber sheet material floated in the air in this way is not restrained from the outside, and free contraction is promoted. Therefore, the transfer device of the present invention can stabilize the shape of the rubber sheet material at an early stage during the transfer process.

It is a front view which shows typically the downstream side part of the transport device of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows typically the upstream side part of the transport device of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view schematically explaining the transport method by the transport device of this invention. It is a front view schematically explaining the transport method by the transport device of this invention. It is a front view schematically explaining the transport method by the transport device of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is provided on the downstream side (hereinafter, simply referred to as “downstream side”) in the transport direction of the rubber sheet material G transport device 1 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “device 1”) of the present embodiment. It is a schematic front view of the downstream side part 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the upstream side portion 3 of the device 1 provided on the upstream side (hereinafter, simply referred to as “upstream side”) in the transport direction with respect to the downstream side portion 2. As described above, the device 1 of the present embodiment includes the downstream side portion 2 and the upstream side portion 3. On the downstream side of the device 1 of the present embodiment, for example, a storage means H for storing the rubber sheet material G is provided. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the downstream side in the transport direction is indicated by an arrow.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rubber sheet material G is a long, unvulcanized material extruded by the rubber extruder 20. The rubber sheet material G is used, for example, as a tire constituent rubber member constituting a tire.

As shown in FIG. 1, the downstream side portion 2 of the apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes an aerial conveyor 5 for conveying the rubber sheet material G and a first conveyor 6 provided on the upstream side of the aerial conveyor 5. And a second conveyor 7 provided on the downstream side of the aerial transport unit 5.

The aerial transport unit 5 of the present embodiment includes a holding means 8, a moving means 9, and a blowing means 10.

The holding means 8 of the present embodiment holds the end portion Ga on the downstream side of the rubber sheet material G. In the present embodiment, the holding means 8 includes a rod 8a extending up and down, a cylinder 8b for holding the rod 8a, an upper clamp piece 8c attached to the cylinder 8b, and a lower clamp piece attached to the tip of the rod 8a. 8d and is included. Both clamp pieces 8c and 8d extend parallel to each other in the transport direction, for example, with a vertical interval. The lower clamp piece 8d can move closer to and further from the upper clamp piece 8c by advancing and retreating the rod 8a. As a result, the rubber sheet material G is held between the clamp pieces 8c and 8d. The holding means 8 is not limited to such an aspect.

The moving means 9 of the present embodiment reciprocates the holding means 8 to the downstream side and the upstream side. The moving means 9 includes, for example, an electric cylinder 9A having a well-known structure and a vertical moving tool 9B. The electric cylinder 9A is attached to, for example, a ball screw 9a whose rotation is controlled by a servomotor (not shown), a guide guide extending in parallel with the ball screw 9a (not shown), a ball nut screwed into the ball screw 9a, and a ball nut. Includes a mobile platform 9b. The moving means 9 is not limited to that of the electric cylinder 9A, and various well-known structures are adopted.

The vertical moving tool 9B of the present embodiment includes a rod 9c to which the cylinder 8b of the holding means 8 is attached to the tip thereof, and a cylinder 9d for holding the rod 9c. In the present embodiment, the cylinder 9d of the vertical moving tool 9B is attached to the moving table 9b.

The blowing means 10 of the present embodiment supplies a gas for floating the rubber sheet material G held by the holding means 8 in the air. In the present embodiment, the blower means 10 includes a blower 10a, a table portion 10b connected to the blower 10a, and an air volume adjuster 10c for changing the amount of gas supplied from the blower 10a.

The blower 10a of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, but a fan having a well-known structure such as a sirocco type fan or a turbo type fan capable of supplying gas with a high static pressure is suitable. Further, the gas to be supplied is preferably air, but the gas is not limited to air, and nitrogen may be used, for example.

It is desirable that the blower 10a is provided with, for example, an inverter (not shown) that controls the frequency of the output. Such an inverter can control the amount of gas supplied to the rubber sheet material G.

The table portion 10b of the present embodiment is connected to the blower 10a via a wind duct 10d through which gas flows. The gas from the blower 10a is blown out through the wind duct 10d, for example, from a plurality of outlets 13 arranged on the upper surface 11 of the table portion 10b. It is desirable that the outlet 13 is provided with a variable air volume damper (not shown) in order to control the amount of gas supplied to the rubber sheet material G, for example.

The air volume adjusting tool 10c of the present embodiment changes the supply amount of gas based on the floating height h of the rubber sheet material G. The air volume adjuster 10c includes a measuring means 14 for measuring the levitation height h and an arithmetic unit (not shown) that determines the gas supply amount based on the levitation height h measured by the measuring means 14. There is. The levitation height h is defined as the height between the upper surface 11 of the table portion 10b and the upstream end portion Gb of the rubber sheet material G moving on the table portion 10b.

As the measuring means 14, for example, a photographing means including a camera or the like, a laser displacement meter, an ultrasonic displacement meter, or the like having a well-known structure is adopted. As the measuring means 14, the photographing means is adopted in this embodiment. The photographing means outputs, for example, an electric signal corresponding to the levitation height h measured by the camera to the calculation means (not shown).

The calculation means uses, for example, an electric signal for adjusting the supply amount of gas so as to obtain a predetermined levitation height h1 based on the electric signal from the photographing means, for example, an inverter of the blower 10a or the like. , Output to the variable air volume damper of the outlet 13. As such a calculation means, for example, a programmable sequencer, a microcomputer, a personal computer and the like are suitable.

The first conveyor 6 of the present embodiment is composed of a roller conveyor having a well-known structure in which rollers 15 are arranged in the transport direction. It is desirable that the roller 15 is not driven by an electric motor (not shown), for example, but is rotatably supported by a support frame (not shown) in a free state. The first conveyor 6 is not limited to such a roller conveyor, and may be composed of, for example, a spherical conveyor having a well-known structure or the like.

In the present embodiment, the first conveyor 6 has a first mounting surface 6A on which the rubber sheet material G is mounted. The first mounting surface 6A is formed by the outer peripheral surface 15a of the roller 15 with which the rubber sheet material G comes into contact.

The first mounting surface 6A of the present embodiment is inclined downward toward the downstream side. As a result, the rubber sheet material G is moved to the air transport portion 5 side by using gravity.

Like the first conveyor 6, the second conveyor 7 of the present embodiment is composed of a roller conveyor having a well-known structure in which rollers 15 are arranged in the transport direction.

In the present embodiment, the second conveyor 7 has a second mounting surface 7A on which the rubber sheet material G is mounted and which is formed by the outer peripheral surface 15a of the roller 15. Since the second mounting surface 7A of the present embodiment is inclined downward toward the downstream side, it is moved to the storage means H side by using gravity.

The first mounting surface 6A and the second mounting surface 7A have, for example, a length in the transport direction in which the entire rubber sheet material G can be mounted and a length in the width direction of the rubber sheet material G. It is desirable to have.

The downstream end 6e of the first mounting surface 6A and the upstream end 7e of the second mounting surface 7A are located above the upper surface 11 of the table portion 10b in the present embodiment.

The downstream side portion 2 of the present embodiment has an upstream side conveyor 19A including a roller 19a connected to a driving means of a well-known structure on the upstream side of the first conveyor 6 and a well-known structure on the downstream side of the second conveyor 7. It includes a downstream conveyor 19B including a roller 19a connected to the drive means. In the present embodiment, the upstream side conveyor 19A moves the rubber sheet material G from the upstream side portion 3 to the first conveyor 6. The downstream side conveyor 19B moves the rubber sheet material G from the second conveyor 7 to the storage means H side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upstream side portion 3 of the present embodiment includes a rubber extruder 20, a cooling means 21, and a cutting means 22. Further, in the present embodiment, the upstream side portion 3 conveys the rubber sheet material G between the rubber extruder 20 and the cooling means 21 and between the cooling means 21 and the cutting means 22, respectively. A conveyor 23 having a well-known structure is provided.

The rubber extruder 20 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of rubber extruder main bodies 20a and an extrusion head means 20b. As the rubber extruder main body 20a of the present embodiment, a well-known structure including a screw (not shown) for kneading and extruding the charged rubber material (not shown) and a cylinder for accommodating the screw is adopted. The extrusion head means 20b of the present embodiment has a well-known structure including a die plate and a preformer (not shown), and the rubber material extruded from each rubber extruder main body 20a can be molded into the rubber sheet material G.

The cooling means 21 of the present embodiment is for cooling the rubber sheet material G being conveyed by the conveyor 23a. Thereby, the shrinkage of the rubber sheet material G can be promoted. In the present embodiment, the cooling means 21 includes a watering device 21A having a well-known structure for wetting the rubber sheet material G with water. The watering device 21A of the present embodiment includes, for example, a watering nozzle 21a provided on the upper portion of the rubber sheet material G and a water supply tank 21b for supplying water to the watering nozzle 21a.

The watering temperature of the rubber sheet material G is preferably around 15 ° C. in order to effectively shrink the rubber sheet material G. Therefore, it is desirable that the water supply tank 21b of the present embodiment is provided with a chiller unit (not shown) having a well-known structure capable of cooling water to 15 ° C. or lower.

The cutting means 22 can cut and mold the conveyed rubber sheet material G to a predetermined length. The cutting means 22 of the present embodiment includes, for example, a cutting tool 22a and a moving portion (not shown) that moves the cutting tool 22a to a predetermined position. The blade 22a is preferably, for example, a guillotine-shaped blade having a well-known structure or a rotatable disk-shaped blade. It is desirable that the moving portion is composed of an actuator having a well-known structure such as a cylinder or a motor, for example.

Next, a method of transporting the rubber sheet material G using such a device 1 will be described. The method of extruding the rubber material by the rubber extruder 20 provided on the upstream side 3, the method of cooling the rubber sheet material G by the cooling means 21, and the method of cutting the rubber sheet material G by the cutting means 22 are conventional methods. As it is, the explanation is omitted. Therefore, in the present specification, a method of transporting the rubber sheet material G in the downstream side portion 2 provided on the downstream side of the cutting means 22 will be described.

The transport method of the present embodiment includes a standby step S1 and an aerial transport step S2.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the standby step S1, in the present embodiment, the holding means 8 is waiting at a predetermined position on the first mounting surface 6A of the first conveyor 6. In the present embodiment, the holding means 8 stands by on the roller 15b arranged on the most downstream side of the first conveyor 6.

Next, the aerial transfer step S2 is performed. In the aerial transfer step S2 of the present embodiment, the step S2a for holding the rubber sheet material G, the step S2b for moving the held rubber sheet material G to the downstream side, and the rubber sheet material G for moving to the downstream side are brought into the air. It includes a floating step S2c.

In the holding step S2a of the present embodiment, the rubber sheet material G first moves from the upstream conveyor 19A onto the first mounting surface 6A of the first conveyor 6. Since the first mounting surface 6A is inclined downward toward the downstream side, the rubber sheet material G is smoothly conveyed while being restrained from being restrained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the rod 9c of the vertical moving tool 9B is lowered, and both clamp pieces 8c and 8d hold the end portion Ga on the downstream side of the rubber sheet material G. At this time, the blower 10a is driven to blow gas from the outlet 13.

Next, the moving step S2b is performed. As shown in FIG. 5, in the moving step S2b, the rod 9c is moved up and down to position the holding means 8 at a predetermined height h2. Next, the electric cylinder 9A of the moving means 9 is driven to move the rubber sheet material G to the downstream side. It is desirable that the holding means 8 for holding and moving the rubber sheet material G has a constant height so that its height h2 does not change at least while moving on the table portion 10b. As a result, the rubber sheet material G held by the holding means 8 suppresses the binding force due to the vertical movement, so that the shrinkage is promoted.

Next, the step S2c of floating in the air is performed. In the present embodiment, since the gas has already been blown from the outlet 13, the rubber sheet material G conveyed on the table portion 10b floats in the air. In this way, the rubber sheet material G floated in the air is not restrained from the outside, and free contraction is promoted. Therefore, according to the transport method of the present embodiment, the shape of the rubber sheet material G can be stabilized at an early stage during the transport process.

In the step S2c of floating in the air, in the present embodiment, the floating height h of the rubber sheet material G is measured by the measuring means 14. Then, when the measured levitation height h is not a predetermined levitation height h1, the gas is adjusted so that the measured levitation height h becomes the same as the predetermined levitation height h1 by the air volume adjuster 10c. Supply amount is changed. When the predetermined levitation height h1 is set to be larger than the height h3 between the upper surface 11 of the table portion 10b and the second mounting surface 7A, for example, the rubber sheet material G is smoothly seconded. It is desirable because it is mounted on the mounting surface 7A.

Next, when the rod 9c of the vertical moving tool 9B is moved onto the second mounting surface 7A of the second conveyor 7, both clamp pieces 8c and 8d of the holding means 8 are vertically separated from each other, and the rubber sheet material G Is released on the second mounting surface 7A. Since the second mounting surface 7A is inclined downward toward the downstream side, the rubber sheet material G is not subjected to a binding force such as pulling or pushing when looking into gravity, so that it is in the air. Following the transfer step S2, the conveyor 19B is smoothly transferred to the downstream side conveyor 19B while the shrinkage is promoted.

Although the particularly preferable embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment and can be modified into various embodiments.

1 Conveyor 5 Air transport part G Rubber sheet material 20 Rubber extruder

Claims (7)

A device for transporting unvulcanized rubber sheet material extruded by a rubber extruder.
Look including an aerial conveyance section for moving to the downstream side in the conveying direction while floating the rubber sheet material in the air,
The aerial transport unit
A holding means for holding the downstream end of the rubber sheet material in the transport direction, and
A moving means for moving the holding means to the downstream side, and
The rubber sheet material held by the holding means includes a blowing means for supplying a gas for floating the material in the air.
Rubber sheet material transfer device. The rubber sheet material transporting device according to claim 1 , wherein the air blowing means includes an air volume adjusting tool that changes the supply amount of the gas based on the floating height of the rubber sheet material. The rubber sheet material transporting device according to claim 2 , wherein the air volume adjusting tool includes a measuring means for measuring the floating height. A first conveyor having a first mounting surface on which the rubber sheet material is mounted is provided on the upstream side of the aerial transport unit in the transport direction.
The rubber sheet material transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first mounting surface is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the transporting direction. A second conveyor having a second mounting surface on which the rubber sheet material is mounted is provided on the downstream side of the aerial transport unit in the transport direction.
The rubber sheet material transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second mounting surface is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the transporting direction. The rubber sheet material transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein a cooling means for cooling the rubber sheet material is provided on the upstream side of the aerial transporting portion. A method for transporting unvulcanized rubber sheet material extruded by a rubber extruder.
Including an aerial transfer step of moving the rubber sheet material to the downstream side in the transfer direction while floating in the air.
The aerial transfer step is
A step of holding the end of the rubber sheet material on the downstream side in the transport direction, and
A step of moving the held rubber sheet material to the downstream side, and
A step of supplying gas from below in order to float the rubber sheet material moving to the downstream side in the air is included.
How to transport rubber sheet material.

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