JP7490977B2 - Fiber Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fibrous material processing device.

In recent years, dry sheet manufacturing devices that use as little water as possible have been proposed, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. This sheet manufacturing device includes, for example, a coarse crushing section that roughly crushes the raw material, a defibrating section that defibrates the coarsely crushed pieces produced in the coarse crushing section, a deposition section that deposits the defibrated material produced in the defibrating section, and a molding section that molds the deposit produced in the deposition section.

In addition, the sheet manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1 has humidification units installed in multiple locations. Moisturization by these humidification units suppresses the electrostatic charge of coarsely crushed pieces, defibrated material, and deposits, enabling good and smooth sheet production.

The sheet manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1 also discloses that, for example, when the power is turned off, water remaining inside each humidification section is discharged to the outside of the device.

Patent Publication No. WO2018/043065

However, if the humidification method used by the humidifier is to hydrate a liquid-retaining portion such as a filter and then evaporate the water, even if the water in the container is drained, there is a risk that the water remaining in the filter will drip over time, resulting in residual water remaining in the container.

The present invention provides a fibrous material treating apparatus comprising a treatment section for treating a material containing fibers, and a humidifying section for humidifying the material treated by the treatment section,
The humidifier includes a first humidifier including a container having a storage space for storing a liquid, a liquid retaining section provided in the container, and a discharging section that vaporizes the liquid contained in the liquid retaining section and discharges the vaporized liquid together with air;
A first drainage section that drains liquid from within the container;
A control unit that controls the operation of the first drainage unit,
The control unit is characterized in that it controls the operation of the first drainage unit so as to perform a first drainage operation to drain the liquid from the container and a second drainage operation to drain the liquid contained in the liquid holding unit with a time difference.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a fibrous material treating apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the humidifier shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the humidifier shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an evaporative humidifier of the humidifiers shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a mist type humidifier among the humidifiers shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, in which the first mode is being performed. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the second mode is being performed. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the second mode is being performed. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, in which the second mode is being performed. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, in which the third mode is being performed. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the fourth mode is being performed. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the fifth mode is being performed. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the sixth mode is being performed. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the sixth mode is being performed. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the operation state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the sixth mode is being performed. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation performed by the control unit included in the humidifier shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation performed by the control unit included in the humidifier shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the sixth mode is being performed. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the sixth mode is being performed. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and shows the state in which the sixth mode is being performed. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation performed by the control unit included in the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and is a flowchart for explaining the sixth mode in detail. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation performed by the control unit included in the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, and is a flowchart for explaining the sixth mode in detail.

The fibrous material treatment device of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiment shown in the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a fibrous body treatment device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the humidifier shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an evaporation type humidifier among the humidifiers shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a mist type humidifier among the humidifiers shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the first mode is being performed. FIGS. 7 to 9 are schematic diagrams showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the second mode is being performed. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the third mode is being performed. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the fourth mode is being performed. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the fifth mode is being performed. FIGS. 13 to 15 are schematic diagrams showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the sixth mode is being performed. Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 are flow charts showing an example of a control operation performed by a control unit included in the humidifier shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in Fig. 2, showing a state in which the sixth mode is being performed. Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in Fig. 2, showing a state in which the sixth mode is being performed. Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the humidifier shown in Fig. 2, showing a state in which the sixth mode is being performed. Figs. 21 and 22 are flow charts showing an example of a control operation performed by a control unit included in the humidifier shown in Fig. 2, and are flow charts for explaining the sixth mode in detail.

For ease of explanation, the three mutually perpendicular axes are referred to as the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, as shown in Figure 1. The x-y plane including the x-axis and y-axis is horizontal, and the z-axis is vertical. The direction in which the arrows on each axis point is referred to as "+", and the opposite direction as "-". The top side of Figure 1 is sometimes referred to as "top" or "upper", and the bottom side as "bottom" or "lower".

The fibrous body processing device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that roughly crushes and defibrates raw material M1, mixes with a binding material, deposits the deposit, and molds the deposit to obtain a molded body. The fibrous body processing device 100 also includes a humidifying device 10, which humidifies each part while performing the above-mentioned processing.

The molded body produced by the fibrous body processing device 100 may be, for example, in the form of a sheet like recycled paper, or in the form of a block. The density of the molded body is not particularly limited, and it may be a molded body with a relatively high fiber density like a sheet, a molded body with a relatively low fiber density like a sponge, or a molded body with a mixture of these characteristics. In the following, the molded body produced will be described as a sheet S, which is recycled paper.

The fibrous material processing device 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a raw material supply unit 11, a coarse crushing unit 12, a defibrating unit 13, a sorting unit 14, a first web forming unit 15, a subdivision unit 16, a mixing unit 17, a dispersion unit 18, a second web forming unit 19, a molding unit 20, a cutting unit 21, a stock unit 22, a recovery unit 27, a control unit 28 that controls the operation of these units, and a humidifier 10. Each of the raw material supply unit 11 to the stock unit 22 is a processing unit that processes material containing fibers.

In addition, in the fiber processing device 100, the raw material supply process, the coarse crushing process, the defibration process, the sorting process, the first web formation process, the cutting process, the mixing process, the release process, the deposition process, the sheet formation process, and the cutting process are carried out in this order.

The configuration of each part will be described below.
The raw material supplying section 11 is a section that performs a raw material supplying step of supplying the raw material M1 to the crushing section 12. The raw material M1 may be a sheet-like material made of a fiber-containing material containing cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers may be fibrous and contain cellulose as a compound as the main component, and may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose. The raw material M1 may be in any form, such as woven fabric or nonwoven fabric. The raw material M1 may be, for example, recycled paper produced by disintegrating waste paper and regenerating it, or synthetic paper such as Yupo paper (registered trademark), or it may not be recycled paper.

The crushing unit 12 is a part that performs a crushing process in which the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 is crushed in air or other atmosphere. The crushing unit 12 has a pair of crushing blades 121 and a chute 122.

The pair of crushing blades 121 rotate in opposite directions to each other, and between them, the raw material M1 is crushed, i.e., cut into crushed pieces M2. The shape and size of the crushed pieces M2 are preferably suitable for the defibration process in the defibration section 13, and are preferably small pieces with a side length of 100 mm or less, and more preferably 10 mm to 70 mm.

The chute 122 is disposed below the pair of crushing blades 121 and is, for example, funnel-shaped. This allows the chute 122 to receive the coarsely crushed pieces M2 that have been crushed by the crushing blades 121 and fallen down.

The chute 122 is connected to the defibration unit 13 via a pipe 241. The coarse fragments M2 collected in the chute 122 pass through the pipe 241 and are transported to the defibration unit 13.

The defibrating unit 13 is a section that performs the defibrating process in which the coarsely crushed pieces M2 are defibrated in the air, i.e., in a dry manner. The defibrating process in this defibrating unit 13 makes it possible to produce defibrated material M3 from the coarsely crushed pieces M2. Here, "defibrating" refers to untangling the coarsely crushed pieces M2, which are made up of multiple fibers bound together, into individual fibers. This untangled material becomes the defibrated material M3. The shape of the defibrated material M3 is linear or band-like. Furthermore, the defibrated material M3 may exist in a state where it is entangled with other pieces to form lumps, i.e., in a state where it forms so-called "lumps."

In this embodiment, the defibrating unit 13 is composed of an impeller mill having a rotating blade that rotates at high speed and a liner located on the outer periphery of the rotating blade. The coarsely crushed pieces M2 that flow into the defibrating unit 13 are sandwiched between the rotating blade and the liner and defibrated.

The defibrating unit 13 can generate an air flow, i.e., an air current, from the coarse crushing unit 12 to the sorting unit 14 by rotating the rotary blade. This allows the coarsely crushed pieces M2 to be sucked into the defibrating unit 13 from the pipe 241. After the defibrating process, the defibrated material M3 can be sent to the sorting unit 14 via the pipe 242.

A blower 261 is installed midway through the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an airflow generating device that generates an airflow toward the sorting section 14. This promotes the sending of the defibrated material M3 to the sorting section 14.

The sorting section 14 is a section that carries out a sorting process in which the defibrated material M3 is sorted according to the length of the fibers. In the sorting section 14, the defibrated material M3 is sorted into a first sorted material M4-1 and a second sorted material M4-2 that is larger than the first sorted material M4-1. The first sorted material M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of the sheet S. It is preferable that the average length of the first sorted material M4-1 is 1 μm or more and 30 μm or less. On the other hand, the second sorted material M4-2 includes, for example, material that is insufficiently defibrated and material in which defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated together.

The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing 142 that houses the drum unit 141.

The drum section 141 is a sieve that is composed of a cylindrical mesh body and rotates around its central axis. The defibrated material M3 flows into this drum section 141. Then, as the drum section 141 rotates, defibrated material M3 that is smaller than the mesh opening is sorted as the first sorted material M4-1, and defibrated material M3 that is larger than the mesh opening is sorted as the second sorted material M4-2.
The first sorted item M4-1 falls from the drum section 141.

Meanwhile, the second sorted material M4-2 is sent to pipe 243 connected to the drum section 141. Pipe 243 is connected to pipe 241 on the side opposite to the drum section 141, i.e., the downstream side. The second sorted material M4-2 that passes through this pipe 243 merges with the coarsely crushed pieces M2 inside pipe 241 and flows into the defibration section 13 together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2. As a result, the second sorted material M4-2 is returned to the defibration section 13 and is defibrated together with the coarsely crushed pieces M2.

The first selected material M4-1 from the drum unit 141 falls while dispersing in the air, and heads toward the first web forming unit 15 located below the drum unit 141. The first web forming unit 15 is a unit that carries out the first web forming process, which forms the first web M5 from the first selected material M4-1. The first web forming unit 15 has a mesh belt 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction unit 153.

The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt on which the first sorted material M4-1 is accumulated. This mesh belt 151 is looped around three tension rollers 152. As the tension rollers 152 rotate, the first sorted material M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is transported downstream.

The size of the first sorted material M4-1 is equal to or larger than the mesh size of the mesh belt 151. This restricts the passage of the first sorted material M4-1 through the mesh belt 151, and therefore allows it to accumulate on the mesh belt 151. Furthermore, the first sorted material M4-1 is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 151 while being accumulated on the mesh belt 151, and is therefore formed as a layered first web M5.

The first sorted material M4-1 may also contain dust, dirt, etc. Dust, for example, may be generated by crushing or defibration. Such dust, dirt, etc. will be collected in the collection section 27, which will be described later.

The suction unit 153 is a suction mechanism that sucks in air from below the mesh belt 151. This allows dust and dirt that has passed through the mesh belt 151 to be sucked in together with the air.

The suction unit 153 is also connected to the collection unit 27 via a tube 244. The dust and dirt sucked by the suction unit 153 is collected in the collection unit 27.

A pipe 245 is further connected to the collection section 27. A blower 262 is installed midway along the pipe 245. By operating the blower 262, a suction force can be generated in the suction section 153. This promotes the formation of the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151. This first web M5 has been removed of dust and dirt. By operating the blower 262, the dust and dirt pass through the pipe 244 and reach the collection section 27.

A subdivision section 16 is disposed downstream of the mesh belt 151. The subdivision section 16 is a section that performs a cutting process to cut the first web M5 peeled off from the mesh belt 151. The subdivision section 16 has a rotatably supported propeller 161 and a housing 162 that houses the propeller 161. The first web M5 can be cut by the rotating propeller 161. The cut first web M5 becomes a fragmented body M6. The fragmented body M6 descends inside the housing 162.

A mixing section 17 is disposed downstream of the subdivision section 16. The mixing section 17 is a section that performs a mixing process in which the subdivision body M6 is mixed with the additive. This mixing section 17 has an additive supply section 171, a pipe 172, and a blower 173.

The pipe 172 connects the housing 162 of the subdivision section 16 to the housing 182 of the dispersion section 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivision body M6 and the additive passes.

An additive supply unit 171 is connected to the middle of the tube 172. The additive supply unit 171 has a housing 170 in which the additive is accommodated, and a screw feeder 174 provided within the housing 170. By rotating the screw feeder 174, the additive within the housing 170 is pushed out of the housing 170 and supplied into the tube 172. The additive supplied into the tube 172 is mixed with the finely divided body M6 to become a mixture M7.

The additives supplied from the additive supply unit 171 include, for example, a binder that bonds fibers together, a colorant for coloring the fibers, an aggregation inhibitor for inhibiting fiber aggregation, a flame retardant for making fibers less flammable, a paper strength enhancer for enhancing the paper strength of the sheet S, defibrated material, etc., and one or more of these may be used in combination. Below, as an example, a case where the additive is resin P1 as a binder will be described. The strength of the sheet S can be increased by the additive including a binder that bonds fibers together.

Resin P1 may be in the form of a powder or particles. Resin P1 may be, for example, a thermoplastic resin, a curable resin, or the like, but it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyolefins such as AS resin, ABS resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, modified polyolefins, and acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyesters such as polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12, and nylon 6-66, liquid crystal polymers such as polyphenylene ether, polyacetal, polyether, polyphenylene oxide, polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, thermoplastic polyimide, polyetherimide, and aromatic polyester, and various thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene, polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polybutadiene, trans polyisoprene, fluororubber, and chlorinated polyethylene. One or more of these may be used in combination. As the thermoplastic resin, polyester or one containing it is preferably used.

A blower 173 is also installed in the pipe 172 downstream of the additive supply section 171. The action of the rotating parts such as blades of the blower 173 promotes mixing of the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1. The blower 173 can also generate an airflow toward the dispersion section 18. This airflow can agitate the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1 within the pipe 172. As a result, the mixture M7 is transported to the dispersion section 18 with the fragmented bodies M6 and the resin P1 uniformly dispersed. The fragmented bodies M6 in the mixture M7 are also loosened as they pass through the pipe 172, becoming finer fibrous.

As shown in FIG. 1, the blower 173 is electrically connected to the control unit 28, and its operation is controlled. In addition, the amount of air sent into the drum 181 can be adjusted by adjusting the airflow rate of the blower 173.

Although not shown, the end of the pipe 172 on the drum 181 side is branched into two, and the branched ends are each connected to an inlet (not shown) formed on the end face of the drum 181.

The dispersion unit 18 shown in FIG. 1 is a part that performs a discharge process to loosen and release entangled fibers in the mixture M7. The dispersion unit 18 has a drum 181 that introduces and discharges the defibrated mixture M7, a housing 182 that contains the drum 181, and a drive source 183 that drives the drum 181 to rotate.

The drum 181 is a sieve that is composed of a cylindrical mesh and rotates around its central axis. As the drum 181 rotates, fibers and other components of the mixture M7 that are smaller than the mesh openings can pass through the drum 181. At that time, the mixture M7 is loosened and released together with air. In other words, the drum 181 functions as a release section that releases material that includes fibers.

The driving source 183 includes a motor, a reducer, and a belt, which are not shown. The motor is electrically connected to the control unit 28 via a motor driver. The rotational force output from the motor is reduced by the reducer. The belt is, for example, an endless belt, and is wound around the output shaft of the reducer and the outer periphery of the drum. As a result, the rotational force of the output shaft of the reducer is transmitted to the drum 181 via the belt.

The mixture M7 discharged from the drum 181 falls while dispersing in the air, heading toward the second web forming section 19 located below the drum 181. The second web forming section 19 is a section that carries out a deposition process in which the mixture M7 is deposited to form the second web M8, which is a deposit. The second web forming section 19 has a mesh belt 191, a tension roller 192, and a suction section 193.

The mesh belt 191 is a mesh member, and in the illustrated configuration, is an endless belt. The mixture M7 dispersed and released by the dispersion section 18 accumulates on the mesh belt 191. This mesh belt 191 is wrapped around four tension rollers 192. The mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is transported downstream by the rotational drive of the tension rollers 192.

In the illustrated configuration, a mesh belt 191 is used as an example of a mesh member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mesh member may be, for example, a flat plate.

Moreover, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is larger than the mesh openings of the mesh belt 191. This prevents the mixture M7 from passing through the mesh belt 191, and therefore allows it to accumulate on the mesh belt 191. As the mixture M7 accumulates on the mesh belt 191, it is transported downstream together with the mesh belt 191, and is formed as a layered second web M8.

The suction section 193 is a suction mechanism that sucks air from below the mesh belt 191. This allows the mixture M7 to be sucked onto the mesh belt 191, thereby facilitating the deposition of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

A pipe 246 is connected to the suction unit 193. A blower 263 is installed midway through this pipe 246. By operating this blower 263, a suction force can be generated in the suction unit 193.

A forming section 20 is disposed downstream of the second web forming section 19. The forming section 20 is a section that performs the sheet forming process to form a sheet S from the second web M8. This forming section 20 has a pressure section 201 and a heating section 202.

The pressure applying section 201 has a pair of calendar rollers 203, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 between the calendar rollers 203 without heating it. This increases the density of the second web M8. When heating, the degree of heating is preferably such that the resin P1 does not melt. The second web M8 is then transported toward the heating section 202. One of the pair of calendar rollers 203 is a driven roller that is driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The heating section 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and can apply pressure to the second web M8 while heating it between the heating rollers 204. This heating and pressurization melts the resin P1 in the second web M8, and the fibers are bonded together via the molten resin P1. This forms a sheet S. Then, this sheet S is transported toward the cutting section 21. Note that one of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a driven roller that is driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The cutting section 21 is located downstream of the forming section 20. The cutting section 21 is a section that performs the cutting process to cut the sheet S. This cutting section 21 has a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

The first cutter 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet S, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

The second cutter 212 is downstream of the first cutter 211 and cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the sheet S. This cut is performed to remove unnecessary portions from both side edges of the sheet S, i.e., the edges in the +y-axis direction and the -y-axis direction, to adjust the width of the sheet S, and the cut and removed portions are known as "selvages."

By cutting with the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212 in this manner, a sheet S of the desired shape and size is obtained. This sheet S is then transported further downstream and accumulated in the stock section 22.

The molding unit 20 is not limited to a configuration for molding into a sheet S as described above, but may be configured to mold into a block-shaped, spherical, or other shaped body.

Each part of the fibrous body treatment device 100 is electrically connected to the control unit 28. The operation of each part is controlled by the control unit 28.

The control unit 28 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 281 and a memory unit 282. The CPU 281 can execute various programs stored in the memory unit 282, and can perform, for example, various judgments and various commands.

The memory unit 282 stores various programs, such as a program for manufacturing the sheet S, as well as various calibration curves, tables, etc.

The control unit 28 may be built into the fiber body processing device 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. The external device may, for example, communicate with the fiber body processing device 100 via a cable or the like, communicate wirelessly, or be connected to the fiber body processing device 100 via a network such as the Internet.

The CPU 281 and the memory unit 282 may be integrated, for example, and configured as a single unit, or the CPU 281 may be built into the fiber body processing device 100 and the memory unit 282 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer, or the memory unit 282 may be built into the fiber body processing device 100 and the CPU 281 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

Next, the humidifier 10 will be described.
As shown in Figure 2, the humidifying device 10 humidifies each part of the fibrous body processing device 100, and includes multiple humidifiers, namely, humidifier 3A, humidifier 3B, humidifier 3C, humidifier 3D and humidifier 3E, a tank 4, a resupply unit 5, a first liquid delivery unit 6A, a second liquid delivery unit 6B, and a control unit 7 that controls the operation of these units.

First, humidifiers 3A to 3C will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, humidifier 3A is installed in the crushing section 12, more specifically, above the chute 122 of the crushing section 12. Humidifier 3B is installed in the sorting section 14, more specifically, connected to the housing 142 of the sorting section 14. Humidifier 3C is installed in the dispersion section 18, more specifically, connected to the housing 182 of the dispersion section 18. Humidifiers 3A to 3C have the same configuration and the same humidification method except for the different installation locations, so humidifier 3A will be described below as a representative example.

The humidifier 3A is an evaporative humidifier that humidifies the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the chute 122. As shown in FIG. 4, the humidifier 3A has a container 31, a filter 32, a fan 33, a sterilization processing unit 34, and a remaining amount sensor 35, which is the first detection unit.

The container 31 has an air intake 311, an exhaust port 312 which is a release section, a water supply port 313, and a drain port 314. The air intake 311 is an opening that takes in air by operating the fan 33. The exhaust port 312 is an opening that expels air by operating the fan 33.

The water supply port 313 is the portion through which the humidification liquid, in this embodiment, water, is introduced into the container 31. The water supply port 313 is also connected to the first liquid supply pipe 611A, which will be described later. The water supply port 313 of the humidifier 3B is also connected to the first liquid supply pipe 611A, which will be described later, and the water supply port 313 of the humidifier 3C is connected to the first liquid supply pipe 611A, which will be described later.

The drain outlet 314 is a portion for draining the remaining liquid in the container 31. The drain outlet 314 is connected to the first drain pipe 621A, which will be described later. The drain outlet 314 of the humidifier 3B is also connected to the first drain pipe 621A, and the drain outlet 314 of the humidifier 3C is also connected to the first drain pipe 621A.

The filter 32 is placed in the container 31 and is a liquid-retaining part that absorbs and holds the water in the container 31. The filter 32 is made of a porous material such as a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a sponge. In more detail, when the water level in the container 31 reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the filter 32 comes into contact with the water and absorbs the water by capillary action, becoming wet. The sucked up water is then vaporized by the airflow created by the fan 33, generating humidified air. On the other hand, when the water level in the container 31 falls below the predetermined value, the filter 32 comes out of contact with the water in the container 31. The water contained in the filter 32 then seeps out of the filter 32 into the container 31 due to its own weight.

The maximum water content that the filter 32 can contain is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1% to 20% of the maximum volume of the container 31, and more preferably 2% to 17%.

In addition, when the amount of water contained in the filter 32 is at its maximum water content, it takes approximately 10 seconds to 1000 seconds or less for almost all of the water contained in the filter 32 to seep out from the filter 32 into the container 31.

The fan 33 is an air blowing unit and has a rotating blade and a motor. As shown in FIG. 3, the fan 33 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and its operation is controlled. By operating the fan 33, air is passed through the filter 32 containing moisture and evaporated, and the humidified air with increased humidity can be released from the exhaust port 312.

The sterilization processing unit 34 is a first sterilization processing unit that sterilizes the water in the container 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the sterilization processing unit 34 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and its operation is controlled. The sterilization method by the sterilization processing unit 34 is not particularly limited, and examples include sterilization by heat, sterilization by chemicals, sterilization by irradiation with energy rays such as ultraviolet rays and electromagnetic waves, and sterilization using ozone generated by applying high voltage. Among these, sterilization by irradiation with energy rays, especially ultraviolet rays, is preferable. That is, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet lamp as the sterilization processing unit 34. This allows the ultraviolet rays to be irradiated evenly to the water in the container 31. Therefore, the water in the container 31 can be sterilized evenly, which is excellent in terms of hygiene. Furthermore, no heat or chemicals remain, and the impact of these on the quality of the sheet S can be reduced.

In this specification, "sterilization" refers not only to sterilization of bacteria, viruses, and mold, but also includes lower level sterilization such as germ removal and antibacterial treatment.

In addition, without being limited to the above, the parts that come into contact with water may be made of a material that has antibacterial properties, such as a material that carries silver ions.

The sterilization treatment unit 34 is also provided in the humidifiers 3B to 3E, and can be configured in the same way as the humidifier 3A.

The sterilization methods of the sterilization processing units 34 of the humidifiers 3A to 3E may all be the same or may be different.

The remaining amount sensor 35 is provided in the container 31 and detects the amount of water remaining in the container 31. There are no particular limitations on the remaining amount sensor 35, and for example, a float switch, a transmissive or reflective optical sensor, a self-capacitance or mutual capacitance electrostatic sensor, a magnetic sensor, etc. can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the remaining amount sensor 35 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and information corresponding to the remaining amount of water detected by the remaining amount sensor 35 is converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the control unit 7.

Note that remaining amount sensors 35 are also provided in humidifiers 3B to 3E, and can be configured in the same way as humidifier 3A. The detection methods of the remaining amount sensors 35 of humidifiers 3A to 3E may all be the same or may be different.

Next, the humidifier 3D and the humidifier 3E will be described.
1, the humidifier 3D is installed in the first web forming unit 15, more specifically, above the mesh belt 151. The humidifier 3E is installed in the second web forming unit 19, more specifically, above the mesh belt 191.

Because humidifier 3D and humidifier 3E have the same configuration and use the same humidification method except for their installation locations, humidifier 3D will be described below as a representative example.

As shown in FIG. 5, the humidifier 3D is a mist-type humidifier and has a container 36, an ultrasonic element 37, a sterilization processing unit 34, and a remaining amount sensor 35. The container 36 has an air intake 361, an exhaust 362, a water supply 363, and a drain 364. The air intake 361 is an opening for taking in air. The exhaust 362 is an opening for discharging humidified air.

The water supply port 363 is a portion through which water for humidification is taken into the container 36. The water supply port 363 is connected to the first liquid supply pipe 611A described later. The water supply port 363 of the humidifier 3E is also connected to the first liquid supply pipe 611A described later. The drain port 364 is a portion through which residual liquid inside the container 36 is discharged. The drain port 364 is connected to the first liquid drain pipe 621A described later. The drain port 364 of the humidifier 3E is also connected to the first liquid drain pipe 621A described later.

The ultrasonic element 37 generates ultrasonic vibrations, forming a water column (not shown) inside the container 36. As this water column is formed, mist is generated around it, and this mist is exhausted from the exhaust port 362 together with the air. This allows humidified air to be released. As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic element 37 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and its operation is controlled.

The sterilization processing unit 34 and remaining amount sensor 35 can be configured in the same way as the humidifiers 3A to 3C described above, so a description of them will be omitted.

Such a humidifier 3D can supply an appropriate amount of moisture to the first web M5, thereby adjusting the moisture content of the first web M5. This adjustment can suppress adhesion of the first web M5 to the mesh belt 151 due to electrostatic force. As a result, the first web M5 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 151 at the position where the mesh belt 151 is folded back by the tension roller 152. As a result, sheet production can be carried out smoothly, and the quality of the sheet S can be stably improved.

The humidifier 3E can supply an appropriate amount of moisture to the second web M8, thereby adjusting the moisture content of the second web M8. This adjustment can suppress adhesion of the second web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to electrostatic force. As a result, the second web M8 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 191 at the position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192. As a result, the sheet can be manufactured smoothly, and the quality of the sheet S can be stably improved.

Humidifiers 3A to 3C thus have container 31 for storing liquid, and sterilization treatment unit 34, which is the first sterilization treatment unit that sterilizes the liquid in container 31. Humidifiers 3D and 3E also have container 36 for storing liquid, and sterilization treatment unit 34, which is the first sterilization treatment unit that sterilizes the liquid in container 36. This allows sterilization of the water in humidifiers 3A to 3E. This makes it possible to suppress the growth of mold and bacteria in humidifiers 3A to 3E and to emit odorless humidified air. As a result, it is possible to manufacture sheets S that are hygienic and have suppressed odors.

The configuration of humidifiers 3A to 3E has been described above. By humidifying the material being transported by such humidifiers 3A to 3E, the material can be transported in a well-loosened state. Furthermore, transport can be performed smoothly. As a result, the quality of sheet S can be improved. Furthermore, the total amount of moisture added by humidifiers 3A to 3E is preferably, for example, 0.5 parts by weight to 20 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the material before humidification.

The fibrous body processing device 100 is a dry type device, specifically a sheet manufacturing device, and does not originally require water to manufacture the sheet S. However, as described above, by humidifying the materials at various points in the device, the quality of the product can be improved. Compared to conventional wet papermaking devices, the amount of water used in the humidifying device is extremely small. Therefore, the sheet S can be easily manufactured even in places where it is difficult to secure water, such as dry areas such as deserts, mountainous areas, cold areas, the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic Circle, inside vehicles and aircraft, etc.

Moreover, the humidifiers 3A to 3E may be configured to humidify not only the material being transported, but also other objects such as the inner walls of the device.

Next, the tank 4 will be described.
2, tank 4 is installed at a position different from humidifiers 3A to humidifiers 3E, and is a portion for storing liquid for humidification, i.e., water. Tank 4 has a storage section 40 for storing water for humidification, a sterilization processing section 41 provided in storage section 40, and remaining amount sensors 42A, 42B, 42C, and 42D which are second sensors for detecting the remaining amount of water in storage section 40.

The storage section 40 has a first water supply port 401, a first drain port 402, a second water supply port 403, and a second drain port 404.

The first water inlet 401 is connected to each of the humidifiers 3A to 3E via the first liquid supply unit 6A. Water discharged from the humidifiers 3A to 3E flows into the storage unit 40 via the first liquid supply unit 6A and the first water inlet 401 and is stored therein. The first drain outlet 402 is connected to each of the humidifiers 3A to 3E via the first liquid supply unit 6A. Water discharged from the first drain outlet 402 is supplied to each of the humidifiers 3A to 3E via the first drain outlet 402 and the first liquid supply unit 6A.

The second water supply port 403 is connected to the user tank 200 attached to the replenishing unit 5 (described later) via the second liquid delivery unit 6B. Water supplied from the user tank 200 flows into the storage unit 40 via the second liquid delivery unit 6B and the second water supply port 403 and is stored therein. The second drain port 404 is connected to the user tank 200 via the second liquid delivery unit 6B. Water discharged from the second drain port 404 is supplied to the user tank 200 connected to the replenishing unit 5 via the second drain port 404 and the second liquid delivery unit 6B.

The internal volume of the storage section 40 is not particularly limited, but is preferably larger than the combined internal volume of the humidifiers 3A to 3E. Specifically, the internal volume of the storage section 40 is preferably 1.2 times to 100 times the combined internal volume of the humidifiers 3A to 3E, and more preferably 2 times to 50 times. By setting the internal volume in such a range, even if the remaining liquid in the storage section 40 is full and the humidifiers 3A to 3E are drained, the remaining liquid can be stored in the storage section 40, although this depends on the remaining amount in the storage section 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sterilization processing unit 41 is a second sterilization processing unit that sterilizes the water in the storage unit 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the sterilization processing unit 41 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and its operation is controlled. Sterilization methods used by the sterilization processing unit 41 include the sterilization methods mentioned in the description of the sterilization processing unit 34 above. Among them, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet lamp for the sterilization processing unit 41, as with the sterilization processing unit 34. This allows ultraviolet rays to be irradiated evenly onto the water in the storage unit 40. Therefore, the water in the storage unit 40 can be sterilized evenly, which is excellent in terms of hygiene. Furthermore, no heat or chemicals remain, and the impact of these on the quality of the sheet S can be reduced.

In this way, the tank 4 has a sterilization treatment unit 41 as a second sterilization treatment unit that sterilizes the water, which is the liquid in the tank 4. This allows the water in the tank 4 to be sterilized. This makes it possible to suppress the growth of mold and bacteria in the tank 4 and release odorless humidified air. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a sheet S that is hygienic and has a suppressed odor.

As shown in FIG. 2, remaining amount sensor 42A, remaining amount sensor 42B, remaining amount sensor 42C, and remaining amount sensor 42D are arranged along the depth direction of storage section 40. These are arranged from the bottom side in the following order: remaining amount sensor 42D, remaining amount sensor 42C, remaining amount sensor 42B, and remaining amount sensor 42A. The detection method of remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D is not particularly limited, and may be the same detection method as the detection method described above for remaining amount sensor 35.

As shown in FIG. 3, the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D are each electrically connected to the control unit 7, and information corresponding to the remaining amount of water detected by the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D is each transmitted to the control unit 7.

Next, the supply unit 5 will be described.
2, the replenishing unit 5 is a connection unit to which the user tank 200 is attached and connected. The replenishing unit 5 is connected to the tank 4 via the second liquid delivery unit 6B. When the user tank 200 is attached to the replenishing unit 5, water in the user tank 200 can be replenished to the tank 4 via the second liquid delivery unit 6B. A user of the fibrous body treatment device 100 refills the user tank 200 with water as necessary and attaches it to the replenishing unit 5.

It is preferable that the internal volume of the user tank 200 is sufficiently larger than the internal volume of the tank 4. Specifically, it is preferable that the internal volume of the user tank 200 is at least 2 times and not more than 50 times the total internal volume of the storage section 40, and more preferably at least 5 times and not more than 10 times. By setting it in such a numerical range, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the frequency with which the user refills the user tank 200 with water.

In the humidifier 10, the supply unit 5 is not limited to being connected to the user tank 200, and may be connected to a water supply hose, for example. Also, the supply unit 5 may be configured as a funnel, and the user may supply water to the funnel as needed.

Although not shown, it is preferable that the supply unit 5 has a detection means for detecting that the user tank 200 or the like is connected. This allows, for example, a configuration in which the first, second, fifth, and sixth modes described below are executed only when a connection is detected.

Next, the first liquid delivery section 6A will be described.
2, the first liquid delivery unit 6A delivers liquid between the humidifiers 3A to 3E and the tank 4. The first liquid delivery unit 6A has a first liquid supply unit 61A, a first liquid drainage unit 62A, a pump 63A, and a pump 64A.

The first liquid supply section 61A supplies water from the tank 4 to the humidifiers 3A to 3E. The first liquid supply section 61A has a first liquid supply pipe 611A that extends from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4, and valves 612A, 613A, 614A, 615A, 616A, 617A, and 618A that are provided midway along the first liquid supply pipe 611A.

One end of the first liquid supply pipe 611A is connected to the first drain port 402 of the tank 4. The other end of the first liquid supply pipe 611A branches into two at branch a. The portion of the first liquid supply pipe 611A to the left of branch a in FIG. 2 branches into two at branch b, one of which is connected to the water supply port 313 of the humidifier 3C. The other branch at branch b branches into two at branch c, one of which is connected to the water supply port 313 of the humidifier 3B and the other is connected to the water supply port 313 of the humidifier 3A.

On the other hand, the portion of the first liquid supply pipe 611A to the right of branch point a in FIG. 2 branches into two at branch point d, one of which is connected to the water supply port 363 of the humidifier 3D. The other of the two branches at branch point d is connected to the water supply port 363 of the humidifier 3E.

Valve 612A is provided in the portion of first liquid supply pipe 611A between branch a and branch b. Valve 612A opens and closes first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing and blocking the passage of water.

The valve 613A is provided in the first liquid supply pipe 611A in a portion between the branch c and the humidifier 3A. The valve 613A opens and closes the first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between supplying water to the humidifier 3A and blocking it.

The valve 614A is provided in the first liquid supply pipe 611A in a portion between the branch c and the humidifier 3B. The valve 614A opens and closes the first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between supplying water to the humidifier 3B and blocking it.

The valve 615A is provided in the portion of the first liquid supply pipe 611A between the branch b and the humidifier 3C. The valve 615A opens and closes the first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between supplying water to the humidifier 3C and blocking it.

Valve 616A is provided in the portion of first liquid supply pipe 611A between branch a and branch d. Valve 616A opens and closes first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing and blocking the passage of water.

The valve 617A is provided in the first liquid supply pipe 611A in a portion between the branch d and the humidifier 3D. The valve 617A opens and closes the first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between supplying water to the humidifier 3D and blocking it.

The valve 618A is provided in the first liquid supply pipe 611A in a portion between the branch d and the humidifier 3E. The valve 618A opens and closes the first liquid supply pipe 611A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between supplying water to the humidifier 3E and blocking it.

Valves 612A to 618A are, for example, electromagnetic valves. As shown in FIG. 3, valves 612A to 618A are electrically connected to the control unit 7, and their operation is controlled independently. In this embodiment, valves 612A to 618A are each switched between an open state and a closed state, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured to adjust the opening degree stepwise or continuously, for example.

This first liquid supply section 61A allows water to be selectively supplied to humidifiers 3A to 3C.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first drainage section 62A drains the water in the humidifiers 3A to 3E into the tank 4. The first drainage section 62A has a first drainage pipe 621A extending from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4, valves 622A, 623A, 624A, 625A, 626A, 627A and 628A provided midway along the first drainage pipe 621A, a sterilization processing section 65A and a filtration filter 66A.

One end of the first drain pipe 621A is connected to the first water supply port 401. The other end of the first drain pipe 621A branches into two at branch point e. The portion of the first drain pipe 621A to the left of branch point e in FIG. 2 branches into two at branch point f, one of which is connected to the drain port 314 of the humidifier 3C. The other branch at branch point f branches into two at branch point g, one of which is connected to the drain port 314 of the humidifier 3B and the other is connected to the drain port 314 of the humidifier 3A.

On the other hand, the portion of the first drain pipe 621A to the right of branch point e in FIG. 2 branches into two at branch point h, one of which is connected to the drain outlet 364 of the humidifier 3D. The other of the two branches at branch point h is connected to the drain outlet 364 of the humidifier 3E.

Valve 622A is provided in the portion of first drainage pipe 621A between branching points e and f. Valve 622A opens and closes first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing and blocking water passage.

The valve 623A is provided in the portion of the first drainage pipe 621A between the branch g and the humidifier 3A. The valve 623A opens and closes the first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass through and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between draining water from the humidifier 3A and blocking it.

The valve 624A is provided in the portion of the first drainage pipe 621A between the branch g and the humidifier 3B. The valve 624A opens and closes the first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass through and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between draining water from the humidifier 3B and blocking it.

The valve 625A is provided in the portion of the first drainage pipe 621A between the branching portion f and the humidifier 3C. The valve 625A opens and closes the first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass through and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between draining water from the humidifier 3C and blocking it.

Valve 626A is provided in the portion of first drainage pipe 621A between branching points e and h. Valve 626A opens and closes first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing and blocking water passage.

The valve 627A is provided in the portion of the first drainage pipe 621A between the branch point h and the humidifier 3D. The valve 627A opens and closes the first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass through and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between draining water from the humidifier 3D and blocking it.

The valve 628A is provided in the portion of the first drainage pipe 621A between the branch point h and the humidifier 3E. The valve 628A opens and closes the first drainage pipe 621A in this portion, switching between allowing water to pass through and blocking it. This makes it possible to switch between draining water from the humidifier 3E and blocking it.

Valves 622A to 628A are, for example, electromagnetic valves. As shown in FIG. 3, valves 622A to 628A are electrically connected to the control unit 7, and their operation is controlled independently. In this embodiment, valves 622A to 628A are each switched between an open state and a closed state, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured to adjust the opening degree stepwise or continuously, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sterilization treatment unit 65A is installed in the first drainage pipe 621A between the branch e and the valve 622A. The sterilization treatment unit 65A is a third sterilization treatment unit that sterilizes the water flowing from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the sterilization treatment unit 65A is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and its operation is controlled.

Sterilization methods used by sterilization processing unit 65A include those mentioned in the explanation of sterilization processing unit 34 and sterilization processing unit 41 above. Of these, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet lamp for sterilization processing unit 65A, as with sterilization processing unit 34 and sterilization processing unit 41. This allows ultraviolet light to be irradiated evenly onto the water flowing from humidifiers 3A to 3E to tank 4. This allows sterilization to be performed evenly on the water flowing from humidifiers 3A to 3E to tank 4, which is excellent in terms of hygiene. Furthermore, no heat or chemicals remain, and the impact of these on the quality of sheet S can be reduced.

In this way, the first drainage section 62A has a sterilization processing section 65A, which is a third sterilization processing section that sterilizes the water that is the liquid flowing from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4. This allows the water flowing from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4 to be sterilized. This makes it possible to suppress the growth of mold and bacteria in the tank 4 and release odorless humidified air. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a sheet S that is hygienic and has a suppressed odor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the filter 66A is provided in the first drain pipe 621A between the tank 4 and the branch e, and in the flow path of the first drain pipe 621A. The filter 66A is made of, for example, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a sponge, and has the function of capturing dirt and the like contained in the water passing through. The filter 66A may also be provided in the drain outlet 314 and the drain outlet 364.

In this way, the first drainage section 62A has a filtration filter 66A. This makes it possible to remove limescale, debris, and the like contained in the water flowing from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress the accumulation of limescale and debris in the tank 4, etc.

This first drainage section 62A allows water to be selectively discharged from humidifier 3A to humidifier 3B.

The first liquid supply unit 61A has a first liquid supply pipe 611A, and the first liquid drainage unit 62A has a first liquid drainage pipe 621A that is different from the first liquid supply pipe 611A. For example, if the first liquid supply unit 61A and the first liquid drainage unit 62A are configured with a common pipe, the pump must be configured to be able to pump liquid in both forward and reverse directions. In contrast, by configuring the pumps as separate independent pipes, i.e., the first liquid supply pipe 611A and the first liquid drainage pipe 621A as described above, the range of patterns for supplying and draining liquid to the humidifiers 3A to 3E is expanded. In addition, pumps 63A and 64A that pump liquid in only one direction can be used. This allows the configuration of pumps 63A and 64A to be simplified, and the control of the operation of pumps 63A and 64A to be simplified.

The first liquid supply section 61A and the first liquid drain section 62A have valves 612A to 618A and valves 622A to 628A that switch between passing and blocking the water, which is the liquid in the first liquid supply pipe 611A and the first liquid drain pipe 621A. This makes it possible to select whether to pass or block the water in the first liquid supply pipe 611A and the first liquid drain pipe 621A by a simple configuration that controls the opening and closing of the valves 612A to 618A and the valves 622A to 628A. In particular, opening and closing can be selected for each of the humidifiers 3A to 3E, making it easy to select which of the humidifiers 3A to 3E to supply water to or which of the humidifiers 3A to 3E to drain.

The first liquid supply section 61A and the first liquid drainage section 62A also have a common pump 63A and pump 64A.

2, the pump 63A is installed in the first supply pipe 611A between the valve 612A and the branch b, and in the first drain pipe 621A between the branch f and the valve 622A. In other words, the pump 63A is connected to the first supply pipe 611A on the left side of the branch a in FIG. 2 and the first drain pipe 621A on the left side of the branch e in FIG. 2. The pump 63A delivers liquid in only one direction. For this reason, the first supply pipe 611A and the first drain pipe 621A are connected from the right side of the pump 63A in FIG. 2 at the upstream side in the direction in which the water flows down, and connected from the left side of the pump 63A in FIG. 2 at the downstream side in the direction in which the water flows down.

The pump 64A is installed in the first supply pipe 611A between the valve 616A and the branch d, and in the first drain pipe 621A between the branch h and the valve 626A. In other words, the pump 64A is connected to the first supply pipe 611A to the right of the branch a in FIG. 2 and the first drain pipe 621A to the right of the branch e in FIG. 2. The pump 64A delivers liquid in only one direction. For this reason, the first supply pipe 611A and the first drain pipe 621A are connected from the left side of the pump 64A in FIG. 2 at the upstream side in the direction in which the water flows down, and connected from the right side of the pump 64A in FIG. 2 at the downstream side in the direction in which the water flows down.

As shown in FIG. 3, pumps 63A and 64A are electrically connected to control unit 7, and their operation is controlled independently. There are no particular limitations on pumps 63A and 64A as long as they have the function of pumping liquid, and for example, a vacuum pump or the like can be used.

In addition, in the illustrated configuration, pump 63A and pump 64A pump liquid in only one direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and pumps may be capable of pumping liquid in both forward and reverse directions by changing the energization conditions.

In this way, the first liquid delivery unit 6A has the pump 63A and the pump 64A, and the first liquid supply unit 61A and the first liquid drainage unit 62A share the pump 63A and the pump 64A. This makes it possible to reduce the number of pumps to be installed and to simplify the device configuration.
The first liquid delivery section 6A has been described above.

As mentioned above, the first liquid delivery section 6A has a first liquid drainage section 62A that delivers liquid from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4, i.e., drains water. As a result, even if the humidifier 10 is turned off while there is water remaining in the humidifiers 3A to 3E, the water in the humidifiers 3A to 3E can be returned to the tank 4 and reused. As a result, the water utilization efficiency can be improved. In particular, when the humidifier 10 is applied to a dry-type fibrous body treatment device 100 as shown in FIG. 1, it is effective because the amount of water used can be further reduced.

The first drainage section 62A and the second drainage section 62A may each have a separate pump. This allows for a wider range of water supply and drainage patterns for the humidifiers 3A to 3E.

Next, the second liquid delivery section 6B will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the second liquid delivery section 6B has a second liquid supply section 61B and a second liquid drainage section 62B.

The second liquid supply unit 61B supplies water from the user tank 200 to the tank 4. The second liquid supply unit 61B has a second liquid supply pipe 611B, a valve 612B and a valve 613B provided midway along the second liquid supply pipe 611B, and a water softening filter 64B.

One end of the second supply pipe 611B is connected to the replenishing unit 5, and the other end is connected to the second water supply port 403. The valve 612B is provided midway through the second supply pipe 611B, and the valve 613B is provided on the second supply pipe 611B closer to the second water supply port 403 than the valve 612B. The valves 612B and 613B open and close the second supply pipe 611B at the installed portion, switching between allowing and blocking the passage of water. This makes it possible to switch between supplying or blocking water from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4.

The water softening filter 64B is installed in the second liquid supply pipe 611B between the valve 612B and the replenishing unit 5. The water softening filter 64B is a filter that comes into contact with the water flowing from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4 in the second liquid supply pipe 611B and adsorbs and removes hardness components contained in the water. Examples of hardness components contained in water include calcium ions and magnesium ions. The water softening filter 64B is not particularly limited as long as it exhibits the above function, but it is preferable that it contains a strongly acidic cation exchange resin.

In this way, the second liquid delivery section 6B has a water softening filter 64B that softens the liquid water flowing from the supply section 5 to the tank 4. This makes it possible to remove hardness components such as calcium ions and magnesium ions from the water for humidification. This makes it possible to prevent the sheet S from containing an excessive amount of hardness components, thereby improving the quality of the sheet S. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the adhesion of hardness components to each part of the humidifier 10, making maintenance of these parts easier.

The second drainage section 62B drains the water from the tank 4 into the user tank 200. The second drainage section 62B has a second drainage pipe 621B and valves 622B and 623B provided midway along the second drainage pipe 621B.

One end of the second drain pipe 621B is connected to the supply unit 5, and the other end is connected to the second drain outlet 404. The valve 622B is provided midway through the second supply pipe 611B, and the valve 623B is provided on the supply unit 5 side of the valve 622B of the second drain pipe 621B. The valves 622B and 623B open and close the second drain pipe 621B at the installed portion, switching between allowing water to pass through and blocking the passage of water. This makes it possible to switch between draining water from the tank 4 to the supply unit 5 and blocking it.

Valves 612B, 613B, 622B, and 623B are, for example, electromagnetic valves. As shown in FIG. 3, valves 612B, 613B, 622B, and 623B are electrically connected to the control unit 7, and their operation is controlled independently. In this embodiment, valves 612B, 613B, 622B, and 623B are each switched between an open state and a closed state, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured to adjust the opening degree stepwise or continuously, for example.

In addition, the second liquid supply section 61B and the second liquid drain section 62B have a common pump 63B.
As shown in Fig. 2, the pump 63B is installed in a portion of the second liquid supply pipe 611B between the valves 612B and 613B, and in a portion of the second liquid drain pipe 621B between the valves 622B and 623B. In other words, the second liquid supply pipe 611B and the second liquid drain pipe 621B are connected to the pump 63B. The pump 63B sends liquid only in one direction. For this reason, the second liquid supply pipe 611B and the second liquid drain pipe 621B are connected at their upstream portions in the direction in which the water flows down from the left side of the pump 63B in Fig. 2, and are connected at their downstream portions in the direction in which the water flows down from the right side of the pump 63B in Fig. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pump 63B is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and its operation is controlled independently. There are no particular limitations on the pump 63B as long as it has the function of pumping liquid, and for example, a vacuum pump or the like can be used. In addition, in the illustrated configuration, the pump 63B pumps liquid in only one direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be possible to pump liquid in both forward and reverse directions by changing the energization conditions.

The second liquid delivery section 6B has been described above.
Thus, the humidifier 10 includes the replenishing unit 5 that supplies liquid water to the tank 4, and the second liquid sending unit 6B that sends liquid between the replenishing unit 5 and the tank 4. This allows the tank 4 to be replenishing with water from the replenishing unit 5, and, for example, when the tank 4 is full of water, water can be drained toward the replenishing unit 5. Therefore, even if a relatively large amount of water remains in the humidifiers 3A to 3E, the water in the humidifiers 3A to 3E can be more reliably drained.

Next, the control unit 7 will be described.
The control unit 7 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71 and a storage unit 72. The CPU 71 can execute various programs stored in the storage unit 72, and can perform, for example, various judgments and various commands.

The memory unit 72 stores various programs, such as a program for manufacturing the sheet S, as well as various calibration curves, tables, etc.

The control unit 7 may be built into the fiber body processing device 100, or may be provided in an external device such as an external computer. The external device may, for example, communicate with the fiber body processing device 100 via a cable, communicate wirelessly, or be connected to the fiber body processing device 100 via a network such as the Internet.

The CPU 71 and the memory unit 72 may be integrated, for example, and configured as a single unit, or the CPU 71 may be built into the fiber body processing device 100 and the memory unit 72 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer, or the memory unit 72 may be built into the fiber body processing device 100 and the CPU 71 may be provided in an external device such as an external computer.

In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 28 that controls the operation of each part of the fibrous body treatment device 100 and the control unit 7 that controls the operation of each part of the humidification device 10 are provided separately, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the control unit 7 may also have the function of the control unit 28.

Such a control unit 7 has a first mode (first only liquid supply mode), a second mode (simultaneous liquid supply mode), a third mode (second only liquid supply mode), a fourth mode (first only liquid drainage mode), a fifth mode (second only liquid drainage mode), and a sixth mode (simultaneous liquid drainage mode), which are described below, and can selectively execute these modes.

The patterns and orders of the modes to be executed include the pattern shown in FIG. 16 and the pattern shown in FIG. 17. In the pattern shown in FIG. 16, the first mode, second mode, third mode, fourth mode, and fifth mode are executed in that order. In the pattern shown in FIG. 17, the first mode, second mode, third mode, and sixth mode are executed in that order. When the second mode is completed, humidification begins, and then the third mode is executed.

The first to sixth modes will be explained below using Figs. 6 to 15. In Figs. 6 to 15, valves that are open are marked with a "o" and valves that are closed are marked with an "x". Pumps that are operating are marked with a "o" and pumps that are stopped are marked with an "x".

1. First mode (first independent liquid supply mode)
6 is a mode in which, when the power supply of the fibrous material processing apparatus 100 is turned on, preparation is made for starting the production of the sheet S by the fibrous material processing apparatus 100. That is, the first mode is a first independent liquid supply mode in which the first liquid supply unit 6A is not operated, and only the second liquid supply unit 6B is operated independently to supply liquid from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4.

Before starting the first mode, humidifiers 3A to 3E are empty, i.e., the amount of water remaining is below a reference value, and tank 4 is empty, i.e., the amount of water remaining is below a first predetermined value.

The control unit 7 estimates and confirms the remaining amount of water based on the detection results of the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D. Specifically, if none of the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D detects water, the remaining amount is deemed to be less than a first predetermined value, and if only the remaining amount sensor 42D detects water, the remaining amount is deemed to be equal to or greater than the first predetermined value.

When the remaining amount of water, which is the liquid, in the tank 4 is less than a first predetermined value, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the second liquid delivery unit 6B to deliver liquid from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4. In this way, by confirming that the remaining amount of water in the tank 4 is sufficiently low before delivering liquid to the tank 4, the remaining amount of water in the tank 4 can be accurately controlled.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the first mode, the control unit 7 opens valves 612B and 613B and operates pump 63B. This allows liquid to be supplied from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4. Note that in the first mode, pumps 63A and 64A are not operated, and valves 612A to 618A and valves 622A to 628A of the first liquid supply unit 6A are all closed.

Continuing in this first mode increases the amount of water in the tank 4. Then, when the amount of water in the tank 4 reaches or exceeds a first predetermined value, the control unit 7 activates the sterilization processing unit 41 to start sterilization processing of the water in the tank 4.

In this way, the tank 4 is provided with a sterilization processing unit 41 as a second sterilization processing unit that sterilizes the water, which is the liquid inside, and the control unit 7 operates the second sterilization processing unit when the remaining amount of water, which is the liquid inside the tank 4, is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value. This allows the water inside the tank 4 to be sterilized. In addition, since the sterilization processing unit 41 is not operated when there is a relatively small amount of water inside the tank 4, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced.

2. Second mode (simultaneous liquid supply mode)
7 to 9, the second mode is a simultaneous liquid supply mode in which liquid is sent from the tank 4 to the humidifiers 3A to 3E and liquid is sent from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4 simultaneously, i.e., with overlapping in time. That is, in the second mode, the first liquid sending unit 6A and the second liquid sending unit 6B are operated simultaneously. Note that one or both of the start and end times of these liquid sends may be shifted.

In this embodiment, the control unit 7 determines whether to perform the second mode based on the detection results of the remaining amount sensors 35 of the humidifiers 3A to 3E and the detection results of the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D in the tank 4.

First, the control unit 7 judges whether the remaining amount of water is equal to or less than a reference value based on the detection results of the remaining amount sensors 35 of the humidifiers 3A to 3E. The reference value is a value at which it is deemed possible to start humidification by the humidifiers 3A to 3E. The control unit 7 also judges whether the remaining amount of water in the tank 4 is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value based on the detection results of the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D. The second predetermined value is a value at which the tank 4 can supply sufficient water to the humidifiers 3A to 3E. Specifically, the control unit 7 starts the second mode when the remaining amount sensors 35 of the humidifiers 3A to 3E do not detect water and the remaining amount sensors 42C and 42D detect water.

In this way, the control unit 7 executes the second mode, which is a simultaneous liquid supply mode, when the remaining amount of water in the tank 4 is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value that is greater than the first predetermined value, and the remaining amount of the liquid in the humidifier is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount, i.e., equal to or less than a reference value. This allows the second mode to be started at an appropriate timing.

In the second mode, there are three patterns: the state shown in Figure 7, the state shown in Figure 8, and the state shown in Figure 9, and these are performed in sequence.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 7 maintains the second liquid supply unit 6B in the same operating state as in the first mode, while opening valves 612A, 613A, 616A, and 617A in the first liquid supply unit 6A, and operating pumps 63A and 64A. This causes water to be supplied to humidifiers 3A and 3D.

At this time, the valves 614A, 615A, 618A and 622A to 628A are closed.
When the water in the humidifier 3A and the humidifier 3D reaches the reference value, the state transitions to that shown in FIG.

8, the control unit 7 closes the valves 613A and 617A and opens the valves 614A and 618A while maintaining the operation of the pumps 63A and 64A. This causes water to be supplied to the humidifiers 3B and 3E. At this time, the valves 613A, 615A, 617A, and 622A to 628A are closed.
When the water in the humidifiers 3B and 3E reaches the reference value, the state transitions to that shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 7 closes the valves 614A and 618A and opens the valve 615A while keeping the pump 63A operating. This causes water to be supplied to the humidifier 3C.

At this time, the valves 613A, 614A, 617A, 618A and 622A to 628A are in a closed state.
When the water in the humidifier 3E reaches the reference value, the operation mode shifts to the third mode shown in FIG.

When the liquid delivery capacity of pumps 63A, 63B, and 64A is relatively high, water may be supplied to and drained from humidifiers 3A to 3E simultaneously. When humidifiers 3A to 3E are configured to supply or drain water simultaneously, the time required for supplying or draining water can be shortened. On the other hand, when humidifiers 3A to 3E are configured to supply or drain water sequentially, the maximum load on each pump can be reduced.

In this way, the second mode is a simultaneous liquid supply mode in which liquid is sent from the tank 4 to the humidifiers 3A to 3E and from the supply unit 5 to the tank 4 with a time overlap. This second mode allows liquid to be sent more quickly than when liquid is sent to the humidifiers 3A to 3E and from the supply unit 5 to the tank 4 sequentially, i.e., without a time overlap. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes for the humidifier 10 to be in a state where it can humidify after it is turned on. As a result, humidification can be started quickly.

Here, in the second mode, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A and the second liquid delivery unit 6B so that the water in the tank 4 is increased or maintained. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 7 to 9, when the amount of liquid delivered per unit time from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4 is A and the amount of liquid delivered per unit time from the tank 4 to the humidifiers 3A to 3E is B, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A and the second liquid delivery unit 6B so that A ≧ B is satisfied. That is, the control unit 7 controls the energization conditions of the pumps 63A, 64A, and 63B so that A ≧ B is satisfied. As a result, in the second mode, water can be supplied to the humidifiers 3A to 3E without the water in the tank 4 decreasing, i.e., without running out. Therefore, water can be stably supplied to the humidifiers 3A to 3E.

As described above, in the second mode, water can be supplied to the humidifiers 3A to 3E and the tank 4, i.e., the humidifier 10 can be started up quickly and stably.

The amount of liquid A delivered per unit time from the supply unit 5 to the tank 4 is determined by the liquid delivery force of the pump 63B, for example, the liquid delivery speed.

The amount of liquid delivered per unit time B from the tank 4 to the humidifiers 3A to 3E refers to the amount of liquid delivered per unit time from the first drain outlet 402 of the tank 4. The amount of liquid delivered B is determined by the sum of the liquid delivery forces of the pumps 63A and 64A. The flow rate of the part of the first liquid supply pipe 611A branched at branch a is determined by the liquid delivery forces of the pumps 63A and 64A.

It is preferable that the maximum liquid delivery force of pump 63B is equal to or greater than the sum of the maximum liquid delivery forces of pumps 63A and 64A. This allows A ≥ B to be satisfied even when pumps 63A, 64A, and 63B are driven at maximum output.

In the second mode, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A so that liquid is delivered one by one to the humidifiers 3A to 3C that have the same system, and controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A so that liquid is delivered one by one to the humidifiers 3D and 3E that have the same system. In this way, the humidifying device 10 includes a plurality of humidifiers 3A to 3C, 3D, and 3E that are installed in different positions and have the same system. In the second mode, which is the simultaneous liquid supply mode, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A so that liquid is delivered one by one from the tank 4 to each humidifier of the same system. This type of control can be achieved by a simple method of providing dedicated valves for each humidifier 3A to 3E and controlling the opening and closing of these valves. In other words, the control operation can be simplified.

In the second mode, as shown in FIG. 7, liquid is sent to the humidifiers 3A and 3D, which use different methods, all at once, and as shown in FIG. 8, liquid is sent to the humidifiers 3B and 3E, which use different methods, all at once. In this way, the humidifying device 10 includes humidifiers 3A to 3E, which are multiple humidifiers installed in different locations and use different methods. In the second mode, which is the simultaneous liquid supply mode, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid supply unit 6A to send liquid from the tank 4 to the humidifiers using different methods all at once. This makes it possible to shorten the total time required to supply water to all of the humidifiers 3A to 3E. This allows the humidifying device 10 to start up even more quickly.

As described above, humidifiers 3A to 3E have remaining amount sensor 35 as a first detection unit that detects the remaining amount of water, which is the liquid inside, and tank 4 has remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D as a second detection unit that detects the remaining amount of water, which is the liquid inside. Then, control unit 7 controls the operation of first liquid delivery unit 6A and second liquid delivery unit 6B based on the detection results of remaining amount sensor 35 and remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D. This allows the start and end timing of the second mode and switching between other modes to be performed at appropriate timing.

In addition, when the remaining amount sensors 42B to 42D among the remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D detect water and the remaining amount sensor 42A does not detect water, the remaining amount is considered to be a third predetermined value that is greater than the second predetermined value. When the amount of water in the tank 4 reaches or exceeds the third predetermined value that is greater than the second predetermined value, the operation of the pump 63B is stopped and the valves 612B and 613B are closed. This makes it possible to stop the supply of water to the tank 4. In this way, when the remaining amount of water, which is a liquid in the tank 4, is equal to or greater than the third predetermined value that is greater than the second predetermined value, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the second liquid delivery unit 6B to stop the supply of water from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4, i.e., the delivery of the liquid. This makes it possible to prevent the amount of water in the tank 4 from becoming excessively large.

The second mode has been described above. Once the second mode is completed, humidification by humidifiers 3A to 3E begins. Next, the third mode will be described.

3. Third mode (second only supply mode)
The third mode shown in Fig. 10 is a second independent liquid supply mode that is performed when the water inside any of the humidifiers 3A to 3E falls below a reference value during operation of the fibrous body processing apparatus 100, i.e., during the production of the sheet S. In the third mode, water is not supplied from the replenishing unit 5 to the tank 4, and water is supplied from the tank 4 to any of the humidifiers 3A to 3E. If the remaining amount sensor 35 of the humidifiers 3A to 3E does not detect water, it is assumed that the water inside is low, and the first liquid supply unit 6A is operated to supply water. Specifically, the opening and closing of the valves 612A to 618A and the operation and stopping of the pumps 63A and 64A are controlled so that water is supplied only to the humidifiers among the humidifiers 3A to 3E whose water inside falls below a reference value.

By having this third mode, the water in the humidifiers 3A to 3E does not run out, and the sheet S can be produced. This allows the quality of the sheet S to be stably improved.

If an instruction to end humidification is given while the third mode is being executed, the fourth and fifth modes will be executed in sequence, as shown in Figure 16.

4. Fourth mode (first independent drainage mode)
11 is, for example, a first independent drainage mode that is performed when the power supply of the fibrous material processing device 100 is turned off. In the fourth mode, drainage is not performed from the tank 4 to the replenishing unit 5, but is performed from any of the humidifiers 3A to 3E. In the fourth mode, the pumps 63A and 64A are operated and the valves 622A to 628A are opened and closed in sequence, thereby sequentially draining the humidifiers 3A to 3E.

The order in which humidifiers 3A to 3E are drained is not particularly limited, and it is preferable to drain humidifiers that use different methods simultaneously, and then drain humidifiers that use the same method sequentially. For example, one possible order is to drain humidifiers 3A and 3D simultaneously, then drain humidifiers 3B and 3E simultaneously, and then drain humidifier 3C.

The fourth mode continues until tank 4's remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D detect water or all of humidifiers 3A to 3E have been drained. If tank 4's remaining amount sensors 42A to 42D detect water, it is assumed that the water in tank 4 has reached a fourth predetermined value, and the fourth mode is stopped. The fourth predetermined value is a value at which the water in tank 4 is assumed to have reached full capacity. It is preferable that the difference between the third and fourth predetermined values is equal to or greater than the sum of the internal capacities of humidifiers 3A to 3E. This allows the water in humidifiers 3A to 3E to be stored more reliably in tank 4.

By having this fourth mode, the water in humidifiers 3A to 3E can be returned to tank 4 and reused. As a result, the water utilization efficiency can be improved.

5. Fifth mode (second independent drainage mode)
12 is, for example, a second independent drainage mode that is performed when there is an instruction to turn off the power of the fibrous body treatment device 100. The fifth mode is a second independent drainage mode that is performed after drainage from the humidifiers 3A to 3E is completed. In the fifth mode, the pump 63B is operated to open the valves 622B and 623B, and close the valves 612B and 613B. This allows drainage from the tank 4 to the replenishing unit 5. In the fifth mode, the valves 612A to 618A and the valves 622A to 628A are closed, and the pumps 63A and 64A are stopped.

This fifth mode is performed, for example, until the remaining amount sensor 42D in the tank 4 no longer detects water. By going through the fourth and fifth modes as described above, it is possible to prevent or suppress the proliferation of bacteria and the like in the humidifiers 3A to 3E and the tank 4, even if the fibrous material processing device 100 is left turned off for a long period of time. Therefore, the next time the fibrous material processing device 100 is started up to produce sheets, it is possible to emit humidified air that is highly hygienic.

In addition, instead of the fourth and fifth modes, the sixth mode described below can also be performed. That is, if an instruction to end humidification is given while the third mode is being performed, the sixth mode can be performed as shown in FIG. 17.

6. 6th mode (simultaneous drainage mode)
In the sixth mode, there are three patterns, the state shown in FIG. 13, the state shown in FIG. 14 and the state shown in FIG. 15, which are carried out in sequence.

First, as shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 7 operates the pump 63B in the second liquid delivery unit 6B and opens the valves 622B and 623B. At the same time, the control unit 7 operates the pumps 63A and 64A in the first liquid delivery unit 6A and opens the valves 626A and 627A. This allows the water in the humidifiers 3A and 3D to be discharged into the tank 4.

The control unit 7 also operates the pump 63B in the second liquid delivery unit 6B and opens the valves 622B and 623B. This allows water to be discharged from the tank 4 to the supply unit 5.

In this way, in the state shown in FIG. 13, drainage of humidifier 3A and humidifier 3D and drainage of tank 4 are performed simultaneously.

In the state shown in FIG. 13, valves 612A to 618A, valve 624A, valve 625A, valve 628A, valve 612B and valve 613B are closed.
When drainage from the inside of the humidifier 3A and the humidifier 3D is completed, the state transitions to that shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 7 maintains the operation of pumps 63A and 64A, closes valves 623A and 627A, and opens valves 624A and 628A. It also maintains the operation of the second liquid delivery unit 6B. This allows the water in humidifiers 3B and 3E to be discharged into the tank 4.

In the state shown in FIG. 14, valves 612A to 618A, valve 623A, valve 625A, valve 627A, valve 612B and valve 613B are closed.
When drainage from the inside of the humidifier 3A and the humidifier 3D is completed, the state shifts to that shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 7 maintains the operation of the pump 63A and stops the operation of the pump 64A. The control unit 7 also closes the valves 624A and 628A and opens the valve 625A. The control unit 7 also maintains the operation of the second liquid delivery unit 6B. This allows the water in the humidifier 3C to be discharged into the tank 4.

In the state shown in FIG. 15, valves 612A to 618A, valve 623A, valve 624A, valve 627A, valve 628A, valve 612B, and valve 613B are closed.

When drainage of humidifiers 3A to 3E is complete, operation of first liquid delivery unit 6A is stopped. In addition, when drainage of tank 4 is complete, operation of second liquid delivery unit 6B is stopped.

When the fifth or sixth mode is completed, the sterilization processing unit 41, each sterilization processing unit 34, and the sterilization processing unit 65A may be stopped, or the sterilization processing unit 41, each sterilization processing unit 34, and the sterilization processing unit 65A may be stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In addition, in the sixth mode, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A and the second liquid delivery unit 6B so that the water in the tank 4 is reduced or maintained. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 13 to 15, when the amount of liquid delivered per unit time from the tank 4 to the replenishing unit 5 is C and the amount of liquid delivered per unit time from the humidifiers 3A to 3E to the tank 4 is D, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first liquid delivery unit 6A and the second liquid delivery unit 6B so that C ≥ D is satisfied. That is, the control unit 7 controls the energization conditions of the pumps 63A, 64A, and 63B so that C ≥ D is satisfied. As a result, in the sixth mode, water can be discharged from the humidifiers 3A to 3E without increasing the amount of water in the tank 4. Therefore, the total time required for draining the humidifiers 3A to 3E and draining the tank 4 can be shortened.

As mentioned above, humidifiers 3A to 3C are evaporative humidifiers having filters 32. Therefore, when the water level in container 31 falls below a predetermined value, the water contained in filter 32 seeps out from filter 32 into container 31 due to its own weight. This seeped water remains in container 31 of humidifiers 3A to 3C, but humidifier 10 can reduce the amount of remaining water. In other words, in the sixth mode, humidifiers 3A to 3C can be drained with less remaining water by draining them as follows.

This will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. The flowchart shown in FIG. 21 is a flowchart that explains the sixth mode in detail. However, this is not limited to this, and what is described below can also be applied to the fourth mode.

In the following, the operation of draining water from humidifiers 3A to 3C as shown in Figures 13 to 15 will be referred to as the first drainage. That is, Figure 13 shows the state in which the first drainage is being performed in humidifier 3A, Figure 14 shows the state in which the first drainage is being performed in humidifier 3B, and Figure 15 shows the state in which the first drainage is being performed in humidifier 3C.

In addition, one of the humidifiers 3A to 3C is the first humidifier, and one of the other two humidifiers is the second humidifier. In the following, as an example, humidifier 3A may be referred to as the first humidifier and humidifier 3B as the second humidifier.

First, in step S101, as shown in FIG. 13, the first drainage is performed in the humidifier 3A. Specifically, as described above, in the first liquid delivery unit 6A, the pump 63A is operated and the valves 622A and 623A are opened. This causes the first drainage to be performed in the humidifier 3A. At this time, drainage is also performed simultaneously in the humidifier 3D, which has a different humidification method. Also, during the execution of step S101, if the detection result of the remaining amount sensor 35 of the humidifier 3A falls below the detection lower limit, the first drainage is terminated. The detection lower limit is a value at which the amount of remaining water in the humidifier 3A can be considered to be empty, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 72.

In this way, the humidifier 3A, which is the first humidifier, has a remaining amount sensor 35, which is a detection unit that detects the remaining amount of water, which is the liquid inside the humidifier 3A, and the control unit 7 controls the operation of the first drainage unit 62A based on the detection result of the remaining amount sensor 35. This makes it possible to control the first drainage unit 62A at an appropriate timing. In particular, it is possible to end the first drainage at an appropriate timing.

When the first drainage of the humidifier 3A is completed, the amount of water in the container 31 of the humidifier 3A is below the lower detection limit, but as time passes, water seeps into the container 31 of the humidifier 3A from the filter 32. Therefore, after a predetermined time has passed, water that was not completely drained during the first drainage remains in the container 31 of the humidifier 3A.

Next, in step S102, as shown in FIG. 14, the first drainage is performed in the humidifier 3B. Specifically, as described above, in the first liquid delivery section 6A, the pump 63A is kept in operation, and the valves 622A and 624A are opened. This causes the first drainage to be performed in the humidifier 3B. At this time, drainage is also performed simultaneously in the humidifier 3E, which has a different humidification method. Also, if the detection result of the remaining amount sensor 35 of the humidifier 3B falls below the detection lower limit during the execution of step S102, the first drainage is terminated.

When the first drainage of the humidifier 3B is completed, the amount of water in the container 31 of the humidifier 3B is below the lower detection limit, but as time passes, water seeps into the container 31 of the humidifier 3B from the filter 32. Therefore, after a predetermined time has passed, water that was not completely drained during the first drainage remains in the container 31 of the humidifier 3B.

Next, in step S103, as shown in FIG. 15, a first drainage is performed in the humidifier 3C. Specifically, as described above, in the first liquid delivery section 6A, the pump 63A is kept in operation, and the valves 622A and 625A are opened. This causes the first drainage to be performed in the humidifier 3C. Also, if the detection result of the remaining amount sensor 35 of the humidifier 3C falls below the detection lower limit during execution of step S103, the first drainage is terminated.

When the first drainage of the humidifier 3C is completed, the amount of water in the container 31 of the humidifier 3C is below the lower detection limit, but as time passes, water seeps into the container 31 of the humidifier 3C from the filter 32. Therefore, after a predetermined time has passed, water that was not completely drained during the first drainage remains in the container 31 of the humidifier 3C.

In this way, in humidifiers 3A to 3C, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the first drainage is completed, any water that was not drained in the first drainage remains in container 31. In humidifier 10, the water that was not drained in the first drainage can be drained by the second drainage. Specifically, steps S104, S105, and S106 are executed in sequence. Note that in Figures 18 to 20, the flow of water in the second drainage is indicated by dashed arrows.

In step S104, as shown in FIG. 18, pump 63A is operated, valves 622A and 623A are opened, and the second drainage is performed in humidifier 3A. This allows the remaining water that could not be drained in the first drainage to be drained in humidifier 3A. In addition, since the first drainage of humidifier 3A is completed, the first drainage of humidifier 3B and the first drainage of humidifier 3C are performed, and then the second drainage of humidifier 3A is performed, that is, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the second drainage of humidifier 3A is performed, so that there is enough time for water to seep out of filter 32 of humidifier 3A while the first drainage of humidifier 3B and the first drainage of humidifier 3C are being performed.

In step S104, pump 64A is not operated, and valves 612A to 618A and valves 624A to 628A are closed.

Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the second drainage of the humidifier 3A started, the valve 623A is closed, and the second drainage of the humidifier 3A ends.

In this way, the second drainage is performed by discharging liquid from the first drainage section 62A. By using the common first drainage section 62A for both the first drainage and the second drainage, the device configuration can be simplified, and since the second drainage is performed after the first drainage is completed, sufficient time can be ensured for water to seep out of the filter 32.

The control unit 7 also starts the second drainage after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first drainage is completed. This allows sufficient time for water to seep out of the filter 32. This further reduces the amount of water remaining when the second drainage is completed.

The control unit 7 also terminates the second drainage when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the second drainage. This type of control is effective because the amount of drainage discharged in the second drainage is smaller than that of the first drainage and is difficult to detect with the remaining amount sensor 35.

Next, in step S105, as shown in FIG. 19, pump 63A is operated, valves 622A and 624A are opened, and a second drain is performed in humidifier 3B. This allows the remaining water in humidifier 3B that could not be drained in the first drain to be drained. In addition, since the first drain of humidifier 3B is completed, the first drain of humidifier 3C and the second drain of humidifier 3A are performed before the second drain of humidifier 3B is performed, it is possible to ensure sufficient time for water to seep out of filter 32 of humidifier 3B while the first drain of humidifier 3C and the second drain of humidifier 3A are being performed.

In step S105, pump 64A is not operated, and valves 612A to 618A, valve 623A, and valves 625A to 628A are closed.

Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the second drainage of the humidifier 3B started, the valve 624A is closed, and the second drainage of the humidifier 3B is terminated.

The humidifier 10 also includes a second humidifier, humidifier 3B, separate from the first humidifier, humidifier 3A, and the first drainage section 62A drains water from within the humidifier 3B. That is, the humidifiers 3A and 3B drain water from the common first drainage section 62A. This allows the device configuration to be simplified.

The control unit 7 also controls the operation of the first drainage unit 62A for the second humidifier, humidifier 3B, so that the first drainage and the second drainage are performed with a time lag. This makes it possible to more effectively reduce the amount of water remaining in the container 31 after drainage is complete, even in the second humidifier, humidifier 3B.

The control unit 7 starts the first drainage in the second humidifier, humidifier 3B, between the start of the first drainage in the first humidifier, humidifier 3A, and the end of the second drainage. This makes it possible to shorten the time until the first drainage and the second drainage are completed in the humidifiers 3A and 3B.

Next, in step S106, as shown in FIG. 20, pump 63A is operated, valves 622A and 625A are opened, and a second drain is performed in humidifier 3C. This allows the remaining water in humidifier 3C that could not be drained in the first drain to be drained. In addition, since the first drain is completed in humidifier 3C, and then the second drain of humidifier 3A and the second drain of humidifier 3B are performed, and then the second drain of humidifier 3C is performed, sufficient time can be ensured for water to seep out of filter 32 of humidifier 3C while the second drain of humidifier 3A and the second drain of humidifier 3B are being performed.

In step S106, pump 64A is not operated, and valves 612A to 618A, valve 623A, valve 624A, and valves 626A to 628A are closed.

Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the second drainage of the humidifier 3C started, the valve 625A is closed and the operation of the pump 63A is stopped, thereby ending the second drainage of the humidifier 3C.

As described above, the fibrous material processing device 100 includes the crushing section 12, the sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, the dispersion section 18, and the second web forming section 19, which are processing sections for processing material containing fibers, and the humidifying device 10 for humidifying the material processed by the crushing section 12, the sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, the dispersion section 18, and the second web forming section 19. The humidifying device 10 also includes humidifiers 3A to 3C each having a container 31 for storing liquid, a filter 32 which is a liquid holding section provided in the container 31, and an exhaust port 312 which is a release section for vaporizing the liquid contained in the filter 32 and releasing it together with air, a first drainage section 62A which drains the liquid in the container 31, and a control section 7 which controls the operation of the first drainage section 62A. The control unit 7 controls the operation of the first drainage unit 62A so that the first drainage, which drains the liquid from the container 31, and the second drainage, which drains the liquid contained in the filter 32, are performed with a time lag. With this configuration, the liquid in the container 31 is drained by the first drainage, and the liquid that could not be completely drained by the first drainage, particularly the liquid that has seeped out of the filter 32, can be drained by the second drainage after a predetermined time has passed. Therefore, the amount of remaining liquid after drainage can be further reduced compared to the conventional method. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress the proliferation of bacteria and the generation of odors, resulting in excellent hygiene.

Note that "executing with a time lag" refers to performing the operations with staggered start times. If the start times are staggered, the end times may be the same or different, and the execution times may overlap in part or in whole. For example, if the first drainage is performed using the first drainage unit 62A and the second drainage is performed using a device other than the first drainage unit 62A, for example, a suction member to drain the remaining liquid contained in the filter 32, the effect of the present invention can be obtained as long as the start times are staggered.

In this embodiment, the case where steps S101 to S106 are executed sequentially has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, after steps S101, S102, and S103 are executed sequentially, valves 623A, 624A, and 625A may be opened and steps S104 to S106 may be executed simultaneously.

In addition, the process is not limited to the above configuration, and may be performed in the order of, for example, steps S101, S104, S102, S105, S103, and S106.

In the above description, the pump 63A is operated when performing the second drainage, i.e., in steps S104 to S106, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pump 63A does not have to be operated.

The first humidifier, humidifier 3A, has a fan 33 as an air blower that passes gas through filter 32, which is a liquid holding section, and the operation of which is controlled by control unit 7. It is preferable that control unit 7 activates fan 33 after the second drainage is completed. This allows the inside of container 31, and particularly filter 32, to be dried after the second drainage is completed. Therefore, the proliferation of bacteria and the generation of odors in container 31, and particularly filter 32, can be more effectively prevented or suppressed after the second drainage is completed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the humidifier 10 is equipped with a main power supply 8A and a standby power supply 8B that supply power to each part of the humidifier 10, and the control unit 7 operates the fan 33 using power from the standby power supply 82 after stopping the operation of the humidifiers 3A to 3C. This allows the fan 33 to be operated by the standby power supply 8B even after the main power supply 8A is turned off. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent or suppress the proliferation of bacteria and the generation of odors in the container 31, particularly in the filter 32.

The main power source 8A and the backup power source 8B may be power sources supplied from an external source or batteries built into the humidifier 10 or the fiber material treatment device 100, but it is preferable that the backup power source 8B be a battery.

The processing section also has a crushing section 12, a sorting section 14, a first web forming section 15, a dispersion section 18 and a second web forming section 19, and a humidifier of the humidifying device 10 is installed in at least one of the crushing section 12, the sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, the dispersion section 18 and the second web forming section 19. This makes it possible to produce a sheet S as a fibrous body with excellent hygiene.

In the fiber processing device 100, humidifiers are installed in the coarse crushing section 12, the sorting section 14, the first web forming section 15, the dispersion section 18, and the second web forming section 19, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a humidifier may be installed in only one of these sections, two of these sections, three of these sections, or four of these sections. The humidifiers may also be installed in other locations different from those mentioned above.

Although the embodiment of the fibrous material treatment device of the present invention has been described above in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to this, and each part constituting the humidifying device and the fibrous material treatment device can be replaced with any configuration that can perform the same function. In addition, any configuration may be added.

100...fibrous body processing device, 10...humidifier, 3A...humidifier, 3B...humidifier, 3C...humidifier, 3D...humidifier, 3E...humidifier, 4...tank, 5...supply section, 6...first liquid supply section, 6A...first liquid delivery section, 6B...second liquid delivery section, 7...control section, 8A...main power supply, 8B...backup power supply, 11...raw material supply section, 12...coarse crushing section, 13...defibration section, 14...sorting section, 15...first web forming section, 16 ...subdivision section, 17...mixing section, 18...dispersion section, 19...second web forming section, 20...shaping section, 21...cutting section, 22...stock section, 27...recovery section, 28...control section, 31...container, 32...filter, 33...fan, 34...sterilization processing section, 35...remaining amount sensor, 36...container, 37...ultrasonic element, 40...storage section, 41...sterilization processing section, 42A...remaining amount sensor, 42B...remaining amount sensor ser, 42C... remaining amount sensor, 42D... remaining amount sensor, 61A... first liquid supply section, 61B... second liquid supply section, 62A... first liquid drainage section, 62B... second liquid drainage section, 63A... pump, 63B... pump, 64A... pump, 64B... softening filter, 65A... sterilization processing section, 66A... filtration filter, 71... CPU, 72... memory section, 121... coarse crushing blade, 122... chute, 141... drum section, 142... housing, 151... mesh belt, 152... tension roller, 153... suction section, 161... propeller, 162... housing, 170... housing, 171... additive supply section, 172... pipe, 173... blower, 174... screw feeder, 181... drum, 182... housing, 183... drive source, 191... mesh belt, 192... tension Frame roller, 193...suction unit, 200...user tank, 201...pressurizing unit, 202...heating unit, 203...calender roller, 204...heating roller, 211...first cutter, 212...second cutter, 241...tube, 242...tube, 243...tube, 244...tube, 245...tube, 246...tube, 261...blower, 262...blower, 263...blower, 281...CPU , 282...storage unit, 311...air intake port, 312...exhaust port, 313...water supply port, 314...drain port, 361...air intake port, 362...exhaust port, 363...water supply port, 364...drain port, 401...first water supply port, 402...first drain port, 403...second water supply port, 404...second drain port, 611A...first liquid supply pipe, 611B...second liquid supply pipe, 612A...valve, 612B...valve, 613A...valve lube, 613B... valve, 614A... valve, 615A... valve, 616A... valve, 617A... valve, 618A... valve, 621A... first drain pipe, 621B... second drain pipe, 622A... valve, 622B... valve, 623A... valve, 623B... valve, 624A... valve, 625A... valve, 626A... valve, 627A... valve, 628A... valve , A...amount of liquid sent, B...amount of liquid sent, C...amount of liquid sent, D...amount of liquid sent, M1...raw material, M2...coarsely crushed pieces, M3...defibrated material, M4-1...first sorted material, M4-2...second sorted material, M5...first web, M6...fine pieces, M7...mixture, M8...second web, S...sheet, P1...resin, a...branch, b...branch, c...branch, d...branch, e...branch, f...branch, g...branch, h...branch

Claims (9)

A fibrous material treating apparatus comprising: a treating section for treating a material containing fibers; and a humidifying device for humidifying the material treated by the treating section,
The humidifier includes a first humidifier including a container having a storage space for storing a liquid, a liquid retaining section provided in the container, and a discharging section that vaporizes the liquid contained in the liquid retaining section and discharges the vaporized liquid together with air;
A first drainage section that drains liquid from within the container;
A control unit that controls the operation of the first drainage unit,
The control unit controls the operation of the first drainage unit so as to perform a first drainage operation to drain the liquid from the container and a second drainage operation to drain the liquid contained in the liquid holding unit with a time difference. The apparatus for treating a fibrous material according to claim 1 , wherein the second drainage is performed by discharging the liquid from the first drainage section. the first humidifier has a detection unit that detects the remaining amount of the liquid in the first humidifier,
The apparatus for treating fibrous materials according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls an operation of the first drainage unit based on a detection result of the detection unit. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit starts the second drainage after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first drainage is completed. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit terminates the second drainage when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the second drainage. A second humidifier is provided separately from the first humidifier,
The apparatus for treating fibrous materials according to claim 1 , wherein the first drainage section drains the liquid inside the second humidifier. The apparatus for treating fibrous materials according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit controls the operation of the first drainage unit so that the second humidifier performs the first drainage and the second drainage with a time difference. The fibrous body treating apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control unit starts the first drainage in the second humidifier between the start of the first drainage in the first humidifier and the end of the second drainage. the first humidifier has an air blower unit whose operation is controlled by the control unit and which passes a gas through the liquid retaining unit,
The apparatus for treating a fibrous body according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit activates the blower unit after the second drainage is completed.

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