JPH07164563A - Apparatus for centering of weak band like member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a central line of a weak band like member coincide with a center of a centering apparatus. CONSTITUTION:A slide bearing 80 is arranged to a centering apparatus 10 of a weak band like member, and supported freely slidably with a pair of rails 84 fixed to a support base 82. When a motor 96 is rotated, a ball screw 90 is rotated and a centering apparatus is transferred in the arrow W direction to the support base 82. A transfer means-controller 104 controls the motor 96 so that a center of the centering apparatus 10 always coincides with a center of a center groove on the basis of image output of an image sensor 100 provided at a central position in a width direction of an upstream in a carrying direction of the centering apparatus 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a centering device for a soft belt-shaped member such as a tread rubber for a tire.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a centering device for a soft strip-shaped member, a soft strip-shaped member is detected by detecting a total width or a side end of the soft strip-shaped member and moving a transport roll obliquely with respect to the transport direction. There is known a device for performing centering.

However, in this apparatus, the total width or the side end portion of the soft strip-shaped member is detected, and the position of the transport roll is electrically controlled based on the result, so that a delay occurs in the positioning of the transport roll. . In addition, variations in the total width of the soft strip-shaped member or irregularities in the side end portions cause variations in the positioning of the transport roll. For this reason, the centering accuracy was not so good.

An example of a centering device for a soft strip-shaped member that improves this is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-3070, and the present inventor also filed application 5-73649.
Issue was filed first. These devices are a trans-wheel conveyor which is arranged in the conveyance path of the soft belt-shaped member and is capable of conveying the soft belt-shaped member forward, backward, leftward and rightward, and a soft wheel which is provided above the trans-wheel conveyor and conveyed on the trans-wheel conveyor. Abut on both sides of the strip,
Centering means for moving the soft belt-shaped member to the center portion in the width direction of the trans-wheel conveyor.

However, in these devices, since the shapes of both sides of the soft strip-shaped member are not exactly the same, the contact angles of both sides of the soft strip-shaped member and the centering means are different. , The contact position, the contact pressure, etc. were different, and the center line of the soft strip-shaped member did not always coincide with the center of the centering device body. Therefore, when the center of the centering device main body is regarded as the center of the soft strip-shaped member and the soft strip-shaped member is conveyed to the device in the next step, the center of the actual soft strip-shaped member may deviate from the center of the device main body in the next step. There is.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a centering device for a soft strip-shaped member, which can align the center line of the soft strip-shaped member with the center of the centering device body. Is.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION A centering device for a soft strip-shaped member according to the present invention is a transwheel conveyor which is disposed in a transport path of the soft strip-shaped member and which can transport the soft strip-shaped member back and forth and left and right, and this transwheel conveyor. A centering means for contacting both side portions of the soft strip-shaped member provided above the transformer wheel conveyor and moving the soft strip-shaped member to the widthwise central portion of the trans wheel conveyor. A centering device for a belt-shaped member, which is a moving means for moving the main body of the device in the width direction, and a center line for detecting a center line attached to the weak belt-shaped member provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the trans-wheel conveyor. The detecting means and the deviation between the position of the center line detected by the center line detecting means and the center of the apparatus main body are calculated. Moving means control device for moving the apparatus main body in a direction to eliminate the deviation by said moving means,
It is characterized by having.

[0008]

In the centering device for the soft strip-shaped member of the present invention, when the soft strip-shaped member enters the conveying path and the center line detecting means detects the center line of the soft strip-shaped member, the moving means control device causes the center line detecting means to detect the center line. A shift between the detected position of the center line and the center of the device body is calculated, and the device body is moved by the moving means in a direction to eliminate the shift. Therefore, the center line of the soft band-shaped member and the center of the centering device body can be aligned. Therefore, even if the center of the centering device main body is regarded as the center of the soft band-shaped member and the soft band-shaped member is conveyed to the device of the next process, the center of the actual soft band-shaped member and the center of the device of the next process are displaced. There is no such thing.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the centering device for a soft strip-shaped member of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 2, slide bearings 80 are provided in the vicinity of both front and rear ends of the lower surface of the base 10A of the centering device 10 for the soft belt-shaped member of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, these slide bearings 80 are arranged near both ends of the centering device 10 in the width direction (direction of arrow W in FIG. 1) along the width direction of the centering device 10. Cage, these slide bearings 80
Are slidably supported by a pair of rails 84 fixed to the upper surface 82A of the support base 82. The support base 82 is fixed to the floor 86.

On the lower surface of the base 10A of the centering device 10, there is fixed a bearing 88, which constitutes a part of the moving means having an internal thread formed on the inner peripheral portion thereof, along the width direction of the centering device 10. There is. A ball screw 90 having a male screw formed on an outer peripheral portion which constitutes a part of the moving means is screwed into the bearing 88. Both ends 9 of this ball screw 90
0A and 90B are rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 92 fixed to the upper surface 82A of the support base 82.

At one end 90A of the ball screw 90,
The pulley 94 is fixed. The pulley 94 is connected by a timing belt 99 to a pulley 98 fixed to the output shaft of a reversible motor (servo motor) 96 which is part of the moving means fixed to the floor 86 and which can be positioned.

Therefore, when the motor 96 is rotated, the ball screw 90 is rotated and the centering device 10 is moved in the arrow W direction in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, an image sensor 100 as a center line detecting means is arranged in the upper part of the centering device 10 in the conveying direction, and as shown in FIG. 1, the image sensor 100 is provided. Are arranged at the center positions in the width direction of the centering device 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the widthwise central portion of the tread rubber 12, two small protrusions 1 along the longitudinal direction are provided.
2A and 12B are formed, and these two small protrusions 1
The center groove 13 is formed between 2A and 12B. The image sensor 100 includes a lighting device 102.
The optical image of the tread surface passing through the portion under the illumination by is taken from directly above.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image sensor 10
0 is arranged at a desired height by using an appropriate support (not shown), and the image output of the image sensor 100 is supplied to the moving means control device 104. Transportation control device 1
In 04, the image obtained by detecting the center groove 13 of the tread rubber 12 being conveyed as an image is processed, the center of the center groove 13 is calculated, and the center of the centering device 10 is always the center groove 13. The motor 96 is controlled so that it becomes the center.

As shown in FIG. 8, the image sensor 10
When the center portion of the tread rubber 12 is photographed at 0, the light from the slopes of the small protrusions 12A and 12B forming the center groove 13 is unlikely to return to the image sensor 100 (that is, it looks dark), while the light is flat. In the portion, the proportion of light returning to the image sensor 100 due to scattered light increases (that is, it looks bright).

Although the raw image has such a relationship, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, black and white are inverted and binarized at a predetermined level. Further, in FIG. 8, the four vertical white linear portions in the center are the small protrusions 12A and 12B after black-white inversion.
Corresponding to each slope, and the hatched portion in the figure represents the black portion in black and white reversal (the portion that looks bright in the raw image).

When the image is processed so as to be subjected to the black-white inversion processing and the binarization processing in this manner, four white line-shaped portions are obtained, and the black line-shaped portions between the two middle white line-shaped portions are obtained. The image portion of (5) corresponds to the inside of the center groove 13.

In this embodiment, such a relationship is utilized,
The position of the center groove 13 of the tread rubber 12 is detected using a window.

In FIG. 9, reference numerals 12AW and 12B are used.
What is shown with W is four white linear parts formed by the slopes of the small protrusions 12A and 12B, and the reference numeral 13B.
Is a black linear portion corresponding to the tread center groove 13 (all are after black and white reversal processing).

As shown, the window W is a window for obtaining the center of the tread center groove 13,
Thereby, the position is obtained by measuring the center of gravity.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the position of the center groove 13 is obtained by binarization and the coordinates of the center of gravity are obtained by measuring the center of gravity. From this coordinate, from the center of the image sensor 100 to the center line of the center groove width. The distance X, that is, the deviation X between the center of the centering device 10 and the center line of the tread rubber 12 can be calculated.

Based on this deviation X, the moving means control device 104 drives the motor 96 to rotate the ball screw 90 forward and backward so that the centering device 10 is constantly aligned with the center line of the tread rubber 12. It is designed to be moved to.

As shown in FIG. 3, a transwheel conveyor 14 is provided at the transporting portion of the centering device 10 for the soft belt-shaped member, which can transport the tread rubber 12 as the soft belt-shaped member to be transported back and forth and left and right. There is.

This trans-wheel conveyor 14 is provided with a plurality of shafts 16 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction (direction of arrow A in FIG. 3) and rotatably attached to each of these shafts 16 at predetermined intervals. And a plurality of transformer wheels 18, Further, both ends of the shaft 16 are respectively supported by the side wall portions 14A.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side wall portion 14A of the trans-wheel conveyor 14 is supported by a column 10B which is erected on a base 10A of the centering device 10 which is a soft belt-shaped member.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transformer wheel 1
Reference numeral 8 denotes a plurality of auxiliary rolls which are rotatable on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 18A rotatably supported by the shaft 16 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the main roll 18A (direction of arrow B in FIG. 5). 18B is attached.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the carry-in portion of the trans-wheel conveyor 14, the projector 20 is provided above the carrying path.
Is provided. Further, a light receiver 21 is arranged at a lower portion of the transport path facing the light projector 20, and depending on whether or not the light receiver 21 detects the light of the light projector 20,
The presence or absence of the tread rubber 12 is detected.
Further, a centering means 24 is arranged above the trans wheel conveyor 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the centering means 24 has a pair of left and right whose distances in the width direction with respect to the axis of the trans wheel conveyor 14 can be adjusted, and three in the carrying direction.
A pair of diagonal free rollers 26 and a pair of rods 28 connecting the left and right three free rollers 26, respectively.
And a pair of left and right holders 32 to which the pair of rods 28 are attached, two sets of holders 32 in the transport direction, and two shafts 34 to which the holders 32 are slidably attached.

A center link 36 is provided at the center of the pair of left and right rods 28. The center link 36 is rotatably supported by the center of an upper plate 38 of the centering device 10. ing. Both ends of the center link 36 are rotatably supported by left and right links 40 that are rotatably supported by shafts 28 </ b> A that are erected at the center of the pair of rods 28 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the pair of left and right rods 28 is configured to operate by a so-called pantograph type link mechanism, and the center link 36 and the left and right links 40 move from the solid line position in FIG. The support brackets 28, that is, the left and right free rollers 26 move simultaneously and in opposite directions.

A spring 42 for pulling the left and right free rollers 26 inward is interposed between the pair of left and right rods 28. This spring 4
2 is a mainspring type in which a leaf spring is rolled up for a long time, and the tensile force does not change so much depending on the distance between the pair of left and right rods 28. When changing the pulling force, the attachment positions of the springs 42 on the pair of left and right rods 28 are moved in the directions in which they approach and separate from each other, or the springs having different pulling forces are exchanged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the centering device 10 is provided on the upper surface of the upper plate 38 of the centering device 10.
A cylinder 44 is arranged along the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) of the cylinder. One of a pair of left and right rods 28 is fixed to the tip of the rod 46 of the cylinder 44,
The cylinder 44 is pressurized and the rod 46 moves to the spring 42.
When the extended state is resisted against the urging force of, the left and right free rollers 26 are in the positions of the imaginary lines in FIG. next,
When the cylinder 44 is opened to the atmosphere, each free roller 26 is pulled inward by the force of the spring 42 and abuts on the side wall portion of the tread rubber 12 as shown in FIG.

Both ends in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) of the upper plate 38 on which the centering means 24 are arranged are attached to a pair of left and right brackets 50, respectively. These brackets 50 have an L-shape when viewed from the transport direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and from the widthwise outer end of the upper piece 50A to which both ends of the upper plate 38 are joined. Both ends of the shaft 34 penetrate through the side piece 50B extending downward. Further, stoppers 54 are fixed to the lower portions of the side pieces 50B, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cylinders 56 are respectively arranged below the stoppers 54 with the rods 58 facing upward, and the upper end portions of the rods 58 contact the stoppers 54. The height of the centering means 24 is determined. Further, the position of the upper end portion of the rod 58 can be changed to two positions or a plurality of positions by pressurizing or depressurizing the cylinder 56, whereby the height of the centering means 24 can be easily set to two positions or a plurality of positions. Can be changed to.

As shown in FIG. 2, one end of a link 57 is rotatably supported at both ends of the shaft 34 passing through the side pieces 50B of the pair of left and right brackets 50. Further, the link 57 is bent at a portion below the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and this bent portion is rotatably supported by a shaft 51 erected on the side wall portion 14A of the trans wheel conveyor 14. Further, the lower end of the link 57 is rotatably supported by a shaft 62 provided upright on a side wall portion 60 of the friction cushion belt conveyor 59 disposed below the trans wheel conveyor 14.

The cylinder 6 is attached to the shaft 34 on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 2) of the side piece 50B of the bracket 50 in the carrying direction.
The tip portion of the rod 66 of No. 4 is rotatably supported.
A lower end portion of the cylinder 64 is rotatably supported by an upper end portion of a support seat 66 fixed to the column 10B of the centering device 10 which is a soft band-shaped member.

Therefore, when the rod 66 is in the contracted state, the link 57 is at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and the friction belt conveyor 59 is at the lower position, that is, the position away from the trans wheel conveyor 14. ing. Further, the centering means 24 is located at a lower position, that is, the tread rubber 1 on the transformer wheel conveyor 14.
It is a position where it can come into contact with the side wall portion of 2. On the other hand, when the rod 66 is in the extended state, the link 57 is at the position shown in phantom in FIG. 2, and the friction belt conveyor 59 is at the upper position, that is, the transwheel conveyor 1
4 is in a position to abut. Further, the centering means 24 is located at an upper position, that is, a position separated from the tread rubber 12 on the trans wheel conveyor 14 upward.

Below the side wall portion 60 of the friction belt conveyor 59, the air motor 7 is provided via a bracket 68.
0 is fixed. Output shaft 70 of this air motor 70
A and the drive shaft 72 of the friction belt conveyor 59 are connected by a timing belt 74, and the rotation of the air motor 70 causes the friction belt conveyor 59 to rotate in the carrying direction.

Therefore, when the tip of the tread rubber 12 passes over the trans wheel conveyor 14, the rod 66 extends and the friction belt conveyor 59 comes into contact with the trans wheel conveyor 14. And the friction belt conveyor 59 rotates, the transformer wheel conveyor 1
4 rotates in the transport direction. On the other hand, after the tip portion of the tread rubber 12 passes over the trans wheel conveyor 14, the rod 66 contracts, the friction belt conveyor 59 separates from the trans wheel conveyor 14, and the air motor 70 stops. 1
Since the tip end of 2 reaches the belt conveyor 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction, the tread rubber 12 is continuously transported.

Whether or not the tip portion of the tread rubber 12 has passed on the trans-wheel conveyor 14 is determined by the control device (not shown) for the time from when the tip portion of the tread rubber 12 is detected by the light receiver 21. It is counted by a timer, and when the predetermined time has elapsed, it is considered that the tip end portion of the tread rubber 12 has passed on the trans wheel conveyor 14. Whether or not the rear end of the tread rubber 12 has passed on the trans-wheel conveyor 14 is determined in advance by counting the time from the time when the rear end of the tread rubber 12 is detected by the light receiver 21 with a timer. When the elapsed time has elapsed, the rear end of the tread rubber 12 is considered to have passed on the trans wheel conveyor 14.

Further, when guiding the tip of the tread rubber 12 on the trans-wheel conveyor 14, the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 22 on the upstream side in the conveying direction and the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 23 on the downstream side in the conveying direction are normal. Although it is slower than the transport speed and constant, it is not synchronized with the transport speed of the trans-wheel conveyor 14. Therefore, when the air motor 70 slips, a large force does not act on the tread rubber 12.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the centering device 10 for the soft belt-shaped member of this embodiment, when the tread rubber 12 passes through the belt conveyor 22 on the upstream side in the transport direction, the image sensor 100 causes the tread rubber 12 to move.
The position of the center groove 13 is detected. The image output of the image sensor 100 is supplied to the moving means control device 104, and the moving means control device 104 processes this image output, and the center of the centering device 10 and the tread rubber 12 are processed.
The deviation X from the center line of is calculated.

Based on this deviation X, the moving means control device 104 drives the motor 96 to rotate the ball screw 90 forward and backward, so that the center of the centering device 10 is constantly aligned with the center line of the tread rubber 12. To the direction of arrow W in FIG. Therefore, the center line of the tread rubber 12 can be aligned with the center of the centering device 10.

Therefore, even if the center of the centering device 10 is regarded as the center of the tread rubber 12 and the tread rubber 12 is conveyed to the device of the next process, the center of the actual tread rubber 12 and the center of the device of the next process are set. There is no deviation. Therefore, it is possible to attach a cushion, write a fine line and a standard line, and inscribe in a precise position in the next step.

Before the tip of the tread rubber 12 enters, the centering device 10 of the soft belt-shaped member of this embodiment has the air motor 70 stopped, the rod 66 of the cylinder 64 in the extended state, and the link. 57 is the position of the imaginary line in FIG. Therefore, the friction belt conveyor 59 is located at the upper position, that is, the position where the friction belt conveyor 59 contacts the trans-wheel conveyor 14. Further, the centering means 24 is at an upper position, that is, a position separated from the side wall portion of the tread rubber 12 on the trans wheel conveyor 14. Further, the rod 46 of the cylinder 44 of the centering means 24 is in an expanded state, and the left and right free rollers 26 are located at the positions indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. The position of the upper end of the rod 58 of the height adjusting cylinder 56 is moved to a predetermined position according to the thickness of the tread rubber 12 to be centered.

The tip of the tread rubber 12 enters the trans wheel conveyor 14 of the centering device 10,
The tip of the tread rubber 12 is moved from the light emitter 20 to the light receiver 2
When the light to 1 is blocked, the air motor 70 rotates, the friction belt conveyor 59 rotates, and the transformer wheel conveyor 14 rotates in the transport direction. At the same time, the timer starts.

When the timer has passed the set time, that is, when the tip of the tread rubber 12 passes over the trans-wheel conveyor 14, the rod 66 of the cylinder 64 contracts and the friction belt conveyor 59 separates from the trans-wheel conveyor 14. . At the same time, the cylinder 44 is opened to the atmosphere, and the force of the spring 42 pulls the free rollers 26 inward. As shown in FIG. 6, the free rollers 26 are brought into contact with the side wall portions of the tread rubber 12 to move the tread rubber 12 to the transwheel. It moves to the widthwise central portion on the conveyor 14.

At the same time, the air motor 70 stops, but
Since the tip of the tread rubber 12 reaches the belt conveyor 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction, the tread rubber 12 is continuously transported. At this time, the transport speed of the belt conveyor 22 on the upstream side in the transport direction and the transport speed of the belt conveyor 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction are accelerated from the low speed during guiding to the normal transport speed.

Next, when the rear end of the tread rubber 12 enters the trans-wheel conveyor 14 of the centering device 10 and the light from the projector 20 reaches the light receiver 21,
The timer runs. After that, when the timer has passed the set time, that is, when the rear end of the tread rubber 12 passes on the trans-wheel conveyor 14, the rod 46 of the cylinder 44 of the centering means 24 is in an extended state, and the left and right free rollers 26. Is the position of the imaginary line in FIG. Further, when the rod 46 of the cylinder 44 is in the extended state, this is detected, the rod 66 of the cylinder 64 is in the extended state, and the link 57 is at the position indicated by the imaginary line in FIG.
Therefore, the friction belt conveyor 59 is located at the upper position, that is, the position where the friction belt conveyor 59 contacts the trans-wheel conveyor 14. Further, the centering means 24 is at the upper position,
That is, the position is separated from the side wall portion of the tread rubber 12 on the trans wheel conveyor 14, and the initial state is restored.
Prepare for the next task.

As described above, in the centering device 10 for the soft belt-shaped member of this embodiment, the front end of the tread rubber 12 is automatically moved by driving the trans wheel conveyor 14 by the friction belt conveyor 59 in the carrying direction. Since it can be guided in the transport direction, it can be automated and productivity can be improved.

The position of the free roller 26 of the centering means 24 can be changed in the vertical direction by the height adjusting cylinder 56 according to the thickness of the tread rubber 12 to be conveyed. Therefore, with the stopper 54 abutting on the upper end of the rod 58 of the height adjusting cylinder 56, the free rollers 26 abut on appropriate positions on both sides of the tread rubber 12 to transfer the tread rubber 12 to the transwheel. The conveyor 14 is moved to the central portion in the width direction. Therefore, the centering accuracy is improved.

[0054]

Since the centering device for a soft strip-shaped member of the present invention has the above-described structure, it has an excellent effect that the center line of the soft strip-shaped member and the center of the centering device main body can be aligned with each other.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a centering device for a soft strip member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a centering device for a soft strip member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a centering device for a soft strip member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a part of a centering device for a soft strip-shaped member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a transformer wheel.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the centering device for a soft strip-shaped member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship among an image sensor, a lighting device, and a tread rubber of a centering device for a soft strip-shaped member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the center groove portion of the tread rubber and the black-and-white reversal image of the centering device for the soft band-shaped member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a window of a centering device for a soft strip member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating detection of the center line of the tread rubber of the centering device for a soft band-shaped member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Centering Device for Soft Band-Shaped Member 12 Tread Rubber (Soft Band-Shaped Member) 13 Center Groove 88 Bearing (Movement) 90 Ball Screw (Movement Means) 96 Motor (Movement Means) 100 Image Sensor (Center Line Detection Means) 104 Movement Means Control apparatus

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A trans-wheel conveyor which is arranged in a conveying path of a soft belt-shaped member and which can convey the soft belt-shaped member to the front, rear, left and right, and a soft belt-shaped conveyor which is provided above the trans wheel conveyor and conveyed on the trans wheel conveyor. A centering device for a soft strip-shaped member, comprising centering means for moving the soft strip-shaped member into contact with both sides of the member to a widthwise central portion of the trans-wheel conveyor, wherein the device main body is arranged in the width direction. Moving means for moving, a centerline detecting means for detecting the centerline provided on the soft belt-shaped member provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transwheel conveyor, and a centerline detected by the centerline detecting means The displacement between the position and the center of the device body is calculated, and the device body is moved by the moving means in a direction to eliminate the displacement. A centering device for a soft belt-shaped member, comprising: