Description
AUTOMATIC LOADING AND SUPPLYING APPARATUS FOR
ROLL MATTER
Technical Field
[1] The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically loading and supplying a roll, and more particularly, to an apparatus for automatically loading and supplying a roll such as a paper roll to a processing machine that process the paper as a raw material. Background Art
[2] Paper rolls are generally loaded on paper processing machineries, for example, a printing machine or a cardboard manufacturing machine. Such machineries unroll paper from the paper roll and process the paper to manufacture target products such as newspaper or cardboard. Since the paper roll is generally huge and heavy, a crane or a fork lifter is generally used to lift up the roll and to load the roll on theses machineries. Since various sizes and types of paper rolls are loaded on and supplied to the paper processing machineries, some of parts of the fork lifter or the crane must be reassembled to be adjusted with the size and types of paper roll. Such an additional reassembling process increases the operating time and requires more man power to load the paper roll on the paper processing machine. As a result, the productivity thereof is decreased.
Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem
[3] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically loading and supplying a roll, which requires less man power and short operating time, so as to improve the productivity thereof. Technical Solution
[4] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for automatically loading and supplying a roll including: a frame having a first support roller; a roll housing unit rotatably supported by the first support roller for housing a plurality of rolls; a rotating unit for rotating the roll housing unit; and a conveying unit for supplying rolls housed in the roll housing unit to a roll processing machine.
[5] The roll housing unit may include: a pair of guide rails connected through a first connecting frame to face one another, having an outer circumference supported by the first support roller, a second support roller and a first roll housing member inside the guide rail; and a pair of sub guide rails connected through a second connecting frame
to face one another, supported by the second support roller, and having a second roll housing member for housing the roll inside the sub guide rail.
[6] The rotating unit may include: a chain disposed at facing sides of guide rails and at one side of sub guide rail that faces a roll discharging direction; a motor; and a teeth shaped wheel driven by the motor for rotating the guide rail and the sub guide rail to be geared with the chain.
[7] The first roll housing member may have a circular pipe shape having one opened portion at outer circumference and both end portions installed at the guide rail, and the second roll housing member has a circular belt shape and is disposed at each sub guide rail.
[8] The conveying unit may include: a first conveyer for supplying the roll to the first and the second roll housing members; a second conveyer disposed under the guide rails facing one another, able to be ascended and descended and discharging the roll housed in the first and the second roll housing members to the processing machine; and a third conveyer for supplying the roll discharged by the second conveyer to the processing machine.
Advantageous Effects
[9] An apparatus for automatically loading and supplying a roll according to the present invention is a fully automated system to supply rolls through storing different sizes or types of rolls in a guide rail and a sub-guide rail, selecting target one of stored rolls through rotating them and loading the selected roll. That is, additional operations for loading and supplying rolls are not required in the present invention, which may be operations such as finding suitable size or type of rolls from a loading place and conveying the rolls from the loading place to the machine using a fork lifter or a crane. Therefore, a less man power is required and a time for loading and supplying the roll is reduced. That is, the productivity thereof is improved. Brief Description of the Drawings
[10] The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic roll supplying/discharging system including an apparatus of automatically loading and supplying a roll according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[12] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of automatically loading and supplying a roll shown in FIG. 1 ;
[13] FIGS. 3 and 4 is a side view of the apparatus of automatically loading and supplying a roll shown in FIG. 2;
[14] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a guide rail in the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
[15] FIG. 6 is a side view of guide rail shown in FIG. 5;
[16] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first rotator in a rotating unit shown in FIG. 2;
[17] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sub guide rail in a roll housing unit shown in FIG.
2;
[18] FIG. 9 is a side view of sub guide rail shown in FIG. 8;
[19] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second rotator in a rotating unit shown in FIG. 2; and
[20] FIGS. 11 through 17 are perspective view of the apparatus of automatically loading and supplying a roll shown in FIG. 2 for describing operations thereof. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[21] Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which is set forth hereinafter.
[22] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic roll supplying/discharging system 200 including an apparatus 100 of automatically loading and supplying a roll according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus 100 of automatically loading and supplying a roll shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 is a side view of the apparatus 100 of automatically loading and supplying a roll shown in FIG. 2.
[23] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the automatic roll supplying/discharging system
200 supplies a plurality of loaded rolls to a processing machine. The automatic roll supplying/discharging system 200 includes an apparatus 100 for automatically loading and supplying a roll after temporally loading rolls having different sizes and types.
[24] Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic roll supplying/ discharging system 200 selectively includes a plural of apparatuses for automatically loading and supplying a roll. As shown, the automatic roll supplying/discharging system 200 includes a guide rail type roll automatic loading and supplying apparatus IOOA and a sub-guide rail automatic roll loading and supplying apparatus 10OB. As shown, the automatic roll supplying/discharging system 200 may include both of the guide rail type and the sub- guide rail type automatic roll loading and supplying apparatus IOOA and 10OB. Or, the automatic roll supplying/discharging system 200 may selectively include one of auto matic roll loading and supplying apparatus IOOA and 10OB.
[25] As shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the automatic roll loading and supplying apparatus
100 includes a frame 10, a roll housing unit 20 for housing rolls to be processed, a rotating unit 60 for rotating the roll housing unit 20 and a conveying unit 50 for supplying the roll housed at the roll housing unit 20 to a processing machine (not
shown).
[26] The frame 10 includes a plurality of first support rollers 11 which rotatably support the roll housing unit 20 in the frame 10.
[27] The roll housing unit 20 includes a guide rail 30 and a sub-guide rail 40 installed at an inner circumference of the guide rail 30. A plurality of roll housing units 20 may be disposed sequentially as shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the roll housing units 20 may house more number of rolls compared to single roll housing unit 20 is disposed.
[28] As shown in FIG. 5, the guide rail 30 is configured of a pair of rails and those rails are connected through a first connecting frame 32. The guide rail 30 is formed in a shape of circle. The guide rail 30 includes a protrusion 33 formed in a shape of bar tilted in a one direction at the outer circumference of guide rail 30. A first support roller 11 is contacted to the circumference of guide rail 30 having one side formed wider with the protrusion 33 as a center. A plurality of second support rollers 35 is installed at inner circumference of guide rail 30 for supporting a sub guide rail 40 disposed inside the guide rail 30.
[29] The guide rail 30 also includes a first roll housing member 31 at the inner circumference thereof for housing rolls 70. The first roll housing member 31 may be manufactured to have various sizes. Accordingly, various sizes of rolls 70 may be housed to conveniently supply one that suitable to a processing machine through selecting one of houses rolls. The first roll housing member 31 is formed in a circular pipe shape, and end portions thereof are connected at corresponding one of the guide rails 30 that face one another. That is, the outer circumference of the first roll housing member 31 is disposed to be contacted to the guide rail 30, and a predetermined portion of outer surface is opened in an external direction from the guide rail 30. When the opening portion of roll housing member 30 is located at a bottom center position of guide rail 30, the roll 70 housed at the roll housing member 30 is discharged from the roll housing member 30 and loaded on a conveying unit 50 through the opening portion thereof. The roll 70 loaded on the conveying unit 50 is supplied to the processing machine.
[30] A chain 34 is disposed at a facing side of circumference of guide rail 30 that faces other guide rail 30. Such a chain 34 is guided by a teeth shaped wheel 62 of a first rotator 63 shown in FIG. 7 so that the guide rail 30 is rotated thereby.
[31] As shown in FIG. 8, the sub guide rail 40 is formed in a shape of circle, and a pair of rails is connected through a second connecting frame 42 as a center to configure the sub guide rail 40. A plurality of sub-guide rails 40 is disposed inside the guide rail 30 and is supported by the second support roller 35 disposed at the guide rail 30. At the circumference of sub-guide rail 40, a protrusion 43 having a shape of 'D' is formed as shown in FIG. 9. The second support roller 35 is contacted to the circumference of sub
guide rail 40 through the curved portion of the protrusion 43. Also, a chain 44 is disposed at the outer side of protrusion 43. The chain 44 is geared with a teeth shaped wheel 62 of a second rotator 64 to guide the sub guide rail 40 to be rotated as shown in FIG. 10.
[32] Herein, two teeth shaped wheels 62 are included in the first rotator 63, and one teeth shaped wheel 62 is included in the second rotator 64. It is because the chain 44 is only disposed at one side of sub-guide rail 40 and two chains 34 are disposed at both sides of guide rail 30 facing one another. However, the teeth shaped wheels 62 of second rotator 64 may be prepared as two if the chain 44 is disposed at both of sub-guide rails 40 which face one another as like as the guide rail 30.
[33] A second roll housing member 41 is disposed inside of the sub-guide rail 40. The second roll housing member 41 is formed in a shape of circular belt. The second roll housing member 41 is disposed at inner circumference of each sub-guide rail 40 as shown in FIG. 8 differently from the first roll housing member 31. Therefore, end portions of roll 70 housed in the second roll housing member 41 are only contacted and supported by the circular belt shape of the second roll housing member 41. The roll 70 becomes released from the second roll housing member when the second roll housing member is located at a bottom center position of the sub guide rail 40 and loaded on the conveying unit 50 to be supplied to the processing machine.
[34] The rotating unit 60 includes a first rotator 63 for rotating the guide rail 30 as shown in FIG. 7 and a second rotator 64 for rotating the guide rail 40 as shown in FIG. 10. The first and the second rotators 63 and 64 include chains 34 and 44, a motor 61, and a teeth shaped wheel 62 driven by the motor 61 for rotating the guide rail 30 and the sub guide rail 40 by being geared with the chains 34 and 44.
[35] The motor 61 and the teeth shaped wheel 62 are correspondence to the chains 34,
44 of the guide rail 30 and the sub guide rail 40 in a one to one manner for rotating the guide rail 30 and the sub guide rail 40.
[36] The conveying unit 50 includes a first conveyer 51 for supplying the roll 70 to the first and the second roll housing member 31 and 41 disposed at the guide rail 30 and the sub guide rail 40; a second conveyer 52 discharging the roll member 70 housed at the first and the second roll housing members 31 and 41 to the processing machine; and a third conveyer 53 for supplying the roll 70 discharged from the second conveyer 52.
[37] The second conveyer 52 is disposed under the guide rail 30, and the length of second conveyer 52 is shorter than a distance between two rails of the guide rail 30. In particular, the second conveyer 52 must not be passed by the opening portion of the first roll housing member 31 to convey the roll 70 discharged from the opening portion of the first roll housing member 31, and must be shorter than the distance between the
second roll housing members 41 facing one another to convey the roll 70 housed in the second roll housing member 41.
[38] The second conveyer 52 may be ascended and descended using an oil pressure cylinder or an air pressure cylinder 54. The second conveyer 52 is ascended when the roll 70 is discharged from the first and the second roll housing members 31 and 41, and the conveyer 52 is descended in opposite cases.
[39] Hereinafter, operations of the apparatus 100 for automatically loading and supplying rolls will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 through 17.
[40] As shown in FIG. 11, various sizes of rolls 70 are supplied to the guide rail 30 and the sub guide rail 40 through the first conveyer 51. Then, the rolls 70 are housed in the first and the second roll housing members 31 and 41 disposed in the guide rail 30 and the sub guide rail 40 according to its size.
[41] In order to supply the roll 70 housed in the roll housing members to the processing machine, the roll 70 is discharged to the third conveyer 53 through the second conveyer 52. In order to supply a target roll 70:A having a proper size to the processing machine as shown in FIG. 12, the rotating unit 60 rotates the guide rail 30 as shown in FIG. 13. When the target roll 70:A is located at the bottom center position, the second conveyer 52 is driven to discharge the target roll 70:A from the first roll housing member 31 as shown in FIG. 14. At the same time, a new roll 70:C is continuously housed to the first roll housing member 31 using the first conveyer 51.
[42] In order to supply a roll 70:B housed in the second roll housing member 41 to the processing machine, the sub guide rail 40 is rotated using the same method of rotating the guide rail 30. In more particular, the sub guide rail 40 is rotated inside the guide rail 30. At first, the sub guide rail 40 housing the target roll 70:B is located at the bottom center position by rotating the guide rail 30 as shown in FIG. 15. Then, the target roll 70:B is located at the bottom center position of the sub guide rail 40 by rotating the sub guide rail 30 as shown in FIG. 16. After rotating, the second conveyer 52 discharges the target roll 70:B from the second roll housing member 41 to the third conveyer 53. In order to fill the second roll housing member, a roll 70:D is supplied to the second roll housing member 41 by the first conveyer 51.
[43] The roll member 70 discharged from the third conveyer 53 is supplied to the processing machine by the third conveyer 53.
[44] As described above, the apparatus for automatically loading and supplying a roll according to the present invention is a fully automated system to supply rolls through storing different sizes or types of rolls in a guide rail and a sub-guide rail, selecting target one of stored rolls through rotating them and loading the selected roll. Therefore, a less man power is required and a time for loading and supplying the roll is reduced. That is, the productivity thereof is improved.
[45] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.