Conveyance device and conveyance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016256331-A1
Application number	US-201415033381-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 30, 2014
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a conveyance device, first and second travel members that hold pads are arranged alternately and travel along the outer peripheral surface of a stationary drum in conjunction with the rotation of a drive member. One or both of the first and second travel members have a rotatably supported shaft member having an engaging section that engages with a guide section formed in the outer peripheral surface of the stationary drum. The rotation of the shaft member is transmitted to the pads and the pads rotate. When conveyance articles are released from pads that have received conveyance articles having the same orientation, the orientation of conveyance articles released from first pads held by the first travel member is different from the orientation of the conveyance articles released from the second pads held by the second travel member.

First claim

1 . A conveyance device comprising:
a guiding part formed in a cylindrical outer peripheral surface; a plurality of first travel members arranged along the outer peripheral surface and moving in a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface; second travel members in the same number as the number of the first travel members, that are arranged between the first travel members adjacent to each other and that move in the circumferential direction together with the first travel members; a plurality of pads that are individually held by the first and the second travel members and move together with the first and the second travel members and that start holding of a conveyed article at a receiving position and then release the holding of the conveyed article at a delivery position; and a plurality of pad rotating mechanisms (a) that are provided in individual travel members of either or both of the first and the second travel members, (b) that individually include a shaft member supported by each of the travel members in a revolvable manner, moving together with each of the travel members, including an engagement part engaging with the guiding part, and revolving in association with movement of each of the travel members, (c) and that individually rotate the pad held by each of the travel members about a shaft center extending in a radial direction of the outer peripheral surface in association with revolution of the shaft member so that in accordance with a difference in the rotation of the pad held by the first travel member and the pad held by the second travel member, orientations of the conveyed articles which were the same in the pads at the receiving position are made different in the pad held by the first travel member and in the pad held by the second travel member at the delivery position.

2 . The conveyance device according to claim 1 , wherein
the conveyed article is a continuous web, wherein the conveyance device further comprises: a plurality of anvils arranged between the first and the second travel members adjacent to each other and moving together with the first and the second travel members in the circumferential direction; a revolving member that is arranged, with an interval in between, opposite to the web moved in a state of being held by the pads and that revolves in synchronization with movement of the anvils; and a cutter which is held by the revolving member and includes a blade edge protruding to an outer side of the revolving member and in which the blade edge becomes such as to face the anvil in association with revolution of the revolving member, and wherein a portion of the web held by the pads and extending between the pads adjacent to each other is pinched between the blade edge of the cutter and the anvil so as to be cut.

3 . The conveyance device according to claim 1 , wherein the pad rotating mechanism transmits the revolution of the shaft member to the pad through a gear wheel.

4 . The conveyance device according to claim 1 , wherein
the pad rotating mechanism includes: an identical-directional pad rotating mechanism provided in the first travel member and transmitting the revolution of the shaft member to the pad held by the first travel member, with maintaining an identical direction; and an opposite-directional pad rotating mechanism provided in the second travel member and transmitting the revolution of the shaft member to the pad held by the second travel member, with converting the revolution into an opposite direction, and wherein the pad held by the first travel member and the pad held by the second travel member rotate in opposite directions to each other.

5 . The conveyance device according to claim 4 , wherein:
the pad held by the first travel member is fixed coaxially to the shaft member of the identical-directional pad rotating mechanism; and the pad held by the second travel member is held by the second travel member and in a coaxial and relatively rotatable manner relative to the shaft member of the opposite-directional pad rotating mechanism.

6 . The conveyance device according to claim 5 , wherein
the opposite-directional pad rotating mechanism includes: a first gear wheel revolving integrally with the shaft member held by the second travel member; a fifth gear wheel revolving integrally with the second pad held by the second travel member; a second gear wheel supported by the second travel member in a revolvable manner and engaging with the first gear wheel; a fourth gear wheel supported by the second travel member in a revolvable manner and engaging with the fifth gear wheel; and a third gear wheel engaging with any one of the second gear wheel and the fourth gear wheel and revolving coaxially to and integrally with the other one.

7 . A conveyance method comprising:
a first step of, along a cylindrical outer peripheral surface in which a guiding part is formed, moving first and second pads in a same number as each other arranged alternately in a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface, in the circumferential direction; a second step of causing the first and the second pads moving at the first step to start holding of a conveyed article at a receiving position and then release the holding of the conveyed article at a delivery position and thereby conveying the conveyed article from the receiving position to the delivery position; and a third step of, as for each pad of either or both of the first and the second pads moving at the second step with holding the conveyed article, transmitting, to each of the pads, rotation generated by engagement between an engagement part that moves together with each of the pads and the guiding part, thereby causing each of the pads to rotate and follow the guiding part, so that in accordance with a difference in the rotation of the first and the second pads, orientations of the conveyed articles which were the same in the first and the second pads at the receiving position are made different in the first pad and in the second pad at the delivery position.

8 . The conveyance method according to claim 7 , wherein at the third step, the first and the second pads are caused to follow the guiding part and rotate in opposite directions to each other.

9 . The conveyance method according to claim 7 , wherein:
at the first step, a plurality of anvils individually arranged between the first and the second pads adjacent to each other are moved together with the first and the second pads in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface; at the second step, the conveyed article the holding of which performed by the first and the second pads is started is a continuous web; at the third step, the rotation of each of the pads that follows the guiding part is started after each of the pads has passed through a cutting position located between the receiving position and the delivery position; the method further comprises a fourth step of, in a state that a cutter is held by a revolving member and then the cutter is biased to a predetermined position by a biasing force from a biasing member arranged in the revolving member so that a blade edge of the cutter is caused to protrude, revolving the revolving member in synchronization with movement of the anvils at the first step and then at the cutting position, pinching between the blade edge of the cutter and the anvil a portion of the web conveyed at the second step that extends between the first and the second pads adjacent to each other, so as to cut the portion; and at the fourth step, when a reaction force greater than the biasing force acts on the blade edge of the cutter, the biasing member allows the cutter to retract from the predetermined

Assignees

• Zuiko Corp

Inventors

• Wada Takao

Classifications

• B65H2301/33222

  90° · CPC title

• Y10T83/648

  Work manipulated between tool stations · CPC title

• A61F13/15764 Primary

  Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives · CPC title

• B26D1/405

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title

• B65H2801/57

  Diaper manufacture · CPC title