Manufacturing method and manufacturing equipment of composite body of sheet-like member of absorbent article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9248053-B2
Application number	US-200913133771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2009
Priority date	Dec 18, 2008
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a composite body of a sheet-like member of an absorbent article, the method includes: holding a first sheet-like member on a holding surface of a holding section; and delivering and attaching the first sheet-like member from the holding surface to a second sheet-like member. The first sheet-like member has a section that is to be delivered first, and a section that is to be delivered subsequently during delivery to the second sheet-like member. The first sheet-like member is held on the holding surface with suction air from a plurality of holes that have been formed on the holding surface. The holding section has at least two suction chambers. A first suction chamber is in communication with holes that suck the section that is to be delivered first, and a second suction chamber is in communication with holes that suck the section that is to be delivered subsequently.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a composite body of a sheet-shaped member of an absorbent article, the method comprising:
receiving a first sheet-shaped member on a holding surface of a holding section at a receiving position;
holding the first sheet-shaped member on the holding surface of the holding section; and
delivering and attaching the first sheet-shaped member from the holding surface to a second sheet-shaped member at a transport roller located at a delivery position,

wherein
the first sheet-shaped member has a section that is to be delivered first and a section that is to be delivered subsequently during delivery to the second sheet-shaped member,
the first sheet-shaped member is held on the holding surface with suction force from a plurality of holes formed on the holding surface,
the holding section having at least first and second suction chambers,

wherein
the first suction chamber is in communication with holes that suck the section that is to be delivered first, and the second suction chamber is in communication with holes that suck the section that is to be delivered subsequently,
the first sheet-shaped member is delivered to the second sheet-shaped member in a state in which the first suction chamber and the second suction chamber have been partitioned so as not to allow air to pass through to each other,
at the delivery position,
suction operation of the first suction chamber is performed by a first suction pipe, and
suction operation of the second suction chamber is performed by a second suction pipe, and

at the receiving position,
the first suction chamber is in communication with the first suction pipe and the second suction pipe, and suction operation of the first suction chamber is performed by cooperation of the first suction pipe and the second suction pipe which are in communication with the first suction chamber, and
the second suction chamber is in communication with the first suction pipe and the second suction pipe, and suction operation of the second suction chamber is performed by cooperation of the first suction pipe and the second suction pipe which are in communication with the second suction chamber,

wherein
the holding section is supported by a rotating drum and turnable about a turning axis of the holding section,
the turning axis of the holding section passes through a center of the holding surface along a radius direction of the rotating drum,
the holding surface has end sections and a central section between the end sections in a longitudinal direction of the holding surface,
the holding surface has a convex shape where the central section bulges outward in the radius direction more than the end sections,

wherein
the transport roller has a central section having a concave external shape in correspondence with the convex shape of the holding surface,

wherein
a negative pressure chamber drum has a cylindrical body arranged co-axially with the rotating drum and rotates at a same speed as the rotating drum,
the cylindrical body has a doughnut-shaped internal space divided, in a circumferential direction of the negative pressure chamber drum and by a partition wall, into
a negative pressure zone as a negative pressure source, and
a non-negative pressure zone,

the negative pressure zone is set corresponding to an angular range from the receiving position to the delivery position,
the non-negative pressure zone is set corresponding to another angular range from the delivery position to the receiving position, and

wherein
a middle chamber member arranged between the negative pressure chamber drum and the holding section in the radius direction is in communication with the internal space of the negative pressure chamber drum via the first suction pipe and the second suction pipe.

2. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
in response to a delivery operation of the section to be delivered first to the second sheet-shaped member, suction force of the holes that suck the section to be delivered first is weakened, and
in response to a delivery operation of the section to be delivered subsequently to the second sheet-shaped member, suction force of the holes that suck the section to be delivered subsequently is weakened.

3. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the holes where suction force has been weakened blow out air toward the first sheet-shaped member in an order in which suction force of the holes has been weakened.

4. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
a third suction chamber is partitioned in a position in between the first suction chamber and the second suction chamber in the holding section,
holes in communication with the third suction chamber are positioned in between the holes in communication with the first suction chamber and the holes in communication with the second suction chamber, and
in a state in which the first suction chamber, the second suction chamber, and the third suction chamber have been partitioned so as not to allow air to pass through to each other, the first sheet-shaped member is delivered to the second sheet-shaped member.

5. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the holding section moves along a trajectory,
the second sheet-shaped member is a continuous sheet that is wrapped around the transport roller at the delivery position in the trajectory and that travels continuously in a travel direction,
during the holding section passing by the delivery position along the travel direction of the second sheet-shaped member, the first sheet-shaped member on the holding surface of the holding section is delivered to the second sheet shaped member, and
the holes that suck the section to be delivered first are formed in an area to be a downstream side in the trajectory of the holding surface during delivery, and the holes that suck the section to be delivered subsequently are formed in an area to be an upstream side in the trajectory of the holding surface.

6. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the section to be delivered first and the section to be delivered subsequently are each fixed with an elastic member that contracts these sections toward each other, and
in a state in which the first sheet-shaped member is sucked onto the holding surface with the suction force from the holes, the section to be delivered first and section to be delivered subsequently are held in a state extended against a contractive force from the corresponding elastic member.

7. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the first suction chamber and the second suction chamber are chambers partitioned inside the holding section so as not to allow air to pass through to each other.

8. A manufacturing equipment for manufacturing a composite body of a sheet-shaped member of an absorbent article, said equipment comprising:
a rotating drum having a radius direction;
a holding section supported by the rotating drum and including a holding surface;
a negative pressure chamber drum having a cylindrical body arranged co-axially with the rotating drum, the negative pressure chamber drum being configured to rotate at a same speed as the rotating drum;
a middle chamber member arranged between the negative pressure chamber drum and the holding section in the radius direction; and
a transport roller;
the holding section configured to
receive a first sheet-shaped member on the holding surface of the holding section at a receiving position,
hold the first sheet-shaped member on the holding surface, and
deliver and attach the first sheet-shaped member to the second sheet-shaped member at

Assignees

• Ogasawara Yoshikazu
• Ito Noriaki
• Unicharm Corp

Inventors

• Ogasawara Yoshikazu
• Ito Noriaki

Classifications

• A61F13/15699 Primary

  Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs · CPC title

• A61F13/15

  Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators · CPC title

• A61F13/496

  in the form of pants or briefs · CPC title

• A61F13/15764

  Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives · CPC title

• A61F13/15593

  having elastic ribbons fixed thereto; Devices for applying the ribbons · CPC title