Take-up device for long-member and production device for long-member
Automatic taking-up of a long member is enabled to reduce man-hour etc., needed for take-up operation to improve the productivity in the production of the long member. A take-up device (1) for a long member (50) includes a take-up reel (10), rotation driving means that rotates the take-up reel (10), guide means (20) that guides the long member (50), and a control unit (30) that performs control of the entire device. An insertion portion (13) into which the end portion of the long member (50) can be inserted is formed in the core member (11) of the take-up reel (10). Rotation of the take-up reel (10) is controlled by the control unit (30) to set the opening of the insertion portion (13) at a predetermined position. The end portion of the long member (50) is guided toward that position by the guide means (20), and the end portion is inserted through the insertion portion (13). Then, the take-up reel (10) is rotated to take up the long member (50) on the core member (11).
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The present invention relates to take-up devices for taking up long members having various sectional shapes, such as ribbon shapes, sheet shapes, and string shapes, onto a take-up reel, and to long-member production devices, and more specifically, it relates to a long-member take-up device capable of automatically taking up a long member being fed, and to a long-member production device having the take-up device.
BACKGROUND ARTFor example, in production process of pneumatic tires, various long members composed of unvulcanized rubber or the like, such as long feed rubber members to be fed to a molding apparatus such as an extruder, as well as tread rubber, inner liners, sidewall rubber, etc., which are tire components continuously formed to have predetermined sectional shapes by molding apparatuses, are used. In general, after molding (production), these long members are temporarily stored as intermediate products with great lengths having predetermined lengths until they are used by being fed to the extruder or by being formed into green tires.
Conventionally, to store various long members, such as these rubber members, take-up reels having a pair of side plates (flanges) at both ends of a cylindrical core member are widely used. These long members are taken up in layers around the outer circumference of the core member to be stored, and, when used, they are paid out by a predetermined length to be used. Typically, to take up a long member on a take-up reel, first, an operator guides an end of the long member to attach it to the outer circumferential surface of the core member or the like. Then, the take-up reel is rotated in a take-up direction by rotation driving means or the like. Thus, the storage on take-up reels usually requires manual operation at the beginning of taking up, and the operator has to repeat the same operation every time the take-up reels are replaced. This results in a problem in that the productivity decreases for the effort, time, man-hour, etc., needed for that.
To counter this, conventionally, there has been proposed a take-up reel in which a plurality of columnar members are provided between a pair of side plates to form a core member, and an end portion of a long member is fixed by adjoining columnar members to ease attachment of the end portion of the long member to the core member at the beginning of taking up (refer to Patent Document 1).
However, with this conventional take-up reel 90, the end portion of the long member 50 moved toward the core member 92 is not always assuredly inserted between the adjoining columnar members 92T, and, depending on the positions of the columnar members 92T in the circumferential direction (the rotation angle of the take-up reel 90) etc., it may abut against the columnar members 92T and may be prevented from being inserted. Similarly, even when the end portion of the long member 50 can be inserted between the adjoining columnar members 92T, the end portion may not be able to pass between the columnar members 92T on the opposite side across the center of the side plates 91 and may stay inside the plurality of columnar members 92T. In such a case, for example, the force to retain the end portion of the long member 50 is insufficient, allowing the end portion to fall off from between the adjoining columnar members 92T due to the tension applied thereto as the take-up reel 90 is rotated. This may pose a problem for take-up operation of the long member 50. Therefore, because the conventional take-up reel 90 requires manual operation and man-hour at the beginning of taking up, e.g., it requires an operator to guide the end position of the long member 50 and to adjust and insert it between the columnar members 92T, it cannot be said that it has sufficient effect to improve the productivity of taking up of the long member 50.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2006-27823
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the InventionThe present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to enable automatic taking-up of a long member being fed to reduce man-hour etc., required for the take-up operation, thereby improving the productivity.
Means for Solving the ProblemsAccording to a first aspect of the present invention, a long-member take-up device that takes up a long member around a core member of a take-up reel from an end portion, the core member of the take-up reel having an insertion portion into which the end portion of the long member can be inserted, the take-up device including: rotation driving means that rotates the take-up reel; guide means that guides the end portion of the long member toward the core member of the take-up reel; and a rotation control unit that controls the rotation of the take-up reel by the rotation driving means and aligns the insertion portion of the take-up reel with a guide position where the guide means guides the end portion of the long member. In a state in which the end portion of the long member is guided and inserted into the insertion portion of the take-up reel aligned therewith, the take-up reel is rotated to take up the long member on the core member. In the long-member take-up device according to the above-described aspect, the insertion portion may be formed so as to penetrate through the core member, and, the long member may be taken up with the end portion thereof being inserted through the insertion portion. The long-member take-up device according to the above-described aspect may further include measuring means that measures the length of the end portion of the long member inserted into the insertion portion or detection means that detects the end position of the long member. In the long-member take-up device according to the above-described aspect, the take-up reel may include the core member having a columnar shape and a pair of side plates disposed at both ends of the core member in an axial direction, and the insertion portion may be a through-hole that opens at both ends in an outer surface of the core member on both sides across the axis and penetrates through the core member. In the long-member take-up device according to the above-described aspect, the long member may be a rubber member. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a long-member production device includes a molding apparatus for molding a long member and the long-member take-up device for taking up the long member molded by the molding apparatus, according to any one of the above-described configurations.
AdvantagesThe present invention enables automatic taking-up of a long member being fed, thereby reducing man-hour etc., required for the take-up operation and improving the productivity.
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1: long-member take-up device, 10: take-up reel, 11: core member, 12: side plate, 13: insertion portion, 20: guide means, 30: control unit, 31: microcomputer, 32: arithmetic processing means, 33: storage means, 34: interface, and 50: long member.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTIONAn embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A long-member take-up device according to this embodiment is a device for taking up long members that can be taken up, have various sectional shapes, such as ribbon shapes, sheet shapes, string shapes, and rod shapes, and are formed of various materials, for example, rubber members, such as the above-described feed rubber members and tire components, and long synthetic resin sheets, on a core member of a take-up reel from an end portion. An explanation will be given taking the case where a ribbon-shaped long member (rubber member) having a substantially rectangular cross-section is taken up as an example.
This take-up device is used not only when a long member being fed is continuously taken up on the take-up reel and each take-up reel is temporarily stored, but also when, for example, a long-member production device and a molding apparatus etc., such as an extruder for continuously molding long members having predetermined sectional shapes or molding rolls consisting of a pair of reduction rolls, are configured together and the long member to be molded is taken up.
The take-up reel 10 includes a columnar core member 11 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, square-column shape, or the like having a predetermined length in the axial direction (left-right direction in
The insertion portion 13 is formed so as to penetrate through a take-up surface, on which the long member 50 is taken up, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the core member 11. That is, in the take-up reel 10, a through-hole having a predetermined shape and extending in a straight line in the core member 11 is formed such that both ends thereof open in the outer surface (the outer circumferential surface) of the core member 11 on both sides across the axis, which is used as the insertion portion 13. The insertion portion 13 is formed as a substantially rectangular-parallelepiped cavity, in which the opening in the outer circumferential surface of the core member 11 having a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the axial direction extends therefrom in a straight line in the radial direction of the core member 11 through the axis position and opens in the outer circumferential surface on the other side.
Herein, the insertion portion 13 is formed, according to the sectional shape, size, etc., of the long member 50 to be inserted, to have a size into which the end portion thereof can be inserted and fixed, and the width W of the opening (refer to
The rotation driving means (not shown) for rotating and driving the take-up reel 10 includes, for example, a driving source, such as a stepping motor, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the motive power therefrom to one of the side plates 12 of the take-up reel 10 to rotate it in the circumferential direction, and rotates the take-up reel 10 about the axis (arrow K in
The guide means 20 continuously moves (arrow T in
The control unit 30 (refer to
Thus, the control unit 30 controls the rotation of the take-up reel 10 by the above-described rotation driving means and rotates and moves the position of the insertion portion 13 of the take-up reel 10 in the rotation direction (the opening position) to the position where the guide means 20 guides the end portion of the long member 50 to substantially align these positions. Furthermore, the control unit 30 controls the guide means 20 to cause it to pay out and guide the end portion of the long member 50 toward the insertion portion 13 of the take-up reel 10 aligned therewith. The end position of the long member 50 is inserted into the insertion portion 13 by a predetermined length and located at a predetermined position.
The alignment of the insertion portion 13 is performed, for example, by controlling the rotational position of the rotation driving means by a stepping motor, or by providing a mark, such as a hole or a projection, corresponding to the position of the opening of the insertion portion 13 on the side plates 12 of the take-up reel 10 or the like and stopping the rotation driving means when a detection sensor detects it. In addition, the take-up device 1 has measuring means for measuring the length of the end portion of the long member 50 inserted into the insertion portion 13 (hereinafter, insertion-length measuring means) or detection means for detecting the end position of the long member 50 (hereinafter, end-position detection means). By connecting them to the control unit 30, a measurement result or a detection result is used in the above-described control of the guide means 20. The insertion-length measuring means is known means that directly or indirectly measures the insertion length, for example, means for measuring the displacement (length) of the long member 50 being paid out in a contacting or non-contacting manner or means for calculating and measuring the insertion length of the end portion by measuring the time required for paying out the long member 50 at a constant speed. Furthermore, the end-position detection means is known means, such as a detection sensor, using, for example, light-emitting and light-receiving elements to detect whether or not the end of the long member 50 reaches a predetermined position.
In this embodiment, the control unit 30 is connected also to the other units and sensors, for example, a feeding unit and molding apparatus for the long member 50, to control the entire device, i.e., the production device for the long member 50 including the take-up device 1. In addition, the control unit 30 operates the respective parts connected thereto according to a predetermined program and a predetermined process, i.e., operates the respective parts of the device simultaneously, causing them to perform operations such as taking up and producing of the long member 50. The take-up operation will be described below.
To take up the long member 50 with the take-up device 1, first, in a state in which the paying out of the long member 50 by the guide means 20 is stopped (refer to
Next, the guide means 20 is driven to pay out the long member 50 toward the take-up reel 10 (arrow T in
More specifically, in the take-up device 1, the end of the long member 50 (refer to
In this manner, the long member 50 is wrapped around the core member 11 by a predetermined length (time) to complete taking up on the take-up reel 10. During that time, the control unit 30 synchronizes the speed at which the long member 50 is paid out with the rotation speed of the take-up reel 10 and controls such that the take-up reel 10 takes up the long member 50 while applying an appropriate tension thereto. At the same time, the take-up reel 10 or the guide means 20 of the take-up device 1 is reciprocated in the axial direction such that the long member 50 is substantially uniformly wrapped around the core member 11 of the take-up reel 10 in the axial direction and radial direction thereof. When taking up for a predetermined length is completed, paying out of the long member 50 and rotation of the take-up reel 10 are stopped and the terminal end of the long member 50 is cut by cutting means (not shown). Then, the take-up reel 10 is removed from the take-up device 1 by a transportation device (not shown) and is transported to a predetermined storage place to be stored.
In the take-up device 1 according to this embodiment, at the beginning of the above-described taking up, the guide position of the end portion of the long member 50 is aligned with the insertion portion 13 and, in that state (refer to
Accordingly, with the take-up device 1, at the beginning of taking up of the long member 50, attachment of the end portion thereof to the core member 11 can be assuredly performed without needing manual operation and subsequent wrapping of the end portion can be automated, i.e., automatic taking-up of the long member 50 being fed becomes possible. This can reduce the effort, time, man-hour, etc., required for the take-up operation. As a result, the production, storing operation, etc., of the long member 50 can be simplified, improving the productivity and reducing the production costs. Furthermore, in the take-up device 1, the insertion of the end portion of the long member 50 into the insertion portion 13 is performed while the above-described insertion-length measuring means performs measurement or the end-position detection means performs detection. Thus, the insertion state, such as insertion length and position, can be stably and repeatedly maintained in a predetermined state. At the same time, because the end portion of the long member 50 is assuredly inserted into the insertion portion 13, take-up errors are reduced. Thus, taking up can be performed more assuredly.
Even if the end portion of the long member 50 is inserted in such a manner that the end position thereof is positioned in the insertion portion 13 of the take-up reel 10 without passing therethrough, the end portion of the long member 50 can be retained with sufficient force at the insertion portion 13, depending on the difference between the thickness of the long member 50 and the opening width of the insertion portion 13, the contact areas therebetween, the surface property, such as adhesiveness, of the long member 50, or the like. Thus, the long member 50 may be inserted into the insertion portion 13 without passing therethrough. However, if the end portion of the long member 50 passing through the insertion portion 13 is taken up, the insertion portion 13 more strongly retains the end portion of the long member 50, enabling wrapping of the end portion around the core member 11 to be more assuredly performed at the beginning of taking up. Thus, it is more desirable that the insertion of the long member 50 be performed in that way.
Furthermore, the take-up reel 10 may be formed in a shape different from that according to this embodiment, for example, may consist only of the core member 11 with no side plates 12. However, if the take-up reel 10 is formed such that the pair of side plates 12 are disposed at both ends of the core member 11, the side plates 12 can prevent the long member 50 from protruding in the axial direction during taking up, making it possible to prevent the long member 50 having been taken up from touching the floor or the like during storage after taking up. Accordingly, it is more desirable that the take-up reel 10 include the core member and the pair of side plates 12.
Although, in this embodiment, the insertion portion 13 is formed so as to penetrate through the axis position of the core member 11, it may be formed so as to pass through a position other than the axis position of the core member 11, i.e., so as to extend in another direction. Moreover, for example, a plurality of the insertion portion 13 may be formed in the axial direction, circumferential direction, etc., of the core member 11 at a plurality of locations in the core member 11, and may have a shape other than the shape extending in a straight line between both openings, for example, a shape extending in a curved line or in a bent line and into which the long member 50 can be inserted. Furthermore, the sectional shape (opening shape) of the insertion portion 13 may be formed in a shape other than the rectangular shape, for example, a circular shape, a crescent shape, or a polygonal shape such as a triangular or trapezoidal shape, according to the sectional shape of the long member 50 to be inserted. Depending on the insertion conditions and the like of the long member 50, it may be formed in a blind-hole shape without penetration.
Claims
1. A long-member take-up device that takes up a long member around a core member of a take-up reel from an end portion, the core member of the take-up reel having an insertion portion into which the end portion of the long member can be inserted, the long-member take-up device comprising:
- rotation driving means that rotates the take-up reel;
- guide means that guides the end portion of the long member toward the core member of the take-up reel; and
- a rotation control unit that controls the rotation of the take-up reel by the rotation driving means and aligns the insertion portion of the take-up reel with a guide position where the guide means guides the end portion of the long member,
- wherein, in a state in which the end portion of the long member is guided and inserted into the insertion portion of the take-up reel aligned therewith, the take-up reel is rotated to take up the long member on the core member.
2. The long-member take-up device according to claim 1,
- wherein the insertion portion is formed so as to penetrate through the core member, and
- wherein the long member is taken up with the end portion thereof being inserted through the insertion portion.
3. The long-member take-up device according to claim 1, further comprising measuring means that measures the length of the end portion of the long member inserted into the insertion portion or detection means that detects the end position of the long member.
4. The long-member take-up device according to claim 1,
- wherein the take-up reel includes the core member having a columnar shape and a pair of side plates disposed at both ends of the core member in an axial direction, and
- wherein the insertion portion is a through-hole that opens at both ends in an outer surface of the core member on both sides across the axis and penetrates through the core member.
5. The long-member take-up device according to claim 1,
- wherein the long member is a rubber member.
6. A long-member production device comprising:
- a molding apparatus for molding a long member; and
- the long-member take-up device for taking up the long member molded by the molding apparatus, according to claim 1.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 20, 2007
Publication Date: Dec 10, 2009
Applicant: BRIDESTONE CORPORATION (TOKYO)
Inventor: Michio Emoto (Abiko-shi)
Application Number: 12/448,776
International Classification: B65H 19/28 (20060101);