|
(11) | EP 1 531 031 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| (54) | Device and procedure for removal of a cutting strip in a cutting machine for flexible sheet material |
| (57) The device is employed for the extraction of cuttings (5, 6) from a machine that
handles flexible materials, with at least one material cutting operation. It consists
of the means of extracting a cutting through a pipe (7, 7a) fitted with some means
of detecting (9, 9a) the cutting (5, 6). Preferably, the means of detection (9, 9a)
are pairs of emitters and receivers (E1-R1 to E5-R5) and are located outside the pipe
(7). The procedure consists of extracting a cutting through a pipe (7, 7a) and detecting the movement of the cutting inside the pipe. The invention reduces the possibility of failure in the machine since it allows the breakage of the cutting (5, 6) to be detected and to prevent this from interfering with machine (1) operation. |
Field of the invention
[0001] This invention refers to a device and a procedure for the extraction of cuttings in the form of a continuous strip or ribbon for a cutting machine for flexible sheet material taken from a reel, with detection of the said cuttings.
[0002] The invention also refers to a cutting machine for flexible sheet material taken from a reel, which includes the said device for the extraction of cuttings in the form of a continuous ribbon.
Background of the invention
[0003] Cutting-winding machines with the means for carrying out one or more longitudinal cuts in flexible sheet material, which is unwound from a single reel, together with the means to rewind the two or more resulting bands on corresponding smaller-width reels are known in the prior art. Also known are cutting machines for the production of consecutive transversal cuts in a flexible sheet material that is unwound from a reel in order to produce loose sheets. In general, both the longitudinal and the transversal cutting machines trim up the edges of the material taken from the reel, which thus generates a trimming or cutting in the form of a continuous ribbon that must be extracted from the machine, for example, and taken to a collecting container.
[0004] The use of a suction system is also known for the cited extraction of the cutting in the form of ribbon, in which the suction system is connected to a pipe through which the cutting is removed. One such known suction system consists of a suction pipe for each cutting, of which there are normally two, corresponding to the two side edges of the material taken from the reel, with an open lower end, through which the corresponding cutting enters, together with an upper end that communicates with a collection pipe which, in turn, is connected to a fan that produces the suction flow inside the collector and, through the Venturi effect, also inside the suction pipes causes the circulation of the cuttings through their respective suction pipes and collector to the exterior where they are deposited inside the said collection container from which they are subsequently eliminated or recycled. Each cutting circulates through its corresponding pipe in a loose fashion, meaning that the material in the form of ribbon is not guided in a precise manner, but instead with random movement within the space enclosed by the pipe walls.
[0005] The described cutting extraction devices have the disadvantage that when the cutting breaks and no longer enters the suction pipe or when the cutting jams inside the suction tube, the generated, but not extracted cutting can be wound onto any of the adjacent reels leading to a machine malfunction. This generally leads to production stoppages with the consequent economic and time losses.
A brief description of the invention
[0006] One objective of this invention is to resolve the said disadvantages through the introduction of a reliable extraction device that reduces the possibility of the machine producing such failures.
[0007] According to a first aspect, the invention refers to a cutting extraction device for a machine that handles continuous flexible sheet material, of the type that includes a suction system connected to at least one pipe for suction dragging a cutting in the form of a continuous ribbon from the said machine. This device is characterised in that it also consists of the means of detection, associated with the said pipe that are adapted to detect the random movement of the said cutting inside the pipe and means of processing, adapted to emit a control command for the said machine in the case of not detecting the said cutting movement inside the pipe.
[0008] The cited means of detection consist of at least one detector adapted for capturing an emission in at least two transversal directions through the said pipe and to emit at least one signal representing the said capture or an interruption of the said capture, while the said means of processing are adapted to carry out successive readings of the said signal, of which there is at least one, comparing each new reading with one or more previous readings and emitting the said control command in function of the results of the said comparison.
[0009] In this way, a device is achieved for the extraction of cuttings that detects both the breakage of the cutting as well as the jamming of the cutting inside the pipe, not only from the presence, but also the random movement of the cutting as it passes the means of detection. In fact, the means of detection for the device in this invention do not distinguish between the presence of the cutting and the non-moving presence of the cutting, however, in either of the two cases, the device can consider it as abnormal extractor operation and shut the machine down before the cutting is able to wind itself onto one of the nearby reels and causes malfunction of said reel, thus avoiding timeouts in its production.
[0010] According to one advantageous characteristic of the invention, the means of detecting the cutting are optical and consist of at least two pairs of emitters and receivers aimed in different transverse directions through the pipe. Although the emitter and receiver pairs may be of the reflection type, it is preferable for the emitter in each emitter and receiver pair to be facing its corresponding receiver and for the device to include at least four of the said pairs aimed in different transversal and diametrically-opposite directions and crossed through the pipe so that at all times there is at least one emitter and receiver pair detecting the presence of the cutting. Due to the random movement of the cutting inside the pipe, the number and location of the emitter and receiver pairs that detect or do not detect the presence of the cutting will change at each reading, and through the comparison of successive readings, the means of processing are able to determine whether movement exists or not, and in a negative situation generate a control signal that, for example, produces the shutdown of the machine and avoids the previously described problems.
[0011] Each emitter and receiver pair detects the presence of the cutting when the said cutting is positioned in the beam generated by the emitter towards the receiver. In the case where the receiver receives the beam generated by the emitter, the said receiver sends a signal indicating that no cutting is present to the means of signal processing. Thus, for example, the emitter and receiver pair can consist of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), in which the LED emitter generates a beam of infrared light towards the receiver that detects the passing of the cutting. The means of processing receive the signals from the various receivers and process them in order to detect the change of light produced by the cutting intercepting the beam of light.
[0012] In one construction, the pipe consists of at least one transparent section, around which the emitter and receiver pair is arranged. Thanks to this transparency in the pipe, the means of detecting the cuttings can be easily fitted into a ring-shaped housing located outside the pipe, protected from impacts and dirt and easily accessible for maintenance operations.
[0013] According to another aspect, this invention refers to a procedure for the extraction of cuttings, for a continuous flexible sheet material handling machine, of the type that consists of the steps to generate, by means of a suction system, a suction current inside at least one pipe and drag along through the said pipe, by suction, a cutting in the form of a continuous ribbon from the said machine. The procedure is characterised in that it also includes the following steps of: detecting, by some means of detection associated with the said pipe, a random movement of the said cutting inside the pipe; and emit, by some means of processing connected to the said means of detection, a control command for the machine in the case of not detecting the movement of the cutting inside the pipe.
[0014] Moreover, according to another aspect, the invention refers to a continuous flexible sheet material handling machine, which consists of a device for the extraction of cuttings in accordance with the first aspect of the machine.
[0015] In one construction, the procedure also consists of one machine shutdown stage (D), in the case of not detecting the cutting in stage (C).
[0016] There is also the case in which only a warning is given to the person responsible for the machine, without shutting it down.
[0017] A machine for the handling of rolls of flexible material, which consists of the means of cutting the said material, together with a device for extracting the cuttings as the one described.
Brief description of the drawings
[0018] For a better understanding of what has been explained, drawings are included that diagrammatically, and for non-limiting example purposes, present a practical case of construction.
[0019] In the said drawings:
figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the device for the extraction of cuttings in accordance with the invention, mounted on a machine; and
figure 2 shows a sectioned, perspective view of the means of detection of the device for the extraction of cuttings shown in figure 1, indicating part of the cutting to be detected by a dotted line, for improved drawing clarity.
Detailed description of a preferred embodiment
[0020] Figure 1 is a partial view of a machine designed, for example, for the production, handling and finishing of all types of small rolls of paper, plastic and composites that includes a device for the extraction of cuttings in accordance with the invention.
[0021] As can be seen, the said machine 1 receives sheet material 2, for example, paper or plastic, in the form of a band B that is taken from a reel, which is not shown, and which cuts longitudinally by means of suitable cutting elements 4, obtaining several bands of paper B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6 that are subsequently rewound, and performs a clean-up operation of the sides of the sheet material 2, from which residue or cuttings 5, 6 are obtained from the margins. A cutting is understood to be any strip or fragment of material in the form of a narrow band or ribbon, in this case, of paper or plastic, which has been cut off and must be separated from the rest.
[0022] Subsequently, the cuttings 5, 6 are introduced into corresponding pipes 7, 7a where they are sucked by a Venturi effect generated, for example, by a fan or turbine 8, and taken towards an evacuation collector pipe 13 that ends through a spout 10 in a collection container 15. It is important to emphasise that the pipes 7, 7a may be considered as being any type of means by which the cuttings 5, 6, are transported with either an open or closed configuration. The actual type of pipe employed will depend on each specific case of cutting material and the employed extraction device.
[0023] The suction of cuttings 5, 6 obtained by means of the fan 8 causes the said cuttings to circulate inside the pipes 7, 7a until they reach some means of detecting the cuttings 9, 9a, associated with the said pipes 7, 7a, which detect a random movement of the said cuttings 5, 6 inside the corresponding pipes 7, 7a.
[0024] When the said means of detecting cuttings 9, 9a do not detect the movement of at least one of the cuttings 5, 6, they will consider that one or both has/have broken or jammed and will then send a signal to a central computer (not shown) that controls machine 1 in order to provide a warning or shut the machine down. In the case where cuttings are not broken or jammed, they will continue to circulate through the respective pipes 7, 7a until they are finally deposited into collector 10, via the collector pipe 13.
[0025] As can be seen in figure 2, the means or assembly for detecting the cuttings consists of a casing 11 associated with pipe 7 and several pairs of emitters and receivers E1-R1, E2-R2, E3-R3, E4-R4, E5-R5, mounted, in this embodiment, on a printed circuit board 14, arranged in various transversal directions through the pipes 7, 7a and arranged around a transparent tube 12 inside the casing 11.
[0026] According to one possible embodiment, each of the various pairs of emitters and receivers E1-R1, E2-R2, E3-R3, E4-R4, E5-R5, consists of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) which produce beams of infrared light and, because of their number and spatial layout, are able to detect the movement of the cutting 5 or 6 inside the corresponding pipe 7, 7a whatever its orientation. When the cutting 5 or 6 is circulating through the means of detecting the cuttings 9, 9a, the movement of the said cutting 5 or 6 means that the infrared light beams generated by the emitters do not reach the receivers.
[0027] Some means of processing (not shown), also arranged inside the means of detecting the cutting 9, or at an associated remote point, receives the signals from the receivers and processes them in order to detect the changes in light produced by the intersecting or not of the cuttings 5, 6 in the infrared light beams.
[0028] In the case where one of the cuttings 5, 6 is broken, the said cutting will no longer circulate inside the means of detecting the cuttings 11, and therefore, it will no longer break the infrared light beams generated by the emitters, which will then reach the corresponding receivers. In turn, in the case of the cutting not moving, for example, due to a jam, successive equal readings will also be produced from the detectors of each emitter-detector pair along the length of the pipe.
[0029] Thus, in any or the abnormal situations considered above, when two or more successive readings from the emitter and receiver pairs E1-R1, E2-R2, E3-R3, E4-R4, E5-R5, are equal, the said means of processing will send a signal to the central control computer for the machine 1 in order to issue a warning or to shut it down, preventing, for example, that broken or jammed cutting 5, 6 is wound onto any of the nearby reels or rollers or shafts causing a malfunction in the movement of paper 2 and the subsequent rewinding that results in production stoppages.
[0030] According to the procedure for this invention, the said means of processing are adapted to perform successive readings of the said signals, comparing each new reading with one or more previous readings and issuing the said control command in function of the results of the said comparison.
[0031] In spite of what has been described and represented in a specific embodiment of this invention, an expert in the material would be able to produce variants and modifications or replace the details with other technically equivalent ones without leaving the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.
[0032] For example, there may be any number of pairs of emitters and receivers, providing they are sufficient to detect the movement of the cutting by the means of detection whatever the spatial orientation of the said cutting in the form of a ribbon; the actual number will largely depend on the type of cutting and the size of the pipe.
[0033] Moreover, the pairs of emitters and receivers may be made up of other components and not LEDs, with optical systems being preferred.
1. A cutting extractor device (6), for a cutting machine (1) for continuous flexible
sheet material (2), of the type that consists of a suction system (8), connected to
at least one pipe (7, 7a), which drags along, by suction through the said pipe (7,
7a), a cutting (5, 6) in the form of a continuous ribbon coming from the said machine
(1), characterised in that it consists of some means of detection (9, 9a), associated with the said pipe (7,
7a), adapted to detect a random movement of the said cutting (5, 6) inside the pipe
(7) and some means of processing, connected to the said means of detection (9), adapted
to issue a control command for the said machine (1) in the case of not detecting the
said movement of the cutting (6) inside the pipe (7).
2. A device in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the said means of detection (9) consists of at least one detector assembly adapted
to capture an emission in at least two transverse directions through the said pipe
(7) and issue at least one signal representative of the said capture or interruption
of the said capture.
3. A device in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that the said means of processing are adapted to perform successive readings of the said
signal, of which there is at least one, to compare each new reading with one or more
previous readings and to issue a command signal in function of the results of the
said comparison.
4. A device in accordance with claim 3, characterised in that the said detector assembly, of which there is at least one, for the means of detection
(9) consists of at least two pairs of emitters (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5) and receivers
(R1, R2, R3, R4, R5) pointing in different transverse directions along pipe (7, 7a).
5. A device in accordance with claim 4, characterised in that the emitter (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5) of each emitter and receiver pair is facing its
corresponding receiver (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5).
6. A device in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that the said various transverse directions inside the pipe (7) are parallel.
7. A device in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that the said various transverse directions inside the pipe (7) are crossed.
8. A device in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that the said various transverse directions inside the pipe (7) are diametrically opposite
and crossed.
9. A device in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that the emitter (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5) of each emitter and receiver pair consists of at
least one light emitting diode.
10. A device in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that the emitter (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5) of each emitter and receiver pair emits a beam of
infrared light.
11. A device in accordance with claim 4, characterised in that it consists of at least four emitter (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5) and receiver (R1, R2, R3,
R4, R5) pairs.
12. A device in accordance with any of the claims 4 to 11, characterised in that the pipe (7) consists of at least one transparent section (12), around which the
emitters (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5) and receivers (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5) of the pairs of emitters
and receivers are arranged.
13. A cutting extractor procedure (6), for a machine (1) that cuts continuous flexible
sheet material (2), that consists of the steps to be generated, by means of a suction
system (8), a suction current inside at least one pipe (7) and, dragged along by suction
through the said pipe (7), a cutting (6) in the form of a continuous ribbon coming
from the said machine (1), characterised in that it also consists of the steps for:
detecting, by some means of detection (9), associated with the said pipe (7), a random movement of the said cutting (6) inside the pipe (7); and
issuing, by some means of processing, connected to the said means of detection (9), a control command for the machine (1) in the case of not detecting the said movement of the cutting (6) inside the pipe (7).
14. A procedure according to claim 13, characterised in that the step for detecting the said random movement of the cutting (6) inside the pipe
(7) consists of performing, by means of at least a detector assembly, a capture of
an emission, in at least two transverse directions along the said pipe (7), and emitting
at least one signal representing the said capture or interruption of the said capture.
15. A procedure according to claim 14, characterised in that the step for issuing a control command for the machine (1) consists of performing,
by means of the said means of processing, successive readings of the said signal,
of which there is at least one, and comparing it with one or more previous readings
and issuing the said control command in function of the results of the said comparison.
16. A cutting machine (1) for continuous flexible sheet material (2), which consists of
a cutting extraction device in accordance with any of the claims 1 to 12.