JP7620809B2 - Web conveying method, web manufacturing method, and web conveying device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a web conveying method, a web manufacturing method, and a web conveying device.

In the manufacturing process of long media such as various films, metal foils, papers, and cloths, known as webs, the web is unwound from a unwound roll and wound up on a take-up roll, but it is required that the web be transported at high speed on the transport line without any trouble and that high-precision quality be maintained.

In the web manufacturing process, sensors are placed on the transport line to manage the quality of the transported web (transport web). For example, sensors that measure the charge amount of the transported web and sensors that detect foreign objects and defects are placed on the transport line to understand the physical properties and quality of the web.

In addition, in the web manufacturing process, various processing units are placed on the conveying line to perform the desired processing on the conveying web. For example, a slitting device that performs slitting on the conveying web is placed on the conveying line to perform slitting to cut the periphery of the conveying web.

In this way, by installing sensors and processing units on the conveying line, the physical properties of the conveying web can be detected and the conveying web can be subjected to desired processing.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electrostatic potential measuring device that measures the potential of static electricity generated on a sheet-like material, which is provided near a sheet roll formed by winding a long sheet-like material into a roll and measures the potential of static electricity generated on the sheet-like material, and which includes a measuring device that measures the potential of static electricity and a measuring device holding means that is detachable from a machine frame that supports the sheet roll, rolls on the surface of the sheet roll from above, holds the measuring device at a position a predetermined distance away from the surface so that it can be moved along the axis of the sheet roll, and moves up and down in accordance with changes in the outer diameter of the sheet roll.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 05-170369

However, when transporting a web that involves unwinding from and winding onto rollers as described above, sensors and processing units are provided on the transport line to detect the physical properties of the transported web and to perform desired processing on the transported web, but there is a problem in that the accuracy is not sufficient.

For example, the electrostatic potential measuring device described in Patent Document 1 measures the potential of static electricity generated in a web, but since the measuring device measures not the conveying web but the web wound into a roll, it does not accurately detect the static potential of the conveying web (e.g., not the wound web but one layer of the conveying web). Furthermore, this electrostatic potential measuring device is equipped with a measuring device holding means that moves up and down in accordance with changes in the outer diameter of the sheet roll, but since the guide roller is in contact with the surface of the sheet roll, there is a problem that the quality of the product web is affected.

When detecting the physical properties of the transport web or performing the desired processing on the transport web, the roll diameter changes from large to small or from small to large as the web is transported, involving unwinding from a roller or winding onto a roller. As a result, the position of the transport web gradually changes. This position change is noticeable in the transport line section between the unwinding roll or winding roll and the guide roller located nearby.

However, in conventional web transport technology, technology that can detect the physical properties of the transport web with high accuracy while fully taking into account the positional changes of the transport web as described above, and technology that can process the transport web with high accuracy have not yet been developed.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its main object to provide a web transport method, a web manufacturing method, and a web transport device that can detect the physical properties of a transported web with high accuracy or process the transported web when transporting the web by unwinding it from a roller or winding it onto a roller.

As a result of intensive research into achieving the above-mentioned object, the inventors have come to the discovery of a method for transporting a web, which is unwound from or wound around a roller, including a detection step in which a sensor unit detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it is wound around the roller, or a processing step in which a processing unit applies a predetermined processing to the transport web, a position information acquisition step in which the inclination of the transport web in a side view is detected without contacting the transport web and the amount of change in the inclination is acquired as the amount of change in position of the transport web, and a position control step in which the position of the sensor unit or the processing unit is controlled based on the amount of change in position acquired in the position information acquisition step, and have completed the present invention.

In other words, the present invention is as follows.

(1)
The method for transporting a web, in which the web is unwound from a roller or wound around a roller, includes a detection step in which a sensor unit detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it is wound around the roller, or a processing step in which a processing unit applies a predetermined processing to the transport web, a position information acquisition step in which the inclination of the transport web in a side view is detected without contacting the transport web and the amount of change in the inclination is acquired as an amount of position change of the transport web, and a position control step in which the position of the sensor unit or the processing unit is controlled based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition step.
(2)
The position information acquisition process is a web transport method described in (1), in which at least two focal length measuring units equipped with lenses are arranged above or below the web transport line, and for the transport web, each focal length measuring unit acquires a focal length to the surface of the transport web, detects the inclination of the transport web from the acquired focal length, and acquires the amount of change in the inclination as the amount of change in the position of the transport web.
(3)
The position information acquisition process is a web transport method described in (1) or (2), in which at least two position measurement units, each equipped with an irradiation unit capable of irradiating an energy ray and a light receiving unit capable of receiving the energy ray, are arranged above or below the web transport line, the energy ray is irradiated from the irradiation unit of each position measurement unit toward the surface of the transport web, and the reflected wave of the energy ray reflected from the surface is received by the light receiving unit to acquire the distance to the transport web, the inclination of the web is detected from the acquired distance, and the amount of change in the inclination is acquired as the amount of change in the position of the web.
(4)
The position information acquisition process is a web transport method described in any one of (1) to (3), in which at least one imaging unit equipped with a lens is arranged above or below the web transport line, the imaging unit images a predetermined location on the surface of the transport web to acquire an image of the transport web, the inclination of the transport web is detected from image blur of the acquired image, and the amount of change in the inclination is acquired as the amount of change in the position of the transport web.
(5)
The position information acquisition process is a web transport method described in any one of (1) to (4), in which at least one lateral imaging unit is arranged on the side of the web transport line, and the lateral imaging unit detects the inclination of the web by imaging the transport web from the side of the transport web, and acquires the amount of change in the inclination as the amount of change in the position of the web.
(6)
This is a web transport method described in any one of (1) to (5), wherein the position information acquisition process acquires the amount of position change of the transport web in real time, and the position control process controls the position of the sensor unit or the processing unit in real time based on the amount of position change acquired in real time.
(7)
The web transport method according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the detection step includes at least one step selected from the group consisting of a step of measuring the charge amount of the transport web by the sensor unit, a step of detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter by the sensor unit that images the surface of the transport web and detects adhesion of foreign matter to the surface, a step of detecting the presence or absence of defects by the sensor unit that images the surface of the transport web and detects defects on the surface, a step of measuring the amount of coating by the sensor unit that measures the amount of coating on the surface of the transport web, and a step of detecting the uneven shape by the sensor unit that detects the uneven shape of the surface of the transport web.
(8)
The web transport method according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the processing step includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a step of slitting the transport web by the processing unit that cuts the side edges of the transport web, a step of laser processing the transport web by the processing unit that irradiates the transport web with a laser, a step of removing foreign matter from the surface of the transport web by the processing unit that injects air onto the transport web, a step of sucking and removing foreign matter from the surface of the transport web by the processing unit that sucks air on the surface of the transport web, a step of correcting slack and/or wrinkles in the transport web by the processing unit that has a guide roll mechanism that controls meandering of the transport web, and a step of modifying the surface of the transport web by the processing unit that performs an electric discharge treatment on the surface of the transport web.
(9)
This is a method for manufacturing a web, comprising: a payout process in which the web is paid out from the roller, or a winding process in which the web is wound around the roller; and a transport process in which the web is transported by a web transport method described in any one of (1) to (8).
(10)
The web transport device is a web transporting device for a web that is unwound from a roller or wound around a roller, the web transporting device comprising: a transport section that transports the web; a sensor section that detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it has been wound around the roller, or a processing section that performs a predetermined processing on the transport web; a position information acquisition section that detects the inclination of the transport web in a side view after it has been unwound from the roller or before it has been wound around the roller, without contacting the transport web, and acquires the amount of change in the inclination as a position change amount of the transport web; and a position control section that controls the position of the sensor section or the processing section based on the amount of position change acquired by the position information acquisition section.

The present invention provides a web transport method, a web manufacturing method, and a web transport device that can detect the physical properties of a transported web with high accuracy or process the transported web when transporting the web by unwinding it from a roller or winding it onto a roller.

FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining a conveying method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view for explaining the conveying method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining acquisition of the amount of change in tilt in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a conveying method according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining acquisition of the amount of change in tilt based on an image captured by a camera in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view for explaining a conveying method according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a side view for explaining a conveying method according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a graph plotting the measured distance to the simulated film and the measured amount of charge at that time in the payout test. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the measurement results of the charge amount in the payout test of the example.

The following describes in detail the form for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "present embodiment"). The following present embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the following content. The present invention can be carried out with appropriate modifications within the scope of its gist.

In the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not limited to the ratios shown in the drawings.

In addition, in this specification, terms with "abbreviation" attached indicate the meaning of the term excluding "abbreviation" within the scope of common technical knowledge of a person skilled in the art, and include the meaning itself excluding "abbreviation."

<Web transport method>

The web transport method according to the present embodiment is a method for transporting a web in which the web is unwound from or wound around a roller,
(1) a detection step of detecting a predetermined physical property of a transport web by a sensor unit after the transport web is unwound from a roller or before the transport web is wound around a roller, or a processing step of performing a predetermined processing on the transport web by a processing unit;
(2) a position information acquiring step of detecting an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web and acquiring an amount of change in the inclination as an amount of change in position of the transport web;
(3) a position control step of controlling the position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the position change amount acquired in the position information acquisition step;
A method for transporting a web, comprising:

The following describes an example of the detection process, in which the charge amount is measured, with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a side view for explaining the transport method according to the first embodiment, Figure 2 is a top view for explaining the transport method according to the first embodiment, and Figure 3 is a side view for explaining the acquisition of the amount of change in inclination in the first embodiment.

The transport method shown in FIG. 1 is a method for transporting a web W that is unwound from or wound around a roller 10, and the charge amount of the transported web (transport web) W is measured. Note that in this specification, "web W" may be used to include both the web that is wound around the roller 10 (the web of the roll bodies R1 and R2) and the transport web (the web that is not wound around the roller 10 and is transported on the transport line).

The conveying device 1 comprises a roller 10 on which the web W is wound, and a guide roller 11. A sensor unit 12 for measuring the charge amount of the conveyed web W is disposed above the conveying line (above in FIG. 1), and a first focal length measuring unit 13 is disposed on the roller 10 side, and a second focal length measuring unit 14 is disposed on the guide roller 11 side. Note that "above (the conveying line)" means above when viewed from the side of the conveying line (for example, see FIG. 1) unless otherwise specified. And "below (the conveying line)" means below when viewed from the side of the conveying line (for example, see FIG. 1) unless otherwise specified.

For example, when the web W is wound around the roller (sometimes called a winding shaft in this case) 10, the web W is transported from the guide roller 11 towards the roller 10 (see arrow F1). In this case, the roll diameter of the roll body with the web W wound around the roller 10 gradually increases from a small diameter (see roll body R1) to a large diameter (see roll body R2). Accordingly, the position of the transported web W also gradually moves from the bottom (see transported web W1) to the top (see transported web W2).

On the other hand, when the web W is unwound from the roller (sometimes called the unwinding shaft in this case) 10, the web W is transported from the roller 10 toward the guide roller 11 (see arrow F2). In this case, the roll diameter of the roll body from which the web W is unwound gradually decreases from a large diameter (see roll body R2) to a small diameter (see roll body R1). Accordingly, the position of the transported web W also gradually moves from the top (see transported web W2) to the bottom (see transported web W1).

In this way, the position of the transported web W changes both when the web W is unwound from the roller 10 and when the web W is wound around the roller 10. According to this embodiment, the change in the position of the transported web W can be accurately and easily grasped by acquiring the amount of change in tilt θ as the amount of position change. Furthermore, since the amount of change in tilt θ can be acquired without contact, there is no adverse effect on the transport line or the product web.

(Detection process)

In the conveying method according to the first embodiment, (1) a detection step is performed in which the charge amount of the conveyed web W is measured by the sensor unit 12 after it has been unwound from the roller 10 or before it is wound around the roller 10. Here, as an example, the case where the charge amount is measured as a physical property of the web W is illustrated, but the sensor unit 12 may detect other physical properties. For example, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of dust or defects, thickness, refractive index, surface undulation, etc. The surface undulation here refers to the occurrence of unintended fine irregularities on the surface, etc. The physical property detected by the sensor unit 12 does not have to be only one of these, and it may also detect two or more of these simultaneously or at different times with a time difference.

The sensor unit 12 includes a charge amount measuring sensor 120 that measures the charge amount, a front-rear movement unit 121 that moves the charge amount measuring sensor 120 back and forth (see arrow F3), and a rotation movement unit 122 that rotates the charge amount measuring sensor 120 in the conveying direction (see arrow F4). This allows the sensor unit 12 to move in any direction, up, down, left or right, relative to the conveying web W.

The sensor unit 12 may be configured to measure the amount of charge at any one location on the transport web W, or may be configured to measure the amount of charge at any width position on the transport web W by making the sensor unit 12 movable in the width direction of the transport web W when viewed from above (see the vertical direction on the paper in FIG. 1, and the up-down direction in FIG. 2).

When measuring the transport web W after it has been unwound from the roller (unwinding shaft) 10, it is preferable to perform the measurement using the sensor unit 12 immediately after unwinding. Specifically, immediately after unwinding means that it is more preferable to measure the transport web W using the sensor unit 12 at a location located 50 mm to 2000 mm from the central axis of the roller 10 on the transport line, more preferably at a location 100 mm to 600 mm, and even more preferably at a location 200 mm to 500 mm. This makes it possible to accurately measure and/or detect the characteristics of the web W, foreign matter, static electricity, etc., without being affected by the roller 10 or the guide roller 11.

Similarly, when measuring the transport web W before it is wound around the roller (winding shaft) 10, it is preferable to perform the measurement using the sensor unit 12 immediately before winding. Specifically, immediately before winding means that it is more preferable to measure the transport web W using the sensor unit 12 at a location located 50 mm to 2000 mm from the central axis of the roller 10 on the transport line, more preferably at a location 100 mm to 600 mm, and even more preferably at a location 200 mm to 500 mm. This makes it possible to accurately measure and/or detect the characteristics of the web W, foreign matter, static electricity, etc., without being affected by the roller 10 or the guide roller 11.

(Location information acquisition process)

Next, (2) a position information acquisition process is performed in which the inclination of the transport web W in a side view is detected without contacting the transport web W after it has been unwound from the roller 10 or before it is wound onto the roller 10, and the amount of change in the inclination θ is acquired as the amount of change in position of the transport web W.

The change in inclination θ here refers to the difference between the inclination of web W1 at a specific point in time during transport and the inclination of web W2 at a point in time after a specified time has elapsed from that point.

The inclination of the transport web W1 at the above-mentioned specific point in time may be, for example, the inclination of the transport web W1 relative to the horizontal direction when viewed from the side of the transport line (see, for example, FIG. 1). Alternatively, when viewed from the side of the transport line (see, for example, FIG. 1), a predetermined direction (for example, the inclination of the transport line at the start of transport) may be set as a reference line, and the inclination of the transport web W1 relative to this may be the "inclination."

Similarly, the inclination of the transport web W2 after the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed may be defined as the inclination of the transport web W2 relative to the horizontal direction in a side view of the transport line. Alternatively, a predetermined direction (e.g., the inclination of the transport line at the start of transport) in a side view of the transport line (e.g., see FIG. 1) may be set as a reference line, and the inclination of the transport web W2 relative to this may be defined as the inclination.

In this embodiment, it is sufficient to obtain the amount of change θ in the inclination of the transport web W in a side view, and it is not necessary to calculate the specific inclination angle of the inclination at each point in time. In other words, in this embodiment, it is sufficient to detect the inclination of the transport web W in the side view described above, and it is not necessary to calculate the specific inclination angle.

The position information acquisition process preferably includes disposing at least two first focal length measurement units 13 and two second focal length measurement units 14 equipped with lenses above (see the top of Figure 1) or below (see the bottom of Figure 1) the conveying line of the conveying web W, and each of the first focal length measurement unit 13 and the second focal length measurement unit 14 acquires the focal length to the surface of the conveying web W for the conveying web W, detects the inclination of the conveying web W from the acquired focal length, and acquires the amount of change in inclination θ as the amount of position change of the conveying web W.

An example of a method for detecting the inclination of the transported web W from the focal length is described with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 3 illustrates an example in which focal length measurement units 13, 14 are provided in two locations, but in this embodiment, the number of locations is not limited to two, and they may be provided in three or more locations. By increasing the number of locations, the amount of change in tilt θ can be calculated with higher accuracy, and the position of the sensor unit 12 can be controlled with higher accuracy.

For example, when web W1 is wound around roller 10, focal length a of first focal length measurement unit 13 is measured for web W1 (see arrow F5 in FIG. 1), and focal length c of second focal length measurement unit 14 is measured for web W1 (see arrow F6 in FIG. 1). After a predetermined time has elapsed and web W2 has been further wound, focal length b of first focal length measurement unit 13 is measured for web W2 (see arrow F5 in FIG. 1), and focal length d of second focal length measurement unit 14 is measured for web W2 (see arrow F6 in FIG. 1). The amount of change in inclination θ is calculated from the focal lengths a, b, c, and d thus obtained, and the positional distance between first focal length measurement unit 13 and second focal length measurement unit 14, etc.

Alternatively, when web W2 is unwound from roller 10, the focal length b of first focal length measurement unit 13 is measured for web W2 (see arrow F5 in FIG. 1), and the focal length d of second focal length measurement unit 14 is measured for web W2 (see arrow F6 in FIG. 1). After a predetermined time has elapsed and web W1 is unwound, the focal length a of first focal length measurement unit 13 is measured for web W1 (see arrow F5 in FIG. 1), and the focal length c of second focal length measurement unit 14 is measured for web W1 (see arrow F6 in FIG. 1). The amount of change in inclination θ is calculated from the focal lengths a, b, c, and d thus obtained, and the position distance between first focal length measurement unit 13 and second focal length measurement unit 14, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the first focal length measuring unit 13 and the second focal length measuring unit 14 are provided on the side edge (edge line) of the conveying line of the web W when viewed from above. This allows the focal length to be measured more accurately.

Although not shown, according to this embodiment, instead of the first focal length measurement unit 13 and the second focal length measurement unit 14 described above, a first irradiation unit and a second irradiation unit that irradiate the web W with energy rays such as laser light may be provided, and the distance from the web W may be obtained at each of the first irradiation unit and the second irradiation unit, and the amount of change in tilt θ may be obtained from these distances. Similar to the focal length measurement units 13 and 14, the irradiation units may be provided at two or more locations on the conveying line.

When the amount of change in the inclination θ is acquired by the irradiation unit, the position information acquisition process preferably includes arranging at least two position measurement units above or below the conveying line of the web W, each of which has an irradiation unit capable of irradiating energy rays and a light receiving unit capable of receiving the energy rays, irradiating the conveying web W from the irradiation unit (e.g., the first irradiation unit and the second irradiation unit described above) of each position measurement unit toward the surface of the conveying web W (see arrows F5 and F6 in FIG. 1), and receiving the reflected wave of the energy ray reflected from the surface by the light receiving unit (see the opposite direction of arrow F5 and the opposite direction of arrow F6 in FIG. 1), thereby acquiring the distances a, b, c, and d to the conveying web W, calculating the amount of change in the inclination θ of the web W from the acquired distances a, b, c, and d, and the arrangement distance between the first focal length measurement unit 13 and the second focal length measurement unit 14, and acquiring the amount of change in the inclination θ as the amount of change in the position of the web W.

(Position control process)

Then, (3) a position control process is performed to control the position of the sensor unit 12 based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition process.

The position of the sensor unit 12 is preferably controlled so that the distance between the sensor unit 12 and the transport web W is maintained at a constant distance. The position of the sensor unit 12 can be controlled by an actuator or the like. In the first embodiment, the position of the sensor unit 12 can be controlled with high precision by the forward/backward movement unit 121 and the rotational movement unit 122 provided in the sensor unit 12. For example, the position can be controlled by an actuator or the like so that a predetermined distance is always maintained in response to the positional change of the transport web W during transport. By controlling the position in this manner, the sensor unit 12 can be moved in response to the positional change of the transport web W during transport, so that the physical properties of the transport web W can be detected with high precision.

The outer diameter (diameter) of the roller 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 3 inches or more and 10 inches or less. According to this embodiment, even when using a roller 10 with such an outer diameter, it is possible to maintain a constant distance between the sensor unit 12 and the transport web W, so that the physical properties of the transport web W can be detected with high accuracy.

The conveying speed of the conveying line is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 m/min or more and 2000 m/min or less. When the conveying speed is relatively high, defects in the conveyed web W are more likely to occur during conveying. According to this embodiment, defects in the web W can be detected with high accuracy, so that defects in the manufacturing process can be effectively prevented.

Furthermore, the web W has a long, generally rectangular shape and is sometimes called a sheet, film, etc. The material of the web W is not particularly limited, but examples include resins (polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide films such as 6,6-nylon, polycarbonate films, polyacrylonitrile films, engineering plastic films such as polyimide films, etc.), paper (glassine paper, fine paper, coated paper, cast-coated paper, etc.), cloth (nonwoven fabric, etc.), etc.

According to this embodiment, it is preferable to monitor in real time. Specifically, it is more preferable that the position information acquisition process acquires the amount of position change of the transport web W in real time, and the position control process controls the position of the sensor unit 12 in real time based on the amount of position change of the transport web W acquired in real time. Then, when processing is performed by the processing unit described later, it is more preferable to control the position of the processing unit in real time based on the amount of position change of the transport web W acquired in real time, similar to the case where the sensor unit 12 is used.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the sensor unit 12 can be moved in response to the positional change of the transport web W during transport, and the position of the sensor unit 12 can be adjusted in real time in the position control process based on the amount of position change acquired in real time in the position information acquisition process. As a result, the state of the transport web W can be continuously monitored by the sensor unit 12 without stopping the transport line.

By continuously monitoring in real time, sensing by the sensor unit 12 (for example, detection of changes over time in various physical properties such as the amount of charge, and rapid detection of foreign matter and defects, etc.) can be performed in real time while the conveying line is running. In particular, according to this embodiment, sensing can be performed without contacting the conveying web W, so that sensing can be performed in real time with high accuracy without stopping the conveying line. Therefore, this manufacturing method also has the advantage of having a high yield and excellent manufacturing efficiency.

Figure 4 is a side view for explaining the transport method according to the second embodiment, and Figure 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining how to obtain the amount of change in tilt based on an image captured by a camera in the second embodiment.

In the transport method according to the second embodiment, the transport web W is imaged from above, and distance measurements are performed using the state of image blur in the captured image, thereby detecting the amount of change θ in the inclination of the transport web W.

The conveying device 2 includes a roller 10 on which the web W is wound, and a guide roller 11. A sensor unit 12 that measures the charge amount of the conveyed web W is disposed above the conveying line (above in FIG. 4), and an imaging unit 15 is disposed on the roller 10 side.

In the position information acquisition process in the second embodiment, at least one imaging unit 15 equipped with a lens is disposed above or below the conveying line of the conveying web W, and the imaging unit 15 captures an image of a predetermined location on the surface of the conveying web W (see arrow F7 in FIG. 4) to acquire an image 150 of the conveying web W. The inclination of the conveying web W is detected from the image blur of the acquired image 150, and the amount of change θ in this inclination can be acquired as the amount of change in the position of the conveying web W.

For example, when the web W1 is wound around the roller 10, the imaging unit 15 captures a predetermined portion of the transport web W to obtain an image 150 (see arrow F7 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). In this case, if the transport web W1 is not horizontal to the lens of the imaging unit 15 (i.e., if the transport web W is tilted relative to the lens of the imaging unit 15), the captured image 150 will be blurred. For example, in the case of FIG. 5, the right side area A1 of the captured image 150 is a clear image with little image blur, while the left side area A2 is significantly blurred. In this way, the degree of image blur can be used to calculate the distance between the right side area A1 and the imaging unit 15 and the distance between the left side area A2 and the imaging unit 15, and the inclination of the transport web W at the time of imaging can be detected.

Then, after a further predetermined time has elapsed, the imaging unit 15 similarly captures an image of a predetermined location of the transport web W2 to obtain an image 150 (see arrow F7 in Figure 4 and Figure 5), and the inclination of the transport web W2 at the time of capturing the image is detected.

In this way, the difference between the inclination of the transport web W1 at a specific point during transport and the inclination of the transport web W2 at a point a predetermined time after this point is calculated to obtain the amount of change in inclination θ.

When unwinding web W2 from roller 10, the inclinations of webs W2 and W1 are obtained at least at two points in time in the same manner as when winding web W1 onto roller 10, and the amount of change in inclination θ can be obtained by taking the difference between the inclinations.

As a method of detecting tilt using the image blur of the captured image 150, for example, the distance can be obtained by calculating the distance based on the brightness value, size, color, etc. of the image blur. In the case of brightness values, as an example, the distance can be calculated based on a calibration curve obtained from the relationship between the brightness value of the image and the actual distance. For example, the actual distance between the camera and the end of the web W and the brightness value profile from the surface of the web W near the end of the web W to a point outside the web W are grasped, and a calibration curve is created based on the obtained information. In actual operation, the distance can be calculated by comparing the brightness value profile near the end of the web W captured by the camera with the calibration curve created by the above method.

The imaging unit 15 may be a camera equipped with a lens and capable of capturing an image, and is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable to use a stereo camera, a monocular camera, or the like. It is more preferable to use a stereo camera from the viewpoints that it can measure distance passively without emitting radio waves or light, there is little error due to interference between devices, and it is less object-dependent because pattern recognition using a database is not required. For example, an estimated distance may be obtained by deep learning based on image data collected in advance, and the tilt may be detected from this estimated distance. In such a deep learning method, for example, even when a monocular camera is used, the estimated distance can be obtained with the same accuracy as a compound camera. In addition, an algorithm for distance estimation may be constructed from image data collected in advance, and by combining this algorithm during actual use, an estimated distance may be obtained with higher accuracy and the tilt may be detected.

For example, when capturing the captured image 150 in real time, the area of image blur in the captured image 150 is narrow and the degree of image blur is small at first, but as the transport progresses the degree of image blur increases (or vice versa), and the above-mentioned amount of change in tilt θ can be obtained in real time. For example, a phenomenon in which the image is in focus at the start of transport but becomes unfocused as the transport progresses (or vice versa) can be utilized.

According to the second embodiment, at least one imaging unit 15 may be installed on the conveying line. The installation position of the imaging unit 15 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to install the imaging unit 15 near the sensor unit 12 in the conveying direction in order to detect the positional change of the sensor unit 12 with high accuracy.

Figure 6 is a top view for explaining the transport method according to the third embodiment, and Figure 7 is a side view for explaining the transport method according to the third embodiment.

The conveying method according to the third embodiment captures an image of the conveying web W from the side, obtains the inclination angle of the conveying web W when viewed from the side, and thereby detects the amount of change θ in the inclination of the conveying web W.

The conveying device 3 includes a roller 10 on which the web W is wound, and a guide roller 11. A sensor unit 12 that measures the charge amount of the conveyed web W is disposed above the conveying line (above in FIG. 7), and a side imaging unit 16 is disposed to the side of the conveying line for the conveyed web W (see FIG. 6).

In the position information acquisition process in the third embodiment, at least one lateral imaging unit 16 is disposed to the side of the transport line of the web W, and the lateral imaging unit 16 captures an image of the transport web W from the side of the transport web W (see arrow F8) to detect the inclination of the transport web W, and the amount of change θ in this inclination can be acquired as the amount of change in position of the transport web W.

The change in inclination θ here refers to the difference between the inclination of web W1 at a specific point in time during transport and the inclination of web W2 at a point in time after a specified time has elapsed from that point.

The inclination of the transport web W1 at the particular point in time may be, for example, the inclination of the transport web W1 relative to the horizontal direction in a side view of the transport line (see, for example, FIG. 7). Alternatively, a predetermined direction in a side view of the transport line (for example, the inclination of the transport line at the start of transport) may be used as a reference line, and the inclination of the transport web W1 relative to this reference line may be used as the inclination. In either case, a side image capturing unit 16 (see FIG. 6) may capture an image of a predetermined location of the transport web W1 to obtain an image (side image, see FIG. 7), and the inclination of the transport web W1 can be detected.

The inclination of the transport web W2 after the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed may also be determined as the inclination of the transport web W2 relative to the horizontal direction in a side view of the transport line. Alternatively, a predetermined direction (e.g., the inclination of the transport line at the start of transport) in a side view of the transport line (e.g., see FIG. 7) may be used as a reference line, and the inclination of the transport web W2 relative to this reference line may be determined as the inclination. In either case, the side imaging unit 16 (see FIG. 6) may capture an image of a predetermined location of the transport web W2 to obtain an image (side image, see FIG. 7), and the inclination of the transport web W2 may be detected.

In this embodiment, it is sufficient to obtain the amount of change θ in the inclination of the transport web W in a side view, and it is not necessary to calculate the specific inclination angle of the inclination at each point in time. In other words, in this embodiment, it is sufficient to detect the inclination of the transport web W in the side view described above, and it is not necessary to calculate the specific inclination angle.

When winding web W1 onto roller 10 and when unwinding web W2 from roller 10, the inclination of the transported web W is detected at least at two points in time, and the difference between these values is taken to obtain the amount of change in inclination θ.

The lateral imaging unit 16 here can be a camera capable of detecting the inclination of the transport web W, and is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable to use a stereo camera, a monocular camera, etc., and it is more preferable to use a stereo camera from the viewpoint of being able to measure distances passively without emitting radio waves or light, having few errors due to interference between devices, and having low object dependency because pattern recognition using a database or the like is not required. For example, when detecting the inclination of the transport web W based on the image captured by the lateral imaging unit 16, as described in the second embodiment, it can be performed in accordance with the method of detecting the inclination based on the image captured by the imaging unit 15 from above. For example, the inclination may be estimated by deep learning based on image data collected in advance, and the estimated inclination may be adopted. In such a deep learning method, for example, even when a monocular camera is used, the inclination can be obtained with the same accuracy as a compound camera. In addition, an algorithm for the inclination may be constructed from image data collected in advance, and the inclination may be detected with higher accuracy by combining this algorithm during actual use.

According to the third embodiment, at least one lateral imaging unit 16 may be installed on the side of the conveying line. The installation position of the lateral imaging unit 16 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to install the lateral imaging unit 16 near the sensor unit 12 in the conveying direction in order to detect the positional change of the sensor unit 12 with high accuracy.

In the above-described first to third embodiments, the detection process is exemplified by measuring the charge amount of the web W using the sensor unit 12, but is not limited to this. In this embodiment, various detection processes, various processing processes, or both can be performed.

The detection process that can be performed in this embodiment is, for example,
(A) a step of measuring the charge amount of the transport web W by the sensor unit 12 described above;
(i) a step of imaging the surface of the transport web W by a camera or the like, and detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter by a sensor unit 12 capable of detecting adhesion of foreign matter to the surface of the transport web W; and (iii) a step of imaging the surface of the transport web W by a camera or the like, and detecting the presence or absence of defects by a sensor unit 12 capable of detecting defects on the surface of the transport web W;
(e) a step of measuring the coating amount by a sensor unit 12 that measures the coating amount on the surface of the transport web W; and (e) a step of detecting the uneven shape of the surface of the transport web W by a sensor unit 12 that detects the uneven shape.
The present invention can be configured to perform at least one selected from the group consisting of:

The case where the charge amount of the transported web W is measured by the sensor unit 12 as in the first embodiment (A) will be described. The web W becomes charged as the web W is transported. If the web W becomes charged, static electricity may be generated on the web W or dust or the like may adhere to the surface of the web W, causing transport trouble. Therefore, in the production line, it is necessary to grasp the charge amount of the web W (e.g., charge potential, charge amount, etc.) and perform an appropriate charge removal process. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the charge amount of the web W can be measured with high accuracy, so that charge removal process, etc. can be performed appropriately. In this case, the position of the sensor unit 12 can be controlled so that the positional relationship with the web W is kept constant based on the position change amount acquired in the position information acquisition process, and the true charge amount can be accurately measured without depending on the winding diameter.

(a) A case will be described in which the surface of the transport web W is imaged by a camera or the like, and the presence or absence of a foreign object is detected by a sensor unit 12 capable of detecting adhesion of a foreign object to the surface of the transport web W. If foreign objects such as dust, powder, particles, insects, and human skin adhere to the transport web W, the transport web W will be contaminated and cause product defects. Such foreign objects are generated, for example, during web processing (slit residue, etc.), due to wear and deterioration of the rubber member of the rubber roller, or due to dust in the air adhering to the transport web W. Therefore, when a foreign object adheres to the transport web W in the production line, it is necessary to perform an appropriate dust removal process. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the presence or absence of adhesion of a foreign object to the transport web W can be detected with high accuracy, so that dust removal processing can be appropriately performed using a web cleaner, a dust removal device, or the like. The foreign object to be detected can be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of dust, powder, particles, insects, and human skin described above. In this case, by controlling the position of the sensor unit 12 so as to maintain a constant positional relationship with the web W based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition process, foreign objects can always be detected under the same conditions, regardless of the roll diameter.

(c) A case will be described in which the surface of the transport web W is imaged by a camera or the like, and the presence or absence of defects is detected by a sensor unit 12 capable of detecting defects on the surface of the transport web W. When the transport web W is transported, defects such as pinholes, folds, wrinkles, sagging, slips, skews, scratches, abrasions, air bubbles, and color unevenness occur, which can cause product defects. Therefore, when a defect occurs in the transport web W in the production line, it is necessary to quickly detect it and control the transport conditions such as the transport speed. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the occurrence of defects in the transport web W can be detected quickly with high accuracy, so that web handling can be performed appropriately. The defect to be detected can be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of pinholes, folds, wrinkles, sagging, slips, skews, scratches, abrasions, air bubbles, and color unevenness described above. In this case, by controlling the position of the sensor unit 12 so as to maintain a constant positional relationship with the web W based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition process, defects can always be detected under the same conditions, regardless of the winding diameter.

(E) A case where the coating amount is measured by the sensor unit 12 that measures the coating amount on the surface of the transport web W will be described. For example, when the transport web W is a resin base material, it is coated with an ink receiving layer that is provided for the purpose of performing printing, etc., and the transport method according to this embodiment makes it possible to measure the coating amount with high accuracy. In this case, the position of the sensor unit 12 is controlled based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition process so that foreign matter is always detected under the same conditions regardless of the winding diameter, so that the coating amount of the coating layer can always be measured under the same conditions regardless of the winding diameter. Furthermore, the coating amount information obtained in this way may be used to control the coating conditions, such as the coating amount, of a coating device (not shown).

(E) A case where unevenness is detected by a sensor unit 12 that detects the unevenness of the surface of the transported web W will be described. When processing the web surface, if there are unevennesses of a certain degree, this may lead to defects. According to the transport method of this embodiment, it is possible to detect unevenness with high accuracy. In this case, by controlling the position of the sensor unit 12 so as to keep its positional relationship with the web W constant based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition process, it is possible to always detect unevenness under the same conditions, regardless of the winding diameter.

Examples of processing steps that can be performed in this embodiment include:
(f) a step of slitting the transport web W by a processing unit that cuts the side edges of the transport web W;
(g) a step of performing laser processing on the transport web W by a processing unit that irradiates the transport web W with a laser; and
(h) a step of removing foreign matter from the surface of the transport web W by a processing unit that sprays air onto the transport web W;
(i) a step of removing foreign matter from the surface of the transport web W by sucking the foreign matter from the surface of the transport web W using a processing unit that sucks air from the surface of the transport web W;
(J) a step of correcting slack and/or wrinkles in the transport web W by a processing unit having a guide roll mechanism for controlling meandering of the transport web W; and
(k) A process of modifying the surface of the transport web W by a processing unit that performs an electric discharge treatment on the surface of the transport web W;
The present invention can be configured to perform at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(F) A case where slitting is performed on the transport web W by a processing section that cuts the side edges of the transport web W will be described. For example, a slitter device is provided on the transport line of the web W, and the side edges of the transport web W are cut along the transport direction to process the web W to the desired width. When performing such slitting, it is desirable that the dimensions and shape of the processed product are highly accurate. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the amount of position change is acquired by the position information acquisition process, and the amount of position change associated with the transport of the transport web W can be accurately grasped, so that slitting can be performed with high accuracy. For example, even fine shapes can be processed accurately.

(G) A case where laser processing is performed on the transport web W by a processing unit that irradiates the transport web W with a laser will be described. For example, by providing a laser processing unit (not shown) equipped with a light source that can perform laser processing by irradiating the transport web W with a laser, the desired processing can be performed on the transport web W. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the amount of position change is acquired by the position information acquisition process, and the amount of position change associated with the transport of the transport web W can be accurately grasped, so that laser processing can be performed with high precision. For example, even fine shapes can be processed accurately.

(H) A case where foreign matter is removed from the surface of the transport web W by a processing section that injects air onto the transport web W will be described. By injecting air onto the transport web W, foreign matter adhering to the surface of the transport web W can be blown off. This makes it possible to remove foreign matter from the surface of the transport web. In this case, for example, a nozzle or blow section capable of ejecting air is installed near the top or bottom of the transport web W. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the amount of position change is acquired by the position information acquisition process, and the amount of position change associated with the transport of the transport web W can be accurately grasped. Therefore, air can always be blown onto the web W under the same conditions regardless of the winding diameter, and foreign matter can be removed without omission along the entire length of the transport web W.

(K) A case where foreign matter is sucked and removed from the surface of the transport web W by a processing section that sucks air on the surface of the transport web W will be described. By sucking air on the surface of the transport web W, foreign matter adhering to the surface of the transport web W can be sucked up. This makes it possible to remove foreign matter from the surface of the transport web. In this case, for example, a suction device is installed near the top or bottom of the transport web W. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the amount of position change is acquired by the position information acquisition process, and the amount of position change associated with the transport of the transport web W can be accurately grasped. Therefore, foreign matter can be always sucked from the transport web W under the same conditions regardless of the roll diameter, and therefore all foreign matter can be removed.

(J) A case will be described in which sagging and/or wrinkles in the transport web W are corrected by a processing unit equipped with a guide roll mechanism that controls the meandering of the transport web W. By installing a guide roll mechanism that controls the meandering of the transport web W, sagging and wrinkles in the transport web W caused by transport can be corrected. In this case, for example, a device that detects the meandering state of the transport web W is installed. In this regard, according to the transport method of this embodiment, the amount of position change is acquired by the position information acquisition process, and the amount of position change associated with the transport of the transport web W can be accurately grasped. Therefore, the meandering of the transport web W can be detected under the same conditions at all times regardless of the roll diameter, and sagging and wrinkles can be accurately corrected without omission.

(K) A case where the surface of the transport web W is modified by a processing unit that applies an electric discharge treatment to the surface of the transport web W will be described. For example, when modifying the surface of the transport web W in terms of wettability, the surface of the transport web W can be modified to improve adhesion to other materials by applying an electric discharge treatment to the surface of the transport web W. In this case, for example, an electric discharge treatment device is installed. This allows the amount of position change of the transport web W caused by transport to be accurately grasped, so that the discharge treatment can always be applied to the transport web W under the same conditions regardless of the winding diameter. Examples of the electric discharge treatment include corona discharge and plasma treatment.

＜Web manufacturing method＞

According to this embodiment, a method for manufacturing web W can be provided that includes a payout process in which web W is paid out from roller 10 or a winding process in which web W is wound around roller 10, and a transport process in which web W is transported by the above-mentioned web W transport method.

In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, in addition to the above steps, known steps that are performed in the manufacture of web W may be further performed. According to the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, the various advantages obtained in the above-mentioned method of conveying web W can be reflected in the quality of the product web.

＜Web conveying device＞

According to this embodiment, a web W transport device that implements the web W transport method described above can be provided.

For example, a conveying device for a web W that is unwound from or wound around a roller 10,
A transport unit (not shown) that transports the web W;
a sensor unit 12 that detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web W after it is unwound from the rollers 10 or before it is wound around the rollers 10, or a processing unit (not shown) that performs a predetermined processing on the transport web W;
a position information acquisition unit that detects the inclination of the transported web W in a side view without contacting the transported web W after it has been unwound from the roller 10 or before it is wound around the roller 10, and acquires the amount of change in the inclination θ as the amount of change in position of the transported web W;
a position control unit that controls the position of the sensor unit 12 or the processing unit (not shown) based on the amount of position change acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
The transport device 1 for the web W may include the above components (see FIG. 1, for example).

Although not shown, the conveying section may be any known means capable of driving the conveying line. For example, in the case of the first embodiment of the conveying method described above, a driving roller or the like capable of driving the conveying line may be used as the conveying section. In addition, in the manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment, the contents described in the second and third embodiments of the conveying method described above may also be appropriately adopted.

As the sensor unit 12, as described above, the sensor unit 12 used in the detection steps (a) to (e) can be used. For example, (a) when measuring the charge amount, a static electricity measuring device using a surface potential sensor can be used. (b) when detecting foreign matter, a foreign matter/defect inspection device capable of detecting foreign matter by a captured image can be used. (c) when detecting defects, a foreign matter/defect inspection device capable of detecting defects by a captured image can be used. (d) when measuring the amount of coating, an in-line film thickness measuring device using a spectral interference method can be used. (e) when detecting uneven shapes, a light source and a sensor that detects the received light intensity of reflected light from the light source can be used.

As described above, the processing unit used in the processing steps (F) to (K) can be used. For example, when performing slit processing (F), a slitter device capable of cutting the side edges of the transport web W can be used. When performing laser processing (G), a laser irradiation unit capable of irradiating the transport web W with a laser can be used. When performing air injection on the transport web W, a non-contact foreign matter removal device capable of injecting air over the entire width or locally on the transport web W can be used. When performing air suction on the transport web W, a non-contact foreign matter removal device capable of injecting air over the entire width or locally on the transport web W can be used. When controlling the meandering of the transport web W, a meandering prevention device (such as an EPC (Edge Position Control) device or a CPC (Center Position Control) device) capable of correcting deviation from a reference position for the transport web W can be used. (K) When modifying the surface of the transport web W, a corona treatment device that uses corona discharge to increase the activity of the web surface, or a plasma treatment device that uses plasma treatment to increase the activity of the web surface, can be used. These processing units described above may be used in conjunction with the sensor unit 12 or may be used alone.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the amount of change in the inclination of the transport web is acquired in a non-contact manner by the position information acquisition process described above, so that the position change of the web (transport web) being transported on the line can be grasped in real time with high accuracy. The position of the sensor unit or processing unit is controlled based on the position change of the transport web obtained in this manner, so that the physical properties of the transport web can be detected with high accuracy by the sensor unit, or a predetermined processing can be performed on the transport web with high accuracy. Furthermore, the transport method according to this embodiment can acquire the amount of change in inclination in a non-contact manner, so that it does not adversely affect the transport line or the product web.

In addition, according to this embodiment, a detection process for detecting predetermined physical properties of the web (e.g., the amount of charge on the web, the presence or absence of foreign matter or defects, the amount of coating on the surface of the web, the uneven shape, etc.), a processing process for performing predetermined processing on the web (e.g., slitting, laser processing, removal of foreign matter on the surface, correction of slack or wrinkles in the web, surface modification of the web, etc.), or both can be adopted. In both the detection process and the processing process, the positions of the sensor unit and the processing unit can be controlled based on the amount of change in the position information of the transport web acquired in the position information acquisition process described above, so that the detection accuracy and processing accuracy are high.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the amount of change in position of the transported web can be obtained continuously and non-contactly, so the position of the sensor unit or processing unit can be controlled in real time by feeding back the ever-changing amount of change in position to the position control unit of the sensor unit or processing unit. As a result, the sensor unit or processing unit can be controlled to always maintain a constant distance from the transport line. Therefore, this embodiment can detect the physical properties of the transported web with high accuracy in real time, or can process the transported web.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way.

First, in the unwinding test, the charge value was measured while changing the measurement distance to the web, to verify the extent to which the charge value fluctuates due to the positional fluctuation of the transport web caused by unwinding the web (see reference example).

Next, using the conveying device 1 shown in FIG. 1, the web W was unwound from the roll R, the charge amount of the conveyed web W was measured in real time, and the accuracy was verified (see Examples).

<Example>

First, a polyethylene terephthalate film (PET, "Lumirror (trademark) T-60", thickness 50 μm, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was prepared as a simulated film for the transport web. A charge amount measuring device ("APB-01", manufactured by Harada Corporation) was used to measure the charge amount of the simulated film.

The distance (measurement distance) from the surface of the simulated film to the charge amount measuring device was set to 0 mm (i.e., on the simulated film), 25 mm, 50 mm, 75 mm, 100 mm, 125 mm, 150 mm, 175 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, and 500 mm, and the charge amount was measured for each case. This measurement distance corresponds to the distance from the transport web W to the charge amount measuring sensor 120 of the sensor unit 12 in the transport device 1 in Figure 1, which will be described later. The results are shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8 is a graph plotting the measured distance to the simulated film during the payout test and the measured charge amount at that time. In Figure 8, the horizontal axis represents the measured distance (unit: mm) from the transport web to the simulated film, and the vertical axis represents the measured charge amount (unit: kv) at that time.

As shown in Figure 8, when the measurement distance was 0 mm, the charge was -5.5 kV, but when the measurement distance was 50 mm, it was -4 kV. As the measurement distance increased, the charge approached 0 kV, and when the measurement distance was 500 mm, it was -0.5 kV. In this way, it was confirmed that the measured charge value varies greatly within the range of -5.5 kV to -0.5 kV due to the variation in the measurement distance of the simulated film.

<Example>

Next, as an example of the present invention, the transport device 1 shown in FIG. 1 was used to unwind the web W from the roll R, and the charge amount of the transported web W was measured in real time, and the measurement accuracy was verified.

First, a roll R was prepared as the web W, in which a polyethylene terephthalate film (PET, "Lumirror (trademark) T-60", thickness 50 μm, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was wound around a roller 10. The web length was 500 m and the web width was 280 mm. The roll diameter of the roller 10 was 3 inches.

Next, a charge amount measuring device ("APB-01", manufactured by Harada Corporation) was installed as the charge amount measuring sensor 120 of the sensor unit 12 at a position 200 mm in front of the central axis of the roller 10. The distance from the sensor unit 12 to the transported web W at the start of unwinding was set to 50 mm. In other words, the measurement distance from the charge amount measuring sensor 120 to the transported web W was set to 50 mm.

The sensor unit 12 is configured to use an electric actuator (EAC2-E10-ARAK, manufactured by Oriental Motor Co., Ltd.) as the forward/backward moving unit 121 and the rotational moving unit 122, so that the position of the charge amount measuring sensor 120 can be automatically controlled so that the measurement distance from the charge amount measuring sensor 120 to the transported web W is always maintained at 50 mm during transport.

Furthermore, a first focal length measuring unit 13 was installed at a position 50 mm upstream from the sensor unit 12, and a second focal length measuring unit 14 was placed at a position 50 mm downstream from the sensor unit 12. Both the first focal length measuring unit 13 and the second focal length measuring unit 14 were placed at the edge of the conveying line. Both the first focal length measuring unit 13 and the second focal length measuring unit 14 were cameras equipped with lenses ("CS41-C", manufactured by Shodensha Co., Ltd.), and the focal length from each camera to the conveying web W was measured (see Figure 3).

For the above-mentioned conveying line, a conveying web W2 was unwound from the roller 10 at a conveying speed of 20 m/min (see arrow F2 in Figure 1) to conduct a unwinding test of the roll body R.

In the payout test, the change in inclination θ of the transport web W was calculated using the following method (see Figure 3).

First, at a predetermined time from the start of unwinding, the first focal length measuring unit 13 measures the focal length a relative to the transport web W1, and the second focal length measuring unit 14 measures the focal length c relative to the transport web W1, and the inclination of the transport web W1 is detected from the positional relationship between the placement distance between the first focal length measuring unit 13 and the second focal length measuring unit 14, the focal length a, and the focal length c.

Next, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the above measurement, the first focal length measurement unit 13 measures the focal length b relative to the transport web W2, and the second focal length measurement unit 14 measures the focal length d relative to the transport web W2, and the inclination of the transport web W2 is detected from the positional relationship between the placement distance between the first focal length measurement unit 13 and the second focal length measurement unit 14, the focal length b, and the focal length d.

From the inclination of the transport web W1 and the inclination of the transport web W2 detected in this way, the change in inclination θ between the two points in time was obtained and used as the amount of change in the position of the transport web W.

By performing the above method in real time, the change in the inclination θ was obtained in real time from the start of payout, and the change in the position of the transport web W was monitored in real time. The actuator was controlled based on the real-time change in the position of the transport web W obtained in this way. Specifically, the sensor unit 12 was automatically controlled in real time to always maintain the initial measurement distance (50 mm) from the transport web W by moving in accordance with the change in position of the transport web transport. The results are shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9 is a graph showing the measurement results of the charge amount in the payout test of the embodiment. In Figure 9, the horizontal axis represents the payout amount (unit: m) of the transport web W in this rewinding test, and the vertical axis represents the charge amount (unit: kv) measured by the sensor unit 12.

Based on the results of the Reference Example (Figure 8), if the measurement distance of the web W is, for example, based on a position of 50 mm, when it fluctuates from the reference position of 50 mm by -50 mm to +50 mm, it is believed that a variation of about ±50% occurs in the measurement value due to positional fluctuation. On the other hand, in the Example (Figure 9), the variation from the start of payout (surface side) to the end of payout (core side), especially at the end of payout (core side), was able to be suppressed to a value lower than 50%.

In Figure 9 of the Example, many peaks where the charge instantly approaches 0 V are measured near the middle layer from the start of unwinding (surface side) to a winding length of 400 m. This is not due to variations in the positional change of the web W during transport, but is thought to be due to the charge on the surface of the web W being discharged immediately after unwinding, causing an instantaneous voltage change.

From the above, it was confirmed that, according to the conveying method of this embodiment, there was little variation in the measured charge amount of the sensor unit 12 from the start of payout (payout amount 0 m) to the end of payout (payout amount 500 m), and the sensor unit 12 was able to perform continuous sensing with high accuracy.

1, 2, 3: conveying device,
10: Roller,
11: guide roller,
12: sensor unit,
13: (first) focal length measuring section,
14: (second) focal length measuring section,
15: imaging unit,
16: lateral imaging unit,
120: charge amount measuring sensor,
121: forward/backward moving part,
122: Rotational movement unit,
150: captured image,
W, W1, W2: (transport) web,
R, R1, R2: roll body,
F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8: arrows,
A1: right area;
A2: left region,
θ: Amount of change in inclination,
a, b, c, d: focal length

Claims (12)

A method for transporting a web, the web being unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising the steps of:
a detection step of detecting a predetermined physical property of the transport web by a sensor unit after the transport web is unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, or a processing step of performing a predetermined processing on the transport web by a processing unit;
a position information acquiring step of detecting an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web and acquiring a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control step of controlling a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition step;
Including,
The position information acquisition step includes:
At least two focal length measuring units each having a lens are disposed above or below the web conveying line in a side view , and one of the focal length measuring units is disposed at a position upstream of the other of the focal length measuring units in the conveying direction of the conveying web,
For the transport web, each of the focal length measuring units acquires a focal length to a surface of the transport web, detects the inclination of the transport web from the acquired focal length, and acquires an amount of change in the inclination as an amount of change in position of the transport web .
The method of transporting the web . A method for transporting a web, the web being unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising the steps of:
a detection step of detecting a predetermined physical property of the transport web by a sensor unit after the transport web is unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, or a processing step of performing a predetermined processing on the transport web by a processing unit;
a position information acquiring step of detecting an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web and acquiring a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control step of controlling a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition step;
Including,
The position information acquisition step includes:
At least two position measurement units each including an irradiation unit capable of irradiating an energy beam and a light receiving unit capable of receiving the energy beam are disposed above or below the transport line of the web in a side view , and one of the position measurement units is disposed at a position upstream of the other of the position measurement units in a transport direction of the transport web,
the energy beam is irradiated from the irradiation unit of each of the position measurement units toward a surface of the transporting web, and the reflected wave of the energy beam reflected from the surface is received by the light receiving unit to obtain a distance to the transporting web, the inclination of the web is detected from the obtained distance, and an amount of change in the inclination is obtained as an amount of change in the position of the web .
The method of transporting the web . A method for transporting a web, the web being unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising the steps of:
a detection step of detecting a predetermined physical property of the transport web by a sensor unit after the transport web is unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, or a processing step of performing a predetermined processing on the transport web by a processing unit;
a position information acquiring step of detecting an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web and acquiring a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control step of controlling a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition step;
Including,
The position information acquisition step includes:
At least one imaging unit having a lens is disposed above or below the web conveying line in a side view ,
With respect to the transport web, the imaging unit captures an image of a predetermined location on a surface of the transport web to obtain an image, detects the inclination of the transport web from image blur of the obtained image, and obtains an amount of change in the inclination as an amount of change in position of the transport web .
The method of transporting the web . A method for transporting a web, the web being unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising the steps of:
a detection step of detecting a predetermined physical property of the transport web by a sensor unit after the transport web is unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, or a processing step of performing a predetermined processing on the transport web by a processing unit;
a position information acquiring step of detecting an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web and acquiring a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control step of controlling a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired in the position information acquisition step;
Including,
The position information acquisition step includes:
At least one side imaging unit is disposed on a side of the web conveying line,
the side imaging unit detects the inclination of the web by imaging the transport web from a side surface of the transport web, and obtains an amount of change in the inclination as an amount of change in the position of the web ;
The method of transporting the web . The position information acquiring step acquires the position change amount of the transport web in real time,
The position control step controls a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit in real time based on the position change amount acquired in real time.
The method for transporting a web according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . In the detection step,
measuring the charge amount of the transport web by the sensor unit;
a step of detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter by the sensor unit that captures an image of the surface of the transport web and detects adhesion of foreign matter to the surface;
a step of detecting the presence or absence of defects by the sensor unit that captures an image of the surface of the transport web and detects defects on the surface;
measuring the amount of coating on the surface of the transport web by the sensor unit; and
detecting an uneven shape of the surface of the transport web by the sensor unit that detects the uneven shape of the surface of the transport web.
The method for transporting a web according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . As the processing step,
A step of slitting the transport web by the processing unit that cuts the side edges of the transport web;
A step of performing laser processing on the transport web by the processing unit that irradiates the transport web with a laser;
removing foreign matter from a surface of the transport web by the processing unit that sprays air onto the transport web;
A step of sucking and removing foreign matter from the surface of the transport web by the processing unit that sucks air from the surface of the transport web;
A step of correcting slack and/or wrinkles in the transport web by the processing unit having a guide roll mechanism for controlling meandering of the transport web; and
The processing unit performs an electric discharge treatment on the surface of the transport web, and performs at least one step selected from the group consisting of a step of modifying the surface of the transport web.
The method for transporting a web according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . a winding step of winding the film around the roller, or a unwinding step of unwinding the film around the roller;
A conveying step of conveying the web by the web conveying method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ;
A method for manufacturing a web, comprising: A web conveying device for a web that is unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising:
A conveying section that conveys the web;
a sensor unit that detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it is wound around the roller, or a processing unit that performs a predetermined processing on the transport web;
a position information acquisition unit that detects an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web after the transport web has been unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, and acquires a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control unit that controls a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
Equipped with
The location information acquisition unit
At least two focal length measurement units each having a lens are included above or below the web transport line in a side view, and one of the focal length measurement units is disposed at a position upstream of the other of the focal length measurement units in the transport direction of the transport web,
For the transport web, each of the focal distance measuring units acquires a focal distance to a surface of the transport web, and detects the inclination of the transport web from the acquired focal distance.
Web transport device. A web conveying device for a web that is unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising:
A conveying section that conveys the web;
a sensor unit that detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it is wound around the roller, or a processing unit that performs a predetermined processing on the transport web;
a position information acquisition unit that detects an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web after the transport web has been unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, and acquires a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control unit that controls a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
Equipped with
The location information acquisition unit
At least two position measurement units each including an irradiation unit capable of irradiating an energy beam and a light receiving unit capable of receiving the energy beam are provided above or below the transport line of the web in a side view, and one of the position measurement units is disposed at a position upstream of the other of the position measurement units in a transport direction of the transport web,
the energy beam is irradiated from the irradiation unit of each of the position measurement units toward a surface of the transporting web, and the reflected wave of the energy beam reflected from the surface is received by the light receiving unit, thereby obtaining a distance to the transporting web, and detecting the inclination of the web from the obtained distance;
Web transport device. A web conveying device for a web that is unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising:
A conveying section that conveys the web;
a sensor unit that detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it is wound around the roller, or a processing unit that performs a predetermined processing on the transport web;
a position information acquisition unit that detects an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web after the transport web has been unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, and acquires a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control unit that controls a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
Equipped with
The location information acquisition unit
At least one imaging unit having a lens is included above or below the web conveying line in a side view,
The imaging unit captures an image of a predetermined portion on a surface of the transport web to obtain an image of the transport web, and detects the inclination of the transport web from an image blur of the captured image.
Web transport device. A web conveying device for a web that is unwound from or wound around a roller, comprising:
A conveying section that conveys the web;
a sensor unit that detects a predetermined physical property of the transport web after it has been unwound from the roller or before it is wound around the roller, or a processing unit that performs a predetermined processing on the transport web;
a position information acquisition unit that detects an inclination of the transport web in a side view without contacting the transport web after the transport web has been unwound from the roller or before the transport web is wound around the roller, and acquires a change in the inclination as a position change of the transport web;
a position control unit that controls a position of the sensor unit or the processing unit based on the amount of position change acquired by the position information acquisition unit;
Equipped with
The location information acquisition unit
At least one side imaging unit is included on a side of the web conveying line,
The side imaging unit detects the inclination of the web by imaging the transport web from a side surface of the transport web.
Web transport device.

Images