APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING SHEETS FROM SUPPLY ROLLS

Abstract: An apparatus of this invention includes first and second supply rolls (48, 68) of wrapping film sheets. The film sheet (52) is fed from first supply roll (48) to a wrapping machine. The distal end of the film sheet of the second supply roll (68) is partially fixed by an adhesive tape (70). In this state, the film sheet (52) cannot be fed from the second supply roll (68). The second supply roll (68) can be rotated in the forward or reverse direction. The apparatus also includes a knife (l62) for cutting the adhesive tape (70) of the second supply roll (68). When the remaining length of the film sheet (52) fed from the first supply roll (48) becomes short, the knife (l62) is brought into contact with the outer surface of the second supply roll (68). By utilizing the rotation of the roll (68), the knife (l62) is inserted under the distal end of the film sheet (52) of the second supply roll (68). Thereafter, the knife (l62) is moved along the outer surface of the second supply roll (68) in the axial direction thereof, thereby cutting the adhesive tape (70) of the second supply roll (68). The apparatus also includes a belt conveyor (l88) for feeding the film sheet (52) fed from the second supply roll (68) to the feed path of the film sheet (52) fed from the first supply roll (68).

Description: The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously supplying sheets from supply rolls, suitably used to supply a wrapping film sheet to, for example, a wrapping machine. The film sheet is normally available in a wound form, i.e., in the form of supply roll. A film sheet supplied from a supply roll is supplied to a wrapping machine. The length of the film sheet supplied from each supply roll is definite. If the supply roll becomes empty, the empty roll must be replaced with a full one. In order to perform roll replacement, an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Disclosure (Kokai) No. 56-l24633 is known. This prior-art apparatus has a pair of supply rolls. While one roll is in use, i.e., while the film sheet is supplied from this supply roll, the other supply roll is held in a waiting state. Particularly, a predetermined length of the film sheet is fed in advance from the waiting supply roll, and the distal end of this film sheet is guided to a connection position near the supply path of the film sheet currently supplied. Since the waiting supply roll is provided in this apparatus, the distal end of the film sheet from the waiting supply roll is connected to the film sheet of the supply roll in use when the remaining length of the film sheet in use is less than a predetermined value. Thereafter, the film sheet from the supply roll in use is cut between the supply roll of its own and the connection position. The film sheet from the waiting supply roll can then be fed to the wrapping machine instead of the film sheet from the roll in use. According to the apparatus described above, feeding of the film sheet to the wrapping machine can be automatically replaced from one supply roll to the other supply roll. When the waiting supply roll is loaded in the apparatus for continuously supplying sheets, the distal end of this film sheet is normally adhered to the outer surface of the supply roll by an adhesive tape. In the conventional apparatus, the adhesive tape must be manually removed from the waiting supply roll in order to guide the distal end of the film sheet to the connection position. Demand has thus arisen for automatic removal of the adhesive tape from the supply roll. In order to satisfy this demand, various proposals have been made. However, no conventional apparatuses satisfy this requirement in practice. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for continuously supplying sheets from supply rolls, wherein when the remaining length of a sheet fed from one supply roll in use becomes less than a predetermined value, the distal end of a sheet fed from a full waiting supply roll can be automatically adhered to the sheet fed from one supply roll. In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for continuously supplying sheets from supply rolls, comprising: a rotary disc vertically disposed such that a central axis thereof extends in a horizontal direction, the rotary disc being rotatable about the central axis; a first supply roll mounted at a peripheral portion of the rotary disc and including a roll of sheet material, the first supply roll having a first axis parallel to the central axis of the rotary disc, the first supply roll being rotatable about the first axis; means for feeding the sheet from the first supply roll, the feeding means having a sheet feeding path; a second supply roll mounted at a peripheral portion of the rotary disc and including a roll of sheet material, the second supply roll having a second axis parallel to the central axis of the rotary disc and being rotatable about the second axis, the second supply roll being provided with an adhesive tape for partially fixing a distal end of the sheet to an outer surface of the second supply roll; a cutting/feeding device, disposed near the rotary disc, for cutting the adhesive tape of the second supply roll and feeding the sheet therefrom, the cutting/feeding device including driving means for reversibly rotating the second supply roll, knife means provided with a knife to come into contact with or to be separated from the outer surface of the second supply roll, and actuating means for moving the knife along a direction parallel to the second axis of the second supply roll when the knife of the knife means is inserted under the distal end of the sheet of the second supply roll, the knife being adapted to be inserted under a portion excluding a region of the distal end of the sheet of the second supply roll upon driving of the second supply roll by the driving means, the region being fixed to the outer surface of the second supply roll be means of the adhesive tape, whereby the adhesive tape of the second supply roll is cut upon cooperation of the knife and the actuating means and, thereafter, the sheet of the second supply roll is fed therefrom upon rotation of the second supply roll by the driving means; guiding means for guiding the sheet fed from the second supply roll, and hence the distal end thereof, to a predetermined connection position in the feed path of the feeding means; adhering means for adhering the sheet from the first supply roll to the distal end of the sheet from the second supply roll at the connection position; and cutting means, disposed in the feed path between the connection position and the first supply roll, for cutting the sheet fed from the first supply roll. Since the apparatus of the present invention is provided with the cutting/feeding device, the adhesive tape of the second supply roll can be cut by the knife means of the cutting/feeding device. The cutting/feeding device does not only cut the adhesive tape of the second supply roll, but also causes the driving means to rotate the second supply roll after the adhesive tape is cut, thereby feeding the sheet from the second supply roll. The sheet fed from the second supply roll is guided by the guiding means, so that the distal end thereof is fed to the connection position of the feed path of the sheet fed from the first supply roll. The sheet of the first supply roll can be adhered to the distal end of the sheet from the second supply roll at the connection position. In the apparatus according to the present invention, therefore, since the sheet of the first supply roll can be connected to the sheet of the waiting second supply roll when the remaining length of the sheet from the first supply roll in use is short, sheet feeding can be automatically switched from the first supply roll to the second supply roll. This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. l is a schematic front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus in Fig l; Fig. 3 is a front view of a supply roll used in the apparatus in Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a side view of the supply roll in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a schematic rear view of the apparatus in Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a partially cutaway front view of a knife mechanism in the apparatus of Fig. l; Fig. 7 is a partially cutaway side view of the knife mechanism in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan view showing a film sheet guide mechanism in the apparatus of Fig. l; Figs. 9 to l6 are views for explaining the opera­ tion of the apparatus in Fig. l; and Fig. l7 is a side view showing another actuation mechanism for a knife arm in the apparatus of Fig. l. An apparatus for supplying a wrapping film, which is suitably used in a wrapping system for cigarette packages, is illustrated in Fig. l. This supply apparatus comprises vertical base 20. Central shaft 22 is rotatably mounted on base 20. Shaft 22 extends horizontally from base 20, and the extended end of shaft 22 serves as a free end. Rotary disc 24 is mounted on the free end of shaft 22. Sprocket 26 is mounted at the shaft 22 portion near base 20. This sprocket 26 is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2. Electric motor 28 is arranged on base 20 for sprocket 26, as shown in Fig. l. Sprocket 32 is mounted on output shaft 30 of motor 28, and endless chain 34 is arranged between sprocket 32 and sprocket 26 on shaft 22. As schematically illustrated in Fig. l, tension sprocket 36 is mounted on base 20 to apply a predetermined tension force to chain 34. Therefore, chain 34 is driven by motor 28 and then disc 24 can be rotated in the direction of arrow Rl in Fig. l. Referring to Fig. 2, bearing housing 38 is fixed on base 20 to support shaft 22. Housing 38 has a hollow cylindrical shape so as to accommodate sprocket 26 therein. A pair of roller bearings 40 are mounted in housing 38 to rotatably support shaft 22. Opening 42 is formed in the wall surface of housing 38 to allow looping of chain 34 between sprockets 26 and 32. First and second shafts 44 and 46 are disposed in the peripheral portion of disc 24 to be symmetrical about shaft 22. The mounting structure of shaft 44 with respect to disc 24 is the same as that of shaft 46, and only the mounting structure of shaft 44 with respect to disc 24 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Shaft 44 extends through disc 24 and is rotatably supported on disc 24 through roller bearings 47. Supply roll 48 is detachably mounted on one end of shaft 44 which extends from disc 24 away from base 20. Roll 48 comprises bobbin 50 and wrapping film sheet 52 wound therearound. In this embodiment, sheet 52 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as cellophane or polypropylene. However, sheet 52 may be made of paper. Film sheet 52 of supply roll 48 can be fed therefrom by feeding mechanism 54 schematically illustrated in Fig. l. Mechanism 54 includes a plurality of guide rollers 56 defining a feed path of sheet 52 from roll 48. Only some of guide rollers 56 are illustated in Fig. l. The feed path of sheet 52 is extend to a wrapping machine (not shown) for a cigarette packases. Dancer roller device 58 is arranged midway along the feed path. Device 58 comprises a pair of feed rollers 60 arranged to sandwith the feed path of sheet 52 therebetween, another pair of feed rollers 62 having the same arrangement as that of rollers 60 and separated therefrom by a predetermined distance along the direction of flow of sheet 52, direction reversal roller 64 disposed between rollers 60 and 62, and a pair of dancer rollers 66 arranged below roller 64 and rotatably supported by a pair of link arms. In dancer roller device 58, sheet 52 is guided through rollers 60, one dancer roller 66, direction reversal roller 64, the other dancer roller 66, and feed rollers 62. Therefore, sheet 52 can be stored between rollers 60 and 62, as shown in Fig. l. This indicates that sheet 52 can be intermittently supplied to a wrapping machine (not shown) for every predetermined length by intermittently driving the feed rollers 62, even if the feed rollers 60 are con­ tinuously driven. Supply roll 68 is mounted on second shaft 46 in the same manner as roll 48 on first shaft 44. Since roll 68 has the same construction as that of roll 48, the same reference numerals as in roll 48 denote the same parts in roll 68, and a detailed description will be omitted. However, roll 68 is different from roll 48 in use in that part of the distal end of sheet 52 of roll 68 is partially fixed to the outer surface of roll 68 by an adhesive tape 70, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In other words, roll 68 is a waiting supply roll, with respect to roll 48 in use. In this embodiment, tape 70 is made of an aluminum label, one surface of which is defined as an adhesive surface. Tape 70 is deviated from the center of roll 68 by a predetermined distance along the direction of width, as is apparent from Fig. 4. Tape 70 is deviated in this manner, the mount­ ing posture of roll 68 with relative to the shaft 46 is easily determined by the position of tape 70. In a state where film sheet 52 is fed from supply roll 48, roll 68 is located below roll 48, as shown in Fig. l. The positional relationship between rolls 48 and 68 is determined by rotation of disc 24. When disc 24 and rolls 48 and 68 are held in the state of Fig. l, their rotation is prevented by positioning/stopper device 72. Positioning/stopper device 72 comprises stopper arm 74. The proximal end of arm 74 is rotatably supported on base 20, so that arm 74 can be rotated to come close to or to be separated from the periphery of disc 24. Recess 76 opposite to the periphery of disc 24 is formed on the upper end of arm 74. Ratchet 78 extends from the periphery of disc 24 and is adapted to engage with recess 76. Air cylinder 80 is disposed between base 20 and the upper end of stopper arm 74. Cylinder 80 maintains engagement between recess 76 of stopper arm 74 and ratchet 78 of disc 22, thereby positioning rolls 48 and 68 and preventing disc 24 from rotation. Another ratchet 82 extends from the circumferential surface of disc 24 at a position symmetrical with the position of ratchet 78 about shaft 22. In the feed path of film sheet 52 from supply roll 48, adhesion device 84 is arranged between guide rollers 56 of feed mechanism 54, as indicated by the solid line in Fig. l. Device 84 comprises heater block 86 made of metal. This block 86 extends along a direction perpendicular to the feed path of film sheet 52 and is located slightly above the feed path. An electric heater (not shown) is embedded in block 86. Upon energization of the electric heater, block 86 can be heated to a predetermined temperature. The operation of heater device 84 will be described later on. Cutter device 88 is arranged in the feed path of film sheet 52 between heater device 84 and supply roll 48 for cutting sheet 52. In this embodiment, device 88 comprises plate 92 rotatably mounted on shaft 90 of guide roller 56 near to supply roll 48. Plate 92 has cross bar 94 located above the feed path of sheet 52 and extending so as to cross sheet 52. Bar 94 has cutter 96. This cutter 96 is located immediately above sheet 52 running along the feed path and has a blade extending so as to cross this film sheet. In this embodiment, the blade of cutter 96 has a saw-toothed shape (not shown). Projection 98 extends upward from plate 92. Projection 98 is coupled to the piston rod of air cylinder l00 through a pin. The cylinder portion of cylinder l00 is fixed to base 20. If the piston rod of cylinder l00 is withdrawn from the state of Fig. l to rotate plate 92 counterclockwise by a pre­ determined angle, sheet 52 fed from supply roll 48 can be cut by cutter 96. Cutting/feeding device l02 is arranged below rotary disc 24. Device l02 includes drive mechanism l03 for rotating roll 68. In the state shown in Fig. l, drive mechanism l03 is located below roll 68 and has shaft l04 extending to be parallel to the axis of roll 68. Shaft l04 rotatably extends through support plate l06 (plate l06 is not illustrated in Fig. l) extending to be parallel to disc 24, as shown in Fig. 8. Sprocket l08 is mounted at one end of shaft l04 which extends from plate l06 toward base 20. Electric motor ll0 is arranged between base 20 and plate l06. Sprocket ll4 is mounted on output shaft ll2 of motor ll0. Chain ll6 is arranged between sprockets l08 and ll4. Thus, shaft l04 can be rotated by a driving force of motor ll0. Further, motor ll0 is a reversible motor, and thus shaft l04 can be rotated in the forward/reverse direction. As is apparent from Figs. 5 and 8, arm ll8 is mounted on shaft l04 through bearings l20 at a position near base 20 with respect to sprocket l08. Arm ll8 extends upward on the one hand and downward on the other hand. Driven pulley l22 is rotatably mounted at the upper end portion of arm ll8. Arm l24 extends downward from the upper end portion of arm ll8. Driven pulley l26 is rotatably mounted on the lower end portion of arm l24. Driving pulley l28 for pulleys l22 and l26 is mounted on a position on shaft l04 closer to base 20 than arm ll8 is. Driving belt l30 is arranged between pulleys l28 and l22 through pulley l26. With the above construction, if shaft l04 is rotated by motor ll0, belt l30 starts running. The piston rod of air cylinder l32 is coupled to the lower end of arm ll8. Cylinder l32 is supported by plate l06, as shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, if cylinder l32 is driven to cause its rod to extend, arm ll8 is rotated about shaft l04. Wheels l34 are mounted on ends of first and second shafts 44 and 46 of supply rolls 48 and 68. These ends extend from rotary disc 24 toward base 20 as shown in Fig. 2. In the state shown in Fig. 5, only wheel l34 of roll 68 is located in a position where the wheel l34 can be in rolling contact with driving belt l30. When air cylinder l32 is driven to cause its piston rod to extend from the state of Fig. 5 and to rotate arm ll8 clockwise by a predetermined angle, pulley l22 is brought into rolling contact with wheel l34 of roll 68 through belt l30. At the same time, upon running of belt l30, wheel l34 is rotated together with roll 68. Cutting/feeding device l02 comprises knife mechanism l36. As shown in Fig. l, mechanism l36 is located at the lower right side of supply roll 68. The detailed construction of mechanism l36 is best shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Mechanism l36 has shaft l38. Shaft l38 extends to be parallel to the axis of roll 68. One end of shaft l38 is rotatably supported by support l40 through bearing unit l42. Support l40 is mounted on base 20. One end of shaft l38 extends from support l40, and radial arm l39 is mounted thereon to extend outward. The piston rod of air cylinder l4l is coupled to arm l39 through pin l43. Cylinder l4l is supported by support l40. Withdrawal/extension of the piston rod of cylinder l4l allows rotation of shaft l38. Swing arm l44 is mounted on the other end portion of shaft l38. Arm l44 can be moved along groove l46 in the axial direction of shaft l38. Groove l46 is formed in the outer surface of shaft l38. Arm l44 can be fixed by bolt l48 at a predetermined position along the axial direction of shaft l38. Arm l44 extends upward toward roll 68. Rubber roller l50 is rotatably mounted at the upper end of arm l44. Arm l52 is provided with the upper end portion of arm l44 and extends to be parallel thereto. Sensor l54 is arranged at the distal end of arm l52 to detect the distal end of film sheet 52 of supply roll 68. In this embodiment, sensor l54 comprises an inductive transducer for detecting the presence of metal tape 70 of supply roll 68. Rod l56 extends through the proximal portion of swing arm l44 toward supply roll 68 in a direction perpendicular to shaft l38. Knife arm l60 is rotatably mounted on rod l56 through bearings l58. Arm l60 extends toward roll 68 in the same manner as arm l44. Knife l62 is fixed on the upper end of arm l60. Knife l62 comprises a spring plate tapered toward its tip and having elasticity. As is apparent from Fig. 7, knife l62 is normally located between rubber roller l50 and sensor l54 when viewed along the axial direction of roll 68. Knife arm l60 is rotated about rod l56 by actuation mechanism l64. In this embodiment, mechanism l64 comprises bracket l66 extending from the side of arm l44. Bracket l66 is located above rod l56. Arm portion l68 is integrally formed with the proximal portion of knife arm l60 and extends in the same direction as that of bracket l66. Air cylinder l70 is arranged between arm portion l68 and bracket l66 to couple them. The construction of mechanism l64 allows rotational movement of knife arm l60 clockwise (Fig. 7) upon extension of the piston rod of air cylinder l70. In addition to knife mechanism l36, guide device l72 is arranged below supply roll 68. Device l72 guides film sheet 52 from supply roll 68 toward the feed path of sheet 52 from roll 48. As shown in Fig. 8, guide device l72 comprises shaft l76 coaxially coupled to shaft l04 through one-way clutch l74. Shaft l76 is rotatably cantilevered on support pipe l78 through bearings l80. Pipe l78 is fixed on support plate l06. Shaft l76 extends from pipe l78 by a predetermined length. The extension length can be easily expected from width W of film sheet 52 to be fed from roll 68, as shown in Fig. 8. One-way clutch l74 transmits a force from shaft l04 to shaft l76, and this force acts to rotate shaft l76 counterclockwise in Fig. l. As described above, even if shaft l04 is rotated in the forward/reverse direc­ tion, shaft l76 is rotated in only one direction determined by one-way clutch l74. For example, five driving pulleys l82 are equi­ distantly mounted on shaft l76 along its axial direc­ tion. On the other hand, shaft l84 is cantilevered on support plate l06 and extends to be parallel to shaft l76. As is apparent from Fig. l, shaft l84 is located opposite knife mechanism l36 so as to define a predetermined distance between shafts l76 and l84. Driven pulleys l86 are equidistantly mounted on shaft l84 along its axial direction and respectively correspond to pulleys l82 on shaft l76. Endless belts l88 are arranged between corresponding driving and driven pulleys l82 and l86, respectively. Upper belt portions of belts l88 are located on a same plane. Pulleys l86 are located below pulleys l82, as is apparent from Fig. l. The upper belt portions of belts l88 obliquely extend downward from corresponding pulleys l82. Shaft l90 is disposed between shafts l76 and l84 and extends to be parallel to shafts l76 and l84. One end of shaft l90 is supported by support plate l06. The other end of shaft l90 extends over the free ends of shafts l76 and l84 and is supported by another support plate l92 located to be parallel to plate l06. Pipe member l94 is mounted on shaft l90 and is rotatable about shaft l90. Pipe member l94 extends between the upper and lower belt portions of belts l88, as is apparent from Fig. l. Lifter l96 is mounted on pipe member l94. Lifter l96 comprises a pair of arms l98 located both outside of belts l88 and extending to be parallel thereto. The proximal end of each arm l98 is coupled to pipe member l94. The distal end of each arm l98 is coupled each other through cross plate 200 extending to be parallel to pipe member l94. The distance between the outer sides of arms l98 is set to be slightly larger than width W of film sheet 52 fed from supply roll 68. Lifter l96 further comprises a pair of auxiliary arms 202 located between driving belts l88 and adapted to couple pipe member l94 and cross plate 200. Therefore, lifter l96 can be pivoted about shaft l90 upon rotation of pipe member l94 regardless of the presence of driving belts l88. In other words, the distal end, i.e., cross plate 200, of lifter l96 is lifted upward from the state of Fig. l. In the state of Fig. l, belts l88 are positioned slightly upward from arms l98 and 202 of lifter l96. Lifter l96 is pivoted by air cylinder 204 shown in Fig. 8. Arm portion 206 is provided at one end of pipe member l94 at the side of support plate l06. The piston rod of air cylinder 204 is coupled to arm portion 206. The cylinder portion of cylinder 204 is supported by support plate l06. Since cylinder 204 is coupled to pipe member l94, lifter l96 is pivoted upon withdrawal or extension of the piston rod of cylinder 204. The length from the pivotal center, i.e., shaft l90, of lifter l96 to its distal end is set to be a length such that the distal end of lifter l96 suffici­ ently reaches the feed path of film sheet 52 fed from supply roll 48 when lifter l96 is pivoted upward. Sensor 208 is arranged at the distal end portion, i.e., cross plate 200, of lifter l96 to detect the distal end of sheet 52 fed from roll 68, as shown in Fig. 8. Sensor 208 comprises an inductive transducer in the same manner as sensor l54 in knife mechanism l36 and detects a part of metal tape 70 left at the distal end of film sheet 52 even after tape 70 is cut by knife mechanism l36. Suction portion 2l4 for film sheet 52 is provided on cross plate 200. Sheet 52 can be attracted to suction portion 2l4 by drawing external air. Suction portion 2l4 is connected to a negative pressure source (not shown) through connection portion 2l6 shown in Fig. l. In the state shown in Fig. l, reception portion 2l0 is disposed in front of the distal end of lifter l96 to receive the distal end of film sheet 52 fed from supply roll 68. Sensor 2l2 identical with sensor 208 is arranged in reception portion 2l0. The operation of the apparatus of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to l6. In the state of Fig. l, film sheet 52 has already been fed from supply roll 48. However, the operation of this apparatus is started when the remaining length of sheet 52 in roll 48 is less than a predetermined length. The remaining length of sheet 52 of roll 48 can be detected as follows. A metal tape is adhered to the end portion of sheet 52 of roll 48 and is used for end detection. A sensor is arranged midway along the feed path near roll 48 to detect the tape. This sensor may be of the same type as described above. When the operation of this apparatus is started, shaft l38 in knife mechanism l36 is pivoted by air cylinder l4l shown in Fig. 7. Swing arm l44 is then pivoted toward supply roll 68, as shown in Fig. 9. Rubber roller l50 of arm l44 is brought into rolling contact with roll 68. As is apparent from Fig. 9, at the same time, knife l62 is brought into contact with roll 68. In this state, when electric motor ll0 is driven in one direction, shaft l04 is rotated in a direction of an arrow shown as broken line in Fig. l0. As a result, driving belt l30 is driven in a direction of an arrow shown as a solid line. Thereafter, when the piston rod of air cylinder l32 is extended from the state of Fig. l, arm ll8 is pivoted, as shown in Fig. l0. Driving belt l30 is brought into contact with wheel l34. Wheel l34 is rotated in the direction of the broken line upon running of belt l30. In this manner, when wheel l34 is rotated, roll 68 is rotated in the direction of the broken line in Fig. ll. Roll 68 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the tip of knife l62 contacting the outer surface of roll 68. In this case, the distal end of sheet 52 of roll 68 is still partially fixed by adhesive tape 70. When roll 68 is rotated and then the distal end, i.e., adhesive tape 70, of roll 68 passes below sensor l54 in knife mechanism l36, sensor l54 detects passing of tape 70 thereunder. When a predetermined delay time has elapsed upon detection of tape 70 by sensor l54, electric motor ll0 is stopped. At the same time, belt l30 and wheel l34 are also stopped, and thus roll 68 is stopped. Thereafter, motor ll0 is rotated in the reverse direction, and roll 68 is rotated in a direction of the solid line in Fig. ll by a predeter­ mined angle. As a result, the tip of knife l62 in knife mechanism l36 is inserted under the distal end of sheet 52 of roll 68, as shown in Fig. l2. In this state, knife arm l60 is pivoted clockwise about rod l56 in Fig. ll upon extension of the piston rod of air cylinder l70. Upon pivotal movement of arm l60, knife l62 is moved to cut tape 70. The distal end of sheet 52 is freely released from roll 68. As is apparent from Fig. ll, since the left portion (with respect to tape 70) of the distal end of sheet 52 is pressed by rubber roller l50 of knife mechanism l36, tape 70 can be properly cut by knife l62. Thereafter, when electric motor ll0 is driven in the forward direction again, supply roll 68 is rotated in a direction of the broken line of Fig. l3 by a predetermined angle. The distal end of sheet 52 of roll 68 is rotated counterclockwise in Fig. l3 and is separated from the outer surface of roll 68. As a result, the free distal end of sheet 52 is placed on belts l88 of guide device l72 located under roll 68, as shown in Fig. l3. In this state, when motor ll0 is driven in the reverse direction again and roll 68 is rotated in a direction of the solid line in Fig. l4, film sheet 52 is fed therefrom. At the same time, belts l88 in device l72 are driven counterclockwise in Fig. l4. More specifically, upon reverse rotation of motor ll0, shaft l04 shown in Fig. 8 is rotated, and the rotational force is transmitted to shaft l76 through one-way clutch l74, thereby rotating shaft l76 in a direction of the solid line of Fig. l4. Pulleys l82 are rotated together with shaft l76, so that belts l88 run in the manner as described above. Driving belts l88 in guide device l72 are driven in synchronism with feeding of film sheet 52 from supply roll 68. Sheet 52 from roll 68 is guided by belts l88 and further fed. When the distal end of sheet 52 travels over the distal end of lifter l96 of device l72 and reaches reception portion 2l0, as shown in Fig. l4, part of adhesive tape 70 left at the distal end of sheet 52 is detected by sensor 2l2. At this time, motor ll0 is stopped. Thereafter, when motor ll0 is driven in the forward direction, roll 68 is rotated in a direction of the broken line in Fig. l5. In this case, the rotational force of motor ll0 is not transmitted to shaft l76 due to the presence of one-way clutch l74. Therefore, only roll 68 is rotated in the direction of the broken line in Fig. l5, and then sheet 52 fed from roll 68 is taken up by roll 68. However, when the distal end of sheet 52 returns to the distal end of lifter l96, the distal end of sheet 52 is detected by sensor 208 (Fig. 8) arranged at the distal end of lifter l96. At this time, taking-up of sheet 52 is stopped. In other words, motor ll0 is stopped. As shown in Fig. l5, when the distal end of sheet 52 fed from roll 68 comes close to the distal end of lifter l96, the distal end of sheet 52 is attracted to and held by suction portion 2l4 aranged at the distal end of lifter l96. Thereafter, air cylinder 204 (Fig. 8) in guide device l72 is operated to pivot lifter l96 upward in Fig. l6. The distal end of lifter l96 is moved upward to the feed path of sheet 52 fed from roll 48. The distal end of sheet 52 fed from roll 68 overlaps sheet 52 fed from roll 48. These film sheets 52 from rolls 48 and 68 are urged against heater block 86 in heater device 84. At this time, heater block 86 has already been heated to a predetermined temperature. Sheets 52 are bonded by heat from block 86. At the same time, the distal end of sheet 52 which is attached to suction portion 2l4 is released therefrom. After sheets 52 are bonded together, the resultant sheet is fed to the following apparatus, i.e., a wrapping machine along the feed path. However, when the piston rod of air cylinder l00 in cutter device 88 is withdrawn to rotate plate 92 counterclockwise in Fig. l6, sheet 52 fed from supply roll 48 is cut by cutter 96 mounted on plate 92. Therefore, after sheet 52 from roll 48 is cut, only sheet 52 from roll 68 is supplied to the wrapping machine. Therefore, sheet feeding is automatically switched from roll 48 to roll 68. The movable members described above are returned to the original positions. After sheet feeding is switched from roll 48 to roll 68, the piston rod of air cylinder 80 in stopper device 72 in Fig. l is withdrawn, and engagement be­ tween stopper arm 74 and ratchet 78 on disc 24 is released. Motor 28 is then driven to rotate disc 24 counterclockwise (Fig. l) by half a revolution. Roll 68 comes near the current position of roll 48, and roll 48 also comes near the current position of roll 68. Thereafter, stopper device 72 is driven to engage stopper arm 74 with the other ratchet 82 on disc 24, so that rotation of disc 24 is stopped. In this case, the empty roll 48 is replaced with roll 68, and thus the state of Fig. l is obtained. The present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described above. As shown in Fig. l7, another actuation mechanism 220 is arranged to drive knife arm l60, i.e., knife l62. In the embodiment of Fig. l7, knife l62 is fixed on upper horizontal link lever 224 constituting parallel crank mechanism 222. With this arrangement, operation of air cylinder l70 allows movement of knife l62 to be parallel to the axial direction of supply roll 68 so as to accurately and properly cut adhesive tape 70 even if parallel crank mechanism 222 is pivoted about rod l56.

Claims: 1. An apparatus for continuously supplying sheets from supply rolls, comprising: a rotary disc (24) vertically disposed such that a central axis (22) thereof extends in a horizontal direction, the rotary disc (24) being rotatable about the central axis (22); a first supply roll (48) mounted at a peripheral portion of the rotary disc (24) and including a roll of sheet material (52), the first supply roll (48) having a first axis (44) parallel to the central axis (22) of the rotary disc (24), the first supply roll (48) being rotatable about the first axis (44); means (54) for feeding the sheet (52) from the first supply roll (48), the feeding means (54) having a sheet feeding path; a second supply roll (68) mounted at a peripheral portion of the rotary disc (24) and including a roll of sheet material, the second supply roll (68) having a second axis (46) parallel to the central axis (22) of the rotary disc (24) and being rotatable about the second axis (46); and a connecting device for feeding the film sheet (52) from the second supply roll (68) and connecting the film sheet (52) to the film sheet fed from the first supply roll (48); characterized in that the second supply roll (68) is provided with an adhesive tape (70) for partially fixing a distal end of the sheet (52) to an outer surface of the second supply roll (68), and the connecting device includes a cutting/feeding device (l02), located near the rotary disc (24), for cutting the adhesive tape of the second supply roll (68) and feeding the sheet (52) therefrom, the cutting/feeding device (l02) including driving means (l03) for reversibly rotating the second supply roll (68), knife means (l36) provided with a knife (l62) to come into contact with or to be separated from an outer surface of the second supply roll (68), and actuating means (l64) for moving the knife (l62) along a direction parallel to the second axis (46) of the second supply roll (68) when the knife (l62) of the knife means (l36) is inserted under the distal end of the sheet (52) of the second supply roll (68), the knife (l62) being adapted to be inserted under a portion excluding a region of the distal end of the sheet (52) of the second supply roll (68) upon driving of the second supply roll (68) by the driving means (l03), the region being fixed to the outer surface of the second supply roll (68) by means of the adhesive tape whereby the adhesive tape (70) of the second supply roll (68) is cut upon cooperation of the knife (l62) and the actuating means (l64) and, thereafter, the sheet (52) of the second supply roll (68) is fed therefrom upon rotation of the second supply roll (68) by the driving means (l03); guiding means (l72) for guiding the sheet (52) fed from the second supply roll (68) and hence the distal end thereof to a predetermined connection position in the feed path of the feeding means (54), adhering means (84) for adhering the sheet (52) from the first supply roll (48) to the distal end of the sheet (52) from the second supply roll (68) at the connection position, and cutting means (88), disposed in the feed path between the connection position and the first supply roll (48), for cutting the sheet (52) fed from the first supply roll (48). 2. An apparatus according to claim l, character­ ized in that the knife means (l36) in the cutting/­ feeding device (l02) further includes a rotating shaft (l38) parallel to the second axis (46) of the second supply roll (68) and a knife arm (l60) coupled to the rotatable shaft (l38) so as to be pivotable upon rotation of the rotating shaft (l38), the knife arm (l60) being provided with the knife (l62). 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, character­ ized in that the knife (l62) comprises a thin plate member having elasticity. 4. An apparatus according to claim 3, character­ ized in that the knife means (l36) further includes a pivot arm (l60), a proximal end of which is mounted on the rotatable shaft (l38) and a distal end of which is provided with a roller (l50) to be brought into rolling contact with the second supply roll (68) simultaneously when the knife (l62) is brought into contact with the second supply roll (68), the roller (l50) being located opposite the knife (l62) along a direction of movement of the knife (l62) by the actuating means (l64). 5. An apparatus according to claim l, character­ ized in that the guiding means (l72) includes a conveyor (l88) located below the second supply roll (68) to convey the film sheet (52) fed from the second supply roll (68) and lift means (l96) for lifting the film sheet (52) fed from the second supply roll (68) while the distal end of the film sheet (52) from the second supply roll (68) is held. 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, character­ ized in that the lift means (l96) comprises a pivot arm (l98, 200), one end of which is rotatably supported and the other end of which is provided with film sheet holding means (2l4).

Inventors: AIDA, SATORU, ETANI, TADAO, KATO, SHINYA, MUTO, YOSHIYUKI
Applicants: JAPAN TOBACCO INC., SANJO MACHINE WORKS LTD.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65H19
IPC codes: B65H19