Patent Publication Number: US-2011049210-A1

Title: Processing apparatus

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for intermittently halting and processing a continuous belt-like work while causing the work to travel along a predetermined travel path. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a conventional production line  5  for disposable diapers, for example, includes a plurality of processing positions P 1 , P 2 , . . . aligned front-to-rear along the horizontal direction. Semi-finished diapers are carried continuously in the form of a continuous belt-like work  1 , and during this course, various processes are applied thereto at the respective processing positions P 1 , P 2 , . . . to thereby complete finished products. 
     In cases where press-working is to be applied at one of the above-mentioned processing positions P 1 , P 2 , . . . , carrying of the belt-like work  1  will be intermittently halted with every die-pressing motion using press dies. This halt, however, affects the carrying at processing positions immediately upstream and downstream of the press-working position. That is, it is inevitable that the belt-like work  1  will temporarily be halted also at the immediately adjacent processing positions. 
     In this regard, a processing apparatus  90  disclosed in Patent Literature 1 allows the carrying of the belt-like work  1  to be intermittently halted only at the processing apparatus  90 , without stopping the carrying thereof at positions upstream and downstream of the processing apparatus  90 . 
     More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the processing apparatus  90  includes a roll pair  91  consisting of a pair of rolls  91   a ,  91   b  connected together while being spaced-away from one another in the front and rear direction by a separator  93 . A belt-like work  1  is wrapped around the roll pair  91 , thus forming a travel path of the belt-like work  1 . Moving the roll pair  91  at the same speed as the travel speed Vt of the belt-like work  1  in the opposite direction therefrom allows the moving speed Vm and the travel speed Vt to cancel out one another. This creates a pseudo-halted state of the belt-like work  1  at a position between the rolls  91   a ,  91   b , and during this pseudo-halted state, processing is applied by a processing section  95 . 
     Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 3452577 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     Problem to be Solved by the Invention 
     The above-described halted state, however, is not one that halts the belt-like work  1  physically. Therefore, there are cases where the belt-like work  1  may slightly shift owing to synchronization failure between the moving speed Vm and the travel speed Vt, for example. Thus, the position for processing the belt-like work  1  may deviate from the target position. 
     In this regard, an apparatus  100  such as the one shown in the side view of  FIG. 3  may be contemplated as a processing apparatus for solving the above problem. This processing apparatus  100  includes a plurality of carry rolls  31   a ,  31   b ,  32   a ,  32   b  that form a travel path PL of the belt-like work  1 , and a seesaw member  34  arranged so as to extend front-to-rear across a processing position Pn set within the travel path PL. The belt-like work  1  is wrapped around rolls  34   a ,  34   b  provided at the respective front and rear ends of the seesaw member  34 . The oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  makes it possible to form loops  1   a ,  1   b  consisting of the belt-like work  1  in the front and rear of the processing position Pn and thereby accumulate the belt-like work  1 . A carry roll  31   b  located between the processing position Pn and the roll  34   a  of the seesaw member  34  is a drive roll  31   b  that is driven to rotate by a servomotor, for example. This drive roll  31   b  contacts the belt-like work  1 . 
     Accordingly, with this processing apparatus  100 , it is possible to reliably achieve a physically-halted state of the belt-like work  1  at the processing position Pn by halting the drive roll  31   b.    
     During this halt, the belt-like work  1  sent in from an upstream processing position Pn−1 to the processing apparatus  100  is accumulated as a result of the upstream loop  1   a  becoming large due to the seesawing motion of the seesaw member  34 , which is shown by the chain double-dashed lines of  FIG. 3 , whereas the processed belt-like work  1  that is to be sent out from the processing apparatus  100  to a downstream processing position Pn+1 is forwarded as a result of the downstream loop  1   b  becoming small due to the same seesawing motion. In this way, the influence of the halting of the belt-like work  1  at the processing apparatus  100  is kept from spilling over to the immediately upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1. 
     The seesaw member  34 , however, is a driven (following) component that oscillates up and down by receiving a force from the belt-like work  1 . The carry roll  32   a  is also a driven roll that rotates by receiving a rotational force from the belt-like work  1 . Therefore, when the belt-like work  1  is halted, the roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  is pulled up by the belt-like work  1  and starts to ascend. However, at this time, inertia of the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34 , for example, acts on the belt-like work  1 , and this causes a significant variation in tension applied to the belt-like work  1 . Also, upon halt, the carry roll  32   a  having been rotating following the belt-like work  1  is halted. Therefore, inertia of the rotating motion of the carry roll  32   a  acts on the belt-like work  1 , and this also causes a variation intension applied to the belt-like work  1 . 
     The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem as that described above, and an object thereof is to provide a processing apparatus that intermittently halts and processes a continuous belt-like work while causing the work to travel along a predetermined travel path, and that can effectively suppress a variation in tension of the work that may arise in association with the intermittent halting of the work. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     A main aspect of the invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is a processing apparatus having: 
     a work carrying section that carries a continuous belt-like work by wrapping the work around a plurality of carry rolls and forming a travel path for the work; and 
     a processing section that is provided within the travel path and that performs processing while the work is being intermittently halted; 
     wherein the work carrying section includes
         an entering-side buffer mechanism that is provided within the travel path on an upstream side of the processing section and that can accumulate the work carried from upstream by wrapping the work around a first moving element that is guided to be able to perform a reciprocating movement,   an exit-side buffer mechanism that is provided within the travel path on a downstream side of the processing section and that can accumulate the work having been processed and to be carried downstream by wrapping the work having been processed around a second moving element that is guided to be able to perform a reciprocating movement,   an interlocking section that moves the first moving element and the second moving element in an interlocked manner in such a manner that a motion of the entering-side buffer mechanism for increasing or decreasing an accumulation amount of the work accumulated thereby and a motion of the exit-side buffer mechanism for increasing or decreasing an accumulation amount of the work accumulated thereby are opposite from one another and in such a manner that an amount of change in the accumulation amount of the work of the entering-side buffer mechanism and an amount of change in the accumulation amount of the work of the exit-side buffer mechanism are equal,   an intermittent sending section that comes into contact with the work which has passed through the entering-side buffer mechanism and that repeats a halt motion for intermittently halting the work and a sending motion for sending out the work to the processing section,   an endless annular element that is wrapped around the carry rolls, the first moving element, and the second moving element in such a manner that the endless annular element lies along the work within the travel path, and   a first drive roll that, by circulatingly driving the endless annular element, applies a rotational force to the carry rolls and also applies a moving force to the first moving element and the second moving element for achieving the reciprocating movement thereof; and       

     wherein the first drive roll continuously drives the endless annular element circulatingly at a predetermined speed while the intermittent sending section intermittently halts the endless annular element in synchronization with the halt motion of the work in such a manner that the endless annular element is subjected to the same travel motion and accumulation motion as those of the work within a range where the endless annular element lies along the travel path. 
     Other features of the invention will be made clear by the disclosure of the present description and accompanying drawings. 
     EFFECT OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention can provide a processing apparatus that intermittently halts and processes a continuous belt-like work while causing the work to travel along a predetermined travel path, and that can effectively suppress a variation in tension of the work that may arise in association with the intermittent halting of the work. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a conceptual diagram of a production line  5  having a plurality of processing positions P 1 , P 2 , . . . . 
         FIG. 2  is a side view showing an example of a conventional processing apparatus  90 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a processing apparatus  100  that solves the problem of the conventional processing apparatus  90 . 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are side views of a processing apparatus  10  according to a first embodiment. 
         FIGS. 5A to 5C  are explanatory diagrams describing an oscillating motion of a seesaw member  34  during the intermittent halt of a belt-like work  1 . 
         FIGS. 6A to 6C  are explanatory diagrams describing an oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  when the intermittent halt of the belt-like work  1  is released. 
         FIGS. 7A to 7C  are explanatory diagrams describing an oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  during the intermittent halt of the belt-like work  1 . 
         FIGS. 8A to 8C  are explanatory diagrams describing an oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  when the intermittent halt of the belt-like work  1  is released. 
         FIG. 9  is a chart indicating a rotation speed V of a drive roll  31   b.    
         FIG. 10  is a side view of a processing apparatus  10   a  according to a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of a processing apparatus  10   b  according to a modified example of the second embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of a processing apparatus  10   c  according to another embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of a processing apparatus  10   d  according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       1 : belt-like work (work);  1   a : portion (loop);  1   b : portion (loop);  5 : continuous production line;  10 : processing apparatus;  10   a : processing apparatus;  10   c : processing apparatus;  10   d : processing apparatus;  20 : press device (processing section);  21   a : male die;  21   b : female die;  30 : intermittent carry device (work carrying section);  31 : group of pass-line rolls (carry rolls);  31   a : pass-line roll (carry roll);  31   b : drive roll (intermittent sending section, second drive roll);  31   c : pressing roll;  31   d : brake-equipped non-drive roll (intermittent sending section);  32 : group of pass-line rolls (carry rolls);  32   a : pass-line roll (carry roll);  32   b : pass-line roll (carry roll);  34 : seesaw member (interlocking section);  34   a : entering-side roll (first moving element, entering-side buffer mechanism);  34   b : exit-side roll (second moving element, exit-side buffer mechanism);  34   c : oscillation central shaft;  36 : air cylinder (intermittent sending section, oscillation drive device);  36   a : piston;  37 : tension-variation-suppressing mechanism;  37   a : endless belt (endless annular element);  37   b : driven roll;  37   c : driven roll;  37   d : driven roll;  37   e : drive roll (first drive roll);  37   f : driven roll;  37   g : driven roll;  38 : plate cam (intermittent sending section, oscillation drive device);  38   c : axis;  41 : pressing-motion monitoring sensor;  42 : processing-target-section monitoring sensor;  43 : oscillating-motion monitoring sensor;  43   a : sensor at upper lower-limit position;  43   b : sensor at lower lower-limit position;  90 : processing apparatus;  91   a : roll;  91   b : roll;  93 : separator;  95 : processing section;  100 : processing apparatus;  1 La: loop;  1 Lb: loop; Pn−1: processing position; Pn: processing position; Pn+1: processing position; PL: pass line (travel path); V: carry speed (travel speed); Vin: entering-side carry speed (travel speed); Vout: exit-side carry speed (travel speed); A 1 : normal range; A 2 : deceleration range; A 3 : intermittent halt range; A 4 : acceleration range; A 5 : deceleration range; Vt: travel speed; Vm: moving speed 
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     At least the following matters will be made clear by the disclosure of the present description and the accompanying drawings. 
     A processing apparatus includes: 
     a work carrying section that carries a continuous belt-like work by wrapping the work around a plurality of carry rolls and forming a travel path for the work; and 
     a processing section that is provided within the travel path and that performs processing while the work is being intermittently halted; 
     wherein the work carrying section includes
         an entering-side buffer mechanism that is provided within the travel path on an upstream side of the processing section and that can accumulate the work carried from upstream by wrapping the work around a first moving element that is guided to be able to perform a reciprocating movement,   an exit-side buffer mechanism that is provided within the travel path on a downstream side of the processing section and that can accumulate the work having been processed and to be carried downstream by wrapping the work having been processed around a second moving element that is guided to be able to perform a reciprocating movement,   an interlocking section that moves the first moving element and the second moving element in an interlocked manner in such a manner that a motion of the entering-side buffer mechanism for increasing or decreasing an accumulation amount of the work accumulated thereby and a motion of the exit-side buffer mechanism for increasing or decreasing an accumulation amount of the work accumulated thereby are opposite from one another and in such a manner that an amount of change in the accumulation amount of the work of the entering-side buffer mechanism and an amount of change in the accumulation amount of the work of the exit-side buffer mechanism are equal,   an intermittent sending section that comes into contact with the work which has passed through the entering-side buffer mechanism and that repeats a halt motion for intermittently halting the work and a sending motion for sending out the work to the processing section,   an endless annular element that is wrapped around the carry rolls, the first moving element, and the second moving element in such a manner that the endless annular element lies along the work within the travel path, and   a first drive roll that, by circulatingly driving the endless annular element, applies a rotational force to the carry rolls and also applies a moving force to the first moving element and the second moving element for achieving the reciprocating movement thereof; and       

     wherein the first drive roll continuously drives the endless annular element circulatingly at a predetermined speed while the intermittent sending section intermittently halts the endless annular element in synchronization with the halt motion of the work in such a manner that the endless annular element is subjected to the same travel motion and accumulation motion as those of the work within a range where the endless annular element lies along the travel path. 
     With such a processing apparatus, a rotational force is applied to the carry rolls and a moving force is applied to the first moving element and the second moving element for achieving the reciprocating movement thereof by circulatingly driving the endless annular element. This reduces the action, on the work, of inertia relating to the rotating motion of the carry rolls as well as inertia relating to the movement motion of the first moving element and the second moving element. Thus, it is possible to suppress a variation in tension of the work. 
     Further, the first drive roll and the intermittent sending section allow the endless annular element to be subjected to the same travel motion and accumulation motion as those of the work within a range where the endless annular element lies along the work. Therefore, the endless annular element can reliably receive inertia relating to the rotating motion of the carry rolls as well as inertia relating to the movement motion of the first and second moving elements, which may act on the work at arbitrary timings, in place of the work. Thus, it is possible to effectively suppress a variation in tension of the work. 
     Note that when the intermittent sending section halts the work at the processing section for the processing apparatus to perform processing, the work that is sent in from the upstream of the processing apparatus is accumulated by the entering-side buffer mechanism, whereas the processed work that has been accumulated is sent out from the exit-side buffer mechanism to the downstream of the processing apparatus. Accordingly, the influence of halting the work at the processing apparatus is effectively kept from spilling over to the carrying of the work at the immediately upstream and downstream processing positions. 
     Further, since the intermittent sending section comes into contact with the work to halt the work, the work is braked physically. The processing can thus be applied to the position on the work targeted for processing with high accuracy. 
     Further, by providing the interlocking section, the increase or decrease motions for increasing or decreasing the accumulation amount of the work are carried out in such a manner that the increase or decrease motions become opposite from one another between the entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanism and the amount of change in the accumulation amount of the work accumulated by each buffer mechanism is kept equal. Thus, it is possible to keep the tension of the work substantially constant both during halting of the work and during release of the halt. 
     In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the first moving element of the entering-side buffer mechanism is a roll that rotates followingly; the second moving element of the exit-side buffer mechanism is a roll that rotates followingly; and the rolls rotate by receiving the rotational force caused by circulatingly driving the endless annular element. 
     With such a processing apparatus, the work wrapped around the first moving element and the second moving element is carried smoothly by the following rotation of the rolls serving as the first moving element and the second moving element. 
     Further, since the rolls rotate by receiving the rotational force caused by circulatingly driving the endless annular element, it is possible to effectively prevent inertia of the rotating motion of these rolls from acting on the work. Thus, it is possible to effectively suppress a variation in tension of the work. 
     In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the processing apparatus further includes a seesaw member as the interlocking section, the seesaw member oscillating about a predetermined axis; the first moving element and the second moving element are mounted on the seesaw member; and the axis is located at a midpoint between a position where the first moving element is mounted and a position where the second moving element is mounted, and an oscillating motion of the seesaw member causes the reciprocating movement of the first moving element and the second moving element. 
     In this processing apparatus, a seesaw member is employed as the interlocking section. Thus, it is possible to easily achieve the state where the increase or decrease motions for increasing or decreasing the accumulation amount of the work are opposite from one another between the entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanism and the amount of change in the accumulation amount of the work accumulated by each buffer mechanism is kept equal. 
     In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that the seesaw member includes a plurality of the first moving elements for wrapping the work around the first moving elements in a zigzag form, and a plurality of the second moving elements for wrapping the work having been processed around the second moving elements in a zigzag form. 
     With such a processing apparatus, the oscillation stroke amount of the seesaw member can be reduced, compared to a case where the work is not wrapped in a zigzag form, i.e., a case where one each of the first moving element and the second moving element is provided. Thus, it is possible to reduce the oscillating motion speed and thereby reduce the impact upon vertically reversing the oscillating motion. 
     In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the predetermined speed of the endless annular element is a speed at a contacting position where the first drive roll comes into contact with the endless annular element; and the predetermined speed is equal to a travel speed of the work on a side upstream of the entering-side buffer mechanism or a travel speed of the work having been processed on a side downstream of the exit-side buffer mechanism. 
     With such a processing apparatus, the travel motion of the endless annular element can be made to match the travel motion of the work. Therefore, the endless annular element can reliably receive, in place of the work, inertia relating to the carry rolls as well as the first moving element and the second moving element, which may act on the work in association with the halt motion and/or the sending motion of the work. Thus, it is possible to effectively suppress a variation in tension of the work. 
     In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the intermittent sending section is a second drive roll that carries the work to the processing section by being driven to rotate while winding the work from the entering-side buffer mechanism around an outer circumferential surface of the roll; and the endless annular element is also wound around the second drive roll. 
     With such a processing apparatus, the work is wound around the second drive roll and is carried due to the second drive roll being driven to rotate. Therefore, the work can reliably be braked by halting the second drive roll. Thus, it is possible to bring the work to a halted state reliably. 
     Further, since the endless annular element is also wound around the second drive roll serving as the intermittent sending section, it is possible to halt the endless annular element in synchronization with the halt motion of the work and also send out the endless annular element in synchronization with the sending motion of the work. That is, it is possible to enhance synchronism between the travel motion of the work and the travel motion of the endless annular element. Therefore, the endless annular element can reliably receive, in place of the work, inertia relating to the carry rolls as well as inertia relating to the first and second moving elements, which may act on the work in association with the halt motion and/or the sending motion. Thus, it is possible to effectively suppress a variation in tension of the work. 
     In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: while the halt motion of the work is cancelled, the intermittent sending section performs, in parallel, an increasing motion for increasing the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism and a decreasing motion for decreasing the accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism; and the increasing motion and the decreasing motion are achieved by making a travel speed of the work between the entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanism faster than both a travel speed of the work on a side upstream of the entering-side buffer mechanism and a travel speed of the work having been processed on a side downstream of the exit-side buffer mechanism. 
     With such a processing apparatus, it is possible to reliably provide for the next work-halt motion. That is, the exit-side buffer mechanism can be returned to a state where it can send the work downstream by accumulating the processed work with the exit-side buffer mechanism, and the entering-side buffer mechanism can be returned to a state where it can accumulate the work sent in from upstream by sending out the work accumulated by the entering-side buffer mechanism. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  are side views of a processing apparatus  10  according to a first embodiment. Note that, in order to keep the figures from becoming complicated,  FIG. 4A  shows the processing apparatus  10  without its tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37 , which is a component of the apparatus  10 , and conversely,  FIG. 4B  shows the apparatus with its tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  but without the belt-like work  1 . 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 4A , the vertical direction is referred to below also as the up and down direction, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is referred to below also as the front and rear direction. Incidentally, the “front” of the front and rear direction is the downstream side of the carrying direction of the belt-like work  1 , and the “rear” is the upstream side of the same. Further, the upstream side of the processing apparatus  10  is referred to also as the entering side, and the downstream side of the same is referred to also as the exit side. 
     The processing apparatus  10  according to the first embodiment is incorporated into one processing position Pn of the plurality of processing positions P 1 , P 2 , . . . provided in the continuous production line  5  of  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 4A , the belt-like work  1  is drawn into the processing apparatus  10  from an immediately upstream processing position Pn−1 at an entering-side carry speed Vin, and on the other hand, after being subjected to predetermined processing by the processing apparatus  10 , the work is drawn out toward an immediately downstream processing position Pn+1 at an exit-side carry speed Vout. 
     According to the constant mass flow principle, the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout of the processing apparatus  10  should basically be equal to one another; however, in cases where the belt-like work  1  is a stretchable material such as nonwoven fabric, the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout may differ from one another owing to the stretching deformation of the material, and for example, the entering-side carry speed Vin may range from 95% to 105% of the exit-side carry speed Vout. The explanation below, however, is based on the premise that the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout are controlled in such a manner that they are equal to one another and are at a reference speed V 0 . 
     Incidentally, the processing carried out by the processing apparatus  10  is, for example, press-working. It is therefore necessary to intermittently halt the carrying of the belt-like work  1  during this press-working. The processing apparatus  10 , however, is devised so that it can keep the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout constant at approximately the above-mentioned reference speed V 0 , regardless of the intermittent halt. In other words, this processing apparatus  10  allows intermittent carrying to be performed only at the processing apparatus  10 , while continuously carrying the belt-like work  1  at the immediately upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1 without stopping the carrying thereat whatsoever. The following describes the processing apparatus  10  in detail. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the processing apparatus  10  includes: an intermittent carry device  30  serving as a work carrying section that carries a continuous belt-like work  1  by wrapping the belt-like work  1  around a plurality of carry rolls  31 ,  32  and forming a travel path PL for the belt-like work  1 ; a press device  20  serving as a processing section that is provided within the travel path PL and that performs processing while the belt-like work  1  is being intermittently halted; a group of sensors  41 ,  42 ,  43  for detecting the state of the press device  20  and the intermittent carry device  30 ; and a controller (not shown) for controlling the press device  20  and the intermittent carry device  30  in cooperation with one another based on the detection results of the group of sensors  41 ,  42 ,  43 . 
     &lt;&lt;&lt;Press Device  20 &gt;&gt;&gt; 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the press device  20  includes, for example, a male die  21   a  that can be driven to ascend or descend up and down in the vertical direction, and a female die  21   b  arranged below the male die  21   a  in opposition thereto. A substantially horizontal pass line PL is set between the male and female dies  21   a ,  21   b  with respect to the up and down direction as the travel path for the belt-like work  1 . Accordingly, a section targeted for processing (“processing target section”) of the belt-like work  1  is carried in the horizontal direction along the pass line PL, and then, while the carrying is being intermittently halted, the male die  21   a  descends toward the female die  21   b  and sandwiches and presses the processing target section of the belt-like work  1 , to thus apply press-working. When the male die  21   a  ascends and the pressing motion is finished, the carrying motion of the belt-like work  1  is resumed, and the press device  20  stays on standby until the next processing target section of the belt-like work  1  moves below the male die  21   a  and halts. Note that in this example, a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is employed as a drive source of the ascending and descending motion of the male die  21   a , but the invention is not limited thereto. 
     &lt;&lt;&lt;Intermittent Carry Device  30 &gt;&gt;&gt; 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the intermittent carry device  30  includes: groups of pass-line rolls  31 ,  32  serving as the plurality of carry rolls that form the pass line PL for the belt-like work  1  with respect to the press device  20 ; an entering-side buffer mechanism  34   a  that is provided within the pass line PL on the upstream side of the press device  20  and that can accumulate the belt-like work  1  in a state strung like a loop that is convex downward in the vertical direction; an exit-side buffer mechanism  34   b  that is provided within the pass line PL on the downstream side of the press device  20  and that can accumulate the press-worked belt-like work  1  in a state strung like a loop that is convex downward in the vertical direction; a seesaw member  34  serving as an interlocking section for moving the entering-side buffer mechanism  34   a  and the exit-side buffer mechanism  34   b  in an interlocked manner; and a tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  for suppressing a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the groups of pass-line rolls  31 ,  32  mainly consist, for example, of a pair of pass-line rolls  31   a ,  31   b  arranged at the same height and on the upstream side of the press device  20 , and a pair of pass-line rolls  32   a ,  32   b  arranged at the same height and on the downstream side of the press device  20 . The belt-like work  1  is wrapped around and supported by the pass-line rolls  31   a ,  31   b ,  32   a ,  32   b , and thereby the pass line PL for the belt-like work  1  is formed stretching across the press device  20  front-to-rear in the horizontal direction. The pass-line roll  31   b  immediately upstream of the press device  20  (also referred to below as a drive roll  31   b ) is directly connected to a drive source such as a servomotor, and only this pass-line roll  31   b  is configured as a drive roll that is driven to rotate. Accordingly, the carry state of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the drive roll  31   b  (which corresponds to the “intermittent sending section” and the “second drive roll”). For example, when the drive roll  31   b  rotates, the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is carried, and on the other hand, when the drive roll  31   b  halts, the carrying of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  also halts. With the present processing apparatus  10 , since the above-mentioned press-working is performed under this physical carry-halt state, the press-working can be applied accurately at a target position on the belt-like work  1 . 
     Note that a pressing roll  31   c  that followingly rotates about a rotation axis parallel to that of the drive roll  31   b  is pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the drive roll  31   b  at a predetermined pressing pressure. Being sandwiched between the drive roll  31   b  and the pressing roll  31   c , the belt-like work  1  is carried without causing any relative slippage with the drive roll  31   b . Thus, the responsiveness of the carrying motion of the belt-like work  1  by the drive roll  31   b  is improved, and as a result, the halt position accuracy of the belt-like work  1  is improved. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the entering-side buffer mechanism  34   a  and the exit-side buffer mechanism  34   b  are a pair of rolls  34   a ,  34   b  supported in a followingly rotatable manner on respective front and rear ends of the seesaw member  34  (which correspond respectively to the “first moving element” and the “second moving element”). These rolls  34   a ,  34   b  are equal in diameter and weight. The seesaw member  34 , with these rolls  34   a ,  34   b  mounted, is in balance in such a manner that it can rotate back and forth about the oscillation central shaft  34   c  that is located in the middle of the rolls  34   a ,  34   b.    
     The rolls  34   a ,  34   b  are respectively located at a position between the pair of pass-line rolls  31   a ,  31   b  and at a position between the pair of pass-line rolls  32   a ,  32   b . Accordingly, the rolls  34   a ,  34   b  respectively have a portion  1   a  of the belt-like work  1  passed over between the pair of pass-line rolls  31   a ,  31   b  and a portion  1   b  of the belt-like work  1  passed over between the pair of pass-line rolls  32   a ,  32   b  wrapped around the respective rolls  34   a ,  34   b  from below. 
     Therefore, when the seesaw member  34  oscillates, the amount of the loop (the accumulation amount) of the belt-like work  1  formed by the descending roll  34   b  ( 34   a ) increases, thereby accumulating the belt-like work  1 ; on the other hand, the amount of the loop (the accumulation amount) of the belt-like work  1  formed by the ascending roll  34   a  ( 34   b ) decreases, thereby sending out the belt-like work  1 . That is, the roll  34   a  of the entering-side buffer mechanism and the roll  34   b  of the exit-side buffer mechanism always move in an opposite-motion relationship with one another. As a result, the total amount of the length of the loops  1   a ,  1   b  formed by these rolls  34   a ,  34   b  is always kept constant, and thus, it is possible to reliably achieve synchronization between the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout of the processing apparatus  10  while keeping the tension of the belt-like work  1  almost constant. 
     This is described in detail. First, it is assumed that the initial state is a state where a loop  1   b  is greatly accumulated on the roll  34   b  of the exit-side buffer mechanism whereas there is almost no loop  1   a  on the roll  34   a  of the entering-side buffer mechanism, as shown with the solid lines in  FIG. 4A . Even if, in this state, the rotation of the drive roll  31   b  is halted by the servomotor in order to intermittently halt the carrying of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20 , it is still necessary to send out the belt-like work  1  to the downstream processing position Pn+1 at the exit-side carry speed Vout, regardless of the work being halted. In this case, the roll  34   b  of the exit-side buffer mechanism (also referred to below as an “exit-side roll  34   b ”) is raised upward owing to the tension of the belt-like work  1  etc., and thus, the belt-like work  1  is sent out from the loop  1   b  of the exit-side buffer mechanism  34   b , as shown in  FIGS. 5A to 5C . In this way, it is possible to send out the belt-like work  1  at a carry speed Vout equal to the reference speed V 0 , regardless of the halt of the drive roll  31   b.    
     On the other hand, at this time, the roll  34   a  of the entering-side buffer mechanism (also referred to below as an “entering-side roll  34   a ”) which is at its upper-limit position descends and accumulates the belt-like work  1 , which is carried from the upstream processing position Pn−1, into a downwardly-convex loop shape while pulling the work downward, as shown in  FIGS. 5A to 5C . Note here that the entering-side roll  34   a  is also provided on the seesaw member  34 , like the exit-side roll  34   b . Therefore, the descending motion of the entering-side roll  34   a  takes place simultaneously and in parallel with the above-mentioned ascending motion of the exit-side roll  34   b , as an opposite motion thereof, without any delay in motion. That is, the entering-side roll  34   a  descends at the same speed as the ascending speed of the exit-side roll  34   b , and the descending amount thereof is the same as the ascending amount of the roll  34   b . Thus, the amount of the belt-like work  1  accumulated by the roll  34   a  of the entering-side buffer mechanism becomes equal to the amount of the belt-like work  1  sent out from the roll  34   b  of the exit-side buffer mechanism. As a result, it is possible to make the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout substantially equal; in other words, it is possible to reliably achieve synchronization between the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout. 
     Note that, when this intermittently-halted state is cancelled, the rotation of the drive roll  31   b  is resumed, and thus, the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is carried until the next intermittent-halt position is reached. During this carrying, however, it is necessary to return the seesaw member  34  from the state shown in  FIG. 5C  to the initial state shown in  FIG. 5A  in preparation for the next intermittent halt; this return to the initial state is achieved by appropriately setting the carry speed V of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  for the intermittent carrying. 
     More specifically, when the intermittent halt is released, the drive roll  31   b  starts to rotate again as shown in  FIG. 6A . Here, the rotation speed V thereof at this time is set faster than the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout. Accordingly, as shown in  FIGS. 6A to 6C , the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is carried at a speed V faster than the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout, and thus, the amount of belt-like work  1  sent out from the entering-side roll  34   a  becomes larger than the amount of belt-like work  1  supplied to the entering-side roll  34   a  at the entering-side carry speed Vin, thereby making the amount of work at the entering-side roll run short. As a result, the amount of the loop at the entering-side roll  34   a  decreases, and the entering-side roll  34   a  ascends from its lower-limit position to its upper-limit position. On the other hand, the belt-like work  1  is sent out from the exit-side roll  34   b , which is at its upper-limit position, at the carry speed Vout. However, since the belt-like work  1  is supplied to the exit-side roll  34   b  at a speed V faster than the carry speed Vout, the belt-like work  1  becomes oversupplied. As a result, the amount of the loop at the exit-side roll  34   b  increases, and the exit-side roll  34   b  descends from its upper-limit position to its lower-limit position. In other words, the seesaw member  34  carries out a seesawing motion in which the entering-side roll  34   a  ascends and the exit-side roll  34   b  descends, and in this way, the seesaw member  34  returns to the above-described initial state. 
     The tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  is provided with the aim of suppressing a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1  due to the above-described seesawing motion etc. More specifically, in this press device  20 , as the processing interval becomes short and processing comes to be performed at a short pitch, the oscillation cycle of the seesaw member  34  also becomes short. Accordingly, the influence on the belt-like work  1  of inertia relating to the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  as well as inertia relating to the rotating motion of the followingly-rotating pass-line rolls  31   a ,  32   a ,  32   b  becomes too large to neglect, thus causing a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . 
     For example, as shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , when the belt-like work  1  is halted, the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  is pulled up by the belt-like work  1  and starts to ascend. However, at this time, inertia of the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  acts on the belt-like work  1 , and this causes a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . Also, when the belt-like work  1  is halted, the pass-line roll  32   a  having been rotating following the belt-like work  1  is halted (see  FIG. 5A ). Therefore, inertia of the rotating motion of the pass-line roll  32   a  acts on the belt-like work  1 , and this also causes a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . Such a variation in tension may deteriorate the halt position accuracy of the belt-like work  1  and may thus cause the position for processing the belt-like work  1  to deviate from the target position. 
     In view of the above, the present processing apparatus  10  has a tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  for receiving inertia relating to the oscillating motion etc. of the seesaw member  34  and inertia relating to the rotating motion of the pass-line rolls  31   a ,  32   a ,  32   b  in place of the belt-like work  1 , as shown in  FIG. 4B . 
     The tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  is a so-called wrap-around transmission system and employs, as its main element, an endless belt  37   a  (corresponding to the “endless annular element”) that is circulatingly driven while traveling in parallel with the belt-like work  1  adjacent thereto in the width direction of the belt-like work  1  (the direction passing through the paper face of  FIG. 4B ). More specifically, the endless belt  37   a  is wrapped around the pass-line roll  31   a , the entering-side roll  34   a  of the seesaw member  34 , the drive roll  31   b , the pass-line roll  32   a , the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34 , and the pass-line roll  32   b  in this order along the pass line PL, just like the belt-like work  1 . Further, the endless belt  37   a  is also wrapped around driven rolls  37   b ,  37   c ,  37   d  located below the above-mentioned rolls, thus forming a circulating track of the endless belt  37   a.    
     The endless belt  37   a  is subjected to the same travel motion and accumulation motion as those of the belt-like work  1  within a range where the endless belt  37   a  lies along the belt-like work  1 . In this way, the endless belt  37   a  receives, in place of the belt-like work  1 , the above-mentioned inertia that may act on the belt-like work  1  at arbitrary timings to thereby suppress a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . 
     A configuration example for achieving the above is as follows. First, a drive roll  37   e  (corresponding to the “first drive roll”) that is driven to rotate by employing a servomotor as its drive source is disposed within the circulating track of the endless belt  37   a  in order to subject the endless belt  37   a  to the same travel motion as the belt-like work  1 . The endless belt  37   a  is wrapped around the drive roll  37   a  with a predetermined wrap-around angle. The drive roll  37   a  rotates at the same peripheral speed V 0  as the entering-side carry speed Vin or the exit-side carry speed Vout of the belt-like work  1 , and thus the endless belt  37   a  circulates at the same reference speed V 0  as the entering-side carry speed Vin or the exit-side carry speed Vout of the belt-like work  1 . Note that the circulating motion of the endless belt  37   a  also rotates the rolls  31   a ,  34   a ,  32   a ,  34   b ,  32   b  around which the endless belt  37   a  is wrapped. 
     The endless belt  37   a  is also wrapped around the drive roll  31   b  that controls carrying of the belt-like work  1  in order to subject the endless belt  37   a  to the same accumulation motion as the belt-like work  1 . In this way, the drive roll  31   b  can intermittently halt, and also release the intermittent halt of, the endless belt  37   a  circulating at the reference speed V 0  at the same timing as the belt-like work  1 . Thus, the endless belt  37   a  is subjected to the same accumulation motion as the belt-like work  1  at the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34 . 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 8C , the endless belt  1  travels at the same carry speed V 0  as the belt-like work  1  throughout the entire track of the belt while the belt-like work  1  is being carried by the drive roll  31   b . However, as shown in  FIG. 7A , when the drive roll  31   b  is intermittently halted, the endless belt  37   a  located between the drive roll  31   b  and the carry roll  32   a  is also intermittently halted by the drive roll  31   b , just like the belt-like work  1  located between the drive roll  31   b  and the carry roll  32   a . Also, during this time, the amount of loop of the endless belt  37   a  on the entering side increases like the belt-like work  1  along with the increase in the amount of loop of the belt-like work  1  on the entering side due to the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34 , and the amount of loop of the endless belt  37   a  on the exit side decreases along with the decrease in the amount of loop of the belt-like work  1  on the exit side, as shown in  FIGS. 7B and 7C . On the other hand, when the intermittent halt is released, the endless belt  37   a  is also sent by the drive roll  31   b  at the same speed V as the belt-like work  1 , as shown in  FIG. 8A . Then, as shown in  FIGS. 8B and 8C , the amount of loop of the endless belt  37   a  on the entering side decreases like the belt-like work  1  along with the decrease in the loop of the belt-like work  1  on the entering side due to the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34 , and the amount of loop of the endless belt  37   a  on the exit side increases along with the increase in the amount of loop of the belt-like work  1  on the exit side, thus finally returning the endless belt  37   a  to its initial state shown in  FIG. 8C . 
     &lt;&lt;&lt;Group of Sensors  41 ,  42 ,  43 &gt;&gt;&gt; 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the group of sensors  41 ,  42 ,  43  includes a pressing-motion monitoring sensor  41  for monitoring the pressing motion of the press device  20 , a processing-target-section monitoring sensor  42  for monitoring the position of the processing target section on the belt-like work  1 , and an oscillating-motion monitoring sensor  43  for monitoring the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34 . 
     The pressing-motion monitoring sensor  41  is, for example, a proximity switch provided at the upper-limit position of the male die  21   a  and outputs a detection signal every time the male die  21   a  reaches the upper-limit position. 
     The processing-target-section monitoring sensor  42  is a sensor that is arranged immediately upstream of the press device  20  and that outputs a detection signal every time the sensor detects a mark indicating a processing location (referred to below as a “processing-location mark”) formed on the belt-like work  1  at a predetermined pitch. An example thereof includes a photoelectric tube that outputs a signal having an intensity corresponding to the amount of light received. 
     The oscillating-motion monitoring sensor  43  is, for example, a proximity switch provided near the lower-limit position of the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34 , and the proximity switch outputs a detection signal when the exit-side roll  34   b  reaches the lower-limit position. Note here that two positions—an upper lower-limit position, and a lower lower-limit position situated slightly below the upper lower-limit position—are set as the lower-limit position, and proximity switches  43   a ,  43   b  are respectively arranged at those positions. 
     &lt;&lt;&lt;Controller&gt;&gt;&gt; 
     The controller is a suitable sequencer and/or computer, and controls the various drive sources relating to the processing apparatus  10  based on the detection results output from the above-described group of sensors  41 ,  42 ,  43 . More specifically, the controller controls the hydraulic cylinder that drives the male die  21   a  of the press device  20  so that it ascends and descends, and controls the rotational speed of the servomotor, which serves as the drive source of the drive roll  31   b . Further, the controller controls the rotational speed of the servomotor of the drive roll  37   a  in such a manner that the peripheral speed of the drive roll  37   a  of the tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  becomes the reference speed V 0 , which is the same as the entering-side carry speed Vin or the exit-side carry speed Vout of the belt-like work  1 . 
     &lt;&lt;&lt;Operation Example of Processing Apparatus  10 &gt;&gt;&gt; 
     With the processing apparatus  10  configured as above, rotating the drive roll  31   b  as described below allows the belt-like work  1  to be intermittently carried in the press device  20  while suppressing variation in tension and allows press-working to be applied to the belt-like work  1  at an appropriate pitch, while maintaining the carry speed Vin, Vout of the belt-like work  1  at the respective processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1 upstream and downstream of the press device  20  at the normal reference speed V 0 . 
       FIG. 9  is a chart showing the rotation speed V of the drive roll  31   b . The horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates speed (meters/second). Note that, since the carrying of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is controlled by the drive roll  31   b , the vertical axis of  FIG. 9  also indicates the carry speed V of the belt-like work  1  that is carried through the press device  20 . 
     First, in the initial state, it is assumed that the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  are respectively located at the upper-limit position and the lower-limit position as shown in  FIG. 8C , and the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is being carried by the drive roll  31   b  at the reference speed V 0  equal to the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout. 
     When a detection signal indicating detection of a processing-location mark on the belt-like work  1  is transmitted from the processing-target-section monitoring sensor  42  during the normal range A 1  of  FIG. 9  in which carrying is performed in the initial state, the controller halts the rotation of the drive roll  31   b  according to a predetermined deceleration pattern as shown in the deceleration range A 2  of  FIG. 9 , to thus intermittently halt the carrying of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20 . 
     During this intermittent halt A 3 , the controller makes the press device  20  perform its pressing motion ( FIGS. 7A and 7B ). 
     Note that during this intermittent halt A 3 , the seesaw member  34  performs its oscillating motion from the initial state ( FIG. 7A ) to the opposite state ( FIG. 7C ) as described above (that is, the entering-side roll  34   a  descends while the exit-side roll  34   b  ascends). Thus, it is possible to take in the belt-like work  1  sent in from the upstream processing position Pn−1 at the reference speed V 0  in its stretched-out state and to send out the belt-like work  1  to the downstream processing position Pn+1 at the reference speed V 0 . Therefore, the carrying state at the respective upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1 is not interrupted whatsoever by the intermittent halt. Further, this oscillating motion is basically achieved by the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  being raised due to the tension of the belt-like work  1 ; at this time, the tension of the endless belt  37   a  also acts in the direction for raising the exit-side roll  34   b , and this works to suppress a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . 
     When receiving a signal indicating completion of the pressing motion from the pressing-motion monitoring sensor  41  after a while, the controller resumes the rotation of the drive roll  31   b . At this time, however, as shown in the acceleration range A 4  of  FIG. 9 , the controller increases the rotation speed according to a predetermined acceleration pattern up to a speed faster than the reference speed V 0  in order to make the speed eventually faster than the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout, to thus return the seesaw member  34  in the state shown in  FIG. 8A  back to the initial state shown in  FIG. 8C  and prepare for the intermittent halt for the next pressing motion. Note that the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  at this time is also basically achieved by the entering-side roll  34   a  of the seesaw member  34  being raised due to the tension of the belt-like work  1 ; at this time, the tension of the endless belt  37   a  also acts in the direction for raising the entering-side roll  34   a , and this works to suppress a variation in tension of the belt-like work  1 . 
     Incidentally, the fact that the seesaw member  34  has returned to its initial state ( FIG. 8C ) is detected by the oscillating-motion monitoring sensor  43 . This is described in detail. Immediately before returning to the initial state, the exit-side roll  34   b  first passes by the position of the sensor  43   a  at the upper lower-limit position, and therefore, the sensor  43   a  at the upper lower-limit position sends a detection signal. Then, the controller starts to decelerate the drive roll  31   b , as shown in the deceleration range A 5  of  FIG. 9 . Then, when the exit-side roll  34   b  reaches the lower lower-limit position and the sensor  43   b  at the lower lower-limit position sends a detection signal, the controller sets the rotation speed of the drive roll  31   b  to the reference speed V 0 , which completes a single processing cycle. 
     After this, the above-described processing cycle is repeated every time the processing-target-section monitoring sensor  42  detects a processing-location mark on the belt-like work  1 . 
     Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 10  is a side view of a processing apparatus  10   a  according to a second embodiment. In the above-described first embodiment, the drive roll  31   b  controls the carrying state of the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20 . In the present second embodiment, the carrying state is controlled by a brake-equipped non-drive roll  31   d  provided in place of the drive roll  31   b  and an oscillation drive device  36  for driving the seesaw member  34  to oscillate. In other words, the brake-equipped non-drive roll  31   d  and the oscillation drive device  36  correspond to the “intermittent sending section”. The features other than the above are almost the same as those in the first embodiment, and for example, the tension-variation-suppressing mechanism  37  is provided likewise. 
     The brake-equipped non-drive roll  31   d  includes a non-drive roll  31   d  installed at the same position as the drive roll  31   b  in place thereof, and a brake mechanism (not shown) of, for example, the drum-type or the disk-type for braking the rotation of the non-drive roll  31   d . Accordingly, when the brake mechanism is not in operation, the non-drive roll  31   d  rotates along with the carrying of the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  which are in contact with the roll, whereas when the brake mechanism is in operation, not only is the roll itself halted, but the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  in contact therewith are also halted. 
     The oscillation drive device  36  is, for example, an air cylinder, and the tip end of its piston  36   a  is connected to the seesaw member  34 . Thus, by supplying compressed air (pressurized air) from a predetermined compressed-air source to a cylinder chamber in the air cylinder via a diverter valve such as a solenoid valve, it is possible to oscillate the seesaw member  34  up and down via the ascending and descending motion of the piston  36   a.    
     The non-drive roll  31   d  and the oscillation drive device  36  are controlled by the above-described controller, and thus, the belt-like work  1  is intermittently carried in the press device  20  as follows. 
     As in the above example, explanation is made based on the assumption that the processing apparatus  10   a  is in the initial state shown in  FIG. 8C . More specifically, the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  are respectively located at the upper-limit position and the lower-limit position as shown by the solid lines in  FIG. 10 , and the belt-like work  1  in the press device  20  is pulled by the downstream processing position Pn+1 and thus carried at the reference speed V 0  equal to the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout. 
     When a detection signal indicating detection of a processing-location mark is transmitted from the processing-target-section monitoring sensor  42  while the work is being carried in the initial state, the controller activates the brake mechanism to stop the rotation of the non-drive roll  31   d , to thus intermittently halt the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  in the press device  20 . 
     Then, during this intermittent halt, the controller makes the press device  20  perform its pressing motion. 
     Note that during this intermittent halt, the cylinder chamber of the air cylinder  36  is cut off from the compressed-air source by the diverter valve and opened to the atmosphere, and thus, the seesaw member  34  is brought to a state where it can freely oscillate owing to even the slightest load. Thus, the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  is raised by the tension of the belt-like work  1  as well as the tension of the endless belt  37   a  and ascends, whereas the entering-side roll  34   a  performs the opposite motion and descends. In other words, the seesaw member  34  performs its oscillating motion from the initial state shown with the solid lines in  FIG. 10  to the opposite state shown with the chain double-dashed lines. Thus, the seesaw member  34  can take in the belt-like work  1  sent in from the upstream processing position Pn−1 at the entering-side carry speed Vin in its stretched-out state and send out the belt-like work  1  to the downstream processing position Pn+1 at the exit-side carry speed Vout. Therefore, the carrying state at the respective upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1 is not interrupted whatsoever by the intermittent halt. 
     Then, when receiving a signal indicating completion of the pressing motion from the pressing-motion monitoring sensor  41 , the controller releases the brake on the non-drive roll  31   d . Then, the non-drive roll  31   d  comes to rotate along with the belt-like work  1  carried by being pulled by the downstream processing position Pn+1 and the endless belt  37   a . During this carrying, however, it is necessary to return the seesaw member  34  to the initial state shown with the solid lines (i.e., to the state in which the entering-side roll  34   a  is at the upper-limit position and the exit-side roll  34   b  is at the lower-limit position) in preparation for the next intermittent halt. To do so, the controller switches the diverter valve and supplies the compressed air from the compressed-air source to the cylinder chamber of the air cylinder  36 , thereby extending the piston  36   a  of the air cylinder  36  and oscillating the seesaw member  34 , i.e., raising the entering-side roll  34   a  and lowering the exit-side roll  34   b.    
     Note that the fact that the seesaw member has returned to its initial state is detected by the oscillating-motion monitoring sensor  43 . This is described in detail. When the exit-side roll  34   b  reaches the lower lower-limit position and the sensor  43   b  at the lower lower-limit position sends a detection signal, the controller halts the extending motion of the air cylinder  36 , which completes a single processing cycle. 
     Incidentally, the above-described second embodiment uses a brake-equipped non-drive roll  31   d  for intermittently halting the belt-like work  1  and releasing the same. It is instead possible to use a simple non-drive roll (driven roll) having no brake mechanism. In this case, however, a separate mechanism for restricting and halting the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  becomes necessary. An example thereof may include a nip mechanism that is arranged immediately downstream of the non-drive roll and that includes a pair of upper and lower nipping members provided so that they can nip the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  from above and below. When halting the carrying of the belt-like work  1 , the pair of upper and lower nipping members moves toward one another and nips the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  simultaneously, to thereby restrict the downstream movement of the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a . On the other hand, when resuming the carrying of the belt-like work  1 , the nipping members move away from one another to thus cancel the nipped state of the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a.    
     Modified Example of Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 11  is a side view of a processing apparatus  10   b  according to a modified example of the second embodiment. The second embodiment uses an air cylinder as the oscillation drive device  36  of the seesaw member  34 , but the present modified example uses a cam mechanism instead. The features other than this are almost the same as those in the second embodiment, and for example, a brake-equipped non-drive roll  31   d  is disposed in place of the drive roll  31   b , like the above-described second embodiment. 
     The oscillation drive device  38  employs, as its main element, a substantially-oval disk-like plate cam  38  that is rotatable about a predetermined axis  38   c , for example. The plate cam  38  is arranged in such a manner that its outer circumferential surface serving as a cam surface comes into contact with the lower surface of the seesaw member  34  at a position more to the entering side than the oscillation central shaft  34   c  of the seesaw member  34 . Accordingly, by rotating the plate cam  38  about the axis  38   c  with a servomotor as its drive source, it is possible to oscillate the seesaw member  34  up and down. 
     The plate cam  38  and the brake-equipped non-drive roll  31   d  are controlled by the above-described controller, and in this way, the belt-like work  1  is intermittently carried in the press device  20  as follows. 
     As in the above example, explanation is made based on the assumption that the processing apparatus  10   b  is in the initial state shown in  FIG. 8C . More specifically, as shown with the solid lines in  FIG. 11 , the seesaw member  34  is supported from below by the plate cam  38  in such a manner that it cannot oscillate, the plate cam  38  being halted at its top dead center. Accordingly, the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  are respectively located at the upper-limit position and the lower-limit position. Further, the belt-like work  1  is pulled by the downstream processing position Pn+1 and thus carried through the press device  20  at the reference speed V 0  equal to the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout. 
     When a detection signal indicating detection of a processing-location mark is transmitted from the processing-target-section monitoring sensor  42  while the work is being carried in the initial state, the controller activates the brake mechanism to stop the rotation of the non-drive roll  31   d , to thus intermittently halt the belt-like work  1  and the endless belt  37   a  in the press device  20 . 
     Then, during this intermittent halt, the controller makes the press device  20  perform its pressing motion. 
     Note that at the time of this intermittent halt, the plate cam  38  starts to rotate and is brought to a state where it does not support the seesaw member  34 , and thus, the seesaw member  34  is brought to a state where it can freely oscillate owing to even the slightest load. Thus, the exit-side roll  34   b  of the seesaw member  34  is raised by the tension of the belt-like work  1  as well as the tension of the endless belt  37   a  and ascends, whereas the entering-side roll  34   a  performs the opposite motion and descends. In other words, the seesaw member  34  performs its oscillating motion from the initial state shown with the solid lines in  FIG. 11  to the opposite state shown with the chain double-dashed lines. Thus, the seesaw member  34  can take in the belt-like work  1  sent in from the upstream processing position Pn−1 at the entering-side carry speed Vin in its stretched-out state and send out the belt-like work  1  to the downstream processing position Pn+1 at the exit-side carry speed Vout. Therefore, the carrying state at the respective upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1 is not interrupted whatsoever by the intermittent halt. 
     Then, when receiving a signal indicating completion of the pressing motion from the pressing-motion monitoring sensor  41 , the controller releases the brake on the non-drive roll  31   d . Then, the non-drive roll  31   d  comes to rotate along with the belt-like work  1  carried by being pulled by the downstream processing position Pn+1 and the endless belt  37   a . During this carrying, however, it is necessary to return the seesaw member  34  to the initial state shown with the solid lines (i.e., to the state in which the entering-side roll  34   a  is at the upper-limit position and the exit-side roll  34   b  is at the lower-limit position) in preparation for the next intermittent halt. To do so, the controller rotates the plate cam  38  so that the plate cam comes into contact with the lower surface of the seesaw member  34  to make the seesaw member  34  oscillate, thereby raising the entering-side roll  34   a  and lowering the exit-side roll  34   b.    
     Note that the fact that the seesaw member has returned to its initial state is detected by the oscillating-motion monitoring sensor  43 . This is described in detail. Immediately before returning to the initial state, the exit-side roll  34   b  passes by the position of the sensor  43   a  at the upper lower-limit position, and therefore, the sensor  43   a  at the upper lower-limit position sends a detection signal. Then, the controller first starts to decelerate the rotating motion of the plate cam  38 . Then, when the exit-side roll  34   b  reaches the lower lower-limit position and the sensor  43   b  at the lower lower-limit position sends a detection signal, the controller halts the rotating motion of the plate cam  38 , which completes a single processing cycle. 
     Other Embodiments 
     Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to those embodiments, and modifications such as those described below are possible. 
     The first embodiment illustrates a drive roll  31   b  as an intermittent sending section and also illustrates a configuration in which an endless belt  37   a  is directly wrapped around the drive roll  31   b . The invention, however, is not limited thereto whatsoever, as long as the intermittent sending section is configured to intermittently halt the endless belt  37   a  in the same way as the belt-like work  1 . 
     For example, the endless belt  37   a  does not have to be directly wrapped around the drive roll  31   b ; simply transmitting the rotational force from a drive source of the drive roll  31   b  via a suitable wrap-around transmission system to intermittently halt the endless belt  37   a  at the same timing as the belt-like work  1  will do. 
     In the foregoing embodiments, the range where the endless belt  37   a  lies along the pass line PL (travel path) of the belt-like work  1  is set to the entire range from the pass-line roll  31   a  to the pass-line roll  32   b , as shown in  FIG. 4B  or  FIG. 8C . The range, however, is not limited thereto whatsoever, and the endless belt may be set so that it does not lie along a portion of the pass line PL. 
     For example, driven rolls  37   f ,  37   g  such as those shown in  FIG. 12  may be disposed and the endless belt  37   a  may also be wrapped around these rolls  37   f ,  37   g  so that the endless belt  37   a  does not lie along the belt-like work  1  at the position of the press device  20 —i.e., between the drive roll  31   b  and the pass-line roll  32   a.    
     The foregoing embodiments illustrate a seesaw member  34  as an interlocking section that makes the entering-side roll  34   a  of the entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side roll  34   b  of the exit-side buffer mechanism carry out opposite motions in an interlocked manner. The interlocking section, however, is not limited thereto whatsoever, as long as it can make the two members carry out opposite motions in an interlocked manner. That is, the two rolls do not have to be connected together by the seesaw member  34 . 
     For example, the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  may be configured so that they are reciprocatably guided in the up and down direction respectively, for example, by suitable guide rails and that the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  can ascend or descend up and down by a drive source such as an air cylinder. Further, this air cylinder may be controlled by a suitable controller such as a computer in such a manner that the entering-side roll  34   a  and the exit-side roll  34   b  perform opposite motions from one another (i.e., move in opposite directions from one another at the same speed). 
     The foregoing embodiments do not particularly describe the materials etc. for the belt-like work  1 . However, any belt-like element having moderate flexibility is applicable, and examples thereof may include nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, sheets, and film-like elements. Materials therefor may include resins, such as synthetic resins, and pulp. 
     The foregoing embodiments give press-working as an example of processing applied to the belt-like work  1 . The invention, however, is not limited thereto whatsoever, and for example, the processing may include embossing for applying projecting-and-depressed patterns through pressing with dies, and sealing for melt-joining the belt-like work  1 . 
     In the foregoing embodiments, one entering-side roll  34   a  and one exit-side roll  34   b  are provided on the seesaw member  34  to thus form a single downwardly-convex loop on each roll. It is, however, possible to increase the number of loops to two or more. For example, as shown in  FIG. 13 , a plurality of loops (two loops in this example) consisting of the belt-like work  1  may be formed by: providing two each of the entering-side rolls  34   a  and the exit-side rolls  34   b  on the seesaw member  34 ; providing respective fixed rolls  35  (rolls that are fixed at a predetermined position so that they do not move) between the entering-side rolls  34   a ,  34   a  and between the exit-side rolls  34   b ,  34   b ; and wrapping the belt-like work  1  around the rolls in a zigzag form. Note that increasing the number of loops to two or more allows the stroke amount of the oscillating motion of the seesaw member  34  to be reduced compared to a case where there is only one loop, and thus, it is possible to reduce the oscillating motion speed and thereby reduce the impact upon vertically reversing the oscillating motion.