Method and apparatus for feeding and splicing sheet of material wound in a bobbin

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23), the method including: providing a rotating wheel (10) having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder (103, 104, 105, 106) defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; unwinding a first sheet of material (201) wound in a first bobbin (20) provided in the first station; detecting the amount of first sheet of material remaining in the first bobbin (20) in the first station; depending on the amount of first sheet of material (201), splicing the first sheet of material (201) unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of material (211) unwound from a second bobbin (21) present in the second station; preparing for splicing a third sheet of material in a third bobbin (22) present in the third station including: reading information about the third bobbin (22) contained in a sticker, label or tag; removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin (22); and rotating the wheel (10) so that the substantially empty first bobbin (20) is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station. Further, the invention relates to an apparatus for feeding and splicing materials wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23) for conducting the above method.

Claims

1. A method for feeding and splicing sheets of alkaloids containing material wound in bobbins, the method including: providing a rotating wheel having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; unwinding a first sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in a first bobbin provided in the first station; detecting the amount of first sheet of alkaloids containing material remaining in the first bobbin in the first station; depending on the amount of first alkaloids containing sheet of material, splicing the first sheet of material unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of alkaloids containing material unwound from a second bobbin present in the second station; preparing for splicing a third sheet of alkaloids containing material in a third bobbin present in the third station; rotating the wheel so that the substantially empty first bobbin is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station; wherein the step of preparing for splicing further includes at least one of: reading additional information on the third bobbin, removing a packaging from the third bobbin, checking kind and testing quality of a third material wound in or on the third bobbin, detaching an end portion of the third material from the third bobbin.

2. The method according to claim 1, including: changing the first substantially empty bobbin in the fourth station with a new bobbin.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein splicing the first sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in the first bobbin with the second sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in the second bobbin includes: holding an end portion of the second material wound in the second bobbin by suction.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein splicing the materials includes at least one of: welding, hot welding, ultrasonic welding, humidifying and pressing, sticking, adhering, gluing.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein splicing the first sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in the first bobbin with the second sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in the second bobbin includes cutting the first sheet of alkaloids containing material unwound from the first bobbin upstream of the splicing position.

6. The method according to claim 1, including: unwinding the second sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in the second bobbin, while rotating the wheel.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of preparing for splicing a third sheet of alkaloids containing material in a third bobbin present in the third station includes: reading information about the third bobbin contained in a sticker, label or tag, removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein reading information about the third bobbin contained in the sticker, label or tag, includes emitting an error signal if the information read do not match expected information.

9. An apparatus for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in bobbins, the apparatus including: a rotating wheel having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; an unwinding device adapted to unwind a first sheet of material wound in a first bobbin provided in the first station; a sensor device adapted to detect the amount of first sheet of material remaining in the first bobbin in the first station; a splicer unit adapted to splice the first sheet of material unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of material unwound from a second bobbin present in the second station; a preparation unit adapted to prepare for splicing a third bobbin present in the third station, wherein the preparation unit includes: a reading device for reading information about the third bobbin contained in a sticker, label or tag; a first device for removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin; and an actuator adapted to rotate the wheel when the detected amount of first sheet of material remaining in the first bobbin decreases below a predetermined minimum value, so that the first bobbin is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first, second, third and fourth bobbin holders are rotatable around parallel axes.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sensor device includes a roller rolling on an outside surface of the first bobbin, and a distance sensor or a proximity sensor for sensing the travelling distance of the roller toward a center of the first bobbin holder.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the preparation unit further includes at least one of: a further reading device for reading information on the third bobbin; a second device for removing a packaging from the third bobbin; a third device for checking kind and/or testing quality of a third material wound in or on the third bobbin; and a detaching device for detaching an end portion of the third material from the third bobbin in order to provide it for splicing.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sensor device includes a torque sensor for measuring a torque which the second motor has to generate for driving the bobbin holder positioned in the first station.

14. A method for feeding and splicing sheets of alkaloids containing material wound in bobbins, the method including: providing a rotating wheel having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; unwinding a first sheet of alkaloids containing material wound in a first bobbin provided in the first station; detecting the amount of first sheet of alkaloids containing material remaining in the first bobbin in the first station; depending on the amount of first alkaloids containing sheet of material, splicing the first sheet of material unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of alkaloids containing material unwound from a second bobbin present in the second station; preparing for splicing a third sheet of alkaloids containing material in a third bobbin present in the third station; rotating the wheel so that the substantially empty first bobbin is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station wherein the step of preparing for splicing a third sheet of alkaloids containing material is a third bobbin present in the third station includes: reading information about the third bobbin contained in a sticker, label or tag, removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein reading information about the third bobbin contained in the sticker, label or tag, includes emitting an error signal if the information read do not match expected information.

Description

(1) Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the de-tailed description thereof with no-limiting reference to the appended drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for feeding and splicing sheet of material wound in a bobbin according to the invention.

(3) In the only FIGURE (FIG. 1), with 1 an apparatus for feeding and splicing sheet of material wound in a bobbin according to the invention is indicated.

(4) The apparatus 1 includes a plate or wheel 10 which is rotatably mounted around a central axis 101. The wheel 10 can be rotated by means of an actuator which comprises a first motor 102 for rotating the wheel in counter-clockwise direction.

(5) The wheel 10 comprises a first bobbin holder 103, a second bobbin holder 104, a third bobbin holder 105 and a fourth bobbin holder 106. Preferably, the bobbin holders are positioned along the circumferential direction of the wheel 10 with equal distances.

(6) Each bobbin holder 103 to 106 is positioned by rotating the wheel 10 in one of a first, a second, a third and a fourth station. In FIG. 1, the first bobbin holder 103 is positioned in the first station, the second bobbin holder 104 is positioned in the second station, the third bobbin holder 105 is positioned in the third station and the fourth bobbin holder 106 is positioned in the fourth station.

(7) Further, the first bobbin holder 103 holds a first bobbin 20, the second bobbin holder 104 holds a second bobbin 21, the third bobbin holder 105 holds a third bobbin 22 and the fourth bobbin holder 106 holds a fourth bobbin 23.

(8) The bobbin holders 103 to 105 are mounted on the wheel 10 such that they are rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the wheel 10.

(9) Further, four second motors 1031, 1041, 1051, 1061 are positioned on the wheel 10 for driving each one of the four bobbin holders 103 to 105 for unwinding the material on the related first to fourth bobbins 20 to 23. Further, FIG. 1 shows a sensor device 40 which is adapted to detect the amount of first material 201 remaining in the first bobbin 20. More in de-tail, the sensor device 40 preferably includes a roller 401 rolling on an outside surface of the first bobbin 20, and preferably includes a distance sensor or a proximity sensor for sensing the travelling distance of the roller 401 toward a center of the first bobbin holder 103. From this distance, the amount of first material 201 remaining in the first bobbin 20 is determined.

(10) Further, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a splicer unit 30. This splicer unit 30 is positioned stationary in relation to the rotation of the wheel 10 and preferable at the side of the wheel 10 between about the first and the second station. The splicer unit 30 is adapted to splice the first material 201 unwound from the first bobbin 20 with the second material 211 unwound from the second bobbin 21. The kind of splicing is selected according to the kind of material such that both materials 201, 211 can safely be connected with each other.

(11) As schematically indicated in FIG. 1, the splicer unit 30 preferably includes a grasp mechanism 301 for grasping and holding an end portion of the second material 211 of the second bobbin 21. This grasp mechanism 301 can be provided in the form of a suction or vacuum gripper, which is moveable such that the grasped end portion of the second material 211 of the second bobbin 21 is guided to a position within the splicer unit 30 at which it is spliced with the first material 201 of the first bobbin 20. Furthermore, the splicer unit 30 is preferably provided with a cutter 302 for cutting the first material 201 unwound from the first bobbin 20 at a position upstream of the splicing position after the splicing operation has been terminated.

(12) Finally, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a preparation unit 50.

(13) This preparation unit 50 is positioned stationary in relation to the rotation of the wheel 10 and preferable at the side of the wheel 10 in the proximity of the third station. The preparation unit 50 is adapted to prepare for splicing the third bobbin 22 present in the third station. Such a preparation unit 50 can includes at least one of a first device for removing a sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin 22, a reading device for reading information on the third bobbin 22 or contained in the sticker, label or tag, a second device for removing a packaging from the third bobbin 22, a third device for checking kind and/or testing quality of the third material wound in or on the third bobbin 22 and a detaching device for detaching an end portion of the third material from the third bobbin 22 in order to provide it for splicing and/or for being grasped by the grasp mechanism 211.

(14) This apparatus operates as follows:

(15) During unwinding the first material 201 wound in the first bobbin 20 which is positioned in the first station, the sensor device 40 monitors the amount of first material 201 remaining on the first bobbin 20.

(16) When the sensor device 40 detects that the amount of first material 201 remaining in the first bobbin 20 decreases below a predetermined minimum value, the grasp mechanism 301 is activated and grasps an end portion of the second material 211 from the second bobbin 21 present in the second station.

(17) The grasp mechanism 301 guides the end portion to a position within the splicer unit 30 by drawing off a corresponding length of second material 211 from the second bobbin 20, or by driving the second bobbin holder 104 by activating the second motor 1041 for unwinding a corresponding length of second material.

(18) Then this end portion is spliced with the first material 201 of the first bobbin 20 during unwinding the first material 201 from the first bobbin 20.

(19) If depending on the kind of material, the splicing cannot be conducted during unwinding the material 201 from the first bobbin 20 at normal or full speed, the related second motor 1031 driving the first bobbin holder 103 is slowed down or stopped accordingly during the splicing operation. After terminating the splicing operation, the cutter 302 is activated for cutting the first material 201 upstream of the splicing position. By this, the second bobbin 21 is now the production bobbin and is unwound by driving the second bobbin holder 104 by means of the related second motor 1041.

(20) Simultaneously, the first motor 102 is switched on, so that the wheel 10 is rotated by about 90°. When this rotation of the wheel 10 is completed, the second bobbin 21 has reached the first station and the substantially empty first bobbin 20 has reached the fourth station where it can be exchanged by a new bobbin. Further, the third bobbin 22 has reached the second station.

(21) If alternatively as mentioned above, the unwinding device includes only one second motor 1031 which is positioned stationary in relation to the rotation of the wheel 10 for driving each bobbin holder which is positioned in the first station, the second material 211 is to be drawn off from the second bobbin 21 by means of the grasp mechanism 301.

(22) Further, when the wheel 10 is rotated by activating the first motor 102, the engagement between the second motor 1031 and the first bobbin holder 103 is separated, so that the unwinding of the first material 201 from the first bobbin 20 stops.

(23) Before or after activating the first motor 102, the splicing operation is conducted.

(24) The first motor 102 is operated such that as soon as the splicing operation is terminated, or shortly after the splicing operation has been terminated, the second bobbin 21 reaches the first station and the second bobbin holder 104 engages with the second motor 1031 so that now the second bobbin 21 is driven for unwinding and becomes the new first bobbin. Simultaneously, the first motor 102 is switched off and by this the rotation of the wheel 10 is stopped.

(25) Preferably, again the cutter 302 is activated for cutting the first material 201 of the first bobbin 20 after the splicing operation and before the second bobbin 21 is driven for unwinding.

(26) Again, with the termination of the rotation of the wheel 10, the substantially empty first bobbin 20 has reached the fourth station where it can be exchanged by a new bobbin, and the third bobbin 22 has reached the second station.

(27) During unwinding the first bobbin 20 in the first station, the third bobbin 22 being positioned in the third station is prepared for splicing by means of the preparation unit 50.

(28) The preparation unit 50 as mentioned above is provided for conducting at least one of removing a sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin, reading information on the third bobbin or contained in the sticker, label or tag, removing a packaging from the third bobbin, checking kind and testing quality of the third material wound in or on the third bobbin, detaching an end portion of the third material from the third bobbin and any other measure which has to be conducted before splicing.

(29) If the information read do not correspond with the expected information, or if the kind or quality is not as expected, the preparation unit 50 generates a signal indicating to an operator that the third bobbin 22 being present in the third station has to be exchanged. During this preparation and a possible exchange, the unwinding of the current first bobbin does not need to be stopped.

(30) This contributes to the overall processing speed of the materials wound in bobbins.