BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a developed plan view showing the motion relation between a compound oblique upper knife and a straight bed knife in the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a developed plan view showing the motion relation between a one-piece oblique or a simple spiral curve upper knife and a straight bed knife in the prior art;
FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of various relevant components included in a tissue paper cutting mechanism having upper knife with variable spiral curve angle according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the association of an upper knife with a knife carrier thereof in the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an end view showing the association of the upper knife with the knife carrier thereof in the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the mounting position of the knife carrier relative to a bed knife roller in the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a developed plan view showing the motion relation between the upper knife with variable spiral curve angle and a straight bed knife on the bed knife roller in the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a curve diagram showing and comparing the cutting characteristics of commonly employed conventional upper knives and the upper knife of the present invention;
FIG. 9 shows the upper knife of the present invention contacts at a beginning point A with a straight bed knife on the bed knife roller to start cutting;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a contained angle θ1 between an axis of the upper knife and a tangential line to an outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller when the upper knife contacts at the point A with the straight bed knife;
FIG. 11 shows the cutting performed by the upper knife of the present invention and the straight knife on the bed knife roller has been progressed to a middle position of the upper knife as indicated by point B;
FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a contained angle θ2 between the axis of the upper knife and a tangential line to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller when the upper knife contacts at the point B with the straight bed knife;
FIG. 13 shows the cutting performed by the upper knife of the present invention and the straight knife on the bed knife roller has been progressed to an end position of the upper knife as indicated by point C;
FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a contained angle θ3 between the axis of the upper knife and a tangential line to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller when the upper knife contacts at the point C with the straight bed knife;
FIG. 15 is a simplified view showing different contained angles between the axis of the upper knife and the tangential line to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller;
FIG. 16 is a front view describing the deformed condition of the upper knife when it is in use;
FIG. 17 is a side view describing the deformed condition of the upper knife when it is in use;
FIG. 18 is a curve diagram showing the deformation amounts at different points on the upper knife bearing a force while a variable spiral curve angle effect is ignored;
FIG. 19 is a curve diagram showing the deformation amounts at different points on the upper knife bearing a force while only a variable spiral curve angle effect is taken into consideration; and
FIG. 20 is a curve diagram obtained from FIGS. 18 and 19 to show the total deformation amounts at different points on the upper knife bearing a force.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Please refer to FIG. 3 that shows the arrangement of various components included in a tissue paper cutting mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the tissue paper cutting mechanism of the present invention includes a base 1, on which a first and a second cutting mechanism 100, 200 are laterally symmetrically arranged. Two long tapes of tissue paper S1, S2 having a predetermined width are separately fed to the two cutting mechanisms 100, 200, and are conveyed through, cut, pressed to form folds, picked, overlapped, and folded to produce a stack of interfolded paper S.
The first cutting mechanism 100 includes a plurality of idlers 2, a bed knife roller 3, a knife carrier 4, an upper knife 5, a fold-forming roller 6, a packer finger 7, and a pneumatic control device 8. The bed knife roller 3 is provided on an outer circumferential surface with a plurality of straight bed knives 32 radially spaced at predetermined intervals. The bed knife roller 3 has a roller shaft 31 for rotatably mounting the bed knife roller 3 to a predetermined position on the base 1. The knife carrier 4 includes a carrier shaft 41 for mounting the knife carrier 4 on the base 1 at a position in the vicinity of the bed knife roller 3.
The long tape of tissue paper S1 is fed through the idlers 2 of the first cutting mechanism 100 and conveyed to the bed knife roller 3, which is rotated in a predetermined rotating direction. At this point, a shear contact is formed between the upper knife 5 and one of the straight bed knives 32 on the bed knife roller 3 to cut the long tape of tissue paper S1 to a regular length paper piece S11, which is then conveyed to the fold-forming roller 6.
Similarly, the second cutting mechanism 200 includes a plurality of idlers 2a, a bed knife roller 3a, a knife carrier 4a, an upper knife 5a, a fold-forming roller 6a, a packer finger 7a, and a pneumatic control device 8a. The bed knife roller 3a is provided on an outer circumferential surface with a plurality of straight bed knives 32a radially spaced at predetermined intervals. The bed knife roller 3a has a roller shaft 31a for rotatably mounting the bed knife roller 3a to a predetermined position on the base 1. The knife carrier 4a includes a carrier shaft 41a for mounting the knife carrier 4a on the base 1 at a position in the vicinity of the bed knife roller 3a.
The long tape of tissue paper S2 is fed through the idlers 2a of the second cutting mechanism 200 and conveyed to the bed knife roller 3a, which is rotated in a predetermined rotating direction. At this point, a shear contact is formed between the upper knife 5a and one of the straight bed knives 32a on the bed knife roller 3a to cut the long tape of tissue paper S2 to a regular length paper piece S21, which is then conveyed to the fold-forming roller 6a.
The fold-forming rollers 6, 6a are provided on respective circumferential surface with fold-forming means to form folds on the paper pieces S11, S21 conveyed to the fold-forming rollers 6, 6a. The paper pieces S11, S21 with folds are then picked and pressed by the packer fingers 7, 7a, so as to be overlapped and folded along the folds to form a stack of interfolded paper S.
The bed knife rollers 3, 3a and the fold-forming rollers 6, 6a are independently connected to a conventional suction unit (not shown), and have a plurality of air holes provided on the circumferential surfaces thereof. Through controlling the suction units, the long tapes of tissue paper S1, S2 and the paper pieces S11, S21 may be sucked to or released from the circumferential surfaces of the bed knife rollers 3, 3a and the fold-forming rollers 6, 6a, respectively.
The pneumatic control device 8 includes an air cylinder 81 and an extension arm 82 movably connected to the knife carrier 4. Similarly, the pneumatic control device 8a includes an air cylinder 81a and an extension arm 82a movably connected to the knife carrier 4a. When the long tape of tissue paper S1, S2 is used up, the air cylinder 81, 81a is actuated to extend or retract the extension arm 82, 82a, so as to control the knife carrier 4, 4a to turn by a predetermined angle, allowing the upper knife 5, 5a to move away from the corresponding straight bed knife 32, 32a on the bed knife roller 3, 3a to a distant position, so that an operator may introduce a new long tape of tissue paper S1, S2 into the cutting mechanism 100, 200 for use. Thereafter, the air cylinder 81, 81a may be actuated again to control the extension arm 82, 82a to turn the knife carrier 4, 4a back to an initial cutting position. That is, the knife carrier 4, 4a is approached toward the bed knife roller 3, 3a to continue the production of the interfolded paper S.
Since the components of the first and the second cutting mechanism 100, 200 are identically arranged, only the first cutting mechanism 100 is further described in more details about the structure thereof. Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5 that are front and end views, respectively, showing the arrangement of the upper knife 5 on the knife carrier 4 in the present invention. As shown, the knife carrier 4 includes a knife holder 42, to which the upper knife 5 fixedly held.
The knife holder 42 is formed on a structural surface 43 of the knife carrier 4 to extend along a longitudinal axis direction I1 of the knife carrier 4 from an end 40a to another opposite end 40b thereof in a spiral direction.
The upper knife 5 is held to the knife holder 42, and is therefore located on the structural surface 43 of the knife carrier 4 to extend along the longitudinal axis direction I1 of the knife carrier 4 from the end 40a to the opposite end 40b thereof in a spiral direction.
The knife carrier 4 is also provided at predetermined positions with a knife projecting length adjusting unit 44 for adjusting the length by which the upper knife 5 is projected from the knife holder 42, a knife clamping adjusting unit 45 for adjusting the tightness by which the upper knife 5 is held to the knife holder 42, and a knife curvature adjusting unit 46 for adjusting a curvature of the upper knife 5.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the mounting position of the knife carrier 4 relative to the bed knife roller 3 in the present invention. As shown, the bed knife roller 3 may be rotated in a rotating direction I2, and an axis skew angle Ox is contained between the knife carrier 4 and the bed knife roller 3.
FIG. 7 is a developed plan view showing the motion relation between the upper knife 5 and the straight bed knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 in the present invention. As shown, during a paper cutting operation on the cutting mechanism 100, the upper knife 5 is always in point contact with the straight bed knife 32 at only one single point, and a curvilinear angle between the upper knife and the straight bed knife on the bed knife roller non-linearly varies with every change of cutting position on the upper knife. In this manner, the upper knife and the straight bed knives on the bed knife roller are always in stable point contact with one another, enabling the knives to have a prolonged usable life. In the present invention, a cutting speed at the beginning of cutting is particularly reduced to effectively reduce the vibration of the knife.
FIG. 8 is a curve diagram showing and comparing the cutting characteristics of some other commonly employed upper knives and the upper knife 5 of the present invention. In the curve diagram of FIG. 8, the abscissa indicates cutting time in second (sec), and the ordinate indicates a transverse length of the upper knife in millimeter (mm). The curve X1 in the diagram represents a conventional compound oblique upper knife is in contact with the straight bed knife at multiple points at the instant of cutting, and the cutting time thereof is very short, indicating that the knife must be bearing a relatively large impact and subjected to vibration at the instant of cutting. The curve X2 in the diagram represents a conventional one-piece oblique upper knife is in contact with the straight bed knife at only one single point at the instant of cutting, and the cutting time is still relatively short, indicating the knife is still fed at a relatively high speed, and accordingly, still subjected to a relatively large impact and vibration. The curve X3 represents the cutting characteristics of a simple spiral type upper knife. As can be seen from the curve X3 in the curve diagram of FIG. 8, a cutting time T1 for the cutting from a beginning point A to a middle point B of the upper knife is almost equal to a cutting time T2 for the cutting from the middle point B to an end point C of the upper knife, indicating that the cutting is conducted at a fixed speed. And, the curve X4 represents the cutting characteristics of the upper knife 5 of the present invention. As can be seen from the curve X4 in the curve diagram of FIG. 8, the cutting time T1 for the cutting from the beginning point A to the middle point B of the upper knife 5 is far longer than the cutting time T2 for the cutting from the middle point B to the end point C of the upper knife 5, indicating that, in the present invention, the cutting speed at the beginning of cutting is particularly reduced, so as to effectively soften an instantaneous impact to the upper knife at the beginning of cutting and reduce the vibration of the upper knife. In this manner, the knife may have reduced loss to increase the service life thereof.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the upper knife 5 initially contacts at a beginning point A with the straight bed knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 to start cutting. FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a contained angle θ1 between an axis of the upper knife 5 and a tangential line to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller 3 when the upper knife 5 initially contacts at the point A with the straight bed knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 as shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the cutting performed by the upper knife 5 and the straight knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 has been progressed to a middle position of the upper knife 5 indicated as point B. FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a contained angle θ2 between the axis of the upper knife 5 and a tangential line to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller 3 when the upper knife 5 contacts at the middle point B with the straight bed knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the cutting performed by the upper knife 5 and the straight knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 has been progressed to an end position of the upper knife 5 indicated as point C. And, FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a contained angle θ3 between the axis of the upper knife 5 and a tangential line to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller 3 when the upper knife 5 contacts at the end point C with the straight bed knife 32 on the bed knife roller 3 as shown in FIG. 13.
It is found θ1>θ2, θ2<θ3, and θ1=θ3, indicating the contained angle θ between the axis of the upper knife 5 and the tangential line to the circumferential surface of the bed knife roller 3 varies with every change of cutting position on the upper knife 5. In other words, the contained angle θ is non-linearly variable. FIG. 15 is a simplified view showing changes in the contained angle θ between the axis I3 of the upper knife 5 and the tangential line I4 to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller 3. As shown, with every change of the cutting position on the upper knife 5, the contained angle θ periodically non-linearly varies from θ1 to θ2 and then from θ2 to θ3, and the variation thereof is represented as Δθ.
FIGS. 16 and 17 are front and side views, respectively, describing the deformed condition of the upper knife 5 when it is in use. FIGS. 18, 19, and 20 are curve diagrams showing the deformation amounts of the upper knife 5 at different points A, B, and C thereof.
FIG. 18 indicates the upper knife 5 fixed to the knife carrier 4 normally has two outer end points A and C with a somewhat weak strength; and when the upper knife 5 bears a force at the two end points A and C, the deformation amounts at points A, C are larger than the deformation amount at a middle point B when the upper knife 5 bears a force at the point B. In FIG. 18, the amounts of deformation are shown by broken lines. Please refer to FIGS. 16 and 18 at the same time. The broken lines at the two end points A and C are longer, compared to the broken line at the middle point B, indicating the amounts of deformation at these two end points A, C are relatively large. In FIG. 18, ΔY1 is a difference between the deformation amounts at the two end points A and C and the deformation amount at the middle point B.
FIG. 19 indicates the contained angle between the axis I3 of the upper knife 5 and the tangential line I4 to the outer circumferential surface of the bed knife roller 3 varies with change in the cutting position on the upper knife 5. From the principle of mechanics, the larger the contained angle θ is, the smaller an effective component of the bearing force is, and accordingly, the smaller the deformation amount of the knife is. In the present invention, the contained angles θ1 and θ3 at the end points A and C, respectively, are larger than the contained angle θ2 at the middle point B. When concluding simply from this point, the deformation amounts at the two end points A, C are smaller, and the deformation amount at the middle point B is larger.
FIG. 20 is a curve diagram showing a total effect from FIGS. 18 and 19, and ΔY2 is a difference between the deformation amounts at the two end points A and C and the deformation amount at the middle point B. And, it is found ΔY2<ΔY1, indicating that when the angle of the spiral curve of the upper knife 5 is adjusted according to the present invention, the deformation amounts at the two end points A, C and the deformation amount at the middle point B get closer to one another. In this manner, it is possible to protect the upper knife against damage due to a particularly high deformation amount at a certain point that bears a force. Therefore, the knife may have a prolonged service life.
While the present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Therefore, various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080078275
