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US-12617641-B2 - Sheet transportation device

US12617641B2US 12617641 B2US12617641 B2US 12617641B2US-12617641-B2

Abstract

A sheet transportation device includes a guide roll along which a sheet is to be wound. The sheet includes a plurality of tabs provided intermittently in a longitudinal direction along at least one end in a width direction. The guide roll includes a cylindrical roll main body and a short-diameter portion connected with the roll main body so as to be outer, in the width direction of the sheet, to the roll main body. The roll main body is located closer to a center, in the width direction, of the sheet than a transportation path for the end. A portion of the sheet that is closer to the center than the end is wound along the roll main body. The short-diameter portion is connected with the roll main body via a stepped portion, and has an outer diameter shorter than an outer diameter of the roll main body.

Inventors

  • Masanori Suzuki

Assignees

  • Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240514
Priority Date
20230519

Claims (6)

  1. 1 . A sheet transportation device transporting a band-shaped sheet in a longitudinal direction thereof, the sheet transportation device comprising: a guide roll located in a transportation path for the sheet and extending in a width direction of the sheet, the sheet being to be wound along the guide roll, wherein: the sheet includes a plurality of tabs provided intermittently in the longitudinal direction thereof, along at least one end thereof in the width direction thereof, the plurality of tabs each protruding in the width direction beyond the at least one end, the guide roll includes: a cylindrical roll main body located closer to a center, in the width direction, of the sheet than a transportation path for the at least one end of the sheet along which the plurality of tabs are provided, a portion of the sheet that is closer to the center in the width direction than the at least one end being wound along the roll main body, and a short-diameter portion connected, via a stepped portion, with the roll main body so as to be outer, in the width direction, to the roll main body, the short-diameter portion having an outer diameter shorter than an outer diameter of the roll main body, and the outer diameter of the roll main body is shorter than a length of each of the plurality of tabs in the longitudinal direction of the sheet.
  2. 2 . The sheet transportation device according to claim 1 , wherein the roll main body is located closer to the center, in the width direction, of the sheet by at least 1 mm than the transportation path for the at least one end of the sheet along which the plurality of tabs are provided.
  3. 3 . The sheet transportation device according to claim 1 , wherein the short-diameter portion is cylindrical, and has a radius shorter by at least 0.5 mm than a radius of the roll main body.
  4. 4 . The sheet transportation device according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet is wound along the roll main body at a wrap angle of 80 degrees or larger.
  5. 5 . The sheet transportation device according to claim 1 , further comprising a meandering correction device including a sensor configured to detect a position of the sheet in the width direction, the meandering correction device configured to correct the position of the sheet in the width direction based on the position of the sheet detected by the sensor.
  6. 6 . The sheet transportation device according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet is an electrode sheet for an electricity storage device, the electrode sheet including a metal current collector foil and an electrode active material layer formed thereon.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-082846 filed on May 19, 2023. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND The present invention relates to a sheet transportation device transporting a sheet. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-228349 discloses a heating transportation furnace transporting, while heating, an electrode sheet coated with a composite material containing an active material. In the heating transportation device described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-228349, the electrode sheet is transported in a zigzag manner while being bent along a plurality of rolls. Each of the rolls includes a short-diameter portion and a long-diameter portion located at each of two ends of the short-diameter portion. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-228349 describes that both of two side edges of the electrode sheet are stretched by the long-diameter portions. Therefore, when the portion of the electrode sheet that is coated with the composite material is pressed d and stretched in a pressing step after the transportation, a state where the side edges of the electrode sheet are wrinkled is suppressed. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-219329 discloses a transportation device transporting a component of an electrode plate. The component of the electrode plate is a metal plate including a plurality of tabs protruding from an end thereof in a width direction thereof. The transportation device described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-219329 transports the metal plate by a pair of, more specifically, top and bottom, transportation rollers. The transportation device described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-219329 includes a guide that prevents the tabs from being hung downward or flapped and thus prevents the tabs from being rolled into the rollers. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2021-086698 discloses a winding device winding an electrode sheet including tabs. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2021-086698 describes that when an electrode sheet is wound and thus curved from a flat state, the tabs are easily folded or raised. The winding device described in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-086698 Patent includes a blow mechanism that sprays air onto the tabs to supply the tabs with a force directed toward a rotation shaft of a winding core and thus suppresses a state where the tabs are folded or raised. SUMMARY Also in the case where a sheet including tabs is transported by the sheet transportation device as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-228349, which winds the sheet along the guide rolls and transports the sheet along a transportation path bent in a zigzag manner, the tabs may possibly be raised as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2021-086698. It is conceived that a state where the tabs are raised is suppressed by provision of the blow mechanism as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2021-086698. However, this complicates the structure of the sheet transportation device. This specification proposes a sheet transportation device that winds a sheet along guide rolls and transports the sheet along a transportation path bent in a zigzag manner and moreover, in the case of transporting a sheet including tabs, suppresses a state where the tabs are raised with a simpler structure. A sheet transportation device disclosed herein transports a band-like sheet in a longitudinal direction thereof. The sheet transportation device includes a guide roll located in a transportation path for the sheet and extending in a width direction of the sheet. The sheet is to be wound along the guide roll. The sheet includes a plurality of tabs provided intermittently in the longitudinal direction thereof, along at least one end thereof in the width direction thereof. The plurality of tabs each protrude in the width direction beyond the end. The guide roll includes a cylindrical roll main body and a short-diameter portion connected with the roll main body so as to be outer, in the width direction, to the roll main body. The roll main body is located closer to a center, in the width direction, than a transportation path for the end of the sheet along which the plurality of tabs are provided. A portion of the sheet that is closer to the center in the width direction than the end is wound along the roll main body. The short-diameter portion is connected with the roll main body via a stepped portion, and has an outer diameter shorter than an outer diameter of the roll main body. In the case of transporting a sheet including a plurality of tabs, the sheet transportation device suppresses a state where the tabs are raised, for the reasons described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FI