Material separation device and material separation method

{
  "publication_number": "US2017348755A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Material separation device and material separation method",
  "abstract": "A material separation device comprises a placement component, a blower, a suction component, a suction pad driver, and a controller. The blower blows air at a plurality of aluminum sheets that have been stacked on the placement component to float an uppermost aluminum sheet. The suction component uses suction pads to chuck and hold the uppermost aluminum sheet from above while the air is being blown. The suction pad driver drives the suction component up and down, using servomotors as a drive source. The controller performs control so that the suction pads chucking the aluminum sheet are raised to a temporary stopping position by the suction pad driver, and the suction pads are stopped for a predetermined length of time at the temporary stopping position while the air is stopped, and the suction pads are then raised by the suction pad drivers to a conveyance position.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A material separation device, comprising: a placement component on which a plurality of sheets of material are stackable; a blower configured to blow air at the sheets of material stacked on the placement component to float at least part of an uppermost sheet; a suction component including a plurality of suction pads, the suction component using the suction pads to chuck and hold the uppermost sheet of material from above in a state in which the air is being blown; a driver including an electric motor, the driver being configured to use the electric motor to drive the suction pads up and down; and a controller configured to control the suction pads chucking the material to be raised to a first position, the suction pads to be stopped for a predetermined length of time at the first position in a state in which the air is stopped, and the suction pads to then be raised to a second specific position. 2. The material separation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls a speed at which the suction pads are raised to the first position after the material has been chucked to be less than a speed at which the suction pads are raised from the first position to the second position. 3. The material separation device according to claim 1, further comprising a first input component to input a change to an acceleration or a speed when the suction pads are raised to the first position after the material has been chucked, the controller controlling the suction pads to be raised at the inputted speed or acceleration. 4. The material separation device according to claim 1, further comprising an input component to input a change to an acceleration of the suction pads from a stopped state when the suction pads are first stopped for a predetermined length of time at the first specific position and then raised to the second position, the controller controlling the suction pads to be raised at the inputted acceleration from the stopped state. 5. A material separation method that makes use of a material separation device that drives suction pads up and down with electric motors, the material separation method comprising: a blowing step of blowing air at a plurality of stacked sheets of material to float at least part of an uppermost sheet; a chucking step of chucking and holding the uppermost sheet with the suction pads in a state in which the air is being blown; a first raising step of raising the suction pads that have chucked the material to a first position; a stopping step of stopping the suction pads for a predetermined length of time in the first position in a state in which the air has been stopped; and a second raising step of raising the suction pads that have stopped for the predetermined length of time to the second position. 6. The material separation device according to claim 2, further comprising an input component to input a change to an acceleration of the suction pads from a stopped state when the suction pads are first stopped for a predetermined length of time at the first position and then raised to the second position, the controller controlling the suction pads to be raised at the inputted acceleration from the stopped state. 7. The material separation device according to claim 3, further comprising a second input component to input a change to an acceleration of the suction pads from a stopped state when the suction pads are first stopped for a predetermined length of time at the first position and then raised to the second position, the controller controlling the suction pads to be raised at the inputted acceleration from the stopped state."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "B21D 43/24",
    "B65G 59/04",
    "B65H 2406/34",
    "B65H 3/08",
    "B65H 3/0816",
    "B65H 3/0833",
    "B65H 3/0883",
    "B65H 3/128",
    "B65H 3/48"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "KOMATSU IND CORP",
    "AISAKU CO LTD"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-01-21",
  "publication_date": "2017-12-07",
  "priority_date": "2015-03-03",
  "application_number": "US-201615541518-A",
  "family_id": "56844198",
  "citations": [
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  ]
}