Sheet delivery system and sheet delivery method using same

A sheet delivery system for continuously delivering a sheet, the sheet delivery system comprising:

• a roll holding unit which holds a plurality of original material rolls, each formed by winding a sheet, in a state where delivery of the sheet is allowed;
• a joining unit which joins, to an intermediate section of a sheet being delivered from a delivery-side original material roll among the plurality of original material rolls held by the roll holding unit, an end section of a sheet of a standby-side original material roll that is a roll other than the delivery-side original material roll among the plurality of original material rolls held by the roll holding unit;
• an end section conveying apparatus which retrieves the end section of the sheet from the standby-side original material roll and which conveys the end section of the sheet to the joining unit;
• and
• a controller which controls an operation of the joining unit, wherein
• the joining unit includes:
• a suction holding member having a suction surface configured to suction the end section of the sheet of the standby-side original material roll conveyed by the end section conveying apparatus;
• a moving mechanism configured to move the suction surface of the suction holding member toward the intermediate section of the sheet of the delivery-side original material roll along a path set in advance so that tension is applied to a sheet between the standby-side original material roll and the suction holding member;
• and a regulating mechanism that is configured to switch between a regulated state in which a movement of the end section of the sheet with respect to the suction holding member due to the tension is regulated and an allowable state in which the movement of the end section of the sheet with respect to the suction holding member is allowed, and
• the controller switches the regulating mechanism to the regulated state during the movement of the suction surface toward the intermediate section of the sheet of the delivery-side original material roll;
• wherein the suction holding member includes a pressed surface which extends from an edge of the suction in a direction opposite to a direction to which the suction surface faces, the regulating mechanism includes:
• a pressing member having a pressing surface which sandwiches a tip section of the sheet between the pressing surface and the pressed surface;
• and a pressing driving mechanism which drives the pressing member so that the pressing surface approaches and retreats from the pressed surface.