Particle supplying apparatus, method of controlling particle supplying apparatus, and method of acquiring speed determining information

A method of controlling a particle supplying apparatus that includes:

• a supply cylinder having a cylinder outer side surface having a plurality of recessed supply portions arranged in a circumferential direction;
• a particle replenishment part located above said supply cylinder, containing particles of an absorbent material or a deodorant material, and for successively replenishing said plurality of recessed supply portions with the particles through a particle replenishment opening that faces said cylinder outer side surface;
• a sheet conveying mechanism located below said supply cylinder and for conveying a sheet member that is a continuous sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction;
• and a cylinder rotation mechanism for rotating said supply cylinder about a cylinder rotational axis extending in a horizontal direction and bringing a lower portion of said cylinder outer side surface and said sheet member into contact with or close proximity to each other so as to successively supply the particles from said plurality of recessed supply portions onto said sheet member,
• said method comprising:
• a) storing speed determining information that includes a plurality of relationships between conveying speed of said sheet member and rotational speed of said supply cylinder and corresponding respectively to a plurality of target particle densities that are target densities of the particles on said sheet member;
• b) inputting a target particle density and a conveying speed of said sheet member;
• and
• c) determining a rotational speed of said supply cylinder on the basis of said target particle density and said conveying speed that are input in said operation b) and said speed determining information stored in said operation a).

A method of acquiring speed determining information for use in a particle supplying apparatus that includes:

• a supply cylinder having a cylinder outer side surface having a plurality of recessed supply portions arranged in a circumferential direction;
• a particle replenishment part located above said supply cylinder, containing particles of an absorbent material or a deodorant material, and for successively replenishing said plurality of recessed supply portions with the particles through a particle replenishment opening that faces said cylinder outer side surface;
• a sheet conveying mechanism located below said supply cylinder and for conveying a sheet member that is a continuous sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction;
• a cylinder rotation mechanism for rotating said supply cylinder about a cylinder rotational axis extending in a horizontal direction and bringing a lower portion of said cylinder outer side surface and said sheet member into contact with or close proximity to each other so as to successively supply the particles from said plurality of recessed supply portions onto said sheet member;
• a storage part for storing speed determining information that includes a relationship between conveying speed of said sheet member and rotational speed of said supply cylinder and corresponding to a target particle density that is a target density of the particles on said sheet member;
• an input part;
• and a control part for determining a rotational speed of said supply cylinder on the basis of a conveying speed of said sheet member that is input from said input part and said speed determining information stored in said storage part,
• said method comprising:
• a) acquiring an amount of particles supplied from said supply cylinder to said sheet member per unit time for each of a plurality of rotational speeds of said supply cylinder so as to acquire rotational-speed vs. particle-supply-amount information;
• b) obtaining an amount of particles that is necessary to be supplied from said supply cylinder per unit time in order to attain said target particle density for each of a plurality of conveying speeds of said sheet member so as to acquire conveying-speed vs. particle-supply-amount information;
• and
• c) obtaining a relationship between conveying speed and rotational speed and corresponding to said target particle density on the basis of said rotational-speed vs. particle-supply-amount information and said conveying-speed vs. particle-supply-amount information.