CALCULATION DEVICE, PNEUMATIC SPINNING MACHINE, AND
FIBER WASTE GENERATION AMOUNT OUTPUT METHOD
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
5 1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a calculation
device, a pneumatic spinning machine including the
calculation device, and a fiber waste generation amount
output method.
10
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a pneumatic
spinning device that twists fibers by an airflow to
produce a spun yarn. A pneumatic spinning machine of
15 this type is disclosed in, for example, JP 2018-53373 A
(Patent Document 1).
In the pneumatic spinning machine, when a spun yarn
is brought into a disconnected state, the spun yarn is
subjected to processing such as yarn joining. Therefore,
20 unnecessary fiber waste is generated with operation of
the pneumatic spinning machine. In the present
specification, the term "fiber waste" means a waste made
of fibers regardless of whether or not the fibers are
twisted into a yarn shape.
3
If the fiber waste is left as it is, the fiber
waste adheres to a package or the like formed by the
spinning machine, which deteriorates quality of the
package or causes a malfunction of the spinning machine
5 itself. Therefore, for such a spinning machine, a
configuration for collecting the fiber waste has been
conventionally proposed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
10 In a factory where a spinning machine operates,
information on how much fiber waste is generated has
become important from the viewpoint of preventing
wasting of a raw material (occurrence of raw material
shortage). However, with the configuration of Patent
15 Document 1 described above, it is not possible to
quantitatively confirm a generation amount of the fiber
waste.
In a conventional spinning machine, a generation
amount of fiber waste could not be checked unless the
20 fiber waste is collected from each device of the spinning
machine and measured with a weight meter. Therefore, in
the conventional spinning machine, it takes time and
effort to acquire information on the generation amount
of the fiber waste, and there is room for improvement.
4
An object of the present invention is to check,
with a simple configuration, a generation amount of fiber
waste to be generated and/or having been generated from
a pneumatic spinning machine.
5 A calculation device comprises a calculation
section adapted to calculate a generation amount of fiber
waste to be generated and/or having been generated in a
pneumatic spinning machine, based on a yarn speed of a
spun yarn travelling in the pneumatic spinning machine
10 and a yarn production condition that is a condition for
producing the spun yarn from a fiber bundle in the
pneumatic spinning machine.
A pneumatic spinning machine comprises: the
calculation device; a pneumatic spinning device adapted
15 to produce a spun yarn from a fiber bundle; and a winding
device adapted to wind the spun yarn produced by the
pneumatic spinning device to form a package.
A fiber waste generation amount output method,
comprising obtaining a generation amount of fiber waste
20 to be generated and/or having been generated in a
pneumatic spinning machine, based on a yarn speed of a
spun yarn travelling in the pneumatic spinning machine
and a yarn production condition in the pneumatic spinning
machine.
5
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an overall
configuration of a pneumatic spinning machine;
5 FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a spinning unit
and a yarn joining cart; and
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the pneumatic spinning
machine.
10 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Next, a pneumatic spinning machine 1 according to
one embodiment of the present invention will be described
with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the following
description, "upstream" and "downstream" indicate
15 upstream and downstream in a travelling direction of
each of a sliver (a fiber bundle) 26, a fiber bundle 28,
and a spun yarn 30 when the spun yarn 30 is wound,
regarding the pneumatic spinning machine 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the pneumatic spinning
20 machine 1 includes a blower box 3, a motor box 4, a
plurality of spinning units 5, a yarn joining cart (a
work cart) 6, and a doffing cart (a work cart) 7.
In the blower box 3, a blower 11 that functions as
a negative pressure source or the like is arranged.
6
In the motor box 4, a drive source (not
illustrated) and a central control device 15 are arranged.
The drive source provided in the motor box 4 includes a
motor commonly used by the plurality of spinning units
5 5.
The central control device 15 can centrally manage
and control each section of the pneumatic spinning
machine 1. The central control device 15 includes a
display (display section) 16, an input section 17, and
10 a main control section 18.
The display 16 can display information relating to
an operating status and/or yarn quality of each spinning
unit 5, by an appropriate operation of an operator.
Further, the display 16 can display information relating
15 to fiber waste, as described later.
The input section 17 includes a plurality of
hardware keys. The operator can operate the input
section 17 to input various kinds of information to the
central control device 15. As the input section 17, a
20 touch panel or the like integrated with the display 16
may be used.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of
spinning units 5 includes a unit control section 19 that
is for control of the spinning unit 5. The central
7
control device 15 is configured to be able to communicate
with each unit control section 19. The unit control
section 19 is configured as a known computer as described
later. In addition to the unit control section 19, the
5 central control device 15 can communicate with each of
a yarn joining cart control section 57 and a doffing
cart control section 67 described later. In the present
embodiment, each spinning unit 5 includes the unit
control section 19, but a plurality (for example, two or
10 eight) spinning units 5 may share one unit control
section 19.
The pneumatic spinning machine 1 includes a
calculation device 80. In the present embodiment, the
calculation device 80 is configured by a combination of
15 the central control device 15, the unit control section
19 of each spinning unit 5, the yarn joining cart control
section 57, and the doffing cart control section 67.
The plurality of spinning units 5 are arranged to
be aligned in a predetermined direction. As illustrated
20 in FIG. 2, each spinning unit 5 includes a draft device
21, a pneumatic spinning device 22, a yarn accumulating
device (a drawing device) 23, and a winding device 24.
These devices 21, 22, 23, and 24 are sequentially
arranged from upstream to downstream.
8
The draft device 21 includes multiple (four in the
present embodiment) pairs of draft rollers. Each pair
of draft rollers includes draft rollers facing each other.
The draft device 21 sandwiches and conveys the sliver
5 26, which is supplied from a sliver case (not
illustrated) through a sliver guide, between the draft
rollers facing each other, to stretch (draft) the sliver
26 to a predetermined fiber amount (or a thickness) to
produce the fiber bundle 28.
10 The four pairs of draft rollers of the present
embodiment are a pair of back rollers 31, a pair of third
rollers 32, a pair of middle rollers 33, and a pair of
front rollers 34 in order from the upstream side. The
pair of middle rollers 33 is provided with a rubber apron
15 belt 35. The pair of back rollers 31 has two draft
rollers 31A and 31B. The pair of third rollers 32 has
two draft rollers 32A and 32B. The pair of middle
rollers 33 has two draft rollers 33A and 33B. The pair
of front rollers 34 has two draft rollers 34A and 34B.
20 Among the four pairs of draft rollers, the pair of back
rollers 31 is located on the most upstream side, and the
pair of front rollers 34 is located on the most
downstream side.
One draft roller of each pair of draft rollers is
9
driven by an electric motor (not illustrated) to be
rotated at a predetermined peripheral speed. A rotation
speed of each pair of draft rollers (a peripheral speed
of the draft rollers) is controlled by the unit control
5 section 19 and/or the central control device 15.
The pneumatic spinning device 22 includes a
spinning nozzle (not illustrated) and a spindle (a hollow
guide shaft body) 29. The pneumatic spinning device 22
produces the spun yarn 30 by twisting the fiber bundle
10 28 supplied from the draft device 21 with a whirling
airflow generated by injection of compressed air from a
spinning nozzle into the pneumatic spinning device 22.
The obtained spun yarn 30 passes through a fiber passage
formed in the spindle 29 to be guided to the outside.
15 The yarn accumulating device 23 is supplied with
the spun yarn 30 produced by the pneumatic spinning
device 22. The yarn accumulating device 23 includes a
yarn hooking member 36, a yarn accumulating roller 37,
an accumulating motor 38, and a yarn removing lever 39.
20 The yarn hooking member 36 hooks and guides the
spun yarn 30. By the yarn hooking member 36 being
rotated while guiding the spun yarn 30, the spun yarn 30
can be guided to an outer peripheral surface of the yarn
accumulating roller 37.
10
The yarn accumulating roller 37 is capable of
winding and temporarily accumulating the spun yarn 30
around the outer peripheral surface thereof. The yarn
accumulating roller 37 is rotationally driven by the
5 accumulating motor 38 at a predetermined rotation speed.
The yarn accumulating roller 37 can draw out the spun
yarn 30 from the pneumatic spinning device 22 at a
predetermined speed and convey the spun yarn 30 to the
downstream side.
10 The accumulating motor 38 can rotationally drive
the yarn accumulating roller 37. A drive speed of the
accumulating motor 38 (and thus a peripheral speed of
the yarn accumulating roller 37) is controlled by the
unit control section 19.
15 The yarn removing lever 39 is arranged near a
downstream end portion of the yarn accumulating roller
37. The yarn removing lever 39 is configured to be
swingable around a swing shaft 39a between a raised
position (yarn removing position) and a lowered position
20 (standby position). The yarn removing lever 39 does not
make contact with the travelling spun yarn 30 when
located at the lowered position. Therefore, in this
state, the spun yarn 30 can be hooked by the yarn hooking
member 36 and wound around the yarn accumulating roller
11
37. When the yarn removing lever 39 is located at the
raised position, the yarn removing lever 39 makes contact
with the travelling spun yarn 30 and pushes the spun
yarn 30 up with respected to the yarn accumulating roller
5 37. Therefore, in this state, the spun yarn 30 can be
removed from the yarn hooking member 36. Further, by
keeping the yarn removing lever 39 raised while the spun
yarn 30 is not wound by the yarn accumulating roller 37,
the spun yarn 30 can be prevented from being wound around
10 the yarn accumulating roller 37,. The yarn removing
lever 39 is normally held in the lowered position.
Between the pneumatic spinning device 22 and the
yarn accumulating device 23, a yarn monitoring device 41
is provided. The spun yarn 30 produced by the pneumatic
15 spinning device 22 is passed through the yarn monitoring
device 41 before being accumulated by the yarn
accumulating device 23.
The yarn monitoring device 41 monitors quality (a
thickness and the like) of the travelling spun yarn 30
20 by a light transmission sensor, and detects a yarn defect
included in the spun yarn 30. The yarn defect may be,
for example, an abnormality in the thickness of the spun
yarn 30 or inclusion of a foreign substance. When the
yarn monitoring device 41 detects a yarn defect in the
12
spun yarn 30, the yarn monitoring device 41 transmits a
yarn defect detection signal to the unit control section
19. The yarn monitoring device 41 may use, for example,
a light reflection sensor or a capacitance sensor instead
5 of the light transmission sensor, to monitor the quality
of the spun yarn 30. The yarn monitoring device 41 may
be configured to monitor a tension of the spun yarn 30
as the quality of the spun yarn 30.
When the unit control section 19 receives the yarn
10 defect detection signal from the yarn monitoring device
41, the unit control section 19 stops the spinning
operation by the pneumatic spinning device 22.
Accordingly, the spun yarn 30 is cut (brought into a
disconnected). That is, the pneumatic spinning device
15 22 functions as a cutting section that cuts the spun
yarn 30 when the yarn monitoring device 41 detects a
yarn defect. The spinning unit 5 may include a cutter
to cut the spun yarn 30.
The winding device 24 is supplied with the spun
20 yarn 30 that has passed through the yarn accumulating
device 23. The winding device 24 includes a cradle arm
45, a winding drum 46, and a traverse guide 47.
The cradle arm 45 can rotatably support a bobbin
49 (a package 50) for winding the spun yarn 30. The
13
cradle arm 45 is supported to be swingable around a
supporting shaft 48. The winding drum 46 rotates while
being in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the
bobbin 49 or the package 50, to rotationally drive the
5 bobbin 49 or the package 50 in a winding direction. The
winding device 24 drives the winding drum 46 by an
electric motor (not illustrated) while reciprocating the
traverse guide 47 by driving means (not illustrated).
Accordingly, the winding device 24 winds the spun yarn
10 30 into the package 50 while traversing the spun yarn
30.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the pneumatic spinning
machine 1, a yarn joining cart travelling rail 52 is
arranged along a direction in which the plurality of
15 spinning units 5 are aligned. The yarn joining cart 6
is configured to be able to travel on the yarn joining
cart travelling rail 52. Accordingly, the yarn joining
cart 6 can move with respect to the plurality of spinning
units 5. When the spun yarn 30 between the pneumatic
20 spinning device 22 and the winding device 24 in a certain
spinning unit 5 is brought into the disconnected state
for some reason, the yarn joining cart 6 travels to the
spinning unit 5 and performs yarn joining work for the
spinning unit 5.
14
As illustrated in FIG. 1 and the like, the yarn
joining cart 6 includes travelling wheels 53, a yarn
joining device 54, a yarn catching section (a suction
pipe 55 and a suction mouth 56), and the yarn joining
5 cart control section 57.
By rotating upward around a base end portion and
generating a suction airflow at a distal end portion,
the suction pipe 55 can suction and catch a yarn end (an
upper yarn) of the spun yarn 30 sent from the pneumatic
10 spinning device 22. By rotating downward around a base
end portion and generating a suction airflow at a distal
end portion, the suction mouth 56 can suction and catch
a yarn end (a lower yarn) of the spun yarn 30 from the
package 50 supported by the winding device 24. The
15 suction pipe 55 and the suction mouth 56 respectively
rotate with the caught spun yarn 30, to guide the spun
yarn 30 to a position where the spun yarn 30 can be
introduced into the yarn joining device 54.
The yarn joining device 54 joins the upper yarn
20 and the lower yarn. Accordingly, the spun yarn 30 that
has been produced by the pneumatic spinning device 22
becomes continuous until being wound into the package 50
by the winding device 24. In the present embodiment,
the yarn joining device 54 is a splicer device that
15
twists yarn ends by a whirling airflow. Instead of the
splicer device, the yarn joining device 54 can be, for
example, a mechanical knotter or the like.

WE CLAIM
1. A calculation device (80) comprising a
calculation section (19b; 57b) adapted to calculate a
generation amount of fiber waste to be generated and/or
5 having been generated in a pneumatic spinning machine
(1), based on a yarn speed of a spun yarn (30) travelling
in the pneumatic spinning machine (1) and a yarn
production condition that is a condition for producing
the spun yarn (30) from a fiber bundle (28) in the
10 pneumatic spinning machine (1).
2. The calculation device (80) as claimed in claim
1, wherein
the pneumatic spinning machine (1) includes
15 a pneumatic spinning device (22) adapted to
produce the spun yarn (30) from the fiber bundle
(28), and
a winding device (24) adapted to wind the
spun yarn (30) produced by the pneumatic spinning
20 device (22) to form a package (50),
the fiber waste includes a spinning-start waste
yarn that is formed at a spinning start of the pneumatic
spinning machine (1) and is discarded without being wound
into a package (50), and
66
the calculation section (19b; 57b) is adapted to
calculate a generation amount of the spinning-start
waste yarn.
5 3. The calculation device (80) as claimed in claim
1 or 2, wherein
the pneumatic spinning machine (1) includes a yarn
accumulating device (23) adapted to temporarily
accumulate the spun yarn (30) between the pneumatic
10 spinning device (22) and the winding device (24),
the fiber waste includes a removed accumulation
waste yarn that remains in the yarn accumulating device
(23) after the spun yarn (30) is brought into a
disconnected and that is removed from the yarn
15 accumulating device (23), and
the calculation section (19b; 57b) is adapted to
calculate a generation amount of the removed
accumulation waste yarn.
20 4. The calculation device (80) as claimed in any
one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the pneumatic spinning machine (1) includes a draft
device (21) adapted to draft the fiber bundle (28), and
the yarn production condition when the calculation
67
section (19b; 57b) calculates a generation amount of the
fiber waste includes a draft condition for draft by the
draft device (21).
5 5. The calculation device (80) as claimed in claim
4, wherein
the draft device (21) has multiple pairs of draft
rollers (31, 32, 33, 34) arranged to be aligned in a
travelling direction of the fiber bundle (28),
10 the pneumatic spinning machine (1) includes a
drawing device (23) adapted to draw out the spun yarn
(30) from the pneumatic spinning device (22), and
the draft condition includes at least any of
a draft ratio that is a ratio at which the
15 fiber bundle (28) is stretched by the draft device (21),
a feed ratio that is a ratio between a supply
speed that is a speed at which a pair of draft rollers
(34) on a most downstream side among the pairs of draft
rollers (31, 32, 33, 34) supplies the fiber bundle (28),
20 and a drawing speed that is a speed at which the drawing
device(23) draws out the spun yarn (30),
a peripheral speed change rate that is a
change rate in which a peripheral speed of a pair of
draft rollers (31) on a most upstream side among the
68
pairs of draft rollers (31, 32, 33, 34) changes between
a spinning start and normal spinning, and
a distance between rollers that is a distance
between adjacent pairs of draft rollers (31, 32, 33, 34)
5 in the travelling direction of the fiber bundle (28).
6. The calculation device (80) as claimed in any
one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
the pneumatic spinning machine (1) includes a yarn
10 joining device (54; 22) adapted to join the spun yarn
(30) after the spun yarn (30) is brought into the
disconnected state, and
the calculation section (19b; 57b) is adapted to
calculate a prediction value of the generation amount of
15 the fiber waste, based on a predicted number of times of
yarn joining by the yarn joining device (54; 22).
7. The calculation device (80) as claimed in claim
6, wherein the calculation section (19b; 57b) is adapted
20 to acquire an actual measurement value of the generation
amount of the fiber waste actually measured after the
pneumatic spinning machine (1) performs spinning for a
predetermined period, and to correct the prediction
value with the acquired actual measurement value.
69
8. The calculation device (80) as claimed in any
one of claims 1 to 7, wherein
the fiber waste includes a waste fiber piece that
5 falls out without being twisted into the spun yarn (30),
and
the calculation section (19b; 57b) is adapted to
calculate a generation amount of the waste fiber piece.
10 9. The calculation device (80) as claimed in claim
8, wherein the yarn production condition includes at
least any of a type of the pneumatic spinning device
(22) included in the pneumatic spinning machine (1), or
a raw material of the spun yarn (30) to be produced by
15 the pneumatic spinning device (22).
10. The calculation device (80) as claimed in
claim 8 or 9, wherein the calculation section (19b; 57b)
is adapted to calculate a prediction value of the
20 generation amount of the waste fiber piece, based on a
length of time during which spinning is performed by the
pneumatic spinning device (22).
11. The calculation device (80) as claimed in any
70
one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a display section (16)
adapted to display a calculated generation amount of the
fiber waste.
5 12. The calculation device (80) as claimed in any
one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a storage section (19a;
57a) adapted to store the calculated generation amount
of the fiber waste.
10 13. The calculation device (80) as claimed in any
one of claims 1 to 12, comprising an input section (17)
adapted to receive an input of the yarn speed and the
yarn production condition, wherein
calculation by the calculation section (19b; 57b)
15 includes reading of, when the yarn speed and the yarn
production condition are inputted from the input section
(17), the generation amount of the fiber waste stored in
association with the inputted yarn speed and yarn
production condition.
20
14. A pneumatic spinning machine (1), comprising:
the calculation device (80) as claimed in any one
of claims 1 to 13;
a pneumatic spinning device (22) adapted to produce
71
a spun yarn (30) from a fiber bundle (28); and
a winding device (24) adapted to wind the spun yarn
(30) produced by the pneumatic spinning device (22) to
form a package (50).
5
15. The pneumatic spinning machine (1) as claimed
in claim 13, comprising a yarn joining device (54; 22)
adapted to join a spun yarn (30) that has been
disconnected between the pneumatic spinning device (22)
10 and the winding device (24), wherein
the calculation section (19b; 57b) is adapted to
calculate a prediction value of a generation amount of
fiber waste, based on a predicted number of times of
yarn joining by the yarn joining device (54; 22),
15 acquire an actual measurement value based on a result of
execution of a sampling mode that is for measuring an
actual measurement value of the generation amount of the
fiber waste generated in relation to yarn joining by the
yarn joining device (54; 22), and
20 correct the calculated prediction value with the actual
measurement value.
16. The pneumatic spinning machine (1) as claimed
in claim 14 or 15, comprising:
72
a spinning unit (5) having the pneumatic spinning
device (22) and the winding device (24); and
a work cart (6; 7) provided to be movable with
respect to the spinning unit (5), wherein
5 the work cart (6; 7) is at least any of a yarn
joining cart (6) adapted to join the spun yarn (30) that
has been disconnected between the pneumatic spinning
device (22) and the winding device (24), and a doffing
cart (7) adapted to discharge the package (50) from the
10 winding device (24).
17. A fiber waste generation amount output method,
comprising obtaining a generation amount of fiber waste
to be generated and/or having been generated in a
15 pneumatic spinning machine (1), based on a yarn speed of
a spun yarn (30) travelling in the pneumatic spinning
machine (1) and a yarn production condition in the
pneumatic spinning machine (1).