24
45a of the contact guiding portion 45 of the distributing
member 41. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the carrier
3 i
s guided by the second receiving side 45c of the contact
guiding portion 45 to be moved toward the second
transportation path 39. Thereafter, the carrier 3 is moved
5
on the second transportation path 39 by the second belt
conveyor 23B. Then, as shown in F
IG. 15, the carrier 3 makes
contact with the second swing contacting portion 49, thus
swinging the distributing member 41 from the second
orientation B to the first orientation A.
10
The carrier 3 sometimes stops near the branched
portion 37 when the carrier
s 3 are stagnated in the first
transportation path 38. In such a case, the carrier 3 that
approaches the branched portion 37 next makes contact with
the stopped carrier 3 to be guided to the second
15
transportation path 39. That is, the transportation guid
e
(guiding path 21) is formed by the layout of the guiding
path 21 so that the operations described above are executed.
This is the same regardless of whether the distributing
member 41 is in the first orientation A, as shown in FIG.
20
16, or the distributi
ng member 41 is in the second
orientation B, as shown in FIG. 17.
As described above, the carrier 3 is guided to the
second transportation path 39 when the carriers 3 are full
and stagnated in the first transportation path 38.
25
Therefore, the transportati
on efficiency of the carrier 3
at the branched portion 37 is less likely to lower.
(9) Control configuration of carrier distributing
device
The control configuration of the carrier
30
distributing device 31 will be described with reference to
25
FIG. 18. FIG.
18 is a block diagram showing the control
configuration of the carrier distributing device.
The carrier distributing device 31 includes a
controller 57. The controller 57 is a computer system
including a processor (e.g., CPU), a storage device (e.g.,
5
RO
M, RAM, HDD, SSD, and the like), and various types of
interfaces (e.g., A/D converter, D/A converter,
communication interface, and the like). The control
section carries out various control operations by executing
a program stored in the storage unit (cor
responds to some
10
or all of a storage region of storage device).
The controller 57 may be configured with a single
processor, but may be configured with a plurality of
processors, each being independent for each control.
Some or all of the function of eac
h element of the
15
controller 57 may be realized as a program executable in
the computer system configuring the control section. In
addition, some of the function of each element of the
controller 57 may be configured by a custom IC.
The controller 57 is c
onnected to the solid bobbin
20
supplying device 13, the first drive motor 71, the second
drive motor 73, the first cutout device 59, and the second
cutout device 61. Therefore, the controller 57 can
transmit control signals to such devices.
The first drive
motor 71 drives the first belt
25
conveyor 23A, that is, the first transportation path 38.
The second drive motor 73 drives the second belt conveyor
23B, that is, the second transportation path 39.
The controller 57 is connected to the carrier sensor
55.
Therefore, the controller 57 can accurately determine
30
whether a bridge of the carrier 3 has occurred at the merging
26
portion 51. The carrier sensor 55 checks the passing of
the carrier 3 at a point ahead of the merging portion 51.
Although not illustrated
, the controller 57 is also
connected to a sensor that detects the size, shape, and
position of the carrier and the bobbin, a sensor and a switch
5
that detect the state of each device, and an information
input device.
(10) Bridge resolving control of mergi
ng portion
The bridge resolving control of the merging portion
of the carrier distributing device will be described with
10
reference to FIGS. 19 to 22. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing
the bridge resolving control of the merging portion of the
carrier distri
buting device. FIGS. 20 to 22 are partial
plan views showing the bridge resolving operation at the
merging portion.
15
The control flowchart described below is
illustrative, and each step may be omitted or interchanged
as necessary. Furthermore, a pluralit
y of steps may be
executed simultaneously, or some or all of the steps may
be executed in an overlapping manner.
20
Furthermore, each block of the control flowchart is
not limited to a single control operation, and may be
replaced with a plurality of control
operations represented
with a plurality of blocks.
In general, as shown in FIG. 20, the carrier 3 attached
25
with the threaded bobbin tube 5B moves on the first
transportation path 38 and the second transportation path
39, and passes through the merging po
rtion 51 to move
further downstream.
In step S1 of FIG. 19, the controller 57 determines
30
whether or not the bridge of the carrier 3 has occurred at
27
the merging portion 51 according to the detection signal
from the carrier sensor 55.
FIG. 21 shows a state
in which the bridge has occurred
at the merging portion 51. That is, the carrier 3 does not
move further from the merging portion 51, and a state in
5
which the carrier 3 is not detected by the carrier sensor
55 continues. Thus, if the carrier 3 cannot be
detected
even after elapse of a predetermined time from the execution
of the cutout of the carrier 3, the controller 57 determines
that the bridge has occurred.
10
In step S2, the controller 57 determines whether or
not the chute operation is under operatin
g in the solid
bobbin supplying device 13. If in the shoot operation is
under operating, the termination of the chute operation is
waited.
15
In step S3, the controller 57 stops the cutout
operation of the first cutout device 59 and the second
cutout device
61.
In step S4, the controller 57 reversely rotates the
first belt conveyor 23A by reversely rotating the first
20
drive motor 71. Thus, as shown in FIG. 22, the carrier 3
on the first transportation path 38 is moved backward.
In step S5, the controller 5
7 stops the first belt
conveyor 23A by stopping the first drive motor 71. As a
result, the carrier 3 on the first transportation path 38
25
stops while being away from the merging portion 51. That
is, the bridge at the merging portion 51 is resolved, and
he
nce the carrier 3 on the second transportation path 39
is moved farther through the merging portion 51.
In step S6, the controller 57 thereafter determines
30
whether or not the bridge of the carrier 3 is resolved at
28
the merging portion 51 according to the d
etection signal
from the carrier sensor 55.
In step S7, the controller 57 waits until elapse of
a predetermined time. Meanwhile, the discharging of the
carrier 3 on the second transportation path 39 from the
5
merging portion 51 is completed.
In step S8,
the controller 57 normally rotates the
first belt conveyor 23A by normally rotating the first drive
motor 71. Thus, the carrier 3 on the first transportation
path 38 moves forward, as shown in FIG. 22.
10
In step S9, the controller 57 waits until elapse of
a predetermined time. Meanwhile, the discharging of the
carrier 3 on the first transportation path 38 from the
merging portion 51 is completed.
In step S10, the controller 57 starts the cutout
15
operation of the first cutout device 59 and the second
cutout
device 61.
As described above, in the carrier distributing
device 31, the carrier 3 is moved backward/stopped on the
first transportation path 38 when the bridge of the carrier
20
3 occurs at the merging portion 51. Thus, the carrier 3
on the first transpo
rtation path 38 can be moved forward
by resolving the bridge of the carrier 3 at the merging
portion 51. As a result, the bridge of the carrier 3 at
the merging portion 51 is quickly resolved with a simple
25
operation.
Prior to the operation of resolving t
he bridge of the
carrier 3 at the merging portion 51 being carried out, the
cutout operation of the first cutout device 59 and the
second cutout device 61 is canceled. Therefore, a great
30
number of carriers 3 do not move toward the merging portion
29
51, and
consequently, the bridge of the carrier 3 at the
merging portion 51 is reliably and quickly resolved.
2. Other embodiments
One embodiment of the present invention has been
described above, but the present invention is not limited
5
to the above
-
described e
mbodiment, and various
modifications can be made within a scope not deviating from
the gist of the invention. In particular, a plurality of
embodiments and alternative embodiments described in the
present specification can be arbitrarily combined as
10
neces
sary.
In particular, a specific shape of the distributing
member is changed depending on the shape of the branched
portion, and is not limited to the embodiment described
above

WE CLAIM
1. A carrier distributing device (31) configured to
distribute a
carrier (3) with respect to a bobbin attaching
device (13) including two bobbin attaching units (120, 121),
5
the carrier distributing device comprising:
a carrier transportation path (33) including a
carrier introducing portion (36), a branched portion (3
7)
continuing to the carrier introducing portion (36), a first
transportation path (38) and a second transportation path
10
(39) branched from the branched portion (37) and extended
toward the two bobbin attaching units (120, 121), and a
merging portion (51)
where the first transportation path
(38) and the second transportation path (39) merge; and
a distributing member (41) arranged at the branched
15
portion (37) to distribute the carrier (3) to the first
transportation path (38) and the second transportation
path
(39) by changing an orientation between a first orientation
(A) of
guiding
the carrier (3) to the first transportation
path (38) and a second orientation of
guiding
the carrier
20
(3) to the second transportation path (39),
wherein
the distributing mem
ber (41) is configured to be
changed from the first orientation (A) to the second
orientation (B) by the carrier (3) after
guiding
the carrier
25
(3) to the first transportation path (38), and to be changed
from the second orientation (B) to the first orienta
tion
(A) by the carrier (3) after
guiding
the carrier (3) to the
second transportation path (39).
30
2. The carrier distributing device (31) according
31
to claim 1, wherein
the distributing member (41) includes
a main body portion (43) that is swingable,
a contact guiding portion (45) arranged on the
main body portion (43) to guide the carrier (3), when the
5
carrier (3) is brought into contact with the distributing
member (41) from the carrier introducing portion (36),
a first swing contacting portion (
47) formed
on the first transportation path (38) side with respect to
the contact guiding portion (45) in the main body portion
10
(43), the distributing member (41) being swung to change
from the first orientation (A) to the second orientation
(B) when the c
arrier (3) is brought into contact with the
first swing contacting portion while the carrier (3) is
moving on the first transportation path (38) in the first
15
orientation (A), and
a second swing contacting portion (49) formed
on the second transportation
path (39) side with respect
to the contact guiding portion (45) in the main body portion
(43), the distributing member (41) being swung to change
20
from the second orientation (B) to the first orientation
(A) when the carrier (3) is brought into contact with
the
second swing contacting portion while the carrier (3) is
moving on the second transportation path (39) in the second
orientation (B).
25
3. The carrier distributing device (31) according
to claim 1 or 2, wherein
the carrier (3) is movable to the seco
nd
transportation path (39) through the branched portion (37)
30
regardless of whether the distributing member (41) is in
32
the first orientation (A) or the second orientation (B),
and
a transportation guide (21) is formed so that when
the carrier (3) is stagn
ated in the first transportation
path (38) and the carrier (3) is stopped in the vicinity
5
of the branched portion (37), a next carrier (3) is brought
into contact with the stopped carrier (3) and guided to move
to the second transportation path (39).
4.
The carrier distributing device (31) according
10
to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
a first driving unit (23A) configured to drive the
first transportation path (38);
a second driving unit (23B) configured to drive the
second transportation
path (39);
15
a carrier sensor (55) configured to detect a state
of the carrier (3) at the merging portion (51); and
a controller (57) that is configured to
a) when determining that a bridge of the carrier
(3) has occurred at the merging portion (51) acco
rding to
20
a detection signal from the carrier sensor (55), control
the first driving unit (23A) or the second driving unit
(23B) to move backward/stop the first transportation path
(38) or the second transportation path (39), and
b) when subsequently dete
rmining that the
25
bridge of the carrier (3) is resolved at the merging portion
(51) according to a detection signal from the carrier sensor
(55), control the first driving unit (23A) or the second
driving unit (23B) to move forward the first transportation
path (38) or the second transportation path (39).
30
33
5. The carrier distributing device (31) according
to claim 4, further comprising:
a first cutout device (59) and a second cutout device
arranged on the first transportation path (38) and the
second tran
sportation path (39), respectively, to
5
continuously execute stopping and releasing of forward
movement on the carrier;
wherein
the controller (57) is configured to
cancel a cutout operation of the first cutout
10
device (59) and the second cutout device (
61) before
backward moving/stopping the first transportation path
(38) or the second transportation path (39) when
determining that the bridge of the carrier (3) has occurred
at the merging portion (51) according to a detection signal
15
from the carrier sens
or (55), and
start the cutout operation of the first cutout
device (59) and the second cutout device (61) after forward
moving the first transportation path (38) or the second
transportation path (39).
20
6. The carrier distributing device (31) according
to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the main body portion
(43) is swingably supported at a corner of an upper plate
(25) sectionalizing the first transportation path (38) and
25
the second transportation path (39) by way of a pin
structure (79), a limiting
mechanism (63) configured to
limit a swing angle of the distributing member (41) being
arranged at the corner of the upper plate (25).
30
7. The carrier distributing device (31) according
34
to claim 6, wherein the limiting mechanism (63) includes
an arc
-
shap
ed slit (81) formed in the upper plate (25), and
a pin (83) that extends from the distributing member (41)
and moves in the slit (81