CORE YARN SUPPLYING UNIT AND SPINNING MACHINE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
5 The present invention relates to a core yarn
supplying unit and a spinning machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional core yarn supplying unit, there is
10 known a core yarn supplying unit including a core yarn
feeding section adapted to feed out a yarn end of a core
yarn to a draft device, a tension applying section adapted
to apply a tension to the core yarn to be supplied to the
draft device, and a slack applying section adapted to apply
15 slack to the core yarn between the core yarn feeding section
and the tension applying section (see e.g., Japanese
Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-131591).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
20 The core yarn supplying unit described above is
demanded to be easily attached and detached with respect
to a main body unit, configured with the draft device, etc.,
for maintenance, for example.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
25 a core yarn supplying unit that can be easily attached and
detached, and a spinning machine including such a core yarn
supplying unit.
A core yarn supplying unit comprises a plurality of
movable members; a board electrically connected to each of
30 the plurality of the movable members; and a unit base
adapted to support the plurality of the movable members and
3
the board.
A spinning machine comprises the core yarn supplying
unit; a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle; a
pneumatic spinning device adapted to produce a spun yarn
by applying twists to the fiber bundle with the core 5 e yarn
as a core; and a winding device adapted to wind the spun
yarn around a package, wherein the unit base of the core
yarn supplying unit is attachable and detachable with
respect to the draft device.
10
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a spinning machine according
to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a spinning unit of the spinning
15 machine of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a core yarn supplying
unit of the spinning unit of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the core yarn supplying unit
and a peripheral portion in the spinning unit of FIG. 2;
20 FIG. 5 is a side view of the core yarn supplying unit
and the peripheral portion in the spinning unit of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are side views of a tension applying
section of the core yarn supplying unit of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a core
25 yarn feeding section of the core yarn supplying unit of FIG.
3;
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a positional
relationship of a draft device and the core yarn supplying
unit in the spinning unit of FIG. 2;
30 FIG. 9 is a side view of the core yarn supplying unit
and the peripheral portion in the spinning unit of FIG. 2;
4
and
FIG. 10 is a side view of the core yarn supplying unit
and the peripheral portion in the spinning unit of FIG. 2.
DETAILED 5 DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will
be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the
drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are
denoted for the same or corresponding portions, and
10 redundant description will be omitted.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a spinning machine 1
includes a plurality of spinning units 2, a yarn joining
cart 3, a first end frame 4, and a second end frame 5. The
plurality of spinning units 2 are arranged in a line. Each
15 spinning unit 2 is adapted to produce a spun yarn Y and to
wind the spun yarn Y into a package P. When the spun yarn
Y is disconnected or the spun yarn Y is broken for some reason
in a spinning unit 2, the yarn joining cart 3 carries out
a yarn joining operation at the target spinning unit 2. The
20 first end frame 4 accommodates an air supply source or the
like for generating a whirling airflow, at each section of
the spinning unit 2 and/or an air suction source or the like
for generating a suction flow at each section of the
spinning unit 2.
25 The second end frame 5 accommodates a drive motor and
the like for supplying power to each section of the spinning
unit 2. The second end frame 5 includes a machine control
device (setting section) E, a display section D, and an
input key K. The machine control device E collectively
30 manages and controls each section of the spinning machine
1. The display section D can display information and the
5
like associated with set content and/or a state of the
spinning unit 2. When an operator performs an appropriate
operation using the input key K, the setting operation of
the spinning unit 2 is carried out. The display section
D may be a touch panel display. In this case, the 5 input
key K may be displayed on the touch panel display.
In the machine control device E, a yarn type (lot)
of the spun yarn Y to be produced in the spinning unit 2
is set. Specifically, the machine control device E
10 displays a screen for carrying out the setting of the yarn
type on the display section D. The operator carries out
the setting of the yarn type with the input key K based on
the screen displayed on the display section D. In the
machine control device E, the setting of the yarn type of
15 the spun yarn Y is carried out in accordance with the
operation information of the input key K. The machine
control device E outputs the information related to the set
yarn type to a unit control device 10, to be described later.
In the following description, on a travelling path
20 of the sliver S and the spun yarn Y, a side on which the
sliver S is supplied is referred to as upstream, and a side
on which the spun yarn Y is wound is referred to as downstream.
A side on which the spun yarn Y travels with respect to the
yarn joining cart 3 is referred to as a front side, and a
25 side opposite to the front side is referred to as a back
side. In the present embodiment, a work passage (not
illustrated) extending in a direction in which the
plurality of spinning units 2 are arranged is provided on
the front side of the spinning machine 1. Therefore, the
30 operator can perform operation, monitoring, and the like
of each spinning unit 2 from the work passage.
6
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each spinning unit
2 includes a draft device 6, a core yarn supplying device
40, a pneumatic spinning device 7, a spun yarn monitoring
device 8, a tension sensor 9, a yarn storage device 14, a
waxing device 11, and a winding device 12 in this order 5 r from
the upstream. These devices are directly or indirectly
supported by a machine frame 13 such that the upstream is
an upper side in a machine height direction (i.e.,
downstream is a lower side in the machine height direction).
10 In the spinning unit 2, the devices excluding the core yarn
supplying device 40 are referred to as a main body unit 30.
That is, the main body unit 30 is configured by the draft
device 6, the pneumatic spinning device 7, the spun yarn
monitoring device 8, the tension sensor 9, the yarn storage
15 device 14, the waxing device 11, the winding device 12, and
the machine frame 13.
The draft device 6 is adapted to draft a sliver S to
produce a fiber bundle F. The draft device 6 includes a
back roller pair 15, a third roller pair 16, a middle roller
20 pair 18 provided with an apron belt 17 on each roller, and
a front roller pair 19 in this order from the upstream. Each
of the roller pairs 15, 16, 18, 19 causes the sliver S
supplied from a can (not illustrated) to travel from the
upstream towards the downstream while drafting. The
25 operation in which the draft device 6 drafts the sliver S
as described above is referred to as “drafting operation”.
The core yarn supplying device 40 unwinds the core
yarn C from a core yarn package CP, and supplies the core
yarn C to the draft device 6. More specifically, the core
30 yarn supplying device 40 supplies the core yarn C to a
travelling path of the fiber bundle F from between the
7
middle roller pair 18 and the front roller pair 19. The
core yarn C is thus supplied to the pneumatic spinning
device 7 together with the fiber bundle F.
The pneumatic spinning device 7 produces the spun
yarn Y by applying twists to the fiber bundle F with 5 h the
core yarn C as a core. More specifically (although not
illustrated), the pneumatic spinning device 7 includes a
spinning chamber, a fiber core yarn guide, a whirling
airflow generating nozzle, and a hollow guide shaft body.
10 The fiber core yarn guide guides the fiber bundle F supplied
from the upstream draft device 6 and the core yarn C to the
spinning chamber. The whirling airflow generating nozzle
is arranged at a periphery of the travelling path of the
fiber bundle F and the core yarn C, and is adapted to generate
15 a whirling airflow in the spinning chamber. This whirling
airflow causes a fiber end of the fiber bundle F guided into
the spinning chamber to be reversed and to whirl. The
hollow guide shaft body is adapted to guide the spun yarn
Y from the spinning chamber to outside the pneumatic
20 spinning device 7. The operation in which the pneumatic
spinning device 7 produces the spun yarn Y as described
above is referred to as “spinning operation”.
The spun yarn monitoring device 8 is adapted to
monitor the travelling spun yarn Y between the pneumatic
25 spinning device 7 and the yarn storage device 14. When a
yarn defect is detected in the spun yarn Y, the spun yarn
monitoring device 8 transmits a yarn defect detection
signal to the unit control device 10. The spun yarn
monitoring device 8 detects, for example, a thickness
30 abnormality of the spun yarn Y and/or foreign substance
contained in the spun yarn Y as the yarn defect. The tension
8
sensor 9 measures a tension of the travelling spun yarn Y
between the pneumatic spinning device 7 and the yarn storage
device 14, and transmits a tension measurement signal to
the unit control device 10. The waxing device 11 is adapted
to apply wax on the travelling spun yarn Y between the 5 yarn
storage device 14 and the winding device 12. The unit
control device 10 is provided for each spinning unit 2, and
is adapted to control operation of the spinning unit 2 under
the control of the machine control device E, which is a
10 high-order controller.
The yarn storage device 14 is adapted to store the
travelling spun yarn Y between the pneumatic spinning
device 7 and the winding device 12. The yarn storage device
14 has a function of stably pulling out the spun yarn Y from
15 the pneumatic spinning device 7, a function of storing the
spun yarn Y fed from the pneumatic spinning device 7 to
prevent the spun yarn Y from slackening during the yarn
joining operation by the yarn joining cart 3 or the like,
and a function of adjusting the tension of the spun yarn
20 Y at downstream of the yarn storage device 14 to prevent
a fluctuation in the tension of the spun yarn Y at the
downstream from being transmitted towards the pneumatic
spinning device 7.
The winding device 12 is adapted to wind the spun yarn
25 Y produced by the pneumatic spinning device 7 around a
bobbin B to form the package P. The winding device 12
includes a cradle arm 21, a winding drum 22, and a traverse
device 23. The cradle arm 21 rotatably supports the bobbin
B. The cradle arm 21 is swingably supported by a supporting
30 shaft 24, and causes a surface of the bobbin B or a surface
of the package P to make contact with a surface of the winding
9
drum 22 at an appropriate pressure. The winding drum 22
is driven by an electric motor (not illustrated) provided
in each spinning unit 2 to rotate the bobbin B or the package
P making contact with the winding drum 22. The traverse
device 23 is driven by a shaft 25 shared among the 5 plurality
of spinning units 2, and traverses the spun yarn Y over a
prescribed width with respect to the rotating bobbin B or
the package P.
The yarn joining cart 3 travels to the spinning unit
10 2 in which the spun yarn Y is disconnected to perform the
yarn joining operation in the target spinning unit 2. The
yarn joining cart 3 includes a yarn joining device 26, a
first yarn catching and guiding device 27, and a second yarn
catching and guiding device 28. The first yarn catching
15 and guiding device 27 is swingably supported by a supporting
shaft 27a, and is adapted to suck and catch a yarn end of
the spun yarn Y from the pneumatic spinning device 7 to guide
the yarn end to the yarn joining device 26. The second yarn
catching and guiding device 28 is swingably supported by
20 a supporting shaft 28a, and is adapted to suck and catch
a yarn end of the spun yarn Y from the winding device 12
to guide the yarn end to the yarn joining device 26. For
example, the yarn joining device 26 is a yarn joining device
that uses air, a piecer that uses a seed yarn, or a knotter
25 that mechanically joins the spun yarn Y.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the core yarn supplying
device 40 includes a core yarn package holding section 41,
a core yarn supplying unit 50, and a core yarn guiding
section 43. The core yarn package holding section 41 holds
30 the core yarn package CP with a center line of the core yarn
package CP extended in a horizontal and front-back
10
direction. A mono-filament yarn or a false-twisted yarn,
for example, is wound as the core yarn C in the core yarn
package CP. The mono-filament yarn is a yarn having high
rigidity. The false-twisted yarn is a yarn having high
stretchability. Note that, a textured yarn, an 5 air
textured yarn (e.g., yarn in which elastic yarn and textured
yarn are interlaced, yarn having similar crimping property
as the textured yarn), or a spun yarn (generally-used spun
yarn) may be used as the core yarn C.
10 The core yarn supplying unit 50 has a function of
applying a tension to the core yarn C supplied from the core
yarn package CP via a guide roller 42, a function of applying
slackening to the core yarn C, and a function of feeding
the yarn end of the core yarn C. The core yarn guiding
15 section 43 is a tubular member adapted to guide the core
yarn C to the draft device 6. A travelling region of the
core yarn C is formed inside the core yarn guiding section
43 so as to include a straight line. In the following
description, in the travelling path of the core yarn C in
20 the core yarn supplying unit 50, a side on which the core
yarn C is supplied from the core yarn package CP to the core
yarn supplying unit 50 is referred to as upstream, and a
side on which the core yarn C is supplied from the core yarn
supplying unit 50 to the draft device 6 is referred to as
25 downstream.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the core yarn supplying unit
50 includes a unit base 51, a tension applying section 60
(movable member), a slack applying section (movable member)
70, a core yarn monitoring section 81, and a core yarn
30 feeding section (movable member) 90. A core yarn guide 55
is arranged most upstream of the unit base 51. The unit
11
base 51 supports the tension applying section 60, the slack
applying section 70, the core yarn monitoring section 81,
and the core yarn feeding section 90. Between the core yarn
guide 55 and the slack applying section 70, the tension
applying section 60 applies a tension to the core yarn 5 arn C
to be supplied to the draft device 6. The slack applying
section 70 applies slack to the core yarn C between the
tension applying section 60 and the core yarn monitoring
section 81. The core yarn monitoring section 81 detects
10 a presence and/or an absence of the core yarn C between the
slack applying section 70 and the core yarn feeding section
90. The core yarn feeding section 90 feeds the yarn end
of the core yarn C to the draft device 6 through the core
yarn guiding section 43 at downstream of the core yarn
15 monitoring section 81. Note that, a description “feeding
the yarn end of the core yarn C” refers to an operation in
which the core yarn feeding section 90 feeds the yarn end
of the core yarn C to the main body unit 30. A description
“supply the core yarn C” refers to an operation in which
20 the core yarn supplying device 40 continuously supplies the
core yarn C to the main body unit 30 (i.e., the operation
when spinning is carried out).
As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the core yarn
supplying unit 50 further includes a supporting member
25 (supporting section) 52, a first holding member (holding
section) 53, and a second holding member (holding section)
54. The supporting member 52 swingably supports the unit
base 51 with respect to the draft device 6. More
specifically, the supporting member 52 is detachably
30 attached to a draft base 29 of the draft device 6. A distal
end portion 52a of the supporting member 52 is rotatably
12
attached to one end of a swing shaft 51a arranged on the
unit base 51. That is, the supporting member 52 supports
one end of the swing shaft 51a. The draft base 29 is a base
shared between the draft devices 6 of the pair of adjacent
spinning units 2, and supports each of the roller pairs 5 15,
16, 18, and 19 (specifically, the bottom roller of each of
the roller pairs 15, 16, 18, and 19) of each draft device
6. The draft base 29 is provided with a first hole 29a,
a bent portion 29b, and a plurality of second holes 29c.
10 The plurality of second holes 29c are formed between the
first hole 29a and the bent portion 29b.
The first holding member 53 holds the unit base 51
at a core yarn supplying position. More specifically, the
first holding member 53 is fixed to the unit base 51. The
15 first holding member 53 holds the unit base 51 at the core
yarn supplying position by engaging a distal end portion
53a of the first holding member 53 to the first hole 29a.
Note that the core yarn supplying position is a position
where the core yarn supplying unit 50 is arranged when the
20 core yarn supplying unit 50 supplies the core yarn C to the
draft device 6.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the second holding member
54 holds the unit base 51 at one of a plurality of retreated
positions. More specifically, the second holding member
25 54 is swingably supported by a supporting shaft 51b arranged
on the unit base 51. The second holding member 54 holds
the unit base 51 at the retreated position by engaging a
distal end portion 54a of the second holding member 54 to
the bent portion 29b. The second holding member 54 holds
30 the unit base 51 at one of other plurality of retreated
positions by engaging the distal end portion 54a to one of
13
the plurality of second holes 29c. Note that the retreated
position is a position where the core yarn supplying unit
50 is arranged when the core yarn supplying unit 50 is not
supplying the core yarn C to the main body unit 30, and is
the position where the core yarn feeding section 90 5 is
located away from the draft device 6. This means that the
distance from the draft device 6 to the core yarn feeding
section 90 of the core yarn supplying unit 50 at the
retreated position is greater than the distance from the
10 draft device 6 to the core yarn feeding section 90 of the
core yarn supplying unit 50 at the core yarn supplying
position.
As illustrated in FIG. 6A, a tension applying section
60 includes a tension applying mechanism 61 and an operating
15 mechanism 62. The tension applying mechanism 61 applies
a tension to the core yarn C by guiding the core yarn C in
a zigzag manner by a fixed piece 63 and a movable piece 64.
The fixed piece 63 is fixed to the unit base 51. A plurality
of shafts 63a, on which the core yarn C is to be hooked,
20 is arranged on the fixed piece 63.
The movable piece 64 is supported to be
openable/closable with respect to the fixed piece 63 by a
supporting shaft (not illustrated) arranged on the fixed
piece 63. The movable piece 64 is urged in an opening
25 direction with respect to the fixed piece 63 by a spring
(not illustrated) arranged on the fixed piece 63. A
plurality of protrusions 64a are arranged on the movable
piece 64 so as to project out with respect to the plurality
of shafts 63a. As illustrated in FIG. 6B, each protrusion
30 64a is arranged on the movable piece 64 such that each
protrusion 64a is alternately located with each shaft 63a
14
under a state where the movable piece 64 is closed with
respect to the fixed piece 63. A hole 64b, through which
the core yarn C is inserted, is formed at a distal end portion
of each protrusion 64a.
As illustrated in FIG. 6A, a first tension 5 ension is applied
to the core yarn C under a state where the core yarn C is
passed through the fixed piece 63 and the movable piece 64,
and the movable piece 64 is opened with respect to the fixed
piece 63. A state of the tension applying mechanism 61 in
10 this case is referred to as a tension applying state. As
illustrated in FIG. 6B, a second tension smaller than the
first tension is applied to the core yarn C under a state
where the core yarn C is passed through the fixed piece 63
and the movable piece 64, and the movable piece 64 is closed
15 with respect to the fixed piece 63. A state of the tension
applying mechanism 61 in this case is referred to as a
tension non-applying state. The second tension also
includes a case in which the tension applied to the core
yarn C is zero.
20 As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the operating mechanism
62 includes an operation member 65 and an air cylinder 66.
The operation member 65 is arranged such that a distal end
portion 65a of the operation member 65 makes contact with
the movable piece 64 from a side opposite to the fixed piece
25 63. The movable piece 64 urged in the opening direction
with respect to the fixed piece 63 is opened/closed with
respect to the fixed piece 63 when the operation member 65
is moved by the air cylinder 66. Thus, the operating
mechanism 62 changes the tension applying mechanism 61 to
30 the tension applying state and the tension non-applying
state.
15
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the slack applying section
70 includes an arm 71 and an air cylinder 72. The arm 71
is swingably supported by a supporting shaft 51c arranged
on the unit base 51. A hole 73, through which the core yarn
C is inserted, is formed at a distal end portion of the 5 e arm
71. The hole 73 includes an edge 73a of a closed annular
shape (circular shape in the present embodiment). A
material excellent in wear resistance such as ceramic, for
example, is used for the edge 73a. The arm 71 is swung to
10 a normal position and a standby position by the air cylinder
72. The normal position is a position where the hole 73
is located on the travelling path of the core yarn C
(position of solid line in FIG. 3). The standby position
is a position where the hole 73 is located away from the
15 travelling path of the core yarn C to the side opposite to
the unit base 51 (position of chain double dashed line in
FIG. 3).
The core yarn monitoring section 81 detects the
presence and/or the absence of the core yarn C between the
20 slack applying section 70 and the core yarn feeding section
90. A core yarn guide 56 adapted to guide the core yarn
C is arranged upstream of the core yarn monitoring section
81. A core yarn guide 57 adapted to guide the core yarn
C is arranged downstream of the core yarn monitoring section
25 81.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the core yarn feeding
section 90 includes an air sucker 91 and a clamp cutter 92.
A travelling region of the core yarn C is formed inside the
core yarn feeding section 90 so as to include a straight
30 line. The air sucker 91 includes a core yarn feeding nozzle
block 93, a core yarn feeding nozzle 94, and a tube body
16
95. The core yarn feeding nozzle 94, which becomes a part
of the travelling path of the core yarn C, is arranged inside
the core yarn feeding nozzle block 93. The tube body 95,
which becomes a part of the travelling path of the core yarn
C, is arranged downstream of the core yarn feeding 5 nozzle
94. A compressed air is supplied from outside to the
travelling path of the core yarn C. The core yarn feeding
section 90 feeds the core yarn C to the core yarn guiding
section 43 by action of the compressed air.
10 The clamp cutter 92 includes a clamp section 96, a
cutter 97, and an air cylinder 98. The clamp section 96
is operated by the air cylinder 98 to clamp the core yarn
C at the downstream of the air sucker 91. The cutter 97
is operated by the air cylinder 98 to cut the core yarn C
15 at downstream of the clamp section 96. The clamp cutter
92 is set such that a timing to cut the core yarn C is after
a timing to clamp the core yarn C.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the core yarn supplying unit
50 is arranged outside a work region R for setting the sliver
20 (the fiber bundle) S to the draft device 6. The work region
R is a region on a back side (upstream) of the draft device
6, and is the region for inserting the sliver S to a tubular
guiding member 6a arranged in the draft device 6. Under
a state where the core yarn supplying unit 50 is located
25 at the core yarn supplying position, the core yarn feeding
section 90 and the core yarn guiding section 43 are arranged
such that the respective travelling regions of the core yarn
C include the same straight line L. An angle  formed by
the straight line L and the travelling path of the fiber
30 bundle F in the draft device 6 is 10 degrees to 70 degrees
(preferably, 30 degrees to 50 degrees), when seen from a
17
direction perpendicular to both a rotation axis of each
roller constituting each roller pair 15, 16, 18, 19 and the
travelling path of the fiber bundle F in the draft device
6. That is, the travelling path of the core yarn C in the
core yarn feeding section 90 and the core yarn 5 guiding
section 43 merges with the travelling path of the fiber
bundle F between the middle roller pair 18 and the front
roller pair 19 from a direction inclined by 10 degrees to
70 degrees (preferably, 30 degrees to 50 degrees) with
10 respect to the travelling path of the fiber bundle F in the
draft device 6.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the core yarn supplying unit
50 further includes a first air supplying tube 82, a second
air supplying tube 83, a relay board (board) 84, and a
15 multicore cable 85. The first air supplying tube 82 is
pulled out to an outside of the unit base 51, and is removably
connected to an air supplying tube (not illustrated) of the
main body unit 30. The first air supplying tube 82 is
connected to each of the air cylinder 66 of the tension
20 applying section (supplying target) 60, the air cylinder
72 of the slack applying section (supplying target) 70, and
the air cylinder 98 of the clamp cutter (supplying target)
92 via a plurality of pipes (not illustrated) arranged in
the unit base 51. The compressed air is thereby supplied
25 from the air supply source of the first end frame 4 to each
of the air cylinders 66, 72, and 98 through the air supplying
tube of the main body unit 30.
The second air supplying tube 83 is pulled out to the
outside of the unit base 51, and is removably connected to
30 the air supplying tube of the main body unit 30. The second
air supplying tube 83 is connected to the air sucker
18
(supplying target) 91 via a pipe (not illustrated) arranged
in the unit base 51. The compressed air is thereby supplied
from the air supply source of the first end frame 4 to the
air sucker 91 through the air supplying tube of the main
5 body unit 30.
The relay board 84 is supported by the unit base 51.
The relay board 84 is electrically connected to each of an
electromagnetic valve for operation of the air sucker 91
of the core yarn feeding section 90, an electromagnetic
10 valve for operation of the air cylinder 66 of the tension
applying section 60, an electromagnetic valve for operation
of the air cylinder 72 of the slack applying section 70,
an electromagnetic valve for operation of the air cylinder
98 of the clamp cutter 92, and the core yarn monitoring
15 section 81 via a plurality of wires (cables)(not
illustrated) arranged in the unit base 51.
The multicore cable 85 is pulled out to the outside
of the unit base 51, and is removably connected to a
multicore cable (not illustrated) of the main body unit 30
20 via a connector (not illustrated), for example. The
multicore cable 85 is a cable in which a plurality of wires
are bundled to input/output electric signals to each
section of the core yarn supplying unit 50, and is connected
to the relay board 84. Each section of the core yarn
25 supplying unit 50 is thus controlled by the unit control
device 10 of the main body unit 30.
When the core yarn C is supplied to the main body unit
30 and the spun yarn Y is produced from the sliver S and
the core yarn C (i.e., when the spinning is carried out),
30 the core yarn supplying unit 50 is located at the core yarn
supplying position and the tension applying section 60
19
causes the tension applying mechanism 61 to be in the
tension applying state to apply the first tension to the
core yarn C, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In this case, the
arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 is located at the
normal position. Thus, the core yarn supplying 5 unit 50
supplies the core yarn C to the draft device 6 while applying
the first tension to the core yarn C unwound from the core
yarn package CP.
When the yarn defect is detected by the spun yarn
10 monitoring device 8 and the spinning is interrupted (or when
the spinning is terminated), the clamp cutter 92 is operated
to clamp and cut the core yarn C, as illustrated in FIG.
9. The yarn end of the core yarn C pulled out from the core
yarn package CP is thereby clamped by the clamp cutter 92.
15 Thereafter, the arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 is
swung to the standby position, the core yarn C inserted
through the hole 73 is pulled up, and the core yarn C is
unwound from the core yarn package CP by an amount in which
the core yarn C is pulled up.
20 When the spinning is resumed, the clamp cutter 92 is
operated to release the clamping of the yarn end of the core
yarn, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The arm 71 of the slack
applying section 70 is then swung to the normal position.
The tension applying section 60 changes the tension
25 applying mechanism 61 to the tension non-applying state,
so that the tension applying mechanism 61 applies the second
tension smaller than the first tension to the core yarn C.
The air sucker 91 is operated under this state. The yarn
end of the core yarn C is thereby fed out to the draft device
30 6 through the core yarn guiding section 43. As described
above, in the tension applying section 60, the tension
20
applying mechanism 61 is in the tension non-applying state
when the core yarn feeding section 90 feeds out the yarn
end of the core yarn C to the draft device 6 (i.e., when
the supplying of the core yarn C to the pneumatic spinning
5 device 7 is started).
After the spinning is resumed, the core yarn
supplying unit 50 returns to the state illustrated in FIG.
3. That is, the clamp cutter 92 and the air sucker 91 are
not operated, and the tension applying section 60 causes
10 the tension applying mechanism 61 to be under the tension
applying state to apply the first tension to the core yarn
C.
When carrying out maintenance and the like, the core
yarn supplying unit 50 is detached from the main body unit
15 30. More specifically, the multicore cable 85 is detached
from the multicore cable of the main body unit 30, and the
first air supplying tube 82 and the second air supplying
tube 83 are detached from the air supplying tube of the main
body unit 30. Thereafter, the supporting member 52 is
20 detached from the draft base 29, so that the core yarn
supplying unit 50 can be detached from the main body unit
30. The procedure of the detaching operation is carried
out in a reverse order in the case of attaching the core
yarn supplying unit 50 to the main body unit 30. The core
25 yarn supplying unit 50 thus can be easily attached and
detached with respect to the main body unit 30 with few
operations. When interrupting the spinning and carrying
out simple cleaning, the core yarn supplying unit 50 is to
be held at the retreated position using the second holding
30 member 54, as illustrated in FIG. 5, without detaching the
core yarn supplying unit 50. When resuming the spinning
21
after the cleaning, the holding by the second holding member
54 is released and the core yarn supplying unit 50 is set
to the core yarn supplying position using the first holding
member 53.
In the core yarn supplying unit 50 and the 5 spinning
machine 1 (the spinning unit 2), the electrical connection
with each of the movable members 60, 70, and 90 is
concentrated in the relay board 84, and thus the electrical
connection between the core yarn supplying unit 50 and the
10 main body unit 30 can be simplified. Therefore, according
to the core yarn supplying unit 50 and the spinning machine
1, the attachment and detachment of the core yarn supplying
unit 50 with respect to the main body unit 30 can be
facilitated.
15 The core yarn supplying unit 50 includes the core yarn
feeding section 90 adapted to feed out the yarn end of the
core yarn C to the draft device 6, and the tension applying
section 60 adapted to apply the tension to the core yarn
C to be supplied to the draft device 6. Accordingly, the
20 core yarn supplying unit 50 can suitably achieve a function
of feeding out the yarn end of the core yarn C to the main
body unit 30 and a function of applying the tension to the
core yarn C to be supplied to the main body unit 30.
The core yarn supplying unit 50 further includes one
25 multicore cable 85. The multicore cable 85 is connected
to the relay board 84 for input and output of an electric
signal with respect to each of the movable members 60, 70,
and 90, and arranged to be drawn out from the unit base 51.
Accordingly, the simplification of the electrical
30 connection with the main body unit 30 can be suitably
realized.
22
In the core yarn supplying unit 50, the first air
supplying tube 82 is connected to each of the movable
members 60, 70, and 92 to supply compressed air to each of
the movable members 60, 70, and 92 excluding the air sucker
91, and is arranged to be drawn out from the unit base 515 .
Furthermore, the second air supplying tube 83 is connected
to the air sucker 91 to supply the compressed air to the
air sucker 91, and is arranged to be drawn out from the unit
base 51. Thus, the compressed air having different
10 pressures can be supplied to the air sucker 91 and each of
the movable members 60, 70, and 92. In terms of the
compressed air supplying path, the core yarn supplying unit
50 is connected to the outside (main body unit 30) with only
the first air supplying tube 82 and the second air supplying
15 tube 83, and thus the simplification of the connection of
the compressed air supplying path can be suitably realized.
In the core yarn supplying unit 50, the supporting
member 52 swingably supports the unit base 51 with respect
to the draft base 29. Accordingly, the unit base 51 can
20 be swung to the core yarn supplying position where the core
yarn supplying unit 50 is located when supplying the core
yarn C to the main body unit 30, and a retreated position
where the core yarn supplying unit 50 is located when not
supplying the core yarn C to the main body unit 30.
25 In the core yarn supplying unit 50, one end of the
swing shaft 51a provided on the unit base 51 is supported
by the supporting member 52. Thus, an attachment region
of the supporting member 52 is only on one side, and a region
on the opposite side can be effectively used. Specifically,
30 as illustrated in FIG. 1, the core yarn supplying units 50
of the adjacent spinning units 2 can be arranged adjacently.
23
If both ends of the swing shaft 51a are supported, the core
yarn supplying unit 50 would be arranged by considering a
thickness of the supporting member 52 of each spinning unit
2. Therefore, in this case, the distance between the
spinning units 2 becomes greater compared to the 5 present
embodiment, thus leading to enlargement of the spinning
machine 1.
In the spinning machine 1, since the core yarn
supplying unit 50 is attached with respect to the draft
10 device 6 to which the core yarn C is supplied first in the
main body unit 30, the configuration of the spinning machine
1 can be simplified. Moreover, the core yarn C can be
reliably supplied to the draft device 6.
In the spinning machine 1, the first holding member
15 53 holds the unit base 51 at the core yarn supplying position,
and the second holding member 54 holds the unit base 51 at
one of the plurality of retreated positions. Accordingly,
the unit base 51 can be held at any of the core yarn supplying
position and the plurality of retreated positions in
20 accordance with when the spinning is carried out, when the
spinning is interrupted, and the like. Each of the
retreated positions can be used differently in accordance
with operation content (cleaning and/or dissembling, etc.)
and/or a height of the operator.
25 In the spinning machine 1, the core yarn supplying
unit 50 is arranged outside the work region R for setting
the fiber bundle F to the draft device 6. According to such
a configuration, the work region R is secured, and thus the
operation of inserting the sliver S into the draft device
30 6, etc., can be efficiently carried out.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the core yarn supplying unit
24
50 further includes an operating section 58. (In FIGS. 5,
9, and 10, the illustration of the operating section 58 is
omitted). The operating section 58 is a so-called
alternate type switch. The alternate type switch is a
switch that can be switched between an ON state and an 5 OFF
state, and in which the ON state or the OFF state is
maintained after the switching. For example, in the
alternate type switch, even if the operator operates the
switch (operating section) to obtain the ON state, and
10 thereafter, releases a hand from the operating section, the
ON state is maintained. Any type of the operating section
58 may be used as long as the ON state or the OFF state after
the switching can be maintained, and the ON state or the
OFF state can be determined by checking the operating
15 section 58. The operating section 58, for example, may be
a type in which a lamp is lighted, or may be a push-ON
push-OFF type in which the ON state is maintained when
pushed once, and the ON state is switched to the OFF state
when pushed once more.
20 The operating section 58, for example, is arranged
on a unit frame 100a of the core yarn feeding section 90,
and is located downstream of the travelling path of the core
yarn C. The operating section 58 is connected to the relay
board 84 via a wire (not illustrated) arranged in the unit
25 base 51. When the operating section 58 is operated, the
electric signal is transmitted to the unit control device
10 via the relay board 84. The unit control device 10
operates the electromagnetic valve for operation of the air
cylinder 72 of the slack applying section 70, and the
30 electromagnetic valve for operation of the air cylinder 98
of the clamp cutter 92 based on the electric signal. In
25
other words, the operating section 58 is a switch for
starting the movement of the arm 71 of the slack applying
section 70 and the clamp section 96 to the respective yarn
passing positions.
Specifically, when the operating section 58 5 is
operated to the ON state, an electric signal indicating the
ON state is output to the unit control device 10 via the
relay board 84. Upon receiving the electric signal, the
unit control device 10 operates the electromagnetic valve
10 for operation of the air cylinder 72 of the slack applying
section 70 and the electromagnetic valve for operation of
the air cylinder 98 of the clamp cutter 92, if use of the
core yarn C in the spun yarn Y to be produced is set in
information (lot information) related to the yarn type
15 output from the machine control device E. The arm 71 of
the slack applying section 70 is thereby swung to a slack
non-applying position (yarn passing position), and held at
the slack non-applying position. The clamp section 96 is
moved to a non-clamping position (yarn passing position),
20 and held at the non-clamping position.
When the operating section 58 is operated to the OFF
state, an electric signal indicating the OFF state is output
to the unit control device 10 via the relay board 84. The
unit control device 10 having received the electric signal
25 operates the electromagnetic valve for operation of the air
cylinder 72 of the slack applying section 70 and the
electromagnetic valve for operation of the air cylinder 98
of the clamp cutter 92. The arm 71 of the slack applying
section 70 is thereby swung to the slack applying position,
30 and the clamp section 96 is moved to the clamping position.
If the use of the core yarn C in the spun yarn Y to
26
be produced is not set in the information related to the
yarn type output from the machine control device E, the unit
control device 10 prohibits the operation even if the
electric signal indicating the ON state is output from the
operating section 58. In other words, the 5 unit control
device 10 prohibits the movement of the arm 71 of the slack
applying section 70 and the clamp section 96 to the
respective yarn passing positions when producing the spun
yarn Y that does not use the core yarn C. When the operation
10 (the drafting operation, the spinning operation, or the
like) associated with the production of the spun yarn Y is
being carried out, the unit control device 10 prohibits the
above operation even if the electric signal indicating the
ON state is output from the operating section 58.
15 Next, a description will be made on the operation of
the spinning machine 1. When the operation (the drafting
operation, the spinning operation, or the like) associated
with the production of the spun yarn Y is being carried out,
the tension applying mechanism 61 is located at a tension
20 applying position and a tension is applied to the core yarn
C, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In this case, the
arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 is located at the
slack non-applying position. The clamp section 96 is
located at the non-clamping position (i.e., state where a
25 clamp pin and a clamp block, which are not illustrated, are
separated). Thus, the core yarn supplying unit 50 supplies
the core yarn C to the draft device 6 while applying the
tension to the core yarn C unwound from the core yarn package
CP.
30 When the yarn defect is detected by the spun yarn
monitoring device 8 and the operation associated with the
27
production of the spun yarn Y is interrupted or terminated,
the clamp section 96 is moved to the clamping position (i.e.,
state where the clamp pin and the clamp block make contact
with one another) to clamp the core yarn C. Thereafter,
the core yarn C clamped by the clamp section 96 is cut 5 by
the cutter 97. The yarn end of the core yarn C pulled out
from the core yarn package CP is thereby clamped by the clamp
section 96. Thereafter, the arm 71 of the slack applying
section 70 is swung to the slack applying position, the core
10 yarn C inserted through the hole 73 is pulled up, and the
core yarn C is unwound from the core yarn package CP by the
amount in which the core yarn C is pulled up. The tension
applying mechanism 61 is moved to the tension non-applying
position.
15 When the operation associated with the production of
the spun yarn Y is resumed without the core yarn C being
removed from the core yarn supplying device 40, the clamp
section 96 is moved from the clamping position to the
non-clamping position, and the clamping of the yarn end of
20 the core yarn C is released. The arm 71 of the slack
applying section 70 is then swung from the slack applying
position to the slack non-applying position. The tension
applying mechanism 61 is held at the tension non-applying
position, and is in a state of not applying tension to the
25 core yarn C. The core yarn feeding section 90 is operated
under this state. The yarn end of the core yarn C is thereby
fed out to the draft device 6 through the core yarn guiding
section 43. After the yarn end of the core yarn C is fed
out, the feeding operation of the core yarn feeding section
30 90 is stopped, and the tension applying mechanism 61 is
moved to the tension applying position to apply tension to
28
the core yarn C.
When the operation associated with the production of
the spun yarn Y is started (resumed) from the state where
the core yarn C is once removed from the core yarn supplying
device 40, the core yarn C is set in the core yarn supp5 lying
device 40 before the relevant operation is started. The
core yarn C is passed through the travelling region of the
core yarn C formed inside of the core yarn guide 55, each
protrusion 64a and each hole 64b of the tension applying
10 mechanism 61, the hole 73 of the slack applying section 70,
the core yarn guide 56, the core yarn monitoring section
81, the core yarn guide 57, and the core yarn feeding section
90. In this case, the tension applying mechanism 61 of the
tension applying section 60 is located at the tension
15 non-applying position. The arm 71 of the slack applying
section 70 is located at the slack applying position, and
the clamp section 96 is located at the clamping position.
When the operating section 58 is operated to be
switched to the ON state, the arm 71 of the slack applying
20 section 70 and the clamp section 96 are moved to the
respective yarn passing positions. Specifically, as
illustrated in FIG. 10, the arm 71 of the slack applying
section 70 is swung from the slack applying position to the
slack non-applying position, and held at the slack
25 non-applying position. The path of the core yarn C passing
through the hole 73 of the slack applying section 70 thereby
becomes a path with few bent areas. In particular, the path
of the core yarn C from the core yarn guide 55 to the core
yarn guide 57 is substantially linear since the tension
30 applying mechanism 61 is held at the tension non-applying
position serving as an initial position. The clamp section
29
96 is moved from the clamping position to the non-clamping
position, and held at the non-clamping position. The
region for passing the core yarn C is thus sufficiently
secured inside the core yarn feeding section 90.
After the yarn end of the core yarn C is passed 5 to
the inside of the core yarn feeding section 90, when the
operating section (not illustrated) of the spinning unit
2 including such a core yarn feeding section 90 is operated,
the unit control device 10 controls the operation of the
10 core yarn feeding section 90. More specifically, the unit
control device 10 controls the core yarn feeding section
90 such that air is injected to the travelling region of
the core yarn C from the core yarn feeding nozzle of the
core yarn feeding nozzle block 93. The yarn end of the core
15 yarn C is thereby fed out to the draft device 6. The
injection of the air from the core yarn feeding nozzle may
be carried out before start of the operation related to the
production of the spun yarn Y to remove fibers and the like
remaining in the travelling region of the core yarn C. When
20 the operating section (not illustrated) of the spinning
unit 2 is operated, the unit control device 10 may control
the pneumatic spinning device 7 such that air is injected
from the nozzle (e.g., the whirling airflow generating
nozzle) in the pneumatic spinning device 7 in addition to
25 the core yarn feeding nozzle. The fibers and the like
remaining in a travelling path of the fiber bundle F are
thereby removed together with the fibers and the like
remaining in the travelling region of the core yarn C. A
timing at which the air is injected from the core yarn
30 feeding nozzle and the nozzle in the pneumatic spinning
device 7 may be the same or may have a time difference.
30
When the operating section 58 is operated and the arm
71 of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp section
96 are held at the respective yarn passing positions, that
is, when the operating section 58 is in the ON state, the
unit control device 10 does not start the operation 5 related
to the production of the spun yarn Y even if a predetermined
operation for starting the operation is carried out. In
other words, the unit control device 10 prohibits the
operation related to the production of the spun yarn Y when
10 the arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp
section 96 are held at the respective yarn passing
positions.
When the operating section 58 is switched to the OFF
state, the unit control device 10 moves the arm 71 of the
15 slack applying section 70 to the slack applying position,
and moves the clamp section 96 to the clamping position.
The unit control device 10 also permits the operation
related to the production of the spun yarn Y.
As described above, in the core yarn supplying device
20 40 according to the present embodiment, when the core yarn
C is passed through the slack applying section 70 and the
clamp section 96, the slack applying section 70 and the
clamp section 96 are moved to the respective yarn passing
positions and held thereat. Thus, in the core yarn
25 supplying device 40, the slack applying section 70 and the
clamp section 96 can be held at appropriate positions where
the core yarn C can be easily passed therethrough.
Therefore, in the core yarn supplying device 40, the core
yarn C can be easily set.
30 In the present embodiment, the arm 71 of the slack
applying section 70 may be movable to the slack applying
31
position where the slack applying section 70 applies slack
to the core yarn C by bending the core yarn C, and the slack
non-applying position which is the yarn passing position
and which is a position where the core yarn is not bent as
much as the core yarn at the slack applying position. T5 he
arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 is held at the yarn
passing position when the core yarn C is passed through.
Thus, in the core yarn supplying device 40, the path of the
core yarn C passing through the hole 73 of the slack applying
10 section 70 can be formed as a path with few bent areas, and
thus the core yarn C can be easily passed. In particular,
if the hole is closed as in the case of the hole 73 of the
slack applying section 70, the core yarn is normally
difficult to be passed through compared to a hole provided
15 with a slit and the like. The core yarn C can be easily
passed by adopting the configuration of the present
embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the clamp section 96 is
movable to the clamping position where the clamp section
20 96 clamps the core yarn C, and a non-clamping position which
is the yarn passing position and a position where the clamp
section 96 does not clamp the core yarn C. The clamp section
96 is held at the yarn passing position when the core yarn
C is passed through. Thus, in the core yarn supplying
25 device 40, the region for passing the core yarn C is
sufficiently secured when passing the core yarn C through
the travelling region of the core yarn C formed inside of
the core yarn feeding section 90 in the clamp section 96,
and thus the core yarn C can be easily passed.
30 In the present embodiment, the core yarn supplying
device 40 includes the operating section 58 adapted to start
32
the movement of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp
section 96 to the respective yarn passing positions. Thus,
the movement of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp
section 96 to the respective yarn passing positions can be
easily carried out by the operation of the operating 5 section
58. In particular, in the present embodiment, the
operating section 58 may be arranged at the position located
downstream of the travelling path of the core yarn C. The
operating section 58 is thus located at a lower part of the
10 core yarn supplying device 40, and thus the operator
operating from the work passage can easily operate the
operating section 58.
In the present embodiment, the operating section 58
is an alternate type switch. Thus, the operator can
15 determine whether or not the arm 71 of the slack applying
section 70 and the clamp section 96 are held at the
respective yarn passing positions by checking the operating
section 58. Furthermore, the operating section 58 can have
a simple configuration.
20 In the present embodiment, the spinning unit 2
includes the unit control device 10 adapted to control the
operation of the core yarn supplying device 40, the draft
device 6, and the pneumatic spinning device 7. When the
arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp section
25 96 are held at the respective yarn passing positions, the
unit control device 10 prohibits the drafting operation of
the draft device 6, the spinning operation of the pneumatic
spinning device 7,etc. Thus, in the spinning unit 2, the
drafting operation and the spinning operation by an
30 erroneous operation by the operator, and the like, for
example, can be prohibited from being performed when the
33
yarn passing operation of the core yarn C is carried out.
In the present embodiment, the yarn type of the spun
yarn Y to be produced in the pneumatic spinning device 7
is set in the machine control device E. If the yarn type
that does not use the core yarn C is set in the 5 machine
control device E, the unit control device 10 prohibits the
movement of the arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 and
the clamp section 96 to the respective yarn passing
positions. Thus, in the spinning unit 2, the movement of
10 the arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp
section 96 to the respective yarn passing positions by the
erroneous operation by the operator, and the like, for
example, can be prohibited when the drafting operation and
the spinning operation of the spun yarn Y that does not use
15 the core yarn C are being performed.
In the present embodiment, in the spinning unit 2,
the core yarn supplying device 40 includes the core yarn
feeding section 90 adapted to feed the yarn end of the core
yarn C with the action of the air. The unit control device
20 10 controls to inject the air from the core yarn feeding
nozzle of the core yarn feeding section 90 and the nozzle
in the pneumatic spinning device 7 when the arm 71 of the
slack applying section 70 and the clamp section 96 are held
at the respective yarn passing positions. Thus, in the
25 spinning unit 2, after the core yarn C is passed through
the arm 71 of the slack applying section 70 and the clamp
section 96, the yarn end of the core yarn C can be easily
fed out to the draft device 6 by the core yarn feeding section
90. Furthermore, the fibers, etc., remaining on the
30 travelling path of the core yarn C and the fiber bundle F
can be removed before starting the spinning operation and
34
the like.
The present invention is not limited to the
embodiment described above. In the embodiment described
above, a mode has been described by way of example in which
the tension applying mechanism 61 of the tension 5 applying
section 60 is located at the yarn passing position (the
tension non-applying position) in the initial state where
the air cylinder 66 is not operated, i.e., the state where
the core yarn C is to be set in the core yarn supplying device
10 40. The tension applying mechanism 61 may be located at
the tension applying position in the initial state. In this
case, the unit control device 10 may operate the
electromagnetic valve for the operation of the air cylinder
66 such that the tension applying mechanism 61 is moved to
15 the yarn passing position (the tension non-applying
position) and held at the yarn passing position when the
operating section 58 is switched to the ON state. In other
words, when the operating section 58 is switched to the ON
state, the unit control device 10 operates the
20 electromagnetic valve for the operation of the air cylinder
72 of the slack applying section 70, the electromagnetic
valve for the operation of the air cylinder 98 of the clamp
cutter 92, and the electromagnetic valve for the operation
of the air cylinder 66 of the tension applying section 60.
25 In the embodiment described above, a mode has been
described by way of example in which the core yarn supplying
device 40 includes the tension applying mechanism 61 of the
tension applying section 60, the arm 71 of the slack
applying section 70, and the clamp section 96 as the movable
30 members adapted to act on the core yarn C. However, the
core yarn supplying device 40 may further include other
35
movable members adapted to act on the core yarn C other than
the sections described above. In this case, when setting
the core yarn C in the core yarn supplying device 40, the
other movable members may be moved to the respective yarn
passing positions and held at the respective 5 espective yarn passing
positions.
When setting the core yarn C in the core yarn supplying
device 40, all the movable members that act on the core yarn
C may not necessarily be moved to the respective yarn
10 passing positions and held at each of the yarn passing
positions. In other words, the unit control device 10 may
operate the drive source (e.g., the electromagnetic valve
of each of the air cylinders 66, 72, and 98, and the like)
of each movable member such that any of the plurality of
15 movable members can be moved to the respective yarn passing
positions and held at the respective yarn passing
positions.
In the embodiment described above, the operating
section 58 is arranged in the core yarn supplying unit 50
20 (the core yarn supplying device 40), but the operating
section 58 may be arranged in the draft device 6 and the
like, for example. In other words, the operating section
58 may be arranged at any position of the spinning unit 2
as long as the operator can operate the operating section
25 58.
One embodiment of the present invention has been
described above, but the present invention is not limited
to the above embodiment. In the spinning machine 1, the
unit base 51 is attachable and detachable with respect to
30 the draft base 29, but the unit base 51 may be attachable
and detachable with respect to other portions of the main
36
body unit 30. For example, the unit base 51 may be
attachable and detachable with respect to the machine frame
13. In this case as well, it can be said that the unit base
51 is attachable and detachable with respect to the draft
5 device 6.
In the spinning machine 1, the core yarn supplying
unit 50 includes the second air supplying tube 83 in
addition to the first air supplying tube 82. However, if
the pressure of the compressed air used in the air sucker
10 91 is the same as the pressure of the compressed air used
in each air cylinder 66, 72, 98, the second air supplying
tube 83 may not be arranged and the first air supplying tube
82 may be connected to the air sucker 91. Similarly, if
a regulator is arranged in the core yarn supplying unit 50,
15 the second air supplying tube 83 may not be arranged, and
the first air supplying tube 82 may be connected to the air
sucker 91 via the regulator. Furthermore, the first air
supplying tube 82 merely needs to be connected to at least
one supplying target. For example, the first air supplying
20 tube 82 may be connected to only the air cylinder 66 of the
tension applying section 60. In this case, the slack
applying section 70 and the clamp cutter 92 are to be driven
with a drive means (e.g., motor or the like) different from
the air cylinder.
25 In the spinning machine 1, the supporting member 52
supports one end of the swing shaft 51a, but the supporting
member 52 may support both ends of the swing shaft 51a. The
material and the shape of each structure of the spinning
machine 1 are not limited to the material and the shape
30 described above, and various materials and shapes can be
applied.
37
The unit control device 10 and the machine control
device E merely need to be control devices that directly
or indirectly control at least each section of the core yarn
supplying unit 50, and arranging positions and the like are
not limited. The unit control device 10 may be arr5 anged,
not for each spinning unit 2, but for each group of the
plurality of spinning units 2.
In the spinning machine 1, each device is arranged
such that the spun yarn Y supplied from the upper side is
10 wound on the lower side, but each device may be arranged
such that the yarn supplied from the lower side is wound
on the upper side. Furthermore, in the spinning machine
1, each roller pair of the draft device 6 and the traverse
mechanism of the traverse device 23 are driven by the power
15 from the second end frame 5 (i.e., commonly driven for the
plurality of spinning units 2). However, each section of
the spinning unit 2 (e.g., the draft device 6, the pneumatic
spinning device 7, the winding device 12, or the like) may
be independently driven for each spinning unit 2.
20 The pneumatic spinning device 7 may further include
a needle held by the fiber core yarn guide and arranged to
project out into a spinning chamber to prevent the twists
of the fiber bundle F from being propagated towards the
upstream of the pneumatic spinning device 7. In place of
25 the needle, the pneumatic spinning device 7 may prevent the
twists of the fiber bundle F from being propagated towards
the upstream of the pneumatic spinning device 7 by a
downstream end of the fiber core yarn guide. Moreover, the
pneumatic spinning device 7 may include a pair of air jet
30 nozzles adapted to apply twists in opposite directions from
each other.
38
In the travelling direction of the spun yarn Y, the
tension sensor 9 may be arranged upstream of the spun yarn
monitoring device 8. In the spinning machine 1, the yarn
storage device 14 has a function of pulling out the spun
yarn Y from the pneumatic spinning device 7, but the 5 e spun
yarn Y may be pulled out with a delivery roller and a nip
roller. The waxing device 11, the tension sensor 9, and
the spun yarn monitoring device 8 may not be arranged in
the spinning unit 2.
10 Instead of being driven by a driving motor arranged
for each spinning unit 2, the winding device 12 may be driven
by a common driving source for the plurality of spinning
units 2. In this case, when reversely rotating the package
P, the cradle arm 21 is moved by an air cylinder (not
15 illustrated) such that the package P moves away from the
winding drum 22, and the package P is reversely rotated by
a reverse rotation roller (not illustrated) arranged in the
yarn joining cart 3.
A core yarn supplying unit of the present invention
20 includes a plurality of movable members; a board
electrically connected to each of the plurality of the
movable members; and a unit base adapted to support the
plurality of the movable members and the board.
In such a core yarn supplying unit, electrical
25 connection with each of the plurality of movable members
is concentrated in the board, and thus the electrical
connection with the main body unit, for example, can be
simplified. Thus, according to the core yarn supplying
unit, the attachment and detachment can be facilitated.
30 The core yarn supplying unit of the present invention
may further include one multicore cable. The multicore
39
cable is connected to the board for input and output of an
electric signal with respect to each of the plurality of
the movable members and arranged to be drawn out from the
unit base. According to such a configuration, for example,
simplification of the electrical connection with the 5 main
body unit can be suitably realized.
The core yarn supplying unit of the present invention
may further include one first air supplying tube connected
to a supplying target, which is at least one of the plurality
10 of the movable members, to supply compressed air to the
supplying target and arranged to be drawn out from the unit
base. According to such a configuration, simplification
of the connection of a compressed air supplying path can
be suitably realized.
15 The core yarn supplying unit of the present invention
may include as the plurality of the movable members: a core
yarn feeding section adapted to feed out a yarn end of a
core yarn; and a tension applying section adapted to apply
a tension to the core yarn. According to such a
20 configuration, the core yarn supplying unit can suitably
achieve a function of feeding out the yarn end of the core
yarn and a function of applying the tension to the core yarn.
The core yarn supplying unit of the present invention
may further include one second air supplying tube connected
25 to the core yarn feeding section to supply compressed air
to the core yarn feeding section and arranged to be drawn
out from the unit base. According to such a configuration,
the compressed air having different pressures can be
supplied to the core yarn feeding section and the movable
30 members other than the core yarn feeding section.
The core yarn supplying unit of the present invention
40
may further include a supporting section adapted to
swingably support the unit base. According to such a
configuration, for example, the unit base can be swung to
a core yarn supplying position where the core yarn supplying
unit is located when supplying the core yarn to the 5 main
body unit, and a retreated position where the core yarn
supplying unit is located when not supplying the core yarn
to the main body unit.
In the core yarn supplying unit of the present
10 invention, the supporting section may support one end of
a swing shaft provided on the unit base. According to such
a configuration, an attachment region of the supporting
section is located only on one side, and thus a region on
an opposite side can be effectively used.
15 A spinning machine of the present invention includes
the core yarn supplying unit described above; a draft device
adapted to draft a fiber bundle; a pneumatic spinning device
adapted to produce a spun yarn by applying twists to the
fiber bundle with the core yarn as a core; and a winding
20 device adapted to wind the spun yarn around a package,
wherein the unit base of the core yarn supplying unit is
attachable and detachable with respect to the draft device.
In the spinning machine, since the core yarn
supplying unit is attached with respect to the draft device
25 to which the core yarn is supplied, the configuration of
the spinning machine can be simplified.
The spinning machine of the present invention may
further include a holding section adapted to hold the unit
base, swingable between the core yarn supplying position
30 and a plurality of retreated positions with respect to the
draft device, at any of the core yarn supplying position
41
and the plurality of retreated positions. According to
such a configuration, the unit base can be held at any of
the core yarn supplying position and the plurality of
retreated positions in accordance with when the spinning
is carried out, when the spinning is interrupted, and 5 nd the
like.
In the spinning machine of the present invention, the
core yarn supplying unit may be arranged outside a work
region for setting the fiber bundle to the draft device.
10 According to such a configuration, the work region is
secured, and thus the operation of setting the fiber bundle
in the draft device can be efficiently carried out.
In the core yarn supplying unit according to the
present invention, the plurality of movable members are
15 configured such that the core yarn is passed therethrough
and so as to act on the core yarn, and the plurality of
movable members are arranged to be held at respective yarn
passing positions for passing the core yarn therethrough
when the core yarn is passed through the plurality of
20 movable members.
Thus, in the core yarn supplying unit, the plurality
of movable members can be held at appropriate positions
where the core yarn can be easily passed therethrough.
Therefore, in the core yarn supplying device, the core yarn
25 can be easily set.
In one embodiment, the core yarn supplying unit may
further include as the plurality of the movable members:
a slack applying section adapted to apply slack to the core
yarn; and a clamp section adapted to clamp the core yarn.
30 According to such a configuration, the core yarn supplying
unit can suitably achieve a function of applying the slack
42
to the core yarn and a function of clamping the core yarn.
In one embodiment, the tension applying section may
be arranged movable to a tension applying position where
the tension applying section applies tension to the core
yarn by bending the core yarn, and a tension non-5 applying
position which is the yarn passing position where the core
yarn is not bent as much as the core yarn at the tension
applying position. According to such a configuration, in
the core yarn supplying device, the path of the core yarn
10 passing the tension applying section is formed as a path
with few bent areas, for example, and thus the core yarn
can be easily set.
In one embodiment, the slack applying section may
be arranged movable to a slack applying position where the
15 tension applying section applies slack to the core yarn by
bending the core yarn, and a slack non-applying position
which is the yarn passing position where the core yarn is
not bent as much as the core yarn at the slack applying
position. According to such a configuration, in the core
20 yarn supplying device, the path of the core yarn passing
the slack applying section is formed as a path with few bent
areas, for example, and thus the core yarn can be easily
set.
In one embodiment, the clamp section may be arranged
25 movable to a clamping position where the clamp section
clamps the core yarn, and a non-clamping position which is
the yarn passing position and which is a position where the
clamp section does not clamp the core yarn. According to
such a configuration, the region for passing the core yarn
30 is sufficiently secured when the core yarn is passed through
the clamp section in the core yarn supplying device, and
43
thus the core yarn can be easily set.
In one embodiment, the core yarn supplying unit may
further include an operating section adapted to start
movement of the plurality of the movable members to the
respective yarn passing positions. According to 5 such a
configuration, the movement of the plurality of movable
members to the respective yarn passing positions can be
easily carried out by the operation of the operating
section.
10 In one embodiment, the operating section may be
arranged at a position located downstream in a travelling
path of the core yarn. According to such a configuration,
for example, the operating section is located on a lower
side in the core yarn supplying unit in which the core yarn
15 travels from an upper side towards a lower side, and thus
the operation of the operating section can be easily carried
out.
In one embodiment, the operating section may be an
alternate type switch. According to such a configuration,
20 an operator can determine whether or not the plurality of
movable members are held at the respective yarn passing
positions by checking the operating section. Furthermore,
the operating section can have a simple configuration.
A spinning machine according to the present invention
25 includes the core yarn supplying unit; a draft device
adapted to draft a fiber bundle; a pneumatic spinning device
adapted to produce a spun yarn by applying twists to the
fiber bundle with the core yarn as a core, wherein the
plurality of movable members are moved to the respective
30 yarn passing positions and held at the respective yarn
passing positions if the drafting operation of the draft
44
device and the spinning operation of the pneumatic spinning
device are stopped when the core yarn is being passed
through the plurality of movable members.
Thus, in the core yarn supplying unit, the plurality
of movable members can be held at an appropriate 5 position
where the core yarn can be easily passed therethrough.
Therefore, in the spinning device, the core yarn can be
easily set in the core yarn supplying unit.
In one embodiment, the spinning machine includes a
10 control section adapted to control the operations of the
core yarn supplying unit, the draft device, and the
pneumatic spinning device, wherein the control section may
prohibit the drafting operation of the draft device and the
spinning operation of the pneumatic spinning device when
15 the plurality of movable members are held at the respective
yarn passing positions. According to such a configuration,
in the spinning machine, the drafting operation and the
spinning operation by an erroneous operation by the
operator, and the like, for example, can be prohibited from
20 being performed when the core yarn is being passed through
the plurality of movable members.
In one embodiment, the spinning machine may include
a setting section adapted to set a yarn type of a yarn to
be produced by the pneumatic spinning device, wherein the
25 control section may prohibit the movement of the plurality
of movable members to the respective yarn passing positions
when the yarn type that does not use the core yarn is set
in the setting section. According to such a configuration,
in the spinning machine, the movement of the plurality of
30 movable members to the respective yarn passing positions
by an erroneous operation by the operator, and the like,
45
for example, can be prohibited when the drafting operation
and the spinning operation of the yarn that does not use
the core yarn are being performed.
In one embodiment, the core yarn supplying unit may
include a core yarn feeding section adapted to feed out 5 t the
yarn end of the core yarn with action of air, wherein the
control section may control to inject air from the core yarn
feeding section and the pneumatic spinning device when the
movable members are held at the respective yarn passing
10 positions. According to such a configuration, in the
spinning machine, for example, the yarn end of the core yarn
can be fed out to the draft device by the core yarn feeding
section after the core yarn is passed through each movable
member. Furthermore, the fibers and the like remaining on
15 the travelling path of the core yarn and the fiber bundle
can be removed before starting the spinning operation.

WE CLAIM:
1. A core yarn supplying unit comprising:
a plurality of movable members;
a board electrically connected to each of the
5 plurality of the movable members; and
a unit base adapted to support the plurality of the
movable members and the board.
2. The core yarn supplying unit according to claim
10 1, further comprising one multicore cable connected to the
board for input and output of an electric signal with
respect to each of the plurality of the movable members and
arranged to be drawn out from the unit base.
15 3. The core yarn supplying unit according to claim
1 or claim 2, further comprising one first air supplying
tube connected to a supplying target, which is at least one
of the plurality of the movable members, to supply
compressed air to the supplying target and arranged to be
20 drawn out from the unit base.
4. The core yarn supplying unit according to any one
of claim 1 through claim 3, comprising as the plurality of
the movable members;
25 a core yarn feeding section adapted to feed out a yarn
end of a core yarn; and
a tension applying section adapted to apply a tension
to the core yarn.
30 5. The core yarn supplying unit according to claim
4, further comprising one second air supplying tube
47
connected to the core yarn feeding section to supply
compressed air to the core yarn feeding section and arranged
to be drawn out from the unit base.
6. The core yarn supplying unit according to any 5 one
of claim 1 through claim 5, further comprising a supporting
section adapted to swingably support the unit base.
7. The core yarn supplying unit according to any one
10 of claim 1 through claim 6, wherein the plurality of the
movable members are arranged to be held at respective yarn
passing positions where the core yarn is passed through the
plurality of the movable members when the core yarn is
passed through the plurality of the movable members.
15
8. The core yarn supplying unit according to claim
7, further comprising as the plurality of the movable
members:
a slack applying section adapted to apply slack to
20 the core yarn; and
a clamp section adapted to clamp the core yarn.
9. The core yarn supplying unit according to claim
8, wherein the slack applying section is arranged movable
25 to a slack applying position where the slack applying
section applies slack to the core yarn by bending the core
yarn, and a slack non-applying position which is the yarn
passing position and which is a position where the core yarn
is not bent as much as the core yarn at the slack applying
30 position.
48
10. The core yarn supplying unit according to claim
8 or claim 9, wherein the clamp section is arranged movable
to a clamping position where the clamp section clamps the
core yarn and a non-clamping position which is the yarn
passing position and which is a position where the 5 clamp
section does not clamp the core yarn.
11. The core yarn supplying unit according to any
one of claim 7 through claim 10, further comprising an
10 operating section adapted to start movement of the
plurality of the movable members to the respective yarn
passing positions.
12. A spinning machine comprising:
15 the core yarn supplying unit according to any one of
claim 1 through claim 11;
a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle;
a pneumatic spinning device adapted to produce a spun
yarn by applying twists to the fiber bundle with the core
20 yarn as a core; and
a winding device adapted to wind the spun yarn around
a package,
wherein the unit base of the core yarn supplying unit
is attachable and detachable with respect to the draft
25 device.