SPINNING MACHINE AND SPINNING METHOD
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
5 The present invention relates to a spinning machine
and a spinning method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a spinning machine
10 including a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle
and a pneumatic spinning device adapted to produce a yarn
by applying twists to the drafted fiber bundle by injecting
air to a spinning chamber while being located at a spinning
position (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.
15 2006-144136, for example) . In such a spinning machine, for
example, in a case where a yarn defect has been detected,
when a drafting operation of the draft device is stopped,
a fiber bundle portion to which twists have not been applied
is formed at a yarn end of the yarn.
20
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the spinning machine as described above, for
example, when accumulating the yarn in a yarn accumulating
device using a yarn accumulating roller, if a length of the
25 fiber bundle portion is excessively long, the fiber bundle
portion may remain at the yarn accumulating roller. If the
length of the fiber bundle portion is excessively short,
a yarn end of the yarn from a winding device may not be
reliably caught when performing a yarn joining operation.
30 An object of the present invention is to provide a
spinning machine and a spinning method that are capable of
2
adjusting the length of the fiber bundle portion to be
formed at the yarn end of the yarn.
A spinning machine comprises a draft device adapted
to draft a fiber bundle; and a pneumatic spinning device
5 arranged movable to a spinning position and a receded
position, and adapted to produce a yarn by applying twists
to the drafted fiber bundle by injecting air to a spinning
chamber while being located at the spinning position, the
receded position being located further away from the draft
10 device than the spinning position, wherein the spinning
machine is configured to adjust at least one of a first
timing and a second timing, the first timing being a timing
at which injection of the air is stopped when a drafting
operation of the draft device is stopped, and the second
15 timing being a timing at which the pneumatic spinning device
starts being moved from the spinning position to the receded
position when the drafting operation of the draft device
is stopped.
A spinning method executed in a spinning machine
20 comprising a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle;
and a pneumatic spinning device arranged movable to a
spinning position and a receded position, and adapted to
produce a yarn by applying twists to the drafted fiber
bundle by injecting air to a spinning chamber while being
25 located at the spinning position, the receded position
being located further away from the draft device than the
spinning position, the spinning method comprises adjusting
at least one of a first timing and a second timing, the first
timing being a timing at which injection of the air is
30 stopped when a drafting operation of the draft device is
stopped, and the second timing being a timing at which the
3
pneumatic spinning device starts being moved from the
spinning position to the receded position when the drafting
operation of the draft device is stopped.
5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a spinning machine
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a spinning unit
of the spinning machine in FIG. 1;
10 FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a
pneumatic spinning device of the spinning unit in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the
pneumatic spinning device moving from a spinning position
to a receded position;
15 FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the
pneumatic spinning device located at the receded position;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are each a timing chart of operations
relating to an adjustment of a length of a fiber bundle
portion;
20 FIGS. 7A and 7B are each a timing chart of operations
relating to an adjustment of the length of the fiber bundle
portion; and
FIGS. 8A and 8B are each a timing chart of operations
relating to an adjustment of the length of the fiber bundle
25 portion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will
be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the
30 accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are
denoted on the same or corresponding portions throughout
4
the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a spinning machine 1
includes a plurality of spinning units 2, a yarn joining
vehicle 3, a blower box 4, and a motor box 5. The plurality
5 of spinning units 2 are arranged in a row, and each of the
plurality of spinning units 2 is adapted to produce a yarn
Y to wind around a package P. The yarn joining vehicle 3
is adapted to perform a yarn joining operation in a spinning
unit 2 in which the yarn Y has been disconnected. The blower
10 box 4 accommodates an air supply source adapted to generate,
for example, suction flow and whirling flow in each section
of the spinning unit 2, and the like. The motor box 5
accommodates a motor adapted to supply power to each section
of the spinning unit 2, and the like.
15 In the following description, upstream and
downstream in a travelling direction of a sliver S, a fiber
bundle F, and the yarn Y are respectively referred to as
"upstream" and "downstream" simply. Furthermore, a side
where a travelling path of the yarn Y is located with respect
20 to the yarn joining vehicle 3 is simply referred to as a
"front side" and an opposite side thereto is simply referred
to as a "back side".
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each spinning unit
2 includes a draft device 6, an injecting device 14, a
25 suction device 15, a pneumatic spinning device 7, a yarn
monitoring device 8, a tension sensor 9, a yarn accumulating
device 50, a waxing device 11, and a winding device 12 in
this order from upstream. The devices are directly or
indirectly supported by a machine frame 13 such that
30 upstream becomes an upper side in a machine height direction
(in other words, such that downstream becomes a lower side
5
in the machine height direction).
The draft device 6 is adapted to produce the fiber
bundle F by drafting the sliver S. The draft device 6
includes a pair of back rollers 61, a pair of third rollers
5 62, a pair of middle rollers 64 each of which is provided
with an apron belt 63, and a pair of front rollers 65 in
this order from upstream. Each of the pairs of rollers 61,
62, 64, and 65 is adapted to transport the sliver S fed from
a sliver can (not illustrated) from upstream to downstream
10 while drafting. Among each of the pairs of rollers 61, 62,
64, and 65, the pair of front rollers 65 is arranged closest
to the pneumatic spinning device 7. The pair of front
rollers 65 includes a bottom roller (a drive roller) 65a
and a top roller (a driven roller) 65b. Drive force is
15 applied from a drive motor (not illustrated), and thereby
the bottom roller 65a is rotated. The top roller 65b is
rotated accompanying the rotation of the bottom roller 65a.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the pneumatic spinning
device 7 is adapted to inject air and apply twists to the
20 fiber bundle F drafted by the draft device 6 to produce the
yarn Y while being located at a spinning position. The
spinning position is a position where the pneumatic
spinning device 7 is arranged to be close to the draft device
6 (specifically, the pair of front rollers 65) at the time
25 of spinning, and is a position where the pneumatic spinning
device 7 is located when the fiber bundle F is fed from the
draft device 6 to the pneumatic spinning device 7. The
pneumatic spinning device 7 includes a nozzle block 70 and
a hollow guide shaft body 80. The hollow guide shaft body
30 80 is inserted into the nozzle block 70 from downstream.
An internal space formed by the nozzle block 70 and the
6
hollow guide shaft body 80 is a spinning chamber 73.
The nozzle block 70 includes a fiber guiding section
71 and a whirling flow generating section 72. The fiber
guiding section 71 is provided with a guiding hole 71a
5 adapted to guide the fiber bundle F fed from the draft device
6 to the spinning chamber 73. A needle 75 is provided to
the fiber guiding section 71. A tip-end portion 75a of the
needle 75 is located in the spinning chamber 73. The needle
75 has a function to prevent twists from propagating
10 upstream of the spinning chamber 73. The whirling flow
generating section 72 is provided with a plurality of
nozzles 74 that communicate to the spinning chamber 73. The
plurality of nozzles 74 are arranged such that the whirling
flow is generated in the spinning chamber 73 when air is
15 injected. The whirling flow generating section 72 is
provided with a hole portion 72a through which the hollow
guide shaft body 80 is inserted. The hole portion 72a is
formed into a truncated cone shape that tapers off towards
upstream and communicates to the spinning chamber 73.
20 The hollow guide shaft body 80 can be inserted into
the hole portion 72a of the whirling flow generating section
72 . An upper-end portion 80a of the hollow guide shaft body
80 is formed into a truncated cone shape that tapers off
towards upstream. The hollow guide shaft body 80 is
25 provided with a passage 81 extending along a central axis
of the hollow guide shaft body 80. The passage 81
communicates to the spinning chamber 73 at an upstream side
thereof, and is formed in a widened manner towards an exit
83 located downstream. A collecting section 77
30 communicates to the spinning chamber 73 via a gap formed
between the upper-end portion 80a of the hollow guide shaft
7
body 80 and the hole portion 72a of the whirling flow
generating section 72.
The pneumatic spinning device 7 is movably
(swingably) supported by a support shaft (not illustrated) .
5 As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pneumatic spinning
device 7 can be moved to a receded position, which is located
further away from the draft device 6 than the spinning
position. When the pneumatic spinning device 7 is located
at the receded position, the hollow guide shaft body 80 can
10 be further moved from the nozzle block 70. When the
pneumatic spinning device 7 is moved from the spinning
position to the receded position, as illustrated in FIG.
4, the nozzle block 70 and the hollow guide shaft body 80
are integrally moved away from the draft device 6. Then,
15 as illustrated in FIG. 5, only the nozzle block 70 stops
at a predetermined position. The hollow guide shaft body
80 continues the movement in order to be located away from
the nozzle block 70. Subsequently, the hollow guide shaft
body 80 that has been moved away from the nozzle block 70
20 stops at a predetermined position.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the yarn monitoring
device 8 is adapted to monitor the travelling yarn Y between
the pneumatic spinning device 7 and the yarn accumulating
device 50. The yarn monitoring device 8 transmits a yarn
25 defect detection signal to a unit controller (a control
section) 10 upon detection of a yarn defect. The yarn
monitoring device 8 detects as the yarn defect, for example,
an abnormality in thickness of the yarn Y and/or a foreign
substance in the yarn Y. Furthermore, the yarn monitoring
30 device 8 detects a length of the yarn Y and transmits a length
detection signal to the unit controller 10. The tension
8
sensor 9 is adapted to measure tension of the travelling
yarn Y between the pneumatic spinning device 7 and the yarn
accumulating device 50, and to transmit a tension
measurement signal to the unit controller 10. The waxing
5 device 11 is adapted to apply wax to the travelling yarn
Y between the yarn accumulating device 50 and the winding
device 12.
The unit controller 10 is formed of, for example, a
Central Processing Unit (CPU) adapted to perform arithmetic
10 processing, a Read Only Memory (ROM) and a Random Access
Memory (RAM) each adapted to function as a storage section,
and the like, and is provided to every spinning unit 2. The
unit controller 10 receives the yarn defect detection
signal transmitted from the yarn monitoring device 8. The
15 unit controller 10 calculates a length of the yarn Y that
has been wound by the winding device 12 based on the length
detection signal of the yarn Y transmitted from the yarn
monitoring device 8. The unit controller 10 determines
based on the calculated result, whether or not the package
20 P is fully-wound. The unit controller 10 may be provided
to every predetermined number of the spinning units 2.
Alternatively, a controller adapted to control the entire
spinning machine 1 may be provided, and all the spinning
units 2 may be controlled by such a controller.
25 As illustrated in FIG. 4, the injecting device 14 is
adapted to inject air towards a region C between the draft
device 6 and the pneumatic spinning device 7 after the
pneumatic spinning device 7 starts being moved from the
spinning position to the receded position. The injecting
30 device 14 is arranged to inject the air such that the air
crosses a fiber passage (a path where the fiber bundle F
9
travels) in the region C. The injecting device 14 is
preferably arranged to inject the air along a direction
vertical to the fiber passage. The injecting device 14 is
controlled by the unit controller 10 to inject the air at
5 a desired timing. The suction device 15 is arranged to face
the injecting device 14 with the region C therebetween, and
is adapted to suck a fiber that remains in and around the
region C. The injecting device 14 is located on a side of
the top roller 65b (a top roller 65b side) with respect to
10 the region C, and the suction device 15 is located on a side
of the bottom roller 65a (a bottom roller 65a side) with
respect to the region C. The top roller 65b side means a
region on a side where the top roller 65b is arranged with
the fiber passage as a reference when seen in an axial
15 direction of the pair of front rollers 65 (a direction
penetrating a page of FIG. 3) and includes a region
downstream of the top roller 65b. The bottom roller 65a
side means a region on a side where the bottom roller 65a
is arranged with the fiber passage as a reference when seen
20 in the axial direction of the pair of front rollers 65 and
includes a region downstream of the bottom roller 65a.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the yarn accumulating
device 50 is adapted to accumulate the travelling yarn Y
between the pneumatic spinning device 7 and the winding
25 device 12 by winding the travelling yarn Y around a yarn
accumulating roller. The yarn accumulating device 50 has
a function to stably draw the yarn Y from the pneumatic
spinning device 7, a function to accumulate the yarn Y fed
from the pneumatic spinning device 7 to prevent the yarn
30 Y from slackening, for example, when the yarn joining
vehicle 3 performs a yarn joining operation, and a function
10
to adjust tension of the yarn Y located downstream of the
yarn accumulating device 50 to prevent variation in the
tension of the downstream yarn Y from propagating to the
pneumatic spinning device 7.
5 The winding device 12 is adapted to wind the yarn 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 is swingably supported by a support
10 shaft 24 and is adapted to bring a surface of the bobbin
B or the package P each of which is rotatably supported by
the cradle arm 21 into contact with a surface of the winding
drum 22 with an appropriate pressure. The winding drum 22
is driven by an electric motor (not illustrated) provided
15 to every spinning unit 2, and rotates the bobbin B or the
package P being in contact therewith. The traverse device
23 is adapted to be driven by a shaft 25 provided in common
to the plurality of spinning units 2 and to traverse the
yarn Y at a predetermined width with respect to the rotating
20 bobbin B or the rotating package P.
The yarn joining vehicle 3 travels to a spinning unit
2 in which the yarn Y has been disconnected, and performs
a yarn joining operation in such a spinning unit 2. The
yarn joining vehicle 3 includes a splicer 26, a suction pipe
25 27, and a suction mouth 28 . The suction pipe 27 is swingably
supported by a support shaft 31. The suction pipe 27 sucks
and catches a yarn end of the yarn Y from the pneumatic
spinning device 7 and guides the caught yarn end to the
splicer 26. The suction mouth 28 is swingably supported
30 by a support shaft 32. The suction mouth 28 sucks and
catches a yarn end of the yarn Y from the winding device
11
12 and guides the caught yarn end to the splicer 26. The
splicer 26 performs yarn joining of the guided yarn ends.
Next, operations relating to an adjustment of
a length of a fiber bundle portion Yl to be formed at a yarn
5 end of the yarn Y will be described. As illustrated in FIG.
5, the fiber bundle portion Yl means a region to which twists
have not been applied at a yarn end of the yarn Y connected
to the package P. Operations to form the fiber bundle
portion Yl are performed, for example, when spinning is
10 interrupted upon detection of a yarn defect or when a
package P is fully-wound and spinning is finished.
During spinning, air is injected from the plurality
of nozzles 74 to the fiber bundle F fed to the spinning
chamber 73, and whirling flow is generated in the spinning
15 chamber 73. Accordingly, twists are applied to the fiber
bundle F fed to the spinning chamber 73, and the yarn Y is
produced. The produced yarn Y is discharged from the exit
83 via the passage 81. Fibers that did not become the yarn
Y are collected into the collecting section 77. During
20 spinning, the pneumatic spinning device 7 is located at the
spinning position.
When a yarn defect is detected by the yarn monitoring
device 8 during spinning, the yarn defect detection signal
is transmitted to the unit controller 10. Upon receiving
25 the yarn defect detection signal, the unit controller 10
controls the draft device 6 to stop driving of the pair of
back rollers 61 (a drafting operation of the draft device
6) . Since the pair of front rollers 65 is connected to a
drive source (a drive source provided in common to pairs
30 of front rollers 65 in other spinning units 2) different
from a drive source of the pair of back rollers 61, driving
12
of the pair of front rollers 65 is maintained. Consequently,
the fiber bundle F is disconnected between the pair of back
rollers 61 and the pair of front rollers 65. A timing at
which the unit controller 10 controls the draft device 6
5 as described above is referred to as a "timing K to stop
the drafting operation of the draft device 6".
The unit controller 10 then controls the pneumatic
spinning device 7 to stop injection of air from the
plurality of nozzles 74 . When the injection of the air from
10 the plurality of nozzles 74 has been stopped, whirling flow
in the spinning chamber 73 disappears and twists are not
applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y. Consequently, the
fiber bundle portion Yl to which twists have not been
applied is formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y. A timing
15 at which the unit controller 10 controls the pneumatic
spinning device 7 as described above is referred to as a
"first timing L to stop injection of air". The first timing
L is set by the unit controller 10 with the timing K to stop
the drafting operation of the draft device 6 as a reference.
20 The unit controller 10 has a function as a setting section
of the first timing L.
Subsequently, the unit controller 10 controls the
pneumatic spinning device 7 to start moving from the
spinning position to the receded position (a movement
25 process) . A timing at which the unit controller 10 controls
the pneumatic spinning device 7 as described above is
referred to as a "second timing M to start movement of the
pneumatic spinning device 7 from the spinning position to
the receded position". The second timing M is set to be
30 after an elapse of a predetermined period of time from the
first timing L by the unit controller 10 so as to be linked
13
with the first timing L to stop the injection of the air.
The unit controller 10 functions as a setting section of
the second timing M. The second timing M is set such that
the pneumatic spinning device 7 starts moving from the
5 spinning position to the receded position after twists are
applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y under a state in which
the pneumatic spinning device 7 is located at the spinning
position.
Subseguently, for example, the unit controller 10
10 controls the injecting device 14 to inject air after the
pneumatic spinning device 7 starts moving from the spinning
position to the receded position (after the second timing
M) (an injection process) . A timing at which the unit
controller 10 controls the injecting device 14 as described
15 above is referred to as a "third timing N to inject air".
The third timing N is set to be after an elapse of a
predetermined period of time from the second timing M by
the unit controller 10 so as to be linked with the second
timing M to start movement of the pneumatic spinning device
20 7 from the spinning position to the receded position. The
unit controller 10 has a function as a setting section of
the third timing N. After the pneumatic spinning device
7 starts moving from the spinning position to the receded
position, the air is injected to the fiber bundle F passing
25 the region C between the draft device 6 and the pneumatic
spinning device 7. The fiber bundle F is disconnected by
the injected air. In such a manner, the fiber bundle F is
disconnected between the pair of back rollers 61 and the
pair of front rollers 65, and is further disconnected by
30 the injecting device 14.
Fibers that are generated when the fiber bundle F is
14
disconnected are sucked by the suction device 15. The unit
controller 10 then controls the injecting device 14 to stop
the injection of the air before the pneumatic spinning
device 7 reaches the receded position.
5 The unit controller 10 further has a function as an
adjusting section of the first timing L. The unit
controller 10 can adjust the first timing L by storing data
selected by an operator via an input section (not
illustrated) in the storage section and performing a
10 control program in accordance with the selected data. When
lengthening a length of the fiber bundle portion Yl, as
illustrated in FIG. 6A, the first timing L is adjusted to
be relatively early (for example, to be earlier than the
first timing L illustrated in FIG. 6B) . Accordingly, since
15 twists are not sufficiently applied to the yarn end of the
yarn Y, the length of the fiber bundle portion Yl becomes
long. The length of the fiber bundle portion Yl is
lengthened, for example, in a case of reliably catching the
yarn end of the yarn Y when performing the yarn joining
20 operation. When shortening the length of the fiber bundle
portion Yl, as illustrated in FIG. 6B, the first timing L
is adjusted to be relatively delayed (for example, to be
later than the first timing L illustrated in FIG. 6A) .
Accordingly, since twists are sufficiently applied to the
25 yarn end of the yarn Y, the length of the fiber bundle portion
Yl becomes short. The length of the fiber bundle portion
Yl is shortened, for example, in a case of preventing the
fiber bundle portion Yl from remaining at the yarn
accumulating roller of the yarn accumulating device 50. In
30 such a manner, the first timing L is adjusted by the unit
controller 10 to be delayed when shortening the length of
15
the fiber bundle portion Yl.
A case in which spinning is interrupted upon
detection of a yarn defect has been described above, but
similar operations are performed also in a case in which
5 the package P is determined to be fully-wound and spinning
is finished. However, in this case, the length of the fiber
bundle portion Yl is preferably shortened or the fiber
bundle portion Yl is preferably not formed such that a knot
of the yarn Y is not disconnected when unwinding the package
10 P by a warper in the following processing. As illustrated
in FIG. 6B, for example, the first timing L is thus
preferably adjusted to be a late timing or a further late
timing.
As described above, in the spinning machine 1 and a
15 spinning method executed in the spinning machine 1, in a
case where the drafting operation of the draft device 6 has
been stopped, when the injection of air is stopped in the
pneumatic spinning device 7, twists are not appropriately
applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y in the pneumatic
20 spinning device 7, and the fiber bundle portion Yl is formed
at the yarn end of the yarn Y. In the spinning machine 1
and the spinning method, since the first timing L to stop
the injection of the air in the pneumatic spinning device
7 when the drafting operation of the draft device 6 is
25 stopped is adjusted, the length of the fiber bundle portion
Yl to be formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y can be adjusted.
"Twists are not appropriately applied to the yarn end of
the yarn Y" means that twists different from twists at the
time of spinning are applied to the yarn end of the yarn
30 Y or twists are not applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y.
Accordingly, the length of the fiber bundle portion
16
Yl can be adjusted, for example, such that the fiber bundle
portion Yl does not remain at the yarn accumulating roller
of the yarn accumulating device 50 located downstream of
the pneumatic spinning device 7. Furthermore, the length
5 of the fiber bundle portion Yl can be adjusted such that
the yarn end of the yarn Y can be reliably caught when
performing the yarn joining operation. On the other hand,
when the package P is fully-wound, the length of the fiber
bundle portion Yl can be shortened such that a knot of the
10 yarn Y is not disconnected when unwinding the package P by
the warper in the following process.
In the spinning machine 1, the first timing L is
adjusted with the timing K to stop the drafting operation
of the draft device 6 as a reference. With this
15 configuration, the length of the fiber bundle portion Yl
to be formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y can be easily
and appropriately adjusted.
In the spinning machine 1, the first timing L is
adjusted to be delayed when shortening the length of the
20 fiber bundle portion Yl to be formed at the yarn end of the
yarn Y. With this configuration, since relation of the
first timing L and the length of the fiber bundle portion
Yl is clear, the length of the fiber bundle portion Yl to
be formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y can be easily
25 adjusted.
In the spinning machine 1, the second timing M is set
to be linked with the first timing L. With this
configuration, since adjustment of the second timing M is
not required to be performed separately from adjustment of
30 the first timing L, the length of the fiber bundle portion
Yl to be formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y can be easily
17
adjusted.
The second timing M is set such that the pneumatic
spinning device 7 starts moving from the spinning position
to the receded position after twists are applied to the yarn
5 end of the yarn Y under the state in which the pneumatic
spinning device 7 is located at the spinning position. With
this configuration, since twists are reliably applied to
the yarn end of the yarn Y without being disturbed by the
movement of the pneumatic spinning device 7 from the
10 spinning position to the receded position, the length of
the fiber bundle portion Yl to be formed at the yarn end
of the yarn Y can be appropriately adjusted. At least one
of the first timing L and the second timing M may be adjusted
such that the pneumatic spinning device 7 starts moving from
15 the spinning position to the receded position after twists
are applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y while being located
at the spinning position.
The spinning machine 1 includes the injecting device
14 that injects air to the region C between the draft device
20 6 and the pneumatic spinning device 7. With this
configuration, the fiber bundle F can be disconnected by
controlling the injecting device 14 to inject the air. The
length of the fiber bundle portion Yl thus can be
appropriately adjusted by adjusting the third timing N to
25 inject the air from the injecting device 14.
The spinning machine 1 includes the unit controller
10 that controls operations relating to the adjustment of
the first timing L. With this configuration, the length
of the fiber bundle portion Yl can be automatically adjusted
30 in accordance with a condition set for the case in which
spinning is interrupted upon detection of a yarn defect,
18
the case in which the package P is determined to be
fully-wound and spinning is finished, or the like.
An embodiment of the present invention has been
described above, but the present invention is not limited
5 to the above-described embodiment.
In the above-described embodiment, the second timing
M is set to be after an elapse of the predetermined period
of time from the first timing L, but may be adjustable by
the unit controller 10. When lengthening the length of the
10 fiber bundle portion Yl, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the
second timing M is adjusted to be relatively early (for
example, to be earlier than the second timing M illustrated
in FIG. 7B). Accordingly, since twists are not
sufficiently applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y, the
15 length of the fiber bundle portion Yl becomes long. The
length of the fiber bundle portion Yl is lengthened, for
example, in the case of reliably catching the yarn end of
the yarn Y when performing the yarn joining operation, or
the like. On the other hand, when shortening the length
20 of the fiber bundle portion Yl, as illustrated in FIG. 7B,
the second timing M is adjusted to be relatively delayed
(for example, to be later than the second timing M
illustrated in FIG. 7A). Accordingly, since twists are
sufficiently applied to the yarn end of the yarn Y, the
25 length of the fiber bundle portion Yl becomes short. The
length of the fiber bundle portion Yl is shortened, for
example, in the case of preventing the fiber bundle portion
Yl from remaining at the yarn accumulating roller of the
yarn accumulating device 50, or the like. In such a manner,
30 the second timing M may be adjusted by the unit controller
10 to be delayed when shortening the length of the fiber
19
bundle portion Yl.
In the spinning machine 1 according to the
above-described alternative embodiment and the spinning
method executed in the spinning machine 1, in the case where
5 the drafting operation of the draft device 6 has been
stopped, when the pneumatic spinning device 7 starts being
moved from the spinning position to the receded position,
twists are not appropriately applied to the yarn end of the
yarn Y in the pneumatic spinning device 7, and the fiber
10 bundle portion Yl is formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y.
In the spinning machine 1 and the spinning method thereof,
since the second timing M to start movement of the pneumatic
spinning device 7 from the spinning position to the receded
position when the drafting operation of the draft device
15 6 is stopped is adjusted, the length of the fiber bundle
portion Yl to be formed at the yarn end of the yarn Y can
be adjusted. Both of the first timing L and the second
timing M also may be adjusted.
In the above-described embodiment, the third timing
20 N is set to be after an elapse of the predetermined period
of time from the second timing M, but may be adjustable by
the unit controller 10. When shortening the length of the
fiber bundle portion Yl, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the
third timing N is adjusted to be relatively early (for
25 example, to be earlier than the third timing N illustrated
in FIG. 8B). Accordingly, since a length of the yarn end
of the yarn Y to be disconnected by the injecting device
14 becomes long, the length of the fiber bundle portion Yl
becomes short. The length of the fiber bundle portion Yl
30 is shortened, for example, in the case of preventing the
fiber bundle portion Yl from remaining at the yarn
20
accumulating roller of the yarn accumulating device 50, or
the like. On the other hand, when lengthening the length
of the fiber bundle portion Yl, as illustrated in FIG. 8B,
the third timing N is adjusted to be relatively delayed (for
5 example, to be later than the third timing N illustrated
in FIG. 8A) . Accordingly, since the length of the yarn end
of the yarn Y to be disconnected by the injecting device
14 becomes short, the length of the fiber bundle portion
Yl becomes long. The length of the fiber bundle portion
10 Yl is lengthened, for example, in the case of reliably
catching the yarn end of the yarn Y when performing the yarn
joining operation, or the like. In such a manner, the third
timing N may be adjusted by the unit controller 10 to be
early when shortening the length of the fiber bundle portion
15 Yl.
In the above-described embodiment and the
above-described alternative embodiment, the unit
controller 10 controls the operations relating to the
adjustments of the first timing L, the second timing M, and
20 the third timing N. However, an adjustment mechanism to
adjust at least one of the first timing L, the second timing
M, and the third timing N may be arranged separately from
the unit controller 10, and an operator may directly adjust
at least one of the first timing L, the second timing M,
25 and the third timing N by such an adjustment mechanism
without the unit controller 10. For example, in the
pneumatic spinning device 7 in which a length of an air path
that communicates to the plurality of nozzles 74 can be
adjusted, the length of the air path may be adjusted by the
30 operator. Since a timing at which air is injected from the
plurality of nozzles 74 is varied by adjusting the length
21
of the air path, the first timing L can be adjusted.
Alternatively, in the spinning machine 1 in which
positional relation of an actuator (an air cylinder, for
example) adapted to move the pneumatic spinning device 7
5 to the spinning position and the receded position, and the
pneumatic spinning device 7 can be adjusted, the positional
relation may be adjusted by the operator. Since a timing
at which the actuator starts acting on the pneumatic
spinning device 7 is varied by adjusting the positional
10 relation, the second timing M can be adjusted. In such'a
manner, at least one of the first timing L, the second timing
M, and the third timing N may be directly adjusted without
the unit controller 10.
In the above-described embodiment, the first timing
15 L is adjusted with the timing K as a reference, but the first
timing L may be adjusted with a timing at which the yarn
defect detection signal is input from the yarn monitoring
device 8 as a reference. In the same manner, the second
timing M may be adjusted with the timing at which the yarn
20 defect detection signal is input from the yarn monitoring
device 8 as a reference.
In the above-described embodiment, the injecting
device 14 is located on the side of the top roller 65b with
respect to the region C, and the suction device 15 is located
25 on the side of the bottom roller 65a with respect to the
region C, but positions of the injecting device 14 and the
suction device 15 may be reversed.
In the above-described embodiment, the fiber bundle
F is disconnected by injection of air from the injecting
30 device 14, but the injection of the air by the injecting
device 14 is not required to be performed.
22
Various materials and shapes may be applied to a
material and a shape of each component of the spinning
machine 1 without•being limited to the above-described
material and shape. The needle 75 may be omitted, and a
5 downstream end of the fiber guiding section 71 may have a
function of the needle 75. Furthermore, the pair of front
rollers 65 is not required to be connected to the drive
source provided in common to the pairs of front rollers 65
in other spinning units 2, and drive force may be
10 respectively applied from individual drive sources.
Without being limited to the pair of front rollers 65, drive
force may be respectively applied from individual drive
sources to other pairs of rollers 61, 62, and 64 in the same
manner.
15 A spinning machine of the present invention includes
a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle and a
pneumatic spinning device arranged movable to a spinning
position and a receded position, which is located further
away from the draft device than the spinning position, and
20 adapted to produce a yarn by applying twists to the drafted
fiber bundle by injecting air to a spinning chamber while
being located at the spinning position. At least one of
a first timing, which is a timing at which injection of the
air is stopped when a drafting operation of the draft device
25 is stopped, and a second timing, which is a timing at which
the pneumatic spinning device starts being moved from the
spinning position to the receded position when the drafting
operation of the draft device is stopped, is adjusted.
In the case where the drafting operation of the draft
30 device has been stopped, when the injection of the air is
stopped in the pneumatic spinning device, twists are not
23
appropriately applied to a yarn end of the yarn in the
pneumatic spinning device, and a fiber bundle portion is
formed at the yarn end of the yarn. Furthermore, in the
case where the drafting operation of the draft device has
5 been stopped, when the pneumatic spinning device starts
being moved from the spinning position to the receded
position, twists are not appropriately applied to the yarn
end of the yarn in the pneumatic spinning device, and the
fiber bundle portion is formed at the yarn end of the yarn.
10 In the above-described spinning machine, since at least one
of the first timing and the second timing is adjusted, a
length of the fiber bundle portion to be formed at the yarn
end of the yarn can be adjusted.
In the spinning machine of the present invention, at
15 least one of the first timing and the second timing may be
adjusted with a timing to stop the draft device as a
reference. With this configuration, the length of the
fiber bundle portion to be formed at the yarn end of the
yarn can be easily and appropriately adjusted.
20 In the spinning machine of the present invention, the
first timing may be adjusted such that the first timing is
delayed when shortening a length of a fiber bundle portion
to be formed at a yarn end of the yarn. With this
configuration, the length of the fiber bundle portion to
25 be formed at the yarn end of the yarn can be easily adjusted.
In the spinning machine of the present invention, the
second timing may be set to be linked with the first timing.
With this configuration, since an adjustment of the second
timing is not required to be performed separately from an
30 adjustment of the first timing, the length of the fiber
bundle portion to be formed at the yarn end of the yarn can
24
be easily adjusted.
In the spinning machine of the present invention, at
least one of the first timing and the second timing may be
adjusted such that the pneumatic spinning machine starts
5 moving from the spinning position to the receded position
after twists are applied to a yarn end of the yarn under
a state in which the pneumatic spinning device is located
at the spinning position. With this configuration, since
twists are reliably applied to the yarn end of the yarn
10 without being disturbed by the movement of the pneumatic
spinning device from the spinning position to the receded
position, the length of the fiber bundle portion to be
formed at the yarn end of the yarn can be appropriately
adjusted.
15 The spinning machine of the present invention may
further include an injecting device adapted to inject air
to a region between the draft device and the pneumatic
spinning device. With this configuration, the fiber
bundle can be disconnected by controlling the injecting
20 device to inject the air. The length of the fiber bundle
portion thus can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting a
timing to inject the air from the injecting device.
The spinning machine of the present invention may
further include a control section adapted to control an
25 operation relating to an adjustment of at least one of the
first timing and the second timing. With this
configuration, the length of the fiber bundle portion can
be automatically adjusted in accordance with a condition.
A spinning method of the present invention is
30 executed in a spinning machine including a draft device
adapted to draft a fiber bundle, and a pneumatic spinning
25
device arranged movable to a spinning position and a receded
position, which is located further away from the draft
device than the spinning position, and adapted to produce
a yarn by applying twists to the drafted fiber bundle by
5 injecting air to a spinning chamber while being located at
the spinning position. The spinning method includes
adjusting at least one of a first timing, which is a timing
at which injection of the air is stopped when a drafting
operation of the draft device is stopped, and a second
10 timing, which is a timing at which the pneumatic spinning
device starts being moved from the spinning position to the
receded position when the drafting operation of the draft
device is stopped.
In the case where the drafting operation of the draft
15 device has been stopped, when the injection of the air is
stopped in the pneumatic spinning device, twists are not
appropriately applied to a yarn end of the yarn in the
pneumatic spinning device, and a fiber bundle portion is
formed at the yarn end of the yarn. Furthermore, in the
20 case where the drafting operation of the draft device has
been stopped, when the pneumatic spinning device starts
being moved from the spinning position to the receded
position, twists are not appropriately applied to the yarn
end of the yarn in the pneumatic spinning device, and the
25 fiber bundle portion is formed at the yarn end of the yarn.
In the above-described spinning method, since at least one
of the first timing and the second timing is adjusted, a
length of the fiber bundle portion to be formed at the yarn
end of the yarn can be adjusted.

WE CLAIM:
1. A spinning machine comprising:
a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle; and
a pneumatic spinning device arranged movable to a
5 spinning position and a receded position, and adapted to
produce a yarn by applying twists to the drafted fiber
bundle by injecting air to a spinning chamber while being
located at the spinning position, the receded position
being located further away from the draft device than the
10 spinning position,
wherein the spinning machine is configured to adjust
at least one of a first timing and a second timing, the first
timing being a timing at which injection of the air is
stopped when a drafting operation of the draft device is
15 stopped, and the second timing being a timing at which the
pneumatic spinning device starts being moved from the
spinning position to the receded position when the drafting
operation of the draft device is stopped.
20 2. The spinning machine according to claim 1,
wherein the spinning machine is configured to adjust at
least one of the first timing and the second timing with
a timing to stop the draft device as a reference.
25 3. The spinning machine according to claim 1 or claim
2, wherein the spinning machine is configured to adjust the
first timing such that the first timing is delayed when
shortening a length of a fiber bundle portion to be formed
at a yarn end of the yarn.
30
4. The spinning machine according to claim 3,
27
wherein the second timing is set to be linked with the first
timing.
5 . The spinning machine according to any one of claim
5 1 through claim 4, wherein the spinning machine is
configured to adjust at least one of the first timing and
the second timing such that the pneumatic spinning device
starts moving from the spinning position to the receded
position after twists are applied to a yarn end of the yarn
10 under a state in which the pneumatic spinning device is
located at the spinning position.
6. The spinning machine according to any one of claim
1 through claim 5, further comprising an injecting device
15 adapted to inject air to a region between the draft device
and the pneumatic spinning device.
7 . The spinning machine according to any one of claim
1 through claim 6, further comprising a control section
20 adapted to control an operation relating to an adjustment
of at least one of the first timing and the second timing.
8 . A spinning method executed in a spinning machine
comprising a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle;
25 and a pneumatic spinning device arranged movable to a
spinning position and a receded position, and adapted to
produce a yarn by applying twists to the drafted fiber
bundle by injecting air to a spinning chamber while being
located at the spinning position, the receded position
30 being located further away from the draft device than the
spinning position, the spinning method comprising:
28
adjusting at least one of a first timing and a second
timing, the first timing being a timing at which injection
of the air is stopped when a drafting operation of the draft
device is stopped, and the second timing being a timing at
5 which the pneumatic spinning device starts being moved from
the spinning position to the receded position when the
drafting operation of the draft device is stopped.