WAXING DEVICE, SPINNING UNIT, AND SPINNING MA~HINE ·
BACKGROUND OF THE IKVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a waxing device, a spinning unit,
and a spinning machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a technique in such a fielc, a waxing
device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
2008-290872 is known. The waxing device is arranged so that an end
surface of cylindrical wax makes contact with a travelling yarn.
By travelling the yarn and rotating the wax, the travelling yarn
makes contact with the end surface of the wax., and the wax is applied
to the yarn. The wax is urged towards the end surface side in a
rotation axis line direction to make contact with a tip-end of a
spacer, and a position of the end surface of the wax is deter:nined.
According to this structure, a contacting state between tie end
surface of the wax and the yarn is determined, and an applied amount.
of the wax with respect to the yarn is determined.
When changing the applied amount of the wax with respect to
the yarn, a plurality of adjustment plates is sandwiched between
a spacer main body and a screw head, on which the spacer main body
is placed, and by changing the number of the adjustment plates,
a position of the tip-end of the spacer is shifted in a rotation
axis line direction. Accordingly, the position of the end surface
of the wax is moved in the rotation axis line direction. and the
contacting·state between the end surface of the wax and the yarn
is changed.
However, an operation of attaching and detaching the
adjustment plate in the waxing device causes a great wo,rk load since
the operation includes detaching a cover provided with the sp2cer,
detaching the plurality of spacer main bodies, and sandwiching the
adjustment plate~
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a waxing
device, a spinning unit, and a spinning machine adapted to
facilitate an adjustment operation of an applied amount of \vax with
respect to a spun yarn.
A waxing device comprises a wax holding section adapted to
hold a wax body to apply·wax to a travelling spun yarn, a wax
contacting section provided to make contact with the wc.:x bcdy held
by the wax holding section and adapted to position the wax body
with respect to the spun yarn, a supporting section adapted to
movably support the wax contacting section, an urging member adapted
to urge the wax contacting section against the supporting section,
and a positioning member adapted to position the wax contacting
section with respect to the supporting section by bein~ removably
held by the wax contacting section and the supporting section urged
by the urging member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a spinning machine accorcing to one
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a spinning unit of the spinning· machine
of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a perspect.l ve view of a .waxing device according to
one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating main parts of the waxing
device of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a wax pin cf the
waxing device of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a main
part of the waxing device of FIG. 3, and a state of inserting a
spacer unit;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating main parts of
the waxing device of FIG. 3;
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FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the spacer unit of
FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a 3pacer unit
receiving section and a spacer plate holder of the waxing device
of FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the spacer plate iholcier seen
from the spacer unit receiving section; and
FIGS. 11A to 11C are side views illustrating the spacer plates
of the spacer unit of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a waxing device, a spinning unit,
and a spinning machine according to one embodiment of the present
invention will be described in detail with reference to tte drawings.
"Upstreamn and "downstreamn respectively refer to upstream and
downstream in a travelling direction of a yarn during spinning.
A spinning machine 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a
plurality of spinning units 2 arranged in line. The spinning
machine 1 includes a yarn joining cart 3, a blower box 80, and a
motor box 5. In a factory where the spinning machine 1 is installed,
a work passage extending in a direction in which the spinr~ing units
2 are arranged is provided to the front in the depth direction of
FIG. 1 when viewed from the spinning machine 1. The ope~ator can
perform operation, monitoring, and the like of each spin~ing unit
2 from the work passage.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, each spinning unit 2 includes a draft
device 7, an air-jet spinning device 9, a yarn slack eliminating
device (yarn accumulating device) 12, a waxing device 1(0, and a
winding device 13 arranged in this order from upstream to downstream.
The draft device 7 is arranged in proximity to an upper end of a
housing 6 of the spinning machine 1. A fiber bundle 8 fed from the
draft device 7 is spun by the air-jet spinning device 9. A spun
yarn 10 fed from the air-jet spinning device 9 is passed through
a yarn clearer 52, to be described later, fed further do~nstream
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by the yarn slack eliminating device 12, and applied with wax in
the waxing device 100. Thereafter, the spun yarn 10 is wound by
the winding device 13, and a package 45 is formed.
The draft device 7 drafts a sliver 15 to obtain the :::iber bundle
8. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the draft device 7 includes fou:::- roller
pairs, i.e., a back roller pair 16, a third roller pair :;_ 7, a middle
roller pair 19 provided with an apron belt 18, and a f~ont roller
pair 20. A bottom roller of each of the roller pairs 16, 17, 19,
and 20 is driven by power from the motor box 5, or by power of electric
motors (not illustrated) arranged in each ~pinning unit 2. Each
of the roller pairs 16, 17, 19, and 20 is driven with 2 different
rotation speed. As a result, the draft device 7 can draft the sliver
15 supplied from the upstream to form the fiber bundle 8, and feed
the fiber bundle 8 to the air-jet spinning device 9 located
downstream.
The air-jet spinning device 9 applies twists to the fiber
bundle 8 using whirling airflow to produce the spun yarn 10.
Although detailed description and ill~stration are omitted, the
air-jet spinning device 9 includes a fiber guiding section, a
whirling airflow generation nozzle, and a hollow guide shaft body.
The fiber guiding section guides the fiber bundle 8 fed from the
draft device 7 to a spinning chamber formed inside the air-jet
spinning device 9·. The whirling airflow generation nozz~e is
arranged at a periphery of a path of the fiber bundle 8 to generate
the whirling airflow in the spinning chamber. This whi~ling
airflow causes fiber ends of the fiber bundle 8 to be reversed and
whirl in the spinning chamber. The hollow guide shaft body guides
the spun yarn 10 from the spinning chamber to an outsice of the
air-jet spinning device 9.
The yarn slack eliminating device 12 is arranged do;.mstream
of the air-jet spinning device 9. The yarn slack eliminatir:g device
12 has a function of applying a predetermined tension to the spun
yarn 10 to pull out the spun yarn 10 from the air-jet spinning de-.rice
9, a function of accumulating the spun yarn 10 fed from the air-jet
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. spinning device 9 during a yarn joining operation by the yarn joining
cart 3 to prevent slackening of the spun yarn 10, and a function
of adjusting the tension so that a fluctuation of the tension at
the winding device 13 side is not transmitted towards the air-jet
spinning device 9. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the yarn slack
eliminating device 12 includes a slack eliminating roller (yarn
accumulating roller) 21, a yarn hooking member 22, an upstream guide
23, an electric motor 25, a downstream guide 26, and a yarn
accumulated amount detecting sensor 27.
The yarn hooking member 22 can be engaged (hooked) with the
spun yarn 10. The yarn hooking member 22 integrally rotates with
the slack eliminating roller 21 while being engaged wi~h t~e spun
yarn 10 to wind the spun yarn 10 around an outer periphe.:;:-al surface
of the slack eliminating roller 21.
The slack eliminating roller 21 can have a prescribed amount
of the spun yarn 10 wound around the outer peripheral surface thereof
to accumulate the spun yarn 10. The slack eliminating roller 21
is rotatably driven by the electric motor 25. When the slack
eliminating roller 21 is rotated, the spun yarn 10 wound around
the outer peripheral surface of the slack eliminating roller 21
is wound to tighten the slack eliminating roller 21, and the spun
yarn 10 located upstream than the yarn slack eliminating device
12 is pulled. When the yarn slack eliminating device 12 rctates
the slack eliminating roller 21 at a predetermined rotation speed
with the spun yarn 10 wound around the outer peripheral surface
of the slack eliminating roller 21, a predetermined tensio~ can
be applied to the spun yarn 10 and the spun yarn 10 can be pulled
out from the air-jet spinning device 9 at a predetermined speed
and transported towards the downstream at a predetermined speed.
When a predetermined amount of the spuri yarn 10 is wound around
the outer peripheral surface of the slack eliminating roller 21,
a. predetermined contacting area can be ensured between the slack
eliminating roller 21 and the spun yarn 10. The slack eliminating
roller 21 thus can hold and pull the spun yarn 10 at a su£ficient
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force, and the yarn slack eliminating device 12 can pull the spun
yarn 10 at a stable speed from the air-jet spinning device 9 without
causing a slip or the like. As illustrated in FIG. 2, other
structures (conventional delivery roller and the like1 that apply
a tension to the spun yarn 10 are not arranged between the air-jet
spinning device 9 and the yarn slack eliminating device 12. A
pull-out speed of the spun yarn 10 from the air-jet spinning device
9 is determined by the rotation speed of the slack eliminc:ting roller
21. In the spinning machine 1, the tension is applied to the spun
yarn 10 by the yarn slack eliminating device 12, and the spun yarn
10 ca!l- be pulled out from the air-jet spinning device 9 at 3.n accurate
speed with less variation.
The yarn accumulated amount detecting sensor 27 detects, in
a non-contactirtg manner, an accumulated amount of the sp~n yarn
10 accumulated bn_the slack eliminating roller 21, and transmits
the accumulated amount to a unit controller (not illustrated).
The upstream guide 23 is arranged slightly upstr~am of the
slack eliminating roller 21. The upstream guide 23 appropriately
guides the spun yarn 10 with respect to the outer peripher3.1 surface
of the slack eliminating roller 21. The upstream guide 2.3 prevents
the· twist of the spun_ yarn 10 propagating from the air-jet spinning
device 9 from being transmitted downstream of the upstream guide
23.
The yarn clearer 52 is arranged on a front side of tt·_e housing
6 of the spinning machine 1, and at a position between the air-jet
spinning device 9 and the yarn slack eliminating device 12. The
spun yarn 10 spun by the air-jet spinning device 9 is passed through
the yarn clearer 52 before being wound by the yarn slack eliminating
device 12. The yarn clearer 52 monitors the thickness of the
travelling spun yarn 10, and when a yarn defect of the Epun yarn
10 is detected, the yarn clearer 52 transmits a yarn defect detection
signal to the unit controller.
Upon receiving the yarn defect detection signal, the unit
controller immediately stops ejection of compressed air from the
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whirling airflow generation nozzle of the air-jet spinning device
9. The whirling airflow is then stopped, the twisting of the fiber
bundle 8 is stopped, and introduction of the fiber bundle 8 to the
air-jet spinning device 9 is also stopped. A continuation of the
fibers is disconnected in the air-jet spinning device 9, and the
spun yarn 10 is cut. Thereafter, the unit controller further stops
the draft device 7 and the like. The unit controller tra~smits a
control signal to the yarn joining cart 3, and the yarn joining
·cart 3 travels to the front of the spinning unit 2. Thereafter,
the air-jet spinning device 9 and the like are driven again, the
yarn joining cart 3 performs the yarn joining operation, and ~vinding
is resumed.
As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the yarn joining cart
3 includes a splicer (yarn joining.device) 43, a suction pipe 44,
and a suction mouth 46. When yarn breakage or yarn cut occurs in
a spinning unit 2, the yarn joining cart 3 travels on a rail 41
to the target spinning unit 2 and stops. The suction pipe 4 4 sucks
and catches a yarn end fed from the air-jet spinning device 9 while
being swung vertically with a shaft as a center, and guides the
yarn end to the splicer 43. The suction mouth f16 sucks and catches
a yarn end from the package 45 supported by the winding dev~ce 13
while being swung vertically with a shaft as the center, and g-uides
the yarn end to the splicer 43. The splicer 43 joins the guided
yarn ends.
The waxing device 100 is arranged downstream of the yarn slack
eliminating device 12. The waxing device 100 applies wax to the
spun yarn 10 travelling from the yarn slack eliminating devise 12
towards the winding device 13.
The winding device 13 includes a cradle arm 71 supported to
be swingable about·a supporting shaft 70. The cradle arm 71 can
rotatably support a bobbin 48 for winding the spun yarn 10.
The winding device 13 includes a winding drum 72 and a traverse
device 7 5. The winding drum 7 2 is adapted to be driven while making
contact with an outer peripheral surface of the bobbin 48 or the
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outer peripheral.surface of the package 45. The traverse device
75 includes a traverse guide 76 capable of being engaged with the
spun yarn 10. The winding device 13 drives the winding drum 72 with
an electric motor (not illustrated) while reciprocating the
traverse guide 76 by a driving means (not illustrated). The package
45 making contact with the winding drum 72 can be rotated and the
spun yarn 10 can be wound into the package 45 while being traversed.
A traverse mechanism of the traverse device 75 is commonly driven
in each spinning unit 2 by a common shaft for the plurality of
spinning units 2.
The waxing device 100 described above will be more
specifically described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The
waxing device 100 pushes one end surface of a wax body W against
the travelling spun yarn 10 while rotating the wax body W about
a rotation axis line A. Accordingly, the wax is applied to the spun
yarn 10.
An XYZ coordinate system may be set as illustrated in FIG.
3, and X, Y, and/or Z may be used to describe a positional
relationship of each section. A Z axis is parallel to a direction
in which the spun yarn 10 is introduced to or from the waxing device
100. A Y axis coincides with a front and rear direction of the
spinning machine 1 and the spinning unit 2. Here, -Y side is the
front side, and +Y side is the rear side. An X axis is parallel
to a rotation axis line A of the wax body W. The X axis coincides
with a direction in which the plurality of spinning units 2 are
arranged in the spinning machine 1. With a direction of a leading
end and a trailing end of a rotation shaft 101 as a reference, and
+X direction as "front" and -X direction as "back", a term including
a concept of front and back such as "forward" and "backward" may
be used in the description.
The waxing device 100 includes the rotation shaft 101 provided
with a cylindrical wax body W, a motor 103 adapted to rotate the
rotation shaft 101, and a base (supporting section) 105 adapted
to support each component including the motor 103. The base 105
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is fixed to the housing 6 (see FIG. 2). The waxinc device 100
includes a hold-down lever 107 for holding down the wax body W
attached to the rotation shaft 101. The rotation shaft 101 and the
hold-down lever 107 function as a wax holding section adapted to
hold the wax body W.
The. hold-down lever 107 is urged backward (-X direction) by
a spring (not illustrated) . The hold-down lever 107 pushes the wax
body W backward through a flange member 109 attached to a front
end surface Wa of the wax body W. A pack end surface Wb of the wax
body W is made to contact against three protrusions 113p of a wax
pin (wax contacting section) 113 arranged at back of the wax body
W. A position of the wax pin 113 in the X direction is determined
with respect to the base 105. The wax body W is positioned with
respect to the base 105 in the X direction. The back end surface
Wb of the wax body W is always located at the position of the tip-end
of the three protrusions ll3p of the wax pin 113. The tip-end of
the three protrusions 113p are located on the same plane.
The base 105 includes an upstream guiding section 1 spun-yarn
guiding section) 105u formed above (+Z side) the rotation shaft
101, and a downstream guiding section (spun-yarn guidin~ section)
105d formed below (-Z side) the rotation shaft 101. The upstream
guiding section 105u guides the spun yarn 10 introduced into the
waxing device 100 from the upstream. The downstream guiding
section 105d guides the spun yarn 10 travelling downward from the
waxing device 100. On the front side of the base 105, a slit
extending from the front end of the plate of the base 105 to the
upstream guiding section 105u and a slit extending from the front
end of the plate_ of the base 105 to the downstream guidin~ section
105d are formed. After the yarn breakage or the yarn cut, the spun
yarn 10 guided by the suction pipe 44 is ins~rted from the front
side to the. upstream guiding section 105u and the downstrearr guijing
section 105d through the slits, and the spun yarn 10 returns to
the predetermined yarn path.
An imaginary line connecting the upstream guiding section
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105u and the downstream guiding section 105d is parallel to the
Z axis, and passes through the -Y side of the three protrusions
113p of the wax pin 113. Such an imaginary line is loca-:.ed slightly
on the +X side of the tip-end of the three protrusions 113p.
According to such a positional relationship, the spun yarn 10
travelling between the upstream guiding section 1C5u and the
downstream guiding section 105d is pushed towards the -X side by
the back end surface Wb of the wax body W, and the travelling path .
of the spun yarn 10 is bent to bulge out towards the -X side. When
the spun yarn 10 travels while being rubbed against the back end
surface Wb, the wax is applied to the spun yarn 10. Si~ce the wax
body W rotates about the rotation axis line A, the back end surface
Wb of the wax body W is uniformly worn away. The hold-down lever
107 moves the wax body W backward along with the consumption of
the wax body W. The back· end surface Wb of the wax body W is always
maintained at the same position.
The applied amount of the wax with respect to the spun yarn
10 depends on the position in the X direction of the vax body W
(position in the X direction of the back end surface Wb) with respect
to the base 105 (the upstream guiding section 105u and the downstream
guiding section 105d). As the back end surface Wb of-the wax body
W is located more on the -X side, the bend (bulge towards the -X
direction) of the travelling path of the spun yarn 10 becomes greater.
Since a force at which the back end surface Wb is pushed against
the spun yarn 10 also becomes stronger, the applied amount of the
wax with respect to the spun yarn 10 becomes greater. As the back
end surface Wb of the wax body W is located more on the +X side,
the bend of the travelling path of the spun yarn 10 becomes smaller.
Since the force at which the back end surface Wb is pushed against
the spun yarn 10 also becomes weaker, the applied amour.t of the
wax with respect to the spun yarn 10 becomes smaller.
The applied amount of the wax is required to be changed
according to the specification of the package 4 5. Since fine tuning
may be necessary, the po~ition adjustment of the wax body ~ is
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•
preferably carried out with a simple operation. In the spinning
machine 1 including a plurality of spinning units 2, since the
position adjustment operation arises according to the number of
spinning units 2, simplification of the operat~on greatly
contributes to improvement of operation efficiency. ~he position
of the wax body W (position of the back end surface Wb) is determi.ned
by making contact against the three protrusions 113p of the wax
pin 113. The position adjustment of the wax body W includes
adjusting the relative position of the wax pin 113 with respect
to the base 105 in the X direction. The wax pin 113 is supported
by the base 105 and is movable in· an advancing-and-receding
direction (the X direction) with respect to the wax body W. The
position of the wax pin 113 in the X direction is adjustable.
The adjustment of the position of the wax pin 113 fo:: adjusting
the position of the wax body W will be described with reference
to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the wax pin 113 includgs a front
end portion (first end) 113a located on the side to ma~e contact
with the wax body W, a back end portion (second e~d) 113b located
on the side away from the wax body W, and a cylindrical connecting
portion 113c extending from the front end portion 113a to the back
end portion 113b, and is integrally formed. The front end portion
113a is formed substantially circular when viewed in a direction
parallel to the rotation axis line A, and includes three pr:::>trusions
113p protruding towards the wax body W. The three protrusions 113p
are arranged on a circumference having the rotation ax~s line A
as the center. The three protrusions 113p protrude at the same
height in the +X direction so as to make contact with the back end
surface Wb of the wax body W altogether. The front end portion 113a
is provided with a rotation preventing protrusion (rotation
preventing part) 113d protruding in the radial direction. A
function of the rotation preventing protrusion 113d wiL:. be
described later.
A tubular shaft of the cylindrical connecting portion 113c
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coincides with the rotation axis line A. A shaft or the like of
the motor 103 (not illustrated) is inserted to a ho~low part of
the cylindrical connecting portion 113c. .The back end :Jortion 113b
is configured as a back end of the cylindrical connecting portion
113c. The back end portion 113b includes three claw sections 113q
protruding in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface
of the cylindrical connecting portion 113c. The three claw
sections 113q are arranged at a predetermined interval in a
peripheral direction.
As illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the wax pin 113 is attached
to the base 105, and is supported to be movable in the
advancing-and-receding direction (the X direction) with respect
to the wax body W. Specifically, the base 105 includ~s a spacer
unit receiving section 106 projecting out in the +X direction on
the rotation axis line A. The back end portion 113b of the wax pin
113 is inserted to a hole at a center of the spacer unit receiving
portion 106. The wax pin .113 is movable front and back in the X
direction while moving the outer peripheral surface cf the
cylindrical connecting portion 113c to slide against the inner
surface of the hole of the spacer unit receiving section :06.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the claw sections 113q of the wax
pin 113 are urged in the -X direction with respect to the base 105
by a compression spring (urging member) 119 incorporated between
the claw sections 113q and the spacer unit receiving section 106.
Only one claw section 113q is illustrated in the cross-sectional
view of FIG. 7. The other two claw sections 113q also have a similar
structure and are urged in the -X direction. The three claw sections
113q are arranged at a predetermined interval in the p~ripheral
direction. The wax pin 113, as a whole, is urged in the -X ciirection
in the peripheral direction, and the position accuracy of the wax
pin 113 is high. The number of claw sections 113q is not li~ited
to three, and four or more claw sections 113q may be formed as long
as the claw sections 113q are arranged at a predetermined interval
in the peripheral direction.
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A spacer unit 120 determines the position of the wax pin 113
with respect to the base 105 in the X direction. As illustrated
in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the spacer unit 120 is sandwiched between
the wax pin 113 urged in the -X direction and the spacer unit
receiving section 106. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the spacer unit
120 has a horseshoe shape with the rear side (the +Y side) opened.
The spacer unit 120.includes a thin-plate shaped spacer plate 121
(see FIG. 11), a spacer plate holder (spacer plate holding :nember)
123 for holding the spacer plate 121, and a fixing tool (fixing
member) 125 for fixing the spacer plate 121 to the space~ plate
holder 123. The spacer plate 121, the spacer plate holder 123, and
the fixing tool 125 all have a horseshoe shape.
The spacer plate 121 is mounted on a mounting scrface 123c
of the spacer plate holder 123. The fixing tool 125 is attached
to the spacer plate holder 123 so as to hold down the outer edge
part of the spacer plate 121 with the fixing tool 12 5. A :;:>rotruding
portion 125a formed at both ends of the fixing tool 125 is fitted
into a recess 123a at a corresponding area of the spacer plate holder
123. The fixing tool 125 is thus not easily separated from the
spacer plate holder 123. As a result, the spacer plate 121 held
down with the fixing tool 125 also does not easily fal~ of: from
the spacer plate holder 123.
As illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 3, the spacer unit l20 is
inserted between the spacer unit receiving section 106 and the wax
pin 113 of the base 105, and is detachably attached. The operator
pulls the wax pin 113 in the +X direction against the urging force
of the compression spring 119 to set the spacer unit 120 at a
predetermined position, and then releases the wax pin 113, to attach
the spacer unit 120. The operator detaches the spacer unit 120 by
a reverse operation.
Under a state in which the spacer unit 120 is att2ched, as
illustrated in FIG. 7, one part of the spacer plate holde~ 123 and
the spacer plate 121 are sandwiched between a back surface 113t
of the front end portion 113a of the wax pin 113 and a front surface
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106h of the spacer unit receiving section 106.
An inner edge part 123r of the spacer plate holder 123
illustrated in FIG. 9 is engaged with a step 106r formed on the
front surface 106h to fix the position of the spacer plate holder
123 in the Z direction. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a protruding
section 123d is provided on the spacer plate holder 123. The
protruding section 123d protrudes towards the spacer unit receiving
section 106. As also illustrated in FIG. 7, when the protruding
section 123d of the spacer plate holder 123 is fitted into a recessed
groove 106k of the front surface 106h, the position of the spacer
plate holder 123 in the Y direction and the position of the spacer
plate holder 123 in the rotating direction about the rotation axis
line A are fixed. The movement and the rotation of the spacer unit
120 with respect to the base 105 are thus prevented, and the spacer
unit 12 0 is reliably held between the spacer unit receiving section
106 and the wax pin 113.
A cutout 123b is formed in the spacer plate holder 12'3 (see
FIG. 6 and FIG. 8) . The rotation preventing protrusion 113d of the
wax pin 113 is fitted into the cutout 123b. Accordingly, the
rotation of the wax pin 113 about the rotation axis line A with
respect to the spacer unit 120 is prevented. As a result, the
rotation of the wax pin 113 about the rotation axis line A with
respect to the base LOS is prevented. The inner edge part 123r,
the step 106r, the protruding section 123d, the recessed groove
106k, the cutout 123b, and the rotation preventing protrusion 113d
configure a rotation preventing means for preventing the·rotation
of. the wax pin 113 about the rotation axis line A with respect to
the base 105.
With the attachment of the spacer unit 120, a gap between the
back surface 113t of the front end portion 113a of the wax pin 113
and the front surface 106h of the spacer unit receiving section
106 is determined. As a result, the relative position of the wax
pin 113 with respect to the base 105 in the X direction is determined.
In order to adjust the position in the X direction of the wax pin
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113, a thickness of the spacer plate 121 is to be adjus~ed.
As illustrated in FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C, in the waxing device
100, the spacer plate 121 of various thic}messes is prepared. The
operator appropriately selects the spacer plate 121 to be set in
the spacer unit 120 to adjust the position of the wax pin 113 in
the X direction according to the plate thickness of the E.pacer plate
121.
Protruding portions (display protrusions) 122a, 122b, and
122c enabling distinguishment of the plate thickness a·::cording to
the formed position are respectively formed on each of the spacer
plates 121a, 121b, and 121c having a different plate thickness.
The protruding position of the protruding portions 122a. 12"2b; and
122c is associated with the plate thickness of each of the spacer
plates 121a, 121b, and 12lc. For example, the protruding portion
122a of the spacer plate 121a having a plate thickness of 0.2 mm
protrudes at a lower position. The protruding portion 122b of the
spacer plate 121b having a plate thickness of 0.1 mm protrudes at
a middle position. The protruding portion 122c of the spacer plate
121c having a plate thickness of 0.05 mm protrudes at an upper
positio"n.
At positions corresponding to the protruding positions of
each of the protruding portions 122a, 122b, and 122c (the lower
position, the middle position, and the upper position), openings
123h, 123j, and 123k are formed in the spacer plate holder 123 (see
FIG. 6). Each of the openings 123h, 123j, and 123k are formed
through a wall surface of the spacer plate holder 123 so tha'- the
protruding portions 122a, 122b, and 122c can be resfecti vely
inserted. Each of the protruding portions 122a, 122b, and 122c
protrudes outward from each of the openings 123h, 123j, and 123k,
and can be viewed from the front side of the spinning unit 2. The
"front side" of the spinning unit 2 refers to a side facing the
work passage at an installed location of the spinning machine 1.
According to from which of the openings 123h, 123j, and/or
123k the protruding portions 122a, 122b, and/or 122c protrudes,
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the plate thickness of the spacer plate 121 and the position of
the wax pin 113 in the X direction are displayed. For example, in
the case of FIG. 6, since the protruding portion 122a protrudes
from the· opening 123h, the operator can know that the spacer plate
121a having a plate thickness of 0. 2 mm is set. The opere; tor visibly
checks each of the openings 123h, 123j, and/or 123k fr~m the work
passage to know the spacer plate 121 having which thiclmes~ is set
in the spacer unit 120.
The protruding portions 122a, 122b, and/or 122c formed on the
spacer plate 121, and the openings 123h, 123j, and/or I23k formed
in the spacer. plate holder 123 configure a plate thickness display
section. The plate thickness display section displays the plate
thickness of the spacer plate 121 set in the spacer unit 120. The
plate thickness display section indirectly displays the position
of the wax pin 113, the position of the wax body W, and the applied
amount of the wax with respect to the spun yarn 10. The plate
thickness display section configures a position display section.
Next, effects of the waxing device 100 will be d2scribed.
In the waxing device 100, since the spacer unit. 12C attached
or detached during the adjustment of the position of the wax body
W is sandwiched and held by the urged wax pin 113 and the oase 105,
the spacer unit 120 is not required to be fixed using a screw and
the like. With a simple operation of pulling the wax p~n 113 in·
the +X direction against the urging force, the attachment and
detachment operation of the spacer unit 120 can be easily carried
out without any tool.
The position of the wax pin 113 in the X direction is adjusted
with a simple method of selecting and changing the spacer plate
121 having a plate thickness to be set in the spacer unit 120. As
a result, the position of the wax body W and the back end surface
Wb in the X direction is adjusted, and the applied amount of the
wax with respect to the spun yarn 10 is adjusted. AccordinJ to the
waxing device 100, the operator can easily adjust the position of
the wax body W, and can easily adjust the applied amount of the
16/31
~----------------------------- -----------
wax with respect to the spun yarn 10.
The spacer unit 120 has a horseshoe shape in which the rear
side (the +Y side) is opened. When attaching or detaching the spacer
unit 120, the wax body W and the wax pin 113 are not ~ecessary to
be removed from the rotation shaft 101. The spacer cnit 120 can
be detachably inserted or removed in the Y direction from the front
side of the spinning machine 1 or the front side of the spinning
unit 2, and the operator can easily adjust the position of the wax
body W. The horseshoe shape of the spacer unit 120 contributes to
efficiency in adjusting the applied amount of the wax.
The back surface 113t of the wax pin 113 is reliab~y made
contact against the spacer unit 120 by the urging force of t~e
compression spring 119. The position accuracy of the wax pin 113
is thus improved, and the position accuracy of the wax body W is
. improved.
The urging force of the compression spring 119 a=ts on the
three claw sections 113q of the back end portion 113b of the wax
pin 113. The wax pin 113, as a whole, is urged in the -X direction
in the peripheral direction. The protrusions 113p evenly make
contact with the back end surface Wb of the wax body K, and the
position accuracy of the back end surface Wb is improved.
With the three protrusions 113p arranged in the
circumferential direction, the wax pin 113 makes contact with the
back end surface Wb of the wax body W at three points. The back
end surface Wb of the wax body W is thus stably positioned in the
X direction. The wax is stably applied to the spun y~rn 10.
The imaginary line connecting the upstream guiding section
105u and the downstream guiding section 105d passes the -Y side
of all of the three protrusions 113p of the wax pin 113. The three
protrusions 113p all exist on the rear side (the +Y side) of the
yarn path in the waxing device 100. After the yarn breakage or the
yarn cut, the spun yarn 10 to be re-inserted to the yarn path is
smoothly inserted from the front side (the -Y side) without
interfering with the protrusions 113p. Since the number of
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protrusions 113p is three, the insertion path of the spun yarn 10
to the yarn path as described above can be easily ensured.
The rotation preventing means described above ~revents the
rotation of the wax pin 113 about the rotation axis line A with
respect to the base 105. The wax pin 113 is preventec frcm being
dragged by the rotation of the wax body W. The wax can be stably
applied to the spun yarn 10.
The spacer unit 120 includes the fixing tool 125 for
positioning and fixing the spacer plate 121 to the spacer plate
holder 123. When attaching or detaching the spacer unit 120 to or
from the waxing device 100, the spacer plate 121 is less likely
to fall off, and the attachment or detachment operation of the spacer
unit 120 can be smoothly carried out.
The spacer unit 120 includes a plate thickness display section
configured by the protruding portions i22a, 122b, and 122=, and
the openings 123h, 123j, and 123k. By looking at the plate thickness
display section, the operator can know the plate thickness of the
currently set spacer plate 121, and can more easily adjust the
position of the wax body W.
The plate thickness display section can be realized with a
simple structure of the protruding portions 122a, 122b, and 122c,
and the openings 123h, 123j, and 123k. The protruding portions 122a,
122b, and 122c are arranged on the spacer plate 121 itself.
Possibility that the spacer plate thickness is mistakenly displayed
is low, and the thickness of the spacer plate 121 can be accurately
known.
In the spinning unit 2 including the waxing device 100, the
spun yarn 10 is produced by the air-jet spinning device 9 Lsing
the whirling airflow. The spun yarn 10 spun by the whirling airflow
is less likely to have the hairiness fall off as compared to the
ring yarn. In the spinning unit that applies wax to the ring yarn
of which the hairiness easily falls off, the hairiness that fell
off attaches to the surface of the wax, and the wax becomes d:..fficul t
to be applied to the ring yarn. However, since the hairiness of
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the spun yarn 10 spun by the whirling airflow is less l~kely to
fall off and the hairiness is less likely to attach to the surface
of the wax body W, the wax can be directly applied to the spun yarn
10. Therefore, since the wax body W can be easily scraped, it is
important that the wax is applied to the spun yarn 10 with the applied
amount being adjusted. Therefore, the spinning unit 2 in~luding
the air-jet spinning device 9 is preferable to adopt the waxing
device 100 described above that applies the wax to the spun yarn
10 with the applied amount being adjusted.
·In the spinning machine 1 including a plurality cf spinning
units 2, in each waxing device 100 provided in each of the plurality
of spinning units 2, the spacer unit 120 can be easily replaced,
and the adjustment operation of the position of the wax body W can
be efficiently carried out in the entire spinning machine 1.
One embodiment of the present invention has been described
above, but the present invention is not limited to the above
embodiment, and modifications may be made within a scope of not
changing the gist described in each claim.
For example, in the spinning machine 1 and the spinning unit
2 of the embodiment, the spun yarn 10 is pulled out from the air-jet
spinning device 9 by the slack eliminating roller 21 that winds
and accumulates a prescribed amount of the spun yarn 10. The present
invention may be applied to the spinning m~chine and the spinning
unit in which the spun yarn is pulled out from the air-jet spinning
device with the delivery roller and the nip roller.
In the spinning machine 1 and the spinning unit 2 of the
embodiment, the whirling airflow of the air-jet spinning device
9 is stopped when the yarn defect is detected, and the spun yarn
10 is cut. The present invention may be applied to a spin~ing
machine and a spinning unit in which a yarn is cut using a cutter.
In the spinning machine 1 and the spinning unit 2 of the
embodiment, the yarn path is arranged such that the spun yarn 10
travels downward from the draft device 7 at the upper part towards
the winding device 13 at the lower part in a machine height direction.
19/31
The present invention may be applied to a spinning machi~e and a
spinning unit in which· a yarn path is arranged to travel fro:n bottom
to top in the machine height direction.
In the spinning machine 1 and the spinning unit 2 of the
embodiment,· the air-jet spinning device 9 may include a needle held
by the fiber guiding section, and arranged to protrude into the
spinning chamber. The needle prevents the twists of the fiber
bundle 8 from being propagated towards the upstream of the air-jet
spinning device 9. In place of the needle, the air-jet spinning
device 9 may prevent the propagation of the twist of the fiber bundle
8 by a downstream end of the fiber guiding section. The ~ir-jet
spinning device 9 may include a pair of air-jet nozzles adapted
to apply twists in opposite directions from each othe~.
In the spinning machine 1 and the spinning unit 2 of the
embodiment, the bottom rollers of the draft device 7 and the traverse
mechanism of the traverse device 75 are commonly driven for each
spinning unit 2. The present invention may be applied to a spinning
machine and a spinning unit in which each section of the spinning
unit (e.g., the draft device, the air-jet spinning device~ the yarn
winding device, or the like) is independently driven for each
spinning unit 2.
In the embodiment described above, the waxing dev1ce 100 is
arranged in the spinning unit 2 including the air-jet spinning
device 9. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment
described above, and the waxing device 100 may be provided i~ another
yarn winding machine adapted to wind a yarn into a package while
applying wax, such as an automatic winder.
A waxing device according to the present invention includes
a wax holding section, a wax contacting section, a supporting
section, an urging member, and a positioning member. The wax
holding section is adapted to hold a wax body to apply wax ~o a
travelling spun yarn. The wax contacting section is provided to
make contact with the wax body held by the wax holding section and
adapted to position the wax body with respect to the spun y~rn.
20/31
The supporting section is adapted to movably supp::>rt the wax
contacting section. The urging member is adapted to ~rge the wax
contacting section against the supporting section. The
positioning member is adapted to position the wax contac-::.ing section
with respect to the supporting section by being removably held by
the wax contacting section and the supporting section urged by the
urging member.
In this waxing device, the wax contacting section makes
contact with the wax body to position the wax body, ana a position
of the wax contacting section with respect to the supporting section
is determined by the positioning member. The wax contacting
section is urged by the urging member, and the positioning member
is held by the urged wax contacting section and the supporting
section. Since the positioning member is removably held by the
urged wax contacting section and the supporting sectio::1, the
positioning member is not required to be fixed using 3 screw or
the like. Therefore, the attachment and detachment op=ration of
the positioning member is facilitated, and an adjustment operation
of the position of the wax body can be easily carried ::>ut. As a
result, an adjustment operation of an applied amount of the wax
with respect to the yarn is facilitated.
The wax contacting section includes a first end provided to
make contact with the wax body, and a second end located away frorr,
the wax body. An urging force of the urging member is applied to
the second end. The wax contacting section is urged i.n an
appropriate direction by the urging force on the second. end, and
position accuracy of the wax contacting section is imp::oved.
The wax contacting section includes a cylindrical connecting
section extending from the first end to the second end. T:1e second
·end includes at least three claw sections provided to protrude in
a radial direction from the connecting section and adapted to
receive the urging force of the urging member. The urging force
of the urging member is transmitted to the wax contacting section
in a circumferential direction of the connecting sectio::1.
21/31
The waxing device further includes a spun-yarn guiding
section adapted to guide the spun yarn so that the spun yarn travels
while making contact with a surface of the wax body located facing
the wax contacting section. The first end inc~udes three
protrusions. Each of the three protrusions is formed substantially
circular when viewed from a direction parallel to an
advancing-and-receding direction of the wax contacting section with
respect to the wax body, arranged in a circumferential direction,
and formed protruding towards the wax body. The spun yarn makes
contact with the surface of the wax body located fac~ng ~he wax
contacting section while passing through a yarn path a?oiding the
protrusion. A position of the surface facing the wax contacting
section is stably fixed with the three protrusions. The wax is
stably applied to the spun yarn. For example, even when the spun
yarn is re-inserted into the yarn path after yarn breakage or the
yarn cut, an insertion path of the spun yarn can be easily ensured
since three protrusions are provided.
The first end is provided with a rotation preven~ing means
for preventing rotation of the wax contacting secti:::m in the
circumferential direction with respect to the supporting section.
When making the wax body to contact with the spun yarn whil2 rotating
in the circumferential direction, the wax contacting Eection is
prevented from being dragged by the rotation of the wax body, and
the wax can be stably applied to the spun yarn.
The positioning member includes a spacer plate having a
predetermined thickness and a spacer plate holding member. The
spacer plate is adapted to adjust a position of the wax contacting
section with respect to the supporting section. The spa=er ?late
holding member is adapted to selectively hold the spacer plate of
a plurality of types with different thickness, and detachably
provided with respect to the wax contacting section while holding
the spacer plate. With a simple method of selecting the spacer plate
held by the spacer plate holding member, the position of the wax
contacting section· can be adjusted, and furthermore, the applied
22/31
amount of the wax to the spun yarn can be adjusted.
The wax holding section and the wax contacting section
position the wax body so that the sp~n yarn travels in a bent
travelling path by making contact with the wax body. As a thickness
of the spacer plate held by the spacer plate holding member is
thinner, bend of the travelling path of the spun yarn increases,
and the applied amount of th~ wax to the spun ya~n increases. As
the thickness of the spacer plate held by the spacer plate holding
member is thicker, the bend of the travelling path of the spun yarn
decreases, and the applied amount of the wax to the spun yarn
dec~eases. By selecting the thickness of the spacer plate, the
travelling path of the spun yarn is changed, and the applied amount
of the wax to the spun yarn can be adjusted.
The positioning member further includes a fixing membe:adapted
to fix the spacer plate with respect ~o the spacer plate
holding member. When attaching or detaching the positioning nember,
the spacer plate is less likely to fall off, and an operation of
replacing the positioning member and the like can be smoothly
carried out.
The positioning member further includes a plate-thickness
display section adapted to display the thickness of the spacer plate
held by the spacer plate holding member. Since an operator can .::heck
the plate thickness display section to know the thickness of the
spacer plate held by the spacer plate holding member, the adjustment
operation of the position of the wax body can be more easily
performed.
The plate-thickness display section includes a display
protrusion and an opening. The display protrusion is providEd on
the spacer plate and protrudes from a position associated with the
thickness of the spacer plate. The opening is formed through the
spacer plate holding member and externally exposes the display
protrusion provided on the spacer plate held inside the spacer p::.ate
holding member. The position of the wax contacting section is
displayed according to a position of the display protrusion exposed
23/31
from the opening. The plate thickness display section can be
realized with a simple configuration. Since the displa; protrusion
is provided on the spacer plate itself, the plate thickness display
section can accurately display the thickness of the Sfacer plate.
A waxing device includes a . wax holding section, a wax
contacting section, a supporting section, a positioning member,
and a position display section. The wax holding section is adapted
to hold a wax body to apply wax to a travelling spun yarn. The wax
contacting section is provided to make contact with the wax body
·held by the wax holding section and adapted to position the wax
body with respect to the spun yarn. The supporting section is
adapted to support the wax contacting section. The positioning
member is provided between the wax contacting section and the
supporting section and adapted to position the'wax contacting
section with respect to the supporting section. The position
display section is adapted to display a position of the wax
contacting section determined by the positioning member.
The wax contacting section makes contact with the wax body
to position the wax body. The position of the wax contacti!lg section
with respect to the supporting section is determined by the
positioning member arranged between the wax contacting sEction and
the supporting section. Since the position of the wax contact~ng
section is displayed by the position display section, the- position
of the wax body can be easily checked. Therefore, the adjus~ment
operation of the position of the wax body can be efficiently carried·
out. As a result, the adjustment operation of the applied amount
of the wax with respect to the spun yarn is facilitatec.
The positionin~ member includes a spacer plate having a
predetermined thickness and a spacer plate holding memter. The
spacer plate is adapted to adjust a position of the wax co::1tacting
section with respect to the supporting section. The spac2r plate
holding member is adapted to selectively hold .the spacer ~late of
a plurality 'of types with different thickness, and detachably
provided with respect to the wax contacting section while holding
24/31
the spacer plate. The position display section displays a position
of the wax contacting section by displaying information relating
to the thickness of the spacer plate held by the spacer p:..ate holding
member. Thus, the thickness of the spacer plate held by the spacer
plate holding member can be easily ch~cked.
A spinning unit includes a draft device, an air-jet spinni:1g
device, the waxing device having one of the above configurations,
and a winding device. The draft device is adapted to drc.ft a sliver
into a fiber bundle. The air-jet spinning device is adapted to
produce a spun yarn by spinning the fiber bundle drafted by the
draft device using whirling airflow. The waxing device is adapted
to apply the wax to the spun yarn spun by the air-jet spinning device.
The winding device is adapted to wind the spun yarn, to which the
wax is applied by the waxing device into a package.
In this spinning unit, the spun yarn is produced by the air-jet
spinning device that uses whirling airflow. Hairiness of the spun
yarn, which has been spun by the whirling airflow, is l2ss likely
to fall off as compared to a ring yarn~ In a case of th= spinning
unit adapted to apply the wax to the ring yarn of which the hairiness
easily falls off, the hairiness that fell off attaches to the surface
of the wax body, and the wax becomes dijficult to be c.ppl~ed to
the ring yarn. However, since the hairiness of the spun yarn, which
has been spun by the whirling airflow, is less likely to fall off,
the hairiness is less likely to be attached to the surfc.ce of the
wax body, and the wax can be directly applied to the spun yarn.
Thus, since the wax body can be easily scraped, it is important
that the wax is applied to the spun yarn with the applied amount
being adjusted. Therefore, the spinning unit including the air-jet
spinning device is preferable to adopt the configuration of the
above-described waxing device adapted to apply the wax to the spun
yarn with the applied amount being adjusted.
The positioning member is removable by being inserted and
removed from a front side. Since the operator can insert and remove
the'positioning member from a front side of the spinning unit for
25/31
replacement, the adjustment operation of the positio~ of the wax
body can be easily performed.
A spinning machine includes a plurality of the spinning units
desc~ibed above. In each waxing device provided in each of the
plurality of spinning units, the positioning member can be easily
replaced, and the adjustment operation of the position of the wax
body can be efficiently carried out in the entire spinning machine.
According to the waxing device, the spinning unit, and the
spinning machine described above, the adjustment operation of the
applied amount of the wax with respect to the spun yarn cc.n be easily
carried out.
26/31

WE CLAIM
1. A waxing device comprising:
a wax holding section adapted to hold a wax body to apply v1ax
to a travelling spun yarn,
a wax contacting section provided to make contact with the
wax body held by the wax holding section and adapted to position
the wax body with respect to the spun yarn,
a supporting section adapted to movably suppcrt the wax
contacting section,
an urging member adapted to urge the wax contacting section
against the supporting section, and
a positioning member adapted to position the wax contacting
section with respect to the supporting section by bein~ removably
held by the wax contacting section and the supporting section urged
by the urging member.
2. The waxing device according to claim 1, wherein the wax
contacting section includes a first end provided to make contact
with the wax body, and a second end located away from the wax body,
and
an urging force of the urging member is applied to the second
end.
3. The waxing device according to claim 2, wherein the wax
contacting section includes a cylindrical connecting section
extending from the first end to the second end, and
the second end includes at least three claw sections provided
to protrude in a radial direction from the connecting section and
adapted to receive the urging force of the urging member.
4. The waxing device according to any one of claim 1 through
claim 3, further comprising a spun-yarn guiding section adapted
to guide the spun yarn so that the spun yarn travels while making
contact with a surface of the wax body located facing the wax
27/31
contacting section,
wherein the first end is formed substantially circular when
viewed from a direction parallel to an advancing-End-receding
direction of the wax contacting section with respect to the wax
body, and includes three protrusions arranged in a circumferential
direction and formed protruding towards the wax body.
5. The waxing device according to claim 4, where.:n the first
end is provided with a rotation preventing means for preventing
rotation of the wax contacting section in the circumferential
direction with respect to the supporting section.
6. The waxing device according to any one of claim 1 through
claim 5, wherein the positioning member includes:
a spacer plate having a predetermined thickness 3dapted to
adjust a position.of the wax contacting section with ~espect to
the supporting section, and
a spacer plate holding member adapted to selectively hold the
spacer plate of a plurality of types with different thic: