YARN UNWINDING ASSISTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC WINDER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a yarn unwinding assisting device which is applied to an automatic winder to assist to unwind i
a yarn from a bobbin.
2. Description of the Related Art
As illustrated in Fig. 1, an automatic winder includes a plurality of winding devices 2 to unwind a yarn Y from a bobbin
B and to wind the yarn on a winding cylinder, a doffing device 7
to doff a package fully wound with each winding device 2, and the ;
like. Each winding device 2 is provided with a yarn unwinding
assisting device to assist to unwind the yarn Y by regulating a |
balloon which is formed when the yarn Y is unwound from the bobbin j
B and by applying a proper tension thereto. j
As illustrated in Fig. 8, a conventional yarn unwinding j
assisting device 9 includes, for example, a fixed cylinder 90 that
is held in a fixed condition when a yarn Y is unwound from a bobbin j
B, a movable cylinder 91 that is fit onto the fixed cylinder 90
and moves in response to the unwinding of the yarn Y, an
elevating/lowering machinery 92 to elevate and lower the movable I
cylinder 91. A holder 93 supporting the fixed cylinder 90 is j
attached to a frame 95 of the winding device 2 with a mounting bolt j
94 so that the yarn unwinding assisting device 9 is fixed above j
the bobbin B. In order to function the yarn unwinding assisting [
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device 9 properly, a height position thereof needs to be set in
accordance with a vertical size of the bobbin B. When the vertical j
size of the bobbin B changes, the height position of the yarn i
unwinding assisting device 9 also needs to be adjusted. With the conventional yarn unwinding assisting device 9, when adjusting the height position thereof with respect to the bobbin B according to a vertical size of the bobbin B, an operator first
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^K needs to hold the yarn unwinding assisting device 9 in one hand,
and then to hold tools, such as, a wrench or a screwdriver in the
other hand. Next, the operator looses the mounting bolt 94 using f
such tools to release the fixed state of the yarn unwinding assisting
device 9. Subsequently, the operator moves the yarn unwinding
assisting device 9, which the operator is holding in one hand, to
a desired height position according to the vertical size of the
bobbin B. At this time, in response to movement of the yarn
unwinding assisting device 9, the holder 93 and the mounting bolt
94 slide along a sliding groove (not illustrated) which is formed
on the frame 95 in a vertical direction. Then, the mounting bolt I
94 which has been moved to the desired height position is tightened f
using such a tool to reattach the yarn unwinding assisting device j
9 thereto. In this way, the height position of the yarn unwinding
assisting device 9 with respect to the bobbin B is conventionally I
adjusted using tools.
However, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the automatic winder is I
provided with the plurality of winding devices 2, and therefore j
a great deal of time and effort are necessary for operators to adjust j
the height position of the yarn unwinding assisting device 9 using j
such tools as described above. In addition, if winding devices 2
are arranged without any interval as in the automatic winder illustrated in Fig. 1, working space is limited, which makes it I
difficult to adjust the height position using tools. j
In particular, where a magazine-type supplying device is employed as a bobbin supplying device for supplying a bobbin B to the winding device 2, working space is hardly secured. Thus, it i
is difficult for an operator to use such a tool at a position where j
the mounting bolt 94 is located, which further increases the burden j
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of the operator. j
Further, in a yarn unwinding assisting device disclosed in I
e.g. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1
2009-242028, an elevating/lowering machinery exclusive to a fixed >
cylinder to elevate and lower the fixed cylinder by a motor is I
3 I
^ provided apart from an elevating/lowering machinery exclusive to I
^^ a movable cylinder so as to automatically adjust the height position
of the fixed cylinder with respect to a bobbin according to a
vertical size of the bobbin. However, installing the elevating/lowering machinery
exclusive to the fixed cylinder provided with a motor or the like
in each winding device of the automatic winder will increase costs
of the automatic winder as a whole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ;
An object of the present invention is to provide a yarn
unwinding assisting device whose height position with respect to a bobbin can be easily adjusted without using a tool.
In order to achieve the above object, a yarn unwinding
assisting device of an automatic winder according to the present
invention is a yarn unwinding assisting device that is provided
with a yarn unwinding assisting unit including a first regulating
cylinder that assists to unwind a yarn from a bobbin in a fixed condition, a second regulating cylinder that moves according to !
the unwinding of the yarn from the bobbin to assist the unwinding
and, a moving structure for moving the second regulating cylinder,
and a height adjusting structure that adjusts a height position
of the yarn unwinding assisting unit in the direction of a yarn
path. The height adjusting structure includes a guiding member extendedly fixed in a vertical direction, a clamping member that
is attached to the yarn unwinding assisting unit, moves along the
guiding member and is capable of clamping the guiding member, and
an operation lever to manipulate the clamping member to clamp the j
guiding member or release a clamping state. j
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS !
Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating an overall configuration
of an automatic winder. Fig. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a configuration 4
^^ of a winding device.
^^ Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of a yarn unwinding
assisting device according to the present invention.
Figs. 4A and 4B are partially cutaway side views of a yarn
unwinding assisting unit; Fig. 4A shows a state in which a movable
cylinder is lowered and Fig. 4B shows a state in which the movable
cylinder is elevated.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the yarn unwinding assisting device ;
according to the present invention. ?
Fig. 6 is a partially cutaway top view of the yarn unwinding assisting device according to the present invention.
Figs. 7A and 7B are partially cutaway side views according
to another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7A shows a state in which the movable cylinder is lowered and Fig. 7B shows
a state in which the movable cylinder is elevated.
Fig. 8 is a side view illustrating a conventional yarn
unwinding assisting device. !
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A yarn unwinding assisting device of an automatic winder ;
(hereinafter simply referred to as a "yarn unwinding assisting
device") according to the present invention will be described.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the automatic winder includes a plurality of winding devices 2 arranged in a straight line. The automatic winder includes a bobbin supplying device 6 that supplies
a bobbin B to each winding device 2, and a doffing device 7 that
performs a doffing operation. The automatic winder 2 also includes
a machine control device 8 that controls each of the winding devices !
2, the bobbin supplying device 6, and the doffing device 7.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the winding device 2 is provided
with a yarn unwinding assisting device 1, a tension applying device
22, a yarn joining device 23, and a slub catcher 24, which are
sequentially arranged upward from downward in this order. The
winding device 2 also includes a traverse drum 25 that traverses
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^k a yarn Y in a given wide range, a guide plate 2 6 arranged to face
to a traverse area of the traverse drum 25, and a cradle 27 that
rotatably supports a package P.
The winding device 2 includes a relay pipe 2 8 and a suction
mouth 2 9 that suck and catch a broken yarn to relay the yarn to
a yarn joining device 23. The yarn Y drawn out of the bobbin B is inspected to determine whether the yarn contains any yarn defect
while passing through from the tension applying device 22 to the
slub catcher 24. If a yarn defect is detected in the yarn Y, the
defective portion will be cut with a cutter provided in the yarn
joining device 23 and a cutter provided in the slub catcher 24,
and be sucked and removed.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, the yarn unwinding assisting device l
1 is attached to a frame 21 of the winding device 2 with a mounting
member 20, and above the bobbin, assists to unwind the bobbin B,
which is erectly fixed onto a conveying tray 61. The yarn unwinding
assisting device 1 is provided with the yarn unwinding assisting
unit U including a fixed cylinder (first regulating cylinder) 11,
a movable cylinder (second regulating cylinder) 13 and the like,
all of which will be described below. The yarn unwinding assisting
unit U regulates a size of a balloon which is formed with the yarn
Y unwound form the bobbin B with the yarn unwinding assisting unit
U, and applies a proper tension to the yarn Y. An embodiment of
the present invention describes the movable cylinder and the fixed
cylinder as a cylindrical tube. However, it may be acceptable to
employ a cylindrical member having a slit on a part thereof for
introducing a yarn, or a cylindrical member having a narrow portion
whose diameter is narrower than the diameter of the cylindrical j
member on a certain portion so as to regulate the balloon. The yarn unwinding assisting unit U includes the fixed
cylinder 11 supported by a first holder 10 and the movable cylinder i
13 supported by a second holder 12. In order to assist to unwind
the yarn Y, the fixed cylinder 11 regulates the spread of the balloon
in a fixed state, and the movable cylinder 13 moves in response
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^k to the unwinding of the yarn Y from the bobbin to regulate the spread f
of the balloon. I
The fixed cylinder 11 and the movable cylinder 13 are both j
cylindrical bodies whose upper and lower ends are opened. The movable cylinder 13 is fit onto the fixed cylinder 11. A lower end j
portion of the fixed cylinder 11 is provided with a yarn guide 14.
A tapered introducing port 15 expanding downward is formed at a I
lower end of the movable cylinder 13. A central axis line of the )
bobbin B aligns with a central axis line of the fixed cylinder 11
and the movable cylinder 13.
A pair of supporting arms 16 which face each other are fixed \ to the movable cylinder 13, and a sensor 17 to sense a chase portion
60 of the bobbin B is arranged on each of the supporting arms 16. J
The sensors 17 are optical sensors including a light receiving
portion and a floodlighting portion to sense the height of the chase
portion 60.
Further, as illustrated in Fig. 4A, the yarn unwinding assisting unit U includes an elevating/lowering mechanism 3 (moving structure) for moving the movable cylinder 13 in the direction of I
a yarn path. The entire elevating/lowering mechanism 3 is completely surrounded by a surrounding structure 4 to keep out dust
so that fluff or fly waste generated in an unwinding process will f
not adhere to the inside of the elevating/lowering mechanism 3. I
The elevating/lowering mechanism 3 is provided with a screw member |
30 extendedly fixed in a vertical direction, an elevating/lowering
guide 31 extendedly arranged parallel to the screw member 30, and !
a slider 32 to be guided by the elevating/lowering guide 31. [
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The screw member 30 and the elevating/lowering guide 31 are I
supported by an upper supporting member 33 on an upper end side
and supported by a lower supporting member 34 on a lower end side. j
The screw member 30 is inserted into a bearing 35 provided on both j
the upper supporting member 33 and the lower supporting member 34 I
to be supported to rotate around a screw axis. The screw member
30 is screwed with a nut member 36 capable of ascending and
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^m. descending in response to the rotation of the screw member 30. The
^^ nut member 36 is fixed to the slider 32 . The upper supporting member
33 is fixed to the surrounding structure 4, but the lower supporting
member 34 is not fixed thereto.
The elevating/lowering mechanism 3 includes a motor M as a
driving source to rotationally drive the screw member 30 and a
toothed belt 37 as a conveying member to convey power of the motor I
M. The toothed belt 37 is engaged with a pulley attached to an output
shaft of the motor M and a pulley attached to the screw member 30
to convey the power of the motor M to the screw member 30. With
the above described configuration, the screw member 30 is driven
to rotate around the screw axis according to the rotation of the
motor M in either normal or reverse direction, which elevates or
lowers the nut member 36 screwed with the screw member 30 and
accordingly elevates and lowers the slider 32.
The surrounding structure 4 surrounds the entire
elevating/lowering mechanism 3 so as to prevent fluff or fly waste,
which is generated in the unwinding process, from adhering thereto.
The surrounding structure 4 includes an upper cover portion 40 to ;
cover the motor M or the like to keep out dust or fly waste. The
upper supporting member 33 is fixed to the upper cover portion 40,
and a first holder 10 to support the fixed cylinder 11 is fixed
to an outer surface thereof.
In order to keep out dust and fly waste, the surrounding
structure 4 is provided with an accordion member 41 (stretchable
member) that covers the screw member 30, the elevating/lowering
guide 31, the slider 32 and the like, and a non-stretchable
cup-shaped member 42. The accordion member 41 is cylindrical and >
stretchable. The accordion member 41 is arranged so as to stretch
in a vertical direction to cover the periphery of the screw member
30 and the elevating/lowering guide 31. The upper end of the
accordion member 41 is connected to the upper cover portion 40 and
the lower end thereof is connected to the cup-shaped member 42
through a ring-shaped connecting member 43.
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A The cup-shaped member 42 arranged at the lower end of the accordion member 41 is made of hard materials, such as, resin or ;
metal, and is non-stretchable. The cup-shaped member 42, whose
upper end and lower end is respectively opened and closed, is
connected to the connecting member 43 to cover the screw member
30, the elevating/lowering guide 31 and the like from the lower
side. In this way, the surrounding structure 4 completely covers
the entire elevating/lowering mechanism 3 so that dust or fly waste
will not enter inside thereof.
The slider 32 is fixed to an inner surface of the ring-shaped
connecting member 43, and a second holder 12 to support the movable
cylinder 13 is fixed to an outer surface of the ring-shaped [
connecting member 43. Therefore, as the slider 32 is elevated and
lowered by the motor M, the connecting member 43, the second holder
12, and the cup-shaped member 42 are integrally elevated and lowered,
which also elevates and lowers the movable cylinder 31. j
Since the upper end side of the accordion member 41 is fixed
to the upper cover portion 40, the upper end side thereof will not ;
move upward and downward when the movable cylinder 13 is elevated
and lowered. However, the lower end side of the accordion member
41 will move upward and downward since the lower end side thereof
is attached to the connecting member 43, which stretches the
accordion member 41 in the vertical direction in accordance with
the upward and downward movement of the movable cylinder 13. As 1
the movable cylinder 13 is lowered, the accordion member 41 will
be extended (Fig. 4A). Meanwhile, as the movable cylinder 13 is
elevated, the accordion member 41 will be shrunk (Fig. 4B). The
surrounding structure 4 is configured so that any gap where dust
or fly waste can enter there into will not be formed even if the
movable cylinder 13 is elevated or lowered by extending and
shrinking the accordion member 41 in response to the upward and
downward movement of the movable cylinder 13.
As described above, the accordion member 41 (stretchable |
member) covering the elevating/lowering mechanism 3 is mounted so
9 !
A as to be stretched in the vertical direction. The second holder
12 supporting the movable cylinder 13 is fixed to the outer surface j
of the connecting member 43, which is elevated and lowered together
with the slider 32 on an outer surface of the surrounding structure
4, to elevate and lower (move) the movable cylinder 13. This
configuration allows the elevating/lowering mechanism 3 to elevate
and lower the movable cylinder 13 via the second holder 12 while
the elevating/lowering mechanism 3 is completely protected from
dust or the like. Therefore, fluff or fly waste made in unwinding the yarn Y will not adhere to the inside of the elevating/lowering
mechanism 3. Even when the elevating/lowering mechanism 3 is
suspended in the vicinity of the bobbin B as in an embodiment of
the present invention, the elevating/lowering mechanism 3 will not
malfunction due to fluff or fly waste. Furthermore, it will not
be necessary to conduct maintenance for the elevating/lowering '
mechanism 3, which is conventionally required to regularly conduct
to eliminate fluff or fly waste.
Where the surrounding structure 4 is arranged in the vicinity
of the bobbin B as in an embodiment of the present invention, the
yarn Y drawn out of the bobbin B which is being conveyed on the
conveying tray 61 sometimes comes into contact with a lower portion j
of the surrounding structure 4, which may make a split on a portion
thereof and consequently the capability to keep out dust or fly
waste deteriorates. However, in the embodiment of the present
invention, the lower side portion of the surrounding structure 4
is formed with the hard cup-shaped member 42 which is
non-stretchable, and therefore the lower portion thereof will not
be torn even when the yarn Y comes into contact therewith. <
Accordingly, the capability of the surrounding structure 4 to keep j
out dust or fly waste will not deteriorate.
Further, as Figs. 4A and 4B clearly indicate, when the movable
cylinder 13 is lowered, the cup-shaped member 42 also moves downward.
Thus, the height position H of the surrounding structure 4 from
a base surface 62 also gradually descends according to the downward
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[:
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^. movement. Therefore, attention must be paid so that the cup-shaped j
^^ member 42 will not come into contact with the base surface 62 when |
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the movable cylinder 13 is lowered according to the unwinding of the yarn Y. {
The yarn unwinding assisting unit U is provided with the above f
described fixed cylinder 11, movable cylinder 13, f
elevating/lowering mechanism 3 and surrounding structure 4, all of which are integrally connected using the first holder 10, the i
second holder 12 and the like. |
As illustrated in Fig. 5, the yarn unwinding assisting device {
1 includes a casing 18, where a control section 19 to control the j
yarn unwinding assisting unit U is stored. The casing 18 is fixed f
to the frame 21 of the winding device 2. The control section 19 I
includes a driving circuit to drive the motor M, a power supply j
or the like. As illustrated in Fig. 6, a cover 18a is attached to {
the rear of the casing 18, and the cover 18a is removed to store f
the control section 19 therein. f
Further, one side face of the casing 18 and one side face of {
the upper cover portion 40 are respectively provided with a rubber [
bush 38, which connects a wiring 39 from the control section 19
to the motor M. Thereby, the control section 19 is electrically
connected to the motor M. Furthermore, the wiring 39 from the
control section 19 is also connected to a sensor 17 (this wiring
connection is not illustrated). The yarn unwinding assisting device 1 with the
above-described configuration assists to unwind the yarn Y from f
the bobbin B. As the yarn Y is being unwound from the bobbin B, I
the chase portion 60 of the bobbin B gradually descends. When !
detecting the descent of the chase portion 60, the sensor 17 j
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transmits a detection signal to the control section 19. I
Subsequently, the control section 19 that has received the detection
signal drives the motor M of the elevating/lowering mechanism 3
covered with the above surrounding structure 4 to lower the slider
32 to the predetermined position and also lower the movable cylinder
11
0\ 13 to a new operating position according to the height change of
the chase portion 60. The movable cylinder 13 is repeatedly lowered
according to the height change of the chase portion 60 until the
amount of the yarn wound onto the bobbin B is reduced to about one
third.
Positioning adjustment of the entire yarn unwinding assisting
unit U is carried out along a yarn path which is formed while the
yarn Y unwound from the bobbin B is wound into a package P. In an >
embodiment of the present invention, since a yarn path extends
vertically upward from a yarn supplying bobbin, the positioning
adjustment of the entire yarn unwinding assisting unit U is
described as height adjustment. Where a yarn path is formed in an
oblique upward direction, the position of the yarn unwinding j
assisting unit U is adjusted to be disposed obliquely above the ?
yarn path. The height position of the entire yarn unwinding
assisting unit U will be set according to a vertical size of the
bobbin B. Therefore, if the vertical size of the bobbin B to be
used changes, the height position of the yarn unwinding assisting
unit U needs to be adjusted. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the
yarn unwinding assisting device 1 includes a height adjusting
structure 5 for adjusting the height position of the yarn unwinding
assisting unit U with respect to the bobbin B.
The height adjusting structure 5 includes a shaft 50 as a
guiding member to guide the yarn unwinding assisting unit U in the
vertical direction, a clamping member 51 capable of clamping the
shaft 50 and releasing a clamping state, and an operation lever
52 to manipulate the clamping member 51 to clamp the shaft 50 or }
to release the clamping state. An upper end and a lower end of the
shaft 50 are respectively fixed to a pair of upper and lower
projected portions 53 horizontally extending from a side face of j
the casing 18. I
The clamping member 51 is attached to the yarn unwinding
assisting unit • U at a back side thereof. The yarn unwinding •
assisting unit U is supported with the shaft 50 and the clamping j
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^j. member 51, and is suspended above the bobbin B. The clamping member
^^ 51 is movable along the shaft 50 when the shaft 50 is not clamped thereby. Since the yarn unwinding assisting unit U integrally ;
moves with the clamping member 51, the yarn unwinding assisting «
unit U is guided in the vertical direction along the shaft 50. j
The yarn unwinding assisting unit U and the clamping member f
51 are connected to each other with a detachable member (not l
illustrated), such as a screw. Therefore, an operator can remove I
the suspended yarn unwinding assisting unit U at once by simply
removing such a detachable member, which makes it easy to carry
out maintenance. ;
The operation lever 52 attached to the clamping member 51
enables the clamping member 51 to clamp the shaft 50 when rotating in one direction, and also enables the clamping member 51 to release
the shaft 50 when rotating in the other direction. Once the clamping
member 51 clamps the shaft 50 by manipulating the operation lever
52, a tightening force is applied thereto, and accordingly the
clamping member 51 is fixed to the shaft 50. Thereby the yarn
unwinding assisting unit U is positioned and fixed.
When adjusting the height position of the yarn unwinding
assisting unit U with respect to the bobbin B according to a change •
of a vertical size of the bobbin B, an operator first manipulates
the operation lever 52 to release the clamping state of the clamping
member 51, and then moves the yarn unwinding assisting unit U along the shaft 50 to a desired location according to the vertical size
of the bobbin B. Then, by manipulating the operation lever 52 once
again so that the clamping member 51 can clamp the shaft 50 to
position and fix the yarn unwinding assisting unit U at the desired
location.
By simply manipulating the operation lever 52 on the front
side of the yarn unwinding assisting device 1 to clamp the shaft
with the clamping member 51 or release the shaft, operators can
adjust the height position of the yarn unwinding assisting unit
U with respect to the bobbin B. That is, the height position of
13
^^ the yarn unwinding assisting unit U can be easily adjusted with
^^ respect to the bobbin B without using tools.
Marks (not illustrated) may be made on the shaft 50 so as to I
position the yarn unwinding assisting unit U. The marks may be,
for example, scales on the shaft 50 made in regular intervals in a vertical direction. Such scales may be directly made on the shaft
50 if doing so will not damage the clamping member 51 when it clamps I
the shaft 50. Making such scales on the shaft 50 enables operators to adjust the height position of the yarn unwinding assisting unit
U more easily.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a guiding member
for guiding the clamping member 51 in the vertical direction is
configured with the shaft 50 only. Therefore, with the
above-described configuration, the clamping member 51 rotates
around the shaft 50. Accordingly, when the clamping member 51 I
rotates around the shaft 50, the yarn unwinding assisting unit U
also rotates around the shaft 50. If the yarn unwinding assisting (
unit U rotates even slightly even if the yarn unwinding assisting j
unit U is positioned to the desired height position, a central axial I
line of the fixed cylinder 11 and the movable cylinder 13 will depart
from a central axial line of the bobbin B.
For this reason, the height adjusting structure 5 includes J
a rotation regulating member 54 to regulate the rotation of the j
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yarn unwinding assisting unit U around the shaft 50. The rotation
regulating member 54 is extendedly arranged parallel to the shaft
50, and fixed to the side face of the casing 18. As illustrated
in Figs. 5 and 6, the rotation regulating member 54 is engaged with
a concavity 55 formed in a vertical direction on the clamping member
51, and thus the clamping member 51 slides in the vertical direction
guided by the rotation regulating member 54.
With this engagement, the clamping member 51 will not be
rotated around the shaft 50. Consequently, the rotation of the yarn
unwinding assisting unit U around the shaft 50 is regulated.
Accordingly, the yarn unwinding assisting unit U is moved and
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A,, positioned at the desired location while the central axis line of the bobbin B aligns with the central axis line of the fixed cylinder j
11 and the movable cylinder 13. |
Further, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a vertical size of the j
rotation regulating member 54 is made shorter than the one of the ;
shaft 50, and is fixed to the side face of the casing 18 to be located i
within the range of desired height positions with respect to the I
shaft 50. Therefore, by moving the clamping member 51 upward or 1
downward along the shaft 50 to be located outside the range of the |
desired height positions, the engagement of the rotation regulating [
member 54 with the concavity 55 is released and the clamping member t
51 can be removed from the rotation regulating member 54. In other words, operators can release the regulation on rotation of the yarn t
unwinding assisting unit U around the shaft 50. j
When an operator releases the regulation on rotation of the j
yarn unwinding assisting unit U to rotate around the shaft 50 as j
indicated with an arrow in Fig. 6, the surrounding structure 4 j
provided backward the casing 18 is moved, and consequently working I
space is secured therein. Thus, the operator can remove the cover j
18a on the back of the casing 18 and take the control section 19 !
out of the casing 18 to carry out maintenance. That is, the above J
configuration allows operators to intentionally release the I
regulation on rotation that is required to adjust the height ?
position of the yarn unwinding assisting unit U, which eventually f
j
secures working space for maintenance. I
The yarn unwinding assisting device 1 according to the present f
invention is not limited to the above described embodiment. In the f
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above embodiment of the present invention, the bobbin supplying I
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device 6 of the automatic winder is a tray-type supplying device. }
However, a magazine-type supplying device may be employed. Further, I
scales for positioning the yarn unwinding assisting unit U are made j
on the shaft 50, but may be made in the front or the side face of the rotation regulating member 54 or the casing 18 where operators j
can visually confirm a position easily when adjusting the height
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£S position thereof.
The accordion member 41 (stretchable member) is adapted to
cover the elevating/lowering mechanism 3 to keep out dust, such
as fluff and fly waste. However, the stretchable member is not
limited to this and may be other members that can protect the
elevating/lowering mechanism 3 from dust, such as fluff and fly
waste, and is stretchable in the vertical direction according to
the upward and downward movement of the movable cylinder. For i
example, the stretchable member may be a plurality of connected
cylinders which are configured to be stretchable in the vertical
direction by fitting the plurality of cylinders, whose diameters
are different, in order of diameter. j
Fig. 4 illustrates the surrounding structure 4 including the ;
accordion member 41 and the cup-shaped member 42. However, the
surrounding structure 4 is not limited to this configuration. Fig. i
7 illustrates an explanatory configuration. In Fig. 7, the upper
side of the connecting member 43 is structured with a first accordion
member 41a as in the configuration in Fig. 4, and the lower side
of the connecting member 43 is structured with a second accordion
member 42b whose lower end is closed, not with the cup-shaped member
42. An upper end of the second accordion member 41b is attached
to the connecting member 43 . A lower supporting member 34 to support
both the screw member 30 and the elevating/lowering guide 31 is [
fixed to a lower end of the second accordion member 41b. Other
configurations are the same as in Fig. 4.
According to this configuration, when the movable cylinder
13 is elevated or lowered by elevating and lowering the slider 32
by the motor M, the upper end of the second accordion member 41b I
moves upward and downward but the lower end thereof does not move
upward and downward because the lower end thereof is fixed to the
lower supporting member 34 . Therefore, according to the upward and
downward movement of the movable cylinder 13, not only the first
accordion member 41a but also the second accordion member 41b is
stretchable in the vertical direction. When the movable cylinder
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£* 13 is lowered, the first accordion member 41a extends and the second
accordion member 41b shrinks (Fig. 7A) . When the movable cylinder 1
13 is elevated, the first accordion member 41a shrinks and the second accordion member 41b extends (Fig. 7B) . Also with this
configuration, a gap where fluff or fly waste can enter into will
not be formed on the surrounding structure 4 even if the movable cylinder 13 is elevated and lowered, which maintains the capability
to keep out fluff or fly waste.
As Figs. 7A and 7B clearly indicate, with this configuration, I
the lower position of the second accordion member 41b will not fluctuate even if the movable cylinder 13 is elevated and lowered, j
and accordingly the height position H of the surrounding structure !
4 from the base surface 62 will not fluctuate. Unlike an embodiment j
illustrated in Fig. 4, there is no need to pay attention to the
height position H from the base surface 62 to suspend the
elevating/lowering mechanism 3. However, unlike the embodiment
illustrated in Fig. 4, the second accordion member 41b forming the
lower end of the surrounding structure 4 is stretchable, and thus
could tear due to a contact of the yarn Y therewith. Since fluff and fly waste might enter into from the torn portion, attention
needs to be paid to this point.
Preferably, the guiding member is a shaft, and includes a
rotation regulating member which is extendedly arranged parallel
to the shaft, guides the clamping member in the direction of a yarn ]
path and also regulates rotation of the yarn unwinding assisting
unit around the shaft.
Preferably, the rotation regulating member is provided within
a range of predetermined height positions with respect to the shaft.
When located outside the range of the predetermined height positions,
the clamping member will be removed from the rotation regulating
member, which allows the yarn unwinding assisting unit to rotate
around the shaft.
A mark to position the yarn unwinding assisting unit is
preferably provided on the guiding member.
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A . Preferably the yarn unwinding assisting unit and the clamping
member are connected to each other with one attachable member. In the yarn unwinding assisting device of the automatic winder according to the present invention, the above configuration allows
operators to adjust a height position of the yarn unwinding i
assisting unit with respect to the bobbin by only manipulating the I
operation lever provided in the height adjusting structure to clamp
the guiding member with the clamping member or to release the clamping state. That is, the height position of the yarn unwinding assisting unit can be easily adjusted with respect to the bobbin
without using tools as in the conventional unit, which lessens the
burdens of operators.

We claim:
1. A yarn unwinding assisting device of an automatic winder
comprising:
a yarn unwinding assisting unit including a first regulating
cylinder that assists to unwind a yarn from a bobbin in a fixed
state, a second regulating cylinder that assists to unwind the yarn
by moving in response to the unwinding of the yarn from the bobbin,
and a moving structure that moves the second regulating cylinder ,
characterized by
a height adjusting structure that adjusts a height position
of the yarn unwinding assisting unit in a direction of a yarn path;
wherein the height adjusting structure includes a guiding member
extendedly fixed in the direction of a yarn path, a clamping member
that is attached to the yarn unwinding assisting unit , moves along
the guiding member and can clamp the guiding member , and an
operation lever to manipulate the clamping member to clamp or
release the guiding member.
2. The yarn unwinding assisting device of the automatic
winder according to claim 1, wherein the guiding member is
structured with a shaft, characterized by
a rotation regulating member extendedly arranged parallel to
the shaft, guiding the clamping member in the direction of a yarn
path, and also regulating rotation of the yarn unwinding assisting
unit around the shaft.
3. The yarn unwinding assisting device of the automatic
winder according to claim 2, wherein the rotation regulating member
is arranged within a range of predetermined height positions with
respect to the shaft, when located outside the range of the
predetermined height positions, the clamping member is removed from
the rotation regulating member , and consequently the yarn unwinding
assisting unit is then rotatable around the shaft.
19
€ 4. The yarn unwinding assisting device of the automatic
winder according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein a mark
to position the yarn unwinding assisting unit is made on the guiding
member.
5. The yarn unwinding assisting device of the automatic
winder according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, wherein the
yarn unwinding assisting unit and the clamping member are connected
to each other with one detachable member.
6. The yarn unwinding assisting device of the automatic
winder, substantially as herein described with reference to
accompanying drawings and examples.