Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
One aspect of the present invention relates to a yarn winding machine and a method for winding yarn.

BACKGROUND
As a technique related to a yarn winding machine, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-179985 describes a spinning machine including a plurality of spinning units (winding units) performing a winding operation to wind yarn onto a bobbin to form a package and a doffing cart (an automatic machine) provided in a movable manner with respect to the spinning units, for example. In the spinning machine described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-179985, the doffing cart, when a package is formed in a spinning unit, discharges the package from the spinning unit, feeds an empty bobbin to the spinning unit, and performs winding starting processing to start winding yarn onto the empty bobbin.

SUMMARY
In the winding unit described above, a plurality of empty bobbins are stored in a magazine included in the automatic machine, and the empty bobbins are fed from the magazine to the winding unit. When such an automatic machine runs out of the empty bobbins in the magazine, for example, it moves to a bobbin stocker or the like to refill the magazine with empty bobbins. For this reason, processing capacity may be reduced due to the time taken for refilling the automatic machine with empty bobbins.
Given these circumstances, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a yarn winding machine and a method for winding yarn that can avoid a reduction in processing capacity.
A yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of winding units configured to perform a winding operation to wind yarn onto a bobbin to form a package, an automatic machine provided in a movable manner with respect to the winding units, and a unit identifier configured to identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is mounted, in which the automatic machine performs, on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit that has been identified by the unit identifier, winding starting processing to start winding yarn onto the empty bobbin, and, after the winding starting processing, the winding unit performs the winding operation following the winding starting processing.
In this yarn winding machine, the unit identifier can identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is mounted by, for example, a user and the automatic machine can perform the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit. The frequency with which the automatic machine itself newly prepares the empty bobbin can be reduced. In addition, after the winding starting processing, the winding operation is performed following the winding starting processing, and thus an unnecessary standby time can be reduced. Thus, the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention can avoid a reduction in processing capacity.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the unit identifier may include an operating unit capable of receiving an operation to identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted, and when the operating unit is operated, the automatic machine may perform the winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit that has been identified by the operation. In this case, the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is mounted can be identified using a user operation via the operating unit, for example.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the operating unit may be provided in at least one of the winding units, the automatic machine, and an end frame. In this case, the operating unit can be operated on at least one of the winding units, the automatic machine, and the end frame.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the unit identifier may include a plurality of operating buttons provided correspondingly to the respective winding units, and when at least one of the operating buttons is operated, the automatic machine may perform the winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit corresponding to the operated operating button. In this case, the operating button and the winding unit identified by the operation are in a one-to-one relation, and they are clearly associated with each other, and thus the winding unit on which the empty bobbin is mounted can be accurately identified using a user operation via the operating button, for example.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the invention, the winding unit may include a bobbin holder on which a bobbin is rotatably mounted, and the winding starting processing may include first processing, in which mounting of the empty bobbin already mounted on the bobbin holder of the winding unit is released. In this case, in the winding starting processing, by releasing the mounting of the empty bobbin on the bobbin holder, a working space can be secured between the bobbin holder and the empty bobbin, for example.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic machine may include a clamping device configured to clamp and move an empty bobbin, and the winding starting processing may include second processing, in which, after the first processing, the empty bobbin which has been released from the mounting on the winding unit is moved to a predetermined position by the clamping device. In this case, in the winding starting processing, the empty bobbin which has been released from the mounting on the winding unit can be moved to the predetermined position, and appropriate work can be performed on the empty bobbin.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic machine may include a yarn catching-and-guiding device configured to catch and guide yarn, and the winding starting processing may include third processing, in which the yarn catching-and-guiding device catches yarn. In this case, in the winding starting processing, the yarn catching-and-guiding device can catch the yarn, and the yarn can be fixed to the empty bobbin.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, at least two pieces of processing out of the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing may be performed in parallel. In this case, the time required for the winding starting processing can be reduced.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the winding starting processing may include fourth processing, in which, after the second processing and the third processing, the yarn catching-and-guiding device having caught yarn is moved to a standby position, fifth processing, in which, after the fourth processing, the empty bobbin having been moved to the predetermined position is moved to the bobbin holder by the clamping device, and sixth processing, in which, after the fifth processing, the empty bobbin is mounted on the bobbin holder. In this case, in the winding starting processing, the yarn catching-and-guiding device having caught the yarn is moved to the standby position, and the empty bobbin having been moved to the predetermined position is returned to the bobbin holder, and thereby the positional relation among the bobbin holder, the empty bobbin, and the yarn can be fixed.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of the winding units on which empty bobbins are already mounted are identified by the unit identifier, the automatic machine may perform the winding starting processing on each of the already mounted empty bobbins on the winding units in turn. In this case, in a situation in which the empty bobbin is mounted on the winding units, the automatic machine can efficiently perform the winding starting processing.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, each of the winding units may include: a traverse guide configured to traverse yarn; and a traverse drive unit configured to independently drive the traverse guide. In this case, the traverse guide can be driven for each winding unit, and thus after performing part of the winding starting processing by the traverse guide, the winding operation can be performed using the traverse guide following the winding starting processing.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, each of the winding units may include: a winding drum configured to rotate a bobbin or a package; and a bobbin drive unit configured to independently drive the winding drum. In this case, the winding drum can be driven for each winding unit, and thus after performing part of the winding starting processing by the winding drum, the winding operation can be performed using the winding drum following the winding starting processing.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the unit identifier may include a first information acquisition unit configured to acquire first information on a color of an area containing a bobbin mounted on the winding unit and may identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted based on the acquired first information. In this case, the winding unit on which the empty bobbin is mounted can be identified using the color of the area containing the bobbin mounted on the winding unit. With this identification, it is possible to avoid the automatic machine from accidentally performing the winding starting processing on the package.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the unit identifier may include a second information acquisition unit configured to acquire second information on a thickness of a yarn layer of yarn wound onto a bobbin mounted on the winding unit and identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted based on the acquired second information. In this case, the winding unit on which the empty bobbin is mounted can be identified using the thickness of the yarn layer of the yarn wound onto the bobbin mounted on the winding unit. With this identification, it is possible to avoid the automatic machine from accidentally performing the winding starting processing on the package.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, each of the winding units may include a winding drum configured to come into contact with an outer peripheral face of a bobbin or an outer peripheral face of a package, the bobbin or the package being mounted on the winding unit, to rotate the bobbin or the package, and the unit identifier may include a third information acquisition unit configured to acquire third information on a number of revolutions (a number of revolutions per unit time) of the bobbin or the package and identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted based on the acquired third information. In this case, the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is mounted can be identified using the number of revolutions of the bobbin or the package. With this identification, it is possible to avoid the automatic machine from accidentally performing the winding starting processing on the package. The yarn winding machine often includes the third information acquisition unit in order to perform the winding operation, and thus there is no need to provide an additional sensor in the yarn winding machine in order to identify the winding unit on which the empty bobbin is mounted, and the configuration of the yarn winding machine can be simplified.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic machine may include a magazine storing a plurality of empty bobbins, perform bobbin setting processing, in which an empty bobbin is fed from the magazine to start winding yarn, on the winding unit not identified by the unit identifier, and may not perform the bobbin setting processing on the winding unit identified by the unit identifier. In this case, for the winding units other than the winding unit on which the empty bobbin is already mounted, the empty bobbin can be fed from the magazine to start winding the yarn by the bobbin setting processing by the automatic machine.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic machine may not receive feed of an empty bobbin from a bobbin stocker storing a plurality of empty bobbins to the magazine for a predetermined period from when a request for the winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit identified by the unit identifier is made until after performing the winding starting processing. In the predetermined period, the automatic machine can use the already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit, and thus an empty bobbin is not required to be stored in the magazine, and there is no need to refill the magazine with an empty bobbin. Thus, in this case, the time taken for such refilling is eliminated in the predetermined period, and a reduction in processing capacity can be avoided.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic machine may move to the bobbin stocker to receive feed of an empty bobbin from the bobbin stocker to the magazine when an empty bobbin feed starting condition is met in a period other than the predetermined period. In this case, in the period other than the predetermined period, the magazine can be refilled with empty bobbins as appropriate. In addition, the automatic machine does not move to the bobbin stocker in the predetermined period, and thus the efficiency of movement of the automatic machine can be improved.
In the yarn winding machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic machine may not perform, on the winding unit that has been identified by the unit identifier, discharge processing, in which the already mounted bobbin or the already mounted package is discharged from the winding unit. In this case, it is possible to prevent the already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit that has been identified by the unit identifier from being discharged from the winding unit by the discharge processing. In addition, when the user performs discharge of the package from the winding unit and mounting of the empty bobbin on the winding unit, the load on the automatic machine can be reduced.
A method for winding yarn according to an aspect of the present invention is a method for winding yarn using a yarn winding machine including a plurality of winding units configured to perform a winding operation to wind yarn onto a bobbin to form a package and an automatic machine provided in a movable manner with respect to the winding units, the method including identifying the winding unit, performing, with the automatic machine, winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the identified winding unit, winding starting processing to start winding yarn onto the empty bobbin, and after the winding starting processing, performing the winding operation in the winding unit following the winding starting processing.
This method for winding yarn can also, when a user mounts an empty bobbin on the winding unit, for example, identify the winding unit and perform the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit by the automatic machine. The frequency with which the automatic machine itself newly prepares the empty bobbin can be reduced. In addition, after the winding starting processing, the winding operation is performed following the winding starting processing, and thus an unnecessary standby time can be reduced. Thus, the method for winding yarn according to one aspect of the present invention can avoid a reduction in processing capacity.
One aspect of the present invention can provide a yarn winding machine and a method for winding yarn that can avoid a reduction in processing capacity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a spinning machine according to one embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a spinning unit and a doffing cart illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the spinning machine illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating discharge processing by the doffing cart illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the discharge processing illustrated in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating bobbin setting processing by the doffing cart illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the bobbin setting processing illustrated in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the bobbin setting processing illustrated in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the bobbin setting processing illustrated in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating winding starting processing by the doffing cart illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the winding starting processing illustrated in FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the winding starting processing illustrated in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the winding starting processing illustrated in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the winding starting processing illustrated in FIG. 13; and
FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating the continuation of the winding starting processing illustrated in FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like or equivalent elements are designated by like numerals, and duplicate description is omitted. The dimensional proportions in the drawings do not necessarily match those in the description. In the description, terms such as "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "rear" that indicate directions are terms of convenience based on the conditions illustrated in the drawings.
As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a spinning machine (yarn winding machine) 1 includes a plurality of spinning units (winding units) 2, a splicing cart 3, a doffing cart (automatic machine) 4, a first end frame 5A, a second end frame 5B, a bobbin stocker 60, and a package conveyor 80. The spinning units 2 are arranged in one direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the spinning machine 1). Each spinning unit 2 forms yarn Y and performs a winding operation to wind the yarn Y onto a bobbin B to form a package P.
The first end frame 5A accommodates, for example, a collection device configured to collect fiber waste, yarn waste, and the like generated in the spinning unit 2. The first end frame 5A is disposed at one end of the spinning units 2 in the arrangement direction. The second end frame 5B accommodates an air supply unit configured to adjust air pressure of compressed air (air) supplied to the spinning machine 1 and supply the air to the respective units of the spinning machine 1. The second end frame 5B may accommodate, for example, a drive motor configured to supply power to the respective units in the spinning units 2. The second end frame 5B is disposed at the other end of the group of the spinning units 2 in the arrangement direction.
The second end frame 5B includes a machine control device 5C, a display screen 5D, and input keys 5E. The machine control device 5C centrally manages and controls the respective units of the spinning machine 1. The display screen 5D can display, for example, information on settings of the spinning units 2. An operator can make the settings of the spinning units 2 by performing appropriate operations with the input keys 5E.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, each spinning unit 2 includes, in the order from the upstream side in a direction in which the yarn Y travels, a drafting device 6, an air-jet spinning device 7, a yarn monitoring device 8, a tension sensor 9, a yarn storage device 11, a waxing device 12, and a winding device 13. A unit controller 10 is provided for every predetermined number (one or a plurality) of spinning units 2, and controls operations of the spinning units 2.
The drafting device 6 drafts a sliver S. The air-jet spinning device 7 twists a fiber band F, which has been formed by drafting the sliver S by the drafting device 6, using swirling air flow to form the yarn Y. The yarn storage device 11 stores the yarn Y between the air-jet spinning device 7 and the winding device 13 to eliminate slack in the yarn Y. The waxing device 12 applies wax to the yarn Y between the yarn storage device 11 and the winding device 13. The winding device 13 winds the yarn Y onto the bobbin B to form the package P. In the following description, an empty bobbin B onto (around) which the yarn Y is not wound may be described as an "empty bobbin B0". In the present embodiment, an empty bobbin B0 is formed as a tubular body. When the empty bobbin B0 is viewed from the front, it has a folding-fan shape that spreads from one end toward the other in the axial direction.
The yarn monitoring device 8 monitors information on the yarn Y traveling between the air-jet spinning device 7 and the yarn storage device 11, and detects the presence or absence of a yarn defect on the basis of the monitored information. When having detected a yarn defect, the yarn monitoring device 8 transmits a yarn defect detection signal to the unit controller 10. The tension sensor 9 measures the tension of the yarn Y traveling between the air-jet spinning device 7 and the yarn storage device 11, and transmits a tension measurement signal to the unit controller 10. When the unit controller 10 has determined that abnormality has occurred based on the detection result of at least either the yarn monitoring device 8 or the tension sensor 9, the yarn Y is cut in the spinning unit 2.
The winding device 13 includes a cradle arm 21, a bobbin holder 28, a winding drum 22, and a traverse guide 23. The cradle arm 21 is swingably supported by a spindle 24, and brings the surface (the outer peripheral face) of the bobbin B or the surface of the package P into contact with the surface of the winding drum 22 with appropriate pressure. The bobbin holder 28 is provided on the cradle arm 21 and can hold both ends of the bobbin B. The bobbin B is rotatably mounted on the bobbin holder 28. The winding drum 22 comes into contact with the surface of the bobbin B or the surface of the package P, the bobbin B or the package P being mounted on the bobbin holder 28, to rotate the bobbin B or the package P. The traverse guide 23 traverses the yarn Y against the bobbin B or package P that is rotating.
Each spinning unit 2 outputs a request signal when the package P has been fully wound. When a specified amount (specified length) of the yarn Y has been wound onto the bobbin B, the spinning unit 2 determines that the package P has been fully wound and outputs the request signal. The spinning unit 2 may output the request signal a predetermined time before the package P has been fully wound.
When the yarn Y has been cut or broken for some reason in a certain spinning unit 2, the splicing cart 3 performs splicing operation on the spinning unit 2. The splicing cart 3 travels on a traveling path R1. The traveling path R1 extends along the arrangement direction of the spinning units 2. The splicing cart 3 includes a suction pipe 31, a splicing device 32, and a suction mouth 33. The suction pipe 31 is rotatably supported, and catches the yarn Y from the air-jet spinning device 7 and guides the yarn Y to the splicing device 32. The suction mouth 33 is rotatably supported, and catches the yarn Y from the winding device 13 and guides the yarn to the splicing device 32. The splicing device 32 splices the yarns Y thus guided. The splicing device 32 is, for example, a splicer using compressed air, a piecer configured to pass the yarn Y from the package P through the air-jet spinning device 7, or a knotter configured to mechanically splice the yarns Y.
The doffing cart 4 is a service cart provided in a movable manner with respect to the spinning units 2. The doffing cart 4 performs discharge processing, in which the already mounted bobbin B or the already mounted package P on the spinning unit 2 is discharged from the spinning unit 2, bobbin setting processing, in which an empty bobbin B0 is fed from a magazine 41, which is described later, to the spinning unit 2 on which an empty bobbin B0 is not mounted (or, to the spinning unit 2 the bobbin holder 28 of which is empty) to start winding the yarn Y, and winding starting processing, in which the yarn Y is started to be wound onto an already mounted empty bobbin B0 (refer to the below for details).
When the package P has been fully wound in one spinning unit 2, for example, the doffing cart 4, in response to a control signal from the machine control device 5C, travels to this spinning unit 2 on a traveling path R2 and stops, and performs the discharge processing and the bobbin setting processing. The traveling path R2 extends along the arrangement direction of the spinning units 2 (parallel to the traveling path R1). On the front side of the bobbin stocker 60, a supply position SP where the doffing cart 4 receives bobbins B fed from the bobbin stocker 60 is provided. The doffing cart 4 can travel on the traveling path R2 and stop at the supply position SP. After receiving feed of the bobbin B at the supply position SP, the doffing cart 4 moves to the spinning unit 2 requiring the bobbin B.
The doffing cart 4 includes a housing 40, the magazine 41, a bobbin mounting mechanism (clamping device) 42, a cradle operating arm 43, a suction pipe (yarn catching-and-guiding device) 44, and a control unit 46. The magazine 41, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42, the cradle operating arm 43, the suction pipe 44, and the control unit 46 are accommodated in the housing 40.
The magazine 41 stores bobbins B fed from the bobbin stocker 60. The magazine 41 stores a plurality of bobbins B. The lower end part of the magazine 41 is provided with a feed mechanism 47 configured to feed the empty bobbins B0 to the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. The feed mechanism 47 includes a shutter and an air cylinder. The feed mechanism 47 feeds the empty bobbins B0 one by one to the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. The operation of the feed mechanism 47 is controlled by the control unit 46.
The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is a device configured to clamp and move the empty bobbin B0. The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is configured to be able to oscillate about an oscillation axis 111 and is configured to be able to clamp the empty bobbin B0 by a bobbin clamping part 52. The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 can move the empty bobbin B0 from the feed mechanism 47 to a position between bobbin holders 28. The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 moves the empty bobbin B0 to the bobbin holder 28 and then returns to its origin position. The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 can move the empty bobbin B0 from the position between the bobbin holders 28 to a predetermined position (the origin position of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42, for example).
The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 also includes a bunch winding roller 53 for performing bunch winding. The bobbin mounting mechanism 42 does not necessarily include the bunch winding roller 53 and may rotate the empty bobbin B0 when bunch winding is performed by the winding drum 22 of the spinning unit 2. Bunch winding refers to performing straight winding around the empty bobbin B outside the winding width of the package P so that the beginning of the winding of the yarn Y can also be pulled out from the package P after completion. When bunch winding is formed by the winding device 13 of the spinning unit 2, the empty bobbin B0 is rotated by the winding drum 22 with the traverse guide 23 positioned outside the winding width of the package P and in a position or area inside the end face of the empty bobbin B0. The rotational speed of the winding drum 22 at this time may be the same as the rotational speed of the package P during winding or may be slower.
The cradle operating arm 43 is an arm operating the cradle arm 21. The cradle operating arm 43 operates the cradle arm 21 in order to remove the package P or the empty bobbin B0 from the winding device 13 to open the bobbin holder 28 (separate one bobbin holder 28 from another bobbin holder 28). The cradle operating arm 43 operates the cradle arm 21 in order to mount the empty bobbin B0 between the bobbin holders 28 to close the bobbin holders 28 (bring one bobbin holder 28 closer to the other bobbin holder 28). The suction pipe 44 is a device catching and guiding the yarn Y. The suction pipe 44 suctions, at a suction section thereof, the yarn Y delivered from the air-jet spinning device 7 thereby catching the yarn Y, and guides the caught yarn Y to a position where the winding starting position is performed.
The doffing cart 4 includes a guiding device 61 (refer to FIG. 4) configured to guide the package P from the cradle arm 21 to the package conveyor 80 while being in contact with the package P. The guiding device 61 includes a plate-shaped contact member 69 being in contact with the outer peripheral face of the package P (refer to FIG. 4).
The bobbin stocker 60 is disposed at one end of the group of the spinning units 2 in the arrangement direction (the end where the first end frame 5A is disposed). Feeding of bobbins B from the bobbin stocker 60 to the doffing cart 4 is performed at the supply position SP. The bobbin stocker 60 stores a plurality of empty bobbins B0 and also takes out some of the stored empty bobbins B0 and feeds them to the doffing cart 4 by a delivery mechanism 70. When the doffing cart 4 has reached the supply position SP of the bobbin stocker 60, the delivery mechanism 70 feeds bobbins B to the doffing cart 4.
The package conveyor 80 is a conveying device conveying packages P discharged from the spinning units 2 by the doffing cart 4. The package conveyor 80 is disposed between the spinning units 2 and the doffing cart 4. A passage space for the package P may be provided in the doffing cart 4, and the traveling path R2 of the doffing cart 4 may be provided between the spinning units 2 and the package conveyor 80. The package conveyor 80 extends along the arrangement direction of the spinning units 2. The direction in which packages P are conveyed by the package conveyor 80 intersects (is orthogonal to) the direction in which the packages P are discharged from the spinning units 2. The package conveyor 80 is a conveyor belt in which an endless belt is driven by drive rollers (not illustrated).
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the spinning machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of operating buttons 27 provided correspondingly to the respective spinning units 2. One operating button 27 is provided on each spinning unit 2. The operating button 27 is an operating unit capable of receiving an operation to identify the spinning unit 2 on which an empty bobbin B0 is already mounted. The operating button 27 forms a unit identifier identifying a spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted. The operating button 27 may be a touch-type button on a touch panel or a physical button being mechanically pressed, for example. By the operating button 27 being pressed, for example, a signal identifying that the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted on the spinning unit 2 corresponding to the operating button 27 is output to the machine control device 5C. A plurality of the operating buttons 27 may be provided in the spinning unit 2. The position, size, number, and range of the operating buttons 27 provided in the spinning unit 2 are not limited to particular modes.
Each of the spinning units 2 includes a traverse drive unit 25 configured to independently drive the traverse guide 23 (refer to FIG. 2). Each of the spinning units 2 has a bobbin drive unit 29 configured to independently drive the winding drum 22 (refer to FIG. 2).
When the operating button 27 is operated, the machine control device 5C outputs a request to perform the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operation (in other words, the spinning unit 2 corresponding to the operated operating button 27) to the doffing cart 4. Upon reception of the request to perform the winding starting processing, the doffing cart 4 moves to the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27 and performs the winding starting processing. After the winding starting processing, the machine control device 5C performs the winding operation in the spinning unit 2 following the winding starting processing.
The winding starting processing includes first processing, in which mounting of the empty bobbin B0 already mounted on between the bobbin holders 28 of the spinning unit 2 is released. The winding starting processing includes second processing, in which, after the first processing, the empty bobbin B0 which has been released from the mounting on the spinning unit 2 is moved to a predetermined position by the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. The winding starting processing includes third processing, in which, after the first processing, the suction pipe 44 catches the yarn Y. The first processing, the second processing, and the third processing are performed in parallel. "Being performed in parallel" means that at least part of the operation in the first processing, at least part of the operation in the second processing, and at least part of the operation in the third processing are performed in parallel (simultaneously). The first processing and the second processing may be performed first, and the third processing may be performed after the first processing and the second processing are completed. The winding starting processing includes fourth processing, in which, after the second processing and the third processing, the suction pipe 44 having caught the yarn Y is moved to a standby position, fifth processing, in which, after the fourth processing, the empty bobbin B0 having been moved to the predetermined position is moved to a position between the bobbin holders 28 by the bobbin mounting mechanism 42, and sixth processing, in which, after the fifth processing, the empty bobbin B0 is mounted between the bobbin holders 28. The predetermined position here is a position where the feed mechanism 47 of the magazine 41 feeds the empty bobbin B0 to the bobbin clamping part 52 (the origin position of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42).
The machine control device 5C, when a plurality of the spinning units 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted are identified by the operating button 27, causes the doffing cart 4 to perform the winding starting processing on each of the empty bobbins B0 mounted on the spinning units 2 in turn. Specifically, when the positions of the spinning units 2 are lined up, the doffing cart 4 performs the winding starting processing on the spinning units 2 in turn starting from the one closest to the current position of the doffing cart 4.
The empty bobbin B0 is not mounted on the spinning unit 2 not identified by the operating button 27. That is, the package P that is fully wound is mounted on the winding device 13 of the spinning unit 2, or nothing is mounted thereon. Thus, on the spinning unit 2, when the fully wound package P is mounted thereon, the machine control device 5C performs the bobbin setting processing by the doffing cart 4 after discharging the package P. The machine control device 5C does not perform the bobbin setting processing by the doffing cart 4 (prohibits performing the bobbin setting processing) on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27.
The machine control device 5C controls the doffing cart 4 to perform the following operations. That is, the doffing cart 4 does not receive feed of the empty bobbin B0 from the bobbin stocker 60 (refer to FIG. 1) to the magazine 41 for a predetermined period from when a request for the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27 (hereinafter also referred to as a "winding starting request") is made until after performing the winding starting processing. That is, in this predetermined period, the doffing cart 4 does not move to the supply position SP of the bobbin stocker 60. In a period other than the predetermined period (another period that is not the predetermined period), the doffing cart 4 moves to the bobbin stocker 60 to receive feed of the empty bobbin B0 from the bobbin stocker 60 to the magazine 41 when an empty bobbin feed starting condition is met. The doffing cart 4 performs the discharge processing, in which the already mounted bobbin B or the already mounted package P is discharged from the spinning unit 2, on the spinning unit 2 not identified by the operating button 27 before performing the winding starting processing. The doffing cart 4 does not perform the discharge processing (prohibits performing the discharge processing) on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27.
Next, an example of doffing work to remove the already mounted package P on the spinning unit 2 from the spinning unit 2 will be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the fully wound package P is detected by a sensor, not illustrated, in the spinning unit 2 for which the operating button 27 is not operated, for example, the doffing cart 4 is moved to the spinning unit 2. The fact that the package P has been fully wound may be determined based on the detection that a predetermined length of the yarn Y has been wound onto the package P by the yarn monitoring device 8, for example. The unit controller 10 performs control to keep the package P away from the winding drum 22 by rotating the cradle arm 21 and to break rotational drive force to the package P. Alternatively, when the package P is fully wound, the unit controller 10 may stop the rotation of the package P by stopping the rotation of the winding drum 22. In this case, the operation of keeping the package P away from the winding drum 22 may be omitted. The doffing cart 4 then performs the following discharge processing.
That is, by extending a guiding air cylinder 62 of the guiding device 61, the contact member 69 is rotated upward to come into contact with the package P. With this contact, when the package P has been inertially rotating, the inertial rotation of the package P can be stopped. By the time the inertial rotation of the package P completely stops, the cradle operating arm 43 is moved to the position illustrated in FIG. 4. When the inertial rotation of the package P completely stops, the doffing cart 4 operates the cradle arm 21 by the cradle operating arm 43 so as to separate one bobbin holder 28 from the other bobbin holder 28 to remove the fully wound package P.
The removed fully wound package P is guided to a sloped part 81 while its weight is supported by the contact member 69 of the guiding device 61. The guiding device 61 then moves the package P by rolling it along the sloped part 81 while maintaining contact with the package P. In this process, a roller member 67 of the guiding device 61 is rolling on the sloped part 81. Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the package P is guided to the package conveyor 80. The spinning machine 1 may have a configuration in which the package P removed from the cradle arm 21 rolls on the sloped part 81 to reach the package conveyor 80, without including the guiding device 61.
Next, an example of the bobbin setting processing, in which the empty bobbin B0 is fed from the magazine 41 to the spinning unit 2 to start winding the yarn Y will be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, in the spinning unit 2 for which the operating button 27 is not operated, for example, when the package P is discharged by the discharge processing and the empty bobbin B0 is not mounted between the bobbin holders 28, for example, the doffing cart 4 performs the following bobbin setting processing. That is, first, the suction pipe 44 is extended upward. The suction pipe 44 suctions the tip of the yarn Y discharged from the air-jet spinning device 7 to catch the yarn Y.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the suction pipe 44 is moved downward while the yarn Y is caught by being suctioned. In this process, the unit controller 10 performs control to cause the yarn Y suctioned by the suction pipe 44 to be wound onto the yarn storage device 11. The suction force of the suction pipe 44 is small and does not overcome the resisting torque of the yarn storage device 11, and thus the yarn Y is stored in the yarn storage device 11. After moving the suction pipe 44 downward, the suction pipe 44 is kept on standby at the standby position. Consequently, the yarn Y is guided to form a predetermined yarn path between the tip of the suction pipe 44 and the yarn storage device 11.
Before or after the movement of the suction pipe 44, the cradle arm 21 is operated by the cradle operating arm 43 to separate one bobbin holder 28 from the other bobbin holder 28. The empty bobbin B0 stocked in the magazine 41 is dispensed to the feed mechanism 47, and at the position of the feed mechanism 47 (the origin position of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42), the empty bobbin B0 is clamped by the bobbin clamping part 52 of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42.
As illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is advanced from the doffing cart 4 to feed the empty bobbin B0 to the bobbin holder 28. That is, the empty bobbin B0 and the yarn Y are simultaneously fed to the position between a pair of bobbin holders 28. In this state, the yarn Y is disposed across the empty bobbin B0 at the axial end of the empty bobbin B0. Consequently, in this state, by operating the cradle arm 21 by the cradle operating arm 43 so as to bring one bobbin holder 28 closer to the other bobbin holder 28, the empty bobbin B0 is mounted on the bobbin holder 28, and the yarn Y is held between the end of the empty bobbin B0 and the bobbin holder 28 to be fixed.
The yarn Y is cut by a cutter (not illustrated) included in the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 at a position between the empty bobbin B0 and the suction pipe 44. The clamping of the empty bobbin B0 by the bobbin clamping part 52 is released. The bunch winding roller 53 is brought into contact with the empty bobbin B0, and the empty bobbin B0 is rotated by the bunch winding roller 53. With this operation, bunch winding is formed at a position near the axial end of the empty bobbin B0. Subsequently, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 retracts to the doffing cart 4 to complete the bobbin setting processing. Upon completion of the bobbin setting processing, the unit controller 10 rotates the cradle arm 21 so as to bring the empty bobbin B0 into contact with the winding drum 22. With this operation, winding tension is applied to the yarn Y, the yarn Y is gradually unwound from the yarn storage device 11, and the winding operation of the package P is started in the spinning unit 2 immediately without any interruption after the completion of the bobbin setting processing.
Next, an example of work when the yarn Y starts to be wound onto the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 will be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, in a certain spinning unit 2, after the user mounts the empty bobbin B0, the user operates the operating button 27 of the spinning unit 2. With this operation, the machine control device 5C outputs the winding starting request to perform the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 to the doffing cart 4. The doffing cart 4 having received the winding starting request is moved to the spinning unit 2 and performs the following winding starting processing on the empty bobbins B0 already mounted on the spinning unit 2.
That is, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is advanced from the doffing cart 4, and the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 is clamped by the bobbin clamping part 52 of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. Then, the cradle arm 21 is operated by the cradle operating arm 43 to separate one bobbin holder 28 from the other bobbin holder 28 to release mounting of the empty bobbin B0 already mounted between the bobbin holders 28 (the first processing).
Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is oscillated about the oscillation axis 111 to move the empty bobbin B0 to the predetermined position (the position of the feed mechanism 47 (the origin position of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42)) (the second processing). At the same time, or before or after this, the suction pipe 44 is extended upward, and the yarn end of the yarn Y discharged from the air-jet spinning device 7 is caught by suctioning it by the suction pipe 44 (the third processing).
Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the suction pipe 44 is moved downward while catching the yarn Y by suctioning it. The yarn storage device 11 is disposed in the movement path of the suction pipe 44, and thus the yarn Y suctioned by the suction pipe 44 starts to be wound onto the yarn storage device 11 as the suction pipe 44 moves downward. The suction force of the suction pipe 44 is small and does not overcome the resisting torque of the yarn storage device 11, and thus the yarn Y is stored in the yarn storage device 11. After the yarn Y starts to be stored in the yarn storage device 11, a discarding operation of the yarn Y may be performed. Specifically, the yarn Y is removed from a yarn hanging member provided against a yarn storage roller of the yarn storage device 11 using a yarn removal lever, not illustrated, the yarn Y is tightened, and the untightened yarn Y is suctioned and discarded by the suction pipe 44. Subsequently, by moving the yarn removal lever and re-hanging the yarn Y against the yarn hanging member, the yarn Y of stable quality can be stored in the yarn storage device 11. After thus moving the suction pipe 44 downward, the suction pipe 44 is kept on standby at the standby position (the fourth processing). Consequently, the yarn Y is guided to form a predetermined yarn path between the tip of the suction pipe 44 and the yarn storage device 11.
Subsequently, at the position of the feed mechanism 47, the empty bobbin B0 is again clamped by the bobbin clamping part 52 of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. In the case of a configuration in which the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 has not moved the empty bobbin B0 to the feed mechanism 47 but has moved it to another position, the bobbin clamping part 52 may continue to clamp the empty bobbin B0 in a series of operations (may omit the operation to clamp it again). As illustrated in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is advanced from the doffing cart 4, and the empty bobbin B0 is moved back to the position between the bobbin holders 28 (the fifth processing). That is, the empty bobbin B0 and the yarn Y are simultaneously fed to the position between a pair of bobbin holders 28. In this state, the yarn Y is disposed across the empty bobbin B0 at the axial end of the empty bobbin B0. Thus, in this state, by operating the cradle arm 21 by the cradle operating arm 43 so as to bring one bobbin holder 28 closer to the other bobbin holder 28, the empty bobbin B0 is mounted on the bobbin holder 28, and the yarn Y is held between the end of the empty bobbin B0 and the bobbin holder 28 to be fixed (the sixth processing).
The yarn Y is cut by a cutter (not illustrated) included in the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 at a position between the empty bobbin B0 and the suction pipe 44. The clamping of the empty bobbin B0 by the bobbin clamping part 52 is released. The bunch winding roller 53 is brought into contact with the empty bobbin B0, and the empty bobbin B0 is rotated by the bunch winding roller 53. With this operation, bunch winding is formed at a position near the axial end of the empty bobbin B0. Subsequently, the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 retracts to the doffing cart 4 to complete the winding starting processing. Upon completion of the winding starting processing, the unit controller 10 rotates the cradle arm 21 so as to bring the empty bobbin B0 into contact with the winding drum 22. With this operation, winding tension is applied to the yarn Y, the yarn Y is gradually unwound from the yarn storage device 11, and the winding operation of the package P is started in the spinning unit 2 immediately without any interruption after the completion of the winding starting processing.
In the above, the process of operating the operating button 27 of the spinning unit 2 by the user corresponds to a step of identifying the spinning unit 2. The process in which the doffing cart 4 performs the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 corresponds to a step of performing the winding starting processing by the doffing cart 4. The process of applying the winding tension to the yarn Y by rotating the cradle arm 21 upon completion of the winding starting processing and gradually unwinding the yarn Y from the yarn storage device 11 to start the winding operation of the package P corresponds to a step of performing, after the winding starting processing, the winding operation following the winding starting processing.
An operation when the winding starting processing by the doffing cart 4 has failed will be described. When the winding starting processing by the doffing cart 4 has failed, two actions are taken depending on the situation of the failure. First, the first action relates to an action at the time of a failure before the doffing cart 4 performs the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0. This is the case when the suction pipe 44 has failed in suctioning the yarn Y, for example. In this case, yarn is not yet wound around the already mounted empty bobbin B0, and thus the already mounted empty bobbin B0 can be used for the next winding starting processing. Thus, in the first action, the winding starting processing by the doffing cart 4 is redone from the beginning. Next, the second action relates to an action at the time of a failure after the doffing cart 4 performs the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0. In this case, the processing often stops after yarn has already been wound around the already mounted empty bobbin B0, and the already mounted empty bobbin B0 around which the yarn is wound cannot be used for the next winding starting processing. Thus, in the second action, the control unit 46 of the doffing cart 4 turns on an operator call alarm (not illustrated) provided near the operating button 27 of the spinning unit 2 of the spinning unit 2 on which the already mounted empty bobbin B0 around which the yarn is wound is mounted. This induces the operator to process the already mounted empty bobbin B0 around which the yarn is wound by the operator as part of the second action. The operator performs residual yarn processing on the empty bobbin B0 and then performs an alarm canceling operation. Furthermore, when the mounting of the empty bobbin B0 has been completed, the operating button 27 is operated to cause the machine control device 5C to identify that the spinning unit 2 has already mounted the empty bobbin B0. The machine control device 5C outputs a request to perform the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operation to the doffing cart 4. The doffing cart 4 receives the request to perform the winding starting processing, moves to the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27, and performs the winding starting processing again.
Next, an example of refilling the magazine 41 of the doffing cart 4 with the empty bobbin B0 will be described. When the empty bobbin feed starting condition is met, such as when the number of the empty bobbins B0 stored in the magazine 41 has reached zero, the doffing cart 4 travels to the supply position SP of the bobbin stocker 60 and receives a new bobbin B. In this process, the doffing cart 4 does not receive feed of the empty bobbin B0 from the bobbin stocker 60 to the magazine 41 for a predetermined period from when the winding starting request is made until after performing the winding starting processing. In other words, in a period other than the predetermined period, when the empty bobbin feed starting condition is met, the doffing cart 4 moves to the bobbin stocker 60 to receive feed of the empty bobbin B0 from the bobbin stocker 60 to the magazine 41. The empty bobbin feed starting conditions is not limited to a particular condition and may be various conditions. The case in which the empty bobbin feed starting condition is met may be a case in which the number of the empty bobbins B0 stored in the magazine 41 of the doffing cart 4 is one or more and less than a full number, and the package conveyor 80 is in operation and the discharge processing by the doffing cart 4 cannot be performed. Alternatively, the case in which the empty bobbin feed starting condition is met may be a case in which the user has operated an operating button of the doffing cart 4 or the operating unit such as the input keys 5E. In addition to the configuration in which the doffing cart 4 receives feed of the bobbin B from the bobbin stocker 60, the user may directly feed the bobbin B to the magazine 41 of the doffing cart 4.
Next, an example of work at the time of the start (start-up or the start of a production lot) of the spinning machine 1 will be described.
The user first mounts the empty bobbin B0 on the spinning units 2 and then operates the operating button 27 of the spinning units 2. With this operation, a request to perform the winding starting processing in the spinning units 2 is output from the machine control device 5C to the doffing cart 4. Consequently, the doffing cart 4 performs the winding starting processing on each of the empty bobbins B0 already mounted on the spinning units 2 in turn. The spinning units 2 subjected to the winding starting processing may be all of the spinning units 2 or some of the spinning units 2 of the spinning machine 1. The user may also perform a collective operation so that the winding starting processing is performed on the spinning units 2 in the display screen 5D (refer to FIG. 1).
As described above, in the spinning machine 1, when the user mounts the empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2, for example, the spinning unit 2 is identified with the operating button 27, and thereby the winding starting processing can be performed on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 by the doffing cart 4. The frequency with which the doffing cart 4 itself newly prepares the empty bobbin B0 can be reduced, and the frequency of refilling the doffing cart 4 with the empty bobbin B0 can be reduced. In addition, after the winding starting processing, the winding operation is performed following the winding starting processing (in other words, the processing is not interrupted between the winding starting processing and the winding operation), and thus an unnecessary standby time can be reduced. Thus, the spinning machine 1 can avoid a reduction in processing capacity. When the frequency of the package P being fully wound is high, for example, the configuration of using the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 is effective. The case in which the frequency of the package P being fully wound is high is assumed to be at least one of a case in which a spinning speed or winding speed is high, a case in which the thickness of the yarn Y to be wound onto the package P is large, and a case in which the fully wound diameter of the package P is small (a case in which the fully wound length thereof is short). The winding operation being performed following the winding starting processing may mean at least one of the winding operation being performed immediately after the winding starting processing, the winding operation being performed continuously after the winding starting processing, the winding operation being performed without any delay (without any interval) after the winding starting processing, and the starting of the winding operation being not later than the ending of the winding staring processing.
In the spinning machine 1, the operating button 27 forms the operating unit capable of receiving the operation to identify the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted. In this case, the operating button 27 and the spinning unit 2 identified by the operation are in a one-to-one relation, and they are clearly associated with each other, and thus the spinning unit 2 on which an empty bobbin B0 is mounted can be accurately identified using a user operation via the operating button 27. The spinning machine 1 can immediately treat the spinning unit 2 for which the operating button 27 is operated as the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted, and some sort of discrimination processing is not required.
In the spinning machine 1, the operating button 27 is provided in each of the spinning units 2. In this case, the operating button 27 can be operated on each of the spinning units 2. The operating button 27 and the spinning unit 2 identified by the operation are in a one-to-one relation, and thus the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted can be accurately identified using a user operation via the operating button 27, for example.
In the spinning machine 1, the spinning unit 2 has the bobbin holder 28. The winding starting processing includes the first processing, in which the mounting of the already mounted empty bobbin on the bobbin holder 28 of the spinning unit 2 is released. In this case, in the winding starting processing, by releasing the mounting of the empty bobbin B0, a working space can be secured between the bobbin holder 28 and the empty bobbin B0, for example.
In the spinning machine 1, the doffing cart 4 has the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. The winding starting processing includes the second processing, in which, after the first processing, the empty bobbin B0 which has been released from the mounting on the spinning unit 2 is moved to the predetermined position by the bobbin mounting mechanism 42. In this case, in the winding starting processing, the empty bobbin B0 is moved to the predetermined position, and appropriate work can be performed on the empty bobbin B0.
In the spinning machine 1, the doffing cart 4 has the suction pipe 44. The winding starting processing includes the third processing, in which the suction pipe 44 catches the yarn Y. In this case, in the winding starting processing, the suction pipe 44 catches the yarn Y, and the yarn Y can be fixed to the empty bobbin B0. In the spinning machine 1, the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing are performed in parallel. In this case, the time required for the winding starting processing can be reduced. The first processing, the second processing, and the third processing are not limited to being performed in parallel, and at least two pieces of processing out of the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing may be performed in parallel.
In the spinning machine 1, the winding starting processing includes the fourth processing, in which, after the second processing and the third processing, the suction pipe 44 having caught the yarn Y is moved to a standby position; the fifth processing, in which, after the fourth processing, the empty bobbin B0 having been moved to the predetermined position is moved to the bobbin holder 28 by the bobbin mounting mechanism 42; and the sixth processing, in which, after the fifth processing, the empty bobbin is mounted on the bobbin holder 28. In this case, in the winding starting processing, the suction pipe 44 having caught the yarn Y is moved to the standby position, and the empty bobbin B0 having been moved to the predetermined position is returned to the bobbin holder 28, and thereby the positional relation among the bobbin holder 28, the empty bobbin B0, and the yarn Y can be fixed.
In the spinning machine 1, when a plurality of the spinning units 2 on which empty bobbins B0 are already mounted are identified by the operating button 27, the doffing cart 4 performs the winding starting processing on each of the empty bobbins B0 already mounted on the spinning units 2 in turn. In this case, in a situation in which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted on the spinning units 2 (at the time of the start of the spinning machine 1, for example), the doffing cart 4 can efficiently perform the winding starting processing.
In the spinning machine 1, each of the spinning units 2 has the traverse guide 23 and the traverse drive unit 25 configured to independently drive the traverse guide 23. In this case, the traverse guide 23 can be driven for each spinning unit 2, and thus after performing part of the winding starting processing by the traverse guide 23, the winding operation can be performed using the traverse guide 23 without any interruption. That is, after bunch winding is formed with the traverse guide 23 positioned outside the winding width of the package P and in a position or area inside the end face of empty bobbin B0, the traverse guide 23 is moved from the bunch winding position (area) to the inside of the winding width of the package P to be reciprocated without removing the yarn Y from the traverse guide 23, and thereby the bunch winding and the winding operation of the package P (traverse of the yarn Y) can be performed without any interruption. With this operation, in each spinning unit 2, bunch winding is formed, and the subsequent winding operation (winding of the package P) can be performed continuously.
In the spinning machine 1, each of the spinning units 2 has the winding drum 22 configured to rotate the bobbin B or the package P and the bobbin drive unit 29 configured to independently drive the winding drum 22. In this case, the winding drum 22 can be driven for each spinning unit 2, and thus after performing part of the winding starting processing by the winding drum 22, the winding operation can be performed using the winding drum 22 without any interruption. That is, after bunch winding is formed by rotating the empty bobbin B0 by the winding drum 22 with the traverse guide 23 positioned outside the winding width of the package P and in a position or area inside the end face of empty bobbin B0, the bobbin B is rotated at the winding speed while maintaining the contact state between the winding drum 22 and the bobbin B. With this operation, in each spinning unit 2, bunch winding is formed, and the subsequent winding operation (winding of the package P) can be performed continuously.
In the spinning machine 1, the doffing cart 4 has the magazine 41. The bobbin setting processing is performed on the spinning unit 2 not identified by operating button 27, whereas the bobbin setting processing is not performed on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27. In this case, for the spinning unit 2 other than the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted, it is possible to feed the empty bobbin B0 from the magazine 41 by the bobbin setting processing by the doffing cart 4 and to start winding the yarn Y.
In the spinning machine 1, the doffing cart 4 does not receive feed of the empty bobbin B0 from the bobbin stocker 60 to the magazine 41 for a predetermined period from when the winding starting request for the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27 is made until after performing the winding starting processing. In the predetermined period, the doffing cart 4 can use the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2, and thus an empty bobbin B0 is not required to be stored in the magazine 41, and there is no need to refill the magazine 41 with an empty bobbin B0. Thus, in this case, the time taken for such refilling is eliminated in the predetermined period, and a reduction in processing capacity can be avoided. In the predetermined period, the doffing cart 4 does not move to the bobbin stocker 60 to receive the empty bobbin B0, and thus the movement distance of the doffing cart 4 can be reduced, and the operating efficiency of the entire spinning machine 1 can be improved.
In the spinning machine 1, the doffing cart 4 moves to the bobbin stocker 60 to receive feed of the empty bobbin B0 from the bobbin stocker 60 to the magazine 41 when the empty bobbin feed starting condition is met in a period other than the predetermined period. In this case, in the period other than the predetermined period, the magazine 41 can be refilled with the empty bobbin B0 as appropriate. In addition, the doffing cart 4 does not move to the bobbin stocker 60 in the predetermined period, and thus the movement efficiency of the doffing cart 4 can be improved.
In the spinning machine 1, the doffing cart 4 does not perform the discharge processing on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27. In this case, it is possible to prevent the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2 identified by the operating button 27 from being discharged from the spinning unit 2 by the discharge processing. When the user performs discharge of the package P from the spinning unit 2 and mounting of the empty bobbin B0 on the spinning unit 2, the load on the doffing cart 4 can be reduced.
The method for winding yarn includes identifying a spinning unit 2, performing, with the automatic machine, winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin B0 on the identified spinning unit 2, the winding starting processing to start winding the yarn Y onto the empty bobbin B0, and after the winding starting processing, automatically performing the winding operation in the spinning unit 2 following the winding starting processing. This method for winding yarn can also avoid a reduction in processing capacity.
Although the embodiment has been described above, one aspect of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist thereof.
In the above embodiment, the operating button 27 is provided as the operating unit, but the operating unit is not limited to a particular unit and may be various elements so long as it can receive operation input by the user. The operating unit may include the input keys 5E (refer to FIG. 1), for example. The operating unit is provided in each of the spinning units 2, but instead of or in addition to that, it may be provided in at least one of the doffing cart 4, the first end frame (end frame) 5A, and the second end frame (end frame) 5B. In this case, the operating unit can be operated on at least either the first end frame 5A or the second end frame 5B.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, the unit identifier may include a first information acquisition unit configured to acquire first information on the color of an area containing the bobbin B mounted on the spinning unit 2 and identify the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted based on the acquired first information. The empty bobbin B0 and the package P can be distinguished from each other based on their difference in color. Thus, in this case, if the color of the package P (the color of the yarn Y) is dominant in the area containing the bobbin B, for example, it can be determined that the package P is already mounted on the spinning unit 2, while if the color of the empty bobbin B0 (the color of a paper tube) is dominant, it can be determined that the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted on the spinning unit 2. That is, the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted can be identified using the color of the area containing the bobbin B mounted on the spinning unit 2. With this identification, it is possible to avoid the doffing cart 4 from accidentally performing the winding starting processing on the package P. A camera is used as the first information acquisition unit, for example, and in this case, the first information is an image of the area containing the bobbin B.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, the unit identifier may include a second information acquisition unit configured to acquire second information on the thickness of a yarn layer of the yarn Y wound onto the bobbin B mounted on the spinning unit 2 and identify the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted based on the acquired second information. The empty bobbin B0 and the package P can be distinguished from each other based on the thickness of the yarn layer of the yarn Y wound onto the bobbin B (the distance from the outer peripheral face of the empty bobbin B0 to the wound part (the outer peripheral face) of the package P). Thus, in this case, if the yarn layer of the wound yarn Y is thick, for example, it can be determined that the package P is already mounted on the spinning unit 2, while if there is no yarn layer of the wound yarn Y, it can be determined that the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted on the spinning unit 2. That is, the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted can be identified using the thickness of the yarn layer of the yarn Y wound onto the empty bobbin B0 mounted on the spinning unit 2. With this identification, it is possible to avoid the doffing cart 4 from accidentally performing the winding starting processing on the package P. A distance measurement sensor is used as the second information acquisition unit, for example, and in this case, the second information is the distance from the distance measurement sensor to a predetermined position on the outer peripheral face of the package P or the bobbin B.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, the unit identifier may include a third information acquisition unit configured to acquire third information on the number of revolutions (the number of revolutions per unit time) of the bobbin B or package P rotated by the winding drum 22 and identify the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted based on the acquired third information. When the empty bobbin B0 or the package P is rotated by the winding drum 22, the package P has a larger diameter, for example, and thus the distance (time) for the package P to make one revolution is longer. Thus, the empty bobbin B0 and the package P rotated by the winding drum 22 can be distinguished from each other based on the number of revolutions. In this case, if the acquired number of revolutions is smaller than a threshold, it can be determined that the package P is already mounted on the spinning unit 2, while if the acquired number of revolutions is the threshold or more, it can be determined that the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted on the spinning unit 2. That is, the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted can be identified using the number of revolutions of the bobbin B or the package P. With this identification, it is possible to avoid the doffing cart 4 from accidentally performing the winding starting processing on the package P. The spinning machine 1 often includes the third information acquisition unit in order to perform the winding operation, and thus there is no need to provide an additional sensor in the spinning machine 1 in order to identify the spinning unit 2 on which the empty bobbin B0 is mounted, and the configuration of the spinning machine 1 can be simplified. A rotation sensor for the winding drum 22 is used as the third information acquisition unit, for example, and in this case, the third information is the number of revolutions of the winding drum 22.
When the spinning unit 2 is identified based on a plurality of pieces of information (operations by the user and the first information to the third information, for example), the spinning unit 2 may be identified as having already mounted the empty bobbin B0 when all of the pieces of information indicate that an empty bobbin B0 is already mounted. Alternatively, for the spinning unit 2 for which the operating button 27 is operated, the spinning unit 2 may be identified as having already mounted the empty bobbin B0 when at least one of the first information to the third information indicates that the empty bobbin B0 is already mounted.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, the predetermined position to which the empty bobbin B0 which has been released is moved by the bobbin mounting mechanism 42 is the origin position of the bobbin mounting mechanism 42, but the predetermined position is not limited to a particular position and may be various positions. The predetermined position may be a position outside the doffing cart 4, for example. The embodiment and the modifications above may be a mode in which the empty bobbin B0 is conveyed from the bobbin stocker 60 to the doffing cart 4 by a belt provided along the longitudinal direction of the spinning machine 1. In the embodiment and the modifications above, the empty bobbin B0 and the yarn Y are simultaneously guided to the bobbin holder 28, but the empty bobbin B0 may be guided to the bobbin holder 28 first, and the yarn Y may be guided between the empty bobbin B0 and the bobbin holder 28, or guiding may be performed in the reverse order.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, an example of a configuration has been described in which the yarn winding machine is the spinning machine 1 and the winding units are the spinning units 2. However, the yarn winding machine may be an automatic winder or an open-end spinning machine. In the embodiment and the modifications above, an example of a configuration has been described in which the doffing cart 4 is provided between the spinning units 2 and the package conveyor 80. However, the package conveyor 80 may be provided between the spinning units 2 and the doffing cart 4.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, an example of a configuration has been described in which the bobbin stocker 60 is disposed at one end of the group of the spinning units 2 in the arrangement direction (the end where the first end frame 5A is disposed). However, the bobbin stocker 60 may be disposed at the other end of the group of the spinning units 2 in the arrangement direction (the end where the second end frame 5B is disposed). A plurality of the bobbin stockers 60 may be provided. In this case, the spinning machine 1 may include a plurality of the doffing carts 4.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, the bobbins B stored in the bobbin stocker 60 are illustrated in FIG. 1 in a manner visible by the operator from the front of the spinning machine 1. However, the arrangement of the bobbin stocker 60 is not limited to this arrangement, and the bobbin stocker 60 may be disposed, for example, at least either on a side or the rear of the spinning machine 1. Instead of the configuration in which the bobbin stocker 60 is disposed at the end of the spinning machine 1 in the longitudinal direction thereof (the arrangement direction of the spinning units 2), the bobbin stocker 60 may be disposed in the center of the spinning machine 1 in the longitudinal direction.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, an example of a configuration has been described in which the package conveyor 80 is a conveyor belt. However, the method of conveying the packages P with the package conveyor 80 is not limited to being performed by the conveyor belt. The embodiment and the modifications above may include a loading base that is provided such that packages P discharged from the spinning unit 2 can be loaded thereon and does not have any conveying function instead of the package conveyor 80.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, the respective devices are disposed in the spinning machine 1 such that the yarn Y fed from the upper side in the height direction is wound at the lower side. However, in the spinning machine 1, the respective devices may be disposed such that yarn fed from the lower side is wound at the upper side. In the embodiment and the modifications above, drive units of some devices are shared among the spinning units 2. However, the spinning machine 1 may be configured such that, in each spinning unit 2, all devices are driven independently of the other spinning units 2.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, an example of a configuration has been described in which the second end frame 5B includes the display screen 5D and the input keys 5E. However, the second end frame 5B may include a touch panel display. In this case, the touch panel display may be the operating unit. In the embodiment and the modifications above, bunch winding is formed on the empty bobbin B0 when starting winding the yarn Y onto the empty bobbin B0. However, bunch winding is not necessarily formed, or a method of winding other than bunch winding may be used to start winding the yarn Y onto the empty bobbin B0.
In the embodiment and the modifications above, an example of a configuration has been described in which the doffing cart 4 travels on the traveling path R2. However, the doffing cart 4 may be configured to travel on a rail. The splicing cart 3 may also be configured to travel on a rail. The spinning machine 1 may be configured such that the splicing cart 3 is omitted and each spinning unit 2 includes at least some of the configurations related to the splicing operation.
In FIG. 1, the spinning machine 1 is illustrated such that cone-shaped packages P are wound. However, cheese-shaped packages P may also be wound. In the spinning unit 2, the yarn storage device 11 has a function of pulling out the yarn Y from the air-jet spinning device 7. However, the yarn Y may be pulled out from the air-jet spinning device 7 by a delivery roller and a nip roller. When the yarn Y is pulled out from the air-jet spinning device 7 by a delivery roller and a nip roller, instead of the yarn storage device 11, a slack tube and a mechanical compensator, for example, configured to absorb slack of the yarn Y using suction airflow may be provided.
The tension sensor 9 may be disposed upstream of the yarn monitoring device 8 in the traveling direction of the yarn Y. The unit controller 10 may be provided for each spinning unit 2. In the spinning unit 2, the waxing device 12, the tension sensor 9, and the yarn monitoring device 8 may be omitted. When wax is not applied to the yarn Y, the waxing device 12 may be provided to the spinning unit 2 and the wax may be removed from the waxing device 12. In the above, the materials and shapes of the respective components are not limited to the materials and shapes described above, and various materials and shapes may be used.
, Claims:We claim:

1. A yarn winding machine comprising:
a plurality of winding units configured to perform a winding operation to wind yarn onto a bobbin to form a package;
an automatic machine provided in a movable manner with respect to the winding units; and
a unit identifier configured to identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is mounted, wherein
the automatic machine performs winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit that has been identified by the unit identifier, winding starting processing to start winding yarn onto the empty bobbin, and
after the winding starting processing, the yarn winding machine performs the winding operation in the winding unit following the winding starting processing.

2. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the unit identifier includes an operating unit capable of receiving an operation to identify the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted, and
when the operating unit is operated, the automatic machine performs the winding starting processing on the already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit identified by the operation.

3. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operating unit is provided in at least one of the winding units, the automatic machine, and an end frame.

4. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the unit identifier includes a plurality of operating buttons provided correspondingly to the respective winding units, and
when at least one of the operating buttons is operated, the automatic machine performs the winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit corresponding to the operated operating button.

5. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
the winding unit includes a bobbin holder on which a bobbin is rotatably mounted, and
the winding starting processing includes first processing, in which mounting of the empty bobbin already mounted on the bobbin holder of the winding unit is released.

6. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the automatic machine includes a clamping device configured to clamp and move the empty bobbin, and
the winding starting processing includes second processing, in which, after the first processing, the empty bobbin which has been released from the mounting on the winding unit is moved to a predetermined position by the clamping device.

7. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein
the automatic machine includes a yarn catching-and-guiding device configured to catch and guide yarn, and
the winding starting processing includes third processing, in which the yarn catching-and-guiding device catches yarn.

8. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least two pieces of processing out of the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing are performed in parallel.

9. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the winding starting processing includes:
fourth processing, in which, after the second processing and the third processing, the yarn catching-and-guiding device having caught yarn is moved to a standby position;
fifth processing, in which, after the fourth processing, the empty bobbin having been moved to the predetermined position is moved to the bobbin holder by the clamping device; and
sixth processing, in which, after the fifth processing, the empty bobbin is mounted on the bobbin holder.

10. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when a plurality of the winding units on which empty bobbins are already mounted are identified by the unit identifier, the automatic machine performs the winding starting processing on each of the already mounted empty bobbins on the winding units in turn.

11. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 10, wherein each of the winding units includes: a traverse guide configured to traverse yarn; and a traverse drive unit configured to independently drive the traverse guide.

12. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 11, wherein each of the winding units includes: a winding drum configured to rotate a bobbin or a package; and a bobbin drive unit configured to independently drive the winding drum.

13. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the unit identifier includes a first information acquisition unit configured to acquire first information on a color of an area containing a bobbin mounted on the winding unit and identifies the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted based on the acquired first information.
14. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the unit identifier includes a second information acquisition unit configured to acquire second information on a thickness of a yarn layer of yarn wound onto a bobbin mounted on the winding unit and identifies the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted based on the acquired second information.

15. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 14, wherein
each of the winding units includes a winding drum configured to come into contact with an outer peripheral face of a bobbin or an outer peripheral face of a package, the bobbin or the package being mounted on the winding unit, to rotate the bobbin or the package, and
the unit identifier includes a third information acquisition unit configured to acquire third information on a number of revolutions of the bobbin or the package and identifies the winding unit on which an empty bobbin is already mounted based on the acquired third information.

16. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the automatic machine
includes a magazine storing a plurality of empty bobbins,
performs bobbin setting processing, in which an empty bobbin is fed from the magazine to start winding yarn, on the winding unit not identified by the unit identifier, and
does not perform the bobbin setting processing on the winding unit identified by the unit identifier.

17. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16, wherein the automatic machine does not receive feed of an empty bobbin from a bobbin stocker storing a plurality of empty bobbins to the magazine for a predetermined period from when a request for the winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the winding unit identified by the unit identifier is made until after performing the winding starting processing.
18. The yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 17, wherein the automatic machine moves to the bobbin stocker to receive feed of an empty bobbin from the bobbin stocker to the magazine when an empty bobbin feed starting condition is met in a period other than the predetermined period.

19. The yarn winding machine as claimed in one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the automatic machine does not perform, on the winding unit identified by the unit identifier, discharge processing, in which the already mounted bobbin or the already mounted package is discharged from the winding unit.

20. A method for winding yarn using a yarn winding machine including a plurality of winding units configured to perform a winding operation to wind yarn onto a bobbin to form a package and an automatic machine provided in a movable manner with respect to the winding units, the method comprising:
identifying the winding unit;
performing, with the automatic machine, winding starting processing on an already mounted empty bobbin on the identified winding unit, winding starting processing to start winding yarn onto the empty bobbin; and
after the winding starting processing, performing the winding operation in the winding unit following the winding starting processing.