YARN WINDING MACHINE AND YARN WINDING METHOD
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
5 The present invention relates to a yarn winding
machine and a yarn winding method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an automatic winder (yarn winding machine)
10 disclosed in JP 2016-50060 A, a plurality of yarn winding
units traverse and wind a travelling yarn while bringing
a package into contact with a winding drum that is in
rotation (in normal rotation) in a predetermined
direction, to cause the package to be driven to rotate.
15 When the travelling yarn is divided for some reason, the
yarn winding unit performs yarn joining with a yarn
joining device. Before the yarn joining, the package
and the winding drum are separated by a lift-up mechanism,
and the rotation is individually stopped. This
20 suppresses damage to a package surface due to contact
(friction) between with the winding drum before the stop,
and quickly stops the package and the winding drum. At
that time, among the divided yarns, the yarn on the
package side is temporarily wound around the package.
25 Then, the yarn winding unit brings the package and the
winding drum into contact again, then causes an upper
yarn catching member to catch a yarn end of the yarn
wound in the package while reversing the package, and
guides the yarn end to a yarn joining device.
30 Here, at the time of stopping the rotation of the
package and the winding drum, when the package stops
3
before the winding drum, the yarn end may hang down from
the package after the rotation stop, and may be caught
by the winding drum before the rotation stop. As a
result, there is a possibility that the yarn goes around
5 to a space different from a yarn travelling space at a
time of normal yarn winding (specifically, a space
opposite to the travelling space with the winding drum
interposed in between).
When the yarn joining is performed in such a state,
10 a yarn winding process is restarted with an abnormal
yarn path formed, which causes a defective shape of the
package due to the fact that the traverse is not
performed normally, for example. In order to avoid such
a problem, for example, it is conceivable to wind a
15 hanging yarn end again on the package, after rotation
stop of the package and the winding drum, by bringing
both into contact with each other again, and causing the
winding drum to further normally rotate to cause the
package to be driven to rotate (JP 2007-302457 A).
20 As described in JP 2007-302457 A, when the winding
drum is further normally rotated to cause the package to
be driven to rotate after the rotation stop of the
package drum and the winding drum, there is a problem in
that time from when the yarn is divided until the yarn
25 is joined becomes long, which lowers production
efficiency.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to suppress
30 a yarn end of a divided yarn from being caught by a
winding drum, while avoiding lengthening of time from
4
when the yarn is divided until the yarn is joined.
A yarn winding machine according to a first aspect
of the present invention is a yarn winding machine
including: a yarn supplying section capable of supplying
5 a yarn; a winding section that performs a winding process
of winding the yarn supplied by the yarn supplying
section onto a winding bobbin to form a package; and a
yarn joining mechanism that joins the yarn divided
between the yarn supplying section and the winding
10 section in a yarn travelling direction. The winding
section includes: a cradle that rotatably supports the
package; a winding drum that causes the package to be
driven to rotate, by rotating while being in contact
with the package; and a drum drive section that
15 rotationally drives the winding drum; a brake section
that brakes rotation of the package; and a switching
mechanism capable of switching a state of the winding
section between a contact state where the package and
the winding drum are in contact with each other, and a
20 separated state where the package and the winding drum
are separated from each other. The yarn winding machine
includes a control section. When the yarn is divided
during the winding process, the control section controls
the switching mechanism to separate the package and the
25 winding drum before yarn joining by the yarn joining
mechanism, and controls the drum drive section to stop
rotation of the winding drum and controls the brake
section to stop rotation of the package. When the
package stops before the winding drum, at a timing when
30 a peripheral speed of the winding drum becomes equal to
or lower than a predetermined reference peripheral speed,
5
the control section controls the switching mechanism to
bring the package and the winding drum into contact again
before rotation stop of the winding drum.
In the present invention, at the timing when the
5 peripheral speed of the winding drum becomes equal to or
lower than the reference peripheral speed, the package
that has stopped rotating comes into contact again with
the winding drum before rotation stop. This allows the
package to be driven to rotate again before rotation
10 stop of the winding drum, while suppressing damage to
the package surface due to friction between with the
winding drum. Therefore, even when a yarn end
temporarily hangs from the package, the yarn can be wound
around the package again, and the winding drum can be
15 stopped as it is. Therefore, it is possible to suppress
a yarn end of the divided yarn from being caught by the
winding drum.
Further, since the package is brought into contact
with the winding drum before rotation stop in this manner,
20 it is not necessary to additionally rotate the winding
drum after the rotation stop of the winding drum, and
the yarn joining can be started quickly. Therefore, as
compared with a case where the winding drum is
additionally rotated, the time until the yarn is joined
25 can be shortened.
As described above, it is possible to suppress a
yarn end of a divided yarn from being caught by the
winding drum, while avoiding lengthening of time from
when the yarn is divided until the yarn is joined.
30 A yarn winding machine of a second aspect of the
present invention is formed with a traverse groove for
6
traverse of the yarn, on an outer peripheral surface of
the winding drum in the first aspect of the present
invention.
In a configuration that traverses the yarn along
5 the traverse groove, when an abnormal yarn path is formed
after yarn joining when a yarn end hanging from the
package is caught by the winding drum, the yarn is wound
into the package without being traversed along the
traverse groove (details will be described later in the
10 embodiment). In this case, straight winding occurs in
which the yarn is continuously wound at substantially
the same position in an axial direction of the winding
bobbin. In the present invention, since a yarn end of
the divided yarn can be suppressed from being caught by
15 the winding drum, the occurrence of straight winding can
be effectively suppressed.
A yarn winding machine of a third aspect of the
present invention has the reference peripheral speed of
800 m/min or less in the first or second aspect of the
20 present invention.
In the present invention, the switching mechanism
is controlled at a timing when the peripheral speed of
the winding drum is slowed down to 800 m/min or less.
This makes it possible to effectively suppress damage to
25 the package due to friction between with the winding
drum, when the package that has stopped rotating is
brought into contact with the winding drum before
rotation stop.
A yarn winding method according to a fourth aspect
30 of the present invention is a yarn winding method in a
yarn winding machine including: a yarn supplying section
7
capable of supplying a yarn; a winding section that
performs a winding process of winding the yarn supplied
by the yarn supplying section on a winding bobbin to
form a package; and a yarn joining mechanism that joins
5 the yarn divided between the yarn supplying section and
the winding section in a yarn travelling direction. The
winding section includes: a cradle that rotatably
supports the package; a winding drum that causes the
package to be driven to rotate, by rotating while being
10 in contact with the package; and a switching mechanism
capable of switching a state of the winding section
between a contact state where the package and the winding
drum are in contact with each other, and a separated
state where the package and the winding drum are
15 separated from each other. In the yarn winding method,
when the yarn is divided during the winding process, the
switching mechanism separates the package and the
winding drum before yarn joining by the yarn joining
mechanism, and the drum drive section is controlled to
20 stop rotation of the winding drum and the brake section
is controlled to stop rotation of the package. When the
package stops before the winding drum, at a timing when
a peripheral speed of the winding drum becomes equal to
or lower than a predetermined reference peripheral speed,
25 the switching mechanism brings the package and the
winding drum into contact again before rotation stop of
the winding drum.
In the present invention, similarly to the first
aspect of the present invention, it is possible to
30 suppress a yarn end of a divided yarn from being caught
by the winding drum, while avoiding lengthening of time
8
from when the yarn is divided until the yarn is joined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatic winder
5 according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an
electrical configuration of the automatic winder;
FIG. 3 is a front view of a winding unit;
FIG. 4A is a side view of an upper portion of the
10 winding unit;
FIG. 4B is a side view of the upper portion of the
winding unit;
FIG. 5A is an explanatory view illustrating an
operation of an upper yarn catching and guiding section;
15 FIG. 5B is an explanatory view illustrating an
operation of the upper yarn catching and guiding section;
FIG. 6A is a reference view illustrating a state
where a yarn hangs from a stopped package;
FIG. 6B is a reference view illustrating a state
20 where a yarn hangs from a stopped package;
FIG. 7A is a reference view illustrating an
abnormal yarn path;
FIG. 7B is a reference view illustrating an
abnormal yarn path;
25 FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating control from
when a yarn is divided until a winding process is
restarted;
FIG. 9 is a graph showing a relationship between
a peripheral speed of a winding drum and time, and a
30 graph showing a relationship between a peripheral speed
of a package and time;
9
FIG. 10A is an explanatory view illustrating a
state where a yarn end hangs from a package; and
FIG. 10B is an explanatory view illustrating a
state where a hanging yarn end is rewound into a package.
5
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will
be described. Note that a horizontal direction on a
page of FIG. 1 is defined as a horizontal direction. A
10 vertical direction on the page of FIG. 1 is defined as
a vertical direction (perpendicular direction) in which
gravity acts. A direction orthogonal to both the
horizontal direction and the vertical direction is
defined as a longitudinal direction. Further, a
15 direction in which a yarn Y travels is defined as a yarn
travelling direction.
(Schematic configuration of automatic winder)
First, a schematic configuration of an automatic
winder 1 (yarn winding machine of the present invention)
20 according to the present embodiment will be described
with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a front view
of the automatic winder 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram
illustrating an electrical configuration of the
automatic winder 1. The automatic winder 1 includes a
25 plurality of winding units 2, a doffing device 3, and a
machine control device 4.
The plurality of winding units 2 are arranged in
the horizontal direction, and each of the winding units
2 winds the yarn Y drawn out from a yarn supplying bobbin
30 Bs onto a winding bobbin Bw to form a package P. The
doffing device 3 is arranged above the plurality of
10
winding units 2. The doffing device 3 is configured to
be movable in the horizontal direction. When the doffing
device 3 receives a signal of full winding (completion
of formation of the package P) from a certain winding
5 unit 2, the doffing device 3 moves to the vicinity of
the winding unit 2, and performs removal of the package
P from the winding unit 2, attachment of an empty winding
bobbin Bw to the winding unit 2, and the like.
The machine control device 4 is arranged laterally
10 to the plurality of winding units 2 (see FIG. 1). The
machine control device 4 is electrically connected to a
unit control section 14 of the winding unit 2 (see FIG.
2, details will be described later) and a control section
(not illustrated) of the doffing device 3, to communicate
15 with these control sections.
(Winding unit)
Next, a configuration of the winding unit 2 will
be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, and
4B. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the winding
20 unit 2. FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of an upper
portion of the winding unit 2.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the winding unit 2
includes a yarn supplying section 11, a yarn processing
execution section 12, and a winding section 13. The
25 winding unit 2 winds the yarn Y with the winding section
13, while applying processing by the yarn processing
execution section 12 to the yarn Y supplied by the yarn
supplying section 11.
The yarn supplying section 11 is for unwinding and
30 supplying the yarn Y wound around the yarn supplying
bobbin Bs. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the yarn supplying
11
section 11 is arranged at a lowermost side of the winding
unit 2. The yarn supplying section 11 has a yarn
supplying bobbin supporting section 21 and a yarn
unwinding assisting device 22. The yarn supplying
5 bobbin supporting section 21 supports the yarn supplying
bobbin Bs in a substantially upright state. The yarn
unwinding assisting device 22 regulates a bulge when the
yarn Y is unwound from the yarn supplying bobbin Bs,
with a regulating tube 23. The regulating tube 23 is
10 configured to move downward as an amount of yarn wound
around the yarn supplying bobbin Bs decreases, to
maintain a size of the bulge at a constant size. Further,
for example, a yarn feeler 24 is arranged above the yarn
unwinding assisting device 22. The yarn feeler 24 is
15 configured to detect the presence or absence of the
travelling yarn Y.
The yarn processing execution section 12 is for
executing various processes regarding the yarn Y. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, the yarn processing execution
20 section 12 is arranged between the yarn supplying section
11 and the winding section 13 in the vertical direction.
The yarn processing execution section 12 has a tension
applying device 31, a yarn joining mechanism 32, and a
yarn clearer 33.
25 The tension applying device 31 is a device that
applies a predetermined tension on the travelling yarn
Y. The tension applying device 31 is arranged
immediately above the yarn supplying section 11. As an
example of the tension applying device 31, there is a
30 tension applying device of a so-called gate type. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of fixed gate bodies
12
31a and a plurality of movable gate bodies 31b are
alternately arranged in the vertical direction. Then,
by adjusting a horizontal position of the plurality of
movable gate bodies 31b, a predetermined tension is
5 applied to the yarn Y traveling between the fixed gate
body 31a and the movable gate body 31b.
The yarn joining mechanism 32 is a mechanism to
perform yarn joining of the yarn Y (a lower yarn Y1) on
the yarn supplying section 11 side and the yarn Y (an
10 upper yarn Y2) on the winding section 13 side, in a state
where the yarn Y is no longer connected (the yarn Y is
divided) between the yarn supplying section 11 and the
winding section 13 in the yarn travelling direction.
Examples of the case where the yarn Y is divided include
15 a time of yarn cutting by a cutter 33a when a yarn defect
is detected by the yarn clearer 33 described later, a
time of yarn breakage during winding of the package P,
and a time of replacing the yarn supplying bobbin Bs.
The yarn joining mechanism 32 includes a yarn joining
20 device 34, a lower yarn catching and guiding section 35,
an upper yarn catching and guiding section 36, and the
like.
The yarn joining device 34 is a device that joins
the lower yarn Y1 and the upper yarn Y2. The yarn
25 joining device 34 is, for example, a splicer that causes
yarn ends to be entangled by an action of compressed air.
The yarn joining device 34 blows compressed air supplied
from an air pressure source (not illustrated) onto the
lower yarn Y1 and the upper yarn Y2 to temporarily loosen
30 both yarn ends, and then blows compressed air again onto
both yarn ends to cause the yarn ends to be entangled
13
with each other, to join the yarn. Alternatively, the
yarn joining device 34 may be a knotter that connects
the lower yarn Y1 and the upper yarn Y2 in a mechanical
manner.
5 The lower yarn catching and guiding section 35 is
configured to catch the lower yarn Y1 on the yarn
supplying bobbin Bs side (upstream side in the yarn
travelling direction) and guide the lower yarn Y1 to the
yarn joining device 34. The lower yarn catching and
10 guiding section 35 is arranged below the yarn joining
device 34. The lower yarn catching and guiding section
35 has: a pipe-shaped arm 35b rotatable about a shaft
35a; a suction section 35c that is arranged at a distal
end portion of the arm 35b, and suctions and catches a
15 yarn end portion of the lower yarn Y1; and a motor 37
that rotationally drives the arm 35b to turn the arm 35b
up and down. The lower yarn catching and guiding section
35 is connected to a suction source (not illustrated).
The upper yarn catching and guiding section 36 is
20 configured to catch the upper yarn Y2 on the package P
side (downstream side in the yarn travelling direction)
and guide the upper yarn Y2 to the yarn joining device
34. The upper yarn catching and guiding section 36 is
arranged above the yarn joining device 34. The upper
25 yarn catching and guiding section 36 has: a pipe-shaped
arm 36b rotatable about a shaft 36a; a suction section
36c that is arranged at a distal end portion of the arm
36b, and suctions and catches a yarn end portion of the
upper yarn Y2; and a motor 38 that rotationally drives
30 the arm 36b to turn the arm 36b up and down. The upper
yarn catching and guiding section 36 is connected to a
14
suction source (not illustrated). Operations of the
lower yarn catching and guiding section 35 and the upper
yarn catching and guiding section 36 at the time of yarn
joining will be described later.
5 The yarn clearer 33 acquires information relating
to a thickness and the like of the travelling yarn Y,
and detects a yarn defect on the basis of this
information. The yarn clearer 33 is arranged above the
yarn joining device 34, for example. The yarn clearer
10 33 has the cutter 33a. When the yarn clearer 33 detects
a yarn defect, the cutter 33a immediately cuts the yarn
Y, and the yarn clearer 33 outputs a detection signal to
the unit control section 14.
The winding section 13 performs a winding process
15 of winding the yarn Y onto the winding bobbin Bw to form
the package P. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the winding
section 13 is arranged on an uppermost side of the
winding unit 2. The winding section 13 includes a cradle
41, a winding drum 42, and a drum drive motor 43 (a drum
20 drive section of the present invention). The winding
section 13 rotationally drives, with the drum drive motor
43, the winding drum 42 that is in contact with the
package P rotatably supported by the cradle 41, thereby
causing the package P to be driven to rotate, to wind
25 the yarn Y onto the winding bobbin Bw.
The cradle 41 is for rotatably supporting the
winding bobbin Bw (package P). The cradle 41 supports
the winding bobbin Bw on both sides by, for example, a
cradle arm 41a arranged on the right side of the winding
30 bobbin Bw and a cradle arm 41b arranged on the left side
of the winding bobbin Bw. The cradle arms 41a and 41b
15
are supported to be swingable by a rotation shaft 41c.
This allows the cradle 41 to change a distance between
an axial center of the winding bobbin Bw and an axial
center of the winding drum 42, in accordance with a
5 change in a diameter of the package P. Further, the
cradle 41 can also be moved (rotated) by a moving
mechanism 45 described later.
The cradle 41 is provided with a brake section 44
that brakes rotation of the package P (decelerates the
10 package P). The brake section 44 has, for example, a
known air cylinder 51 attached to the cradle arm 41a,
and a brake shoe 52 that is attached to the air cylinder
51 and is movable along an axial direction of the winding
bobbin Bw. The brake section 44 presses the brake shoe
15 52 against the winding bobbin Bw with pressure of
compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 51, thereby
braking the rotation of the winding bobbin Bw (package
P). The pressure of the compressed air is controlled
by, for example, a known first solenoid valve 53 (see
20 FIG. 2). The first solenoid valve 53 is electrically
connected to the unit control section 14, and adjusts
supply and discharge of compressed air in accordance
with a command signal sent from the unit control section
14. The brake shoe 52 is movable between a position of
25 being separated from the winding bobbin Bw and a position
of being pressed against the winding bobbin Bw. For
example, the brake shoe 52 is separated from the winding
bobbin Bw when the pressure of the compressed air
supplied to the air cylinder 51 is low, and is pressed
30 against the winding bobbin Bw when the pressure of the
compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 51 is high.
16
When the brake shoe 52 is being pressed against the
winding bobbin Bw, the rotating package P is decelerated
(rotation of the package P is braked) by friction between
with the brake shoe 52.
5 Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the winding
section 13 is provided with the moving mechanism 45 (a
switching mechanism of the present invention) to move
the cradle 41. The moving mechanism 45 includes, for
example, a known air cylinder 54 and a lifting member 55
10 that is attached to the air cylinder 54 and is movable
in the vertical direction. The moving mechanism 45 moves
the lifting member 55 by supply and discharge of
compressed air to and from the air cylinder 54, and moves
the cradle 41 between a contact position and a separation
15 position described later.
The air cylinder 54 is connected to an air pressure
source (not illustrated), and moves the lifting member
55 upward when compressed air is supplied, and moves the
lifting member 55 downward when compressed air is
20 discharged. The supply and discharge of the compressed
air to and from the air cylinder 54 are controlled by a
second solenoid valve 56 (see FIG. 2) that is a known
three-port solenoid valve, for example. The second
solenoid valve 56 is electrically connected to the unit
25 control section 14 and switches the supply and discharge
of compressed air in accordance with a command signal
sent from the unit control section 14.
The lifting member 55 is connected to the air
cylinder 54, and is in contact with the cradle arm 41a
30 from below or is attached to the cradle arm 41a, for
example. The lifting member 55 does not lift the cradle
17
arm 41a when compressed air is not supplied to the air
cylinder 54. At this time, the cradle 41 is located at
the contact position (see FIG. 4A) where an outer
peripheral surface of the package P and an outer
5 peripheral surface of the winding drum 42 are in contact
with each other. Further, when compressed air is
supplied to the air cylinder 54, the lifting member 55
moves upward to lift the cradle arm 41a and separate the
package P from the winding drum 42. At this time, the
10 cradle 41 moves to the separation position (see a solid
line in FIG. 4B) where the package P is separated from
the winding drum 42. In this way, the moving mechanism
45 moves the cradle 41 between the contact position and
the separation position. In other words, the moving
15 mechanism 45 can switch a state of the winding section
13 between a contact state where the outer peripheral
surface of the package P and the outer peripheral surface
of the winding drum 42 are in contact with each other,
and a separated state where the package P and the winding
20 drum 42 are separated from each other. Hereinafter, an
operation of separating the package P from the winding
drum 42 is also called lift-up, and an operation of
bringing the package P into contact with the winding
drum 42 is also called take-down.
25 In the vicinity of the cradle 41, there is provided
a known rotation speed sensor 57 of a magnetic type, for
example, that can detect a rotation speed of the package
P. The rotation speed sensor 57 is electrically
connected to the unit control section 14 (see FIG. 2)
30 and transmits information relating to a rotation speed
of the package P to the unit control section 14.
18
The winding drum 42 is a tubular member whose axial
direction is substantially parallel to the horizontal
direction. A diameter of the winding drum 42 is, for
example, 30 cm. On an outer peripheral surface of the
5 winding drum 42, a traverse groove 42a for traverse of
the yarn Y is formed. By rotating and passing the yarn
Y through the traverse groove 42a, the winding drum 42
traverses the yarn Y with a predetermined width. Then,
by the winding drum 42 rotating in a state of being in
10 contact with the outer peripheral surface of the package
P while traversing the yarn Y with the traverse groove
42a, the package P is driven to rotate by contact
friction between with the winding drum 42 (see FIG. 4A).
This causes the yarn Y to be wound around the winding
15 bobbin Bw while being traversed, to form the package P.
The drum drive motor 43 is a motor that
rotationally drives the winding drum 42. The drum drive
motor 43 is configured to be able to rotationally drive
the winding drum 42 in both a normal rotation direction
20 in which the yarn Y is wound around the package P and a
reverse rotation direction in which the yarn Y is drawn
out from the package P. At a time of a normal winding
process, the winding drum 42 is driven to normally rotate
to cause normal rotation of the package P, and the yarn
25 Y is wound around the winding bobbin Bw. Further, at a
time of yarn joining described later, the winding drum
42 is driven to reversely rotate.
The drum drive motor 43 is provided with a known
rotation speed sensor 58 (see FIG. 2) of a magnetic type,
30 for example, that can detect a rotation speed of the
winding drum 42. The rotation speed sensor 58 is
19
electrically connected to the unit control section 14
(see FIG. 2) and transmits information relating to a
rotation speed of the winding drum 42 to the unit control
section 14.
5 Further, the winding unit 2 has the unit control
section 14 (a control section of the present invention)
(see FIG. 2). The unit control section 14 includes a
CPU, a ROM, a RAM (a storage section 14a), and the like.
The unit control section 14 controls each section with
10 the CPU in accordance with a program stored in the ROM.
Specifically, the unit control section 14 receives
signals from the yarn clearer 33, the rotation speed
sensors 57 and 58, and the like, and controls the yarn
joining device 34, the motor 37, the motor 38, the drum
15 drive motor 43, the first solenoid valve 53, the second
solenoid valve 56, and the like. Further, the unit
control section 14 outputs a signal for requesting
doffing, to the doffing device 3 via the machine control
device 4.
20 In the winding unit 2 having the above
configuration, the winding process for forming the
package P is performed as follows. That is, by the unit
control section 14 driving the drum drive motor 43 to
rotate the winding drum 42 in a state where the package
25 P and the winding drum 42 are in contact with each other,
the package P is driven to rotate by friction between
with the winding drum 42. This causes the yarn Y drawn
out from the yarn supplying bobbin Bs to be wound around
the winding bobbin Bw, to form the package P.
30 (Operation of winding unit at time of yarn joining)
Next, an operation of the winding unit 2 at a time
20
of yarn joining will be described with reference to FIGS.
4A and 4B and FIGS. 5A and 5B. FIGS. 5A and 5B are
explanatory views illustrating an operation of the upper
yarn catching and guiding section 36.
5 For example, when a yarn defect is detected by the
yarn clearer 33 at a time of the winding process (see
FIG. 4A) and the yarn Y is cut by the cutter 33a, the
unit control section 14 controls each component of the
winding unit 2 to temporarily stop the winding process
10 and then perform yarn joining. Specifically, first,
when the yarn Y is cut by the cutter 33a, the unit
control section 14 controls the second solenoid valve 56
(see FIG. 2) to operate the moving mechanism 45 (see FIG.
3), and move the cradle 41 from the contact position
15 (see FIG. 4A) to the separation position (see a solid
line in FIG. 4B). This causes the package P and the
winding drum 42 to be temporarily separated (lift-up).
At this time, the upper yarn Y2 is wound around the
package P that is rotating by inertia. Next, the unit
20 control section 14 controls the first solenoid valve 53
to operate the brake section 44 to stop the rotation of
the package P, and stop the operation of the drum drive
motor 43 to stop the rotation of the winding drum 42.
Further, the unit control section 14 controls the
25 motor 38 (see FIG. 2) in a state where the package P and
the winding drum 42 are brought into contact again, and
turns the arm 36b of the upper yarn catching and guiding
section 36 upward to position the suction section 36c
near the package P (see FIG. 5A). Then, the unit control
30 section 14 controls the motor 38 (see FIG. 2) to turn
the arm 36b downward while rotating the drum drive motor
21
43 in the reverse direction. This causes the upper yarn
Y2 to be drawn out from the package P while being
suctioned and caught by the suction section 36c, and is
guided to the yarn joining device 34 (see FIG. 5B). In
5 addition, in a state where the suction section 35c of
the lower yarn catching and guiding section 35 suctions
and catches a yarn end portion of the lower yarn Y1, the
unit control section 14 controls the motor 37 (see FIG.
2) to turn the arm 35b of the lower yarn catching and
10 guiding section 35 upward, and guide the lower yarn Y1
to the yarn joining device 34 (not illustrated). Then,
the unit control section 14 controls the yarn joining
device 34 to join the guided lower yarn Y1 and upper
yarn Y2. After the yarn joining is completed, the unit
15 control section 14 controls each component of the winding
unit 2 to restart the winding process.
Here, conventionally, in order to suppress damage
to a surface of the package P due to friction between
with the winding drum 42, a timing when the package P
20 and the winding drum 42 temporarily separated are brought
into contact again has been after completely stopping
the rotation of the package P and the rotation of the
winding drum 42. However, this method causes the
following problems. That is, when the package P stops
25 rotating before the winding drum 42, a yarn end of the
upper yarn Y2 may hang down from the package P that has
stopped rotating (see FIG. 6A), and may be caught by the
winding drum 42 before rotation stop. As a result,
across the winding drum 42, the yarn Y may go around
30 (see FIG. 6B) to a space (a space behind the winding
drum 42) opposite to a travelling space (a space on a
22
front side of the winding drum 42) of the yarn Y at a
time of the normal winding process. Note that a
situation in which the package P stops rotating before
the winding drum 42 may occur when the package P is still
5 light during the winding process (when an amount of the
yarn Y wound on the winding bobbin Bw is still small).
At such a timing, since an inertial mass of the rotating
package P is small, the package P is easily decelerated
by the brake section 44.
10 When the yarn joining is performed in such a state
(see FIGS. 7A and 7B), the winding process is restarted
with an abnormal yarn path formed, a defective shape of
the package P occurs due to a reason such as that
traverse is not performed properly. In this case,
15 particularly in the configuration in which the yarn Y is
traversed by the traverse groove 42a (see FIG. 3) as in
the present embodiment, the yarn Y is to be wound without
passing through the traverse groove 42a (that is, without
being traversed at all). Therefore, a straight winding
20 occurs in which the yarn Y is wound at substantially the
same position in an axial direction of the package P.
In order to avoid such a problem, it is conceivable
to rewind the hanging yarn end into the package P by
bringing the winding drum 42 and the package P after the
25 rotation stop into contact again, and then further
normally rotating the winding drum 42 to cause the
package P to be driven to rotate. However, this method
may cause a problem in that time from when the yarn Y is
divided until the yarn is joined becomes long, which
30 lowers the production efficiency. Therefore, by the
unit control section 14 of the winding unit 2 performing
23
the following control, there is executed a yarn winding
method capable of suppressing a yarn end of the divided
yarn Y from being caught by the winding drum 42, while
avoiding lengthening of time from when the yarn Y is
5 divided until the yarn is joined.
(Yarn winding method)
The yarn winding method according to the present
embodiment (that is, details of control by the unit
control section 14, specifically, a procedure from when
10 the yarn Y is divided during the winding process until
restart of the winding process) will be described with
reference to a flowchart of FIG. 8, and FIGS. 9 and 10A
and 10B. FIG. 9 illustrates two graphs. A first graph
illustrated on an upper side of a page of FIG. 9 is a
15 graph showing a relationship between a peripheral speed
of the winding drum 42 and time. A vertical axis
represents a peripheral speed of the winding drum 42,
and a horizontal axis represents time. A second graph
illustrated on a lower side of the page of FIG. 9 is a
20 graph showing a relationship between a peripheral speed
of the package P and time. A vertical axis represents a
peripheral speed of the package P, and a horizontal axis
represents time. Time scales in the above two graphs
are equal.
25 As an initial state, the winding unit 2 is
performing the normal winding process. During the
winding process, the unit control section 14 controls
the drum drive motor 43 to rotate the winding drum 42
with a predetermined rotation speed. Further, the
30 storage section 14a of the unit control section 14 stores
information relating to a diameter of the winding drum
24
42. The unit control section 14 can calculate the
peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 on the basis of
the information relating to the rotation speed of the
winding drum 42 and the information relating to the
5 diameter of the winding drum 42. The peripheral speed
of the winding drum 42 during the winding process is,
for example, 1600 m/min, although it varies depending on
the winding conditions. Further, during the winding
process, on the basis of the information relating to the
10 peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 and the
information relating to the rotation speed of the package
P detected by the rotation speed sensor 57 described
above, the unit control section 14 can calculate a
diameter of the package P. Note that the peripheral
15 speed of the package P during the winding process is, in
principle, substantially equal to the peripheral speed
of the winding drum 42.
Here, when the travelling yarn Y is divided (S101),
the unit control section 14 controls the second solenoid
20 valve 56 (see FIG. 2) to operate the moving mechanism 45
(see FIG. 3), and move the cradle 41 from the contact
position to the separation position (lift-up, S102).
This separates the package P and the winding drum 42
from each other. The reason why the travelling yarn Y
25 is divided is, for example, yarn cut caused in response
to detection of a yarn defect by the yarn clearer 33
described above, yarn breakage due to an excessive
tension applied to the yarn Y unintentionally, and the
like.
30 Next, the unit control section 14 starts
deceleration of the package P and deceleration of the
25
winding drum 42 (S103). Specifically, the unit control
section 14 decelerates the package P by controlling the
first solenoid valve 53 (see FIG. 2) and operating the
brake section 44 (see FIG. 3). That is, the rotation of
5 the package P is positively braked by the brake section
44. Further, the unit control section 14 decelerates
the winding drum 42 by stopping the operation of the
drum drive motor 43. Note that a timing of starting the
deceleration of the package P and a timing of starting
10 the deceleration of the winding drum 42 may be
substantially the same (see time t1 in FIG. 9), but may
not necessarily be substantially the same.
Next, the unit control section 14 predicts and
compares time required from the start of deceleration
15 until stop of the package P with time required from the
start of deceleration until stop of the winding drum 42,
and determines whether the package P stops first or the
winding drum 42 stops first (S104). The time required
from the start of deceleration until stop of the package
20 P can be calculated (estimated) using, for example,
information relating to the diameter of the package P
and the like immediately before the travelling yarn Y is
divided. That is, when the package P has a small
diameter and the package P has a small inertial mass,
25 the package P stops early (see a solid line and time t2
in the graph on lower side of the page of FIG. 9).
Conversely, when the package P has a large diameter and
the package P has a large inertial mass, it takes time
to stop the package P (see a one dotted chain line and
30 time t5 in the graph on the lower side of the page in
FIG. 9). Further, the time required from the start of
26
deceleration until stop of the winding drum 42 can be
calculated using, for example, information relating to
a peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 at a time of
the winding process and information relating to a
5 deceleration degree of the winding drum 42 when the
operation of the drum drive motor 43 is stopped. The
storage section 14a stores, for example, information
relating to the peripheral speed of the winding drum 42
and information relating to the deceleration degree of
10 the winding drum 42 in association with each other. On
the basis of these pieces of stored information, it is
possible to calculate (estimate) how many seconds are
taken from start of deceleration until stop of the
winding drum 42 (see time t4 in FIG. 9).
15 When it is determined that the package P stops
before the winding drum 42 (S104: Yes), at a timing when
the peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 becomes equal
to or lower than a predetermined reference peripheral
speed (S105: Yes), the unit control section 14 controls
20 the second solenoid valve 56 to perform take-down (S106).
The reference peripheral speed is a set value stored in
the storage section 14a, and is a peripheral speed at
which damage to a surface of the package P when the
package P comes into contact again with the winding drum
25 42 is sufficiently small (that is, an adverse effect on
yarn quality is sufficiently small). Specifically, the
reference peripheral speed is, for example, 800 m/min.
Note that, in the present embodiment (that is, when the
diameter of the winding drum 42 is 30 cm), the reference
30 peripheral speed is about 2680 rpm when converted into
a rotation speed. The timing when the peripheral speed
27
of the winding drum 42 becomes equal to or lower than
the reference peripheral speed can be predicted based on
the above-described information relating to the
deceleration degree and the like and the set value of
5 the reference peripheral speed (see time t3 in FIG. 9).
In this way, when determining that the package P
stops rotating before the winding drum 42, the unit
control section 14 controls the moving mechanism 45 so
that the package P comes into contact with the winding
10 drum 42 again before rotation stop of the winding drum
42. As a result, even when the upper yarn Y2 hangs from
the package P that has stopped rotating first (see FIG.
10A), by bringing the package P into contact with the
winding drum 42 before rotation stop, the package P is
15 driven to rotate again due to friction between with the
winding drum 42. This causes the upper yarn Y2 to be
rewound into the package P (see FIG. 10B).
Whereas, when determining that the package P stops
rotating at the same time as the winding drum 42 or after
20 the winding drum 42 (S104: No), the unit control section
14 controls the second solenoid valve 56 to perform takedown immediately after the package P stops rotating
(S107). In this case, since the winding drum 42 has
already stopped rotating when the rotation of the package
25 P is stopped, the upper yarn Y2 is not likely to be
caught by the winding drum 42 even if the upper yarn Y2
hangs from the package P.
Then, in a state where the package P is subjected
to take-down and the package P and the winding drum 42
30 have stopped rotating, the unit control section 14
controls the yarn joining mechanism 32 and the like to
28
perform the above-described yarn joining (S108). After
the yarn joining is completed, the unit control section
14 controls the winding section 13 and the like to
restart the winding process (S109). In this way, control
5 is performed from the time when the yarn Y is divided
during the winding process until the winding process is
restarted.
As described above, at the timing when the
peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 becomes equal to
10 or lower than the reference peripheral speed, the package
P that has stopped rotating comes into contact again
with the winding drum 42 before rotation stop. This
allows the package P to be driven to rotate again before
rotation stop of the winding drum 42, while suppressing
15 damage to a surface of the package P due to friction
between with the winding drum 42. Therefore, even when
a yarn end temporarily hangs from the package P, the
yarn Y can be wound around the package P again, and the
winding drum 42 can be stopped as it is. Therefore, it
20 is possible to suppress a yarn end of the divided yarn
Y from being caught by the winding drum 42. Further,
since the package P is brought into contact with the
winding drum 42 before rotation stop in this manner, it
is not necessary to additionally rotate the winding drum
25 42 after rotation stop of the winding drum 42, and yarn
joining can be started quickly. Therefore, as compared
with a case where the winding drum 42 is additionally
rotated, the time until the yarn is joined can be
shortened. As described above, it is possible to
30 suppress the yarn end of the divided yarn Y from being
caught by the winding drum 42, while avoiding lengthening
29
of the time from when the yarn Y is divided until the
yarn is joined.
Further, in the configuration in which the yarn Y
is traversed along the traverse groove 42a, when an
5 abnormal yarn path is formed after yarn joining when a
yarn end hanging from the package P is caught by the
winding drum 42, the yarn Y is wound around the package
P without being traversed along the traverse groove 42a.
In this case, straight winding occurs in which the yarn
10 is continuously wound at substantially the same position
in the axial direction of the winding bobbin. In the
present embodiment, since a yarn end of the divided yarn
Y can be suppressed from being caught by the winding
drum 42, the occurrence of straight winding can be
15 effectively suppressed.
Further, the moving mechanism 45 is controlled at
a timing when the peripheral speed of the winding drum
42 is slowed down to 800 m/min or less. This makes it
possible to effectively suppress damage to the package
20 P due to contact (friction) between with the winding
drum 42 when the package P that has stopped rotating is
brought into contact with the winding drum 42 before
rotation stop.
Next, alternative embodiments in which various
25 modifications are made on the above-described embodiment
will be described. However, components having the same
configurations as those in the above-described
embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals,
and the description thereof will be appropriately
30 omitted.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the yarn
30
Y is traversed along the traverse groove 42a formed on
the winding drum 42, but the present invention is not
limited to this. That is, the traverse groove may not
be provided on the winding drum 42, and a traverse device
5 that traverses the yarn Y may be provided separately
from the winding drum 42. In other words, the winding
drum 42 may be configured to simply cause the package P
to be driven to rotate.
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the
10 reference peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 is 800
m/min, but the reference peripheral speed is not limited
to this. The reference peripheral speed of the winding
drum 42 may be slower than 800 m/min. Alternatively,
the reference peripheral speed of the winding drum 42
15 may be faster than 800 m/min as long as there is
substantially no damage on the package P that comes into
contact again with the winding drum 42 before rotation
stop.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the unit
20 control section 14 predicts and determines which of the
package P and the winding drum 42 will stop rotating
first, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The unit control section 14 may constantly monitor the
rotation speed of the package P and the rotation speed
25 of the winding drum 42, for example. Then, the unit
control section 14 may determine that the rotation of
the package P has stopped first when the rotation speed
of the package P has become zero first.
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the unit
30 control section 14 predicts the timing when the
peripheral speed of the winding drum 42 becomes equal to
31
or lower than the reference peripheral speed, but the
present invention is not limited to this. For example,
the unit control section 14 may constantly monitor the
rotation speed of the winding drum 42, and may control
5 the second solenoid valve 56 to perform take-down at the
timing when the peripheral speed of the winding drum 42
becomes equal to or lower than the reference peripheral
speed.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the
10 moving mechanism 45 moves the cradle 41 to switch a state
of the winding section 13 between the contact state and
the separated state, but the present invention is not
limited to this. That is, in addition to the moving
mechanism 45 or instead of the moving mechanism 45, a
15 moving mechanism (not illustrated) to move the winding
drum 42 may be provided.
(6) In the above-described embodiment, the unit
control section 14 corresponds to the control section of
the present invention, but the present invention is not
20 limited to this. For example, the machine control device
4 may control the plurality of winding units 2. In this
case, the machine control device 4 corresponds to the
control section of the present invention.
(7) The present invention is not limited to the
25 automatic winder 1, but can be applied to various yarn
winding machines such as a spinning machine as described
in JP 2019-31380 A.
(8) One of the first solenoid valve 53 and the
second solenoid valve 56 may be provided alone as a
30 common solenoid valve. In this case, a timing when the
brake section 44 is activated or stopped by pressure of
32
compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 51 is to be
synchronized with a timing when the moving mechanism 45
moves the cradle 41 between the contact position and the
separation position with supply and discharge of
5 compressed air to and from the air cylinder 54, but there
is no problem in implementing the present invention.
That is, when the switching mechanism is controlled to
bring the package P and the winding drum 42 into contact
again before rotation stop of the winding drum 42, the
10 winding drum 42 is in a sufficiently decelerated state.
Therefore, even if the operation of the brake section 44
is stopped at the same time as the take-down and the
rotation of the package P becomes free, brake acts on
the package P due to frictional resistance between with
15 the winding drum 42. Therefore, both the brake section
44 and the moving mechanism 45 may be operated at
substantially the same timing by using the common
solenoid valve as described above.

WE CLAIM
1. A yarn winding machine (1) comprising:
a yarn supplying section (11) capable of supplying
a yarn (Y);
5 a winding section (13) that performs a winding
process of winding the yarn (Y) drawn out from the yarn
supplying section (11) onto a winding bobbin (Bw) to
form a package (P); and
a yarn joining mechanism (32) that joins the yarn
10 (Y) divided between the yarn supplying section (11) and
the winding section (13) in a yarn travelling direction,
wherein
the winding section (13) includes:
a cradle (41) that rotatably supports the package
15 (P);
a winding drum (42) that causes the package (P) to
be driven to rotate, by rotating while being in contact
with the package (P);
a drum drive section (43) that rotationally drives
20 the winding drum (42);
a brake section (44) that brakes rotation of the
package (P); and
a switching mechanism (45) capable of switching a
state of the winding section (13), between a contact
25 state where the package (P) and the winding drum (42)
are in contact with each other, and a separated state
where the package (P) and the winding drum (42) are
separated from each other,
a control section (14) is provided, and
30 the control section (14)
controls, in the winding process in which the
34
package (P) is driven to rotate by rotation of the
winding drum (42), the switching mechanism (45) to
separate the package (P) and the winding drum (42) before
yarn joining by the yarn joining mechanism (32) after
5 the yarn (Y) is divided, and controls the drum drive
section (43) to stop rotation of the winding drum (42)
and controls the brake section (44) to stop rotation of
the package (P), and
controls the switching mechanism (45) to bring the
10 package (P) and the winding drum (42) into contact again
before rotation stop of the winding drum (42).
2. The yarn winding machine (1) as claimed in
claim 1, wherein a traverse groove for traverse of the
15 yarn (Y) is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the
winding drum (42), and, when the package (P) stops before
the winding drum (42), the switching mechanism (45) is
controlled to bring the package (P) and the winding drum
(42) into contact again before rotation stop of the
20 winding drum (42), at a timing when a peripheral speed
of the winding drum (42) becomes equal to or lower than
a predetermined reference peripheral speed.
3. The yarn winding machine (1) as claimed in
25 claim 1 or 2, wherein the reference peripheral speed is
800 m/min or less.
4. A yarn winding method in a yarn winding machine
(1) comprising:
30 a yarn supplying section (11) capable of supplying
a yarn (Y);
35
a winding section (13) that performs a winding
process of winding the yarn (Y) supplied by the yarn
supplying section (11) onto a winding bobbin (Bw) to
form a package (P); and
5 a yarn joining mechanism (32) that joins the yarn
(Y) divided between the yarn supplying section (11) and
the winding section (13) in a yarn travelling direction,
wherein
the winding section (13) includes:
10 a cradle (41) that rotatably supports the package
(P);
a winding drum (42) that causes the package (P) to
be driven to rotate, by rotating while being in contact
with the package (P); and
15 a switching mechanism (45) capable of switching a
state of the winding section (13), between a contact
state where the package (P) and the winding drum (42)
are in contact with each other, and a separated state
where the package (P) and the winding drum (42) are
20 separated from each other,
when the yarn (Y) is divided during the winding
process, before yarn joining by the yarn joining
mechanism (32), the package (P) and the winding drum
(42) are separated by the switching mechanism (45), and
25 rotation of the winding drum (42) is stopped and rotation
of the package (P) is stopped, and
when the package (P) stops before the winding drum
(42), at a timing when a peripheral speed of the winding
drum (42) becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined
30 reference peripheral speed, the switching mechanism (45)
brings the package (P) and the winding drum (42) into
36
contact again before rotation stop of the winding drum
(42).