Combing machine

Abstract

 A combing machine includes a plurality of combing heads, a main duct (16) and a plurality of suction ducts (11). The combing heads comb laps (L) to remove noils from the respective laps. The main duct (16) is located below the combing heads. The suction ducts (11) are located on the main duct and have connections (11A) through which the suction ducts communicate with the main duct thereby to allow the noils to be conveyed from the suction ducts to the main duct. The connections are located on one side of an imaginary vertical plane that passes through an axis of the main duct. The combing machine is characterized in that the main duct has in a lower part thereof inclined surfaces (16A) on both sides of the vertical plane.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a combing machine and more particularly to a combing machine characterized by a duct that collects noils, such as foreign matters and short fibers, arising from the combing action at combing heads of the combing machine.

[0002] In a combing machine, a delivered lap is held with the nipper at a backward position and the end of the lap is combed by the combing cylinder to remove noils such as foreign matters and short fibers from the lap thereby to form a fleece. The combing machine has a plurality of combing heads (e.g. eight heads) and a plurality of suction ducts that collects the noils arising from the combing action at the respective combing heads. The combing machine further has a main duct that communicates with the respective suction ducts and receives therefrom the collected noils.

[0003] Referring to Fig. 4 showing a background-art noil collection unit according to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-107060, there is shown a main duct 31 which is formed to have a rectangular cross section and a plurality of suction ducts (or suction boxes) 32 which are disposed on the main duct 31. The suction ducts 32 have connections 32A through which the suction ducts 32 communicate with the main duct 31, respectively. The connections 32A are located on one side of an imaginary vertical plane that passes through an axis of the main duct 31. A noil collection box 33 is connected to one end of the main duct 31 for communication therewith. The noil collection box 33 has therein a fan 34. Driving the fan 34 causes creation of suction in the noil collection box 33 thereby to exert a suction force in the suction duct 32 through the main duct 31. The main duct 31 has a plurality of sight windows 35 at positions below the respective suction ducts 32.

[0004] In the main duct 31 which is formed in a rectangular cross section for ease of manufacture, the noils tend to accumulate easily at the corners in the lower part of the main duct 31. Accumulation of the noils needs regular cleaning of the main duct 31 because it affects the suction performance. Since the suction ducts 32 communicate with the main duct 31 through the connections 32A that are located on one side of the vertical plane that passes through the axis of the main duct 31, the air flows swirling in the main duct 31 toward the noil collection box 33. The rectangular cross section of the main duct 31 makes it difficult to increase the speed of the air flowing in the main duct 31. In addition, the sight windows 35 provided on the main duct 31 make it easy for noils to be caught at the stepped portion or in the gap between the sight windows 35 and the main duct 31.

[0005] The present invention is directed to a combing machine including a noil collecting main duct that helps to prevent noils from accumulating therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combing machine that includes a plurality of combing heads, a main duct and a plurality of suction ducts. The combing heads comb laps to remove noils from the respective laps. The main duct is located below the combing heads. The suction ducts are located on the main duct and have connections through which the suction ducts communicate with the main duct thereby to allow the noils to be conveyed from the suction ducts to the main duct. The connections are located on one side of an imaginary vertical plane that passes through an axis of the main duct. The combing machine is characterized in that the main duct has in a lower part thereof inclined surfaces on both sides of the vertical plane.

[0007] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The invention together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view showing a main duct and a suction duct of a combing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2A is a fragmentary perspective view showing the main duct and the suction ducts of the combing machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2B is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing positioning of a top cover of the main duct of Fig. 2A;

Fig. 3A is a cross sectional view showing a main duct of a combing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3B is a cross sectional view showing a main duct of a combing machine according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a background-art noil collection unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The following will describe the combing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs. 1, 2A and 2B. The combing machine has a plurality of combing heads (e.g. eight heads) and a plurality of suction ducts 11 that collects the noils arising from the respective combing heads. The combing machine further has a main duct 16 that is provided common to and in communication with the suction ducts 11.

[0010] Referring to Fig. 1 showing the main duct 16 and one suction duct 11 of the combing machine in schematic cross sectional view, the suction duct 11 has therein a combing cylinder 12 at a position adjacent to the opening of the suction duct 11 and a brush 13 below the combing cylinder 12. A feed roller 14 is located above the suction duct 11 to feed a lap L held by a nipper (not shown) to the combing cylinder 12. The combing cylinder 12 is rotatable in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 1 to comb the lap L. The brush 13 removes short fibers attached to the needles (not shown) of the combing cylinder 12. Two pairs of detaching rollers 15 are located in front of the feed roller 14, and the rear pair is disposed adjacent to the opening of the suction duct 11 for drawing the combed fleece F and placing the combed fleece F on the previously drawn fleece.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 2A, the main duct 16 is located below the suction ducts 11 so as to extend along the direction in which the suction ducts 11 are arranged. As shown in Fig. 1, each suction duct 11 has a connection 11A through which the suction duct 11 communicates with the main duct 16 thereby to allow noils in the suction duct 11 to be conveyed to the main duct 16. The connection 11A of the suction duct 11 is located on one side of an imaginary vertical plane that passes through and includes the axis of the main duct 16. The main duct 16 has in the lower part thereof on both sides of the above vertical plane two surfaces 16A that are inclined with respect to the vertical plane. In the present embodiment, each inclined surface 16A is provided by a flat surface. The main duct 16 is connected at one end thereof to a noil collection unit (not shown) that serves as a suction source.

[0012] The following will describe the main duct 16 in detail. As shown in Figs. 1, 2A and 2B, the main duct 16 includes a duct body 17 and a top cover 18. The duct body 17 has five inner surfaces, namely two opposite vertical surfaces, one bottom surface and the aforementioned inclined surfaces 16A formed between the bottom surface and the respective vertical surfaces. The top cover 18 is disposed so as to cover the upper opening of the duct body 17. More specifically, the duct body 17 is formed by bending a metal sheet into the form of a duct with the upper opening so as to have at the upper end of the duct body 17 a pair of top flanges 17A that extends in the longitudinal direction of the duct body 17. The duct body 17 has a pair of end flanges 17B which are welded to both longitudinal ends of the duct body 17 for connection of end walls (not shown) of the main duct 16, or for connection of one end of the main duct 16 to the noil collection unit. Each end flange 17B has a plurality of holes 17C through which bolts (not shown) are inserted for connection of the end flanges 17B, or for connection of one end flange 17B and the noil collection unit. If the main duct 16 includes a plurality of duct bodies 17 connected together, the end flanges 17B are used for connecting any two adjacent duct bodies 17.

[0013] The top cover 18 is made of a transparent material. In the present embodiment, acrylic resin is used as the transparent material. As shown in Fig. 2A, one side of the top cover 18 where the suction ducts 11 are connected is formed in a pectinate shape so as to avoid the interference with the connections 11A of the suction ducts 11. A pair of grooves 18A is formed in the lower surface of the top cover 18 for receiving the top flanges 17A. The top cover 18 is placed on the duct body 17 with the top flanges 17A engaged in the grooves 18A. The top cover 18 is located in a predetermined position with respect to the main duct 16 so that the longitudinal motion is restricted by the engagement of the top cover 18 with the connections 11A of the suction ducts 11 and also that the lateral motion is restricted by the engagement of the top flanges 17A in the grooves 18A.

[0014] The following will describe the operation of the above-described combing machine. During the operation of the combing machine, the lap L held by the nipper is combed by the combing cylinder 12 and noils contained in the lap L, that is, inferior fibers such as short fibers and foreign matters such as honeydew, are eliminated. Suction is developed in the main duct 16 which is connected to the noil collection unit serving as the suction source and the suction occurs also in the suction ducts 11 which are in communication with the main duct 16 through the connections 11A. The short fibers attached to the needles of the combing cylinder 12 by combing the lap L are removed from the combing cylinder 12 by rotating the brush 13. The short fibers are then collected into the noil collection unit by suction force acting in the suction ducts 11 and the main duct 16.

[0015] In the structure wherein the suction ducts 11 communicate with the main duct 16 via the connections 11A that are located on one side of the aforementioned vertical plane that passes through the axis of the main duct 16, the air that has been drawn into the main duct 16 is caused to swirl or to flow in a vortex manner in the main duct 16. Unlike the main duct 31 of the background art having a rectangular cross section, the main duct 16 of the present embodiment has in the lower part thereof the inclined surfaces 16A formed on both sides of the aforementioned vertical plane. Therefore, the air flowed from the suction ducts 11 into the main duct 16 through the connections 11A is caused to flow in the main duct 16 smoothly without stagnating in the lower part of the main duct 16 on the opposite sides of the vertical plane, which helps to prevent noils from being accumulated in the lower part of the main duct 16 on the opposite sides of the vertical plane. Unlike the air flowing in a duct of a rectangular cross section, the air in the main duct 16 flows smoothly with less reduction in velocity, which contributes to improvement of the fleece quality.

[0016] The suction air flow in the suction ducts 11 acting on the rear end of the previously drawn fleece held by the detaching rollers 15 should preferably remain without fluctuation. In the case of a main duct having a rectangular cross section as described in the background art, the noils tend to accumulate at the corners in the lower part of the main duct at a faster rate and, therefore, the noils thus accumulated need be removed at a short interval of time so as to maintain the suction effect in the suction duct at the desired level. That is, cleaning of the main duct need be performed at a short interval of time. In the combing machine of the present embodiment wherein the noils have less tendency to accumulate in the lower part of the main duct 16 on the opposite sides of the vertical plane, however, the main duct 16 is free from frequent cleaning.

[0017] The above-described embodiment of the present invention has the following advantageous effects.

(1) The combing machine includes a plurality of combing heads and a plurality of suction ducts 11 that collects noils arising from the combing action at the respective combing heads. The suction ducts 11 have connections 11A through which the suction ducts 11 communicate with the main duct 16. The connections 11A of the suction ducts 11 are located on one side of the imaginary vertical plane that passes through the axis of the main duct 16. The main duct 16 has in the lower part thereof the inclined surfaces 16A on both sides of the vertical plane. Thus, the air flowed from the suction ducts 11 into the main duct 16 through the connections 11A flows swirling in the main duct 16 smoothly without stagnating in the lower part of the main duct 16 on the opposite sides of the vertical plane, which prevents noils from being accumulated in the main duct 16.

(2) The flat inclined surface 16A enables the main duct 16 to be made easier than an arcuate surface.

(3) The main duct 16 having the transparent top cover 18 is more advantageous than the background-art main duct 31 having the sight windows 35 in that the transparent area is larger, which provides an operator with better visibility of the interior of the main duct 16. The transparent top cover 18 that allows the light from outside to illuminate the interior of the main duct 16 helps the operator to view the interior of the main duct 16 during the operation of the combing machine. In addition, the use of the transparent top cover 18 makes the main duct 16 free from noil accumulation at the stepped portion or in the gap between the sight windows and the main duct as in the background-art combing machine.

(4) The top cover 18 which is placed on the duct body 17 with the top flanges 17A engaged in the grooves 18A is easy to be mounted onto and removed from the duct body 17, which facilitates the maintenance of the combing machine that requires removal of the top cover 18.

[0018] The present invention has been described in the context of the above embodiment, but it is not limited to the embodiment. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced in various manners as exemplified below.

[0019] The inclined surface 16A is not limited to the flat surface, but may be provided by an arcuate surface. The main duct 16 having the arcuate surfaces allows the air to swirl in the main duct 16 more smoothly than the main duct having the flat inclined surfaces. The arcuate surface is not limited to be formed by the arcuate surface whose curvature radius is constant, but may be formed by a plurality of arcuate surfaces whose curvature radii are different.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3A, it can be so arranged that the connection 11A of each suction duct 11 is located on one side of the imaginary plane that passes through the axis of the main duct 16 and an additional inclined surface 16B is formed on the other side of the vertical plane to be located in the upper part of the main duct 16. The provision of the additional inclined surface 16B in the upper part of the main duct 16 on the other side of the vertical plane as shown in Fig. 3A permits the air to swirl in the main duct 16 more smoothly than in the case of Fig. 1, so that the noils have still less tendency to accumulate in the lower part and also in the upper part of the main duct 16.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3B, the lower part of the main duct 16 can have a semicircular surface. This semicircular surface of the main duct 16 allows the air to swirl in the main duct 16 still more smoothly than the main duct 16 having in the lower part thereof the inclined surfaces 16A shown in Fig. 1.

[0022] The main duct 16 may be formed into a cylindrical shape. This cylindrical main duct 16 allows the air to swirl in the main duct 16 more smoothly than the main duct of Fig. 3B.

[0023] Instead of the transparent top cover 18 of the main duct 16, part of at least one of the sides of the main duct 16 located above the inclined surfaces 16A in the lower part of the main duct 16 may be made of a transparent material. In the main duct 16 of Fig. 3A, the inclined surface 16B and the top cover 18 may be formed as a unit.

[0024] The transparent material is not limited to the acrylic resin, but may be any other resin or ceramic.

[0025] The top cover 18 may be made of an opaque material instead of the transparent material.

[0026] Although the top cover 18 is placed on the duct body 17, it may be removably mounted on the duct body 17 by means of bolts. Alternatively, the top cover 18 may be mounted on the duct body 17 in a manner that permits the top cover 18 to be opened.

[0027] A combing machine includes a plurality of combing heads, a main duct and a plurality of suction ducts. The combing heads comb laps to remove noils from the respective laps. The main duct is located below the combing heads. The suction ducts are located on the main duct and have connections through which the suction ducts communicate with the main duct thereby to allow the noils to be conveyed from the suction ducts to the main duct. The connections are located on one side of an imaginary vertical plane that passes through an axis of the main duct. The combing machine is characterized in that the main duct has in a lower part thereof inclined surfaces on both sides of the vertical plane.

Claims

1. A combing machine comprising:

a plurality of combing heads combing laps (L) to remove noils from the respective laps (L);

a main duct (16) located below the combing heads; and

a plurality of suction ducts (11) located on the main duct (16) and having connections (11A) through which the suction ducts (11) communicate with the main duct (16) thereby to allow the noils to be conveyed from the suction ducts (11) to the main duct (16), the connections (11A) being located on one side of an imaginary vertical plane that passes through an axis of the main duct (16),

characterized in that the main duct (16) has in a lower part thereof inclined surfaces (16A) on both sides of the vertical plane.

2. The combing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclined surface (16A) is a flat surface.

3. The combing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclined surface (16A) is an arcuate surface.

4. The combing machine according to any one of claims 1 through 3, characterized in that the main duct (16) has in an upper part thereof an inclined surface (16B) on the other side of the vertical plane.

5. The combing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the main duct (16) is formed into a cylindrical shape.

6. The combing machine according to any one of claims 1 through 4, characterized in that the main duct (16) includes a duct body (17) that is formed by bending a metal sheet into a form of a duct with an upper opening and a top cover (18) that covers the upper opening of the duct body (17).

7. The combing machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the duct body (17) has at an upper end thereof a top flange (17A) that extends in a longitudinal direction of the duct body (17), and the top cover (18) has in a lower surface thereof a groove (18A) for receiving the top flange (17A).

8. The combing machine according to any one of claims 1 through 4, 6 and 7, characterized in that a top cover (18) of the main duct (16), or part of at least one of sides of the main duct (16) located above the inclined surfaces (16A, 16B) in the lower part of the main duct (16), is made of a transparent material.

Drawing