BELT GUIDE ROLLER, CLEANING DEVICE, DRAFT DEVICE, AND SPINNING MACHINE

Abstract

 A belt guide roller (67) includes a roller main body (30), a roller shaft (50) of the roller main body (30), and a shaft attachment section (81). The roller main body (30) makes contact with a cleaning belt (74) for cleaning a draft roller (21, 22) to guide the cleaning belt (74). The shaft attachment section (81) is attached to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the roller shaft (50). The roller main body (30) is provided with a recessed portion (34a, 35a) recessed in an axial direction of the roller shaft (50), and the shaft attachment section (81) is formed to enter the recessed portion (34a, 35a).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a belt guide roller adapted to guide a cleaning belt for cleaning a draft roller.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a spinning machine, a structure including a draft device adapted to draft a fiber bundle (sliver) is known. The draft device includes a plurality of draft roller pairs each including two rollers facing each other, and the draft device is adapted to draft the fiber bundle by rotating the draft roller pairs at different speeds.

[0003] When drafting the fiber bundle with the draft device, fibers of a part of the fiber bundle may scatter and attach to an outer peripheral surface of the draft roller as fluffs. If a large amount of fluffs attach to the outer peripheral surface of the draft roller, quality of a yarn produced in a downstream spinning device may degrade, or yarn breakage or the like may occur. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, a configuration for cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the draft roller in the draft device has been conventionally proposed.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-83475 discloses a belt type cleaning device. The cleaning device includes an endless belt (cleaning belt) and an intermittent feeding means. The endless belt makes contact with the surface of the draft roller and cleans the surface of the draft roller. The intermittent feeding means includes a plurality of rotation shafts (belt guide rollers) adapted to guide (drive) the endless belt.

[0005] It is not realistic to remove all the fluffs generated at the time of drafting and at the time of cleaning. Therefore, the fluffs cannot be prevented from being wound around the belt guide roller of the cleaning device. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-83475 does not disclose a detailed configuration of the belt guide roller.

[0006] If the fluffs are wound around the belt guide roller and the fluffs enter the inside of the belt guide roller, resistance is generated between a roller main body and a roller shaft of the belt guide roller, and a rotation failure of the belt guide roller may be caused. As a result, the cleaning belt stops, and the surface of the cleaning belt wears.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is a main object of the present invention to provide a belt guide roller that can prevent a rotation failure from occurring even if fluffs are wound around the belt guide roller.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a belt guide roller includes a roller main body, a roller shaft of the roller main body, and a shaft attachment section. The roller main body makes contact with a cleaning belt for cleaning the draft roller to guide the cleaning belt. The shaft attachment section is attached to cover at least a part of the outer surface of the roller shaft. One of the roller main body and the shaft attachment section is provided with a recessed portion recessed in an axial direction of the roller shaft, and the other of the roller main body or the shaft attachment section is formed to enter the recessed portion.

[0009] Since one of the roller main body and the shaft attachment section is formed to enter the other of the roller main body and the shaft attachment section, a boundary between the roller main body and the shaft attachment section exists in the recessed portion. Therefore, even if the fluffs are wound around the belt guide roller, the fluffs can be suppressed from entering between the roller main body and the shaft attachment section. Thus, the rotation failure of the belt guide roller can be prevented. Furthermore, stopping of the cleaning belt and wearing of the surface of the cleaning belt can be prevented.

[0010] In the belt guide roller described above, the recessed portion is preferably formed in a shape having the roller shaft as a center.

[0011] The belt guide roller described above preferably has the following configuration. That is, the roller main body is provided with the recessed portion having a circular cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction. The shaft attachment section includes a first end located close to the roller main body and a second end located opposite to the first end, the first end including a roller contacting portion that enters the recessed portion of the roller main body, and the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the roller contacting portion is circular.

[0012] A size of the shaft attachment section can be reduced by forming the recessed portion on the roller main body side. Furthermore, an operation of connecting the shaft attachment section to the roller main body can be facilitated by forming the recessed portion and the roller contacting portion in a circular shape.

[0013] In the belt guide roller described above, the shaft attachment section is preferably formed such that an outer diameter of the roller contacting portion is greater than an outer diameter of a portion on the second end side of the roller contacting portion.

[0014] Thus, the portion having a larger diameter than the roller contacting portion does not exist on the axially outer side of the roller contacting portion. Therefore, a portion that becomes an obstacle when the roller contacting portion enters an inner side of the roller main body does not exist in the shaft attachment section, and the boundary between the shaft attachment section and the roller main body can be located further inside the recessed portion. As a result, the fluffs can be more reliably prevented from entering inside. Furthermore, a situation can be prevented in which the portion having a larger diameter than the roller contacting portion makes contact with an end face in the axial direction of the roller main body thus forming the boundary exposed to an outer side of the roller main body, and the fluffs enter inside from the exposed boundary.

[0015] In the belt guide roller described above, the shaft attachment section preferably supports the roller shaft in a relatively rotatable manner.

[0016] The rotation of the roller main body is thus not transmitted to the shaft attachment section, whereby possibility of the fluffs being wound around the shaft attachment section can be reduced.

[0017] The belt guide roller described above preferably includes a cover section attached to the second end of the shaft attachment section and attached to cover the second end.

[0018] Thus, even if a projection or the like is provided at the second end of the shaft attachment section, the fluffs can be prevented from being wound around the projection or the like.

[0019] In the belt guide roller described above, the cover section is preferably an elastic member.

[0020] Thus, the cover section can be attached without using a bolt and a tool.

[0021] The belt guide roller described above preferably has the following configuration. That is, the belt guide roller further includes a fall-out preventing section attached to the second end of the shaft attachment section to prevent the shaft attachment section from falling out from the roller main body. The cover section is attached to cover the fall-out preventing section.

[0022] The fluffs thus can be prevented from making contact with the fall-out preventing section and getting entangled.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device including the belt guide roller described above, and a cleaning belt guided by the belt guide roller.

[0024] The cleaning device in which the rotation failure of the cleaning belt is less likely to occur is thereby realized.

[0025] The cleaning device described above preferably has the following configuration. That is, the cleaning device includes a supporting section adapted to support the shaft attachment section. The shaft attachment section includes a supporting section contacting portion, which is a portion where the supporting section makes contact. The supporting section contacting portion has a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction of the portion in contact with the supporting section formed in a linear shape.

[0026] Thus, the supporting section contacting portion can reliably prevent the rotation of the shaft attachment section compared to the case where the cross-section is circular. The shaft attachment section can also be stably supported.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a draft device including the cleaning device and a plurality of draft roller pairs. Each of the plurality of draft roller pairs is configured by a top roller and a bottom roller. The cleaning belt is arranged to make contact with the plurality of top rollers. In the draft device, the top roller located second from downstream in a draft direction includes a feeding cam section, the feeding cam section intermittently driving the belt guide roller.

[0028] Thus, the drive of the cleaning belt is stopped when not necessary by intermittently driving the belt guide roller, so that a large relative speed difference can be given with respect to the outer peripheral surfaces of the top rollers to be cleaned. As a result, a more satisfactory cleaning effect is obtained.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spinning machine including the draft device, a pneumatic spinning device, and a winding device. The pneumatic spinning device is adapted to twist a fiber bundle drafted by the draft device using an airflow to produce a spun yarn. The winding device is adapted to wind the spun yarn supplied from the pneumatic spinning device into a package.

[0030] The spinning machine in which the rotation failure of the cleaning belt is less likely to occur is thereby realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] 

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an overall structure of a spinning machine according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a spinning unit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cleaning device;

FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of a first roller;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view illustrating a shape of a first shaft end side of a roller main body;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first roller;

FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which the first roller is supported;

FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a shape of a supporting section contacting portion; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional belt guide roller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] A spinning machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A spinning machine 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of spinning units 2 arranged in line, a yarn joining cart 3, a motor box 4, a blower box 95, and a machine control device 90.

[0033] The machine control device 90 collectively manages each component of the spinning machine 1, and includes a monitor 91 and an input key 92. When an operator carries out an appropriate operation using the input key 92, settings and/or states and the like of a specific spinning unit 2 or all the spinning units 2 are displayed on the monitor 91.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 2, each spinning unit 2 includes a draft device 7, a pneumatic spinning device 9, a yarn storage device 14, and a winding device 70 arranged in this order from upstream to downstream. "Upstream" and "downstream" respectively refer to upstream and downstream in a travelling (transporting) direction of a sliver 6, a fiber bundle 8, and a spun yarn 10 at the time of spinning. Each spinning unit 2 is adapted to spin the fiber bundle 8 fed from the draft device 7 by the pneumatic spinning device 9 to produce the spun yarn 10, and the spun yarn 10 is wound by the winding device 70 into a package 45.

[0035] The draft device 7 is arranged in proximity to an upper end of a housing 5 of the spinning machine 1. The draft device 7 drafts the sliver 6 (stretch the fiber bundle) supplied from a sliver case (not illustrated) through a sliver guide 20 to a predetermined thickness. The fiber bundle 8 drafted by the draft device 7 is supplied to the pneumatic spinning device 9. The details of the draft device 7 will be described later.

[0036] The pneumatic spinning device 9 applies a twist to the fiber bundle 8 supplied from the draft device 7 to produce the spun yarn 10. In the present embodiment, a pneumatic type spinning device adapted to apply a twist to the fiber bundle 8 using a whirling airflow is adopted. Specifically, although the detailed description and the illustration will be omitted, the pneumatic spinning device 9 includes a fiber guiding section, a whirling airflow generating nozzle, and a hollow guide shaft body. The fiber guiding section guides the fiber bundle 8 fed from the draft device 7 to a spinning chamber formed inside the pneumatic spinning device 9. The whirling airflow generating nozzle is arranged around a path of the fiber bundle 8, and generates a whirling airflow in the spinning chamber. This whirling airflow causes a fiber end of the fiber bundle 8 in the spinning chamber to be reversed and to whirl. The hollow guide shaft body guides the spun yarn 10 from the spinning chamber to an outside of the pneumatic spinning device 9.

[0037] A yarn quality measuring device 12 and a spinning sensor 13 are arranged downstream of the pneumatic spinning device 9. The spun yarn 10 spun by the pneumatic spinning device 9 is passed through the yarn quality measuring device 12 and the spinning sensor 13.

[0038] The yarn quality measuring device 12 monitors a thickness of the travelling spun yarn 10 with an optical sensor (not illustrated). When a yarn defect (area where abnormality is found in thickness or the like of the spun yarn 10) of the spun yarn 10 is detected, the yarn quality measuring device 12 transmits a yarn defect detection signal to a unit controller (not illustrated). The yarn quality measuring device 12 is not limited to the optical sensor and may have a configuration in which the thickness of the spun yarn 10 is monitored with a capacitance sensor. The yarn quality measuring device 12 may detect a foreign substance contained in the spun yarn 10 as a yarn defect.

[0039] The spinning sensor 13 is arranged immediately downstream of the yarn quality measuring device 12. The spinning sensor 13 can detect tension of the spun yarn 10 between the pneumatic spinning device 9 and the yarn storage device 14. The spinning sensor 13 transmits the detected tension to the unit controller. The unit controller detects an abnormal area such as a weak yarn or the like by monitoring the tension detected by the spinning sensor 13.

[0040] The yarn storage device 14 is arranged downstream of the yarn quality measuring device 12 and the spinning sensor 13. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the yarn storage device 14 includes a yarn storage roller 15, and a motor 16 for rotatably driving the yarn storage roller 15.

[0041] The yarn storage roller 15 can have a prescribed amount of the spun yarn 10 wound around an outer peripheral surface thereof to temporarily store the spun yarn 10. When the yarn storage roller 15 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed with the spun yarn 10 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the yarn storage roller 15, the spun yarn 10 can be pulled out at a predetermined speed from the pneumatic spinning device 9 and transported towards the downstream. Since the spun yarn 10 is temporarily stored on the outer peripheral surface of the yarn storage roller 15, the yarn storage device 14 can function as one type of buffer. Accordingly, a drawback (e.g., slackening of the spun yarn 10 or the like) when a spinning speed in the pneumatic spinning device 9 and a winding speed (speed of the spun yarn 10 wound into the package 45) do not match for some reason can be resolved.

[0042] A yarn guide 17 and the winding device 70 are arranged downstream of the yarn storage device 14. The winding device 70 includes a cradle arm 71 supported to be swingable about a supporting shaft 73. The cradle arm 71 can rotatably support a bobbin 48 for winding the spun yarn 10.

[0043] The winding device 70 includes a winding drum (contact roller) 72 and a traverse device 75. The winding device 70 includes a winding drum drive motor (not illustrated). When a drive force of the winding drum drive motor is transmitted, the winding drum 72 rotates while making contact with the outer peripheral surface of the bobbin 48 or the package 45. The traverse device 75 includes a traverse guide 76 that can be engaged with the spun yarn 10. The winding device 70 drives the winding drum 72 with the winding drum drive motor while reciprocating the traverse guide 76 with a driving means (not illustrated). The winding device 70 thereby rotates the package 45 making contact with the winding drum 72, and winds the spun yarn 10 into the package 45 while traversing the spun yarn 10.

[0044] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the yarn joining cart 3 includes a yarn joining device 43, a suction pipe 44, and a suction mouth 46. When yarn breakage or yarn cut occurs in a spinning unit 2, the yarn joining cart 3 travels on a rail 41 to the relevant spinning unit 2 and stops. The suction pipe 44 sucks and catches the spun yarn 10 fed from the pneumatic spinning device 9 while being swung vertically with a shaft as a center, and guides the spun yarn 10 to the yarn joining device 43. The suction mouth 46 sucks and catches the spun yarn 10 from the package 45 while being swung vertically with a shaft as a center, and guides the spun yarn 10 to the yarn joining device 43. The yarn joining device 43 carries out a yarn joining operation on yarn ends of the guided spun yarn 10.

[0045] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the draft device 7 will be described in detail. First, the draft roller arranged in the draft device 7 will be described.

[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the draft device 7 includes a tubular sliver guide 20 adapted to introduce the sliver 6, and also includes a plurality of draft roller pairs including a bottom roller and a top roller facing each other. The bottom roller is located on a rear surface side (lower side) of the spinning machine 1, and the top roller is located on a front surface side (upper side) of the spinning machine 1. The draft device 7 of the present embodiment is configured as a so-called four line draft device including a back roller pair, a third roller pair, a middle roller pair, and a front roller pair arranged in this order from the upstream.

[0047] Specifically, the plurality of top rollers are, in the order from the upstream, a back top roller 21, a third top roller 22, a middle top roller 24 provided with an apron belt 23, and a front top roller 25. The plurality of bottom rollers are, in the order from the upstream, a back bottom roller 26, a third bottom roller 27, a middle bottom roller 28 provided with the apron belt 23, and a front bottom roller 29.

[0048] Each of the top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25 is a roller in which an outer peripheral surface is made of an elastic member such as rubber. Each of the top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25 is rotatably supported through a bearing (not illustrated) and the like with an axis line thereof as a center. Each of the bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29 is a metal roller, and is rotatably driven with an axis line thereof as the center.

[0049] The draft device 7 includes an urging means (not illustrated) adapted to urge each of the top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25 towards the opposing bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29, respectively. The outer peripheral surfaces of the top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25 thus elastically make contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29, respectively. When the bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29 are rotatably driven in such a configuration, the top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25 opposing and contacting thereto also rotate accompanying the rotation of the bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29. The draft device 7 includes a draft cradle (not illustrated) adapted to rotatably support each of the top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25.

[0050] The draft device 7 nips (sandwiches) the fiber bundle 8 between the rotating top rollers 21, 22, 24, and 25 and the bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29, and transports the fiber bundle 8 towards the downstream. The draft device 7 is structured such that the rotation speed becomes faster towards the draft roller pair on the downstream. Therefore, the fiber bundle 8 is stretched (drafted) while being transported between the draft roller pair and the draft roller pair, and accompanying therewith, a thickness of the fiber bundle 8 becomes narrower towards the downstream.

[0051] A degree to which the fiber bundle 8 is drafted can be changed by appropriately setting the rotation speed of each of the bottom rollers 26, 27, 28, and 29. Therefore, the fiber bundle 8 drafted to the desired thickness can be supplied to the pneumatic spinning device 9. Accordingly, the spun yarn 10 of a desired yarn count (thickness) can be spun by the pneumatic spinning device 9.

[0052] Next, a cleaning device 60 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The cleaning device 60 adapted to clean the draft roller is arranged above the draft device 7. The cleaning device 60 includes a frame 61, which is fixed to a side surface of the draft cradle (not illustrated).

[0053] The frame 61 rotatably supports a first roller 67 and a second roller 68 serving as the belt guide roller. An urging lever 62 is swingably attached to the frame 61. A tension roller 69 is rotatably supported at a distal end of the urging lever 62.

[0054] An endless cleaning belt (endless belt) 74 is wound around the first roller 67, the second roller 68, and the tension roller 69. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cleaning belt 74 is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface (cleaning surface) makes contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the top rollers 21 and 22, and the top side apron belt 23. An urging spring (not illustrated) is attached to the urging lever 62. The urging spring urges the urging lever 62 in a direction of applying tension to the cleaning belt 74.

[0055] In the configuration described above, the top rollers 21, 22 and the apron belt 23 are rotated with the outer peripheral surfaces thereof making contact with the cleaning belt 74. Thus, matters attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the top rollers 21, 22 and the apron belt 23 can be cleaned by the cleaning belt 74.

[0056] The first roller 67 is arranged in proximity to the middle top roller 24. A gear portion 35b having a few gear teeth is fixed to the first roller 67. A boss section 64 is arranged in a projecting manner at one end in an axial direction of the middle top roller 24, and a rotation projection (feeding cam section, rotation engagement section) 65 is projected out from the boss section 64. The rotation projection 65 is formed to be directed in a radial direction. The distal end of the rotation projection 65 is capable of being engaged with the gear portion 35b.

[0057] The rotation projection 65 rotates with the middle top roller 24 and engages the gear portion 35b for every one rotation to rotate the gear portion 35b by one tooth at a time. The first roller 67 is thereby rotated, and the cleaning belt 74 is fed by an appropriate amount.

[0058] As a result, a fresh cleaning surface of the cleaning belt 74 makes contact with the top rollers 21, 22 and the apron belt 23 each time the middle top roller 24 makes one rotation, whereby the cleaning effect of the cleaning belt 74 can be enhanced. Furthermore, according to such intermittent feeding, the drive of the cleaning belt 74 is stopped when not necessary, so that a large relative speed difference can be given with respect to the respective outer peripheral surfaces of the top rollers 21, 22 and the apron belt 23 to be cleaned. As a result, a more satisfactory cleaning effect is obtained.

[0059] Next, the first roller 67 and the second roller 68 adapted to guide the cleaning belt 74 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 7. The second roller 68 has a structure substantially similar to the first roller 67 except that the gear portion 35b is not arranged, and thus the first roller 67 will be representatively described below. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the first roller 67 includes a roller main body 30, a roller shaft 50, two shaft attachment sections 81, two E-rings (fall-out preventing section) 83, and two cover sections 85. The shaft attachment sections 81, the E-rings 83, and the cover sections 85 have substantially the same shape and have similar functions, and thus will be collectively described.

[0060] The roller main body 30 is a member adapted to make contact with the cleaning belt 74 to drive (guide) the cleaning belt 74. The roller main body 30 is configured by a belt contacting portion 32, a central base portion 33, a first end base portion 34, and a second end base portion 35. The central base portion 33, the first end base portion 34, and the second end base portion 35 are made of resin and are integrated.

[0061] The central base portion 33 is a portion located at a center in a longitudinal direction (axial direction). The central base portion 33 is a cylindrical member, and the belt contacting portion 32 is attached to the outer side thereof.

[0062] The belt contacting portion 32 is a cylindrical member made of rubber, and is a portion that makes contact with the cleaning belt 74. A plurality of cuboid-shaped projections are arranged on the surface of the belt contacting portion 32 to prevent slipping of the cleaning belt 74. The projections may not be provided, so that the fluffs can be more reliably prevented from attaching to the belt contacting portion 32.

[0063] The first end base portion 34 is a portion located at an end on one side in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the roller main body 30. A recessed portion 34a for attaching the shaft attachment section 81 is formed at an end (end on the one side) on the outer side of the first end base portion 34. The recessed portion 34a is recessed towards the inner side in the axial direction, and has a circular cross-section along the axial direction.

[0064] The second end base portion 35 is a portion located at the end on the other side in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the roller main body 30. The second end base portion 35 is provided with a recessed portion 35a and the gear portion 35b described above. The recessed portion 35a is formed at the end (end on the other side) on the outer side in the axial direction of the second end base portion 35, and is a portion for attaching the shaft attachment section 81. The recessed portion 35a is recessed towards the inner side in the axial direction, and has a circular cross-section along the axial direction.

[0065] The roller shaft 50 is a metal member that is arranged inside the roller main body 30 and that integrally rotates with the roller main body 30. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the roller shaft 50 is configured by a shaft central portion 51, a first shaft end 52, and a second shaft end 53.

[0066] The shaft central portion 51 is located at a center in the axial direction of the roller shaft 50, and is located inside the roller main body 30. An outer diameter of the shaft central portion 51 is greater than an outer diameter of the first shaft end 52 and an outer diameter of the second shaft end 53. The shaft attachment sections 81 are attached to outer surfaces of the first shaft end 52 and the second shaft end 53, respectively.

[0067] The shaft attachment section 81 is a substantially cylindrical member made of resin. Hereinafter, an end located close to the roller main body 30 and a proximity thereof in the shaft attachment section 81 may be referred to as a first end, and an opposite end and a proximity thereof may be referred to as a second end (see FIG. 4A). The shaft attachment section 81 is provided with a through-hole 81a, and the first shaft end 52 (second shaft end 53) is inserted to the through-hole 81a. The shaft attachment section 81 includes a roller contacting portion 81b, a supporting section contacting portion 81c, and a cover section attachment portion 81d.

[0068] The roller contacting portion 81b is a portion located at the end (first end) on the inner side in the axial direction of the shaft attachment section 81. The roller contacting portion 81b is a portion to be attached to the recessed portion 34a of the first end base portion 34 of the roller main body 30. The roller contacting portion 81b has a circular plate-shaped outer appearance (circular cross-section along the axial direction). The roller contacting portion 81b is attached to the first end base portion 34 in a relatively rotatable manner. Therefore, even if the roller main body 30 and the roller shaft 50 rotate, the shaft attachment section 81 does not rotate. The fluffs thus can be prevented from being wound around the shaft attachment section 81.

[0069] The outer diameter of the roller contacting portion 81b is greater than the outer diameter of the outer side portion of the shaft attachment section 81 (in the portion of the shaft attachment section 81, a portion located on the opposite side of the roller main body 30, i.e., the second end side of the roller contacting portion 81b). In other words, the portion having a larger diameter than the roller contacting portion 81b does not exist on the outer side of the roller contacting portion 81b. Therefore, the portion that becomes an obstacle when the roller contacting portion 81b enters the inner side of the roller main body 30 does not exist in the shaft attachment section 81, and the boundary between the shaft attachment section 81 and the first end base portion 34 of the roller main body 30 can be located further inside the recessed portion 34a. As a result, the fluffs can be more reliably prevented from entering inside. Furthermore, a situation can be prevented in which the portion having a larger diameter than the roller contacting portion 81b makes contact with the end face in the axial direction of the roller main body 30 thus forming the boundary exposed to the outer side of the roller main body 30, and the fluffs enter inside from the exposed boundary. In other words, since the boundary between the first end base portion 34 of the roller main body 30 and the shaft attachment section 81 is located on the inner side of the first end base portion 34, the fluffs is less likely to enter between the shaft attachment section 81 and the first end base portion 34.

[0070] As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the supporting section contacting portion 81c is a portion supported by a supporting section 77 adapted to support the first roller 67. As illustrated in FIG. 6B, the supporting section contacting portion 81c has a shape in which the circle is cut out (a part of the circle is linear) in the cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction. Specifically, in the supporting section contacting portion 81c, only one surface and the other surface making contact with the supporting section 77 are formed in a linear shape. The shaft attachment section 81 thus can be stably held, and the shaft attachment section 81 can be more reliably prevented from rotating.

[0071] The cover section attachment portion 81d is a portion located on the end (second end) on the outer side in the axial direction of the shaft attachment section 81. The outer diameter of the cover section attachment portion 81d is greater than the outer diameter of a portion (portion close to the roller main body 30) of the shaft attachment section 81 adjacent on the inner side in the axial direction than the cover section attachment portion 81d. The cover section 85 is attached to the cover section attachment portion 81d. The cover section 85 is made of resin, and can be elastically deformed. Therefore, the cover section 85 can be attached to the cover section attachment portion 81d by simply widening an opening of the cover section 85 and placing the cover section 85 over the cover section attachment portion 81d.

[0072] The E-rings 83 are respectively attached to both ends of the roller shaft 50. The E-ring 83 is a member that prevents the shaft attachment section 81 from detaching from the roller shaft 50. The cover section 85 collectively covers the first shaft end 52 (second shaft end 53), the shaft attachment section 81, and the E-ring 83. The fluffs thus can be prevented from getting caught at the above-described portions.

[0073] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7, a description will be made on the problems of the prior art and differences between structures of the present embodiment and a conventional product.

[0074] A conventional belt guide roller 100 includes a roller main body 101, a roller shaft 102, a shaft attachment section 103, and an E-ring 104. A boundary between an end 101a of the roller main body 101 and the shaft attachment section 103 is exposed to an outer side of the belt guide roller 100. Thus, when fluffs are wound around the belt guide roller 100, the fluffs easily enter inside. As a result, resistance is generated between the roller main body 101 and the roller shaft 102, and a rotation failure of the belt guide roller 100 may occur. Furthermore, since the E-ring 104 is exposed, the fluffs may get entangled with the E-ring 104.

[0075] On the contrary, in the first roller (belt guide roller) 67 of the present embodiment, the boundary between the end of the roller main body 30 and the shaft attachment section 81 is located on the inner side of the roller main body 30. Thus, even if the fluffs are wound around the first roller 67, the fluffs are less likely to enter inside. As a result, the rotation failure of the first roller 67 is less likely to occur. Furthermore, since the E-ring 83 is covered by the cover section 85, the fluffs can be prevented from getting entangled with the E-ring 83.

[0076] As described above, the first roller 67 of the present embodiment includes the roller main body 30, the roller shaft 50 of the roller main body 30, and the shaft attachment section 81. The roller main body 30 makes contact with the cleaning belt 74 for cleaning the draft roller to guide the cleaning belt 74. The shaft attachment section 81 is attached to cover at least a part of the outer surface of the roller shaft 50. The roller main body 30 is provided with recessed portions 34a and 35a recessed in the axial direction of the roller shaft 50. The shaft attachment section 81 is formed to enter the respective recessed portions 34a and 35a.

[0077] Since the shaft attachment section 81 is formed to enter the roller main body 30, the boundary between the shaft attachment section 81 and the roller main body 30 exists on the inner side of the recessed portions 34a, 35a. Therefore, even if the fluffs are wound around the first roller 67, the fluffs can be suppressed from entering between the roller main body 30 and the shaft attachment section 81. Thus, the rotation failure of the cleaning belt 74 can be prevented.

[0078] In the first roller 67 of the present embodiment, the roller main body 30 is provided with the recessed portions 34a, 35a having a circular cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction. The shaft attachment section 81 includes the roller contacting portion 81b that enters the recessed portions 34a, 35a of the roller main body 30 at the end (first end) on the roller main body 30 side, and the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the roller contacting portion 81b is circular. The circular shape is formed with the roller shaft as the center.

[0079] The recessed portions 34a, 35a and the roller contacting portion 81b are formed in a circular shape, so that the operation of connecting the shaft attachment section 81 to the roller main body 30 can be facilitated.

[0080] The cleaning device 60 of the present embodiment includes the supporting section 77 adapted to support the shaft attachment section 81. The shaft attachment section 81 includes the supporting section contacting portion 81c, which is the portion where the supporting section 77 makes contact. In the supporting section contacting portion 81c, the portion that makes contact with the supporting section 77 is linear in the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0081] Thus, the rotation of the shaft attachment section 81 can be reliably prevented compared to the case where the cross-section of the supporting section contacting portion 81c is circular. The shaft attachment section 81 can also be stably supported.

[0082] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the structures described above may be modified as below.

[0083] In the embodiment described above, the shaft attachment section 81 enters the recessed portions 34a, 35a formed in the roller main body 30. However, the roller main body 30 may enter the recessed portion formed in the shaft attachment section 81.

[0084] In the embodiment described above, the shapes of the roller contacting portion 81b of the shaft attachment section 81 and the recessed portions 34a, 35a are not limited to a circular shape, and may be appropriately changed. The shapes of the roller contacting portion 81b and the recessed portions 34a, 35a are preferably formed in a shape having the roller shaft 50 as the center. If the shaft attachment section 81 integrally rotates with the roller main body 30, the roller contacting portion 81b and the recessed portions 34a, 35a need to be formed in a circular shape.

[0085] The E-ring 83 of the embodiment described above can be changed to a retaining ring such as a snap ring and the like, for example.

[0086] The arrangement of the top roller and the bottom roller of the draft device 7 described above is an example. The positional relationship of the top roller and the bottom roller, the number of draft roller pairs, or the like may be appropriately changed. Therefore, the top roller may be arranged on the lower side, and the cleaning device may be arranged for the top roller.

[0087] The material and the shape of each member constituting the cleaning device 60 are arbitrary, and may be appropriately changed.

Claims

1. A belt guide roller (67, 68) characterized by comprising:

a roller main body (30) adapted to make contact with a cleaning belt (74) for cleaning a draft roller (21, 22) to guide the cleaning belt (74);

a roller shaft (50) of the roller main body (30); and

a shaft attachment section (81) attached to cover at least a part of an outer surface of the roller shaft (50),

wherein one of the roller main body (30) and the shaft attachment section (81) is provided with a recessed portion (34a, 35a) recessed in an axial direction of the roller shaft (50), and

the other of the roller main body (30) and the shaft attachment section (81) is formed to enter the recessed portion (34a, 35a).

2. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 1, characterized in that
the recessed portion (34a, 35a) is formed in a shape having the roller shaft (50) as a center.

3. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that
the roller main body (30) is provided with the recessed portion (34a, 35a) having a circular cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction; and
the shaft attachment section (81) includes a first end located close to the roller main body (30) and a second end located opposite to the first end, the first end including a roller contacting portion (81b) that enters the recessed portion (34a, 35a) of the roller main body (30), and a cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the roller contacting portion (81b) is circular.

4. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 3, characterized in that
the shaft attachment section (81) is formed such that an outer diameter of the roller contacting portion (81b) is greater than an outer diameter of a portion on the second end side of the roller contacting portion (81b).

5. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that
the shaft attachment section (81) supports the roller shaft (50) in a relatively rotatable manner.

6. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 5, characterized by further comprising:

a cover section (85) attached to the second end of the shaft attachment section (81) and attached to cover the second end.

7. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 6, characterized in that
the cover section (85) is an elastic member.

8. The belt guide roller (67, 68) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by further comprising:

a fall-out preventing section (83) attached to the second end of the shaft attachment section (81) to prevent the shaft attachment section (81) from falling out from the roller main body (30),

wherein the cover section (85) is attached to cover the fall-out preventing section (83).

9. A cleaning device (60) characterized by comprising:

the belt guide roller (67, 68) according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and

a cleaning belt (74) guided by the belt guide roller (67, 68).

10. The cleaning device (60) according to claim 9, characterized by further comprising:

a supporting section (77) adapted to support the shaft attachment section (81),

wherein the shaft attachment section (81) includes a supporting section contacting portion (81c), which is a portion where the supporting section (77) makes contact, and

the supporting section contacting portion (81c) has a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction of the portion in contact with the supporting section (77) formed in a linear shape.

11. A draft device (7) characterized by comprising:

the cleaning device (60) according to claim 9 or 10; and

a plurality of draft roller pairs (21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29),

wherein each of the plurality of draft roller pairs (21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29) is configured by a top roller (21, 22, 24, 25) and a bottom roller (26, 27, 28, 29),

the cleaning belt (74) is arranged to make contact with the plurality of top rollers (21, 22), and

the top roller (24) located second from downstream in a draft direction is provided with a feeding cam section (65), the feeding cam section (65) intermittently driving the belt guide roller (67).

12. A spinning machine (1) characterized by comprising:

the draft device (7) according to claim 11;

a pneumatic spinning device (9) adapted to twist a fiber bundle (8) drafted by the draft device (7) using an airflow to produce a spun yarn (10); and

a winding device (70) adapted to wind the spun yarn (10) supplied from the pneumatic spinning device (9) into a package (45).

Drawing