WINDING DEVICE, WINDING SYSTEM, AND TEXTILE MACHINE

Abstract

 An object of the present invention is to provide a winding device which is able to suppress the variation of contact pressure while using the weight of a package as the contact pressure.
When viewed in an axial direction of a rotation drum 40, each cradle arm 30 swings so that, as the diameter of a package Pw increases, a direction of an inclined straight line L connecting a swing fulcrum U with a center V of a bobbin Bw supported by the cradle arm 30 gradually approaches a vertical direction. Furthermore, until the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction after the start of winding of a yarn, a contact point S between the rotation drum 40 and the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw is arranged to be within an angle which is more than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees on the premise that a horizontal direction passing through a starting point which is a center C of the rotation drum 40 is defined as 0 degrees.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a winding device configured to form a package by winding a yarn onto a bobbin and a winding system and a textile machine which include this winding device.

[0002] For example, a yarn winding unit of Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-155030) includes a cradle arm (package support frame in Patent Literature 1) which is swingable about its rotation axis. The cradle arm is configured to rotatably support a bobbin (package). A winding drum is in contact with a circumferential surface of the package supported by the cradle arm. As the winding drum is rotationally driven, the yarn is wound onto the package. As the diameter of the package increases, the cradle arm swings to move away from the winding drum. The rotation axis of the cradle arm is provided with a contact pressure adjusting mechanism for allowing the package to be in contact with the winding drum at a predetermined contact pressure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] When all of a predetermined contact pressure is applied to a package by a contact pressure adjusting mechanism, the output of the contact pressure adjusting mechanism needs to be large. This result in cost increase. In Patent Literature 1, the package is provided above the winding drum (see FIG. 1 in Patent Literature 1), and a component of weight of the package in a direction orthogonal to a contact pressure surface between the package and the winding drum contributes to contact pressure. It is therefore possible to apply the predetermined contact pressure by means of a contact pressure adjusting mechanism whose output is small. However, the contact pressure increases in accordance with the increase in diameter and weight of the package. Therefore, the variation of contact pressure is disadvantageously large. The above problem occurs especially in the case of soft winding, i.e., a way of winding a yarn while the contact pressure is kept low.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above problem. An object of the present invention is to provide a winding device which is able to suppress the variation of contact pressure while using the weight of a package as the contact pressure.

[0005] A winding device of the present invention is configured to form a package by winding a yarn onto a bobbin, the winding device including: a cradle arm which is configured to swing about a swing fulcrum provided at one end portion of the cradle arm and which rotatably supports the bobbin at the other end portion of the cradle arm; and a rotation drum configured to rotate while being in contact with a circumferential surface of the bobbin or package supported by the cradle arm. When viewed in an axial direction of the rotation drum, the cradle arm swings so that, as the diameter of the package increases, a direction of an inclined straight line connecting the swing fulcrum with the center of the bobbin supported by the cradle arm gradually approaches a vertical direction. Furthermore, when viewed in the axial direction of the rotation drum until the direction of the inclined straight line becomes identical to the vertical direction after a start of winding of the yarn, the contact point between the rotation drum and the bobbin or package is arranged to be within an angle which is more than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees when a horizontal direction passing through a starting point which is the center of the rotation drum is defined as 0 degrees.

[0006]  In the present invention, as the diameter of the package increases, the cradle arm swings so that the direction of the inclined straight line connecting the swing fulcrum of the cradle arm with the center of the bobbin supported by the cradle arm gradually approaches the vertical direction. Furthermore, until the direction of the inclined straight line becomes identical to the vertical direction after the start of winding of the yarn, the contact point between the rotation drum and the bobbin or package is arranged to be within the angle which is more than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees on the premise that the horizontal direction passing through the starting point which is the center of the rotation drum is defined as 0 degrees. That is, the package is kept in contact with the rotation drum while being at a position above a horizontal plane passing the center of the rotation drum. It is therefore possible to use the weight of the package as contact pressure. Furthermore, because the proportion of a part of the weight of the package in a direction orthogonal to a contact pressure surface between the rotation drum and the package is limited to be less than 1/√2 as detailed below, the variation of contact pressure can be suppressed.

[0007] In the winding device of the present invention, formation of the package is preferably finished before the direction of the inclined straight line becomes identical to the vertical direction.

[0008] If the winding of the yarn continues even after the straight line is inclined to overtake the vertical direction, the weight of the package functions to move the package in a direction away from the rotation drum. In this case, the weight of the package becomes not to contribute to the contact pressure. Therefore, the formation of the package is preferably finished before the direction of the inclined straight line becomes identical to the vertical direction.

[0009] In the winding device of the present invention, the cradle arm is preferably provided so that the swing fulcrum is below the center of the rotation drum.

[0010] With this arrangement, the cradle arm extends across the center of the rotation drum so as to exist above and below the center of the rotation drum. Because of this, the cradle arm overlaps the rotation drum in the vertical direction. The present invention is therefore effective for suppressing the height of the winding device.

[0011]  In the winding device of the present invention, the cradle arm is preferably provided so that the swing fulcrum is below a lower end of the rotation drum.

[0012] This allows a large part of the cradle arm to overlap the rotation drum in the vertical direction. It is therefore possible to further suppress the height of the winding device.

[0013] A winding system of the present invention includes winding devices which are aligned to form plural stages in a vertical direction, each of the winding devices being identical to the above-described winding device.

[0014] When the winding devices are aligned to form the stages in the vertical direction, some winding devices on the highest one of the stages are provided at a high position in the vertical direction so that the collection of each package and the supply of each bobbin become difficult to be performed for these winding devices. In this regard, the height of the winding devices is suppressed by using the above-described winding device of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] 

FIG. 1 is a profile of a false-twist texturing machine of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a winding device at the start of winding.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the winding device at the time of completion of a wound package.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the winding device at the time of release of the wound package.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the winding device at the time of handover of a bobbin.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a contact point between the bobbin or wound package and a rotation drum.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the proportion of weight of the wound package, which contributes to contact pressure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The following will describe an embodiment of the present invention with reference to figures.

(False-Twist Texturing Machine)

[0017] FIG. 1 is a profile showing the overall structure of a false-twist texturing machine 1 (equivalent to a textile machine of the present invention) of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, a vertical direction to the sheet of FIG. 1 is defined as a base longitudinal direction, and a left-right direction to the sheet is defined as a base width direction. A direction orthogonal to the base longitudinal direction and the base width direction is defined as a vertical direction in which the gravity acts. These definitions of the directions will be suitably used hereinbelow.

[0018] The false-twist texturing machine 1 is configured to perform false twisting for yarns Y made of synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon. The false-twist texturing machine 1 includes a yarn supplying unit 2 provided for supplying yarns Y, a processing unit 3 configured to false-twist (i.e., perform the false twisting for) the yarns Y supplied from the yarn supplying unit 2, and a winding unit 4 configured to wind the yarns Y processed by the processing unit 3. Structural elements of the yarn supplying unit 2, the processing unit 3, and the winding unit 4 are aligned to form plural lines in the base longitudinal direction.

[0019] The yarn supplying unit 2 includes a creel stand 7 supporting yarn supply packages Ps, and is configured to supply the yarns Y to the processing unit 3. In the processing unit 3, the following members are provided in this order from the upstream in a yarn running direction in which each yarn Y runs: a first feed roller 11; a twist-stopping guide 12; a first heater 13; a cooler 14; a false-twisting device 15; a second feed roller 16; an interlacing device 17; a third feed roller 18; a second heater 19; and a fourth feed roller 20. The winding unit 4 includes a winding system 5 formed of winding devices 21 which are aligned to form plural stages in the vertical direction. The winding system 5 is configured to wind the yarns Y for which the false twisting has been performed by the processing unit 3 onto bobbins Bw by means of the winding devices 21, and to form wound packages Pw (corresponding to packages of the present invention).

[0020] The false-twist texturing machine 1 includes a main base 8 and a winding base 9 that are spaced apart from each other in the base width direction. The main base 8 and the winding base 9 are provided to extend in a substantially same length in the base longitudinal direction, and provided to oppose each other. An upper part of the main base 8 is connected to an upper part of the winding base 9 by a supporting frame 10. Each device forming the processing unit 3 is mainly attached to the main base 8 or the supporting frame 10. The main base 8, the winding base 9, and the supporting frame 10 form a working space 22 in which an operator performs an operation such as yarn threading to each device. The yarn paths are formed so that the yarns Y mainly run around the working space 22.

[0021] The following will describe each structural element of the processing unit 3. The first feed roller 11 is configured to send one yarn Y supplied from the yarn supplying unit 2 to the first heater 13. The first feed roller 11 is provided above the winding base 9.

[0022] The twist-stopping guide 12 prevents twisting, which is applied to the yarn Y by the false-twisting device 15 described later, from being propagated to the upstream of the twist-stopping guide 12 in the yarn running direction. The twist-stopping guide 12 is provided downstream of the first feed roller 11 in the yarn running direction, and provided upstream of the first heater 13 in the yarn running direction.

[0023] The first heater 13 is configured to heat the yarn Y sent from the first feed roller 11, and provided at the supporting frame 10.

[0024] The cooler 14 is configured to cool the yarn Y heated by the first heater 13. The cooler 14 is provided downstream of the first heater 13 in the yarn running direction, and provided upstream of the false-twisting device 15 in the yarn running direction.

[0025] The false-twisting device 15 is configured to twist the yarn Y. The false-twisting device 15 is provided directly downstream of the cooler 14 in the yarn running direction.

[0026] The second feed roller 16 is configured to send the yarn Y twisted by the false-twisting device 15 toward the interlacing device 17. The second feed roller 16 is provided downstream of the false-twisting device 15 in the yarn running direction in the main base 8. The conveyance speed of conveying the yarn Y by the second feed roller 16 is higher than the conveyance speed of conveying the yarn Y by the first feed roller 11. The yarn Y is therefore drawn between the first feed roller 11 and the second feed roller 16.

[0027] The interlacing device 17 is configured to interlace the yarn Y by means of air injection. The interlacing device 17 is provided below the second feed roller 16 in the main base 8.

[0028] The third feed roller 18 is configured to send the yarn Y interlaced by the interlacing device 17 toward the second heater 19. The third feed roller 18 is provided below the interlacing device 17 in the main base 8. The conveyance speed of conveying the yarn Y by the third feed roller 18 is lower than the conveyance speed of conveying the yarn Y by the second feed roller 16. The yarn Y is therefore relaxed between the second feed roller 16 and the third feed roller 18.

[0029] The second heater 19 is configured to heat the yarn Y sent from the third feed roller 18. The second heater 19 is provided below the third feed roller 18 in the main base 8.

[0030] The fourth feed roller 20 is configured to send the yarn Y thermally treated by the second heater 19 toward one winding device 21. The fourth feed roller 20 is provided at a lower part of the winding base 9. The conveyance speed of conveying the yarn Y by the fourth feed roller 20 is lower than the conveyance speed of conveying the yarn Y by the third feed roller 18. The yarn Y is therefore relaxed between the third feed roller 18 and the fourth feed roller 20.

[0031] In the processing unit 3 arranged as described above, the yarn Y drawn between the first feed roller 11 and the second feed roller 16 is twisted by the false-twisting device 15. The twist formed by the false-twisting device 15 is propagated to the twist-stopping guide 12, but is not propagated to the upstream of the twist-stopping guide 12 in the yarn running direction. The yarn Y which is twisted and drawn is heated by the first heater 13 and thermally set. After that, the yarn Y is cooled by the cooler 14. The yarn Y is untwisted on the downstream of the false-twisting device 15. However, each filament is maintained to be wavy in shape on account of the thermal setting described above.

[0032] After being false-twisted by the false-twisting device 15, the yarn Y is interlaced by the interlacing device 17 while being relaxed between the second feed roller 16 and the third feed roller 18. The yarn Y is then guided to the downstream side in the yarn running direction. Furthermore, the yarn Y is thermally set by the second heater 19 while being relaxed between the third feed roller 18 and the fourth feed roller 20. Finally, the yarn Y sent from the fourth feed roller 20 is wound by the winding device 21, and one wound package Pw is formed.

[0033] The winding unit 4 includes the winding devices 21. Each winding device 21 is configured to form the wound package Pw by winding the yarn Y sent from the fourth feed roller 20 onto the bobbin Bw. In the winding unit 4 of the present embodiment, plural winding devices 21 are provided to form four stages in the vertical direction. That is, four winding devices 21 are aligned in the vertical direction. However, the number of the winding devices 21 aligned in the vertical direction is not limited to four.

(Details of Winding Device)

[0034] The following will detail each winding device 21 with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the winding device 21 at the start of winding. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the winding device 21 at the time of completion of one wound package Pw. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the winding device 21 at the time of release of the wound package Pw. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the winding device 21 at the time of handover of one bobbin Bw.

[0035]  The winding device 21 includes cradle arms 30, a rotation drum 40, a package storage unit 50, and a stocker 60. The winding device 21 is configured to form the wound package Pw by winding one yarn Y onto the empty bobbin Bw attached to the cradle arms 30. In this regard, the empty bobbin Bw on which no yarn Y is wound is supplied from the stocker 60, and the completed wound package Pw is temporarily stored in the package storage unit 50. The replenishment of the stocker 60 with the empty bobbin Bw and the collection of the wound package Pw from the package storage unit 50 are suitably performed by the operator or by an automatic robot device.

[0036] Each cradle arm 30 is a long member provided for rotatably supporting the bobbin Bw. The cradle arms 30 are paired, and provided to oppose each other in the base longitudinal direction. The paired cradle arms 30 support the bobbin Bw (wound package Pw) by sandwiching the bobbin Bw, and are able to release the supported wound package Pw.

[0037] The cradle arms 30 are swingable about at least one swing axis 31 which is provided at lower end portions (corresponding to one end portion of the present invention) of the cradle arms 30, and rotatably support the bobbin Bw at upper end portions (corresponding to the other end portion of the present invention) of the cradle arms 30. The swing axis 31 is in parallel to the base longitudinal direction. With this arrangement, the cradle arms 30 is configured to swing about the swing axis 31 and in a plane orthogonal to the base longitudinal direction, i.e., in the sheet of each of FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.

[0038] The cradle arms 30 are connected to an air cylinder 32 configured to bias the cradle arms 30 so that the cradle arms 30 rotate counterclockwise in each of FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 about the swing axis 31. As the cradle arms 30 are biased by the air cylinder 32 to rotate counterclockwise, the wound package Pw supported by the cradle arms 30 is pressed onto the rotation drum 40. As a result, the contact pressure is applied to the wound package Pw.

[0039] The air cylinder 32 is configured to bias the cradle arms 30 so that the cradle arms 30 rotate counterclockwise. Furthermore, the air cylinder 32 is configured to move the cradle arms 30 to a release position (a position of the cradle arms 30 in FIG. 4). The release position is a position where the cradle arms 30 are able to send the wound package Pw to the package storage unit 50 by releasing the wound package Pw. In the present embodiment, the contact pressure is applied to the wound package Pw by the air cylinder 32. However, the contact pressure may be differently applied to the wound package Pw.

[0040] The rotation drum 40 is configured to rotate while being in contact with the circumferential surface of the bobbin B or wound package Pw supported by the cradle arms 30. The rotation drum 40 is rotationally driven by a motor 41 so that the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw in contact with the rotation drum 40 is rotated. However, instead of the rotation drum 40, the bobbin Bw itself may be rotationally driven.

[0041] The package storage unit 50 is provided on one side of the cradle arms 30 in the base width direction, and configured to temporarily store the completed wound package Pw. The storage unit 50 has one end which is farther from the cradle arms 30 than the other end in the base width direction. The package storage unit 50 of the present embodiment is able to store two wound packages Pw at maximum. However, the number of wound packages Pw stored in the package storage unit 50 may be suitably changeable. The package storage unit 50 is inclined downward from the other end to one end of the package storage unit 50 in the base width direction. At a lower end portion of the package storage unit 50, i.e., at one end of the package storage unit 50 in the base width direction, an unillustrated stopper is provided for preventing the wound package Pw from falling off from the package storage unit 50. With this arrangement, after being released from the cradle arms 30 at the release position, the wound package Pw rolls down from the other end to one end of the inclined package storage unit 50 in the base width direction. The wound packages Pw each of which moves in this way are then stacked in order from one end of the package storage unit 50 in the base width direction.

[0042] The stocker 60 is provided on the other side of the cradle arms 30 in the base width direction, and configured to store the empty bobbin Bw. The stocker 60 of the present embodiment is able to store three bobbins Bw at maximum. However, the number of bobbins Bw stored in the stocker 60 may be suitably changeable. The stocker 60 has one end which is closer to the cradle arms 30 than the other end in the base width direction. The stocker 60 is inclined downward from the other end to one end of the stocker 60 in the base width direction. At one end of the stocker 60 in the base width direction, a stocker arm 61 is provided to extend downward from the stocker 60.

[0043] The stocker arm 61 is swingable about a swing axis 62 provided at a lower end portion of the stocker arm 61, and able to support one of bobbins Bw stored in the stocker 60 at an upper end portion of the stocker arm 61. In this regard, the one of the bobbins Bw is provided on one side of other bobbins Bw in the base width direction. The swing axis 62 is in parallel to the base longitudinal direction. With this arrangement, the stocker arm 61 is configured to swing about the swing axis 62 and in a plane orthogonal to the base longitudinal direction, i.e., in the sheet of each of FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. The stocker arm 61 is connected to an air cylinder 63 configured to cause the stocker arm 61 to swing between a standby position shown in each of FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 and a handover position shown in FIG. 5. A driving source of the stocker arm 61 is not limited to the air cylinder 63.

(Series of Steps of Winding Device)

[0044] The following will describe a series of steps from the start of winding at one bobbin Bw to the start of winding at the next bobbin Bw, with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. These steps are performed by the winding device 21.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, when winding of the yarn Y starts, the air cylinder 32 biases the cradle arms 30 toward the rotation drum 40. Because of this, the cradle arms 30 swing downward and toward the rotation drum 40 about the swing axis 31 so that one bobbin Bw makes contact with the rotation drum 40. After that, the air cylinder 32 biases the cradle arms 30 toward the rotation drum 40 as long as the yarn Y is wound onto this bobbin Bw to form a wound package Pw. This allows the wound package Pw to be pressed onto the rotation drum 40 so that the contact pressure is applied to the wound package Pw.

[0046] As the winding of the yarn Y advances and the diameter of the wound package Pw increases, the cradle arms 30 stand up gradually (swing clockwise in FIG. 2) to move away from the rotation drum 40. In this regard, the cradle arms 30 are not inclined toward one side over the vertical plane in the base width direction while the formation of the wound package Pw shown in FIG. 3 is completed.

[0047] When the formation of the wound package Pw is completed, the yarn Y is cut by an unillustrated cutter and the cradle arms 30 are caused to swing to the release position as shown in FIG. 4 by the air cylinder 32. As the cradle arms 30 at the release position release the wound package Pw, the wound package Pw is detached from the cradle arms 30 and stored in the package storage unit 50.

[0048] Subsequently, while the cradle arms 30 are at the release position, the stocker arm 61 is caused to swing from the standby position to the handover position by the air cylinder 63 as shown in FIG. 5. Because of this, the next bobbin Bw supported by the stocker arm 61 is handed over to the cradle arms 30 at the release position. After the handover of the bobbin Bw, the air cylinder 32 biases the cradle arms 30 toward the rotation drum 40 and the air cylinder 63 moves the stocker arm 61 from the handover position to the standby position. As a result, the winding of the yarn Y on this new bobbin Bw is possible as shown in FIG. 2.

(Structures for Suppressing Variation of Contact Pressure)

[0049] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, each wound package Pw is arranged to make contact with a circumferential surface of the rotation drum 40 from obliquely above. With this arrangement, a component of weight of the wound package Pw in a direction orthogonal to a contact pressure surface between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 is used as contact pressure. Therefore, even when the output of the air cylinder 32 is small, a predetermined contact pressure is applied. However, as the diameter of the wound package Pw increases, the contact pressure attributed to the weight of the wound package Pw increases. Therefore, the variation of contact pressure tends to be large.

[0050] The following will describe structures for suppressing the variation of contact pressure, with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating each contact point between the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40. Hereinafter, explanations will be given with the assumption that the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 are viewed in the axial direction (base longitudinal direction) of the rotation drum 40 as shown in FIG. 6. The definitions of reference symbols in FIG. 6 are as follows.

[0051] The "C" indicates a center of the rotation drum 40.

[0052] The "U" indicates a fulcrum for each cradle arm 30 to swing (a swing fulcrum; a center of the swing axis 31 of the cradle arms 30).

[0053] The "V" indicates a center of the bobbin Bw supported by the cradle arms 30.

[0054] The "L" indicates a straight line connecting the swing fulcrum U of the cradle arms 30 with the center V of the bobbin Bw supported by the cradle arms 30.

[0055] The "S" indicates each contact point between the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40.

[0056] The "S1" indicates a contact point between the bobbin Bw and the rotation drum 40 at the start of winding.

[0057] The "S2" indicates a contact point between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 when the direction of the inclined straight line L is identical to the vertical direction.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows (i) a state at the start of winding by dashed lines and (ii) a state where the direction of the straight line L is identical to the vertical direction by solid lines.

[0059] In the vertical direction, the swing fulcrum U of each cradle arm 30 of the present embodiment is below the center C of the rotation drum 40 and, specifically, a lower end of the rotation drum 40. Meanwhile, the center V of the bobbin Bw is above the center C of the rotation drum 40 in the vertical direction. With this arrangement, because the wound package Pw is arranged to make contact with the rotation drum 40 from above, the component of the weight of the wound package Pw in a direction orthogonal to the above-described contact pressure surface (indicated by a tangent at the contact point S1 or a tangent at the contact point S2) is used as the contact pressure. In the above-described positional relationship, as the diameter of the wound package Pw increases, the cradle arms 30 swing so that the direction of the inclined straight line L gradually approaches the vertical direction.

[0060] If the contact point S is in the vicinity of an upper end portion of the rotation drum 40, a large part of the weight of the wound package Pw functions as contact pressure. In this case, as the winding of the yarn Y advances and the weight of the wound package Pw increases, the contact pressure significantly increases. This leads to the occurrence of a problem in which, e.g., soft winding cannot be properly performed. The soft winding is a way of winding the yarn Y while the contact pressure is kept low.

[0061] In the present embodiment, when a horizontal direction passing through the center C of the rotation drum 40 is defined as 0 degrees, the contact point S between the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 is arranged to be within an angle which is more than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees (within a range indicated by an arrow in FIG. 6) until the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction after the start of winding of the yarn Y. In this regard, the center C of the rotation drum 40 is used as a starting point. In other words, until the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction after the start of winding of the yarn Y, the contact point S between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 gradually moves from the contact point S1 to the contact point S2 not to deviate from the above-described angle. Actually, the winding of the yarn Y stops before achieving the above-described state indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 6. That is, the formation of the wound package Pw is finished (see FIG. 3) before the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction.

[0062] During the winding of the yarn Y, the contact point S between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 is arranged to be within an angle which is more than 0 degrees from the starting point which is the center C of the rotation drum 40 and which is less than 45 degrees. It is therefore possible to keep the proportion of weight of the wound package Pw contributing to the contact pressure to be a predetermined value or less. The following will describe the details.

[0063]  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the proportion of weight W of the wound package Pw, which contributes to contact pressure. To be more specific, FIG. 7 shows a case where the contact point S between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 is at 45 degrees from the starting point which is the center C of the rotation drum 40. Assume that the contact point S between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 is at 45 degrees from the starting point which is the center C of the rotation drum 40 as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, a component of a part of the weight W of the wound package Pw in a direction orthogonal to the above-described contact pressure surface, e.g., a component contributing to the contact pressure is W/√2. With this arrangement, when the contact point S between the wound package Pw and the rotation drum 40 is at an angle less than 45 degrees from the starting point which is the center C of the rotation drum 40, the component of the part of the weight W of the wound package Pw contributing to the contact pressure is less than W/√2. It is therefore possible to suppress the variation of contact pressure in accordance with changes of the weight W of the wound package Pw.

(Effects)

[0064] In the winding device 21 of the present embodiment, as the diameter of the wound package Pw increases, the cradle arms 30 swing so that the direction of the inclined straight line L connecting the swing fulcrum U of each cradle arm 30 with the center V of the bobbin Bw supported by the cradle arms 30 gradually approaches the vertical direction. Until the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction after the start of winding of the yarn Y, the contact point S between the rotation drum 40 and the bobbin Bw or wound package Pw is arranged to be within an angle which is more than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees on the premise that the horizontal direction passing through the starting point which is the center C of the rotation drum 40 is defined as 0 degrees. That is, the wound package Pw is kept in contact with the rotation drum 40 while being at a position above a horizontal plane passing the center C of the rotation drum 40. It is therefore possible to use the weight W of the wound package Pw as the contact pressure. Furthermore, because the proportion of a part of the weight W of the wound package Pw in the direction orthogonal to the contact pressure surface described above is limited to be less than 1/√2, the variation of contact pressure can be suppressed.

[0065] In the present embodiment, the formation of the wound package Pw is finished before the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction. If the winding of the yarn Y continues even after the straight line L is inclined to overtake the vertical direction, the weight W of the wound package Pw functions to move the wound package Pw in a direction away from the rotation drum 40. In this case, the weight W of the wound package Pw becomes not to contribute to the contact pressure. Therefore, the formation of the wound package Pw is preferably finished before the direction of the inclined straight line L becomes identical to the vertical direction.

[0066] In the vertical direction, each cradle arm 30 of the present embodiment is provided so that the swing fulcrum U is below the center C of the rotation drum 40. With this arrangement, the cradle arms 30 extend across the center C of the rotation drum 40 so as to exist above and below the center C of the rotation drum 40. Because of this, the cradle arms 30 overlap the rotation drum 40 in the vertical direction. It is therefore possible to suppress the height of each winding device 21. When the winding devices 21 are aligned to form plural stages in the vertical direction as in the present embodiment, the above-described arrangement is especially effective for suppressing the height of winding devices 21 on the highest one of the stages. The collection of the wound package Pw from each package storage unit 50 and the supply of the bobbin Bw for each stocker 60 are facilitated by suppressing the height of these winding devices 21.

[0067] In the vertical direction, each cradle arm 30 of the present embodiment is provided so that the swing fulcrum U is below the lower end of the rotation drum 40. This allows a large part of each cradle arm 30 to overlap the rotation drum 40 in the vertical direction. It is therefore possible to further suppress the height of each winding device 21.

(Other Embodiments)

[0068] The following will describe modifications of the present invention.

[0069] In the vertical direction, the swing fulcrum U of each cradle arm 30 of the embodiment above is below the center C of the rotation drum 40. However, the swing fulcrum U of each cradle arm 30 may be above the center C of the rotation drum 40 in the vertical direction.

[0070]  In the base width direction, the package storage unit 50 of the embodiment above is provided on one side of the cradle arms 30, and the stocker 60 of the embodiment above is provided on the other side of the cradle arms 30. However, such an arrangement is not prerequisite. The package storage unit 50 and the stocker 60 may be provided on the same side of the cradle arms 30 in the base width direction. The specific structures of the package storage unit 50 and stocker 60 are not limited to those in the embodiment above. The specific structures of package storage unit 50 and the stocker 60 may be suitably changeable.

[0071] In the embodiment above, each winding device 21 is used in the false-twist texturing machine 1. However, the winding device 21 may be used in another textile machine.

[0072] In the embodiment above, the winding devices 21 are aligned to form plural stages in the vertical direction. However, only one winding device 21 may be provided.

Claims

1. A winding device (21) configured to form a package (Pw) by winding a yarn (Y) onto a bobbin (Bw), the winding device (21) comprising:

a cradle arm (30) which is configured to swing about a swing fulcrum (U) provided at one end portion of the cradle arm (30) and which rotatably supports the bobbin (Bw) at the other end portion of the cradle arm (30); and

a rotation drum (40) configured to rotate while being in contact with a circumferential surface of the bobbin (Bw) or package (Pw) supported by the cradle arm (30), and,

when viewed in an axial direction of the rotation drum (40),

the cradle arm (30) swinging so that, as the diameter of the package (Pw) increases, a direction of an inclined straight line (L) connecting the swing fulcrum (U) with the center (V) of the bobbin (Bw) supported by the cradle arm (30) gradually approaches a vertical direction and,

when viewed in the axial direction of the rotation drum (40) until the direction of the inclined straight line (L) becomes identical to the vertical direction after a start of winding of the yarn (Y), the contact point (S) between the rotation drum (40) and the bobbin (Bw) or package (Pw) being arranged to be within an angle which is more than 0 degrees and less than 45 degrees when a horizontal direction passing through a starting point which is the center (C) of the rotation drum (40) is defined as 0 degrees.

2. The winding device (21) according to claim 1, wherein, formation of the package (Pw) is finished before the direction of the inclined straight line (L) becomes identical to the vertical direction.

3. The winding device (21) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the cradle arm (30) is provided so that the swing fulcrum (U) is below the center (C) of the rotation drum (40) .

4. The winding device (21) according to claim 3, wherein, the cradle arm (30) is provided so that the swing fulcrum (U) is below a lower end of the rotation drum (40).

5. A winding system (5) comprising winding devices (21) which are aligned to form plural stages in a vertical direction, each of the winding devices (21) being identical to the winding device (21) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A textile machine (1) comprising the winding system (5) according to claim 5.

Drawing