SPUN YARN TAKE-UP SYSTEM AND YARN THREADING ROBOT

Abstract

 Liquid in an air separator is efficiently discharged. A spun yarn take-up system 1 includes a yarn threading robot 3 performing yarn threading for a spun yarn take-up apparatus, a compressed air supplier 5 configured to supply compressed air to the yarn threading robot 3, an air cylinder 124 driven by the compressed air, a branched supply passage 90 through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 to the air cylinder 124, and an air separator 92 provided on the branched supply passage 90. The air separator 92 includes a separation unit 92a configured to separate liquid included in the compressed air passing through the branched supply passage 90 and a storage unit 92b configured to store the liquid separated by the separation unit 92a. The spun yarn take-up system 1 further includes a robot-side waste yarn passage 82 that is capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit 92b.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a spun yarn take-up system and a yarn threading robot.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2018-66087) discloses a yarn threading robot which performs yarn threading for a spun yarn take-up apparatus configured to form packages by winding spun-out yarns. The yarn threading robot performs yarn threading to members such as a roller of the spun yarn take-up apparatus by performing operations while sucking and retaining yarns by a suction attached to the leading end portion. The suction is configured to suck and retain yarns by means of compressed air supplied from a compressed air supplier provided outside the yarn threading robot.

[0003] Such a yarn threading robot includes a driven member that is driven by the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier, in addition to the suction. To the driven member, for example, compressed air branched from the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier to the suction is supplied. An example of the driven member is an air cylinder by which the suction is driven in the yarn threading.

[0004] If the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder includes liquid such as water and oil, driving portions of the air cylinder are rusted. This may cause a problem that the air cylinder cannot properly drive the suction. On this account, an air separator is typically provided to separate liquid from the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] However, the liquid separated from the compressed air by the air separator is accumulated in the air separator. The amount of the liquid accumulated in the air separator increases each time the yarn threading robot performs the yarn threading, and the liquid spills out from the air separator in the end. It is therefore necessary to regularly discharge the liquid from the air separator.

[0006] The discharge of liquid from the air separator is manually done by an operator, and this operation is tiresome. Furthermore, while the operator is discharging the liquid, the yarn threading robot must be stopped for safety. This disadvantageously increases the time required for the yarn threading.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to efficiently discharge liquid in an air separator.

[0008] A spun yarn take-up system of the present invention comprises: at least one spun yarn take-up apparatus; a yarn threading robot which is configured to perform yarn threading for the at least one spun yarn take-up apparatus; a compressed air supplier which is configured to supply compressed air to the yarn threading robot; a driven member which is driven by the compressed air; a supply passage through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier to the driven member; an air separator which includes a separation unit configured to separate liquid included in the compressed air passing through the supply passage and a storage unit configured to store the liquid separated by the separation unit, the air separator being provided on the supply passage; and a sucking section which is capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit.

[0009] According to this aspect of the present invention, the liquid accumulated in the storage unit of the air separator in accordance with the supply of the compressed air from the compressed air supplier to the driven member is sucked by the sucking section. On this account, manual discharge of the liquid in the storage unit by the operator is unnecessary. The liquid in the storage unit of the air separator is therefore efficiently discharged.

[0010] The spun yarn take-up system of the present invention is preferably arranged so that the yarn threading robot includes a suction configured to suck and retain yarns, the spun yarn take-up system further comprises a compressed air passing part through which the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier passes, in order to generate a negative pressure for causing the suction to suck the yarns, and the sucking section is the compressed air passing part.

[0011] According to this aspect of the present invention, because the compressed air passing part through which the compressed air for generating a negative pressure by which the suction sucks the yarns passes is utilized as the sucking section, it is unnecessary to independently include an arrangement for sucking the liquid in the storage unit of the air separator. This makes the structure of the system simple.

[0012] The spun yarn take-up system of the present invention is preferably arranged so that the compressed air passing part includes a compressed air supply passage through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier to the suction, and the supply passage is connected to an intermediate portion of the compressed air supply passage.

[0013] According to this aspect of the present invention, part of the compressed air supplied to the suction is supplied to the driven member through the supply passage connected to the intermediate portion of the compressed air supply passage. Because the compressed air can be supplied to the driven member and the suction by a single compressed air supplier, it is unnecessary to provide two compressed air suppliers for supplying compressed air to the driven member and the suction. Because of this, increase in size of the entire system is suppressed.

[0014] The spun yarn take-up system of the present teaching is preferably arranged so that the sucking section is a part of the compressed air supply passage, the part being on the downstream side of the intermediate portion where the supply passage is connected.

[0015] According to this aspect of the present invention, the part of the compressed air supply passage on the downstream side of the intermediate portion where the supply passage is connected is utilized as the sucking section. On this account, the liquid in the storage unit, which has already been sucked by the sucking section once, does not disadvantageously enter the storage unit again through the intermediate portion. This makes it possible to further efficiently discharge the liquid in the storage unit.

[0016] The spun yarn take-up system of the present invention is preferably arranged so that the compressed air passing part includes a waste yarn part which sucks the yarns sucked by the suction, and the sucking section is the waste yarn part.

[0017] The waste yarn part is a part by which the yarns sucked by the suction are sucked. Through such a waste yarn part, not only the yarns sucked by the suction but also the compressed air having passed the suction pass. On this account, the liquid does not pass through the suction after being sucked by the waste yarn part, and hence contamination of the suction by the liquid is prevented.

[0018] The spun yarn take-up system of the present invention is preferably arranged so that the driven member is an air cylinder which is provided to move the suction.

[0019] For the air separator configured to separate the liquid in the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder to drive the suction, the liquid accumulated in the storage unit can be efficiently discharged.

[0020] The spun yarn take-up system of the present invention is preferably arranged so that two or more spun yarn take-up apparatuses are aligned in a predetermined direction, and the yarn threading robot is movable along the predetermined direction and performs the yarn threading for the two or more spun yarn take-up apparatuses.

[0021] In the arrangement in which the yarn threading robot moves in the predetermined direction, the operator must reach the position of the yarn threading robot when the operator tries to discharge the liquid in the air separator. On this account, the discharge of the liquid is seriously tiresome. In this arrangement, the present invention in which the sucking section is provided for sucking the liquid in the air separator is very effective.

[0022] A yarn threading robot of the present invention, which is configured to perform yarn threading for a spun yarn take-up apparatus, comprises: a driven member which is driven by compressed air supplied from an external compressed air supplier; a supply passage through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier to the driven member; and an air separator which includes a separation unit configured to separate liquid included in the compressed air passing through the supply passage and a storage unit configured to store the liquid separated by the separation unit, the air separator being provided on the supply passage, the storage unit being connected to a sucking section which is capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit.

[0023] According to this aspect of the present invention, the liquid accumulated in the storage unit of the air separator in accordance with the supply of the compressed air from the compressed air supplier to the driven member is sucked by the sucking section. On this account, manual discharge of the liquid in the air separator by the operator is unnecessary. The liquid in the air separator is therefore efficiently discharged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] 

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a spun yarn take-up system of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a spun yarn take-up apparatus and a yarn threading robot.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the spun yarn take-up apparatus and the yarn threading robot.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electric structure of the spun yarn take-up system.

FIG. 5 is a cross section of a suction.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a coupling device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of compressed air supplied to the yarn threading robot.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The following will describe a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to figures.

(Overall Structure of Spun Yarn Take-Up System)

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment. The spun yarn take-up system 1 includes a plurality of spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 arranged in one horizontal direction, a yarn threading robot 3 configured to perform yarn threading for the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2, a central controller 4 configured to control the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 and the yarn threading robot 3, a compressed air supplier 5 configured to supply compressed air to the yarn threading robot 3, and a waste yarn box 6 where yarns from the yarn threading robot 3 are wasted. In the present embodiment, one yarn threading robot 3, one compressed air supplier 5, and one waste yarn box 6 are provided for all of the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 included in the spun yarn take-up system 1. The spun yarn take-up system 1 includes: a compressed air supply passage 7 through which compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 to a suction 37 of the yarn threading robot 3; and a waste yarn passage

[0027] 8 through which the yarns Y are wasted from the suction 37 to the waste yarn box 6. The compressed air supply passage 7 is indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 1. The waste yarn passage 8 is indicated by one-dot chain lines in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, yarns are not illustrated to avoid complexity in the figure. Hereinafter, the direction in which the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 are lined up is referred to as a left-right direction, and the direction which is horizontal and orthogonal to the left-right direction is referred to as a front-rear direction. Furthermore, a direction in which gravity acts is referred to as an up-down direction.

(Spun Yarn Take-Up Apparatus)

[0028] Now, the details of each spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 and the yarn threading robot 3. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 and the yarn threading robot 3. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electric structure of the spun yarn take-up system 1.

[0029] The spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 is configured to take up yarns Y spun out from an unillustrated spinning apparatus, to wind the yarns onto bobbins B, and to form packages P. More specifically, the spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 is configured to feed the yarns Y spun out from the unillustrated spinning apparatus to a winding unit 13 by a first godet roller 11 and a second godet roller 12, and to wind the yarns Y onto the bobbins B in the winding unit 13, thereby to form packages P.

[0030] The first godet roller 11 is a roller having an axis substantially in parallel to the left-right direction and is provided above a front end portion of the winding unit 13. The first godet roller 11 is rotationally driven by a first godet motor 111 (see FIG. 4).

[0031] The second godet roller 12 is a roller having an axis substantially in parallel to the left-right direction, and is provided above and rearward of the first godet roller 11. The second godet roller 12 is rotationally driven by a second godet motor 112 (see FIG. 4). The second godet roller 12 is movably supported by a guide rail 14. The guide rail 14 extends obliquely with respect to an up-down direction with a positive slope in the backward direction. The second godet roller 12 is configured to be movable along the guide rail 14 by a cylinder 113 (see FIG. 4). Due to this, the second godet roller 12 is movable between a winding position (indicated by solid lines in FIG. 3) in which winding of the yarns Y is performed and a yarn threading position (indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3) in which yarn threading is performed. The yarn threading position is closer to the first godet roller 11 than the winding position.

[0032] The spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 further includes an aspirator 15 and a yarn regulating guide 16. The aspirator 15 is configured to suck and retain the yarns Y spun out from the spinning apparatus before yarn threading is performed by the yarn threading robot 3. The aspirator 15 extends along the left-right direction. The aspirator 15 has, at its right end portion, a suction port 15a for sucking the yarns Y. The aspirator 15 is provided somewhat above the first godet roller 11 so that the suction port 15a is positioned near the yarns Y.

[0033] The yarn regulating guide 16 is provided between the first godet roller 11 and the aspirator 15 with respect to an up-down direction. The yarn regulating guide 16 is, for example, a known yarn guide with a comb teeth shape. When the yarns Y are threaded thereon, the yarn regulating guide 16 regulates the intervals between neighboring yarns Y. The yarn regulating guide 16 is arranged to be movable in the left-right direction (the axial direction of the first godet roller 11) by a cylinder 114 (see FIG. 4). With this, in the left-right direction, the yarn regulating guide 16 is movable between a protruding position where the guide protrudes as compared to the leading end portion of the first godet roller 11 and a retracted position where the guide falls within the range of the first godet roller 11.

[0034] The winding unit 13 includes fulcrum guides 21, traverse guides 22, a turret 23, two bobbin holders 24, and a contact roller 25.

[0035] The fulcrum guides 21 are provided for the respective yarns Y, and are aligned in the front-rear direction. The traverse guides 22 are provided for the yarns Y, respectively, and are aligned in the front-rear direction. The traverse guides 22 are driven by a common traverse motor 116 (see FIG. 4) and reciprocate in the front-back direction. With this, the yarns Y threaded to the traverse guides 22 are traversed about the fulcrum guides 21.

[0036] The turret 23 is a disc-shaped member having an axis substantially parallel to the front-rear direction. The turret 23 is rotationally driven by a turret motor 117 (see FIG. 4). The two bobbin holders 24 have axes which are substantially in parallel to the front-rear direction. The bobbin holders 24 are rotatably supported at an upper end portion and a lower end portion of the turret 23. Bobbins B are attached to each bobbin holder 24. The bobbins B are respectively provided for the yarns Y and lined up in the front-back direction. The two bobbin holders 24 are rotationally driven by their respective winding motors 118 (see FIG. 4).

[0037] When the upper bobbin holder 24 is rotationally driven, the yarns Y traversed by the traverse guides 22 are wound onto the bobbins B, with the result that packages P are formed. After the completion of the formation of the packages P, the turret 23 is rotated, to switch the positions of the two bobbin holders 24 with each other. As a result, the bobbin holder 24 having been at the lower position is moved to the upper position, which allows the yarns Y to be wound onto the bobbins B attached to the bobbin holder 24 having been moved to the upper position, to form packages P. Meanwhile, the bobbin holder 24 having been at the upper position is moved to the lower position, and the packages P are collected by an unillustrated package collector.

[0038] The contact roller 25 is a roller which has an axis substantially in parallel to the front-rear direction and which is provided immediately above the upper bobbin holder 24. The contact roller 25 is configured to contact the surfaces of the packages P supported by the upper bobbin holder 24. With this, the contact roller 25 applies a contact pressure to the surfaces of the unfinished packages P, to adjust the shape of the packages P.

[0039] The yarn threading robot 3 is configured to perform yarn threading to the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. The yarn threading robot 3 will be detailed later.

(Central Controller)

[0040] The central controller 4 is configured to control the entirety of the spun yarn take-up system 1. FIG. 4 shows the electric structure of the spun yarn take-up system 1. The central controller 4 includes an operation unit 4a which allows an operator to make various settings, and a display unit 4b configured to display thereon a screen for assisting the settings and/or a screen showing the state of each component (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 4, each spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 is provided with a winding controller 101. The winding controller 101 is configured to control the operation of each driving unit of the spun yarn take-up apparatus 2. In the yarn threading robot 3, a robot controller 102 is provided. The robot controller 102 is configured to control the operation of each driving unit of the yarn threading robot 3.

[0041] The central controller 4 is communicably connected, wirelessly or by cable, with each winding controller 101 and each robot controller 102. The central controller 4 receives a detection signal from an encoder 123 that is provided in the yarn threading robot 3. The central controller 4 controls opening and closing of an on-off valve 75 that is provided at each sub hose 71b on a system-side compressed air supply passage 71.

(Compressed Air Supply Passage and Waste Yarn Passage)

[0042] The spun yarn take-up system 1 includes a compressed air supply passage 7 through which compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 to a suction 37 of the yarn threading robot 3, and a waste yarn passage 8 through which the yarns Y are wasted from the suction 37 to the waste yarn box 6. The compressed air supply passage 7 is indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 1. The waste yarn passage 8 is indicated by one-dot chain lines in FIG. 1.

[0043] The compressed air supply passage 7 is divided into the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 extending from the compressed air supplier 5 to the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 and a robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 arranged in the yarn threading robot 3. Likewise, the waste yarn passage 8 is divided into a system-side waste yarn passage 81 extending from the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 to the waste yarn box 6 and a robot-side waste yarn passage 82 arranged in the yarn threading robot 3. The attachment and detachment between the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 and the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 and the attachment and detachment between the system-side waste yarn passage 81 and the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 are performed by a coupling device 9 that is composed of a system-side connection unit 40 and a robot-side connection unit 34. The details of the coupling device 9 will be given later.

[0044]  As shown in FIG. 1, the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 is formed by a main hose 71a connected to the compressed air supplier 5 and a plurality of sub hoses 71b branched from the main hose 71a toward the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. At the downstream end of each sub hose 71b, the system-side connection unit 40 is provided. At the upstream end of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72, the robot-side connection unit 34 is provided. The on-off valve 75 controllable by the central controller 4 is provided at an intermediate portion of each sub hose 71b. The pressure of the compressed air in the main hose 71a is, for example, 1.4 MPa.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the system-side waste yarn passage 81 is formed by a main hose 81a connected to the waste yarn box 6 and a plurality of sub hoses 81b branched from the main hose 81a toward the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. At the upstream end of each sub hose 81b, the system-side connection unit 40 is provided. At the downstream end of the robot-side waste yarn passage 82, the robot-side connection unit 34 is provided. The pressure of the compressed air in the main hose 81a is, for example, 0.6 MPa.

[0046] When the robot-side connection unit 34 of the yarn threading robot 3 is connected to any of the system-side connection units 40 positionally corresponding to the respective spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2, the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 is connected with the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 and the system-side waste yarn passage 81 is connected with the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. This makes it possible to supply compressed air from the compressed air supplier 5 to the suction 37 and to waste the yarns Y from the suction 37 to the waste yarn box 6.

[0047] In the present embodiment, when the robot-side connection unit 34 is connected to any of the system-side connection units 40, the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 to the suction 37 passes through the compressed air supply passage 7 and the waste yarn passage 8 in this order and reaches the waste yarn box 6. To be more specific, the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 passes through the system-side compressed air supply passage 71, the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72, the robot-side waste yarn passage 82, and the system-side waste yarn passage 81 in this order, and reaches the waste yarn box 6. Therefore, the compressed air supply passage 7 and the waste yarn passage 8 are parts where the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 passes through in order to generate negative pressure at a suction port 37c of the suction 37. To put it differently, the compressed air supply passage 7 and the waste yarn passage 8 are equivalent to compressed air passing parts of the present invention.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the yarns Y sucked by the suction 37 are sent to the waste yarn box 6 through the waste yarn passage 8. To put it differently, the waste yarn passage 8 sucks the yarns Y sucked by the suction port 37c of the suction 37. The waste yarn passage 8 is therefore equivalent to a waste yarn part of the present invention.

(Coupling Device)

[0049] The following will describe the coupling device 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the coupling device 9 includes the system-side connection unit 40 and the robot-side connection unit 34. Plural system-side connection units 40 are provided to correspond to the respective spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. Each system-side connection unit 40 is provided in the vicinity of each spun yarn take-up apparatus 2. To be more specific, each system-side connection unit 40 is provided above the winding unit 13 of each spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 and fixed to front and rear guide rails 35 while being provided between these two guide rails 35. The two guide rails 35 are provided in front of the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction. Each guide rail 35 extends in the left-right direction so as to cover the plurality of spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. The robot-side connection unit 34 is attached to a top surface of a main body 31 (described below) of the yarn threading robot 3 so as to be positioned below the system-side connection unit 40 (see FIG. 3).

[0050] FIG. 6 is a side view of the coupling device 9. The system-side connection unit 40 is provided with a system-side joint 73 connected to the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 and a system-side joint 83 connected to the system-side waste yarn passage 81. On the other hand, the robot-side connection unit 34 is provided with a robot-side joint 74 connected to the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 and a robot-side joint 84 connected to the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. As the system-side joint 73 is connected with the robot-side joint 74, the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 is connected with the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72. Likewise, as the system-side joint 83 is connected with the robot-side joint 84, the system-side waste yarn passage 81 is connected with the robot-side waste yarn passage 82.

[0051] The system-side connection unit 40 includes two fixed members 41 fixed to the respective guide rails 35, a plate-shaped fixed base 42 which is provided substantially horizontally over the two fixed members 41 and is fixed to the fixed members 41, and system-side joints 73 and 83 attached to the fixed base 42.

[0052] The system-side joints 73 and 83 are inserted into unillustrated attaching holes formed in the fixed base 42 and are fixed so that the axial direction of each of the joints is substantially in parallel to the up-down direction. In the system-side joints 73 and 83, parts protruding downward from the fixed base 42 are inserted into and connected to the respective robot-side joints 74 and 84. In the system-side joints 73 and 83, parts protruding upward from the fixed base 42 are connected with the system-side compressed air supply passage 71 (sub hose 71b) and the system-side waste yarn passage 81 (sub hose 81b), respectively.

[0053] The robot-side connection unit 34 includes a plate-shaped base member 51 fixed to a top surface of a main body portion 31 of the yarn threading robot 3, two rod-shaped guide members 52 extending upward from the base member 51, two slide members 53 externally fitted to the two guide members 52 to be movable in the up-down direction, a plate-shaped first supporting member 54 fixed to the two slide members 53 substantially horizontally, two pin members 55 extending upward from the first supporting member 54, a plate-shaped second supporting member 56 fixed to the two pin members 55 substantially horizontally, and a cylinder 57 attached to a bottom surface of the first supporting member 54.

[0054] The robot-side joints 74 and 84 are inserted into unillustrated attaching holes formed in the second supporting member 56 and are fixed so that the axial direction of each of the joints is substantially in parallel to the up-down direction. In the robot-robot-side joints 74 and 84, parts protruding upward from the second supporting member 56 are inserted into and connected to the respective system-side joints 73 and 83. In the robot-robot-side joints 74 and 84, parts protruding downward from the second supporting member 56 are connected to the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 and the robot-side waste yarn passage 82, respectively.

[0055] As the first supporting member 54 is moved upward by the cylinder 57 while the system-side joint 73 and the robot-side joint 74 oppose each other and the system-side joint 83 and the robot-side joint 84 oppose each other, the robot-side joints 74 and 84 fixed to the second supporting member 56 are moved upward together with the first supporting member 54. As a result, the system-side joints 73 and 83 are relatively inserted into the robot-side joints 74 and 84. Consequently, the system-side joint 73 is joined with the robot-side joint 74 and the system-side joint 83 is joined with the robot-side joint 84.

(Yarn Threading Robot)

[0056] Now, the yarn threading robot 3 will be described. The yarn threading robot 3 includes a main body 31, a robotic arm 32, and a yarn threading unit 33.

[0057] The main body 31 is formed to be substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape. Inside the main body 31, members such as a robot controller 102 (see FIG. 4) for controlling operations of the robotic arm 32 and the yarn threading unit 33 are mounted. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the main body 31 hangs down from two guide rails 35 and is movable in the left-right direction along the two guide rails 35. As described above, the two guide rails 35 are provided in front of the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction. Each guide rail 35 extends in the left-right direction so as to cover the plurality of spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. That is, the yarn threading robot 3 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction in front of the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 3, four wheels 36 are provided at an upper end portion of the main body 31. Two of the four wheels 36 are on the top surface of one of the guide rails 35, and the remaining two wheels 36 are on the top surface of the other one of the guide rails 35. The four wheels 36 are rotationally driven by a movement motor 121 (see FIG. 4) . As the four wheels 36 are rotationally driven, the main body 31 moves in the left-right direction along the two guide rails 35. In order to grasp the position of the yarn threading robot 3 in the left-right direction, the yarn threading robot 3 is provided with an encoder 123 (see FIG. 4) that is configured to detect the position of the yarn threading robot 3 in the left-right direction.

[0059] The robotic arm 32 is attached to the bottom surface of the main body 31. The robotic arm 32 includes arms 32a and joints 32b connecting the arms 32a with one another. Each joint 32b incorporates therein an arm motor 122 (see FIG. 4). As the arm motor 122 is driven, the arm 32a is swung about the joint 32b. This allows the robotic arm 32 to operate three-dimensionally.

[0060] The yarn threading unit 33 is attached to a leading end portion of the robotic arm 32. On the yarn threading unit 33, a suction 37 for sucking and retaining the yarns Y and a cutter 38 for cutting the yarns Y are provided.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a cross section of the suction 37. The suction 37 includes a suction pipe 37a extending linearly and a compressed air pipe 37b connected to an intermediate portion of the suction pipe 37a in an integral manner. One end portion of the suction pipe 37a functions as a suction port 37c through which the yarns Y are sucked. The other end portion of the suction pipe 37a is connected to the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. One end portion of the compressed air pipe 37b communicates with the suction pipe 37a through a communication hole 37d. The other end portion of the compressed air pipe 37b is connected to the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72. The communication hole 37d is inclined with respect to the suction pipe 37a so that one end of the communication hole 37d which is close to the suction pipe 37a is on the other end side as compared to its opposite end.

[0062] In the suction 37 configured as above, compressed air having flowed from the compressed air pipe 37b into the suction pipe 37a flows from the one end side to the other end side of the suction pipe 37a, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5. This airflow creates a vacuum or a negative pressure at the suction port 37c, which makes it possible to suck the yarns Y from the suction port 37c. The yarns Y sucked from the suction port 37c are directly discharged to the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 by the airflow in the suction pipe 37a. The yarn threading robot 3 performs yarn threading operation while sucking and retaining the yarns Y using the suction 37.

[0063] The yarn threading robot 3 further includes the robot-side connection unit 34 that constitutes part of the above-described coupling device 9.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 7, the yarn threading robot 3 includes an air cylinder 124 for moving the suction 37 and a branched supply passage 90 (supply passage of the present invention) for supplying compressed air from the compressed air supplier 5 to the air cylinder 124. The air cylinder 124 is driven by compressed air and is equivalent to a driven member of the present invention. As the air cylinder 124 is driven, the suction 37 moves in a sliding manner along an unillustrated rail. This allows the suction 37 to elongate and contract along the direction in which the unillustrated rail extends. It is noted that the spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 is not shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 7 shows only one sub hose 71b among the sub hoses 71b and only one sub hose 81b among the sub hoses 81b. Furthermore, the robotic arm 32 is not shown in FIG. 7.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, the branched supply passage 90 is connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72. In other words, one end portion of the branched supply passage 90 is connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72, and the other end portion of the branched supply passage 90 is connected to the air cylinder 124.

[0066] On the branched supply passage 90, a regulator 91 and an air separator 92 are provided. The regulator 91 is provided on the downstream side of the air separator 92. The regulator 91 is provided to adjust the pressure of compressed air passing through the branched supply passage 90. To be more specific, the regulator 91 decreases the pressure of the compressed air to a predetermined pressure. For example, the pressure of the compressed air passing through the downstream side of the regulator 91 in the branched supply passage 90 is adjusted to 0.1 MPa by the regulator 91.

[0067] The air separator 92 includes a separation unit 92a and a storage unit 92b. The separation unit 92a is provided to separate liquid and garbage in the compressed air passing through the branched supply passage 90. For example, the separation unit 92a separates liquid and relatively large lumps of garbage from air by means of a cyclone effect and removes miniature contaminants by an internal filter, and discharges clean compressed air to the downstream side. The storage unit 92b stores the liquid and garbage separated by the separation unit 92a. At a lower portion of the storage unit 92b, an outlet 92c is provided to discharge the liquid in the storage unit 92b to the outside. The liquid and garbage separated by the separation unit 92a include, for example, water, oil, and dust in the compressed air.

[0068] The storage unit 92b is connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 through a connection passage 93. To be more specific, one end portion of the connection passage 93 is connected to the outlet 92c whereas the other end portion of the connection passage 93 is connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. Although not illustrated, one end portion of the connection passage 93 is preferably located above the other end portion. The connection passage 93 is, for example, a tube made of resin. As described above, the waste yarn passage 8 sucks the yarns Y sucked by the suction port 37c of the suction 37. To put it differently, the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 that is the waste yarn passage 8 has a sucking force of sucking the compressed air on the upstream side. On this account, the liquid stored in the storage unit 92b connected to the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 is sucked by the sucking force of the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. The robot-side waste yarn passage 82 of the present embodiment is therefore able to suck the liquid in the storage unit 92b and is equivalent to a sucking section of the present invention. The sucking section of the present embodiment is able to suck the garbage stored in the storage unit 92b together with the liquid.

(Effects)

[0069] The spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment includes the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2, the yarn threading robot 3, the compressed air supplier 5 configured to supply compressed air to the yarn threading robot 3, the air cylinder 124 (driven member) driven by the compressed air, the branched supply passage 90 (supply passage) through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 to the air cylinder 124, and the air separator 92 provided on the branched supply passage 90. The air separator 92 includes the separation unit 92a configured to separate liquid included in the compressed air passing through the branched supply passage 90 and the storage unit 92b configured to store the liquid separated by the separation unit 92a. The spun yarn take-up system 1 further includes the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 that functions as a sucking section capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit 92b. According to the present embodiment, the liquid accumulated in the storage unit 92b of the air separator 92 in accordance with the supply of the compressed air from the compressed air supplier 5 to the air cylinder 124 is sucked by the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. On this account, manual discharge of the liquid in the air separator 92 by the operator is unnecessary. The liquid in the air separator 92 is therefore efficiently discharged.

[0070] In the spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment, the yarn threading robot 3 includes: the suction 37 configured to suck and retain the yarns Y; and the compressed air supply passage 7 and the waste yarn passage 8 (compressed air passing part) where the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 passes through are provided to generate a negative pressure for causing the suction 37 to suck the yarns Y. The sucking section capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit 92b is the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. With this arrangement, because the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 through which the compressed air for generating a negative pressure by which the suction 37 sucks the yarns Y passes is utilized as the sucking section, it is unnecessary to independently include an arrangement for sucking the liquid in the storage unit 92b of the air separator 92. This makes the structure of the system simple.

[0071] In the spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment, the sucking section is the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 of the waste yarn passage 8 by which the yarns Y sucked by the suction 37 are sucked. The robot-side waste yarn passage 82 is a part by which the yarns Y sucked by the suction 37 are sucked. Through such a robot-side waste yarn passage 82, not only the yarns Y sucked by the suction 37 but also the compressed air having passed the suction 37 pass. On this account, the liquid does not pass through the suction 37 after being sucked by the robot-side waste yarn passage 82, and hence contamination of the suction 37 by the liquid is prevented.

[0072] In the spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment, the driven member is the air cylinder 124 for driving the suction 37. With this arrangement, for the air separator 92 configured to separate the liquid in the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 124 to drive the suction 37, the liquid accumulated in the storage unit 92b can be efficiently discharged.

[0073] The spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment includes the compressed air supply passage 7 by which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier 5 to the suction 37. The branched supply passage 90 is connected to the intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 of the compressed air supply passage 7. According to the present embodiment, part of the compressed air supplied to the suction is supplied to the driven member through the branched supply passage 90 connected to the intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 of the compressed air supply passage 7. Because the compressed air can be supplied to the air cylinder 124 and the suction 37 by a single compressed air supplier 5, it is unnecessary to provide two compressed air suppliers 5 for supplying compressed air to the air cylinder 124 and the suction 37. Because of this, increase in size of the entire system is suppressed.

[0074] In the spun yarn take-up system 1 of the present embodiment, the plural spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 are aligned in the left-right direction. The yarn threading robot 3 is movable along the left-right direction and performs yarn threading for the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2. In the arrangement in which the yarn threading robot 3 moves in the left-right direction, the operator must reach the position of the yarn threading robot 3 when the operator tries to discharge the liquid in the air separator 92. On this account, the discharge of the liquid is seriously tiresome. In this arrangement, the present embodiment in which the robot-side waste yarn passage 82 is provided for sucking the liquid in the air separator 92 is very effective.

(Modifications)

[0075] The following will describe modifications of the above-described embodiment. The members identical with those in the embodiment above will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the explanations thereof are not repeated.

[0076] In the embodiment above, the storage unit 92b is connected to the intermediate portion of the robot-side waste yarn passage 82. The robot-side waste yarn passage 82 is capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit 92b. In this regard, the storage unit 92b may be connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72. In this case, the storage unit 92b is connected to a portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72, which is on the downstream side of the junction with the branched supply passage 90. In this case, the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 is equivalent to the sucking section of the present invention. Because the portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 on the downstream side of the junction (intermediate portion of the present invention) with the branched supply passage 90 is utilized as the sucking section, the liquid in the storage unit 92b, which has already been sucked by the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72 once, does not pass through the junction again and disadvantageously enter the storage unit 92b. This makes it possible to further efficiently discharge the liquid in the storage unit 92b. The storage unit 92b may be connected to a sucking section that is provided for sucking the liquid in the storage unit 92b and is independent from the compressed air supply passage 7 and the waste yarn passage 8.

[0077] In the embodiment above, the branched supply passage 90 is a passage for supplying the compressed air from the compressed air supplier 5 to the air cylinder 124 that is provided to move the suction 37. To put it differently, in the embodiment above, the driven member to which the compressed air is supplied through the branched supply passage 90 is the air cylinder 124. The driven member of the present invention, however, is not limited to this arrangement. For example, the driven member may be an air-driven actuator which is configured to actuate a comb guide that is attached to the leading end portion of the robotic arm 32 and is used for performing yarn threading to the fulcrum guides 21. Alternatively, the driven member may be an air-driven actuator which is configured to actuate a contact roller that is attached to the leading end portion of the robotic arm 32 and functions as a place where the yarns Y sucked by the suction 37 are temporarily provided when yarn threading is performed for members such as rollers of the spun yarn take-up apparatus 2. The air-driven actuator includes an air cylinder. The branched supply passage 90 may supply compressed air from the compressed air supplier 5 to plural driven members. For example, the branched supply passage 90 may supply compressed air to each of the air cylinder 124 by which the suction gun is moved and an air cylinder by which the comb guide is driven. In this case, the branched supply passage 90 is further branched at an intermediate portion, and each branch is connected to plural driven members.

[0078] In the embodiment above, the branched supply passage 90 is connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72. The supply passage of the present invention, however, may not be arranged in this way. For example, the following structure may be adopted. That is, a second compressed air supply passage for supplying compressed air from the compressed air supplier 5 to the air cylinder 124 is provided in addition to the compressed air supply passage 7. The second compressed air supply passage is divided into a system-side second compressed air supply passage extending from the compressed air supplier 5 to the spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 and a robot-side second compressed air supply passage arranged in the yarn threading robot 3. In this arrangement, the supply passage of the present invention is equivalent to the robot-side second compressed air supply passage. In this case, the detachment and attachment between the system-side second compressed air supply passage and the robot-side second compressed air supply passage are performed by the coupling device 9 of the embodiment above. When the supply passage for supplying compressed air to the air cylinder 124 is not connected to an intermediate portion of the robot-side compressed air supply passage 72, the regulator 91 may not be provided.

[0079] In the embodiment above, the connection passage 93 is arranged so that one end portion is connected to the storage unit 92b, the other end portion is connected to the robot-side waste yarn passage 82, and the one end portion is positioned above the other end portion. Alternatively, the one end portion may be positioned below the other end portion.

[0080] In the spun yarn take-up system 1 of the embodiment above, the plural spun yarn take-up apparatuses 2 are aligned in the left-right direction. Alternatively, in the spun yarn take-up system 1, only one spun yarn take-up apparatus 2 may be provided.

Claims

1. A spun yarn take-up system (1) comprising:

at least one spun yarn take-up apparatus (2);

a yarn threading robot (3) which is configured to perform yarn threading for the at least one spun yarn take-up apparatus (2);

a compressed air supplier (5) which is configured to supply compressed air to the yarn threading robot (3);

a driven member which is driven by the compressed air;

a supply passage (90) through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier (5) to the driven member;

an air separator (92) which includes a separation unit (92a) configured to separate liquid included in the compressed air passing through the supply passage (90) and a storage unit (92b) configured to store the liquid separated by the separation unit (92a), the air separator (92) being provided on the supply passage (90); and

a sucking section which is capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit (92b).

2. The spun yarn take-up system (1) according to claim 1, wherein,

the yarn threading robot (3) includes a suction (37) configured to suck and retain yarns (Y),

the spun yarn take-up system (1) further comprises a compressed air passing part (7, 8) through which the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supplier (5) passes, in order to generate a negative pressure for causing the suction (37) to suck the yarns (Y), and

the sucking section is the compressed air passing part (7, 8) .

3. The spun yarn take-up system (1) according to claim 2, wherein,

the compressed air passing part includes a compressed air supply passage (7) through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier (5) to the suction (37), and

the supply passage (90) is connected to an intermediate portion of the compressed air supply passage (7) .

4. The spun yarn take-up system (1) according to claim 3, wherein, the sucking section is a part of the compressed air supply passage (7), the part being on the downstream side of the intermediate portion where the supply passage (90) is connected.

5. The spun yarn take-up system (1) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein,

the compressed air passing part includes a waste yarn part (8) which sucks the yarns (Y) sucked by the suction (37), and

the sucking section is the waste yarn part (8).

6. The spun yarn take-up system (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, the driven member is an air cylinder (124) which is provided to move the suction (37).

7. The spun yarn take-up system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

two or more spun yarn take-up apparatuses (2) are aligned in a predetermined direction, and

the yarn threading robot (3) is movable along the predetermined direction and performs the yarn threading for the two or more spun yarn take-up apparatuses (2).

8. A yarn threading robot (3) configured to perform yarn threading for a spun yarn take-up apparatus (2), comprising:

a driven member which is driven by compressed air supplied from an external compressed air supplier (5);

a supply passage (90) through which the compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supplier (5) to the driven member; and

an air separator (92) which includes a separation unit (92a) configured to separate liquid included in the compressed air passing through the supply passage (90) and a storage unit (92b) configured to store the liquid separated by the separation unit (92a), the air separator (92) being provided on the supply passage (90),

the storage unit (92b) being connected to a sucking section which is capable of sucking the liquid stored in the storage unit (92b).

Drawing