BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a yarn winder.
[0002] Patent Literature 1 (
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-114573) recites a yarn winder including two (a pair of) winding units each of which winds
running yarns. To be more specific, each of the paired winding units includes a bobbin
holder to which bobbins are attached to be aligned in a predetermined axial direction
(arrangement direction) and fulcrum guides that are aligned in the arrangement direction
and function as fulcrums about which the respective yarns are traversed. The paired
winding units oppose each other in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction.
The yarn winder further includes a yarn threading member by which the yarns are threaded
to the fulcrum guides of the paired winding units. To be more specific, the yarn threading
member includes two (paired) yarn holding members each holding a group of yarns and
a supporter supporting the paired yarn holding members so that the yarn holding members
get close to each other or are remote from each other. Each of the paired winding
unit is provided with a guide rail for guiding the paired yarn holding units. The
two (paired) guide rails are tilted away from each other in opposite directions relative
to the arrangement direction.
[0003] When threading running yarns to fulcrum guides, an operator causes the paired yarn
holding members that are close to each other to hold the respective groups of the
yarns. Thereafter, the operator moves the supporter in the arrangement direction while
one yarn holding member is engaged with one guide rail and the other yarn holding
member is engaged with other guide rail. The paired yarn holding members move away
from each other along the paired guide rails, with the result that the yarns are threaded
one by one into the fulcrum guides of the paired winding units. In this way, the yarns
are simultaneously threaded to the paired winding units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] When the yarn threading to the fulcrum guides is performed with the arrangement above,
the amount of time required to complete the yarn threading may significantly vary
depending on the proficiency of the operator. When the yarn threading takes an excessive
amount of time, problems such as large production loss occur. A similar problem may
occur when yarn guides are provided to be aligned in the arrangement direction, in
addition to the fulcrum guides.
[0005] An object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency in yarn threading
when yarn threading to yarn guides of a pair of winding units is performed.
[0006] According to a first aspect of the invention, a yarn winder comprises paired winding
units opposing each other in a predetermined opposing direction, each of the paired
winding units supporting bobbins to be aligned in an arrangement direction orthogonal
to the opposing direction and to be rotatable, wherein, each of the paired winding
units includes yarn guides that are provided to correspond to yarns wound onto the
respective bobbins and are aligned in the arrangement direction, the yarn winder further
comprises a yarn threading mechanism arranged to perform yarn threading to the yarn
guides of both of the paired winding units, the yarn threading mechanism includes:
paired holding units which are attached to the paired winding units, respectively,
and are configured to hold groups of the yarns, respectively; and a drive mechanism
configured to move the paired holding units, and the drive mechanism moves a first
holding unit that is one of the paired holding units and a second holding unit that
is the other of the paired holding units from capturing positions where the yarns
running between the paired winding units in the opposing direction can be captured
to yarn threading start positions that are on one side in the arrangement direction
of the capturing positions, and further moves the first holding unit and the second
holding unit to yarn threading completion positions that are on the other side in
the arrangement direction of the yarn threading start positions, so as to thread the
yarns held by the paired holding units to the yarn guides, respectively.
[0007] When yarn threading is performed to respective yarn guides of paired winding units,
after paired holding units are caused to capture and hold the yarns at the capturing
positions, it is necessary to move the holding units to yarn threading start positions
and then to yarn threading completion positions. According to the arrangement above,
after the holding units capture the yarns at the capturing positions, the holding
units can be moved by the drive mechanism without needing human labor. This makes
it possible to improve the accuracy of the yarn threading, irrespective of the proficiency
of the operator. The efficiency in yarn threading is therefore improved when yarn
threading to yarn guides of a pair of winding units is performed.
[0008] According to a second aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the first aspect
is arranged so that the yarn guides of each of the paired winding units are arranged
to be movable between predetermined distanced positions and gathered positions where
the yarn guides are close to one another in the arrangement direction as compared
to the distanced positions.
[0009] According to this arrangement, as the yarn guides are positioned at the gathered
positions at the time of the yarn threading, the moving distance of the paired holding
units is shortened. It is therefore possible to suppress problems such as upsizing
of the drive mechanism, as compared to a case where the moving distance of the paired
holding units is long.
[0010] According to a third aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the first or second
aspect is arranged so that the drive mechanism includes a first drive unit configured
to move the first holding unit and a second drive unit configured to move the second
holding unit, and the first drive unit and the second drive unit are independently
operable.
[0011] In this arrangement, the first holding unit and the second holding unit are individually
movable. This makes it possible to increase the number of options of how the operations
of the first holding unit and the second holding unit are controlled.
[0012] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the third aspect
further comprises a first control unit configured to control the drive mechanism,
the first control unit differentiating a timing to control the first drive unit from
a timing to control the second drive unit.
[0013] This arrangement allows one of the paired holding units to start to move earlier
as compared to the other. The arrangement is effective when a problem occurs if the
paired holding units simultaneously start to move.
[0014] According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of the first
to fourth aspects further comprises: a first yarn feed roller which, when at least
one of the paired holding units is at the yarn threading start position, is provided
upstream of the at least one of the paired holding units in a yarn running direction
in which the yarns run and is provided on the other side in the arrangement direction
of the at least one of the paired holding units; a second yarn feed roller which,
when the at least one of the paired holding units is at the yarn threading start position,
is provided between the first yarn feed roller and the at least one of the paired
holding units in the yarn running direction and is provided on the one side in the
arrangement direction of the first yarn feed roller; a roller movement mechanism configured
to move the second yarn feed roller between a roller yarn placement position where
yarn placement to the second yarn feed roller is performed and a one side position
that is on the one side in the arrangement direction of the roller yarn placement
position; a first control unit configured to control the drive mechanism; and a second
control unit configured to control the roller movement mechanism, after the second
control unit moves the second yarn feed roller from the roller yarn placement position
to the one side position, the first control unit starting to move the at least one
of the paired holding units from the yarn threading start position to the yarn threading
completion position.
[0015] In the present invention, when the second yarn feed roller is at the one side position,
the winding angle of the yarns on the second yarn feed roller is larger than the winding
angle when the second yarn feed roller is at the roller yarn placement position. (This
will be detailed in the embodiment below.) When the winding angle increases, the force
with which the second yarn feed roller holds the yarns increases. On this account,
when the at least one of the paired holding units holding the yarns is moved, yarn
shaking is suppressed as compared to a case where the second yarn feed roller is at
the roller yarn placement position.
[0016] According to a sixth aspect, the yarn winder of any one of the first to fifth aspects
is arranged so that the drive mechanism includes: a first guide rail which guides
the first holding unit at least in the arrangement direction; a first holding unit
drive unit which is configured to move the first holding unit along the first guide
rail; a second guide rail which guides the second holding unit at least in the arrangement
direction; and a second holding unit drive unit which is configured to move the second
holding unit along the second guide rail.
[0017] In this connection, for example, in an arrangement in which paired holding units
are attached to leading end portions of paired multi-articulated arms and the paired
holding units are moved by driving the paired arms, precise control is required and
labor for teaching, etc. may be enormous. According to the arrangement above, the
holding units can be precisely moved by a simple arrangement.
[0018] According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the sixth aspect
is arranged so that the drive mechanism includes: a first rail drive unit which is
configured to move the first guide rail; and a second rail drive unit which is configured
to move the second guide rail.
[0019] Typically, when paired holding units are moved from capturing positions to yarn threading
start positions, it is necessary to prevent yarns from interfering with yarn guides.
On the other hand, when the paired holding units are moved from the yarn threading
start positions to yarn threading completion positions, it is necessary to thread
the yarns to yarn guides, respectively. On this account, desired tracks of movement
of the holding units are different between a case where the holding units are moved
from the capturing positions to the yarn threading start positions and a case where
the holding units are moved from the yarn threading start positions to the yarn threading
completion positions. (Details will be given in the embodiment below.) This makes
it possible to suitably change the tracks of movement of the holding units even though
the first guide rail and the second guide rail are arranged to be simple in shape.
[0020] According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the seventh aspect
is arranged so that the first rail drive unit is configured to swing the first guide
rail, and the second rail drive unit is configured to swing the second guide rail.
[0021] This arrangement narrows the movable ranges of the first guide rail and the second
guide rail as compared to an arrangement in which the first guide rail and the second
guide rail are entirely moved in a parallel manner. It is therefore possible to avoid
an interference between the first guide rail and the second guide rail and other members.
[0022] According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of the sixth
to eighth aspects is arranged so that the paired winding units include a first supporting
member supporting the first holding unit drive unit and a second supporting member
supporting the second holding unit drive unit, the first holding unit drive unit includes
a first main body integrated with the first supporting member, and the second holding
unit drive unit includes a second main body integrated with the second supporting
member.
[0023] The expression "integrated" indicates that plural members are fixed to one another
by a fastener, or plural members can be treated as a single member because they are,
for example, welded. With the arrangement above, because the first main body and the
first supporting member are integrated, high rigidity is achieved. Because an adverse
influence of driving vibration of the yarn winder on the first holding unit drive
unit is suppressed, the durability of the first holding unit drive unit is improved.
The same applies to the second holding unit drive unit.
[0024] According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of the first
to ninth aspects is arranged so that the paired holding units are movable from predetermined
holding unit retracted positions to the capturing positions.
[0025] When the yarn threading is performed, if the paired holding units are provided at
the capturing positions in advance, the holding units may obstruct the yarn threading.
The arrangement is effective in such a case.
[0026] According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the tenth aspect
is arranged so that the holding unit retracted positions are identical with the yarn
threading completion positions.
[0027] With this arrangement, an operation to return the holding units to the holding unit
retracted positions is unnecessary after the movement of the holding units to the
yarn threading completion positions (i.e., after the completion of the yarn threading).
It is therefore possible to suppress structural and operational complication of the
yarn threading mechanism.
[0028] According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the tenth or eleventh
aspect is arranged so that the distance in the opposing direction between a first
capturing position that is the capturing position of the first holding unit and a
second capturing position that is the capturing position of the second holding unit
is shorter than the distance in the opposing direction between a first holding unit
retracted position that is the holding unit retracted position of the first holding
unit and a second holding unit retracted position that is the holding unit retracted
position of the second holding unit, and the first capturing position and the second
capturing position are different from each other in a direction orthogonal to both
the opposing direction and the arrangement direction.
[0029] With this arrangement, when the first holding unit and the second holding unit are
moved to the capturing positions substantially simultaneously, it is possible to prevent
the first holding unit and the second holding unit from interfering with each other.
[0030] According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of
the tenth to twelfth aspects is arranged so that the drive mechanism is capable of
moving the paired holding units from the holding unit retracted positions to predetermined
capture preparation positions, and the yarn threading mechanism includes an adjustment
unit which is capable of adjusting positions of the paired holding units within an
adjustment range including the capture preparation positions and the capturing positions,
when operated by an operator after the paired holding units are positioned at the
capture preparation positions.
[0031] With this arrangement, the operator is able to finely adjust the positions of the
paired holding units when the holding units capture the yarns. This allows the holding
units to reliably capture the yarns. The efficiency in the yarn threading is therefore
further improved.
[0032] According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the thirteenth
aspect is arranged so that the capture preparation positions are on the other side
in the arrangement direction of the capturing positions, and the adjustment unit includes
a slide which supports the paired holding units to be slidable at least in the arrangement
direction.
[0033] With this arrangement, the positions in the arrangement direction of the holding
units can be finely adjusted by a simple structure.
[0034] According to a fifteenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the fourteenth
aspect is arranged so that the drive mechanism includes a guide portion which is provided
on a track of movement of the paired holding units and guides the paired holding units
moving from the holding unit retracted positions to at least the other side in the
arrangement direction, the slide is at a predetermined first slide position when the
paired holding units are at the holding unit retracted positions, and when the paired
holding units are moved to the other side in the arrangement direction by the guide
portion, the slide is moved to a second slide position that is on the other side in
the arrangement direction of the first slide position to move the paired holding units
to the capture preparation positions.
[0035] When the paired holding units move from the holding unit retracted positions to positions
in the vicinity of the capturing positions, problems such as yarn shaking may occur
if the holding units unintentionally make contact with the yarns. According to the
arrangement above, by the guide portion (and the slide), the paired holding units
having been moved from the holding unit retracted positions are guided to the other
side in the arrangement direction. It is therefore possible to certainly avoid unintentional
contact between the holding units and the yarns when the holding units are moved to
the capture preparation positions.
[0036] According to a sixteenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of the
first to eleventh aspects is arranged so that the paired holding units oppose each
other in the opposing direction after being moved to the capturing positions, the
yarn threading mechanism includes a stopper which is provided between the paired holding
units in the opposing direction and is configured to restrict movement of the paired
holding units in the opposing direction, and the stopper is positionally adjustable
at least in the opposing direction to adjust the capturing positions.
[0037] With this arrangement, as the position of the stopper is suitably adjusted in advance,
it is possible to capture the yarns by the paired holding units without needing manual
movement of the paired holding units by the operator.
[0038] According to a seventeenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of
the first to sixteenth aspects further comprises a regulatory guide which holds the
yarns before wound by the paired winding units to be aligned in the opposing direction
and arranges intervals in the opposing direction of the yarns to be predetermined
intervals, the yarn threading mechanism includes a separation roller that, when the
yarn threading is performed, is positionable downstream of the regulatory guide in
a yarn running direction of the yarns and is rotatable, and the separation roller
has a circumferential surface capable of making contact with the yarns, and is capable
of widen the intervals of the yarns in the opposing direction along the circumferential
surface.
[0039] In yarn threading, yarns are typically sucked and held by, for example, a suction
gun. In this regard, because the intervals of the yarns are narrowed at around the
suction port of the suction gun, it may be difficult to hold the yarns in plural groups.
In this connection, according to the arrangement above, the separation roller widens
the intervals of the yarns running at a position downstream in the yarn running direction
of the regulatory guide, in the opposing direction. As a result, the yarns can be
easily captured by the holding units, as respective groups of yarns. The efficiency
in the yarn threading is therefore further improved.
[0040] According to an eighteenth aspect of the invention, a yarn winder comprises: paired
winding units opposing each other in a predetermined opposing direction, each of the
paired winding units supporting bobbins to be aligned in an arrangement direction
orthogonal to the opposing direction and to be rotatable, wherein, each of the paired
winding units includes yarn guides that are provided to correspond to yarns wound
onto the respective bobbins and are aligned in the arrangement direction, the yarn
winder further comprises: a regulatory guide which holds the yarns before wound by
the paired winding units to be aligned in the opposing direction and arranges intervals
in the opposing direction of the yarns to be predetermined intervals; and a yarn threading
mechanism arranged to perform yarn threading to the yarn guides of both of the paired
winding units, the yarn threading mechanism includes: paired holding units which are
attached to the paired winding units, respectively, and are configured to hold groups
of the yarns, respectively; and a separation roller that, when the yarn threading
is performed, is provided downstream of the regulatory guide in the yarn running direction
of the yarns and is rotatable, and the separation roller has a circumferential surface
capable of making contact with the yarns and is capable of widen the intervals of
the yarns in the opposing direction along the circumferential surface.
[0041] This arrangement makes it possible to widen the intervals of the yarns in the opposing
direction by the separation roller. As a result, the yarns can be easily captured
by the holding units, as respective groups of yarns. In a manner similar to the first
aspect of the invention, the efficiency in yarn threading is therefore improved when
yarn threading to yarn guides of a pair of winding units is performed.
[0042] According to a nineteenth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the seventeenth
or eighteenth aspect is arranged so that the separation roller has a rotational axis
that extends along the opposing direction.
[0043] In this arrangement, the direction (rotational axis direction) in which the rotational
axis of the separation roller extends is substantially in parallel to the direction
in which the yarns are aligned by the regulatory guide. It is therefore possible to
suppress increase in size of the separation roller in the rotational axis direction
as compared to a case where the rotational axis direction is tilted relative to the
opposing direction (i.e., a case where the rotational axis direction is different
from the direction in which the yarns are aligned).
[0044] According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of the
seventeenth to nineteenth aspects is arranged so that each of the paired holding units
has retaining grooves that are aligned to retain the respective yarns, and intervals
of entrances of the retaining grooves in a direction in which the retaining grooves
are aligned are identical with the predetermined intervals in the opposing direction.
[0045] In this arrangement, the intervals of the entrances of the retaining grooves are
as wide as the predetermined intervals. As a result, the yarns can be easily captured
by the holding units, as respective groups of yarns. The efficiency in the yarn threading
is therefore effectively improved.
[0046] According to a twenty-first aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of any one of
the seventeenth to twentieth aspects is arranged so that the separation roller is
movable between a predetermined roller retracted position and a roller contact position
where the separation roller is able to make contact with the yarns.
[0047] When the separation roller is at the roller contact position at the time of not widening
the intervals of the yarns, the separation roller may be obstructive. The arrangement
is effective in such a case.
[0048] According to a twenty-second aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the twenty-first
aspect is arranged so that the yarn threading mechanism includes a roller supporter
supporting the separation roller to be rotatable, and the roller supporter is able
to rotate about a predetermined rotation shaft to move the separation roller between
the roller retracted position and the roller contact position.
[0049] To allow the separation roller to be movable between the roller retracted position
and the roller contact position, the roller supporter may be movable in, for example,
a linear manner. However, an apparatus for linearly moving a member typically includes
a long sliding movable portion and a fixed portion that is positionally fixed, and
a slight gap is formed between the movable portion and the fixed portion. On this
account, when running yarns make contact with the separation roller, the angle of
the movable portion relative to the fixed portion may be slightly changed. Even if
the change of the angle is slight, the positions of the roller supporter and the separation
roller may be significantly changed, because the movable portion is long. Due to this,
the position of the separation roller may be significantly deviated from the target
position. In such a case, the positions of the yarns relative to the holding units
may be greatly deviated, and the holding units may not be able to correctly hold the
yarns.
[0050] In this regard, according to the arrangement above, the roller supporter is arranged
to be rotatable about the rotation shaft. On this account, the separation roller is
movable as the roller supporter rotates together with the rotation shaft. It is therefore
possible to suppress the above-described positional deviations of the roller supporter
and the separation roller as compared to an arrangement in which the roller supporter
is linearly moved. This makes it possible to improve the positional accuracy of the
separation roller.
[0051] According to a twenty-third aspect of the invention, the yarn winder of the twenty-second
aspect is arranged so that the rotation shaft extends in a direction in which the
rotational axis of the separation roller extends.
[0052] With this arrangement, the separation roller looks like a simple circle (i.e., the
separation roller looks small in size) when viewed in the direction in which the rotation
shaft extends. It is therefore possible to downsize the movable range of the separation
roller as compared to a case where the direction in which the rotation shaft extends
is deviated from the direction in which the rotational axis of the separation roller
extends. Due to this, an interference of the separation roller with another member
is effectively avoided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0053]
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a spun yarn take-up machine of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the spun yarn take-up machine.
FIG. 3 illustrates movement of fulcrum guides.
FIGs. 4(a) to 4(c) are explanatory views of constituent features included in a yarn
threading mechanism.
FIGs. 5(a) and 5(b) are enlarged views of paired holding units, respectively. FIG.
5(c) is viewed along an arrow V(c) in FIG. 5(a).
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a linear slider and
a path of compressed air, whereas FIG. 6(b) is a schematic diagram showing the relationship
between an air cylinder and the path of the compressed air.
Each of FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b) shows an adjustment unit.
Each of FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 8(b) illustrates a yarn interval increaser.
FIGs. 9(a) to 9(f) illustrate operations until yarns are pressed onto a separation
roller in yarn threading to the spun yarn take-up machine.
FIGs. 10(a) to 10(c) illustrate a state in which the holding unit is at a holding
unit retracted position.
FIGs. 11(a) to 11(c) illustrate movement of the holding unit to a capture preparation
position.
FIGs. 12(a) to 12(c) illustrate fine adjustment of the position of the holding unit.
FIG. 13 illustrates the positional relationship between the paired holding units at
the capturing positions.
FIGs. 14(a) to 14(c) illustrate retraction of the holding unit.
FIGs. 15(a) to 15(c) illustrate movement of the holding unit to a yarn threading start
position.
FIG. 16(a) illustrates the position of a second godet roller at the time of yarn threading
to fulcrum guides. FIG. 16(b) is a reference drawing.
FIGs. 17(a) to 17(c) illustrate movement of the holding unit to a yarn threading completion
position.
FIG. 18 illustrates how yarns are threaded to fulcrum guides, respectively.
FIGs. 19(a) to 19(d) illustrate a positioning member of a modification.
FIGs. 20(a) and 20(b) illustrate the shape of the paired holding units, and FIG. 20(c)
shows alignment of the paired holding units.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0054] The following will describe an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter,
directions shown in FIGs. 1 to 3 will be consistently used as an up-down direction,
a left-right direction, and a front-rear direction, for convenience of explanation.
The up-down direction is a vertical direction in which the gravity acts. The left-right
direction (opposing direction in the present invention) is a direction orthogonal
to the up-down direction and is a direction in which paired winding units 5 oppose
each other. The front-rear direction (arrangement direction of the present invention)
is a direction which is orthogonal to both the up-down direction and the left-right
direction, and is a direction in which bobbins B (described later) are aligned. A
direction in which each yarn Y (described later) runs will be referred to as a yarn
running direction.
(Spun Yarn Take-Up Machine)
[0055] The following will outline a spun yarn take-up machine 1 (i.e., a yarn winder of
the present invention) of an embodiment, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG.
1 is a front view of the spun yarn take-up machine 1. FIG. 2 is a side view of the
spun yarn take-up machine 1. FIG. 2 shows one (winding unit 5A) of a later-described
pair of winding units 5.
[0056] The spun yarn take-up machine 1 is configured to simultaneously form packages P by
taking up plural (e.g., 32 in the present embodiment) yarns Y spun out from a spinning
apparatus 2 and winding the yarns Y onto bobbins B. Each yarn Y is a multi-filament
yarn having filaments (not illustrated). Each filament is a synthetic fiber made of,
e.g., polyester.
[0057] For example, the spun yarn take-up machine 1 includes a first godet roller 3 (first
yarn feed roller of the present invention), a second godet roller 4 (second yarn feed
roller of the present invention), a pair of winding units 5 (winding units 5A and
5B), and a controller 6 (first control unit and second control unit of the present
invention). The first godet roller 3 and the second godet roller 4 are arranged to
take up yarns Y and feed them to the downstream side in a yarn running direction.
The first godet roller 3 and the second godet roller 4 are supported by a long supporting
body 7 that extends obliquely rearward and upward from a position above front end
portions of the paired winding units 5.
[0058] The first godet roller 3 is a roller having a rotational axis substantially in parallel
to the left-right direction. The first godet roller 3 is attached to a front end portion
of the supporting body 7. The first godet roller 3 is rotationally driven by an unillustrated
motor. The yarns Y spun out from the spinning apparatus 2 are sent to the second godet
roller 4 while being aligned in the left-right direction and wound onto the first
godet roller 3.
[0059] The second godet roller 4 is a roller having a rotational axis substantially in parallel
to the left-right direction. The second godet roller 4 is provided above and rearward
of the first godet roller 3. The second godet roller 4 is rotationally driven by an
unillustrated motor. The second godet roller 4 is provided at a position obliquely
rearward of and above the first godet roller 3, and is attached to the supporting
body 7. The second godet roller 4 is arranged to be movable in the extending direction
of the supporting body 7. The second godet roller 4 is movable between a front position
indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 2 and a rear position indicated by full lines
in the figure by, for example, a roller movement mechanism 9 including an unillustrated
motor, pulleys, and an endless belt. The front position (roller yarn placement position
of the present invention) is a position forward of and below the rear position (one
side position of the present invention) and is close to the first godet roller 3 as
compared to the rear position. The front position is a position where yarn placement
to the second godet roller 4 is performed. The rear position is a position where a
later-described winding operation is performed. In addition, the rear position is
a position where yarn threading to later-described fulcrum guides 20 is performed
(as detailed later).
[0060] Each of the yarns Y is sent from the first godet roller 3 to the second godet roller
4, and then sent to one of the paired winding units 5. A half of the yarns Y is sent
to the winding unit 5A and the remaining half of the yarns Y is sent to the winding
unit 5B. A yarn path of each yarn Y running from the first godet roller 3 to the second
godet roller 4 extends obliquely upward and rearward.
[0061] In the yarn running direction, a regulatory guide 8 is provided between the first
godet roller 3 and the second godet roller 4. The regulatory guide 8 is provided to
hold the yarns Y to be aligned in the left-right direction and to arrange the intervals
in the left-right direction of the yarns Y to be predetermined intervals.
[0062] Each of the paired winding units 5 (winding units 5A and 5B) is configured to simultaneously
form packages P by winding the yarns Y onto the bobbins B. The winding unit 5A and
the winding unit 5B are provided below the first godet roller 3 and the second godet
roller 4. The winding unit 5A and the winding unit 5B are provided to be symmetric
in the left-right direction (i.e., plane symmetric) (see FIG. 1). To be more specific,
the winding unit 5A on the left side and the winding unit 5B on the right side are
provided on the respective sides of the second godet roller 4 in the left-right direction
and are arranged to oppose each other over the yarn path of the yarns Y sent from
the second godet roller 4. Each of the winding units 5 winds a half of the yarns Y
(e.g., 16 yarns in the present embodiment) sent from the second godet roller 4. To
be more specific, the winding unit 5A winds the left 16 yarns YA whereas the winding
unit 5B winds the right 16 yarns YB.
[0063] The controller 6 is, for example, a typical computer and is configured to control
the entire spun yarn take-up machine 1. The controller 6 is electrically connected
to parts of the spun yarn take-up machine 1 to control the parts based on a predetermined
program. The controller 6 includes an unillustrated input unit to which the operator
is able to make an input.
(Structure of Winding Units)
[0064] The structure of the paired winding units 5 will be further detailed with reference
to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates movement of later-described fulcrum guides
20. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the paired winding units 5 includes a supporting frame
11, a turret 12, and two bobbin holders 13. As described above, the winding unit 5A
and the winding unit 5B are symmetric in the left-right direction. Unless otherwise
stated, the description of each constituent feature is applicable to both the winding
unit 5A and the winding unit 5B.
[0065] The supporting frame 11 is a member extending in the front-rear direction. The supporting
frame 11 is cantilevered by a base 14 that stands vertically, and protrudes forward
(see FIG. 2). The turret 12 is a disc-shaped member having a rotational axis substantially
parallel to the front-rear direction. The turret 12 is rotatably supported by the
base 14. The turret 12 is rotationally driven by a turret motor which is not illustrated.
Each of the two bobbin holders 13 is rotatably supported by the turret 12 and protrudes
forward from the front surface of the turret 12. The rotational axes of the two bobbin
holders 13 are substantially in parallel to the front-rear direction. When viewed
in the front-rear direction, two bobbin holders 13 are provided to be point symmetric
about the center of the turret 12 (see FIG. 1). To each bobbin holder 13, the bobbins
B provided for the respective yarns Y are attached to be lined up in the front-rear
direction. The bobbins B are rotatably supported by each of the two bobbin holder
13. Each of the two bobbin holders 13 is independently rotated and driven by an unillustrated
winding motor.
[0066] In the present embodiment, each winding unit 5 includes the base 14 (see FIG. 1).
However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, two supporting frames
11 and two turrets 12 of the respective winding units 5A and 5B may be attached to
the same base (not illustrated).
[0067] Each winding unit 5 includes guide units 15, traverse guides 16, and a contact roller
17. To be more specific, above the supporting frame 11, a guide supporter 18 is provided
to extend in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 2). The guide units 15 are attached
to the guide supporter 18 to be movable along the front-rear direction. The guide
units 15 are provided to correspond to the respective bobbins B and are aligned along
the front-rear direction. Each of the guide units 15 includes a main body 19 and a
fulcrum guide 20 (yarn guide of the present invention). The main body 19 is attached
to the guide supporter 18 to be movable. The fulcrum guide 20 is fixed to the main
body 19 and functions as a fulcrum about which the yarn Y is traversed by each traverse
guide 16. The fulcrum guides 20 (fulcrum guides 20A) of the winding unit 5A are fixed
to the right ends of the main bodies 19. The fulcrum guides 20 (fulcrum guides 20B)
of the winding unit 5B are fixed to the left ends of the main bodies 19. For further
details of the guide units 15, see e.g.,
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-114573 described above.
[0068] The guide units 15 (i.e., the fulcrum guides 20) are movable between winding positions
(distanced positions; see FIG. 2) where the yarns Y are wound onto the bobbins B and
gathered positions (see FIG. 3) where the guide units 15 are close to one another
in the front-rear direction as compared to the distanced positions. To be more specific,
for example, the guide units 15 that are adjacent to one another in the front-rear
direction are connected with one another by an unillustrated belt. The rearmost guide
unit 15 is movable in the front-rear direction by, for example, an unillustrated linear
slider. As the linear slider is driven, the guide units 15 are movable between the
distanced positions where they are distanced from one another and gathered positions
where they are gathered on the front side as compared to the distanced positions.
As described later, yarn threading to the fulcrum guides 20 is performed when the
fulcrum guides 20 are at the gathered positions.
[0069] The traverse guides 16 are aligned in the front-rear direction. Each of the traverse
guides 16 is driven by, for example, an unillustrated traverse motor, and traverses
the corresponding yarn Y in the front-rear direction. The contact roller 17 is a roller
having a rotational axis substantially in parallel to the front-rear direction, and
is provided immediately above the upper bobbin holder 13. The contact roller 17 is
configured to make contact with the surfaces of the packages P supported by the upper
bobbin holder 13. With this, the contact roller 17 applies a contact pressure to the
surface of each package P to adjust the shape of each package P.
[0070] In each of the paired winding units 5 structured as described above, when the upper
bobbin holder 13 is rotationally driven, the yarns Y traversed by the traverse guides
16 are wound onto the bobbins B, with the result that the packages P are formed. When
the formation of the packages P is completed, the turret 12 rotates to switch over
the upper and lower positions of the two bobbin holders 13. As a result, the bobbin
holder 13 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 13
having been moved to the upper position, to form packages P. The bobbin holder 13
to which the fully-formed packages P are attached is moved to the lower position.
The fully-formed packages P are then collected by, e.g., an unillustrated package
collector.
[0071] At this stage, typically, yarn threading to the spun yarn take-up machine 1 is required
as preparation for winding the yarns Y onto the bobbins B. In known arrangements,
an operator manually performs yarn threading to fulcrum guides 20 of the above-described
paired winding units 5 by using a known yarn threading member (see e.g.,
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-114573). However, when the yarn threading is manually performed, the amount of time required
to complete the yarn threading may significantly vary depending on the proficiency
of the operator. When the yarn threading takes an excessive amount of time, problems
such as large production loss occur. On this account, the spun yarn take-up machine
1 of the present embodiment has the following arrangement (yarn threading mechanism
30 described later) in order to improve the efficiency in yarn threading when yarn
threading to the fulcrum guides of the pair of winding units 5 is performed.
(Yarn Threading Mechanism)
[0072] The following will describe the structure of the yarn threading mechanism 30 mainly
with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 8. FIG. 4(a) is a plan view of a pair of holding
units 31 (described later) and a drive mechanism 32 (described later) included in
the yarn threading mechanism 30. FIG. 4(b) is a side view of a later-described drive
unit 32A (first drive unit of the present invention). FIG. 4(c) is a side view of
a later-described drive unit 32B (second drive unit of the present invention). FIGs.
5(a) and 5(b) are enlarged views of the paired holding units 31, respectively. FIG.
5(c) is viewed along an arrow V(c) in FIG. 5(a). FIG. 6(a) is a schematic diagram
showing the relationship between a later-described linear slider 64A (or a linear
slider 64B) and a path of compressed air. FIG. 6(b) is a schematic diagram showing
the relationship between a later-described air cylinder 65A (or an air cylinder 65B)
and a path of compressed air. Each of FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b) is a plan view of an
adjustment unit 33 (described later). FIG. 8(a) is a side view of a yarn interval
increaser 34 (described later). FIG. 8(b) is a view of the yarn interval increaser
34, viewed along an arrow VIII(b) in FIG. 8(a).
[0073] The yarn threading mechanism 30 includes paired holding units 31 (see e.g., FIG.
4(a)), a drive mechanism 32 (see e.g., FIG. 4(a)), an adjustment unit 33 (see e.g.,
FIG. 7(a)), and a yarn interval increaser 34 (see e.g., FIG. 8(a)). Roughly speaking,
the yarn threading mechanism 30 is arranged such that, as the paired holding units
31 are moved by the drive mechanism 32 while the paired holding units 31 hold the
yarns Y, the yarns Y are threaded to the respective fulcrum guides 20 without needing
human labor. The adjustment unit 33 and the yarn interval increaser 34 are arranged
to be treated secondarily when the yarns Y are caught by the paired holding units
31. The following will describe the details.
(Holding Units)
[0074] The paired holding units 31 (holding units 31A and 31B) are arranged to hold respective
groups of running yarns Y. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the holding unit 31A (first holding
unit of the present invention) and the holding unit 31B (second holding unit of the
present invention) are arranged to be substantially symmetric in the left-right direction.
The holding unit 31A on the left side is arranged to hold yarns YA (see FIG. 1). The
holding unit 31B on the right side is arranged to hold yarns YB (see FIG. 1).
[0075] The holding unit 31A is attached to the winding unit 5A through the drive unit 32A
(described later) of the drive mechanism 32. To be more specific, between the supporting
frame 11 and the guide supporter 18 of the winding unit 5A in the up-down direction,
a supporting member 35 (supporting member 35A shown in FIG. 3 and FIGs. 4(a) and 4(b))
that is positionally fixed is provided. The supporting member 35 includes, for example,
a rod member 36 extending in the front-rear direction and a plate member 37 fixed
to a front portion of the rod member 36. The holding unit 31A is attached to the supporting
member 35A through the drive unit 32A. Likewise, the holding unit 31B is attached
to the supporting member 35 (supporting member 35B shown in FIG. 3 and FIGs. 4(a)
and 4(c)) of the winding unit 5B through the drive unit 32B (described later) of the
drive mechanism 32. The position in the up-down direction of the supporting member
35A (first supporting member of the present invention) is, for example, lower by about
5mm than the position in the up-down direction of the supporting member 35B (second
supporting member of the present invention). This value, about 5mm, is larger than
the thickness of a later-described comb guide 41, for example.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the holding unit 31A includes the comb guide 41 and an interposed
member 42. The comb guide 41 is a plate member that is comb-shaped on the whole. The
comb guide 41 includes a main body 43 and a connection part 44. The main body 43 has
retaining grooves 45 in which the respective yarns Y are retained. The retaining grooves
45 are aligned at least in the left-right direction. The entrance of each retaining
groove 45 is formed at a rear end portion of the main body 43. The intervals of the
entrances of the retaining grooves 45 in the direction in which the retaining grooves
45 are aligned are substantially identical with the intervals (predetermined intervals)
in the left-right direction of the yarns Y, which are defined by the regulatory guide
8. At an intermediate portion of the main body 43 in the front-rear direction, a through
hole 46 is formed to extend in the left-right direction and penetrate the main body
43 in the up-down direction, for example. With this arrangement, a grip 47 holdable
by the operator is formed at a front end portion of the main body 43, for example.
[0077] The connection part 44 of the holding unit 31A is a part connected to a left end
portion of a rear end portion of the main body 43. The connection part 44 is connected
to the interposed member 42 through a swing shaft 48 whose axial direction is in parallel
to the up-down direction. This allows the comb guide 41 to be swingable relative to
the interposed member 42. The connection part 44 has adjustment holes 49 and 50 which,
for example, penetrate the connection part 44 in the up-down direction and extend
in the circumferential direction of the swing shaft 48.
[0078] As shown in FIG. 5(c), a pin 57 extending downward is fixed to the lower end of the
connection part 44. The pin 57 is a member guided obliquely rightward and forward
(i.e., at least forward) by a below-described guide 53, when the holding unit 31A
moves (as described later). As shown in FIG. 5(a), to a right side face in the vicinity
of the front end portion of the supporting member 35A, the guide 53 which is formed
by, for example, a sheet metal is attached. The guide 53 includes a base portion 54
extending upward from the supporting member 35A and a guide portion 55 extending rightward
from an upper end portion of the base portion 54. The guide portion 55 has a guiding
surface 56 which, for example, faces obliquely leftward and forward and extends obliquely
rightward and forward. The position in the up-down direction of the guiding surface
56 at least partially overlaps the position in the up-down direction of the pin 57.
The guiding surface 56 is provided on a track along which the pin 57 is moved by the
drive unit 32A.
[0079] The interposed member 42 is, for example, a roughly L-shaped member when viewed in
the up-down direction. The interposed member 42 is provided below the comb guide 41.
The interposed member 42 supports the comb guide 41 through the swing shaft 48 so
that the comb guide 41 is swingable. The interposed member 42 has, for example, bolt
holes 51 and 52 penetrating the interposed member 42 in the up-down direction. The
bolt hole 51 is formed to positionally correspond to the adjustment hole 49. A bolt
(not illustrated) having a head is screwed into the bolt hole 51 through the adjustment
hole 49. The bolt hole 52 is formed to positionally correspond to the adjustment hole
50. A similar bolt (not illustrated) is screwed into the bolt hole 52 through the
adjustment hole 50. As the heads of these bolts press the comb guide 41 from above,
the comb guide 41 is fixed relative to the interposed member 42. When the heads of
the bolts are loosened, the position of the comb guide 41 relative to the interposed
member 42 may be adjusted. The interposed member 42 is fixed to a support arm 61A
(described later) of the drive unit 32A.
[0080] As shown in FIG. 5(b), the holding unit 31B includes the comb guide 41 and an interposed
member 42, in the same manner as the holding unit 31A. The holding unit 31B is provided
to the right of the holding unit 31A, and the holding unit 31B and the holding unit
31A are arranged to be symmetric in the left-right direction. The holding unit 31B
is not further detailed in this description.
(Drive Mechanism)
[0081] The drive mechanism 32 is configured to move the paired holding units 31. As shown
in FIG. 4(a), the drive mechanism 32 includes the drive unit 32A configured to move
the holding unit 31A and the drive unit 32B configured to move the holding unit 31B.
The drive unit 32A and the drive unit 32B are able to drive independently. The following
will detail the drive unit 32A. FIG. 4(a) to FIG. 4(c) show a state in which the paired
holding units 31 are at positions (holding unit retracted positions) where the yarn
threading is not performed.
[0082] The drive unit 32A is attached to the supporting member 35A of the winding unit 5A.
As shown in FIG. 4(a), the drive unit 32A includes the support arm 61A, a guide rail
62A (first guide rail of the present invention), a swing arm 63A, a linear slider
64A (first holding unit drive unit of the present invention), and an air cylinder
65A (first rail drive unit of the present invention). In summary, the support arm
61A to which the holding unit 31A is attached is moved at least in the front-rear
direction along the guide rail 62A on account of the operation of the linear slider
64A. The guide rail 62A is able to switch the direction of movement of the support
arm 61A and the holding unit 31A by being swung together with the swing arm 63A by
the air cylinder 65A.
[0083] The support arm 61A is a long member extending at least in the front-rear direction.
The holding unit 31A is fixed to a front end portion of the support arm 61A. At the
front end portion of the support arm 61A, a sliding portion 71 is provided to be slidable
along the guide rail 62A. The sliding portion 71 may be a pin extending in the up-down
direction, for example. When the guide rail 62A is swung, the sliding portion 71 is
movable in accordance with the swing of the guide rail 62A. At a rear end portion
of the support arm 61A, a through hole 72 is formed to penetrate the arm in the up-down
direction (see FIG. 4 (a) and FIG. 7 (a)). The through hole 72 is relatively long
in the front-rear direction. The rear end portion of the support arm 61A is attached
to a slider 82 (described later) of the linear slider 64A to be swingable, through
a pin 73 that extends in the up-down direction and is inserted into the through hole
72. With this arrangement, the support arm 61A is swingable relative to the slider
82 and movable to some degree in the front-rear direction. In other words, relative
to the slider 82, the support arm 61A is movable between a predetermined arm front
position (second slide position of the present invention) and an arm rear position
(first slide position of the present invention) that is rearward of the arm front
position. To put it differently, the support arm 61A supports the holding unit 31A
to be slidable at least in the front-rear direction. The support arm 61A is included
in a slide of the present invention.
[0084] The guide rail 62A is a substantially linear rail extending at least in the front-rear
direction. The guide rail 62A is disposed to guide the support arm 61A at least in
the front-rear direction. The guide rail 62A is engaged with the sliding portion 71
of the support arm 61A. The guide rail 62A is fixed to a right end portion of the
swing arm 63A by an unillustrated fastener (e.g., a bolt and a nut). Alternatively,
the guide rail 62A may be integrally formed with the swing arm 63A by, for example,
welding.
[0085] The swing arm 63A is, for example, a plate-shaped arm extending at least in the front-rear
direction. The swing arm 63A is, for example, provided at a front portion of the drive
unit 32A as shown in FIG. 4 (a). A rear end portion of the swing arm 63A is connected
to the supporting member 35A through a swing shaft 75 whose axial direction is in
parallel to the up-down direction. The swing arm 63A is therefore swingable together
with the guide rail 62A. In the swing arm 63A, a guide hole 76 is formed to penetrate
the arm in the up-down direction and extend at least in the front-rear direction.
Into the guide hole 76, a pin 86 attached to the later-described air cylinder 65A
is inserted. The guide hole 76 formed in the swing arm 63A extends obliquely forward
and leftward.
[0086] When a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide hole 76 is defined
as an orthogonal direction, the size in the orthogonal direction (hereinafter, width)
of the guide hole 76 is, except at the front end portion, very slightly larger than
the outer diameter of the pin 86. With this arrangement, the pin 86 is movable along
the extending direction of the guide hole 76. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(a),
the width of the guide hole 76 at the front end portion of the guide hole 76 is slightly
larger than the outer diameter of the pin 86. (To be more specific, the width is larger
than the outer diameter by about 5mm.) To put it differently, the front end portion
of the guide hole 76 has a play 77 to allow the swing arm 63A to be swingable relative
to the pin 86 freely to some degree. (The reason of this arrangement will be described
later.)
[0087] The linear slider 64A is an apparatus for moving the support arm 61A in the front-rear
direction. The linear slider 64A is a known rodless cylinder driven by compressed
air, for example. The linear slider 64A includes a cylinder main body 81 (cylinder
main body 81A) and the slider 82. The cylinder main body 81A (first main body of the
present invention) extends in the front-rear direction. The cylinder main body 81A
is fixed to a rear portion of the supporting member 35A by, for example, an unillustrated
fastener. In other words, the cylinder main body 81A is integrated with the supporting
member 35A. Alternatively, the cylinder main body 81A may be welded to the supporting
member 35A, for example. The slider 82 is arranged to be slidable in the front-rear
direction along the cylinder main body 81. To the slider 82, the support arm 61A is
attached to be swingable. The slider 82 is movable between the vicinity of the front
end portion and the vicinity of the rear end portion of the cylinder main body 81,
in response to the supply of compressed air to the cylinder main body 81 and the discharge
of compressed air from the cylinder main body 81. To be more specific, as shown in
FIG. 6(a), the cylinder main body 81 has a piston chamber 81F provided forward of
the slider 82 and a piston chamber 81R provided rearward of the slider 82. The piston
chamber 81F is connected to a supply port Ps and a discharge port Pe2 for supplying
and discharging compressed air, through, for example, an electromagnetic valve EV1
that is a known five-way electromagnetic valve. The piston chamber 81R is connected
to the supply port Ps and a discharge port Pe1 through the electromagnetic valve EV1.
The electromagnetic valve EV1 is electrically connected to the controller 6. As the
controller 6 controls the electromagnetic valve EV1, the supply and discharge of the
compressed air are controlled. As the compressed air is supplied from the supply port
Ps to the piston chamber 81F and the compressed air is discharged from the piston
chamber 81R to the discharge port Pe1, the slider 82 moves rearward. As the compressed
air is supplied from the supply port Ps to the piston chamber 81R and the compressed
air is discharged from the piston chamber 81F to the discharge port Pe2, the slider
82 moves forward. In place of the linear slider 64A, another cylinder mechanism driven
by fluid such as compressed air or a motor-driven drive mechanism (e.g., a ball screw
mechanism or a rack-and-pinion mechanism) may be provided.
[0088] The air cylinder 65A is an apparatus for swinging the swing arm 63A and the guide
rail 62A. The air cylinder 65A includes a cylinder main body 83 and a piston rod 84.
The cylinder main body 83 extends in the front-rear direction. The cylinder main body
83 is attached to a front portion of the supporting member 35A. The piston rod 84
extends rearward from the rear end of the cylinder main body 83, for example. The
piston rod 84 is extendable and contractible by the supply of compressed air to the
cylinder main body 83 and the discharge of compressed air from the cylinder main body
83. To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the cylinder main body 83 includes
a piston chamber 83F that is a front chamber and a piston chamber 83R that is a rear
chamber. The piston chamber 83F is connected to a supply port Ps and a discharge port
Pe2 for supplying and discharging compressed air, through an electromagnetic valve
EV2 having an arrangement similar to the above-described five-way electromagnetic
valve. The piston chamber 83R is connected to the supply port Ps and a discharge port
Pe1 through the electromagnetic valve EV2. As the compressed air is supplied from
the supply port Ps to the piston chamber 83F and the compressed air is discharged
from the piston chamber 83R to the discharge port Pe1, the piston rod 84 moves rearward.
As the compressed air is supplied from the supply port Ps to the piston chamber 83R
and the compressed air is discharged from the piston chamber 83F to the discharge
port Pe2, the piston rod 84 moves forward. At the upper end of a rod end 85 attached
to a leading end portion of the piston rod 84, the pin 86 is provided to extend upward
(see e.g., FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 10(b)). The pin 86 is inserted into the guide hole 76
of the swing arm 63A. To an upper end portion of the pin 86, for example, a circular
plate member 87 larger in diameter than the pin 86 is attached in order to prevent
the pin 86 from being detached from the guide hole 76. In place of the air cylinder
65A, another cylinder mechanism driven by fluid or a motor-driven drive mechanism
(e.g., a ball screw mechanism or a rack-and-pinion mechanism) may be provided.
[0089] The drive unit 32B is attached to the supporting member 35B of the winding unit 5B.
As shown in FIG. 4(a), being similar to the drive unit 32A, the drive unit 32B includes
a support arm 61B, a guide rail 62B (second guide rail of the present invention),
a swing arm 63B, a linear slider 64B (second holding unit drive unit of the present
invention), and an air cylinder 65B (second rail drive unit of the present invention).
The support arm 61B supports the holding unit 31B to be slidable in at least the front-rear
direction. In addition to the support arm 61A, the support arm 61B is included in
the slide of the present invention. The linear slider 64B is structurally similar
to the linear slider 64A and is driven by compressed air independently from the linear
slider 64A. The air cylinder 65B is structurally similar to the air cylinder 65A and
is driven by compressed air independently from the air cylinder 65A. The cylinder
main body 81 (cylinder main body 81B) of the linear slider 64B is fixed to a rear
portion of the supporting member 35B by, for example, an unillustrated fastener (i.e.,
is integrated with the supporting member 35B). The cylinder main body 81B is equivalent
to a second main body of the present invention. Because the drive unit 32B and the
drive unit 32A are symmetric in the left-right direction, further details of the drive
unit 32B will not be given.
[0090] In both the linear sliders 64A and 64B described above, for the sake of convenience,
a position (indicated by full lines in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 4(c)) in the vicinity of
the front end portion of the cylinder main body 81 is termed "front end position".
A position (indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 4(c)) in the vicinity
of the rear end portion of the cylinder main body 81 is termed "rear end position".
[0091] In both the air cylinders 65A and 65B described above, for the sake of convenience,
positions (indicated by full lines in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 4(c)) of the rod end 85 and
the pin 86 when the piston rod 84 is extended are termed "extended positions". Positions
(indicated by two-dot chain lines shown in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 4(c)) of the rod end
85 and the pin 86 when the piston rod 84 is contracted are termed "contracted positions"
(Adjustment Unit)
[0092] The adjustment unit 33 is arranged to allow the positions of the paired holding units
31 to be finely adjustable by the operator, when yarn threading is performed. As shown
in FIGs. 7(a) and 7(b), the adjustment unit 33 is included in each of the drive unit
32A and the drive unit 32B. The adjustment unit 33 (adjustment unit 33A) of the drive
unit 32A includes the above-described swing arm 63A. To be more specific, the adjustment
unit 33A has the play 77 of the guide hole 76 formed in the swing arm 63A. The adjustment
unit 33A is arranged to exert its function when the pin 86 of the air cylinder 65A
is at the contracted position. (Details will be given later.) Likewise, the adjustment
unit 33 (adjustment unit 33B) of the drive unit 32B includes the above-described swing
arm 63B.
(Yarn Interval Increaser)
[0093] The yarn interval increaser 34 is provided to widen the intervals of the yarns Y
in the left-right direction on the downstream side in the yarn running direction of
the second godet roller 4 (i.e., on the downstream side in the yarn running direction
of the regulatory guide 8), when yarn threading is performed. As shown in FIG. 8(a),
for example, in the winding unit 5A that is the left one of the paired winding units
5, a frame 90 that is positionally fixed is provided above the guide supporter 18.
The yarn interval increaser 34 is provided at the frame 90. The yarn interval increaser
34 includes a rotation arm 91 (roller supporter of the present invention), a grip
92, and a separation roller 93.
[0094] The rotation arm 91 is, for example, a roughly L-shaped member when viewed in the
left-right direction (see FIG. 8(a)). The rotation arm 91 is attached to the frame
90 through a rotation shaft 94 extending in the left-right direction. With this arrangement,
the rotation arm 91 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 94. When viewed in the left-right
direction, the rotation arm 91 is positioned rearward of the first godet roller 3
(see FIG. 8(a)), for example. The rotation arm 91 is, for example, positioned below
the second godet roller 4 (see FIG. 8(a)) at the front position.
[0095] The grip 92 is a portion held by a hand when the operator rotates the rotation arm
91. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the grip 92 extends at least rightward from
the base end portion of the rotation arm 91.
[0096] The separation roller 93 is attached to the leading end portion of the rotation arm
91 to be rotatable. The separation roller 93 is cantilevered by the rotation arm 91.
The rotational shaft of the separation roller 93 extends along the left-right direction.
In other words, the direction in which the rotation shaft 94 extends is substantially
identical with the direction in which the rotational axis of the separation roller
93 extends. The separation roller has a circumferential surface 93a that is able to
make contact with the yarns Y. When the running yarns Y are in contact with the circumferential
surface 93a, the separation roller 93 is passively rotated on account of the friction
force acting between the roller and the yarns Y.
[0097] As the rotation arm 91 is rotated by the operator, the separation roller 93 is movable
between a predetermined roller retracted position and a predetermined roller contact
position. To be more specific, for example, a position (indicated by two-dot chain
lines in FIG. 8(a)) in the vicinity of the first godet roller 3 is the roller retracted
position. A position (indicated by full lines in FIG. 8(a)) directly below the second
godet roller 4 is the roller contact position. At least when positioned at the roller
contact position, the separation roller 93 is substantially at the same position as
the regulatory guide 8 and the second godet roller 4 in the left-right direction.
(Method of Yarn Threading)
[0098] The following will describe a method of threading the yarns Y to the fulcrum guides
20 by using the above-described yarn threading mechanism 30, with reference to FIG.
9(a) to FIG. 18. FIGs. 9(a) to 9(f) illustrate operations until the yarns Y are pressed
onto the separation roller 93 in yarn threading to the spun yarn take-up machine 1.
FIGs. 10(a) to 10(c) illustrate a state in which the holding unit 31A is at a holding
unit retracted position. FIGs. 11(a) to 11(c) illustrate movement of the holding unit
31A to a capture preparation position (described later). FIGs. 12(a) to 12(c) illustrate
fine adjustment of the position of the holding unit 31A. FIG. 12(b) is an enlarged
view of a region R2 shown in FIG. 12(a). FIG. 13 illustrates the positional relationship
between the paired holding units 31 at the capturing position. FIGs. 14(a) to 14(c)
illustrate retraction of the holding unit 31A. FIGs. 15(a) to 15(c) illustrate movement
of the holding unit 31A to a yarn threading start position. FIG. 16(a) illustrates
the position of the second godet roller 4 at the time of yarn threading to the fulcrum
guides 20. FIG. 16(b) is a referential figure. FIGs. 17(a) to 17(c) illustrate movement
of the holding unit 31A to a yarn threading completion position. FIG. 18 illustrates
how the yarns Y are threaded to the fulcrum guides 20, respectively. FIG. 10(a) to
FIG. 18 only show the holding unit 31A as a representative.
[0099] The following will describe the outline of the yarn threading in the present embodiment.
To begin with, the operator threads the yarns Y to the first godet roller 3, the regulatory
guide 8, and the second godet roller 4. Then the operator temporarily presses the
yarns Y onto the separation roller 93. Subsequently, by the operation of the yarn
threading mechanism 30, the yarns Y are held by the paired holding units 31. (This
includes an operation performed by the operator.) Lastly, by the operation of the
yarn threading mechanism 30, the yarns Y held by the holding units 31 are threaded
to the respective fulcrum guides 20.
[0100] The following will detail the yarn threading. Before the start of the yarn threading,
the piston rod 84 of each of the air cylinder 65A and the air cylinder 65B is at the
above-described extended position (see FIG. 10(b)). The slider 82 of each of the linear
slider 64A and the linear slider 64B is at the above-described front end position
(see FIG. 10(c)). Each holding unit 31 is therefore at the predetermined holding unit
retracted position (see FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 10(a)). The separation roller 93 is at
the roller retracted position (indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 8(a)). The
support arms 61A and 61B are at the arm rear positions.
[0101] At the start of the yarn threading, the operator performs a predetermined input to
an input unit (not illustrated) of the controller 6. In accordance with the input
signal, the controller 6 controls the parts of the spun yarn take-up machine 1 so
that the state of the spun yarn take-up machine 1 is in a yarn threading preparation
state described below. That is to say, the controller 6 moves the second godet roller
4 to the front position (see FIG. 9(a)). At this stage, the controller 6 functions
as the second control unit of the present invention. Furthermore, the controller 6
moves the fulcrum guides 20 to the gathered positions (see FIG. 3).
[0102] Subsequently, the operator operates the grip 92 of the yarn interval increaser 34
to rotate the rotation arm 91, so as to move the separation roller 93 from the roller
retracted position to the roller contact position (as indicated by full lines in FIG.
8(a) and FIG. 9(a)).
[0103] The operator then sucks and holds the yarns Y (to be more specific, all of 32 yarns
YA and YB) by using a suction gun SG (see FIG. 9(a)) arranged to be able to suck and
hold the yarns Y. By operating the suction gun SG, the operator threads the yarns
Y to the first godet roller 3, the regulatory guide 8, and the second godet roller
4 in this order (see FIG. 9(a)).
[0104] Subsequently, the operator operates the suction gun SG to move the leading end portion
of the suction gun SG to a position below and to the right of the separation roller
93 (see FIGs. 9(b) and 9(c)), and further moves the yarns Y to a position just behind
the separation roller 93 (see FIG. 9(d)). At this stage, the intervals of the yarns
Y running from the regulatory guide 8 toward the suction gun SG narrow toward the
suction gun SG.
[0105] Thereafter, the operator moves the leading end portion of the suction gun SG forward
to cause the yarns Y to make contact with the circumferential surface 93a of the separation
roller 93 (see FIG. 9(e) and FIG. 9(f)). As a result, the separation roller 93 is
passively rotated by the friction force between the roller and the running yarns Y.
At this stage, the intervals in the left-right direction of the yarns Y in contact
with the separation roller 93 are widened to be substantially as wide as the intervals
in the left-right direction of the yarns Y regulated by the regulatory guide 8 (see
FIG. 9(f)). As a result, yarn paths that are aligned in the left-right direction and
are substantially in parallel to one another are formed. This is because, typically,
the intervals of the yarns Y in contact with a rotating roller are substantially identical
with the intervals determined at a location immediately upstream of the roller in
the yarn running direction. For details of this principle, see
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-021240, for example.
[0106] After the intervals of the yarns Y are widened by the separation roller 93, the operator
makes an input for starting the operation of the yarn threading mechanism 30 to the
input unit of the controller 6. In accordance with the input signal, the controller
6 controls the parts of the yarn threading mechanism 30. At this stage, the controller
6 functions as the first control unit of the present invention. The description below
mainly explains the operations of the holding unit 31A and the drive unit 32A, and
details of the operations of the holding unit 31B and the drive unit 32B are omitted.
Simply put, in the present embodiment, the controller 6 controls the drive unit 32B
and the drive unit 32A substantially simultaneously. On this account, the holding
unit 31B and the drive unit 32B are driven substantially simultaneously and in a symmetric
manner in the left-right direction with the holding unit 31A and the drive unit 32A.
[0107] To begin with, the controller 6 controls the air cylinder 65A to move the piston
rod 84 from the extended position (see FIG. 10(b)) to the contracted position (see
FIG. 11(b)). When the pin 86 moves forward as a result, the swing arm 63A and the
guide rail 62A are passively swung counterclockwise as the guide hole 76 of the swing
arm 63A follows the pin 86 (see FIG. 11(a)). Due to this, the front end portion of
the support arm 61A and the holding unit 31A follow the guide rail 62A and are swung
rightward (see FIG. 11(a)). Consequently, the holding unit 31A starts to move from
the holding unit retracted position to a position in the vicinity of the capturing
position (described later) where the yarns YA can be captured (see the rightward arrow
in FIG. 11(a)). In this connection, as described above, the guide 53 is attached to
the supporting member 35 (see the region R1 in FIG. 11(a) and its enlarged view).
The guide portion 55 (more specifically, the guiding surface 56) of the guide 53 is
provided on the track of movement of the pin 57 of the comb guide 41. Because of this,
the pin 57 moves while being in contact with the guiding surface 56, and hence the
comb guide 41 moving from the holding unit retracted position is guided at least forward
along the guiding surface 56 (see the arrow in the enlarged view of the region R1
in FIG. 11(a)). As the comb guide 41 is guided forward, the support arm 61A to which
the holding unit 31A is attached moves to the arm front position (see the arrow pointing
obliquely rightward and forward in FIG. 11(a)). Consequently, the holding unit 31A
moves from the holding unit retracted position to the capture preparation position
where the operator causes the holding unit 31A to capture the yarns YA. The capture
preparation position is a position that is at least forward of the capturing position.
Although not illustrated, the capture preparation position of the holding unit 31A
is immediately above a left portion of the separation roller 93 and immediately in
front of the yarns YA. When the holding unit 31A is moved from the holding unit retracted
position to the capture preparation position, the holding unit 31B is moved from the
holding unit retracted position to the capture preparation position where the operator
performs the operation to capture the yarns YB. Although not illustrated, the capture
preparation position of the holding unit 31B is immediately above a right portion
of the separation roller 93 and immediately in front of the yarns YB. The capture
preparation positions of the paired holding units 31 are between the second godet
roller 4 and the separation roller 93 in the up-down direction. To put it differently,
the capture preparation positions of the paired holding units 31 are positions that
are on the downstream side of the second godet roller 4 and on the upstream side of
the separation roller 93 in the yarn running direction. In this state, the controller
6 temporarily stops the operation of the yarn threading mechanism 30.
[0108] Subsequently, as described below, the operator finely adjusts, within a predetermined
adjustment range, the positions of the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B at
the capture preparation positions by operating the adjustment units 33A and 33B, so
as to cause the holding unit 31A to capture the yarns YA and cause the holding unit
31B to capture the yarns YB. The adjustment range encompasses the capture preparation
position and the capturing position.
[0109] As described above, the guide hole 76 is formed in each of the swing arms 63A and
63B. The width of the guide hole 76 is very slightly larger than the outer diameter
of the pin 86, except at the front end portion. On this account, when the pin 86 is
inserted into a portion of the guide hole 76 which is not the front end portion, it
is hardly possible to manually swing the swing arms 63A and 63B. On the other hand,
the front end portion of the guide hole 76 has the play 77. On this account, when
the pin 86 is inserted into the front end portion of the guide hole 76 (i.e., when
the piston rod 84 is at the contracted position), the pin 86 is loosely fitted in
the play 77. The operator can therefore manually swing the swing arms 63A and 63B
in the left-right direction (see FIGs. 12(a) and 12(b)). Furthermore, as described
above, the operator is able to move the support arms 61A and 61B between the arm front
positions and the arm rear positions. Therefore the support arms 61A and 61B equivalent
to the slide of the present invention are encompassed in the adjustment unit of the
present invention. The operator is able to manually move the holding unit 31A and
the holding unit 31B in the adjustment range from the capture preparation positions
to the capturing positions, so as to cause the retaining grooves 45 of the holding
unit 31A and the holding unit 31B to capture the respective yarns Y (see FIG. 13).
For example, the operator moves the comb guide 41 by holding the grip 47 by a hand.
[0110] Hereinafter, the holding unit retracted position of the holding unit 31A will be
referred to as a first holding unit retracted position, whereas the capturing position
of the holding unit 31A will be referred as a first capturing position. Likewise,
the holding unit retracted position of the holding unit 31B will be referred to as
a second holding unit retracted position, whereas the capturing position of the holding
unit 31B will be referred as a second capturing position. In the left-right direction,
the distance between the first capturing position and the second capturing position
is shorter than the distance between the first holding unit retracted position and
the second holding unit retracted position. As described above, the position in the
up-down direction of the supporting member 35 of the winding unit 5A is different
from the position in the up-down direction of the supporting member 35 of the winding
unit 5B. On this account, the first capturing position and the second capturing position
are different from each other in the up-down direction (i.e., a direction orthogonal
to both the opposing direction and the arrangement direction in the present invention).
Due to this, as shown in FIG. 13, the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B do
not interfere with each other even if the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B
at the capturing positions partially overlap each other when viewed in the up-down
direction.
[0111] After causing the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B to capture the yarns
Y, the operator makes an input to the input unit of the controller 6 to continue the
yarn threading. The controller 6 continues the yarn threading in accordance with the
input signal. To begin with, for example, the controller 6 returns the second godet
roller 4 to the rear position (see the full lines in FIG. 2).
[0112] Subsequently, the controller 6 controls the linear slider 64A to move the slider
82 from the front end position to the rear end position (see FIG. 14 (c)). As a result,
the rear end portion of the support arm 61A is moved to the rear side (one side in
the arrangement direction in the present invention) along the cylinder main body 81,
and the front end portion of the support arm 61A is moved obliquely rearward and leftward
along the guide rail 62A (see FIG. 14(a)). Consequently, the holding unit 31A holding
the yarns YA move obliquely rearward and leftward along the guide rail 62A. Likewise,
as the linear slider 64B is controlled, the holding unit 31B moves obliquely rearward
and rightward along the guide rail 62B (not illustrated).
[0113] Thereafter, the controller 6 controls the air cylinder 65A to move the piston rod
84 from the contracted position to the extended position (see FIG. 15(b)). Consequently,
the pin 86 is moved rearward, and this causes the swing arm 63A to be swung (moved)
leftward. Due to this, the inclination angle of the guide rail 62A is changed relative
to the front-rear direction, and the inclination angle of the holding unit 31A is
also changed (see FIG. 15(a)). To be more specific, the guide rail 62A extends obliquely
forward and leftward from a position in the vicinity of the fulcrum guide 20A that
is the rearmost fulcrum guide of the winding unit 5A, toward a position in the vicinity
of the frontmost fulcrum guide 20A. In this case, the holding unit 31A is at the yarn
threading start position of the present invention. The yarn threading start position
is rearward of the capturing position. Likewise, as the air cylinder 65B is controlled,
the holding unit 31B is moved to the yarn threading start position (not illustrated).
[0114] With reference to FIG. 16(a), the following will describe the positional relationship
between the first godet roller 3, the second godet roller 4, and the holding unit
31A when the holding unit 31A (one of the paired holding units of the present invention)
is at the yarn threading start position. In this case, the first godet roller 3 is
on the upstream side of the holding unit 31A in the yarn running direction and is
forward of the holding unit 31A. The second godet roller 4 is provided between the
first godet roller 3 and the holding unit 31A in the yarn running direction and is
rearward of the first godet roller 3. Furthermore, the second godet roller 4 is at
the rear position. The winding angle of the yarns Y on the second godet roller 4 in
this case is larger than the winding angle when the second godet roller 4 is at the
front position (see FIG. 16(b)). Because the force with which the second godet roller
4 holds the yarns Y is strong in this case, yarn shaking is suppressed.
[0115] Furthermore, the controller 6 controls the linear slider 64A to move the slider 82
from the rear end position to the front end position (see FIG. 17(c)). As a result,
the front end portion of the support arm 61A is moved to the front side (the other
side in the arrangement direction in the present invention) along the cylinder main
body 81, and the front end portion of the support arm 61A is moved obliquely forward
and rightward along the guide rail 62A (see FIG. 17(a) and FIG. 18). As a result,
the yarns YA retained in the respective retaining grooves 45 of the holding unit 31A
are threaded to the corresponding fulcrum guides 20A, respectively (see FIG. 18).
The holding unit 31A moves to the yarn threading completion position that is at least
forward of the yarn threading start position (see the full lines in FIG. 17(a)). As
the holding unit 31A moves from the yarn threading start position to the yarn threading
completion position, all of the yarns YA are threaded to the corresponding fulcrum
guide 20A, respectively. Likewise, as the linear slider 64B is controlled, the holding
unit 31B moves from the yarn threading start position to the yarn threading completion
position (not illustrated). As a result, all of the yarns YB retained in the respective
retaining grooves 45 of the holding unit 31B are threaded to the corresponding fulcrum
guides 20B, respectively. In this way, the yarn threading to all of the fulcrum guides
20 is completed.
[0116] When the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B reach the yarn threading completion
positions, the state of the linear sliders 64A and 64B and the air cylinders 65A and
65B is substantially identical with the state before the start of the yarn threading
(see FIGs. 10(a) to 10(c) and FIGs. 17(a) to 17(c)). To put it differently, the above-described
holding unit retracted position and the above-described yarn threading completion
position are the same position. In other words, the holding unit 31A and the holding
unit 31B return to the holding unit retracted positions at the same time as the completion
of the yarn threading to the fulcrum guides 20.
[0117] Thereafter, the controller 6 returns the fulcrum guides 20 to the winding positions
(distanced positions). Furthermore, the controller 6 controls the parts of the paired
winding units 5 to perform, for example, the yarn threading to the bobbins B. (Details
are omitted.) As a result, it becomes possible to start winding of the yarns Y onto
the respective bobbins B.
[0118] As described above, in the present embodiment, after the paired holding units 31
capture the yarns Y at the capturing positions, the paired holding units 31 can be
moved by the drive mechanism 32 without needing human labor. This makes it possible
to improve the accuracy of the yarn threading, irrespective of the proficiency of
the operator. The efficiency in the yarn threading is therefore improved when the
yarn threading to the yarn guides 20 (the fulcrum guides 20A and 20B) of the paired
winding units 5 (winding units 5A and 5B) is performed.
[0119] The fulcrum guides 20 are movable between the distanced positions and the gathered
positions. As the fulcrum guides 20 are positioned at the gathered positions at the
time of the yarn threading, the moving distance of the paired holding units 31 is
shortened. It is therefore possible to suppress problems such as upsizing of the drive
mechanism 32, as compared to a case where the moving distance of the paired holding
units 31 is long.
[0120] In the present embodiment, the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B are individually
movable. This makes it possible to increase the number of options of how the operations
of the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B are controlled.
[0121] In the present embodiment, when the second godet roller 4 is at the rear position,
the winding angle of the yarns Y on the second godet roller 4 is larger than the winding
angle when the second godet roller 4 is at the front position. When the winding angle
increases, the force with which the second godet roller 4 holds the yarns Y increases.
On this account, when the paired holding units 31 holding the yarns Y are moved, yarn
shaking is suppressed as compared to a case where the second godet roller 4 is at
the front position.
[0122] The drive mechanism 32 includes the guide rails 62A and 62B and the linear sliders
64A and 64B. In this connection, for example, in an arrangement in which paired holding
units 31 are attached to leading end portions of paired multi-articulated arms (not
illustrated) and the paired holding units 31 are moved by driving the paired arms,
precise control is required and labor for teaching, etc. may be enormous. In the present
embodiment, the holding units 31 can be precisely moved by a simple arrangement.
[0123] The drive mechanism 32 includes the air cylinders 65A and 65B that are configured
to move the guide rails 62A and 62B. This makes it possible to suitably change the
tracks of movement of the holding units 31 even though the guide rails 62A and 62B
are arranged to be simple in shape.
[0124] The air cylinders 65A and 65B are arranged to swing the guide rails 62A and 62B,
respectively. This arrangement narrows the movable ranges of the guide rails 62A and
62B as compared to an arrangement in which the guide rails 62A and 62B are entirely
moved in a parallel manner. It is therefore possible to avoid an interference between
the guide rails 62A and 62B and other members.
[0125] In addition to the above, because the cylinder main body 81 and the supporting member
35 are integrated, high rigidity is achieved. Because an adverse influence of driving
vibration of the spun yarn take-up machine 1 on the linear sliders 64A and 64B is
suppressed, the durability of the linear sliders 64A and 64B is improved.
[0126] The paired holding units 31 are arranged to be movable from the holding unit retracted
positions to the capturing positions. When the yarn threading is performed, if the
paired holding units 31 are provided at the capturing positions in advance, the holding
units 31 may obstruct the yarn threading. The present embodiment is effective in such
a case.
[0127] The holding unit retracted position and the yarn threading completion position are
the same position. On this account, an operation to return the holding units 31 to
the holding unit retracted positions is unnecessary after the movement of the holding
units 31 to the yarn threading completion positions (i.e., after the completion of
the yarn threading). It is therefore possible to suppress structural and operational
complication of the yarn threading mechanism 30.
[0128] The first capturing position and the second capturing position are different from
each other in the up-down direction. Due to this, when the holding unit 31A and the
holding unit 31B are moved to the capturing positions substantially simultaneously,
it is possible to prevent the holding unit 31A and the holding unit 31B from interfering
with each other.
[0129] The yarn threading mechanism 30 includes the adjustment unit 33. With this arrangement,
the operator is able to finely adjust the positions of the paired holding units 31
when the holding units 31 capture the yarns Y. This allows the holding units 31 to
reliably capture the yarns Y. The efficiency in the yarn threading is therefore further
improved.
[0130] The adjustment unit 33 includes the slides (support arms 61A and 61B) that support
the paired holding units 31 to be slidable at least in the front-rear direction. With
this arrangement, the positions in the front-rear direction of the holding units 31
can be finely adjusted by a simple structure.
[0131] By the guide portion 55 (and the slides), the paired holding units 31 having been
moved from the holding unit retracted positions are guided forward. It is therefore
possible to certainly avoid unintentional contact between the holding units 31 and
the yarns Y when the holding units 31 are moved to the capture preparation positions.
[0132] The yarn threading mechanism 30 includes the regulatory guide 8 and the separation
roller 93. This arrangement makes it possible to widen the intervals of the yarns
Y in the left-right direction by the separation roller 93. As a result, the yarns
Y can be easily captured by the holding units 31, as respective groups of yarns. The
efficiency in the yarn threading is therefore further improved.
[0133] The rotational axis of the separation roller 93 extends along the left-right direction
(i.e., the direction substantially in parallel to the direction in which the yarns
Y are aligned by the regulatory guide 8). It is therefore possible to suppress increase
in size of the separation roller 93 in the rotational axis direction as compared to
a case where the rotational axis direction is tilted relative to the left-right direction
(i.e., a case where the rotational axis direction is different from the direction
in which the yarns Y are aligned).
[0134] In each holding unit 31, the intervals of the entrances of the retaining grooves
45 are substantially identical with the predetermined intervals defined by the regulatory
guide 8. In other words, the intervals of the entrances of the retaining grooves 45
are as wide as the predetermined intervals. As a result, the yarns Y can be easily
captured by the holding units 31, as respective groups of yarns. The efficiency in
the yarn threading is therefore further improved.
[0135] The separation roller 93 is arranged to be movable between the roller retracted position
and the roller contact position. When the separation roller 93 is at the roller contact
position at the time of not widening the intervals of the yarns Y, the separation
roller 93 may be obstructive. The present invention is effective in such a case.
[0136] As the rotation arm 91 rotates about the rotation shaft 94, the separation roller
93 is movable between the roller retracted position and the roller contact position.
On this account, as compared to an arrangement in which, for example, a member (roller
supporter) supporting the separation roller 93 is linearly moved, it is possible to
suppress positional deviations of the roller supporter and the separation roller 93.
This makes it possible to improve the positional accuracy of the separation roller
93.
[0137] The rotation shaft 94 extends in the direction in which the rotational axis of the
separation roller 93 extends. With this arrangement, the separation roller 93 looks
like a simple circle (i.e., the separation roller 93 looks small in size) when viewed
in the direction in which the rotation shaft 94 extends. It is therefore possible
to downsize the movable range of the separation roller 93 as compared to a case where
the direction in which the rotation shaft 94 extends is deviated from the direction
in which the rotational axis of the separation roller 93 extends. Due to this, an
interference of the separation roller 93 with another member is effectively avoided.
[0138] 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.
- (1) In the embodiment above, the adjustment unit 33 is provided at least in the swing
arms 63A and 63B (i.e., the play 77 formed at the front end portion of the guide hole
76 contributes to the position adjustment of the paired holding units 31). However,
the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the comb guide 41 may be swingable
relative to the above-described interposed member 42. With this arrangement, the interposed
member 42 may function as the adjustment unit of the present invention. Alternatively,
another adjustment unit operable by the operator may be provided. For example, in
place of the interposed member 42, the comb guide 41 may be connected to each of the
support arms 61A and 61B through an unillustrated spring (e.g., a compression coil
spring, a tension coil spring, and/or a torsion coil spring).
- (2) In the embodiment above, the position in the up-down direction of the supporting
member 35 of the winding unit 5A is, for example, lower by about 5mm than the position
in the up-down direction of the supporting member 35 of the winding unit 5B. With
this, the first capturing position and the second capturing position are different
from each other in the up-down direction. However, the disclosure is not limited to
this. For example, the position in the up-down direction of the supporting member
35 of the winding unit 5A may be substantially identical with the position in the
up-down direction of the supporting member 35 of the winding unit 5B. In this case,
the drive mechanism 32 may be arranged such that the moving distance in the up-down
direction of the holding unit 31A from the first holding unit retracted position is
different from the moving distance in the up-down direction of the holding unit 31B
from the second holding unit retracted position. Alternatively, the first capturing
position may be positionally substantially identical with the second capturing position
in the up-down direction, as long as the holding unit 31A does not overlap the holding
unit 31B when viewed in the up-down direction.
- (3) In the embodiment above, after the paired holding units 31 move from the holding
unit retracted positions to the capture preparation positions, the operator operates
the adjustment unit 33 to move each of the paired holding units 31 to the capturing
position and to cause each of the paired holding units 31 to capture the yarns Y.
However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 19(a)
to FIG. 19(d), a yarn threading mechanism 101 may be provided to cause paired holding
units 131 (described later) to capture yarns Y without needing human labor. To be
more specific, the yarn threading mechanism 101 includes a positioning member 110.
The positioning member 110 is configured to position the capture preparation positions
of the paired holding units 131 by regulating the movement in the left-right direction
of the holding units 131.
[0139] The positioning member 110 may be, for example, fixed to the rotation arm 91 of the
yarn interval increaser 34 as shown in FIG. 19(a) and FIG. 19(b). In other words,
the positioning member 110 may be arranged to be rotatable together with the rotation
arm 91. The positioning member 110 is movable together with the rotation arm 91 between
a predetermined first position (see two-dot chain lines in FIG. 19(a)) and a second
position (see full lines in FIG. 19(a)) where the paired holding units 31 are positioned.
The following will describe the structure of the positioning member 110 at the second
position. The positioning member 110 includes, for example, an extending member 111,
a position adjustment member 112, and a stopper member 113 (stopper of the present
invention), as shown in FIG. 19(a) to FIG. 19(c). The extending member 111 is fixed
to, for example, the rotation arm 91 and extends in the left-right direction (see
FIG. 19(b)). A part of the extending member 111, which extends in the left-right direction,
is a flat plate in shape, for example. In a right end portion of the extending member
111, a through hole 114 is formed to penetrate the portion in the thickness direction
and to extend, for example, in the left-right direction. The position adjustment member
112 is, for example, a flat plate in shape. The position adjustment member 112 has
a through hole 115 (see FIG. 19(d)) penetrating the member in the thickness direction.
A male screw part of a bolt 116 can be inserted into the through hole. A front portion
of the position adjustment member 112 is attached to a right end portion of the extending
member 111 by, for example, the bolt 116 and a nut 117. The male screw part of the
bolt 116 is inserted into the through hole 114 and the through hole 115. When the
bolt 116 and the nut 117 are loosened, the position adjustment member 112 can be moved
in the left-right direction relative to the extending member 111 by the operator.
The stopper member 113 is fixed to a rear portion of the position adjustment member
112. The stopper member 113 is, for example, a block-shaped member that extends in
the up-down direction when it is at the second position. When provided at the second
position, the stopper member 113 is between the paired holding units 131 (see FIG.
20(a) and FIG. 20(b)) in the left-right direction. The stopper member 113 has, for
example, a shape with which the paired holding units 131 having moved to the capture
preparation positions are engageable with the stopper member 113 and movement of the
paired holding units 131 is not obstructed when the paired holding units 131 retract
from the capturing positions. For example, when the stopper member 113 is at the second
position, a rear portion of the stopper member 113 is curved when viewed from above
(i.e., a curved surface 118) and a front portion of the stopper member 113 extends
along the front-rear direction (i.e., a flat surface 119). The length in the left-right
direction (i.e., the width) of the curved surface 118 decreases toward the front.
The capture preparation positions of the paired holding units 131 are adjusted by
adjusting the position in the left-right direction of the stopper member 113. The
paired holding units 131 are able to capture the yarns Y after they are moved to the
capturing positions that are rearward of the capture preparation positions. It is
noted that the stopper member 113 may not be shaped in this way. The stopper member
113 may be differently shaped in accordance with the shapes of the paired holding
units 131. In this modification, the above-described adjustment unit 33 may not be
provided.
[0140] The paired holding units 131 (see FIG. 20(a) and FIG. 20(b)) are arranged as described
below. As shown in FIG. 20(a), a comb guide 141A of a holding unit 131A has a main
body 143. As a difference between the main body 143 and the above-described main body
43 (see FIG. 5(a)), the main body 143 has a contact surface 144 (a curved surface
145 and a flat surface 146) that can make contact with the stopper member 113. The
curved surface 145 is shaped along the curved surface 118 whereas the flat surface
146 is shaped along the flat surface 119. A comb guide 141B of a holding unit 131B
and the comb guide 141A are symmetric in shape in the left-right direction (see FIG.
20(b)). The shape of the contact surface 144 is not limited to the above-described
shape.
[0141] In the arrangement above, when the paired holding units 131 are moved by the drive
mechanism 32 (see e.g., FIG. 4(a)) from the holding unit retracted positions to the
capturing positions, the paired holding units 131 are arranged to oppose each other
in the left-right direction. At this stage, the paired holding units 131 are in contact
with the stopper member 113 to sandwich the stopper member 113 in the left-right direction
(see FIG. 20(c)). With this, the positions of the paired holding units 131 are determined.
As the position of the stopper member 113 is suitably adjusted in advance, the paired
holding units 131 can be provided at optimum capturing positions. Thereafter, as the
paired holding units 131 retract, the yarns Y are captured by the paired holding units
131 and groups of the yarns Y are held by the respective units. It is therefore possible
to capture the yarns Y by the paired holding units 131 without needing manual movement
of the paired holding units 131 by the operator. It is noted that, in this arrangement,
the comb guides 141A and 141B may not have the above-described through hole 46 and
grip 47.
[0142] In an arrangement in which the positioning member 110 is provided, apparatuses (the
first rail drive unit and the second rail drive unit of the present invention) configured
to move the paired holding units 131 from the holding unit retracted positions to
the capturing positions are preferably driven by pressure of fluid in the same manner
as, for example, in the above-described air cylinders 65A and 65B. This arrangement
reduces load on the first rail drive unit and the second rail drive unit, which is
exerted when the paired holding units 131 are pressed back by the stopper member 113
on account of the law of action and reaction.
[0143] (4) In the modification (3) described above, the positioning member 110 is attached
to the yarn interval increaser 34. The disclosure, however, is not limited to this
arrangement. The positioning member 110 may be movable by another mechanism. Alternatively,
the positioning member 110 may not be movable.
[0144] (5) In the embodiment above, the drive mechanism 32 is arranged to cause the holding
unit retracted position to be identical with the yarn threading completion position.
However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The drive mechanism 32 may be arranged
so that, after the yarn threading to the fulcrum guides 20 is completed, the paired
holding units 31 are moved to positions different from the yarn threading completion
positions. For example, after the completion of the yarn threading, if the paired
holding units 31 are provided at the yarn threading completion positions, the holding
units 31 may be obstructive. The arrangement is effective in such a case.
[0145] (6) In the embodiment above, the air cylinders 65A and 65B are arranged to swing
the guide rails 62A and 62B. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example,
a mechanism configured to horizontally move the guide rails 62A and 62B may be provided.
[0146] (7) In the embodiment above, the guide rails 62A and 62B are linear in shape and
the positions of the guide rails 62A and 62B are changed according to an object. However,
the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, paired guide rails (not illustrated)
that do not need to be moved may be provided to extend along the track of movement
of the paired holding units 31.
[0147] (8) In the embodiment above, the paired holding units 31 are moved by the linear
sliders 64A and 64B. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example,
in an arrangement in which paired holding units 31 may be attached to leading end
portions of paired multi-articulated arms (not illustrated) and the paired holding
units 31 may be moved by driving the paired arms. In this case, however, teaching
for suitably moving the paired arms is required.
[0148] (9) In the embodiment above, the fulcrum guides 20 are movable between the distanced
positions and the gathered positions. However, the disclosure is not limited to this.
The fulcrum guides 20 may be immovable. In this case, however, the drive mechanism
32 may be upsized in the front-rear direction.
[0149] (10) In the embodiment above, the controller 6 returns the second godet roller 4
to the rear position before the movement of the paired holding units 31 from the yarn
threading start positions to the yarn threading completion positions starts. However,
the disclosure is not limited to this. The timing to return the second godet roller
4 to the rear position falls within an interval between the capture of the yarns Y
by the paired holding units 31 and the completion of the yarn threading to the bobbins
B.
[0150] (11) In the embodiment above, the paired holding units 31 are moved from the holding
unit retracted positions to the capturing positions. However, the disclosure is not
limited to this. As long as the paired holding units 31 are not obstructive, the paired
holding units 31 may be provided at the capturing positions (or the capture preparation
positions) from the beginning.
[0151] (12) In the embodiment above, the intervals of the entrances of the retaining grooves
45 in the direction in which the retaining grooves 45 are aligned are substantially
identical with the predetermined intervals in the left-right direction defined by
the regulatory guide 8. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The intervals
of the entrances of the retaining grooves 45 may be different from the predetermined
intervals.
[0152] (13) In the embodiment above, the rotation shaft 94 of the yarn interval increaser
34 extends along the rotational axis of the separation roller 93. However, the disclosure
is not limited to this. The direction in which the rotation shaft 94 extends may be
deviated from the direction in which the rotational axis of the separation roller
93 extends.
[0153] (14) In the embodiment above, the yarn interval increaser 34 is arranged so that
the separation roller 93 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 94. However, the disclosure
is not limited to this. For example, the yarn interval increaser 34 may be arranged
to allow the separation roller 93 to linearly move. With this arrangement, the separation
roller 93 may be moved between the roller retracted position and the roller contact
position.
[0154] (15) In the embodiment above, the separation roller 93 is moved by the operator.
However, the disclosure is not limited to this. An unillustrated driving device may
be provided to move the separation roller 93 between the roller retracted position
and the roller contact position.
[0155] In this modification, the yarn threading mechanism 101 having the above-described
positioning member 110 may be provided. In this case, the operator is able to complete
the yarn threading to the fulcrum guides 20 by the yarn threading mechanism 101, only
by performing yarn placement to the first godet roller 3, the second godet roller
4, and the separation roller 93 and an input to the input unit of the controller 6.
In this case, an automatic yarn threading device (not illustrated) having a robotic
arm (not illustrated) recited in, for example,
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-82379 may be further provided. In place of the operator, the automatic yarn threading device
may perform the yarn placement to the first godet roller 3, the second godet roller
4, and the separation roller 93 and the communication with the controller 6. This
arrangement makes it possible to perform the yarn threading without needing any human
involvement.
[0156] (16) In the embodiment above, the separation roller 93 is movable between the roller
retracted position and the roller contact position. However, the disclosure is not
limited to this. As long as the separation roller 93 is not obstructive, the separation
roller 93 may be immovable.
[0157] (17) In the embodiment above, the rotational axis of the separation roller 93 extends
along the left-right direction. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The
rotation axis of the separation roller 93 may be slightly deviated from the left-right
direction.
[0158] (18) For example, the linear sliders 64A and 64B may be arranged to function as the
adjustment unit and the slide of the present invention, as described below. After
moving the holding units 31A and 31B from the holding unit retracted positions to
the capture preparation positions, the controller 6 may control the electromagnetic
valve EV1 (see FIG. 6(a)) that is a five-way electromagnetic valve to discharge compressed
air from both of the piston chambers 81F and 81R. With this arrangement, the operator
is able to manually move the slider 82 in the front-rear direction. In this case,
the through hole 72 of each of the support arms 61A and 61B may not extend in the
front-rear direction. In this case, furthermore, the guide portion 55 may not be provided.
[0159] An arrangement by which the compressed air is discharged from both of the piston
chambers 81F and 81R is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 6(a). For example,
two three-way electromagnetic valves (not illustrated) may be provided in place of
the electromagnetic valve EV1, and a path for supplying and discharging compressed
air may be suitably provided to discharge the compressed air from both of the piston
chambers 81F and 81R. When the linear sliders 64A and 64B are not arranged to function
as the adjustment unit and the slide of the present invention, another type of electromagnetic
valve such as a known four-way electromagnetic valve may be provided.
[0160] (19) A constituent feature equivalent to the slide of the present invention may not
be provided.
[0161] (20) In the embodiment above, the controller 6 controls the drive unit 32A and the
drive unit 32B substantially simultaneously. However, the disclosure is not limited
to this. The controller 6 may differentiate a timing to control the drive unit 32A
from a timing to control the drive unit 32B. This allows, for example, one of the
paired holding units 31 to start to move earlier as compared to the other. This modification
is effective when a problem occurs if the paired holding units 31 simultaneously start
to move. For example, a timing to move from the holding unit retracted position to
the capture preparation position may be differentiated between the holding unit 31A
and the holding unit 31B. With this arrangement, an erroneous operation due to unintended
touch to a member is avoided as compared to a case where, for example, the holding
units 31A and 31B are provided both at the capture preparation positions and to be
close to each other when an unskilled operator causes the paired holding units 31
to capture the yarns Y.
[0162] (21) The paths connecting the linear slider 64A with the supply port Ps and the discharge
ports Pe1 and Pe2 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 6(a). The same applies to
the linear slider 64B. Furthermore, the paths connecting the air cylinder 65A with
the supply port Ps and the discharge ports Pe1 and Pe2 are not limited to those shown
in FIG. 6(b). The same applies to the air cylinder 65B.
[0163] (22) While in the embodiment above the drive unit 32A and the drive unit 32B are
independently operable, the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. For example,
the paths of the compressed air may be arranged so that the drive unit 32A and the
drive unit 32B are driven in an integrated manner.
[0164] (23) In the embodiment above, the cylinder main body 81 of the linear slider 64A
is fixed to the supporting member 35. (The linear slider 64B is similarly arranged.)
However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a swing shaft (not illustrated)
may be provided at a rear end portion of the cylinder main body 81 to extend in the
up-down direction, and the cylinder main body 81 may be swingable about the swing
shaft. In this case, the guide rail 62A and the cylinder main body 81 swing together.
(The same applies to the guide rail 62B.) The support arm 61A may be fixed to the
slider 82. (The same applies to the support arm 61B.)
[0165] (24) In the embodiment above, the yarn threading mechanism 30 includes both the drive
mechanism 32 configured to move the paired holding units 31 and the yarn interval
increaser 34 (separation roller 93). However, the disclosure is not limited to this.
The yarn threading mechanism 30 may include only one of the drive mechanism 32 and
the yarn interval increaser 34. Even if only one of these members is provided, the
efficiency in yarn threading to the fulcrum guides 20 of each of the paired winding
units 5 can be improved. When the yarn threading mechanism 30 does not include the
drive mechanism 32, for example, a yarn threading member operable by the operator
(see e.g.,
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2017-114573) is used for yarn threading. When the yarn threading mechanism 30 does not have the
yarn interval increaser 34, the intervals of retaining grooves (not illustrated) formed
in paired holding units (not illustrated) are narrower than the intervals of the above-described
retaining grooves 45. When the yarn threading mechanism 30 does not have the yarn
interval increaser 34, the capturing positions of the holding units 31A and 31B are
between the second godet roller 4 and the suction gun SG in the yarn running direction.
[0166] (25) In the embodiment above, the yarn threading mechanism 30 is arranged to thread
the yarns Y to the fulcrum guides 20 of the paired winding units 5. However, the disclosure
is not limited to this. For example, when the spun yarn take-up machine 1 has other
yarn guides (not illustrated) that are aligned in the front-rear direction, a yarn
threading mechanism (not illustrated) may be provided to thread yarns Y to these yarn
guides.
[0167] (26) While the spun yarn take-up machine 1 includes the paired winding units 5 (winding
units 5A and 5B), the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. The spun yarn
take-up machine 1 may include, for example, only the winding unit 5A among the winding
units 5A and 5B. In this case, the yarn threading mechanism 30 may include the holding
unit 31A and the drive unit 32A and may not include the holding unit 31B and the drive
unit 32B. In addition to this or alternatively, the yarn threading mechanism 30 may
include the yarn interval increaser 34.
[0168] (27) In addition to the spun yarn take-up machine 1, the present invention can be
applied to various yarn winders configured to wind yarns Y.
1. A yarn winder (1) comprising paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) opposing each other
in a predetermined opposing direction, each of the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B)
supporting bobbins (B) to be aligned in an arrangement direction orthogonal to the
opposing direction and to be rotatable, wherein,
each of the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) includes yarn guides (20, 20A, 20B) that
are provided to correspond to yarns (Y, YA, YB) wound onto the respective bobbins
(B) and are aligned in the arrangement direction,
the yarn winder (1) further comprises a yarn threading mechanism (30) arranged to
perform yarn threading to the yarn guides (20, 20A, 20B) of both of the paired winding
units (5, 5A, 5B),
the yarn threading mechanism (30) includes:
paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) which are attached to the paired winding units
(5, 5A, 5B), respectively, and are configured to hold groups of the yarns (Y, YA,
YB), respectively; and
a drive mechanism (32) configured to move the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B),
and
the drive mechanism (32) moves a first holding unit (31A) that is one of the paired
holding units (31, 31A, 31B) and a second holding unit (31B) that is the other of
the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) from capturing positions where the yarns (Y,
YA, YB) running between the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) in the opposing direction
can be captured to yarn threading start positions that are on one side in the arrangement
direction of the capturing positions, and further moves the first holding unit (31A)
and the second holding unit (31B) to yarn threading completion positions that are
on the other side in the arrangement direction of the yarn threading start positions,
so as to thread the yarns (Y, YA, YB) held by the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B)
to the yarn guides (20, 20A, 20B), respectively.
2. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 1, wherein, the yarn guides (20, 20A, 20B)
of each of the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) are arranged to be movable between
predetermined distanced positions and gathered positions where the yarn guides (20,
20A, 20B) are close to one another in the arrangement direction as compared to the
distanced positions.
3. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
the drive mechanism (32) includes a first drive unit (32A) configured to move the
first holding unit (31A) and a second drive unit (32B) configured to move the second
holding unit (31B), and
the first drive unit (32A) and the second drive unit (32B) are independently operable.
4. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 3, further comprising
a first control unit (6) configured to control the drive mechanism (32),
the first control unit (6) differentiating a timing to control the first drive unit
(32A) from a timing to control the second drive unit (32B).
5. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:
a first yarn feed roller (3) which, when at least one of the paired holding units
(31, 31A, 31B) is at the yarn threading start position, is provided upstream of the
at least one of the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) in a yarn running direction
in which the yarns (Y, YA, YB) run and is provided on the other side in the arrangement
direction of the at least one of the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B);
a second yarn feed roller (4) which, when the at least one of the paired holding units
(31, 31A, 31B) is at the yarn threading start position, is provided between the first
yarn feed roller (3) and the at least one of the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B)
in the yarn running direction and is provided on the one side in the arrangement direction
of the first yarn feed roller (3);
a roller movement mechanism (9) configured to move the second yarn feed roller (4)
between a roller yarn placement position where yarn placement to the second yarn feed
roller (4) is performed and a one side position that is on the one side in the arrangement
direction of the roller yarn placement position;
a first control unit (6) configured to control the drive mechanism (32); and
a second control unit (6) configured to control the roller movement mechanism (9),
after the second control unit (6) moves the second yarn feed roller (4) from the roller
yarn placement position to the one side position, the first control unit (6) starting
to move the at least one of the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) from the yarn
threading start position to the yarn threading completion position.
6. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,
the drive mechanism (32) includes:
a first guide rail (62A) which guides the first holding unit (31A) at least in the
arrangement direction;
a first holding unit drive unit (64A) which is configured to move the first holding
unit (31A) along the first guide rail (62A);
a second guide rail (62B) which guides the second holding unit (31B) at least in the
arrangement direction; and
a second holding unit drive unit (64B) which is configured to move the second holding
unit (32A) along the second guide rail (62B).
7. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 6, wherein,
the drive mechanism (32) includes:
a first rail drive unit (65A) which is configured to move the first guide rail (62A);
and
a second rail drive unit (65B) which is configured to move the second guide rail (62B).
8. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 7, wherein,
the first rail drive unit (65A) is configured to swing the first guide rail (62A),
and
the second rail drive unit (65B) is configured to swing the second guide rail (62B).
9. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein,
the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) include a first supporting member (35A) supporting
the first holding unit drive unit (64A) and a second supporting member (35B) supporting
the second holding unit drive unit (64B),
the first holding unit drive unit (64A) includes a first main body (81A) integrated
with the first supporting member (35A), and
the second holding unit drive unit (64B) includes a second main body (81B) integrated
with the second supporting member (35B).
10. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, the paired holding
units (31, 31A, 31B) are movable from predetermined holding unit retracted positions
to the capturing positions.
11. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 10, wherein, the holding unit retracted positions
are identical with the yarn threading completion positions.
12. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein,
the distance in the opposing direction between a first capturing position that is
the capturing position of the first holding unit (31A) and a second capturing position
that is the capturing position of the second holding unit (31B) is shorter than the
distance in the opposing direction between a first holding unit retracted position
that is the holding unit retracted position of the first holding unit (31A) and a
second holding unit retracted position that is the holding unit retracted position
of the second holding unit (31B), and
the first capturing position and the second capturing position are different from
each other in a direction orthogonal to both the opposing direction and the arrangement
direction.
13. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein,
the drive mechanism (32) is capable of moving the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B)
from the holding unit retracted positions to predetermined capture preparation positions,
and
the yarn threading mechanism (30) includes an adjustment unit (33, 33A, 33B) which
is capable of adjusting positions of the paired holding units within an adjustment
range including the capture preparation positions and the capturing positions, when
operated by an operator after the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) are positioned
at the capture preparation positions.
14. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 13, wherein,
the capture preparation positions are on the other side in the arrangement direction
of the capturing positions, and
the adjustment unit (33, 33A, 33B) includes a slide (61A, 61B) which supports the
paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) to be slidable at least in the arrangement direction.
15. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 14, wherein,
the drive mechanism (32) includes a guide portion (55) which is provided on a track
of movement of the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) and guides the paired holding
units (31, 31A, 31B) moving from the holding unit retracted positions to at least
the other side in the arrangement direction,
the slide (61A, 61B) is at a predetermined first slide position when the paired holding
units (31, 31A, 31B) are at the holding unit retracted positions, and
when the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) are moved to the other side in the arrangement
direction by the guide portion (55), the slide (61A, 61B) is moved to a second slide
position that is on the other side in the arrangement direction of the first slide
position to move the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) to the capture preparation
positions.
16. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein,
the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) oppose each other in the opposing direction
after being moved to the capturing positions,
the yarn threading mechanism (30) includes a stopper (113) which is provided between
the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) in the opposing direction and is configured
to restrict movement of the paired holding units in the opposing direction, and
the stopper (113) is positionally adjustable at least in the opposing direction to
adjust the capturing positions.
17. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising
a regulatory guide (8) which holds the yarns (Y, YA, YB) before wound by the paired
winding units (5, 5A, 5B) to be aligned in the opposing direction and arranges intervals
in the opposing direction of the yarns (Y, YA, YB) to be predetermined intervals,
the yarn threading mechanism (30) includes a separation roller (93) that, when the
yarn threading is performed, is positionable downstream of the regulatory guide (8)
in a yarn running direction of the yarns (Y, YA, YB) and is rotatable, and
the separation roller (93) has a circumferential surface (93a) capable of making contact
with the yarns (Y, YA, YB), and is capable of widen the intervals of the yarns (Y,
YA, YB) in the opposing direction along the circumferential surface (93a).
18. A yarn winder (1) comprising paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) opposing each other
in a predetermined opposing direction, each of the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B)
supporting bobbins (B) to be aligned in an arrangement direction orthogonal to the
opposing direction and to be rotatable, wherein,
each of the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) includes yarn guides (20, 20A, 20B) that
are provided to correspond to yarns (Y, YA, YB) wound onto the respective bobbins
(B) and are aligned in the arrangement direction,
the yarn winder (1) further comprises: a regulatory guide (8) which holds the yarns
(Y, YA, YB) before wound by the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B) to be aligned in
the opposing direction and arranges intervals in the opposing direction of the yarns
(Y, YA, YB) to be predetermined intervals; and
a yarn threading mechanism (30) arranged to perform yarn threading to the yarn guides
(20, 20A, 20B) of both of the paired winding units (5, 5A, 5B),
the yarn threading mechanism (30) includes:
paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) which are attached to the paired winding units
(5, 5A, 5B), respectively, and are configured to hold groups of the yarns (Y, YA,
YB), respectively; and
a separation roller (93) that, when the yarn threading is performed, is provided downstream
of the regulatory guide (8) in the yarn running direction of the yarns (Y, YA, YB)
and is rotatable, and
the separation roller (93) has a circumferential surface (93a) capable of making contact
with the yarns (Y, YA, YB) and is capable of widen the intervals of the yarns (Y,
YA, YB) in the opposing direction along the circumferential surface (93a).
19. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 17 or 18, wherein, the separation roller (93)
has a rotational axis that extends along the opposing direction.
20. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein,
each of the paired holding units (31, 31A, 31B) has retaining grooves (45) that are
aligned to retain the respective yarns (Y, YA, YB), and
intervals of entrances of the retaining grooves (45) in a direction in which the retaining
grooves (45) are aligned are identical with the predetermined intervals in the opposing
direction.
21. The yarn winder (1) according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein, the separation
roller (93) is movable between a predetermined roller retracted position and a roller
contact position where the separation roller (93) is able to make contact with the
yarns (Y, YA, YB).
22. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 21, wherein,
the yarn threading mechanism (30) includes a roller supporter (91) supporting the
separation roller (93) to be rotatable, and
the roller supporter (91) is able to rotate about a predetermined rotation shaft (94)
to move the separation roller (93) between the roller retracted position and the roller
contact position.
23. The yarn winder (1) according to claim 22, wherein, the rotation shaft (94) extends
in a direction in which the rotational axis of the separation roller (93) extends.