Roving Bobbin Carrier System including a Residual Roving Removing Device

Abstract: A roving bobbin carrier system for conveying roving bobbins between a fine spinning frame (5) and a roving frame (R) in a spinning mill. A suction nozzle type residual roving removing device (50) and a backup device (100) are pro­ vided in series in a return line (2) for returning the roving bobbins on which a residual roving is possibly attached from the fine spinning frame to the rov­ ing frame or in a stock line connected to the return line. Accordingly, blank bobbins having no residual roving can be efficiently supplied to the roving frame, and the removal of the residual roving can be full automated.

Description: The present invention relates to a roving bobbin carrier system including a residual roving removing device according to the preamble of claim 1. The JP-A-62-62932 Patent Abstract of Japan Vol. 11 No. 262 (C-442) (2709), 25. August 1987, discloses a roving bobbin carrier system of the above kind having a supply line and a return line for roving bobbins and a roving removing device. The JP-A-60-94628 (Patent Abstract of Japan, Vol. 9, No. 237 (C-305) [1960], 24. Sept. 1985) discloses a residual roving removing device comprising a rotary driving device and a suction hose provided aside said roving bobbin. Such automatic roving bobbin carrier systems disclosed in the former Abstract for conveying the roving bobbins between a group of roving frames and a group of fine spinning frames has been developed to follow automation in the spinning mill. For example, a supply line for supplying the roving bobbins on which the roving is wound is provided between the group of the roving frames and the group of the fine spinning frames, and a return line for returning the roving bobbins on which the roving is unwound is provided between the two groups as a common line to be used with the supply line or an independent line. However, a residual roving is attached on most of the roving bobbins to be returned to the roving frames, and such roving bobbins cannot be used in the roving frames as they are. Accordingly, a known residual roving removing device (see the latter JP-Abstract) is provided in a part of the return line or a part of a line branched from the return line. However, as an amount of the residual roving attached on the roving bobbins to be returned from the fine spinning frames is indefinite, all of the residual roving cannot be removed by the residual roving removing device, and there sometimes occurs that the roving bobbins on which the residual roving remains attached are fed downstream of the residual roving removing device. Accordingly, an operator must replace the roving bobbins having the residual roving with blank bobbins, thus hindering automatic conveyance of the roving bobbins. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a roving bobbin carrier system which includes a device for automatically, converting into blank bobbins any of the roving bobbins on which the residual roving is still attached even after passing through the residual roving removing device. To comply with this object, a system of the above kind is characterized by the characterizing features of claim 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the carrier system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the backup device according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of the carrier system according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of the carrier system according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1 which is a schematic plan view of a general construction of the roving bobbin carrier system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of roving frames R₁, R₂, ... and a plurality of fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... are provided in the same shop. There are provided between a group of the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... and a group of the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... a supply line 3 for supplying a plurality of roving bobbins B₀ on which a roving is wound from the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... to the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... in a direction X₁ and a return line 2 for returning a plurality of roving bobbins B₁ on which the roving is unwound from the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... to the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... in a direction Y₁. The return line 2 is provided with a residual roving removing device 50 of a suction nozzle type for removing a residual roving from the roving bobbins B₁ and with a backup device 100 for treating or replacing the roving bobbins fed from the residual roving removing device 50, on which roving bobbins the residual roving is still attached, and for supplying the roving bobbins as blank bobbins from which the residual roving is completely removed to the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... The backup device 100 is located just downstream of the residual roving removing device 50. Referring to Fig. 2 which is a perspective view of the backup device 100, it is primarily constructed of a screw conveyor 113, a residual roving sensor 102 and a bobbin replacing device 120. The roving bobbin B₁ conveyed by the carrier rail 110 is transferred to the screw conveyor 113, and whether or not a residual roving exists on the roving bobbin B₁ is detected by the residual roving sensor 102 located under the screw conveyor 113. When the existence of the residual roving is detected, the screw conveyor 113 is stopped to stop the roving bobbin B₁ at a predetermined position facing the bobbin replacing device 120. The bobbin replacing device 120 includes a vertically movable member 121 and an arm 124 supported on the vertically movable member 121 and adapted to be engaged with a lower surface of an upper flange of the roving bobbin B₁. The arm 124 is connected to a cylinder 125 mounted on the vertically movable member 121, and is adapted to be horizontally moved toward and away from the roving bobbin B₁ by driving the cylinder 125. The vertically movable member 121 is mounted on a metal or synthetic resin belt 133 wrapped between a pair of rollers 131 mounted at upper and lower ends of a movable rail 130. The movable rail 130 is supported through a plurality of rollers 132 to a fixed frame 135, and is adapted to be vertically moved by a cylinder 134 connected to the lower end of the movable rail 130. Accordingly, when a lower portion 134b of the cylinder 134 is expanded, the movable rail 130 is lowered, and the belt 133 is moved to thereby lower the vertically movable member 121. Thus, the roving bobbin B₁ engaging the arm 124 is brought into disengagement from the bobbin hanger BH. The vertically movable member 121 can be moved by a stroke two, three, four, ... times a stroke of the lower portion 134b of the cylinder 134. An upper portion 134a of the cylinder 134 is employed for raising the roving bobbin B₁ by a small amount when the roving bobbin B₁ is disengaged from the bobbin hanger BH. There are provided under the bobbin replacing device 120 a residual roving removing device and a blank bobbin storing device as shown in Fig. 2, so as to replace the roving bobbin B₁ having a residual roving as released from the bobbin hanger BH with a blank bobbin B₂. The blank bobbin storing device includes a circulation rail 150 for storing a minimum number of blank bobbins B₂, and the cutter device 160 and the flock roller 142 as mentioned above are also provided to remove the residual roving from the roving bobbin B₁ lowered by the bobbin replacing device 120. The backup device 100 may be modified by combining the cutter device with a suction slit type residual roving removing device or by utilizing a chain or belt type bobbin replacing device. Although the residual roving removing device 50 and the backup device 100 are provided in the return line 2, and they are juxtaposed to each other in the first preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention may be modified to the constructions as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Referring to Fig. 3 which shows another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a supply line 3a for supplying the roving bobbins on which a roving is wound is provided between the group of the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... and the group of the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... to supply the roving bobbins in a direction X₂. Furthermore, a bypass line 2a bypassing a part of the supply line 3a is provided to return the roving bobbins used from the group of the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... to the group of the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... in a direction Y₂. The residual roving removing device 50 and the backup device 100 are provided in the bypass line 2a, and they are arranged in spaced relationship from each other. Accordingly, the roving bobbins having a residual roving are converted into blank bobbins by the residual roving removing device 50 and the backup device 100 in the course of return to the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... In the case of forming a plurality of different return lines for different kinds of rovings, a plurality of bypass lines similar to the above may be formed, and the residual roving removing device and the backup device may be provided in each of the bypass lines. Referring to Fig. 4 which shows a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a common line 5 is provided to convey the roving bobbins from the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... to the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂ ... in a direction X₃ and vice versa. Furthermore, stock lines 4a and 4b are connected to the common line 5, and the residual roving removing device 50 and the backup device 100 are provided in the stock lines 4a and 4b, respectively, so as to remove the residual roving from the roving bobbins returned from the fine spinning frames S₁, S₂, ... in a direction Y₃ to Y₄. Thus, the roving bobbins are supplied as blank bobbins to the roving frames R₁, R₂, ... In modification, the residual roving removing device 50 and the backup device 100 may be directly provided in the common line 5 without forming the stock lines 4a and 4b.

Claims: Roving bobbin carrier system including a supply line (3) for conveying a plurality of first roving bobbins (B₀), on which a roving was wound from a roving frame (R) to a fine spinning frame (S), a return line (2) for conveying a plurality of second roving bobbins (B₁) from which said roving was unwound from said fine spinning frame to said roving frame, a residual roving removing device (50) of a suction nozzle type, provided in said return line (2) or in a stock line connected to said return line, for removing a residual roving attached to said second roving bobbins, characterized by a backup device (100) provided downstream of said residual roving removing device (50) in said return line (2) or said stock line (2a,4b), said backup device comprising a residual roving sensor (102) for detecting said residual roving on said roving bobbin which passed through said residual roving removing device (50), and a bobbing replacing device (120) for replacing said roving bobbins (B₁) with residual roving by a blank bobbin (B₂) when said residual roving was detected by said residual roving sensor (102). Roving bobbin carrier system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said return line is formed as a bypass line (2a) bypassing a part of said supply line (3a). Roving bobbin carrier system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said return line is formed as a common line (5) to be commonly used with said supply line. Roving bobbin carrier system as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by a supporting device (110,103) for rotatably supporting said second roving bobbins (B₁) suspended by bobbing hangers (BH), a cutter device (160) for cutting said residual roving in an axial direction of said second roving bobbins (B₁), and a rotary flock roller (142) for peeling off said residual roving cut by said cutter device. Roving bobbin carrier system as claimed in claims 1 to 4, characterized by a blank bobbin storing device (150) associated with said bobbin replacing device (120) for storing a minimum number of blank bobbins (B₂), the cutter device (160) and the flock roller (142) being provided in said blank bobbin storing device for removing roving from the roving bobbin (B₁) lowered by the bobbin replacing device (120).

Inventors: KIDANI SHUJI, SANNO HIROAKI, KIDANI, SHUJI, SANNO, HIROAKI
Applicants: MURAO BOKI KK, KABUSHIKI KAISHA MURAO AND COMPANY
Application year: 1990
Main classification: D01H9
IPC codes: D01H9, B65H73