Method for processing residual yarn

Abstract: An apparatus for processing residual yarn having a gripper member (G) in a fixed state, a bobbin gripping member (C) that grips a bobbin (b) and a movement means for moving the bobbin gripping member between an upper position which positions the bottom of the bobbin in the vicinity of the gripper member and a lower position which loads the bobbin on a tray (t), and after gripping the bobbin by the bobbin gripping member and lifting it up from the tray, strips the residual yarn on the bobbin by the gripper member before loading it on the tray. The apparatus for processing residual yarn can be simplified and made more compact and no matter where yarn remains on the bobbin, residual yarn can be reliably removed.

Description: The invention relates to a method for removing residual yarn from a bobbin. Such a method is known from FR-A-2530230. With this method a bobbin having a residual yarn is movable through a yarn gripping means in its closed position by means of a bobbin gripping means gripping the bobbin outwardly. A bobbin from which the residual yarn has been removed is dropped through guides onto an empty tray. A residual yarn however in the upper position and/near the upper end of the bobbin cannot be removed. Furthermore it is principally known from DE-A-1956035 to grip a bobbin by means of a swellable gripping element which is insertable into the bobbin. The problem underlying the invention is to propose a method by which a residual yam on a bobbin may be removed over the whole length of the bobbin. This problem is accomplished by claim 1. A bobbin having a residual yarn is therefore moved through the stripping means in its closed position gripping the bobbin on the lower end. Since the bobbin is lowered by the bobbin gripping means through the closed stripping means a residual yarn may be stripped of wherever it is all over the length of the bobbin. Furthermore the bobbin from which a residual yarn has been stripped off may be lowered directly onto an empty tray. The invention will now be described by way of an example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a partial section showing a side view of the residual yarn processing apparatus illustrating the method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the gripper member of the apparatus of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a top view of the gripper of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the gripper along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3, Fig. 5A - 5C is a summarized front view showing the order of steps of the method of the present invention, and Fig. 6A - 6C is a summarized side view showing the order of steps of the method of the present invention. (b) is a bobbin loaded on a tray t and having residual yarn (y) and being transported along a pathway (v) by for example a belt conveyor. (1) is the machine frame of the residual yarn removing apparatus. A vertical cylinder (3) is arranged on a frame (2) attached to the machine frame (1). (C) is a bobbin gripping member arranged on the end of the piston rod (3') of the vertical cylinder (3). The end of bobbin gripping member (C) has a chucker (6) that swells due to compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply source (not shown in the drawings) via a pipe (5) after being inserted into hole (b1) of the bobbin (b) and is arranged above the introduction guide (4) of which the tip is conical and may be inserted into hole (b1) of the bobbin (b). The chucker (6) is comprised of some elastic material such as rubber or the like. It should be noted that the chucker (6) may have a structure that grasps the outer surface of the top part of the bobbin (b). It is preferable for the chucker (6) to be so constructed that it contracts naturally upon removal of the compressed air. Also, the pipe (5) that supplies compressed air to the chucker (6) is arranged in the pusher (7) comprising a pipe of the bobbin gripping member (C). The outer diameter of the pusher (7) is formed larger than the outer diameter of the introduction guide (4) and the chucker (6) as shown in Figure 1 so that the pusher (7) pushes the top end of the bobbin (b) when the chucker (6) is inserted into the hole (b1) of the bobbin (b). (G) is a gripper member to be described hereafter, (N) is an air blowing member attached to the gripper member (G) and a nozzle (8') of the blowing pipe (8) points towards the upper surface of the gripper member (G) to be described later. (S) is a suction member arranged on the side of the gripper member (G) opposite to air blowing member (N). A suction hole (9') of the suction pipe (9) of the suction member (S) is positioned to the side of the gripper member (G) so that it faces the nozzle (8') of the air blowing member (N). A shutter (10) is arranged in a predetermined position in the suction pipe (9) and the shutter (10) is formed so that it is opened and closed by a suitable actuator (11) such as a cylinder or the like. Next, using mainly Figures 2, 3 and 4, the gripper member (G) will be described. (12a) and (12b) are a pair of guide rails spaced at a predetermined distance and attached to a suitable frame (13) arranged on the machine frame (1). Horizontal concave grooves (12a',12b') are formed on each of the guide rails (12a,12b) respectively. (14a,14b) are sliding blocks which are able to move horizontally along the guide rails (12a,12b) respectively. As the sliding blocks (14a,14b) that are positioned to the left and right of Figure 2 have the same structure, below, only the sliding block (14a) positioned to the left will be described. It should be noted that for convenience, all parts of the left hand sliding block (14a) are labeled with the letter "a" after the numerals and all parts of the right hand sliding block (14b) are labeled with the letter "b" after the numerals. (15a) is a pair of guide rollers attached to the sliding block (14a) and inserted in the concave groove (12a') of the guide rail (12a). (16a) is a connector piece comprising a concave part (16a') into which a roller attached to the end of the operating lever (described later) is inserted. (17a) is a gripper attached to the lower end of the sliding block (14a). A semi-circular cavity part (18a) is formed on the side surface of the gripper (17a) of the pair of opposing grippers (17a,17a) and aligns with the surface of the bobbin (b). Further, a horizontal space (19a) having an opening on the cavity part (18a) side is arranged in the gripper (17a). (20a) is a slide board that is accommodated in the space (19a). (21a) is a stripping plate attached by a suitable fixing means such as a screw or adhesive to the slide board (20a) so that they partially overlap. An edge (21a') formed by the upper surface of the stripping plate (21a) and the sloping surface that slants towards the side of the slide board (20a) is arranged on the end of the stripping plate (21a). (22a) is a gauge board positioned inside the space (19a) so that it touches the slide board (20a) and the upper surface of the stripping plate (21a) and is attached to the gripper (17a) by a suitable fixing means such as a screw or adhesive. (23a) is a spring such as a coil spring positioned between the rear end of the slide board (20a) and the inner wall of the space (19a) and pushes the slide board (20a) on which is loaded the stripping plate (21a) so that the edge (21a') of the stripping plate (21a) projects by a predetermined amount from the space (19a). In the state where the pair of grippers (17a,17b) do not hold the bobbin (b), in short, in the state where the grippers (17a,17b) are seperated, the end of the gauge board (22a) is arranged so that it is on the same level as the side wall of the gripper (17a) or projects slightly from the side wall of the gripper (17a). Furthermore, the stripping plate (21a) attached to the slide board (20a) which is pushed by the spring (23a) is formed so that the tip of the edge (21a') projects from the tip of gauge board (22a). It should be stated that it is preferable for the slide board (20a) to be so arranged that it cannot be removed from the space (19a) by attaching the ends of the spring (23a) to the inner wall of the space (19a) and the rear wall of the slide board (20a). Of course, it is also possible to project a pin from the base of the slide board (20a) or stripping plate (21a) and arrange a slide groove into which that pin is insertable in the base of the space (19a) so that the slide board (20a) can not be removed from the space (19a). (24) is a vertical cylinder positioned on the frame (13). The end of the piston rod (24') of the vertical cylinder (24) is attached to one corner (26) of the link plate (25) whose front view is approximately triangular. (27) is a horizontal rotation shaft positioned on the frame (13) via a suitable receptacle and another corner (28) of the link plate (25) is attached to the horizontal rotation shaft (27). The upper end of the operation lever (29) having a roller (29') inserted in the concave part (16b') of the connector piece (16b) is attached to the end of the horizontal rotation shaft (27). (30) is a horizontal rotation shaft similar to horizontal rotation shaft (27), is parallel to the aforementioned horizontal rotation shaft (27) seperated by a predetermined distance and is arranged on the frame (13) via a suitable receptor. (31) is an operation lever having a roller (31') connected to the concave part (16a') of the connector piece (16a) and the upper part of the operation lever (31) is attached to the horizontal rotation shaft (30). Furthermore, (32) is a link of which one end is attached to the horizontal rotation shaft (30) and link (34) is attached between the other end of the link (32) and the remaining corner (33) of the above mentioned link plate (25). Next, using Figure 2, the operations of the gripper member (G) will be described. When the vertical cylinder (24) is operated and the piston rod (24') is moved upwards from the state where the pair of grippers (17a,17b) attached to the opposing sliding blocks (14a,14b) are seperated as shown in Figure 2, the link plate (25) rotates in a clockwise direction as seen from Figure 2 about horizontal rotation shaft (27). When the link plate (25) rotates clockwise, horizontal rotation shaft (27) attached to the link plate (25) also rotates clockwise and as a consequence, the operation lever (29) attached to the horizontal rotation shaft (27) similarly rotates in a clockwise direction. Therefore the sliding block (14b) having the connector piece (16b) connected to the roller (29') of the operation lever (29) moves to the left as seen from Figure 2 along the guide rail (12b). Furthermore, when the link plate (25) rotates clockwise due to the upward movement of the piston rod (24), the link (34) of which one end is attached to the link plate (25) is pulled to the right as seen in Figure 2. Accordingly, the link (32) rotates counter clockwise about the horizontal rotation shaft (30) as seen from Figure 2. When the link (32) rotates in a counter clockwise direction, the horizontal rotation shaft (30) attached to the link (32) also rotates in a counter clockwise direction and as a consequence, as the operation lever (31) attached to the horizontal rotation shaft (30) similarly rotates in a counter clockwise direction, the other sliding block (14a) having a connector piece (16a) connected to the roller (31') of the operation lever (31) moves rightwards as seen from Figure 2 along the guide rail (12a). As described above, the pair of sliding blocks (14a,14b) move toward each other along the guide rails (12a,12b) due to the operation of the vertical cylinder (24) and upwards movement of the piston rod (24'). As a result, the grippers (17a,17b) arranged on the sliding block (14a,14b) also move toward each other, the bobbin (b) is introduced into the cavity parts (18a,18b) and the bobbin (b) is held due to the pair of grippers (17a,17b). Next, using mainly Figures 5 and 6, the method will be described. Firstly, the tray (t) loaded with a bobbin (b) on which residual yarn (y) is wound and which has been transported along the pathway (v) is stopped by a publicly known stopper (not shown in the drawings) so that the bobbin (b) is positioned below the bobbin gripping member (C) positioned on the end of the piston rod (3') of the vertical cylinder (3). Secondly, as a movement means for moving the bobbin gripping member (C), the evertical cylinder (3) is suitably operated, the bobbin gripping member (C) drops and the introduction guide (4) and chucker (6) insert into the hole (b1) of the bobbin (b). Afterwards, the chucker (6) swells by compressed air supplied via the pipe (5) and the bobbin (b) is grippped by the chucker (6) (Figure 5(A) and Figure 6(A)). Next, the vertical cylinder (3) is suitably operated, the bobbin gripping member (C) is raised and the bobbin (b) is pulled from the peg (t') formed on the tray (t). The bobbin gripping member (C) is raised until the the bottom of the bobbin (b) is positioned between the pair of grippers (17a,17b) in the seperated state as shown in Figire 2. Next, together with the contraction of the chucker (6), the pair of sliding blocks (14a,14b) move towards each other along the guide rails (12a,12b) due to the operation of the vertical cylinder (24) and upwards movement of the piston rod (24'). Due to this kind of movement of the sliding blocks (14a,14b), both grippers (17a,17b) move towards each other and with the introduction of the bottom of the bobbin (b) into the cavity parts (18a,18b), the bottom of the bobbin (b) is gripped by the pair of grippers (17a,17b) (Figure 5(B) and Figure 6(B)). When the bobbin gripping member (C) is lowered by suitable re-operation of the vertical cylinder (3) in a state where the bottom of the bobbin (b) is gripped by the pair of grippers (17a,17b), the residual yarn (y) wound on the bobbin (b) catches on the stripping plates (21a,21b) affixed to the slide board (20a) which is being pushed on to the periphery of the bobbin (b) by the spring (23a) and the residual yarn (y) is stripped from the bobbin (b). The bobbin (b) which has been stripped of residual yarn (y) drops in accordance with the dropping of the bobbin gripping member (C) and is re-inserted on to the peg (t') formed on the tray (t) (Figure 5(C) and Figure 6(C)). When the grippers (17a,17b) contact or draw near each other, due to the cavity parts (18a,18b) of the grippers.(17a,17b), an approximately circular space (d) is formed as a bobbin by-pass part through which the bobbin (b) can pass. Furthermore, the pusher (7) of the bobbin gripping part (C), the introduction guide (4) arranged on the pusher (7) and the chucker (6) may be inserted in this space (d) which acts as a bobbin by-pass part. As the vertical cylinder (3) is comprised such that the bobbin gripping member (C) is moved so that it is between the upper position where the bottom of the bobbin (b) gripped by the bobbin gripping member (C) is positioned near the gripper member (G) and the lower position where the bobbin (b) gripped by the bobbin gripping member (C) is loaded on the tray (t), no matter where on the bobbin (b) residual yarn (y) is remaining, residual yarn (y) can be reliably removed. After the bobbin (b) from which residual yarn (y) has been stripped is loaded on the tray (t), when the vertical cylinder (3) is suitably operated and the bobbin gripping member (C) is raised, the chucker (6) is removed from the hole (b1) of the bobbin (b). At the point when the bobbin gripping member (C) has returned either to nearby the gripper member (G) or the standby position above the gripper member (G), the operations of the vertical cylinder (3) stop. As the residual yarn (y) removed from the bobbin (b) by the pair of grippers (17a,17b) loads on the upper surface of the grippers (17a,17b) or the gauge boards (22a,22b), during or after residual yarn removal by the grippers (17a,17b), the shutter (10) opens by operation of the actuator (11), a suction air current is generated in the suction hole (9') of the suction member (S), air is blown from the nozzle (8') of the air blowing member (N) and the residual yarn (y) loaded on the upper surface of the grippers (17a,17b) or the gauge boards (22a,22b) is blown by the air from the nozzle (8') and sucked by the suction hole (9') of the suction pipe (9) positioned opposite. The residual yarn (y) sucked into the suction pipe (9) passes through the shutter (10) and is stored in a residual yarn storage box or the like (not shown in the drawings). Soon after the completion of this kind of residual yarn processing operation, the shutter (10) closes and the operations of the air blowing member (N) stop. On the aforementioned embodiment, an example is shown where a suction member (S) and air blowing member (N) are arranged sandwiching the gripper member (G) but when the ability of the suction source of the suction member (S) is large, the residual yarn (y) loaded on the upper surface of the grippers (17a,17b) or the gauge board (22a,22b) can be removed simply by using the suction member (S) and as a result, in this case, the air blowing member (N) can be omitted.

Claims: Method for removing residual yarn from a bobbin by means of a yarn stripping means (G) movable between an open position and a yam stripping position and a gripping means (C) having a pusher (7) and a chucker (6) which is insertable into the upper end of a bobbin (b) and swellable by compressed air and being movable between an upper position and a lower bobbin gripping position, comprising the following steps: a) a tray (t) loaded with a bobbin (b) on which a residual yam (y) is wound is stopped below the gripping means (C), b) the chucker (6) is lowered and inserted into the upper end of the bobbin (b) and swelled by compressed air, while the stripping means is held in its open position, c) the chucker (6) is raised until the bottom of the bobbin (b) is positioned within the stripping means (G), d) the stripping means (G) is closed into the stripping position gripping the bottom of the bobbin (b), e) the bobbin gripping means (C) is lowered in a state where the bottom of the bobbin (b) is gripped by the stripping means (G) to strip the residual yarn from the bobbin (b); and f) the bobbin is reinserted by the gripping means in its lower position onto the tray (t). Method according to claim 1 characterized in that the gripping means (C) has a pusher (7) and a chucker (6) which is insertable into the upper end of a bobbin (b) and swellable by compressed air, and that the bobbin gripping means (C) is movable through the stripping means (G) while the stripping means (G) is in its closed position. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the stripping means (G) has at least one gripper (17a, 17b) with a stripping plate (21a, 21b) spring loaded and movable at the right angle to the direction of the movement of a bobbin and into contact with the periphery of the bobbin. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that a pair of grippers (17a, 17b) each having a stripping plate (21a, 21b). Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the gripper (17a, 17b) and a spring (23a) are inserted in a horizontal space (19a) of the gripper (17a, 17b). Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the edge (21a') of the stripping arm (21a, 21b) projects by a predetermined amount from the gripper (17a, 17b).

Inventors: NAKAGAWA TAKASHI, TOUDOU YUJI, NAKAGAWA, TAKASHI, TOUDOU, YUJI
Applicants: MURATA MACHINERY LTD, MURATA KIKAI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B65H73
IPC codes: D01H11, B65H73, B65H67