Automatic winder

Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic winder that eliminates the need to attach and remove a tray guide, as required in the prior art, and that can increase a tilting angle of a standing frame. The automatic winder has winding units 14 each comprising a bobbin supply and ejection device 17, a yarn joining device 18, and a winding device 19. The winding unit 14 is divided into a lower part 21 including the bobbin supply and ejection device 17 and an upper part 20 including the yarn joining device 18 and the winding device 19. The upper part 20 can be tilted from a winding position A where it is stood up to a tilted position C where it is tilted toward an operation passage side F.

Description: The present invention relates to an automatic winder according to the preamble of claim 1. Such an automatic winder is known from DE-A-4 438 346 defining the preamble of claim 1. The upper part of the winding unit of such a winder may be tilted for maintenance and repair. Another conventional automatic winder comprises a plurality of winding units 4 arranged in a lateral direction corresponding to a horizontal conveyor conveying direction, between a supply bobbin conveyor 2 on a rear side E and an empty bobbin conveyor 3 on a front side F, as shown in the side view in Figure 10. Each winding unit 4 has a standing frame 6 supported tiltably on an support pipe 5 and has a bobbin supply and ejection device 7, a yarn joining device 8, and a winding device 9 attached on the standing frame 6. The standing frame 6 can be tilted between a winding position A where it is stood up and a tilted position C for maintenance and inspection. Each winding unit 4 stops a supply bobbin B supplied from the supply bobbin conveyor 2, at an unwinding position D and then uses a winding device 9 to lift a yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B so as to form a package P. The winding unit 4 also ejects an empty bobbin B' to the empty bobbin conveyor 3. The conventional winding unit 4 is assembled by an operator by attaching, to the single standing frame 6, parts constituting the bobbin supply and ejection device 7, the yarn joining device 8, and the winding device 9. Since, however, the large number of parts cannot substantially be simultaneously attached to the single standing frame 6, the assembly requires the parts to be sequentially attached, thereby increasing an assembly man hour. Furthermore, the winding unit 4 may require different parts depending on different specifications for a yarn or the like, thereby requiring a large amount of time and labor to select parts. Thus, there has been a demand for a reduction in assembly man hour. In this automatic winder 1 to inspect an arbitrary winding unit 4 for maintenance while maintaining the operation of the other winding units 4, a bobbin tray guide (not shown) must be attached instead of the bobbin supply and ejection device 7 tilted with the standing frame 6 for inspection and maintenance. Attachment and removal of the tray guide requires a large amount of time and labor. However, the frequency of maintenance and inspection differs between the bobbin supply and ejection device 7 and the yarn joining device 8 and the winding device 9 and is higher with the yarn joining device 8 and the winding device 9. Thus, there has been a demand for the capability of moving the yarn joining device 8 and/or the winding device 9 to the maintenance and inspection position without the need to move the bobbin supply and ejection device 7. The object of the present invention is to provide a winding unit for an automatic winder having an improved capability for maintenance and repair. This object is accomplished by the features of the characterizing portion of claim 1. In the tilted position of the upper part of the winding unit empty bobbins are not hindered from being conveyed by a conveyer disposed on the operation passage side to the other winding units of the winder. Brief Description of the Drawing Figure 1 is a left side view of a first embodiment of a winding unit of an automatic winder according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view showing a winding unit of the automatic winder according to this embodiment; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a piping joining member including closing valves; Figure 4 is a left side view of a second embodiment of a winding unit of the automatic winder; Figure 5 is a front view of the winding unit according to this embodiment; Figure 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional views taken along line VI-VI and line VII-VII, respectively, in Figure 4; Figure 8 is a sectional view showing how a transmission mechanism of this embodiment; Figure 9 is a left side view of a third embodiment of the winding unit of the automatic winder; and Figure 10 is a left side view of a winding unit of a conventional automatic winder. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments An automatic winder 11 according to this embodiment comprises a plurality of winding units 4 arranged in a lateral direction corresponding to a conveyor conveying direction between a supply bobbin conveyor 12 on a rear side E and an empty bobbin conveyor 13 on a front side F (an operation passage side) as shown in Figure 1. The winding unit 4 is divided into a lower part 21 having a bobbin supply and ejection device 12, and an upper part 20 having a yarn joining device 18 and a winding device 19. The upper part 20 can be tilted between a winding position A where it is up right and a tilted position C where it is tilted toward the operation passage side. The tilted position C is a position where the upper part 20 does not hinder the empty bobbin B' from being conveyed by the empty bobbin conveyor 13. A standing frame 16 constituting the winding unit 14 is divided into an upper portion 16a forming the upper part 20 and a lower portion 16b forming the lower part 21. The lower end of the upper portion 16a is pivoted to a generally intermediate position at a front side of the lower portion 16b, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The standing frame 16 has the lower portion 16b detachablly fixed to a base section 26, and the upper part 20, while standing at the winding position A, is connected to the base section 26 in the neighborhood of the top and bottom thereof using bolts 27. To tilt the upper part 20 from the winding position A to the tilted position C, the bolts 27 are released. A bobbin supply and ejection device 17 provided in the lower part 21 comprises a guide (not shown) including a passage formed between a plurality of plates to allow a tray T supporting a supply bobbin B to pass through the passage, and a feeding mechanism for intermittently moving the tray T. The feeding mechanism stops at an unwinding position D the supply bobbin B supplied from the supply bobbin conveyor 12 and ejects the empty bobbin B' onto the empty bobbin conveyor 13. In addition to the bobbin supply and ejection device 17, the lower part 21 comprises a balloon controller 25 that moves upward and downward depending on the amount of yarn on the supply bobbin B so that the balloon controller 25 controls a balloon formed of the yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B, to stabilize yarn tension. The yarn joining device 18 provided in the upper part 20 comprises a suction pipe 24, a relay pipe 23, and a yarn joining main body 22. The suction pipe 24 and the relay pipe 23 are pivoted for respectively sucking ends of a yarn cut by a cutter (not shown) to place the upper and lower yarns into the yarn joining main body 22. The winding device 19 provided in the upper part 20 comprises a traverse drum 33 supported on the upper portion 16a of the standing frame 16, a drum cover 28 having a traverse regulating guide, and a package supporting member 29. When the traverse drum 33 of the winding device 19 is driven, the yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B is wound into the package P. In addition to the yarn joining device 18 and the winding device 19, the upper part 20 comprises a tension adjusting device 30 in a bottom portion and a wax applying device 31 and a yarn defect detecting device 32 in an intermediate portion. The upper part 20 includes devices frequently inspected for maintenance and other devices. The tension adjusting device 30 adjusts the tension of the yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B into the package P. The wax applying device 31 applies a wax to the yarn, and the yarn defect detecting device 32 operates when a defect in the yarn wound into the package is detected, to cut the yarn to remove the defect. The winding unit 14 can move the yarn joining device 18 and the winding device 19, which are frequently inspected for maintenance, to position where they are easily inspected for maintenance by tilting only the upper part 20 from the winding position A to the tilted position C without the need to move the lower part 21 having the bobbin supply and ejection device 17 and the balloon controller 25, which are not frequently inspected for maintenance. The upper part 20 is pivoted via a shaft 16c above the bobbin supply and ejection device 17, so that the tilting center of the upper part 20 is higher than that of the conventional automatic winder. Consequently, the angle through which the upper part 20 can be tilted without hindering the empty bobbin B' from being conveyed by the empty bobbin conveyor 13 on the operation passage side F can be increased above the tilting angle of the conventional automatic winder, thereby enabling the winding unit 14 to be drawn out further toward the operation passage side further than in the prior art. Since the upper portion 16a of the standing frame 16 constituting the upper part 20 is pivoted via the shaft 16c to the lower portion 16b of the standing frame 16 constituting the lower part 21, the lower part 21 and the upper part 20 can be integrally handled to enable the entire winding unit 14 to be easily replaced with a new one. Since the balloon controller 25 is fixed, a cylinder of the balloon controller 25 and the bobbin need not be centered after inspection for maintenance. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the automatic winder 11 comprises a plurality of pneumatic paths for devices provided in each winding unit 14 and requiring compressed air. The plurality of pneumatic paths comprise one composed of a piping joining member 34 provided in the base section 26, and the other composed of a plurality of pneumatic pipes R1 to R4 provided in each winding unit 14. In the upper part 20 of each winding unit 14, an unwinding pneumatic pipe R1 and a twisting pneumatic pipe R2 are extended from the yarn joining device 18, a package contacting and pressing pneumatic pipe R3 is extended from the winding device 19, and a yarn tension adjusting pneumatic pipe R4 is extended from the yarn tension adjusting device 30. An end of each of the pneumatic pipes R1 to R4 can be removably joined via a coupling 35 to a corresponding one of connection ports in the piping joining members 34 because the length of each pneumatic pipe R1 to R4 provided in the tilted upper part 20, when it is tilted, must be minimized to make the entire winding unit compact. These pneumatic pipes R1 to R4 are each formed of a flexible pipe for easy attachment and removal. A piping joining member 34 is provided for each winding unit 14, and has branch pipes S1 to S4 connected thereto and branching from main pipes M1 to M4 common to each winding unit 14. The piping joining member 34 comprises a closing piece 36 composed of a spindle valve disc and a valve operating member 37 composed of a lever so that the valve operating member 37 is operated to simultaneously open and close the pneumatic paths. When the pneumatic pipe R1 to R4 is attached or removed, the piping joining member 34 can close the closing piece 36 to preclude variations in the pressure in the pneumatic pipes R1 to R4 of the other winding units 14. Each winding unit 14 has a transmission mechanism 38 for transmitting power between the lower part 21 and the upper part 20. The transmission mechanism 38 has one 38a of a driving node or a driven node (in the drawings the driven node) disposed in the lower part 21 and the other 38b (in the drawings the driving node) disposed in the upper part 20. When the upper part 20 is upright at the winding position A, the nodes 38a, 38b are connected together for transmission. When the upper part 20 is tilted toward the tilted position C, the nodes 38a, 38b are separated. In the drawings, the driving node 38b is a cam while the driven node 38a is a cam lever so as to drive the bobbin supply and ejection device 17 provided in the lower part 21. Each winding unit 14 of the automatic winder 11 according to this embodiment uses the bobbin supply and ejection device 17 to guide the supply bobbin B loaded by the supply bobbin conveyer 18, to the predetermined unwinding position D, as shown in Figure 1. The yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B stopped at the unwinding position D is passed through the balloon controller 25, the yarn tension adjusting device 30, the wax applying device 31, and the yarn defect detecting device 32 and wound into the package P, which is rotated by the traverse drum 33. For yarn joining, the suction pipe 24 and the relay pipe 23 are pivoted to place the upper and lower yarns into the yarn joining main body 22. The empty bobbin B' is ejected onto the empty bobbin conveyor 13 by means of the bobbin supply and ejection device 17. Figures 4 to 7 show a second embodiment of a winding unit. An automatic winder 111 according to this embodiment comprises a plurality of winding units 114 arranged in a lateral direction corresponding to a conveyor conveying direction between a supply bobbin conveyor 112 on a rear side E and an empty bobbin conveyor 113 on a front side F (an operation passage side) as shown in Figure 4. The winding unit 114 is divided into an upper part 120 and a lower part 121 comprising a bobbin supply and ejection device 117, an the upper part 120 is divided into an intermediate portion 122 comprising a yarn joining device 118 and an upper portion 123 comprising a winding device 119. During a process for manufacturing the winding unit 114, an assembly operation for attaching the bobbin supply and ejection device 117 to the lower part 121, an assembly operation for attaching the yarn joining device 118 to the intermediate portion 122, and an assembly operation for attaching the winding device 119 to the upper portion 123 are individually performed, and the winding unit 114 is assembled by connecting the assembled lower part 121, the intermediate portion 122 and the upper portion 123. During the assembly operation, the intermediate portion 122 and the upper portion 123 are coupled together via a bolt 125, a support leg 122a of the intermediate portion 122 is pivoted via a shaft 124 to a generally intermediate position at the front side of the lower part 121, and the support leg 122a is connected via a bolt 128 to the lower part 121. The intermediate portion 122 and upper portion 123 have their right opening covered with a removable cover 147, while the lower part 121 has its right opening covered with a removable cover 148. The assembled winding unit 114 is integrated into the automatic winder 111 by allowing the lower end of the lower part 121 to be removably supported by a support pipe 127 and removably connecting the rear side of the lower part 121 and the upper portion 123 via bolts 129, 130 to a fixedly located base section 126. To inspect the intermediate portion 122 and the upper portion 123 for maintenance, the bolts 128, 130 are removed to disconnect the corresponding components and tilted from the winding operation position A to the tilted position C. The tilted position C is a position where the tilted winding unit part does not hinder the empty bobbin B' from being conveyed by the empty bobbin conveyor 113. To tilt the entire winding unit 114 from the winding operation position A to the tilted position C, the bolts 129, 130 are removed to disconnect the corresponding components with the lower part 121 and the intermediate portion 122 connected together via the bolt 128. The upper part 120 of the winding unit 114 is composed of metal but may be manufactured by injection moulding. If the upper part 120 its formed of a synthetic resin material, a cylindrical boss 131 with a bolt through-hole 131a is directly joined to a side plate 133 and a side edge 131b of the boss 131 extending in a direction in which the bolt is inserted is joined to the side plate 133 by a rib 132, thereby a stress occurring in the boss 131 due to the connection of the bolt 125 is distributed, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. In the intermediate portion 122, a connection section 144 is formed of an aluminum die cast, a side plate 145 is formed of an iron plate, and the connection section 144 and the side plate 145 are connected together via a bolt 146. These components, however, may be formed of a synthetic resin material. If the intermediate portion 122 is formed of a synthetic resin material, the boss 131 directly joined to the side plate 145 is connected to the side plate 145 via the rib 132 (not shown) to reduce a stress occurring in the boss 131 as in the upper portion 123 formed of a synthetic resin material. The bobbin supply and ejection device 117 provided in the lower part 121, shown in Figure 4, comprises a guide (not shown) including a passage formed between a plurality of plates to allow a tray T supporting a supply bobbin B to pass through the passage, and a feeding mechanism comprising a lever and/or a cam or the like for intermittently moving the tray T. The feeding mechanism stops, at an unwinding position D, the supply bobbin B supplied from the supply bobbin conveyor 112 and ejects an empty bobbin B' with a yarn already unwound, onto the empty bobbin conveyor 113. In addition to the bobbin supply and ejection device 117, the lower part 121 comprises a balloon breaker 134 for controlling a balloon formed of the yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B, to stabilize yarn tension. The yarn joining device 118 provided in the intermediate portion 122 comprises a suction pipe 135, a relay pipe 136, and a yarn joining main body 137. The suction pipe 135 and the relay pipe 136 for sucking ends of a yarn cut by a cutter (not shown) are pivoted to place the upper and lower yarns into the yarn joining main body 137 for joining, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In addition to the yarn joining device 118, the intermediate portion 122 comprises a tension adjusting device 141 in its lower left and a wax applying device 142 and a yarn defect detecting device 143 in its middle. In this manner, the intermediate portion 122 includes devices frequently inspected for maintenance and other devices. The tension adjusting device 141 adjusts the tension of the yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B into the package P, to a set value. The wax applying device 142 applies a wax to the yarn, and the yarn defect detecting device 143 operates when a defect in the yarn wound into the package is detected, to cut the yarn to remove the defect. The intermediate portion 122 incorporates a group of wiring and piping parts including electric wiring parts (for example, wiring cords, connectors, and a control panel) and compressed air piping parts (for example, pipes, connectors, and solenoid valves), and a group of transmission parts including power transmission parts (for example, cams and cam levers, transmission shafts and bearings, and couplings), these groups each being formed into a block. A transmission part 149 constituting the group of transmission parts is attached to the side plate 145 via a bolt 150 in a cantilever manner, a free end 149a such as a cantilever-like shaft may be supported by a support member 151 to improve assembly rigidity to suppress vibration, as shown in Figure 8. The support member 151 comprises a connection plate 151a connected to the free end 149a, a plurality of distant pipes 151b, and bolts 151c inserted into the corresponding distant pipes 151b and screwed into the side plate 145. The winding device 119 provided in the upper portion 123 shown in Figures 4 and 5 comprises a traverse drum 138 journaled to the upper portion 123 in a cantilever manner, a drum cover 139 having a traverse regulating guide or the like, and a package supporting member 140 for supporting the package P into which the yarn is wound. When the traverse drum 138 is driven, the yarn unwound from the supply bobbin B is wound into the package P. While the lower part 121 having the bobbin supply and ejection device 117 and the balloon breaker 134, which are not frequently inspected for maintenance, is fixed, only the intermediate portion 122 and upper portion 123 can be tilted from the winding operation position A to the tilted position C to move the yarn joining device 118, the winding device 119, and other devices, which are frequently inspected for maintenance. In addition, in the winding unit 114, the upper part 120 is pivoted via a shaft 124 above the bobbin supply and ejection device 117, so that the tilting centers of the intermediate portion 122 and upper portion 123 are higher than those in the conventional automatic winder. Consequently, an angle through which the intermediate portion 122 and the frame upper portion 123 can be tilted without hindering the empty bobbin B' from being conveyed by the empty bobbin conveyor 113 on the operation passage side F can be increased above the that in the conventional automatic winder. Furthermore, since the intermediate portion 122 of the winding unit 114 can be pivoted via a shaft 124 to the lower part 121 and is connected thereto using the bolt 128, the entire upper part 120 can be integrally handled to enable the entire winding unit 114 to be easily replaced with a new one. As shown in Figure 4, each winding unit 114 has a transmission mechanism 152 for transmitting power between the lower part 121 and the intermediate portion 122. The transmission mechanism 152 has one 152a of a driving node and a driven node (in the drawings the driven node) disposed in the lower part 121 while having the other 152b (in the drawings the driving node) disposed in the intermediate portion 122. The nodes 152a, 152b are connected together for transmission when the intermediate portion 122 is upright at the winding operation position A, and are separated when the intermediate portion 122 is tilted toward the tilted position C. In the illustrated example, the driving node, that is, the other node 152b of the transmission mechanism 152 is formed of a cam while the driven node, that is, the one node 152a is formed of a cam lever, to drive the bobbin supply and ejection device 117 provided in the lower part 121. Figure 9 is a left side view a third embodiment of the present winding units, showing an automatic winder incorporating the present winding unit. This embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that a support leg 223a of a upper portion 223 is pivoted via a shaft 253 to a front side of a intermediate portion 222, a support leg 223a is connected via a bolt 255 to the intermediate portion 222, and the intermediate portion 222 and the upper portion 223 is individually removably connected to a base section 226 via bolts 230, 230, so that the upper portion 223 can be independently moved from the winding operation position A to the maintenance and inspection position G to allow the winding device 219 and other devices provided in the upper portion 223 to be independently inspected for maintenance.

Claims: An automatic winder (11) having a plurality of winding units (4) each winding unit comprising a bobbin supply and ejecting device (17), a yarn joining device (18) and a winding device (19) and divided into an upper part (20) and a lower part (21) pivotally connected to each other, characterized in that the upper part (20) where the yarn joining and the yarn winding devices (18, 19) are received is pivotally connected by a support leg to an intermediate position at the front side of the standing lower part (21) to tilt the upper part (20) from a winding position (A) to a tilted position (C) on an operation passage side, and that the upper and the lower part (20, 21) are detachably fixed (27) to a base section (26) of the winding unit. An automatic winder (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part (120) is divided into an upper portion (123) and an intermediate portion (122) detachably connected (125) to each other, and that the upper portion (123) is detachably connected (130) to the base section (126). An automatic winder (11) according to claim 2, characterized in that the upper portion (223) is pivotally connected to the intermediate portion (222) by a supporting leg (223a). An automatic winder according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that one plurality (M1-M4, S1-S4, 34, 36) of pneumatic paths with closing valves is provided in the base (26) on which winding units (4) are attached, said upper part (30) includes another plurality (R1-R4) of pneumatic paths, and a corresponding end of the other pneumatic paths can be removably joined to an end of the one pneumatic paths. An automatic winder according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said tilted position (C) is a position where the tilted upper part (20) is not hindering empty bobbins (B') from being conveyed by an empty bobbin conveyor (13) disposed on the said operation passage side. An automatic winder according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that one (38a) of a driving node and a driven node of a transmission mechanism (38) is located in said lower part (21) while the other (38b) is located in said upper part (20), and the driving and driven nodes (38) are connected together when said upper part (20) is located at said winding position (A) and are mutually separated when said upper part is located at said tilted position (C).

Inventors: KONO SATORU, TANIGAWA YASUNOBU, KONO, SATORU, TANIGAWA, YASUNOBU
Applicants: MURATA MACHINERY LTD, MURATA KIKAI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65H54
IPC codes: B65H54