EP3754063B1

EP3754063B1 - Fine spinning machine

Info

Publication number: EP3754063B1
Application number: EP20179917.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kohei Sato; Daisuke Tsuchida
Original assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Priority date: 2019-06-19
Filing date: 2020-06-15
Publication date: 2023-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-15
Also published as: JP2020204125A; JP7251345B2; EP3754063A1; CN112111818B; CN112111818A

Description

BACKGROUND ART

The present disclosure relates to a fine spinning machine including a fiber bundle condensing device.
Some fine spinning machines include a fiber bundle condensing device that condenses a fiber bundle drafted by a drafting device before the fiber bundle is twisted. The fiber bundle condensing device is intended to improve yarn quality by, for example, reducing fluff in a yarn. For example, a fiber bundle condensing device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-095233 (also published as EP 1 911 865 A2 ) includes a nip roller pair disposed downstream of a delivery roller pair of a drafting device, a suction pipe disposed between the nip roller pair and the delivery roller pair, and an air-permeable apron mounted on a lower roller of the nip roller pair, the suction pipe, and a guide portion in a surrounding manner. According to the configuration described in the Publication No. 2008-095233 , the air-permeable apron is mounted on the lower roller of the nip roller pair and pinched between upper and lower rollers of the nip roller pair, and by rotating the lower roller, the air-permeable apron is moved or rotated.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-034631 describes a configuration in which a nip roller and a suction pipe are provided downstream of a delivery roller pair of a drafting device, and an air-permeable apron is mounted on the suction pipe in a surrounding manner. According to the configuration described in the Publication No. 2000-034631 , the nip roller is pressed against the suction pipe on which the air-permeable apron is mounted so that the nip roller is brought into contact with the air-permeable apron. In this state, the nip roller is rotated and the air-permeable apron is moved or rotated.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-170043 describes a configuration in which a nip roller pair including an upper roller and a lower roller is disposed downstream of a drafting device, a suction pipe is disposed upstream of the upper roller, and an air-permeable apron is mounted on the suction pipe and the upper roller in a surrounding manner. According to the configuration described in the Publication No. 2000-170043 , the upper roller on which the air-permeable apron is mounted is pressed against the lower roller so that the upper roller is brought into contact with the lower roller. In this state, the lower roller is rotated and the air-permeable apron is moved or rotated.
However, the techniques described in the above three Publications have a following problem.
It has been generally known that in a drafting device, a circumferential velocity ratio of a delivery roller pair to a nip roller pair that is disposed downstream of the delivery roller pair (hereinafter, simply referred to as the circumferential velocity ratio) significantly influences on the yarn quality (e.g., fluff, unevenness, strength). Thus, in order to maintain a good yarn quality, stabilized circumferential velocity ratio is important. Meanwhile, it has been known that optimum circumferential velocity ratio varies depending on the material of yarn. In view of this, the circumferential velocity ratio should preferably be modifiable in accordance with the material of yarn.
The technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-095233 uses a small number of units for transmitting a rotational drive force from the lower roller of the delivery roller pair to the lower roller of the nip roller pair (hereinafter, also referred to as the lower nip roller), where a gear transmission mechanism is used for the transmission of the rotational drive force. The technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-034631 also uses a small number of units for transmitting a rotational drive force from the upper roller of the delivery roller pair to the nip roller, where a drive belt is used for the transmission of the rotational drive force. In this case, each time the circumferential velocity ratio is modified, a large number of parts or components need to be replaced. In view of this, modification of the circumferential velocity ratio is not practical. According to the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-095233 , the lower nip roller may be coupled with a single shaft for the purpose of reducing the number of parts or components to be replaced. However, coupling the lower nip roller with a single shaft then hinders replacement of the air-permeable apron, since the air-permeable apron is mounted on the lower nip roller.
Meanwhile, according to the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-170043 , the suction pipe is disposed on the same side as the upper roller (i.e., on the upper side), and a fiber bundle is moved below the suction pipe. In this case, there is a problem that the condition of condensation of the fiber bundle cannot be checked visually or by a similar method during an operation of the fine spinning machine, which delays detection of a failure or a trouble. Also, since the upper roller is made of a rubber, the circularity or the like of the upper roller may be disturbed by wear. Grinding such worn upper roller to correct the circularity changes the diameter of the upper roller and causes a deviation of the position of the suction pipe, lowering the yarn quality. This is another problem.
In the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-034631 , when the upper and lower rollers of the delivery roller pair are ground periodically, the ratio of the diameter of the upper roller to that of the lower roller changes before and after grinding, and the circumferential velocity ratio changes, accordingly. Therefore, in order to prevent lowering of yarn quality associated with grinding of rollers, roller diameters must be controlled strictly by, for example, grinding the upper and lower rollers at the same time.
JP 2005 - 082 956 A and DE 197 08 410 A1 disclose further prior art.
The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a fine spinning machine in which circumferential velocity ratio of the delivery roller pair to the nip roller pair of a drafting device is modifiable and changes in the circumferential velocity ratio associated with grinding of the rollers are reduced.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a fine spinning machine that includes a fiber bundle condensing device that condenses a fiber bundle drafted by a drafting device. The drafting device includes a delivery roller pair that includes a first drive roller and a first driven roller. The fiber bundle condensing device includes a nip roller pair that is disposed downstream of the delivery roller pair and includes a second drive roller and a second driven roller, a suction pipe that is disposed upstream of the nip roller pair and downstream of the delivery roller pair, and an air-permeable apron that is mounted on the suction pipe in a surrounding manner. A circumferential velocity ratio of the first drive roller to the second drive roller is modifiable. The fiber bundle condensing device includes a pressing mechanism configured to press the first driven roller or the second driven roller such that the first driven roller or the second driven roller is pressed against the first drive roller or the second drive roller forming the delivery roller pair and the nip roller pair, respectively, and against the air-permeable apron that is mounted on the suction pipe in a surrounding manner.
Other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a main part of a fine spinning machine according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining a configuration of a pressing mechanism for pressing an upper nip roller of the fine spinning machine according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a main part of a fine spinning machine according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a main part of a fine spinning machine according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, in the description of the fine spinning machine, one side and the other side with reference to a feeding direction in which a fiber bundle is fed are referred to as upstream side and downstream side, respectively.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a drafting device 1 includes a front roller pair 2. The front roller pair 2 corresponds to a delivery roller pair of the drafting device 1. A fiber bundle drafted by the drafting device 1 is fed to the downstream side of the drafting device 1 with the rotation of the front roller pair 2. The drafting device 1 includes a middle roller pair (not shown) and a rear roller pair (not shown), in addition to the front roller pair 2, and is configured to draft a fiber bundle by utilizing difference in the circumferential velocity of the respective roller pairs.
The front roller pair 2 includes an upper front roller 2a and a lower front roller 2b. The upper front roller 2a is a rubber roller, and the lower front roller 2b is a metallic roller. The upper front roller 2a is in contact with the lower front roller 2b with a specified pressing force. The upper front roller 2a corresponds to the first driven roller, and the lower front roller 2b corresponds to the first drive roller of the present disclosure. The drive roller herein refers to a roller that is driven and rotated by a driving source, and the driven roller refers to a roller that is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the drive roller. A fiber bundle condensing device 3 is disposed downstream of the drafting device 1 (the front roller pair 2).
The fiber bundle condensing device 3 is configured to condense a fiber bundle drafted by the drafting device 1. The fiber bundle condensing device 3 includes a suction pipe 5, an air-permeable apron 6 mounted on the suction pipe 5 in a surrounding manner, and a nip roller pair 7 disposed on the opposite side (the downstream side) from the front roller pair 2 with the suction pipe 5 disposed between the front roller pair 2 and the nip roller pair 7. The suction pipe 5 is disposed upstream of the nip roller pair 7 and downstream of the front roller pair 2.
The suction pipe 5 includes a guide surface 5a having suction holes (not illustrated). The air-permeable apron 6 is mounted on the suction pipe 5 in such a manner that the air-permeable apron 6 surrounds and covers the guide surface 5a. A tension is applied to the air-permeable apron 6 by an apron guide 8, which will be described later, so that the air-permeable apron 6 is in close contact with the guide surface 5a of the suction pipe 5. The air-permeable apron 6 is an endless belt having no end, and formed of a mesh woven fabric having an appropriate air permeability. The air-permeable apron 6 is mounted on the suction pipe 5 and the apron guide 8 in a surrounding manner, but not mounted on the lower nip roller 7b. The apron guide 8 is adapted to guide the movement of the air-permeable apron 6 while applying an appropriate tension to the air-permeable apron 6.
The nip roller pair 7 includes an upper nip roller 7a and a lower nip roller 7b. The upper nip roller 7a is a rubber roller, and the lower nip roller 7b is a metallic roller. The upper nip roller 7a corresponds to the second driven roller, and the lower nip roller 7b corresponds to the second drive roller of the present disclosure. Here, the relationship between the front roller pair 2 and the nip roller pair 7 is set such that the circumferential velocity ratio of the lower front roller 2b to the lower nip roller 7b is modifiable. Specifically, a configuration may be employed in which the lower front roller 2b and the lower nip roller 7b are individually driven to rotate by using separate drive sources. In a case where the lower front roller 2b and the lower nip roller 7b are driven to rotate by a common drive source, a replaceable drive force transmitting mechanism for transmitting drive force of the drive source to the lower front roller 2b and the lower nip roller 7b may be employed. As the drive force transmitting mechanism, for example, a gear transmission mechanism may be employed.
The lower nip roller 7b is the drive roller forming a pair with the upper nip roller 7a. The upper nip roller 7a is pressed against the lower nip roller 7b at point A. Also, the upper nip roller 7a is pressed at point B against the suction pipe 5 on which the air-permeable apron 6 is mounted. Thus, the air-permeable apron 6 is pinched at the point B between the guide surface 5a of the suction pipe 5 and an outer circumferential surface of the upper nip roller 7a. It is to be noted that when the fiber bundle drafted by the drafting device 1 is condensed by the fiber bundle condensing device 3, the drafted fiber bundle is pinched between the upper nip roller 7a and the air-permeable apron 6 and between the upper nip roller 7a and the lower nip roller 7b.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining a configuration of a pressing mechanism for pressing the upper nip roller 7a of the fine spinning machine according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, a pressing mechanism 11 includes a spring member 15 and a holder 16 attached to the spring member 15. The spring member 15 is made of a leaf spring that is bent into a specified shape. A fixed end (upper end) of the spring member 15 is fixed to a weighting arm (not shown).
The holder 16 is attached to a free end (lower end) of the spring member 15. The holder 16 is configured to support a rotating support shaft 7c of the upper nip roller 7a. The rotating support shaft 7c is disposed so as to be concentric with the upper nip roller 7a. The holder 16 has a support portion 17 adapted to support a rotating support shaft 7c of the upper nip roller 7a. The support portion 17 is adapted to support the rotating support shaft 7c of the upper nip roller 7a by being engaged with the rotating support shaft 7c.
The suction pipe 5 and the lower nip roller 7b are arranged adjacent to each other in Z-direction. That is, the Z-direction herein corresponds to the direction in which the suction pipe 5 and the lower nip roller 7b are adjacent to each other. The support portion 17 has a shape of a long hole which is longer in the Z-direction so as to permit the rotating support shaft 7c to move in the Z-direction. The dimension of the support portion 17 or the long hole in the longer direction is greater than the diameter of the rotating support shaft 7c. Therefore, when the rotating support shaft 7c is engaged with the support portion 17, there is a clearance or a space in the support portion 17 in the longitudinal direction thereof. This clearance allows the movement of the rotating support shaft 7c in the Z-direction within the support portion 17. That is, in the support portion 17, a clearance for the rotating support shaft 7c of the upper nip roller 7a is provided in the direction in which the suction pipe 5 and the lower nip roller 7b are adjacent to each other.
The support portion 17 has a cutout portion 17a formed on an upper side of the support portion 17 so that the rotating support shaft 7c is engaged with and disengaged from the support portion 17 through the cutout portion 17a. Here, a tangential line that is tangential to the lower nip roller 7b at the pressing point A between the lower nip roller 7b and the upper nip roller 7a is referred to as tangential line L1 and a tangential line that is tangential to the suction pipe 5 at the pressing point B between the suction pipe 5 on which the air-permeable apron 6 is mounted and the upper nip roller 7a is referred to as tangential line L2, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The tangential line L1 and the tangential line L2 form a shape that is concave toward the lower nip roller 7b and the suction pipe 5.
In the pressing mechanism 11 configured as described above, the rotating support shaft 7c of the upper nip roller 7a is supported by the support portion 17 of the holder 16 by being engaged with the support portion 17. In this state, the upper nip roller 7a is pressed against the suction pipe 5 and the lower nip roller 7b by means of an urging force of the spring member 15. Then, the rotating support shaft 7c of the pressed upper nip roller 7a is moved in the Z-direction within the support portion 17, and the upper nip roller 7a is automatically repositioned to a position where the upper nip roller 7a is pressed against both the air-permeable apron 6 mounted on the suction pipe 5 and the lower nip roller 7b. As a result, movement of the upper nip roller 7a during pressing is prevented and the upper nip roller 7a is always positioned at a specified position.
The following will describe motion of the fine spinning machine according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
First, a fiber bundle drafted by the drafting device 1 is fed to the fiber bundle condensing device 3 by the front roller pair 2. The fiber bundle that is fed to the fiber bundle condensing device 3 is moved with the air-permeable apron 6 on the guide surface 5a of the suction pipe 5, nipped by the nip roller pair 7 and fed further to the downstream side by the nip roller pair 7.
During the feeding of the fiber bundle, the upper front roller 2a is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the lower front roller 2b, and the upper nip roller 7a is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the lower nip roller 7b. That is, the upper front roller 2a and the lower front roller 2b rotate at the same circumferential velocity, and the upper nip roller 7a and the lower nip roller 7b rotate at the same circumferential velocity. Therefore, for example, in the case where the lower front roller 2b and the lower nip roller 7b are individually driven to rotate by separate drive sources, the circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 to the nip roller pair 7 may be modified by changing the number of rotations (the circumferential velocity) of the rollers by at least one of the drive sources for the lower front roller 2b and the drive source for the lower nip roller 7b. In this way, an optimum value may be set for the circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 to the nip roller pair 7 depending on the material of the yarn.
Also, when the upper nip roller 7a is ground, the diameter of the upper nip roller 7a changes before and after grinding. However, as described above, the circumferential velocity of the upper nip roller 7a is equalized to the circumferential velocity of the lower nip roller 7b. In other words, the upper nip roller 7a is always rotated at the same circumferential velocity as the lower nip roller 7b, regardless whether the upper nip roller 7a is ground or not. Thus, the circumferential velocity of the upper nip roller 7a does not change even after the upper nip roller 7a is ground. The same applies to the front roller pair 2. As a result, changes in the circumferential velocity ratio associated with grinding of rollers may be prevented.
Meanwhile, the air-permeable apron 6 mounted on the suction pipe 5 is moved or rotated in accordance with the rotation of the upper nip roller 7a. Therefore, the moving speed of the air-permeable apron 6 is determined by the circumferential velocity of the upper nip roller 7a. Thus, as described above, if the circumferential velocity of the upper nip roller 7a does not change before and after grinding, the moving speed of the air-permeable apron 6 also does not change. Therefore, after an optimum value is set for the circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 to the nip roller pair 7 depending on the material of the yarn, the optimum setting may be maintained even when the upper nip roller 7a is ground.
According to the first embodiment, the nip roller pair 7 is disposed downstream of the suction pipe 5, and a fiber bundle is drawn by the nip roller pair 7. Thus, even when a fiber in the fiber bundle is caught by the air-permeable apron 6 moving on the guide surface 5a of the suction pipe 5, the fiber bundle may be separated from the air-permeable apron 6 by utilizing the drawing force of the nip roller pair 7. As a result, occurrence of breakage of a fiber of the fiber bundle that is caught by the air-permeable apron 6 may be prevented.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a main part of a fine spinning machine according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
In the description of the second embodiment, same reference numerals are used to describe the same or similar components described in the first embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, a front roller pair 2 includes an upper front roller 2a and a lower front roller 2b, and a nip roller pair 7 includes an upper nip roller 7a and a lower nip roller 7b. The circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 (the lower front roller 2b) to the nip roller pair 7 (the lower nip roller 7b) is modifiable. A specific configuration for modifying the circumferential velocity ratio of the both roller pairs is as per the first embodiment.
The upper front roller 2a is pressed against the lower front roller 2b at point C. The upper front roller 2a is pressed against the air-permeable apron 6 mounted on the suction pipe 5 at point D. Thus, at the point D, the air-permeable apron 6 is pinched between the guide surface 5a of the suction pipe 5 and an outer circumferential surface of the upper front roller 2a. When a fiber bundle is moved from a drafting device 1 to a fiber bundle condensing device 3, the fiber bundle is pinched between the upper front roller 2a and the lower front roller 2b and also between the upper front roller 2a and the air-permeable apron 6.
It is to be noted that a pressing mechanism for pressing the upper front roller 2a against the lower front roller 2b and the air-permeable apron 6 may be configured in the same manner as the pressing mechanism 11 of the first embodiment, for example. That is, the pressing mechanism of the second embodiment may include a spring member 15 and a holder 16 having a support portion 17, and the holder 16 may be configured to support a rotating support shaft of the upper front roller 2a with the support portion 17 thereof.
In the fine spinning machine according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper front roller 2a is pressed against the lower front roller 2b and the air-permeable apron 6. Thus, the upper front roller 2a is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the lower front roller 2b, and the air-permeable apron 6 mounted on the suction pipe 5 is moved or rotated in accordance with the rotation of the upper front roller 2a. The upper nip roller 7a is pressed against the lower nip roller 7b only. Accordingly, the upper nip roller 7a is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the lower nip roller 7b. Therefore, for example, in the case where the lower front roller 2b and the lower nip roller 7b are individually driven to rotate by separate drive sources, the circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 to the nip roller pair 7 may be modified by changing the number of rotations (the circumferential velocity) of the rollers by at least one of the drive source for the lower front roller 2b and the drive source for the lower nip roller 7b. In this way, an optimum value may be set for the circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 to the nip roller pair 7 depending on the material of the yarn.
Also, when the upper front roller 2a is ground, the diameter of the upper front roller 2a changes before and after grinding. However, the circumferential velocity of the upper front roller 2a is equalized to the circumferential velocity of the lower front roller 2b. In other words, the upper front roller 2a is always rotated at the same circumferential velocity as the lower front roller 2b regardless whether the upper front roller 2a is ground or not. Thus, the circumferential velocity of the lower front roller 2b does not change even if the upper front roller 2a is ground. As a result, changes in the circumferential velocity ratio associated with grinding of rollers may be prevented.
The air-permeable apron 6 mounted on the suction pipe 5 is moved or rotated in accordance with the rotation of the upper front roller 2a. Therefore, the moving speed of the air-permeable apron 6 is determined by the circumferential velocity of the upper front roller 2a. Thus, as described above, if the circumferential velocity of the upper front roller 2a does not change before and after grinding, the moving speed of the air-permeable apron 6 also does not change. Therefore, after an optimum value is set for the circumferential velocity ratio of the front roller pair 2 to the nip roller pair 7 depending on the material of the yarn, the optimum setting may be maintained even when the upper front roller 2a is ground.
It is to be noted that the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may variously be modified or improved within the range in which specified effects can be derived from combinations of the parts and components of the present disclosure and other elements.
For example, in the first embodiment, although the spring member 15 is used for the pressing mechanism 11 that presses the upper nip roller 7a, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, an air pressure or a magnetic force may be used for pressing, or, roller's own weight may be used for pressing. The same applies to the second embodiment. In a case where an air pressure is used for pressing, even though a diameter of the roller to be pressed is changed by grinding, the pressing force that is applied to the roller by means of the air pressure does not change. Accordingly, the pressing force applied to the roller is maintained at a constant level both before and after grinding.
In the first embodiment, the holder 16 has the support portion 17 having a shape of a long hole, and with the long hole shape, movement of the rotating support shaft 7c in the Z-direction is permitted. However, the configuration of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the configuration may be such that the rotating support shaft 7c of the upper nip roller 7a is fixed to the holder 16, and the holder 16 and the rotating support shaft 7c are supported by an weighting arm (not shown) while being movable in the Z-direction to thereby permit the movement of the rotating support shaft 7c in the Z-direction. Alternatively, the holder 16 may be formed of two components, that is, a first holder portion and a second holder portion that are movable relative to each other in the Z-direction. In this case, the first holder portion is fixed to the rotating support shaft 7c, and the second holder portion is fixed to the weighting arm, to thereby permit the movement of the rotating support shaft 7c in the Z-direction.

Claims

A fine spinning machine comprising a fiber bundle condensing device (3) that condenses a fiber bundle drafted by a drafting device (1), the drafting device (1) including a delivery roller pair (2) comprising a first drive roller (2b) and a first driven roller (2a), the fiber bundle condensing device (3) including a nip roller pair (7) that is disposed downstream of the delivery roller pair (2) and comprises a second drive roller (7b) and a second driven roller (7a), a suction pipe (5) that is disposed upstream of the nip roller pair (7) and downstream of the delivery roller pair (2), and an air-permeable apron (6) that is mounted on the suction pipe (5) in a surrounding manner, wherein a circumferential velocity ratio of the first drive roller (2b) to the second drive roller (7b) is modifiable, characterized in that
the fiber bundle condensing device (3) includes a pressing mechanism (11) configured to press the first driven roller (2a) or the second driven roller (7a) such that the first driven roller (2a) or the second driven roller (7a) is pressed against the first drive roller (2b) or the second drive roller (7b) forming the delivery roller pair or the nip roller pair, respectively, and against the air-permeable apron (6) that is mounted on the suction pipe (5) in a surrounding manner.
The fine spinning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that
the pressing mechanism (11) includes a holder (16) for supporting a rotating support shaft (7c) of the first driven roller (2a) or the second driven roller (7a), and

the holder (16) is configured to support the rotating support shaft (7c) while permitting the rotating support shaft (7c) to move in a direction in which the first drive roller (2b) or the second drive roller (7b) of the rotating support shaft (7c), and the suction pipe (5) are adjacent to each other, when the pressing mechanism (11) presses the first driven roller (2a) or the second driven roller (7a).
The fine spinning machine according to claim 2, characterized in that
the holder (16) has a support portion (17) in which a clearance for the rotating support shaft (7c) is provided in a direction in which the first drive roller (2b) or the second drive roller (7b), and the suction pipe (5) are adjacent to each other.