FILAMENT WINDING DEVICE AND COIL REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE

Abstract

A filament winding device (1), consisting of: a winding unit (40) configured to wind a fiber bundle (F) onto a liner (L); a spool carrier shaft (71, 91) rotatably supporting a feed spool (B1) supplying the fiber bundle (F) to the winding unit (40) and a reserve spool (B2) distinct from the feed spool (B1), wherein the feed spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) are held in a state in which a winding start section of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the feed spool (B1) is connected to a winding end section of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the reserve spool (B2); and a fiber bundle storage unit (50) provided between the spool carrier shaft (71, 91) and the winding unit (40) in one direction of travel of the fiber bundle (F) and temporarily storing the fiber bundle (F) supplied to the winding unit (40). the fiber bundle storage unit (50) comprises: a switching unit (54) capable of switching a state of the fiber bundle storage unit (50) between a storage state in which the fiber bundle (F) is stored by the fiber bundle storage unit (50) and a storage release state in which the storage of the fiber bundle (F) by the fiber bundle storage unit (50) is released and the fiber bundle (F) is delivered from the fiber bundle storage unit (50) to the winding unit (40), wherein the spool carrier shaft (71, 91) is capable of supporting the feed spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2), which are aligned in the axial direction of the spool carrier shaft (71, 91), and the feed spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) are rotatable together, and the coil carrier shaft (71,91) includes: a first support shaft (71) which is rotatable together with either the feed coil (B1) or the reserve coil (B2); a second support shaft (91) which is rotatable together with the other of the feed coil (B1) and the reserve coil (B2); and a connecting section (74,94) which is provided between the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91) in the axial direction and is able to connect the first support shaft (71) to the second support shaft (91) so that they can be rotated together, and to decouple the first support shaft (71) from the second support shaft (91).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a filament winding apparatus configured to wind fiber bundles on a liner, and to a method for replacing spools for the filament winding apparatus. [State of the art]

[0002] JP 2014-231145 A discloses a filament winding device that winds a resin-impregnated carbon fiber onto a cylindrical member, e.g., a liner. The filament winding device includes a coil winding unit that performs a coil-shaped winding on the liner and a fiber feeding unit that feeds the carbon fiber to the coil winding unit. To be more specific, the

[0003] Fiber feed unit a spool shaft that carries two spools for fiber feed, which are alignable and rotatable, and the carbon fibers wound on one of the spools are fed to the coil winding unit.

[0004] A filament winding end portion of the carbon fiber wound on the other of the spools (i.e., the outer end portion in the radial direction of the spool) is glued and fixed to a filament winding start portion of the carbon fiber wound on one of the spools (i.e., the inner end portion in the radial direction of the spool). With this arrangement, after one of the spools is emptied, a carbon fiber can be continuously fed from the other of the spools of the spiral winding unit. The empty spool is replaced with another fully wound spool, and the end portion of the carbon fiber wound on the new spool is glued and fixed to the end portion of the carbon fiber of the spool from which the carbon fiber is fed. FR 2 667 053 A1 shows a store that temporarily stores a wire B. JP S64-47 740 U shows a wire storage device that temporarily stores a wire 3.

[0005] US 2015 / 0 166 288 A1 discloses a method for conveying a steel wire 10. The amount of stored steel wire 10 is changed by moving a roller 32. US 2015 / 0 166 288 A1 discloses a device for temporarily storing a paper tape 10. [Summary of the invention][Technical problem]

[0006] When the end pieces of the carbon fibers wound on the two spools are bonded and secured together, the rotation of the two spools must be stopped. In other words, during bonding and securing, the supply of carbon fiber from the spool to the coil winding unit is temporarily stopped. For this reason, bonding and securing, although necessary in cases such as winding a fiber bundle, cannot be performed in the filament winding device of JP 2014-231145 A.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to enable the connection of end sections of fiber bundles wound on different spools, even during the winding of the fiber bundle. [Solution to the problem]

[0008] This object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, a thread winding device comprises: a winding unit configured to wind a fiber bundle on a liner; a bobbin support shaft rotatably supporting a supply bobbin feeding the fiber bundle to the winding unit and a reserve bobbin different from the supply bobbin, the supply bobbin and the reserve bobbin being supported in a state

[0010] in which a winding start portion of a fiber bundle wound on the supply spool is connected to a winding end portion of a fiber bundle wound on the reserve spool, and a fiber bundle storage unit which is provided between the spool support shaft and the winding unit in a running direction of the fiber bundle and temporarily stores the fiber bundle supplied to the winding unit, wherein the fiber bundle storage unit includes: a switching unit which is capable of switching a state of the fiber bundle storage unit to switch between a storage state in which the fiber bundle is stored by the fiber bundle storage unit and a storage release state in which the stored fiber bundle is output by the fiber bundle storage unit and the fiber bundle is supplied from the fiber bundle storage unit to the winding unit.

[0011] In the present invention, the supply spool and the reserve spool are rotatably supported by the spool support shaft. Since the winding start end portion of the fiber bundle of the supply spool (i.e., the inner end portion of the fiber bundle in the radial direction of the supply spool) is connected to the winding end portion of the fiber bundle of the reserve spool (i.e., the outer end portion of the fiber bundle in the radial direction of the reserve spool), it is possible to continue supplying the fiber bundle to the winding unit from the reserve spool even when the supply spool becomes empty.

[0012] As described above, when the supply bobbin becomes empty, it is necessary to replace the empty bobbin with a fully wound new bobbin and connect an end portion of the fiber bundle of the reserve bobbin from which the fiber bundle is supplied to an end portion of the fiber bundle of the new bobbin. Since it is extremely difficult to perform the joining while the bobbins are rotating, it is necessary to stop the rotation of the reserve bobbin and the new bobbin at least during the joining. According to the present invention, the state of the fiber bundle storage is switched between the storage state and the storage release state by the switching unit. When it is not necessary to stop the rotation of the reserve bobbin from which the fiber bundle is supplied, the fiber bundle storage unit is kept in the storage state, and thus the fiber bundle is stored in the fiber bundle storage unit.Meanwhile, when splicing needs to be performed, the fiber bundle storage unit is switched to the storage release state. This makes it possible to perform splicing while the fiber bundle stored in the fiber bundle storage unit is being fed to the winding unit, even though the rotation of the reserve bobbin and the rotation of the new bobbin are stopped. Therefore, splicing can be performed while the fiber bundle is being wound.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of the first aspect is arranged such that the fiber bundle storage unit comprises: a first roller on which the fiber bundle is deposited; a second roller on which the fiber bundle is deposited, wherein the fiber bundle is stored between the first and second rollers in the running direction;and a third roller provided between the first roller and the second roller in the running direction and movable relative to the first roller and the second roller in an intersection direction intersecting a line connecting the center of the first roller and the center of the second roller, and the switching unit that sets the fiber bundle storage unit in the storage state by holding the third roller at a predetermined storage position in the intersection direction and sets the fiber bundle storage unit in the storage release state by allowing the third roller at the storage position to move to a position close to the first roller and the second roller compared to the storage position in the intersection direction.;

[0014] In the present invention, the fiber bundle storage unit is placed in the storage state because the third roller is held in the storage position by the switching unit, and the fiber bundle storage unit is placed in the storage release state because the third roller can be moved by the switching unit to a position close to the first roller and the second roller compared to the storage position. Thus, switching between the storage state and the storage release state is realized by the simple arrangement.

[0015] According to a third aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of the second aspect is arranged such that the switching unit includes a stopper capable of preventing the movement of the third roller toward the first roller and the second roller in the cutting direction and allowing the movement of the third roller toward the first roller and the second roller in the cutting direction.

[0016] In the present invention, when the third roller is in the above-described storage position, the stopper prevents the third roller from moving toward the first roller and the second roller in the cutting direction. Therefore, it is possible to keep the fiber bundle storage unit in the storage state. Furthermore, when the rotation of the two spools is stopped to perform splicing, the third roller allows the third roller to move toward the first roller and the second roller in the cutting direction, and thus, the third roller becomes movable to shorten the fiber bundle stored in the fiber bundle storage unit. (In other words, the fiber bundle storage unit is switched to the storage disassembly state.) In this way, the simple arrangement allows the fiber bundle storage unit to be kept in the storage state and switches the fiber bundle storage unit from the storage state to the storage disassembly state.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of the third aspect is arranged such that the stopper comprises a pressing part capable of pressing the third roll away from the first roll and the second roll in the cutting direction, and the pressing part is movable between a first position in which the third roll is pressed and held in the storage position and a second position in which the pressing part is closer to the first roll and the second roll compared to the first position in the cutting direction.

[0018] In the present invention, when the pressing part of the plug is at the first position, the third roller is held at the storage position, and the fiber bundle storage unit is maintained in the storage state. When the pressing part moves from the first position to the second position, the movement of the third roller is permitted, and the fiber bundle storage unit is switched to the storage release state. In addition, when the pressing part moves from the second position to the first position, the third roller is returned to the storage position by the pressing part, and the fiber bundle storage unit returns to the storage state. In this way, the state of the fiber bundle storage unit is switched between the storage state and the storage release state by this simple arrangement.

[0019] According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of any one of the first to fourth aspects further includes a stop portion configured to stop the rotation of the supply spool and the rotation of the reserve spool.

[0020] In the present invention, joining can be performed at any time even while the winding unit is running by switching the fiber bundle storage unit to the storage release state and forcibly stopping the rotation of the supply bobbin and the rotation of the reserve bobbin by the stop part. Furthermore, since the stop part prevents inadvertent rotation of the supply bobbin and the reserve bobbin during joining, which occurs during the operation of the winding machine, joining can be performed safely.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of any one of the first to fifth aspects is arranged such that the bobbin support shaft is capable of aligning the supply bobbin and the reserve bobbin in the axial direction of the bobbin support shaft, and the supply bobbin and the reserve bobbin are rotatable together.

[0022] Since the supply spool and the reserve spool are mounted in axial alignment (i.e., coaxially) and can be rotated together with the spool support shaft, the supply spool and the reserve spool in this invention are guaranteed to rotate at the same speed. This avoids problems such as twisting of the end portions of the fiber bundles of the two interconnected spools.

[0023] According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of the sixth aspect is arranged such that the bobbin support shaft includes: a first support shaft rotatable together with one of the two bobbins, the supply bobbin or the reserve bobbin; a second support shaft rotatable together with the other of the two bobbins, the supply bobbin or the reserve bobbin; and a connecting portion provided between the first support shaft and the second support shaft in the axial direction and capable of connecting the first support shaft to the second support shaft to be rotatable together and separating the first support shaft from the second support shaft.

[0024] In the present invention, when the first support shaft and the second support shaft are connected to each other by the connecting part, the first support shaft and the second support shaft rotate together, and the supply bobbin and the reserve bobbin rotate at the same speed. When the supply bobbin becomes empty and the supply of the fiber bundle to the winding station continues from the reserve bobbin, the rotation of only the empty bobbin (previous supply bobbin) can be stopped by separating the first support shaft from the second support shaft. For this reason, the replacement of the empty bobbin can be performed while the supply of the fiber bundle from the reserve bobbin to the winding station continues (that is, without canceling the storage of the fiber bundle by the fiber bundle storage).In other words, it is not necessary to release the fiber bundle storage during the changeover, and the unloading of the fiber bundle storage to stop the rotation of the two spools is only required during the joining process. Therefore, the time required to keep the fiber bundle storage unit in the unloading state is short, and the fiber bundle stored in the fiber bundle storage unit is less likely to run out.

[0025] According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of the seventh aspect further comprises a support that rotatably supports end portions of the first support shaft and the second support shaft, the end portions being located on the side opposite to the connecting portion in the axial direction when the first support shaft is separated from the second support shaft.

[0026] When replacing a bobbin, it is necessary to detach the bobbin from the bobbin support shaft and attach it to the bobbin support shaft by moving the bobbin in the axial direction. For this reason, for example, in the case of a cantilevered bobbin support shaft (i.e., only one of the first or the second support shaft is rotatably supported), the following problem occurs. When a bobbin on the bottom side becomes empty and the empty bobbin on the bottom side is replaced with a new bobbin while a fiber bundle is being fed from a bobbin on the front end side to a winding unit, it is impossible to detach the empty bobbin from the front end side because the empty bobbin interferes with the bobbin on the front end side. Therefore, a structure for detaching the bobbin on the bottom end side from the bottom end side is required, and such a structure may complicate the structure of the device.According to the present invention, the support rotatably supports end portions of the first and second support shafts, with the end portions being located on the opposite side in the axial direction from the connecting portion. In other words, the support supports the two end portions of the spool support shaft. Furthermore, the first and second support shafts can be pulled apart when separated from each other. Therefore, the spool can be inserted or removed during replacement by separating the first and second support shafts. This prevents the device from becoming structurally complicated.

[0027] According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the filament winding device of the eighth aspect is arranged so that at least one of the first or second support shafts is movable at least in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction when the first support shaft is separated from the second support shaft.

[0028] As described above, when replacing a coil, it is necessary to move the coil in the axial direction. For this reason, for removing or attaching the coil, a space at least as long as the coil must be provided on an extension line in the axial direction of the coil support shaft. Therefore, according to the eighth aspect, when the first and second support shafts can be separated only in the axial direction, it is necessary to distance them from each other in the axial direction by the length of the coil, and a large space must be provided in the axial direction for replacement. This may result in an increase in the size of the device. In the present invention, the first and second support shafts are movable at least in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. In other words, it is possible to arrange the shaft center of the first support shaft and the shaft center of the second support shaft so that they deviate from each other.With this arrangement, the coil attached to the first support shaft can be removed or installed in the axial direction by utilizing the space on the second support shaft side. Similarly, the coil attached to the second support shaft can be removed or installed in the axial direction by utilizing the space on the first support shaft side. This avoids increasing the size of the device.

[0029] According to a tenth aspect of the invention, a bobbin replacement method used in the filament winding device, wherein the filament winding device is provided with a winding unit configured to wind a fiber bundle on a liner, and a bobbin support shaft rotatably supporting a supply bobbin feeding the fiber bundle to the winding unit and a reserve bobbin different from the supply bobbin, wherein the supply bobbin and the reserve bobbin are held in a state in which a winding start portion of a fiber bundle wound on the supply bobbin is connected to a winding end portion of a fiber bundle wound on the reserve bobbin, wherein the bobbin replacement method is a method of replacing an empty bobbin with a new bobbin while continuing to supply the fiber bundle to the winding unit from the reserve bobbin when the supply bobbin becomes empty,while the winding unit winds the fiber bundle onto the liner, the spool replacement method comprising: an exchange step of detaching the empty spool from the spool support shaft and attaching the new spool to the spool support shaft while stopping the rotation of the empty spool; a joining step of joining a winding start portion of a fiber bundle wound on the new spool to a winding end portion of a fiber bundle wound on the reserve spool while stopping the rotation of the new spool and the rotation of the reserve spool after the exchange step; and a rotation restart step of canceling a rotation stop state of the new spool and a rotation stop state of the reserve spool after the joining step, wherein the filament winding device further comprises a fiber bundle storage unit that can be switched between a storage state in which the fiber bundle storage unit stores the fiber bundle,which is to be fed to the winding unit, and a storage release state in which the storage state is canceled, and the fiber bundle storage unit is kept in the storage state at least until the replacement step, wherein the fiber bundle storage unit is switched from the storage state to the storage release state before the rotation of the reserve spool is stopped, and the fiber bundle storage unit is switched from the storage release state to the storage state after the step of restarting the rotation.

[0030] In the present invention, an empty bobbin is replaced with a new bobbin while the supply of the fiber bundle to the winding unit continues from the reserve bobbin when the supply bobbin becomes empty. In the present invention, before the rotation of the reserve bobbin is stopped, the fiber bundle storage unit is switched from the storage state to the storage release state. For this reason, the joining step can be performed while the fiber bundle is being supplied from the fiber bundle storage unit to the winding unit even after the rotation of the reserve bobbin has stopped. In addition, since the fiber bundle storage unit is switched from the storage release state to the storage state after the rotation restart step, the fiber bundle can be stored again. Thus, the joining step can be performed while the fiber bundle is being wound.

[0031] According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, the bobbin changing method of the tenth aspect is designed such that during the change, the rotation of the reserve bobbin is not stopped and the fiber bundle storage is kept in the storage state.

[0032] In the present invention, the fiber bundle storage unit is maintained in the storage state during the replacement step. Therefore, the fiber bundle supplied from the reserve spool can be stored in the fiber bundle storage unit even during the replacement step, further shortening the time for which the fiber bundle storage unit is maintained in the storage dissolution state. Therefore, the fiber bundle stored in the fiber bundle storage unit is less likely to run out. [Brief description of the drawings] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a filament winding device of an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a winding device. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an electrical configuration of the filament winding device. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fiber bundle path. Fig. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a fiber bundle storage unit. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a spool holder. Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B are each a front view of the spool holder. Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B are each a side view of the spool holder. Fig. 9A to Fig. 9C each show a connecting part of the spool holder. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B each show a stop portion of the spool holder. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a series of steps of bobbin changing. Fig. 12A to Fig. 12F shows a state of the spool holder and the fiber bundle storage unit during spool replacement. Fig. 13A to Fig. 13F shows the state of the spool holder and the fiber bundle storage unit during spool replacement. Fig. 14A to Fig. 14F each show a state of the bobbin holder and the fiber bundle storage unit during bobbin replacement. Fig. 15 relates to a modification and is a schematic diagram of a fiber bundle storage unit. [Description of the embodiments]

[0033] In the following, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 14. The following are the Fig. For convenience of explanation, the directions shown in Figure 1—forward, backward, left, and right—are used uniformly. Furthermore, the direction orthogonal to the forward, backward, left, and right directions is referred to as the up-down direction in which gravity acts (the cutting direction in the present invention). (Outline of the filament winding device)

[0034] First, a filament winding device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The filament winding device 1 consists of a winder 2, a creel stand 3, and a control panel 4.

[0035] The winder 2 winds fiber bundles onto a liner L. Each fiber bundle is formed, for example, by impregnating a thermosetting resin material into a fiber material such as carbon fiber. The liner L is made of high-strength aluminum, for example, when manufacturing a pressure vessel. The liner L includes a cylindrical portion and domed portions formed on the respective sides of the cylindrical portion. The winder 2 will be described in detail later.

[0036] The creel stand 3 supplies fiber bundles to a coil winding unit 40 (winding unit of the present invention) described later. The creel stand 3 consists of a support frame 11 and bobbins 60 (beams of the present invention) supported by the support frame 11. The support frame 11 is constructed substantially symmetrically in the left-right direction. At a central part of the support frame 11 in the left-right direction, an installation space 12 is formed, in which the winder 2 is partially installed. (Details of the interior of the installation space 12 are not shown in the drawing.) Each of the bobbins 60 rotatably supports a bobbin B on which a fiber bundle to be supplied to the coil winding unit 40 is wound. Each bobbin 60 is capable of supporting two bobbins B. The bobbin 60 will be described in detail later.

[0037] The control panel 4 comprises a controller 5, a display 6, and an operating unit 7. The controller 5 controls each part of the winder 2. The display 6 shows, for example, a winding status of fiber bundles onto the liner L by the winder 2. The operating unit 7 allows an operator to enter, for example, a winding status of the winder 2 into the controller 5. (Structure of the winder)

[0038] The following describes the structure of the winder 2 in relation to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The winder 2 comprises a base 15, support units 20 (a first support unit 21 and a second support unit 22), a tire winding unit 30, and a spiral winding unit 40.

[0039] The base 15 supports the support units 20, the tire winding unit 30, and the coil winding unit 40 (winding unit of the present invention). The base 15 extends in the front-to-back direction. On the base 15, the first support unit 21, the tire winding unit 30, the coil winding unit 40, and the second support unit 22 are provided in this order from the front to the back. On the top of the base 15, rails 16 are provided that extend in the front-to-back direction. The support units 20 and the tire winding unit 30 are arranged on the rails 16 and are movable in the front-to-back direction along the rails 16. The coil winding unit 40 is fixed to the base 15 at a front end portion of the installation space 12 of the creel stand 3 (see Fig. 1).

[0040] The support units 20 include the first support unit 21, which is provided in front of the tire winding unit 30, and the second support unit 22, which is provided behind the spiral winding unit 40. The support units 20 support the liner L so that the liner L is rotatable about a support shaft 23 extending in the axial direction of the liner L (i.e., in the front-to-back direction). The support units 20 include a movement motor 24, which moves the support units 20 in the front-to-back direction along the rails 16, and a rotation motor 25, which rotates the liner L (see Fig. 3). The movement motor 24 and the rotation motor 25 are controlled by the controller 5.

[0041] The tire winding unit 30 winds the fiber bundles onto the liner L (i.e., winds the fiber bundles in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the liner L). The tire winding unit 30 includes a main body 31 and a rotating member 32. The main body 31 is located on the rails 16 and supports the rotating member 32 so that it can rotate about the axis of the liner L. A circular through-hole 34 is formed at a central portion in the radial direction of the rotating member 32 to allow the passage of the liner L. Spools 33, each of which has a fiber bundle wound thereon, are attached to the tire winding unit 30. The spools 33 are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating member 32.

[0042] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the tire winding unit 30 includes a moving motor 35 that moves the tire winding unit 30 in the front-to-back direction along the rails 16, and a rotating motor 36 that rotates the rotating member 32. The moving motor 35 and the rotating motor 36 are controlled by the controller 5. The controller 5 rotates the rotating member 32 while reciprocating the tire winding unit 30 along the rails 16 so that the liner L relatively passes through the through hole 34. As a result, the spools 33 rotate around the axis of the liner L, and the fiber bundles are taken out from the spools 33. The taken out fiber bundles are simultaneously wound onto the surface of the liner L.

[0043] The spiral winding unit 40 spirally winds the fiber bundles on the liner L (i.e., winds the fiber bundles in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the liner L). The spiral winding unit 40 includes a main body 41, a plurality of guides 42, and a plurality of nozzles 43. The main body 41 is configured to be fixedly supported on the base 15. A circular through-hole 44 is formed at a central portion in the left-right direction of the main body 41 for passing the liner L in the front-backward direction. The guides 42 and the nozzles 43 are provided along the circumference of the through-hole 44. Fiber bundles taken out from the bobbins B provided on the creel stand 3 are guided into a plurality of nozzles 43 via the guides 42. The nozzles 43 extend along the radial direction of the liner L and guide the fiber bundles F from the outside in the radial direction inwards.Each nozzle 43 contains several coaxial, nested tube elements of different diameters and is radially extendable and contractible.

[0044] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the spiral winding unit 40 includes a nozzle motor 45 used to extend and contract the nozzles 43. The nozzle motor 45 is driven and controlled by the controller 5. The controller 5 extends and retracts the nozzles 43 according to the external shape of the liner L, while the support units 20 are reciprocated along the rails 16 so that the liner L passes through the through hole 44. As a result, the fiber bundles F withdrawn from the nozzles 43 are simultaneously wound helically onto the surface of the liner L.

[0045] To begin winding the fiber bundles onto the liner L by the winder 2, an operator, for example, fixes the thread ends of the fiber bundles onto the liner L, e.g., with a tape. Alternatively, a device for automatically fixing the thread ends of the fiber bundles can be used. After fixing the thread ends of the fiber bundles to the liner L, the control system 5 drives the motors 24, 25, 35, 36, and 45 (see Fig. 3), so that on the liner L carried by the support units 20, the tire winding is carried out by the tire winding unit 30 and the helical winding is carried out by the spiral winding unit 40.

[0046] As described above, the coil carriers 60 for feeding the fiber bundles to the coil winding unit 40 are each arranged so that they can carry two coils B (see Fig. 1). The fiber bundle wound on one of the two spools B is fed to the coil winding unit 40. A winding end portion of the fiber bundle wound on the other of the two spools B (i.e., the outer end portion in the radial direction of the spool) is glued and fixed to a winding start portion of the fiber bundle wound on one of the spools B (i.e., the inner end portion in the radial direction of the spool). (In short, a connection Fc is formed as shown in Fig. 1.) With this arrangement, after one of the spools B becomes empty, the fiber bundle can be continuously fed from the other of the spools B to the coil winding unit 40. After one of the spools B becomes empty, the empty spool is replaced with another fully wound spool, and the end portion of the fiber bundle wound on the new spool must be glued and fixed to the end portion of the fiber bundle of the spool B from which the fiber bundle is fed.

[0047] In order to bond and fix the end portions of the fiber bundles wound on the two spools B, the rotation of the two spools B must be stopped. In other words, when bonding and fixing is performed, the supply of the fiber bundle from the spool B to the coil winding unit 40 is temporarily stopped. For this reason, even if bonding and fixing is required in cases such as winding a fiber bundle, bonding and fixing cannot be performed in the conventional configuration. To solve this problem, the filament winding device 1 has the following arrangement on the fiber bundle travel path. (Arrangement on the path of the fiber bundle)

[0048] Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the filament winding device 1 on the path of the fiber bundle. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, in the traveling direction of the fiber bundle F (hereinafter, this direction is simply referred to as the traveling direction), from the upstream side, a bobbin 60, a fiber bundle storage 50, and the coil winding unit 40 are provided in this order. The structure of the fiber bundle storage 50 and then the structure of the bobbin 60 will be described below. (Fiber bundle storage unit)

[0049] In the following, the structure of the fiber bundle storage 50 is described with respect to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The following is a Fig. 5 is consistently used as the up-down direction. The fiber bundle storage 50 is designed to temporarily store a fiber bundle F supplied from a spool B to the coil winding unit 40. The fiber bundle storage 50 includes components such as a first roller 51, a second roller 52, a third roller 53, and a stopper 54 (switching unit of the present invention).

[0050] In the running direction of the fiber bundle F, the first roll 51, the third roll 53, and the second roll 52 are provided in this order from the upstream side, and the fiber bundle F is placed on each of the rolls 51, 52, and 53. The first roll 51 and the second roll 52 are fixed in position. As described below, the fiber bundle F is stored between the first roll 51 and the second roll 52 in the running direction. While the first roll 51 and the second roll 52, as shown in Fig. 5 are oriented substantially horizontally, the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement.

[0051] The third roller 53 comprises a roller main body 53a and a pressed part 53b. The third roller 53 is biased downward by a spring 55 (see Fig. ). The fiber bundle F guided by the first roller 51 on the upstream side is placed on the peripheral surface of the roller main body 53a and then guided to the second roller 52 on the downstream side. The pressed part 53b is a part pressed by the stopper 54 described later. The third roller 53 is movable in a direction orthogonal to a linear line 101 connecting the first roller 51 to the second roller 52, that is, in an up-down direction (see an outlined arrow 102 in Fig. 4).

[0052] The stopper 54 is configured to switch the state of the fiber bundle accumulator 50 between a storage state and a storage release state, which will be described below. The storage state is a state in which the fiber bundle F is stored by the fiber bundle accumulator 50. The storage release state is a state in which the storage of the fiber bundle F by the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is released, and the fiber bundle F is fed from the fiber bundle accumulator 50 to the spiral winding unit 40. To be more specific, the stopper 54 is configured to prevent or permit the movement of the third roller 53 in the up-down direction. The stopper 54 includes a movable part 54a and a pressing part 54b.

[0053] The movable part 54a is arranged to be movable in an up-down direction along a shaft 56 extending in an up-down direction. An internal thread (not shown) is formed in the movable part 54a, while an external thread (not shown) is formed on the shaft 56. The internal thread of the movable part 54a engages with the external thread of the shaft 56. The shaft 56 can be rotated by a stopper motor 57 (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4), and the movable part 54a is movable in the upward and downward directions according to the rotation of the shaft 56 (see outlined arrow 103 in Fig. 4).

[0054] The pressing part 54b contacts the pressing part 53b of the third roller 53 from above, so that the pressing part 53b is pressed downward. The pressing part 54b is fixed to the movable part 54a. In the up-down direction, the pressing section 54b is movable together with the movable section 54a along the movement path of the pressed element 53b. To be more specific, the pressing section 54b is movable between a first position (see full lines in Fig. 4), in which the third roller 53 is pushed down to its maximum, and a second position (see two-point chain lines in Fig. 4), in which the third roller 53 is close to the first roller 51 and the second roller 52 compared to the first position.

[0055] When the movable part 54a moves downward while the pressing part 54b is in contact with the pressed part 53b, the third roller 53 is pushed and moved downward by the pressing part 54b. When the pressing part 54b is in the first position and presses the pressed part 53b, the upward movement of the third roller 53 (i.e., the movement toward the first roller 51 and the second roller 52 in the up-down direction) is prevented. When the pressing part 54b is in the second position and is not in contact with the pressed part 53b, the movement of the third roller 53 in the up-down direction is possible.

[0056] With the fiber bundle accumulator 50 arranged as described above, the amount of storage of the fiber bundle F between the first roller 51 and the second roller 52 is greatest when the pressing part 54b of the stopper 54 is at the first position. The position of the third roller in this state corresponds to a storage position of the present invention. Since the stopper 54 holds the third roller 53 in the storage position, the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is maintained in the storage state. When the pressing part 54b of the stopper 54 is at the second position and the upward movement of the third roller 53 is possible, the fiber bundle F can be fed from the fiber bundle accumulator 50 to the coil winding unit 40. At this time, the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is in the storage release state. In this way, the stopper 54 is able to switch the fiber bundle accumulator 50 between the storage state and the storage release state. (coil carrier)

[0057] The structure of the coil carrier 60 is described below. First, the coil carrier 60 is described with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 8B outlined. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the coil carrier 60. Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B are each a front view of the S coil carrier 60. The following is a Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 is consistently used as the axial direction. This axial direction is the axial direction of a fixing shaft 63, a first support shaft 71, and a second support shaft 91, which will be described later.

[0058] The spool holder 60 carries two spools B which are rotatable. As shown in Fig. 6 to Fig. 8B, the spool holder 60 includes a first spool holder 61, a second spool holder 62, and the fixing shaft 63.

[0059] The first coil holder 61 supports one of the coils B (coil B1), which is rotatable. The second coil holder 62 supports the other of the coils B (coil B2) in a rotatable manner. The first coil holder 61 and the second coil holder 62 are aligned in the axial direction and are provided substantially symmetrically in the axial direction. The fastening shaft 63 is a part extending in the axial direction. A central part of the fastening shaft 63 in the axial direction is fixed to the support frame 11 (see Fig. ). The first coil holder 61 is fixed to a side part in the axial direction of the fixing shaft 63 (ie, the right side part in Fig. 7), while the second coil holder 62 is fixed to the other side part in the axial direction of the fixing shaft 63 (ie to the left side part in Fig. 7). The mounting shaft 63 carries the first coil holder 61 and the second coil holder 62, so that each of these holders is movable in the axial direction and rotatable about the mounting shaft 63. At the end portions in the axial direction of the mounting shaft 63, two springs 64 (see Fig. 7) is attached.

[0060] The first coil holder 61 and the second coil holder 62 are described with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 10B described in detail. Fig. 8A is a side view of the Fig. 7A, viewed in the direction indicated by an arrow VIII(a). Fig. 8B is a side view of the Fig. 7B, viewed in the direction indicated by arrow VIII(b). Fig. 9A shows a connecting part 74 described later, which is seen in the axial direction. Fig. 9B is a front view of the connecting part 74 of the first coil holder 61 and a connecting part 94 of the second coil holder 62. Fig. 9C shows a state in which the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are connected by the connecting parts 74 and 94. Fig. 10A shows a state in which a stop member 75 described later allows the rotation of the spool B. Fig. 10B shows a state in which the stop member 75 stops the rotation of the spool B.

[0061] As in Fig. 6 and Fig. As shown in Figure 7, the first coil holder 61 includes elements such as the first support shaft 71 to which the coil B (coil B1) is fixed, an arm 72, a movable part 73, and the connecting part 74. The first coil holder 61 is arranged such that the first support shaft 71 is connected to the movable part 73 via the arm 72. The movable part 73 is arranged such that it is movable in the axial direction along the fixing shaft 63 and rotatable about the fixing shaft 63. With this arrangement, the first support shaft 71 is movable in the axial direction and rotatable about the fixing shaft 63. The second coil holder 62 includes elements such as the second support shaft 91 to which the coil B (coil B2) is fixed, an arm 92, a movable part 93, and the connecting part 94.The second coil support 62 is structurally similar to the first coil support 61, and the second coil support 62 and the first coil support 61 are designed to be symmetrical with respect to an orthogonal plane passing through the axial center of the fixing shaft 63. The first coil support 61 and the second coil support 62 are connectable and detachable via the connecting parts 74 and 94. A combination of the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 corresponds to a coil support shaft of the present invention. Since the first coil support 61 and the second coil support 62 are substantially symmetrical in the axial direction as described above, the first coil support 61 will be mainly described below, and the second coil support 62 will be described only when necessary.

[0062] The first support shaft 71 comprises axially extending shafts 76, a rear circular plate member 77 and a front circular plate member 78 (see Fig. 6). The rear circular plate member 77 is fixed to the end portions on one side in the axial direction of the shafts 76 (i.e., the end portions on the axially opposite side of the second support shaft 91). The front end circular plate member 78 is fixed to the end portions on the other side of the shafts 76 (i.e., the end portions on the axially opposite side of the second support shaft 91). Since the spool B1 is mounted on the shafts 76, the rear circular plate member 77, and the leading circular plate member 78, the first support shaft 71 and the spool B1 are rotatable together. The first support shaft 71 is rotated by the rotation of the spool B1. The connecting part 74 is fixed to the front circular plate member 78. The second support shaft 91 is similarly arranged so that the second support shaft 91 and the spool B2 are rotatable together.

[0063] The arm 72 extends outward in the radial direction of the first support shaft 71. The arm 72 rotatably supports the first support shaft 71. In a radially outer part of the arm 72, an opening 72a (see Fig. 7A and Fig. 8A) through which the fastening shaft 63 and the spring 64 (see Fig. 7). In this arrangement, the movable part 73 described later is movable in the axial direction. On the radially outer part of the arm 72, a shaft 72b (see Fig. 7A). The arm 92 of the second spool holder 62 is similarly constructed.

[0064] The movable part 73 comprises a rotary shaft 73a and a preloaded part 73b. The rotary shaft 73a extends in the axial direction and is loosely mounted on the fixing shaft 63. In this arrangement, the movable part 73 is movable in the axial direction along the fixing shaft 63 (see a solid line arrow 110 in Fig. 6) and rotatable around the fastening shaft 63 (see a solid line arrow 112 in Fig. 7B and a solid line arrow 113 in Fig. 8B). The preloaded portion 73b is a disc-shaped portion fixed to an end portion on one side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 73a. The preloaded portion 73b is connected to the arm 72 by a shaft 72b. To an end surface on one side of the preloaded portion 73b in the axial direction, an end portion on the other side in the axial direction of the spring 64 is fixed. The preloaded portion 73b is biased toward the center in the axial direction of the fixing shaft 63 by the spring 64. The movable portion 93 of the second spool holder 62 is constructed similarly.

[0065] The connecting part 74 enables the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 to be connected and separated from each other. As described above, the connecting part 74 is attached to the front circular plate member 78. As shown in Fig. 9A, the connecting part 74 includes, for example, a first connecting element 81 and a second connecting element 82.

[0066] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 9B, the first connecting member 81 includes a protruding portion 81a, a shaft portion 81b, and a lower portion 81c. The first connecting member 81 is provided on a radially outer portion of the front circular plate member 78. The protruding portion 81a has a substantially truncated cone shape. The shaft portion 81b is fixed to an end surface of the protruding portion 81a located near the front circular plate member 78, and the shaft portion 81b is movable along an opening 78a formed in the front circular plate member 78 (see a solid-line arrow 114 in Fig. 9A). The lower portion 81c is fixed to an end portion of the shaft portion 81b located on the opposite side to the protruding portion 81a. The lower portion 81c is biased radially outward from the front circular plate member 78 by a spring 83. With this arrangement, since the protruding portion 81a partially protrudes radially outward compared to the front circular plate member 78, the coil B attached to the front circular plate member 78 can be prevented from becoming loose in the axial direction. When attaching or removing the coil B, the first connecting member 81 is moved radially inward from the peripheral surface of the front circular plate member 78. Thus, the protruding portion 81a no longer interferes with the coil B, and the coil B can be successfully removed or attached. The second connecting member 82 is an approximately concave member viewed in the axial direction.In the radial direction of the front circular plate element 78, the second connecting element 82 is provided on the side opposite the first connecting element 81. A curved cutout 82a, viewed in the axial direction, is formed in the second connecting element 82. The connecting part 94 of the second coil carrier 62 is similarly designed.

[0067] The first connecting element 81 of the connecting part 74 can be mounted to the second connecting element 82 of the connecting part 94. The second connecting element 82 of the connecting part 74 can be mounted to the first connecting element 81 of the connecting part 94. In this arrangement, as shown in Fig. 9C, the connecting part 74 and the connecting part 94 are aligned in the axial direction (ie, the spool B1 and the spool B2 are aligned), and these connecting parts can be assembled to each other in a state where the connecting parts deviate from each other by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction. Since the two connecting parts 74 and 94 are connected to each other, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are connected to each other and rotatable together. As described above, the first support shaft 71 and the spool B1 are rotatable together, while the second support shaft 91 and the spool B2 are rotatable together. For this reason, when the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are connected to each other, the spool B1 and the spool B2 are rotatable together. In this state, since the connecting part 74 and the connecting part 94 are supported by the two springs 64 described above (see Fig. 7) are preloaded in directions in which the connecting parts press against each other in the axial direction, the connection is reliably maintained. When the connecting part 74 and the connecting part 94 are separated from each other in the axial direction (see Fig. 9B), the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are separated from each other. In this state, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are each independently rotatable about the fixing shaft 63.

[0068] The first spool holder 61 includes the stop part 75. The stop part 75 is provided to stop the rotation of the spool B. The stop part 75 is provided on the rear circular plate member 77 of the first support shaft 71 and on the arm 72. As shown in Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B, the stop member 75 includes, for example, a disk 85 and an engagement pin 86. The disk 85 is provided in the axial direction between the rear circular plate member 77 and the arm 72. The disk 85 is fixed to the rear circular plate member 77 and is rotatably supported by the arm 72. A plurality of holes 85a are formed in an end surface on the side of the arm 72 in the axial direction of the disk 85 (see Fig. 8, Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B). The engagement pin 86 is fixed to the arm 72. The engagement pin 86 is movable in the axial direction (see a solid line arrow 115 in Fig. 10B) and can be engaged with one of the holes 85a. As in Fig. 10A, the first support shaft 71 is rotatable (ie, the spool B1 is rotatable) when a front end portion 86a of the engagement pin 86 does not engage in any of the holes 85a. When, as shown in Fig. 10B, when the engagement pin 86 is pressed axially against the disc 85 and the front end portion 86a engages with one of the holes 85a, the rotation of the disc 85 and thus the rotation of the first support shaft 71 is stopped. The second spool holder 62 has a similar stop portion 95.

[0069] Based on Fig. 7, a state is described below in which, with the arrangement of the coil support 60 as described above, the coil B1 is fixed to the first support shaft 71 and the coil B2 is fixed to the second support shaft 91. In Fig. 7A, the fiber bundle F wound on the spool B1 is supplied to the side of the coil winding unit 40 while the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are connected to each other. A winding end portion of the fiber bundle F wound on the spool B2 (i.e., the outer end portion in the radial direction of the spool) is glued and fixed to a winding start portion of the fiber bundle wound on the spool B1 (i.e., the inner end portion in the radial direction of the spool). With this arrangement, a connection Fc is formed. This makes it possible to continuously supply the fiber bundle F from the spool B2 to the coil winding unit 40 even after the spool B1 becomes empty.

[0070] As described above, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are rotatable about the fixing shaft 63. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 7B and Fig. As shown in Figure 8B, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91, when separated from each other, are relatively movable in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction and can be separated from each other. This allows the coil B to be moved in the axial direction and separated (see a solid arrow 111 in Figure 8B). Fig. 7B). (Spool change method)

[0071] In the following, a bobbin changing method for the filament winding device 1 constructed as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 11 to Fig. 14F. This bobbin change shows that when one of the bobbins B becomes empty while the coil winding unit 40 is winding the fiber bundle F onto the liner L, the empty bobbin B is replaced by a new bobbin B while the supply of the fiber bundle F to the coil winding unit 40 continues from the other of the bobbins B. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a series of steps of bobbin changing. Fig. 12A to Fig. 14F shows the states of the bobbin holder 60 during bobbin replacement (A, C, and E in each figure) and the states of the fiber bundle storage unit 50 (B, D, and F in each figure) in order. The series of steps is performed by an operator.

[0072] First, in an initial state, as in Fig. 12A, the coil B1 is fixed to the first support shaft 71 of the coil support 60 and the coil B2 is fixed to the second support shaft 91, and the fiber bundle F is wound onto the liner L by the coil winding unit 40 (see Fig. 4). The fiber bundle F is unwound from the spool B1 and fed via the fiber bundle storage 50 to the spiral winding unit 40 (see a solid line arrow 121 in Fig. 12A and a solid line arrow 122 in Fig. 12B). In this case, the spool B1 corresponds to a supply spool of the present invention. The spool B2 corresponds to a reserve spool of the present invention. A winding start portion of the fiber bundle F wound on the spool B1 is glued and fixed to a winding end portion of the fiber bundle F wound on the spool B2. (In short, a connection Fc is formed.) The fiber bundle storage 50 is in the storage state, and the third roller 53 is in the storage position (see Fig. 12B).

[0073] After the entire fiber bundle F wound on the spool B1 has been unwound and the spool B1 is empty (see Fig. 12C), the first support shaft 71 is moved in the axial direction to be supported by the second support shaft 91 (S201; see a solid line arrow 131 in Fig. 12E) and the first support shaft 71 is further rotated (see a solid line arrow 132 in Fig. 12E). In this state, the rotation of the first support shaft 71 and the empty spool B1 (empty spool of the present invention) is stopped. Thereafter, the spool B1 is moved in the axial direction and detached from the first support shaft 71, and a spool B3 (new spool of the present invention) is fitted onto the first support shaft 71 (S202; replacement step of the present invention; see Fig. 13A). After the spool B1 is empty and before the spool change is completed, the rotation of the spool B2 is not stopped and the fiber bundle storage 50 is kept in the storage state. As a result, the fiber bundle F is unwound from the spool B2 and fed via the fiber bundle storage 50 to the coil winding unit 40 (see Fig. 12D, Fig. 12F and a solid line arrow 122 in Fig. 13B).

[0074] Then, while the spool B2 rotates and the fiber bundle F is unwound from the spool B2 (see Fig. 13C), the shaft 56 is driven to rotate to move the stopper 54 upwards so that the stopper 54 is moved away from the third roller 53 (see an outlined arrow 133 in Fig. 13D). In this way, the fiber bundle storage 50 is switched to the storage release state (S203). As described above, the third roller 53 is biased downward by the spring 55 (see Fig. 5). For this reason, immediately after the fiber bundle storage 50 is switched to the storage dissolution state, an immediate upward movement of the third roller 53 (ie, a decrease in the storage amount of the fiber bundle F) can be avoided while the supply of the fiber bundle F from the bobbin B2 to the coil winding unit 40 continues.

[0075] Then the locking bolt 86 of the stop part 95 of the second spool holder 62 is inserted into a hole 85a (see Fig. 10) to forcibly stop the rotation of the spool B2 from which the fiber bundle F is fed (S204; see solid line arrow 134 in Fig. 13E). As a result, the fiber bundle F is fed only from the fiber bundle storage 50 to the spiral winding unit 40 (see solid line arrow 124 in Fig. 13F). As a result, the storage amount of the fiber bundle F in the fiber bundle storage 50 begins to decrease, and the third roller 53 begins to move upwards (see an outlined arrow 135 in Fig. 13F). Since the engagement pin 86 engages the hole 85a, unintentional rotation of the spool B2 is prevented. Furthermore, since the rotation of the first support shaft 71 has already been stopped, it is not necessary to press the engagement pin 86 of the stop member 75 of the first spool holder 61 into a hole 85a.

[0076] Subsequently, the first support shaft 71 is rotated to be moved in the axial direction towards the second support shaft 91 (see solid line arrows 136 and 137 in Fig. 14A), so that the first support shaft 71 is again connected to the second support shaft 91 (S205). Then, the bonding is performed to bond and fix the winding start portion of the fiber bundle F of the coil B2 to the winding end portion of the fiber bundle F of the coil B3 by thermocompression bonding, etc., so that a connection Fc is formed (S206; bonding step in this invention; see Fig. 14C). During the above operations, the supply of the fiber bundle F from the fiber bundle storage 50 to the spiral winding unit 40 continues. For this reason, the storage amount of the fiber bundle F in the fiber bundle storage 50 continues to decrease, and the third roller 53 continues to move upward (see an outlined arrow 138 in Fig. 14B and an outlined arrow 139 in Fig. 14D). If the stored fiber bundle F is likely to run out during the above-described operations, the operator stops the helical winding by operating the control panel 4.

[0077] Then the locking pin 86 of the second coil holder 62 is removed from the hole 85a (see Fig. 10) pulled out (see a solid line arrow 140 in Fig. 14E) to release the rotation-stopped state of the second support shaft 91 (S207; rotation restart step in the present invention). As a result, the feeding of the fiber bundle F from the bobbin B2 to the coil winding unit 40 restarts. Since the first support shaft 71 is connected to the second support shaft 91, the rotation-stopped state of the first support shaft 71 is released simultaneously with the release of the rotation-stopped state of the second support shaft 91.

[0078] Finally, the stopper 54 is moved downwards to move the third roller 53 downwards (see outlined arrows 141 and 142 in Fig. 14F), with the result that the fiber bundle storage 50 is reset to the storage state (S208). This completes the series of bobbin replacement steps.

[0079] As described above, the state of the fiber bundle storage unit 50 is switched between the storage state and the storage release state by the stopper 54. When it is not necessary to stop the rotation of the bobbins B, the fiber bundle storage unit 50 is kept in the storage state, and thus the fiber bundle F is stored in the fiber bundle storage unit 50. Meanwhile, when joining needs to be performed, the fiber bundle storage 50 is switched to the storage release state. This makes it possible to perform joining while the fiber bundle F stored in the fiber bundle storage 50 is fed to the coil winding unit 40 even though the rotation of the two bobbins B is stopped. For this reason, joining can be performed while the winding of the fiber bundle F is performed by the coil winding unit 40.

[0080] In addition to the above, the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is placed in the storage state because the third roller 53 is held in the storage position by the stopper 54, and the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is placed in the storage release state because the third roller 53 can move closer to the first roller 51 and the second roller 52 compared to the storage position. In this way, switching between the storage state and the storage release state is realized by the simple arrangement.

[0081] In addition, when the third roller 53 is in the storage position, the stopper 54 prevents the third roller 53 from moving up and down toward the first roller 51 and the second roller 52. Therefore, it is possible to keep the fiber bundle store 50 in the storage state. Furthermore, when the rotation of the two spools B is stopped to perform splicing, the third roller 53 is allowed to move up and down toward the first roller 51 and the second roller 52, and thus the third roller 53 becomes movable to shorten the fiber bundle F stored in the fiber bundle store 50. (In other words, the fiber bundle store 50 is switched to the storage dissolution state.) In this way, by the simple arrangement, the fiber bundle store 50 can be kept in the storage state, and the fiber bundle store 50 can be switched from the storage state to the storage dissolution state.

[0082] When the pressing part 54b of the stopper 54 is in the first position, the third roller 53 is held in the storage position and the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is held in the storage state. When the pressing part 54b moves from the first position to the second position, the movement of the third roller 53 is permitted, and the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is switched to the storage release state. In addition, when the pressing part 54b moves from the second position to the first position, the movement of the third roller 53 is returned to the storage position by the pressing part 54b, and the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is placed in the storage state. In this way, the state of the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is switched between the storage state and the storage release state by the simple arrangement.

[0083] Furthermore, even during operation of the coil winding unit 40, the connection can be performed at any time by switching the fiber bundle storage 50 to the storage release state and forcibly stopping the rotation of the bobbins B by the stop portions 75 or 95. Since inadvertent rotation of the two bobbins B during the connection, which is performed during operation of the coil winding unit 40, is prevented by the stop portions 75 and 95, the connection can be performed safely.

[0084] Furthermore, since the two spools B are mounted in axial alignment and can be rotated together with the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91, the two spools B reliably rotate at the same speed. This makes it possible to prevent problems such as twisting of the end portions of the fiber bundles F of the two interconnected spools B.

[0085] When the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are connected to each other by the connecting parts 74 and 94, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 rotate together, and the two spools B rotate at the same speed. When one of the spools B becomes empty and the supply of the fiber bundle F to the coil winding unit 40 from the other spool B continues, the rotation of only one of the spools B can be stopped by detaching the first support shaft 71 from the second support shaft 91. For this reason, the empty spool can be replaced while the supply of the fiber bundle F from the other spool B to the coil winding unit 40 continues (i.e., without canceling the storage of the fiber bundle F by the fiber bundle storage 50).In other words, it is not necessary to release the storage of the fiber bundle F during replacement, and the release of the storage of the fiber bundle F to stop the rotation of the two spools B is only required during connection. Therefore, the time for maintaining the fiber bundle storage 50 in the storage release state is short, and the probability of running out of the fiber bundle F stored in the fiber bundle storage 50 is lower.

[0086] In addition to the above, the coil support 60 rotatably supports the end portions of the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 located on the axially opposite side of the connecting portions 74 and 94. Furthermore, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 can be separated from each other in the decoupled state. Therefore, during replacement, the coil can be removed or installed by separating the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 from each other. This prevents the device from being structurally complicated.

[0087] Furthermore, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are movable at least in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. In other words, it is possible to arrange the shaft center of the first support shaft 71 and the shaft center of the second support shaft 91 so as to be deviated from each other. With this arrangement, the coils B (coils B1 and B3) fixed to the first support shaft 71 can be removed or inserted by utilizing the space on the second support shaft 91 side in the axial direction. Similarly, the coil B (coil B2) fixed to the second support shaft 91 can be removed or inserted by utilizing the space on the first support shaft 71 side in the axial direction. This can prevent the increase in the size of the device.

[0088] Furthermore, before stopping the rotation of the spool B2, the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is switched from the storage state to the storage release state. For this reason, the joining process can be performed while the fiber bundle F is being fed from the fiber bundle accumulator 50 to the coil winding unit 40, even after the rotation of the spool B2 has stopped. Furthermore, when the fiber bundle accumulator 50 is switched from the storage release state to the storage state after the rotation restart step, the fiber bundle F can be stored again. Thus, the joining process can be performed while the winding of the fiber bundle F is being performed.

[0089] Since the fiber bundle storage unit 50 is maintained in the storage state during the replacement step, the fiber bundle F supplied from the spool B can be stored in the fiber bundle storage unit 50 even during the replacement step, so that the time for the fiber bundle storage unit 50 to be maintained in the storage dissolution state is short. Therefore, the fiber bundle F stored in the fiber bundle storage unit 50 is less likely to run out.

[0090] Modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below. Components identical to those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and explanations thereof will not be repeated. (1) In the above embodiment, the rotation of the spool B2 is not stopped during the separation of the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 (S201) and the replacement (S202), but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. The rotation of the spool B2 may be stopped before these steps. (2) In the above embodiment, in the joining step (S206), the winding start portion of the fiber bundle F of the bobbin B2 is fixed and bonded to the winding end portion of the fiber bundle F of the bobbin B3 by thermocompression bonding, etc., but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. For example, when a non-resin impregnated fiber bundle is wound on a liner L, a joining step for joining end portions of fiber bundles may be performed using a yarn joining device such as a splicer and a knotter. (3) In the above embodiment, the third roller 53 of the fiber bundle storage 50 is movable in the direction perpendicular to the straight line 101, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. The third roller 53 may be moved in any other direction as long as the direction intersects with the straight line 101. (4) In the above embodiment, the third roller 53 of the fiber bundle storage device 50 is biased downward by the spring 55, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. For example, the third roller 53 may not be biased downward. Alternatively, the third roller 53 may be biased only by gravity. (5) The arrangement for moving the stopper 54 in the up-down direction is not limited to the arrangement described above. For example, the stopper 54 may have a so-called rack and pinion structure. Alternatively, the stopper 54 may be driven in the up-down direction by an air cylinder, etc. Alternatively, the stopper 54 may also be arranged to be manually movable. (6) In the above embodiment, the stopper 54 is movable in the up-down direction, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. As shown in Fig.15, for example, in a fiber bundle storage unit 50a, the stopper 54 may be arranged so as to be rotatable only about a shaft 56a (see a pressing part 54b indicated by two-dot chain lines). In this arrangement, the pressing part 54b presses down the pressed element 53b of the third roller 53 at the storage position to prevent the up-down movement of the third roller 53 (storage state), and the pressing part 54b rotates to move away from the pressed element 53b, allowing the up-down movement of the third roller 53 (storage release state). In other words, the stopper 54 has the function of holding the fiber bundle storage unit 50a in the storage state and the function of switching the state of the fiber bundle storage unit 50a from the storage state to the storage release state.In this modification, after the third roller 53 has moved upward and downward, it may be pushed downward by a drive source such as an air cylinder 99, or the third roller 53 may be manually moved by the operator. (7) In the above embodiment, the stopper 54 is capable of preventing or permitting the movement of the third roller 53, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. For example, the third roller 53 may be movable by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). In this case, the state of the fiber bundle storage unit 50 can be switched between the storage state and the storage release state by the motor. (8) In the above embodiment, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 are both rotatable about the fixing shaft 63, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. Only one of these shafts may be rotatable. The first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 can be separated from each other if at least one of these shafts is rotatable. (9) As a structure for fastening or detaching the coils B, the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 may be non-rotatable and movable only in the axial direction. Either structure may be used under the condition that a space is secured for detaching or fastening the coils B by moving the coils B in the axial direction. (10) The first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 cannot be rotatable together with the spools B. The spool holder 60 cannot include the first support shaft 71 and the second support shaft 91 that can be connected and disconnected. For example, one spool shaft can support two spools B, as described in JP 2014-231145 A. (11) In the above embodiment, the spur carrier 60 includes the stopper members 75 and 95, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. For example, the bobbin holder may not include a stopper member, and a device for stopping the rotation of the bobbins B may be additionally provided. (12) In the above embodiment, the coil winding unit 40 is the winding unit of the present invention, but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. The present invention can also be applied to the tire winding unit 30. [List of reference symbols] 1 filament winding device 40 spiral winding unit (winding unit) 50 fiber bundle storage 51 first role 52 second role 53 third role 53b pressed part 54 stopper (switching unit) 54b Pressed part 60 coil carriers (carriers) 71 first support shaft (coil support shaft) 74 connecting part 75 stop part 91 second support shaft (coil support shaft) 94 connecting part 95 stop part B1 spool (feed spool, empty spool) B2 coil (reserve coil) B3 coil (new coil) F fiber bundle L Liner

Claims

[1] A filament winding device (1) consisting of: a winding unit (40) configured to wind a fiber bundle (F) onto a liner (L); a spool support shaft (71, 91) rotatably supporting a supply spool (B1) feeding the fiber bundle (F) to the winding unit (40) and a reserve spool (B2) different from the supply spool (B1), the supply spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) being held in a state in which a winding start portion of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the supply spool (B1) is connected to a winding end portion of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the reserve spool (B2); and a fiber bundle storage unit (50) provided between the spool support shaft (71, 91) and the winding unit (40) in a running direction of the fiber bundle (F) and temporarily storing the fiber bundle (F) fed to the winding unit (40), the fiber bundle storage unit (50) comprises: a switching unit (54) capable of switching a state of the fiber bundle storage unit (50) between a storage state in which the fiber bundle (F) is stored by the fiber bundle storage unit (50) and a storage release state in which the storage of the fiber bundle (F) by the fiber bundle storage unit (50) is released and the fiber bundle (F) is supplied from the fiber bundle storage unit (50) to the winding unit (40), wherein the spool support shaft (71, 91) is capable of supporting the supply spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) aligned in the axial direction of the spool support shaft (71, 91), and the supply spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) are rotatable together, and the coil carrier shaft (71,91) comprises: a first support shaft (71) rotatable together with either the supply spool (B1) or the reserve spool (B2); a second support shaft (91) rotatable together with the other of the supply reel (B1) and the reserve reel (B2); and a connecting portion (74,94) provided between the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91) in the axial direction and capable of connecting the first support shaft (71) to the second support shaft (91) so that they are rotatable together, and decoupling the first support shaft (71) from the second support shaft (91). [2] The filament winding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fiber bundle storage unit (50) comprises: a first roller (51) on which the fiber bundle (F) runs; a second roller (52) on which the fiber bundle runs, the fiber bundle (F) being stored between the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) in the running direction; and a third roller (53) provided between the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) in the running direction and movable relative to the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) in an intersecting direction intersecting a straight line connecting the center of the first roller (51) and the center of the second roller (52), and the switching unit (54) serves to put the fiber bundle storage unit into the storage state by holding the third roller (53) at a predetermined storage position in the intersecting direction, and to put the fiber bundle storage unit (50) into the storage-release state by allowing the third roller (53) at the storage position to move to a position close to the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) compared to the storage position in the intersecting direction. [3] The filament winding device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the switching unit (54) has a stopper capable of preventing the movement of the third roller (53) toward the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) in the cutting direction and allowing the movement of the third roller (53) toward the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) in the cutting direction. [4] The filament winding device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the stopper includes a pressing part (54b) which can press the third roller (53) away from the first roller (51) and the second roller (52) in the cutting direction, and the pressing part (54b) is movable between a first position in which the third roller (53) is pressed and held in the storage position, and a second position in which the pressing part (54b) is closer to the first (51) and the second roller (52) compared to the first position in the cutting direction. [5] The filament winding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a stop portion (75, 95) configured to stop the rotation of the supply spool (B1) and the rotation of the reserve spool (B2). [6] The filament winding device (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a bracket (60) which rotatably supports end portions of the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91), the end portions being located on the side opposite to the connecting portion (74, 94) in the axial direction, when the first support shaft (71) is decoupled from the second support shaft (91), the bracket (60) can thereby separate the first support shaft (71) from the second support shaft (91). [7] The filament winding device (1) according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the first support shaft (71) or the second support shaft (91) is movable at least in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction when the first support shaft (71) is separated from the second support shaft (91). [8] A bobbin changing method for a filament winding device (1), comprising: a winding unit (40) configured to wind a fiber bundle (F) onto a liner (L); and a spool support shaft (71, 91) rotatably supporting a supply spool (B1) feeding the fiber bundle (F) to the winding unit (40) and a reserve spool (B2) different from the supply spool (B1), the supply spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) being supported in a state in which a winding start portion of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the supply spool (B1) is connected to a winding end portion of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the reserve spool (B2), the spool support shaft (71, 91) being capable of supporting the supply spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) aligned in the axial direction of the spool support shaft (71, 91), and the supply spool (B1) and the reserve spool (B2) are rotatable together, and the coil carrier shaft (71,91) comprises: a first support shaft (71) rotatable together with either the supply spool (B1) or the reserve spool (B2); a second support shaft (91) rotatable together with the other of the supply reel (B1) and the reserve reel (B2); and a connecting portion (74, 94) provided between the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91) in the axial direction and capable of connecting the first support shaft (71) to the second support shaft (91) so that they are rotatable together, and of decoupling the first support shaft (71) from the second support shaft (91), wherein the bobbin replacement method is a method of replacing an empty bobbin (B1) with a new bobbin (B3) while continuing to supply the fiber bundle (F) to the winding unit from the reserve bobbin (B2) when the supply bobbin (B1) becomes empty while the winding unit is winding the fiber bundle (F) onto the liner (L), wherein the coil replacement method comprises: a replacement step in a case where the empty spool (B1) is attached to one of the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91), in which the empty spool (B1) is detached from the one of the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91) and the new spool (B3) is attached to the one of the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91) while the first support shaft (71) and the second support shaft (91) are separated and the rotation of the empty spool (B1) is stopped; a connecting step of connecting a winding start portion of a fiber bundle (F) wound on the new spool (B3) to a winding end portion of a fiber bundle wound on the reserve spool (B2) while stopping the rotation of the new spool (B3) and the rotation of the reserve spool (B2) after the replacement step; and a rotation restart step for canceling a rotation stop state of the new spool (B3) and a rotation stop state of the reserve spool (B2) while the first support shaft (71) is connected to the second support shaft (91), after the connecting step, the filament winding device (1) further comprises a fiber bundle storage unit (50) which is switchable between a storage state in which the fiber bundle storage unit (50) temporarily stores the fiber bundle (F) to be fed to the winding unit (40) and a storage release state in which the storage state is canceled, and wherein the fiber bundle storage unit (50) is kept in the storage state at least until the replacement step, wherein the fiber bundle storage unit (50) is switched from the storage state to the storage release state before the rotation of the reserve spool (B2) is stopped, and further wherein the fiber bundle storage unit (50) is switched from the storage release state to the storage state after the step of restarting the rotation. [9] A bobbin exchanging method according to claim 8, wherein in the exchanging step, the rotation of the reserve bobbin (B2) is not stopped and the fiber bundle storage unit (50) is kept in the storage state.

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