Spinning apparatus

Abstract

In a spinning apparatus (2) including spinning units (20), both a material cost of a supplying unit (32) and the increase in power consumption are suppressed. A spinning apparatus (2) of the present invention includes spinning units (20). Each of the spinning units (20) includes: a heating box (21) to which a spinning pack (22) is attached; a piping (241) in which molten polymer flows toward the spinning pack (22) in the heating box (21); a gear pump (25) which is provided at the piping (241) and which is a target of maintenance; a cooled unit (X) which is provided upstream of the gear pump (25) in the piping (241) in a flow direction (A), the cooled unit (X) being cooled so as to decrease a flow rate of the molten polymer flowing in the cooled unit (X); a cooling unit (31) which defines a cooling space (V) in contact with the cooled unit X; and a housing (29) which accommodates the heating box (21). The cooling unit (31) includes an upper end (31a) to which a supplying unit (32) including a supplying path for supplying air functioning as a refrigerant is attachable and from which the supplying unit (32) is detachable. Each of the spinning units (20) is structured so that, when the supplying unit (32) is attached to the upper end (31a), the supplying path is connected to the cooling space (V). The upper end 31a does not protrude as compared to an outer surface of the housing (29).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a spinning apparatus including spinning units.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2023-090643) descries a spinning apparatus (spinning unit) including a spinning beam (heating box) to which a spinning pack is attached, a polymer tank, and a piping connecting the polymer tank to the spinning pack. Molten polymer in the polymer tank is pressure-supplied to the spinning pack through the piping.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The decrease of a flow rate of the molten polymer in the piping (e.g., the stop of the flow) may be required in the maintenance of a target unit (e.g., a pressure-supplying member, etc.) provided at the piping. In order to deal with this, it is conceivable to decrease the flow rate of the molten polymer (i.e., to stop the flow) by supplying a refrigerant (e.g., air) to a cooled unit via a supplying unit so as to cool the molten polymer in the cooled unit. The cooled unit is provided upstream of the target unit in the piping.

[0004] However, in a spinning apparatus including plural spinning units, there are plural above-described target units. In this case, when supplying units are provided to correspond to cooled units of the respective target units, material costs of the supplying units increase depending on the number of these supplying units. Furthermore, when a supplying unit protrudes from an outer surface of a housing which accommodates a heating box in each spinning unit, an amount of heat radiated to the outside of the housing through each supplying unit is large. It is therefore necessary to increase the frequency of heating the heating box. This may increase power consumption.

[0005] An object of the present invention is, in a spinning apparatus including spinning units, to suppress both a material cost of a supplying unit and the increase in power consumption.

[0006] A spinning apparatus of the present invention comprises spinning units, each of the spinning units including: a heating box to which at least one spinning pack is attached; a piping in which a molten material flows toward the at least one spinning pack in the heating box; a target unit which is provided at the piping and which is a target of maintenance; a cooled unit which is provided upstream of the target unit in the piping in a flow direction of the molten material in the piping, the cooled unit being cooled so as to decrease a flow rate of the molten material flowing in the cooled unit; a cooling unit defining a cooling space in contact with the cooled unit; and a housing which accommodates the heating box, the cooling unit including an attachment unit to which a supplying unit including a supplying path for supplying a refrigerant is attachable and from which the supplying unit is detachable, the each of the spinning units being structured so that, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is connected to the cooling space, and the attachment unit not protruding as compared to an outer surface of the housing.

[0007] According to the present invention, when the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the cooled unit is cooled by supplying the refrigerant to the cooling space through the supplying path. As a result, the flow rate of the molten material in the cooled unit is decreased. With this arrangement, one supplying unit is applicable to cooling units which are respectively provided at the spinning units. In this case, because the number of supplying units is small, a material cost of the supplying unit is suppressed as compared to a case where a combination of the cooling unit and the supplying unit is provided for the cooled unit of each spinning unit. According to the present invention, because the attachment unit of the cooling unit does not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the housing, the heat radiation to the outside of the housing through the attachment unit is suppressed. As a result, the increase in power consumption is also suppressed. That is, the present invention makes it possible to suppress both the material cost of the supplying unit and the increase in power consumption in the spinning apparatus including the spinning units.

[0008] The spinning apparatus of the present invention may be arranged such that spinning packs are attachable to the heating box, the piping is branched from the target unit toward the spinning packs, and the target unit is a pressure-supplying member configured to pressure-supply the molten material toward the spinning packs.

[0009] According to this arrangement, maintenance is performed for the pressure-supplying member while the flow rate of the molten material in the cooled unit is decreased by the refrigerant supplied from the supplying unit.

[0010] The spinning apparatus of the present invention may be arranged such that the attachment unit protrudes as compared to the outer surface of the heating box.

[0011] According to this arrangement, the influence of heat from the heating box on the supplying unit attached to the attachment unit is decreased as compared to a case where the attachment unit does not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the heating box. Furthermore, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the insertion of the supplying unit into the heating box is unnecessary. Therefore, the supplying unit is easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0012] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the attachment unit includes an opening portion.

[0013] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is easily connected to the cooling space through the opening portion.

[0014] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the opening portion is open in an upward direction.

[0015] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying unit is moved downward because of its own weight so as to be easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0016] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that an upper end of the cooling unit forms the attachment unit, the upper end is attachable to a lower end of the supplying unit by inserting one of the upper end and the lower end into the other of the upper end and the lower end, and the one of the upper end and the lower end includes an outer circumferential surface which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface decreases toward the other of the upper end and the lower end.

[0017] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0018] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the other of the upper end and the lower end includes an inner circumferential surface which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface increases toward the one of the upper end and the lower end.

[0019] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is further easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0020] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that an inclination angle of the outer circumferential surface with respect to a vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle of the inner circumferential surface with respect to the vertical direction.

[0021] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit while sealing performance is achieved.

[0022] Alternatively, the spinning apparatus of the present invention may be arranged such that an upper end of the cooling unit forms the attachment unit, the upper end is attachable to a lower end of the supplying unit by inserting one of the upper end and the lower end into the other of the upper end and the lower end, and the other of the upper end and the lower end includes an inner circumferential surface which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface increases toward the one of the upper end and the lower end.

[0023] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is further easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0024] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the supplying unit further includes a discharging path for discharging the refrigerant, and the each of the spinning units is structured so that, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the discharging path is connected to the cooling space.

[0025] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the refrigerant which is supplied to the cooling space through the supplying path and which receives heat by cooling the cooled unit is discharged through the discharging path. It is therefore possible to efficiently cool the cooled unit. Furthermore, because the supplying unit includes the discharging path, it is unnecessary to additionally provide a member including a discharging path. This suppresses the increase of a cost (a material cost, a manufacturing cost, etc.) due to the provision of this additional member.

[0026] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the cooling unit is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit in the piping and a position downstream of the cooled unit in the piping in the flow direction.

[0027] According to this arrangement, the cooling space is reliably defined by the cooling unit, and the cooled unit is efficiently cooled via the cooling space.

[0028] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the cooling space is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit.

[0029] According to this arrangement, the cooled unit is efficiently cooled via the cooling space.

[0030] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the housing includes: a housing space which accommodates the heating box; a wall defining the housing space; and a through hole closed by the supplying unit when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, and the each of the spinning units further includes a preventer which is able to close the through hole when the supplying unit is not attached to the attachment unit and which is configured to prevent heat from being radiated to the outside of the housing from the heating box through the through hole.

[0031] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is not attached to the attachment unit, the preventer makes it possible to suppress the heat radiation to the outside of the housing through the through hole. As a result, the increase in power consumption is suppressed.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 is a profile of a yarn production system including a spinning apparatus of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the spinning apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3(a) is a profile of a cooling unit of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3(b) is a profile of a supplying unit of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4(a) is a longitudinal cross section view of the cooling unit shown in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 4(b) is a longitudinal cross section view of the supplying unit shown in FIG. 3(b). FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross section view showing that the supplying unit of FIG. 4(b) is attached to the cooling unit of FIG. 4(a). FIG. 6 is another longitudinal cross section view which is different from FIG. 5 and which shows that the supplying unit of FIG. 4(b) is attached to the cooling unit of FIG. 4(a). FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross section view showing that a through hole of a housing is closed by a heat insulating material when the supplying unit is not attached to the cooling unit. FIG. 8(a) is a longitudinal cross section view showing an attachment state between the cooling unit and supplying unit of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8(b) is a longitudinal cross section view showing an attachment state between a cooling unit and supplying unit of Second Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross section view showing a modification of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross section view showing another modification of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. 6. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS<First Embodiment>

[0033] To begin with, the following will describe a yarn production system 1 including a spinning apparatus 2 of First Embodiment of the present invention, with reference to FIG. 1.

[0034] An up-down direction which will be used in the following description is defined on the premise that the yarn production system 1 is placed to be available. Furthermore, the front side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the left part on the plane of FIG. 1, and the rear side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the right part on the plane of FIG. 1. Moreover, a left-right direction is defined based on the assumption that the yarn production system 1 is viewed from the front.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the yarn production system 1 includes the spinning apparatus 2 and a spun yarn take-up apparatus 3.

[0036] The spinning apparatus 2 is configured to spin out molten polymer downward as yarns Y, and includes spinning units 20 (see FIG. 2) aligned in the left-right direction. The spinning apparatus 2 will be detailed later.

[0037] The spun yarn take-up apparatus 3 is configured to take up the yarns Y spun out from the spinning apparatus 2 and includes a cooler 4, oil nozzles 5, guides 6, a comb teeth guide 7, godet rollers 8 and 9, and a winding device 10 as shown in FIG. 1. The cooler 4, the oil nozzles 5, the guides 6, the comb teeth guide 7, the godet rollers 8 and 9, and the winding device 10 are provided for each yarn winding unit 20 (see FIG. 2).

[0038] The cooler 4 is provided below the spinning apparatus 2. The cooler 4 includes a cooling cylinder (not illustrated) which is substantially cylindrical in shape and both ends of which are open in the up-down direction. Inside the cooling cylinder of each cooler 4, the yarns Y which are spun out from a corresponding spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of the spinning apparatus 2 can run downward. The cooler 4 is configured to cool the yarns Y by supplying cooling air to the yarns Y running in the cooling cylinder.

[0039] The oil nozzles 5 are provided below the cooler 4, and configured to apply oil to the respective yarns Y cooled by the cooler 4.

[0040] The guides 6 are provided below the respective oil nozzles 5 at regular intervals in the left-right direction, and configured to individually guide the oiled yarns Y.

[0041] The comb teeth guide 7 is provided below an approximate center of a group of the guides 6 in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. The yarns Y guided by the guides 6 run downward while being aligned at regular intervals in the left-right direction of the comb teeth guide 7.

[0042] The godet rollers 8 and 9 are provided downstream of the comb teeth guide 7 in a running direction of the yarns Y in the spun yarn take-up apparatus 3. The yarns Y spun out from each spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of the spinning apparatus 2 are wound onto the godet rollers 8 and 9 via the cooler 4, the oil nozzles 5, the guides 6, and the comb teeth guide 7 and are sent to the winding device 10.

[0043] The winding device 10 includes two bobbin holders 11, a base 12, a turret 13 provided at the base 12, a supporting frame 14, a guide supporter 15, supporting guides 16, traverse devices 17, and a contact roller 18.

[0044] Each of the two bobbin holders 11 is a shaft member extending in the front-rear direction, and is cantilevered at its rear end by the turret 13. Each bobbin holder 11 is able to retain bobbins B aligned in the front-rear direction. For example, eight yarns Y spun out from each spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of the spinning apparatus 2 are respectively wound onto eight bobbins B.

[0045] The supporting frame 14 extends in the front-rear direction to be substantially parallel to each bobbin holder 11. The supporting frame 14 is cantilevered at its rear end by the base 12.

[0046] The guide supporter 15 is provided at an upper part of the supporting frame 14, and extends in the front-rear direction.

[0047] The supporting guides 16 are provided at the guide supporter 15. The supporting guides 16 are aligned in the front-rear direction to correspond to the bobbins B.

[0048] The traverse devices 17 are provided at the supporting frame 14. The traverse devices 17 are aligned in the front-rear direction to correspond to the bobbins B and the supporting guides 16. Each traverse device 17 is configured to traverse a yarn Y in the front-rear direction about a corresponding supporting guide 16.

[0049] The contact roller 18 is rotatably supported by the supporting frame 14.

[0050] The winding device 10 is configured to start winding of the yarns Y, which are traversed by the traverse devices 17, onto the bobbins B retained by upper one of the two bobbin holders 11. While the yarns Y are wound, the contact roller 18 is moved up or down and / or the turret 13 is rotated. In this way, packages P are formed in accordance with the increase in diameter of the packages P formed by winding the yarns Y onto the bobbins B.

[0051] Then, the following will detail the spinning apparatus 2 with reference to FIG. 2.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, the spinning apparatus 2 includes a material tank 23, a main piping 24, and the spinning units 20.

[0053] Hot molten polymer is stored in the material tank 23. The molten polymer is one example of a "molten material" of the present invention.

[0054] The main piping 24 extends in the left-right direction, and causes the material tank 23 to communicate with the spinning units 20.

[0055] Each spinning unit 20 includes a heating box 21, a piping 241, a gear pump 25, a cooling unit 31, and a housing 29.

[0056] The heating box 21 is heated by a heat source (not illustrated), and it is hot inside the heating box 21. A lower surface of the heating box 21 is provided with openings into which the spinning packs 22 are insertable. The spinning packs 22 are inserted into the heating box 21 through the above-described openings, and attached to the heating box 21. The spinning packs 22 are heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating box 21.

[0057] The piping 241 is branched from the main piping 24 toward the spinning packs 22 in the heating box 21. The piping 241 includes a passage 24x on which molten polymer flows toward the spinning packs 22 in the heating box 21.

[0058] The gear pump 25 is provided at the piping 241, and equivalent to a "target unit" of the present invention. The "target unit" is a target of maintenance. The piping 241 is branched from the gear pump 25 toward the spinning packs 22. The gear pump 25 is a pressure-supplying member configured to pressure-supply molten polymer to the spinning packs 22.

[0059] The piping 241 is provided with, inside the heating box 21, a cooled unit X on the upstream of the gear pump 25 in a flow direction A. The flow direction A is a direction in which molten polymer flows in the passage 24x. The cooled unit X is a part of the piping 241. As the cooled unit X is cooled by the cooling unit 31, a flow rate of the molten polymer flowing in the cooled unit X decreases. In order to efficiently cool the cooled unit X of the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of a passage in the cooled unit X is smaller than that of a passage in a part X' of the piping 241 (see FIG. 6). The part X' of the piping 241 is the remaining part of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X. In a cross section orthogonal to the left-right direction, the cooled unit X is long and oval in shape in the up-down direction.

[0060] The cooling unit 31 is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 and a position downstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A, and defines a cooling space V in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit X.

[0061] An upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 is equivalent to an "attachment unit" of the present invention, and the supplying unit 32 is attachable to and detachable from the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31. The supplying unit 32 includes a supplying path 32X and a discharging path 32Y (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). The supplying path 32X is provided for supplying air, and connected to an air blowing source 35 through a tube 33. The discharging path 32Y is provided for discharging the air. The air is equivalent to a "refrigerant" of the present invention. When the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, the supplying path 32X and the discharging path 32Y are connected to the cooling space V. As the air blowing source 35 is driven while the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, (i) air is supplied from the air blowing source 35 to the cooling space V through the supplying path 32X and (ii) the air supplied to the cooling space V is discharged through the discharging path 32Y.

[0062] As the air is supplied from the air blowing source 35 to the cooling space V so as to cool the cooled unit X, molten polymer in the cooled unit X is solidified. As a result, the flow rate of the molten polymer is decreased (that is, the flow is stopped). When the flow of the molten polymer is stopped in the cooled unit X as described above, the maintenance of the gear pump 25 provided downstream of the cooled unit X in the flow direction A is performable.

[0063] The housing 29 includes a housing space 29v which accommodates the heating box 21 and walls 29w (see FIG. 3) which define the housing space 29v. The upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 protrudes as compared to an upper surface (outer surface) of the heating box 21, but does not protrude as compared to an upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29, i.e., an upper surface of upper one (hereinafter, this will be referred to as upper wall 29w) of the walls 29w (see FIG. 3(a)) of the housing 29. While being attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31, the supplying unit 32 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29, i.e., the upper surface of the upper wall 29w (see FIG. 3(b)) of the housing 29.

[0064] Molten polymer stored in the material tank 23 is pressure-supplied to the spinning packs 22 through the main piping 24 and the piping 241 by driving the gear pump 25. The molten polymer flowing in the spinning packs 22 is pushed downward through through holes of spinnerets (not illustrated) provided at lower ends of the spinning packs 22.

[0065] The following will detail each cooling unit 31 and each supplying unit 32 with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6.

[0066] The up-down direction of the supplying unit 32 which will be used in the following description is defined on the premise that the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 4(a), the cooling unit 31 includes a lower portion 31b attached to the piping 241 and a main portion 31c extending upward from the lower portion 31b.

[0068] The lower portion 31b is cylindrical in shape, and has a central axis extending along the left-right direction. The piping 241 penetrates a center portion of the lower portion 31b. The lower portion 31b is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 and a position downstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A, and defines the cooling space V.

[0069] The main portion 31c is cylindrical in shape, and has a central axis extending along the up-down direction. An upper end of the main portion 31c, i.e., the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 includes an opening portion 31x which is open in an upward direction as shown in FIG. 4(a). As shown in FIG. 3(a), the upper end 31a protrudes from the upper surface (outer surface) of the heating box 21. An outer circumferential surface 31s of the upper end 31a is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward an upper end of the upper end 31a.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 3(b) and FIG. 4(b), the supplying unit 32 incudes an upper end 32a to which the tube 33 (see FIG. 2) is attached and a lower end 32b attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the supplying unit 32 is a double pipe and includes an inner pipe 321 and an outer pipe 322. The inner pipe 321 and the outer pipe 322 are both cylindrical in shape, and have central axes extending along the up-down direction. The inner diameter of the outer pipe 322 is larger than the outer diameter of the inner pipe 321, and the outer pipe 322 is provided outside the inner pipe 321.

[0072] An upper end of the inner pipe 321 is equivalent to the upper end 32a of the supplying unit 32, and a lower end of the outer pipe 322 is equivalent to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the upper end of the inner pipe 321, i.e., the upper end 32a of the supplying unit 32 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29, i.e., the upper surface of upper wall 29w. An inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the outer pipe 322, i.e., an inner circumferential surface 32s of the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32 is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases toward a lower end of the lower end 32b.

[0073] An inclination angle θ1 (see FIG. 4(a)) of the outer circumferential surface 31s with respect to the vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle θ2 (see FIG. 4(b)) of the inner circumferential surface 32s with respect to the vertical direction.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the housing 29 is provided with a through hole 29x penetrating the upper wall 29w. The supplying unit 32 is attachable to the cooling unit 31 by being inserted into the housing 29 (into the housing space 29v) through the through hole 29x from a position above the housing 29 and being moved downward. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32.

[0075] When the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31, the supplying unit 32 is provided in the through hole 29x.

[0076] The lower end of the inner pipe 321 protrudes as compared to the lower end of the outer pipe 322. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31, the lower end of the inner pipe 321 is provided slightly above the upper surface of the cooled unit X.

[0077] An internal space of the inner pipe 321 forms the supplying path 32X, and a space between the inner pipe 321 and the outer pipe 322 forms the discharging path 32Y.

[0078] Air from the air blowing source 35 flows into the inner pipe 321 from the upper end 32a of the supplying unit 32 through the tube 33, and flows downward through the supplying path 32X. This air is discharged into the lower portion 31b of the cooling unit 31 from the lower end of the inner pipe 321, and sent to the cooling space V in contact with the cooled unit X of the piping 241. After that, this air flows upward through the discharging path 32Y and is discharged from an outlet 32Ya provided at an upper portion of the outer pipe 322.

[0079] The supplying path 32X includes an upper end connected to the air blowing source 35 through the tube 33 and a lower end connected to the cooling space V. The discharging path 32Y includes an upper end formed of the outlet 32Ya and a lower end connected to the cooling space V. Air from the air blowing source 35 flows from the upper end to lower end of the supplying path 32X, and is supplied to the cooling space V. The air which is supplied to the cooling space V and which receives heat by cooling the cooled unit X flows from the lower end to upper end of the discharging path 32Y, and is discharged from the outlet 32Ya forming this upper end.

[0080] Except the maintenance of the gear pump 25, the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31 (see right two of the spinning units 20 shown in FIG. 2). In this case, because heat is radiated to the outside of the housing 29 from the heating box 21 through the through hole 29x (see FIG. 3(b)), it may be necessary to increase the frequency of heating the heating box 21 so that power consumption disadvantageously increases. In order to suppress this problem, in the present embodiment, each spinning unit 20 includes a heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 7) which is able to close the through hole 29x when the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the heat insulating material 40 extends in the up-down direction, and a handle 41 is provided at an upper end of the heat insulating material 40. The handle 41 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29. As shown in FIG. 7, while gripping the handle 41, an operator who performs maintenance can insert the heat insulating material 40 into the housing 29 (into the housing space 29v) through the through hole 29x from a position above the housing 29. When the heat insulating material 40 is attached to the housing 29, the through hole 29x is closed by the heat insulating material 40.

[0082] The heat insulating material 40 is equivalent to a "preventer" of the present invention, and has a function of preventing heat radiation to the outside of the housing 29 from the heating box 21 through the through hole 29x. For example, the heat insulating material 40 is made of a material whose heat conductivity is lower than the heat conductivity of a material of the supplying unit 32 (e.g., metal). Alternatively, a member including an air layer may be used as the heat insulating material 40.

[0083] As described above, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31, the present embodiment makes it possible to cool the cooled unit X so as to decrease the flow rate of molten polymer in the cooled unit X (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) by supplying air to the cooling space V through the supplying path 32X of the supplying unit 32. With this arrangement, one supplying unit 32 is applicable to the cooling units 31 provided in the respective spinning units 20 (see FIG. 2). In this case, because the number of supplying units 32 is small, a material cost of the supplying unit 32 is suppressed as compared to a case where a combination of the cooling unit 31 and the supplying unit 32 is provided for the cooled unit X of each spinning unit 20. In the present embodiment, the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 does not protrude as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 3(a), etc.). It is therefore possible to suppress the heat radiation to the outside of the housing 29 through the upper end 31a, and thus the increase in power consumption is suppressed. That is, the present embodiment makes it possible to suppress both the material cost of the supplying unit 32 and the increase in power consumption in the spinning apparatus 2 including the spinning units 20.

[0084] The target unit which is a target of maintenance is the gear pump 25 (see FIG. 2) configured to pressure-supply molten polymer to the spinning packs 22. In this case, the maintenance of the gear pump 25 is performable while the flow rate of the molten polymer is decreased by cooling the molten polymer in the cooled unit X with use of air supplied from the supplying unit 32.

[0085] The upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the heating box 21 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 3(a), etc.). With this arrangement, the influence of heat from the heating box 21 on the supplying unit 32 attached to the upper end 31a is decreased as compared to a case where the upper end 31a does not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the heating box 21. Furthermore, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31, the insertion of the supplying unit 32 into the heating box 21 is unnecessary. Therefore, the supplying unit 32 is easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0086] The upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 includes the opening portion 31x (see FIG. 4(a)). With this arrangement, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, the supplying path 32X is easily connected to the cooling space V through the opening portion 31x.

[0087] The opening portion 31x is open in the upward direction (see FIG. 4(a)). With this arrangement, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, the supplying unit 32 is moved downward because of its own weight so as to be easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0088] The upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. In this case, the upper end 31a includes the outer circumferential surface 31s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward the upper end of the upper end 31a (toward the lower end 32b which is before insertion). With this arrangement, the supplying unit 32 is easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0089] The lower end 32b includes the inner circumferential surface 32s (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases downward (toward the upper end 31a which is before insertion). With this arrangement, the supplying unit 32 is further easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0090] The inclination angle θ1 (see FIG. 4(a)) of the outer circumferential surface 31s with respect to the vertical direction is the same as the inclination angle θ2 (see FIG. 4(b)) of the inner circumferential surface 32s with respect to the vertical direction. With this arrangement, the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31 while sealing performance is achieved.

[0091] The supplying unit 32 includes the discharging path 32Y in addition to the supplying path 32X (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). Each spinning unit 20 is structured so that the discharging path 32Y is connected to the cooling space V when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31. This makes it possible to discharge air which is supplied to the cooling space V through the supplying path 32X and which receives heat by cooling the cooled unit X, through the discharging path 32Y. It is therefore possible to efficiently cool the cooled unit X. Furthermore, because the supplying unit 32 includes the discharging path 32Y, it is unnecessary to additionally provide a member including a discharging path. This suppresses the increase of a cost (a material cost, a manufacturing cost, etc.) due to the provision of this additional member.

[0092] The cooling unit 31 is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 and a position downstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A (see FIG. 5). With this arrangement, the cooling space V is reliably defined by the cooling unit 31, and the cooled unit X is efficiently cooled via the cooling space V.

[0093] The cooling space V is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit X (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). With this arrangement, the cooled unit X is efficiently cooled via the cooling space V.

[0094] Each spinning unit 20 includes the heat insulating material 40 which is able to close the through hole 29x when the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31. With this arrangement, when the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31, the heat insulating material 40 makes it possible to suppress the heat radiation to the outside of the housing 29 from the heating box 21 through the through hole 29x. As a result, the increase in power consumption is suppressed.<Second Embodiment>

[0095] The following will describe Second Embodiment of the present invention.

[0096] In First Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. Furthermore, the upper end 31a includes the outer circumferential surface 31s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward the upper end of the upper end 31a (toward the lower end 32b which is before inserted), and the lower end 32b includes the inner circumferential surface 32s which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases downward (toward the upper end 31a which is before insertion).

[0097] In Second Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a lower end 232b is attachable to an upper end 231a by inserting the lower end 232b of a supplying unit 232 into an opening portion 231X which is open in the upward direction and which is provided at the upper end 231a of a cooling unit 231. Furthermore, the lower end 232b includes an outer circumferential surface 232s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 232s decreases toward a lower end of the lower end 232b (toward the upper end 231a which is before insertion), and the upper end 231a includes an inner circumferential surface 231s which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 231s increases upward (toward the lower end 232b which is before insertion). An inclination angle of the outer circumferential surface 232s with respect to the vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle of the inner circumferential surface 231s with respect to the vertical direction.

[0098] In Second Embodiment, because the outer circumferential surface 232s and the inner circumferential surface 231s are inclined, the supplying unit 32 is easily attached to the cooling unit 31 similarly as in First Embodiment.<Example>

[0099] An inventor of the subject application formed samples of the spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of First Embodiment, used (i) a sample in which the supplying unit 32 was not attached to the cooling unit 31 as Example and (ii) a sample in which the supplying unit 32 was attached to the cooling unit 31 as Comparative Example, and measured power consumption of each sample when the heating box 21 was heated. In Example, the heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 7) was provided in a provision space where the supplying unit 32 which was attached to the cooling unit 31 was provided.

[0100] As a result of the measurement, the power consumption in a steady state was 23.7 Wh in Example and was 36.5 Wh in Comparative Example. According to this, Example made it possible to reduce the power consumption by 12.7 Wh as compared to Comparative Example.<Modifications>

[0101] A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, as described below, for example.

[0102] For example, the target unit which is a target of maintenance is not limited to the gear pump. The target unit may be a pressure-supplying member such as a piston pump, a diaphragm pump, a vane pump, etc. which is not a pump of a gear type. Alternatively, the target unit is not limited to the pressure-supplying pump and may be a plate, a part of a piping, etc. which is provided between the pressure-supplying member and the heating box in order to protect the heating box from the damage and the dirt due to polymer.

[0103] The number of spinning packs attached to the heating box is not limited to plural, and may be one.

[0104] The attachment unit of the cooling unit may not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the heating box. For example, the attachment unit may be provided along the outer surface of the heating box or may be provided inside the heating box.

[0105] The preventor is not limited to extend in the up-down direction as in the embodiment above, as long as it is able to close the through hole when the supplying unit is not attached to the attachment unit. The preventer may be differently shaped. Alternatively, each spinning unit may not include the preventer.

[0106] In the embodiment above, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional area of a passage in the cooled unit X is smaller than that of a passage in the part X' of the piping 241, and the cooled unit X is long and oval in shape in the up-down direction in a cross section orthogonal to the left-right direction. In this regard, the part X' of the piping 241 is the remaining part of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the cross sectional shape of the cooled unit X may not be oval but may be differently shaped (circular, rectangular, etc.). The cross-sectional area of the passage in the cooled unit X may be the same as that of the passage in the remaining part X' of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X. The cooled unit X may be differently shaped as long as it is able to be cooled.

[0107] In the embodiment above, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the cooling space V is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit X. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The cooling space V may be in contact with only a part of the cooled unit X (e.g., in contact with not the entire circumference but an upper or a lower half of the entire circumference of the cooled unit X).

[0108] In the embodiment above, as shown in FIG. 5, the cooling space V is in contact with not only the cooled unit X but also positions provided on both sides of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A (positions which are provided at the remaining part X' of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X and upstream and downstream of the cooled unit X in the flow direction A). However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the cooling space V may be in contact with only the cooled unit X (not be in contact with the remaining part X' of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X).

[0109] In First Embodiment (see FIG. 8(a)), one of the outer circumferential surface 31s of the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 and the inner circumferential surface 32s of the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32 may not be inclined but may extend in the up-down direction.

[0110] In Second Embodiment (see FIG. 8(b)), one of the inner circumferential surface 231s of the upper end 231a of the cooling unit 231 and the outer circumferential surface 232s of the lower end 232b of the supplying unit 232 may not be inclined but may extend in the up-down direction.

[0111] In order to attach the supplying unit to the cooling unit, (i) the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the cooling unit and (ii) the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the supplying unit are inclined in First Embodiment (see FIG. 8(a)), and (I) the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the cooling unit and (II) the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the supplying unit are inclined in Second Embodiment (see FIG. 8(b)). However, the disclosure is not limited to this. When the above-described outer circumferential surfaces and inner circumferential surfaces are not inclined but extend in the vertical direction, the following arrangements may be adopted. For example, an elastic member such as a rubber packing, etc. may be provided at a gap on a connecting portion between the cooling unit and the supplying unit. For another example, a protrusion may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the cooling unit while a curved slit is provided on a circumferential wall of the lower end of the supplying unit. Alternatively, a curved slit may be provided on a circumferential wall of the upper end of the cooling unit while a protrusion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the supplying unit. In this case, the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit by circumferentially rotating the supplying unit so that the protrusion moves in the slit. For another example, a biasing member such as a ball plunger, etc. may be provided at the connecting portion between the cooling unit and the supplying unit. In this case, after the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the positions of the cooling unit and the supplying unit may be fixed by the biasing member. For another example, a male screw portion and a female screw portion may be provided respectively at the cooling unit and the supplying unit. In this case, the supplying unit may be attached to the cooling unit by tightening the male screw portion and the female screw portion.

[0112] The opening portion of the attachment unit is always open in the embodiment above. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the opening portion may be closed before the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit and may be open so that the supplying path is connected to the cooling space when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit. In this case, for example, the attachment unit may be provided with a lid which is able to close and open the opening portion, this lid closes the opening portion before the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, and this lid is opened so as to open the opening portion when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit.

[0113] The opening portion is not limited to be open in the upward direction. For example, the opening portion may be open in a downward direction. In this case, the supplying unit is attachable to the cooling unit by moving the supplying unit upward. Alternatively, the opening portion may be open in a direction intersecting with the vertical direction. In this case, the supplying unit is attachable to the cooling unit by moving the supplying unit in the direction intersecting with the vertical direction.

[0114] The attachment unit is a part of the cooling unit, and the supplying unit is attachable to and detachable from this part. For example, the opening portion provided at the attachment unit may be separated from a contact point between the attachment unit and the supplying unit.

[0115] The attachment unit may not include the opening portion as long as, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is connected to the cooling space. For example, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path may be connected to the cooling space through an opening portion provided at a part of the cooling unit except the attachment unit.

[0116] When the supplying unit is attached to or detached from the cooling unit, the supplying unit may be moved differently as long as it is moved relative to the cooling unit. For example, when the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the supplying unit may be moved toward the cooling unit or the cooling unit may be moved toward the supplying unit. When the supplying unit is detached from the cooling unit, the supplying unit may be moved away from the cooling unit or the cooling unit may be moved away from the supplying unit.

[0117] The supplying unit may not include the discharging path. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a supplying unit 332 does not include the discharging path and includes a supplying path 332X, a discharging unit 333 including a discharging path 332Y may be additionally provided. The discharging unit 333 is attached to a side portion of the cooling unit 31, and extends in the front-rear direction. Air supplied to the cooling space V through the supplying path 332X is discharged through the discharging path 332Y. For another example, as shown in FIG. 10, the following units may be attached to an upper end 431a of a cooling unit 431: a supplying unit 432 including a supplying path 432X; and a discharging unit 433 including a discharging path 432Y. The cooling unit 431 includes one upper end 431a to which the supplying unit 432 is attached, and another upper end 431a to which the discharging unit 433 is attached. The air supplied to the cooling space V through the supplying path 432X is discharged through the discharging path 432Y.

[0118] In the embodiment above (see FIG. 4(a)), the upper end (attachment unit) 31a of the cooling unit 31 and the opening portion 31x included in the upper end 31a are connected to the cooling space V. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The attachment unit and the opening portion are not necessarily connected to the cooling space as long as, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is connected to the cooling space.

[0119] The refrigerant is not limited to air, and may be, e.g., gas which is not the air or liquid.

[0120] Each adjacent heating boxes in which spinning units are provided are separated from each other in the embodiment above (see FIG. 2), but may be in contact with each other. Alternatively, one heating box may be shared by adjacent spinning units.

Examples

first embodiment

[0033]To begin with, the following will describe a yarn production system 1 including a spinning apparatus 2 of First Embodiment of the present invention, with reference to FIG. 1.

[0034]An up-down direction which will be used in the following description is defined on the premise that the yarn production system 1 is placed to be available. Furthermore, the front side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the left part on the plane of FIG. 1, and the rear side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the right part on the plane of FIG. 1. Moreover, a left-right direction is defined based on the assumption that the yarn production system 1 is viewed from the front.

[0035]As shown in FIG. 1, the yarn production system 1 includes the spinning apparatus 2 and a spun yarn take-up apparatus 3.

[0036]The spinning apparatus 2 is configured to spin out molten polymer downward as yarns Y, and includes spinning units 20 (see FIG. 2) aligned in the left-r...

second embodiment

[0095]The following will describe Second Embodiment of the present invention.

[0096]In First Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. Furthermore, the upper end 31a includes the outer circumferential surface 31s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward the upper end of the upper end 31a (toward the lower end 32b which is before inserted), and the lower end 32b includes the inner circumferential surface 32s which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases downward (toward the upper end 31a which is before insertion).

[0097]In Second Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a lower end 232b is attachable to an upper end 231a by inserting the lower end 232b of a supplying unit 232 into an opening portion 231X which is open in the upward direction and wh...

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a spinning apparatus including spinning units.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2023-090643) descries a spinning apparatus (spinning unit) including a spinning beam (heating box) to which a spinning pack is attached, a polymer tank, and a piping connecting the polymer tank to the spinning pack. Molten polymer in the polymer tank is pressure-supplied to the spinning pack through the piping.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The decrease of a flow rate of the molten polymer in the piping (e.g., the stop of the flow) may be required in the maintenance of a target unit (e.g., a pressure-supplying member, etc.) provided at the piping. In order to deal with this, it is conceivable to decrease the flow rate of the molten polymer (i.e., to stop the flow) by supplying a refrigerant (e.g., air) to a cooled unit via a supplying unit so as to cool the molten polymer in the cooled unit. The cooled unit is provided upstream of the target unit in the piping.

[0004] However, in a spinning apparatus including plural spinning units, there are plural above-described target units. In this case, when supplying units are provided to correspond to cooled units of the respective target units, material costs of the supplying units increase depending on the number of these supplying units. Furthermore, when a supplying unit protrudes from an outer surface of a housing which accommodates a heating box in each spinning unit, an amount of heat radiated to the outside of the housing through each supplying unit is large. It is therefore necessary to increase the frequency of heating the heating box. This may increase power consumption.

[0005] An object of the present invention is, in a spinning apparatus including spinning units, to suppress both a material cost of a supplying unit and the increase in power consumption.

[0006] A spinning apparatus of the present invention comprises spinning units, each of the spinning units including: a heating box to which at least one spinning pack is attached; a piping in which a molten material flows toward the at least one spinning pack in the heating box; a target unit which is provided at the piping and which is a target of maintenance; a cooled unit which is provided upstream of the target unit in the piping in a flow direction of the molten material in the piping, the cooled unit being cooled so as to decrease a flow rate of the molten material flowing in the cooled unit; a cooling unit defining a cooling space in contact with the cooled unit; and a housing which accommodates the heating box, the cooling unit including an attachment unit to which a supplying unit including a supplying path for supplying a refrigerant is attachable and from which the supplying unit is detachable, the each of the spinning units being structured so that, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is connected to the cooling space, and the attachment unit not protruding as compared to an outer surface of the housing.

[0007] According to the present invention, when the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the cooled unit is cooled by supplying the refrigerant to the cooling space through the supplying path. As a result, the flow rate of the molten material in the cooled unit is decreased. With this arrangement, one supplying unit is applicable to cooling units which are respectively provided at the spinning units. In this case, because the number of supplying units is small, a material cost of the supplying unit is suppressed as compared to a case where a combination of the cooling unit and the supplying unit is provided for the cooled unit of each spinning unit. According to the present invention, because the attachment unit of the cooling unit does not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the housing, the heat radiation to the outside of the housing through the attachment unit is suppressed. As a result, the increase in power consumption is also suppressed. That is, the present invention makes it possible to suppress both the material cost of the supplying unit and the increase in power consumption in the spinning apparatus including the spinning units.

[0008] The spinning apparatus of the present invention may be arranged such that spinning packs are attachable to the heating box, the piping is branched from the target unit toward the spinning packs, and the target unit is a pressure-supplying member configured to pressure-supply the molten material toward the spinning packs.

[0009] According to this arrangement, maintenance is performed for the pressure-supplying member while the flow rate of the molten material in the cooled unit is decreased by the refrigerant supplied from the supplying unit.

[0010] The spinning apparatus of the present invention may be arranged such that the attachment unit protrudes as compared to the outer surface of the heating box.

[0011] According to this arrangement, the influence of heat from the heating box on the supplying unit attached to the attachment unit is decreased as compared to a case where the attachment unit does not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the heating box. Furthermore, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the insertion of the supplying unit into the heating box is unnecessary. Therefore, the supplying unit is easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0012] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the attachment unit includes an opening portion.

[0013] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is easily connected to the cooling space through the opening portion.

[0014] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the opening portion is open in an upward direction.

[0015] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying unit is moved downward because of its own weight so as to be easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0016] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that an upper end of the cooling unit forms the attachment unit, the upper end is attachable to a lower end of the supplying unit by inserting one of the upper end and the lower end into the other of the upper end and the lower end, and the one of the upper end and the lower end includes an outer circumferential surface which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface decreases toward the other of the upper end and the lower end.

[0017] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0018] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the other of the upper end and the lower end includes an inner circumferential surface which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface increases toward the one of the upper end and the lower end.

[0019] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is further easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0020] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that an inclination angle of the outer circumferential surface with respect to a vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle of the inner circumferential surface with respect to the vertical direction.

[0021] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit while sealing performance is achieved.

[0022] Alternatively, the spinning apparatus of the present invention may be arranged such that an upper end of the cooling unit forms the attachment unit, the upper end is attachable to a lower end of the supplying unit by inserting one of the upper end and the lower end into the other of the upper end and the lower end, and the other of the upper end and the lower end includes an inner circumferential surface which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface increases toward the one of the upper end and the lower end.

[0023] According to this arrangement, the supplying unit is further easily attached to the cooling unit.

[0024] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the supplying unit further includes a discharging path for discharging the refrigerant, and the each of the spinning units is structured so that, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the discharging path is connected to the cooling space.

[0025] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the refrigerant which is supplied to the cooling space through the supplying path and which receives heat by cooling the cooled unit is discharged through the discharging path. It is therefore possible to efficiently cool the cooled unit. Furthermore, because the supplying unit includes the discharging path, it is unnecessary to additionally provide a member including a discharging path. This suppresses the increase of a cost (a material cost, a manufacturing cost, etc.) due to the provision of this additional member.

[0026] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the cooling unit is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit in the piping and a position downstream of the cooled unit in the piping in the flow direction.

[0027] According to this arrangement, the cooling space is reliably defined by the cooling unit, and the cooled unit is efficiently cooled via the cooling space.

[0028] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the cooling space is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit.

[0029] According to this arrangement, the cooled unit is efficiently cooled via the cooling space.

[0030] The spinning apparatus of the present invention is preferably arranged such that the housing includes: a housing space which accommodates the heating box; a wall defining the housing space; and a through hole closed by the supplying unit when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, and the each of the spinning units further includes a preventer which is able to close the through hole when the supplying unit is not attached to the attachment unit and which is configured to prevent heat from being radiated to the outside of the housing from the heating box through the through hole.

[0031] According to this arrangement, when the supplying unit is not attached to the attachment unit, the preventer makes it possible to suppress the heat radiation to the outside of the housing through the through hole. As a result, the increase in power consumption is suppressed.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 is a profile of a yarn production system including a spinning apparatus of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the spinning apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3(a) is a profile of a cooling unit of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3(b) is a profile of a supplying unit of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4(a) is a longitudinal cross section view of the cooling unit shown in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 4(b) is a longitudinal cross section view of the supplying unit shown in FIG. 3(b). FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross section view showing that the supplying unit of FIG. 4(b) is attached to the cooling unit of FIG. 4(a). FIG. 6 is another longitudinal cross section view which is different from FIG. 5 and which shows that the supplying unit of FIG. 4(b) is attached to the cooling unit of FIG. 4(a). FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross section view showing that a through hole of a housing is closed by a heat insulating material when the supplying unit is not attached to the cooling unit. FIG. 8(a) is a longitudinal cross section view showing an attachment state between the cooling unit and supplying unit of First Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8(b) is a longitudinal cross section view showing an attachment state between a cooling unit and supplying unit of Second Embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross section view showing a modification of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross section view showing another modification of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. 6. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS<First Embodiment>

[0033] To begin with, the following will describe a yarn production system 1 including a spinning apparatus 2 of First Embodiment of the present invention, with reference to FIG. 1.

[0034] An up-down direction which will be used in the following description is defined on the premise that the yarn production system 1 is placed to be available. Furthermore, the front side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the left part on the plane of FIG. 1, and the rear side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the right part on the plane of FIG. 1. Moreover, a left-right direction is defined based on the assumption that the yarn production system 1 is viewed from the front.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the yarn production system 1 includes the spinning apparatus 2 and a spun yarn take-up apparatus 3.

[0036] The spinning apparatus 2 is configured to spin out molten polymer downward as yarns Y, and includes spinning units 20 (see FIG. 2) aligned in the left-right direction. The spinning apparatus 2 will be detailed later.

[0037] The spun yarn take-up apparatus 3 is configured to take up the yarns Y spun out from the spinning apparatus 2 and includes a cooler 4, oil nozzles 5, guides 6, a comb teeth guide 7, godet rollers 8 and 9, and a winding device 10 as shown in FIG. 1. The cooler 4, the oil nozzles 5, the guides 6, the comb teeth guide 7, the godet rollers 8 and 9, and the winding device 10 are provided for each yarn winding unit 20 (see FIG. 2).

[0038] The cooler 4 is provided below the spinning apparatus 2. The cooler 4 includes a cooling cylinder (not illustrated) which is substantially cylindrical in shape and both ends of which are open in the up-down direction. Inside the cooling cylinder of each cooler 4, the yarns Y which are spun out from a corresponding spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of the spinning apparatus 2 can run downward. The cooler 4 is configured to cool the yarns Y by supplying cooling air to the yarns Y running in the cooling cylinder.

[0039] The oil nozzles 5 are provided below the cooler 4, and configured to apply oil to the respective yarns Y cooled by the cooler 4.

[0040] The guides 6 are provided below the respective oil nozzles 5 at regular intervals in the left-right direction, and configured to individually guide the oiled yarns Y.

[0041] The comb teeth guide 7 is provided below an approximate center of a group of the guides 6 in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. The yarns Y guided by the guides 6 run downward while being aligned at regular intervals in the left-right direction of the comb teeth guide 7.

[0042] The godet rollers 8 and 9 are provided downstream of the comb teeth guide 7 in a running direction of the yarns Y in the spun yarn take-up apparatus 3. The yarns Y spun out from each spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of the spinning apparatus 2 are wound onto the godet rollers 8 and 9 via the cooler 4, the oil nozzles 5, the guides 6, and the comb teeth guide 7 and are sent to the winding device 10.

[0043] The winding device 10 includes two bobbin holders 11, a base 12, a turret 13 provided at the base 12, a supporting frame 14, a guide supporter 15, supporting guides 16, traverse devices 17, and a contact roller 18.

[0044] Each of the two bobbin holders 11 is a shaft member extending in the front-rear direction, and is cantilevered at its rear end by the turret 13. Each bobbin holder 11 is able to retain bobbins B aligned in the front-rear direction. For example, eight yarns Y spun out from each spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of the spinning apparatus 2 are respectively wound onto eight bobbins B.

[0045] The supporting frame 14 extends in the front-rear direction to be substantially parallel to each bobbin holder 11. The supporting frame 14 is cantilevered at its rear end by the base 12.

[0046] The guide supporter 15 is provided at an upper part of the supporting frame 14, and extends in the front-rear direction.

[0047] The supporting guides 16 are provided at the guide supporter 15. The supporting guides 16 are aligned in the front-rear direction to correspond to the bobbins B.

[0048] The traverse devices 17 are provided at the supporting frame 14. The traverse devices 17 are aligned in the front-rear direction to correspond to the bobbins B and the supporting guides 16. Each traverse device 17 is configured to traverse a yarn Y in the front-rear direction about a corresponding supporting guide 16.

[0049] The contact roller 18 is rotatably supported by the supporting frame 14.

[0050] The winding device 10 is configured to start winding of the yarns Y, which are traversed by the traverse devices 17, onto the bobbins B retained by upper one of the two bobbin holders 11. While the yarns Y are wound, the contact roller 18 is moved up or down and / or the turret 13 is rotated. In this way, packages P are formed in accordance with the increase in diameter of the packages P formed by winding the yarns Y onto the bobbins B.

[0051] Then, the following will detail the spinning apparatus 2 with reference to FIG. 2.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, the spinning apparatus 2 includes a material tank 23, a main piping 24, and the spinning units 20.

[0053] Hot molten polymer is stored in the material tank 23. The molten polymer is one example of a "molten material" of the present invention.

[0054] The main piping 24 extends in the left-right direction, and causes the material tank 23 to communicate with the spinning units 20.

[0055] Each spinning unit 20 includes a heating box 21, a piping 241, a gear pump 25, a cooling unit 31, and a housing 29.

[0056] The heating box 21 is heated by a heat source (not illustrated), and it is hot inside the heating box 21. A lower surface of the heating box 21 is provided with openings into which the spinning packs 22 are insertable. The spinning packs 22 are inserted into the heating box 21 through the above-described openings, and attached to the heating box 21. The spinning packs 22 are heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating box 21.

[0057] The piping 241 is branched from the main piping 24 toward the spinning packs 22 in the heating box 21. The piping 241 includes a passage 24x on which molten polymer flows toward the spinning packs 22 in the heating box 21.

[0058] The gear pump 25 is provided at the piping 241, and equivalent to a "target unit" of the present invention. The "target unit" is a target of maintenance. The piping 241 is branched from the gear pump 25 toward the spinning packs 22. The gear pump 25 is a pressure-supplying member configured to pressure-supply molten polymer to the spinning packs 22.

[0059] The piping 241 is provided with, inside the heating box 21, a cooled unit X on the upstream of the gear pump 25 in a flow direction A. The flow direction A is a direction in which molten polymer flows in the passage 24x. The cooled unit X is a part of the piping 241. As the cooled unit X is cooled by the cooling unit 31, a flow rate of the molten polymer flowing in the cooled unit X decreases. In order to efficiently cool the cooled unit X of the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of a passage in the cooled unit X is smaller than that of a passage in a part X' of the piping 241 (see FIG. 6). The part X' of the piping 241 is the remaining part of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X. In a cross section orthogonal to the left-right direction, the cooled unit X is long and oval in shape in the up-down direction.

[0060] The cooling unit 31 is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 and a position downstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A, and defines a cooling space V in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit X.

[0061] An upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 is equivalent to an "attachment unit" of the present invention, and the supplying unit 32 is attachable to and detachable from the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31. The supplying unit 32 includes a supplying path 32X and a discharging path 32Y (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). The supplying path 32X is provided for supplying air, and connected to an air blowing source 35 through a tube 33. The discharging path 32Y is provided for discharging the air. The air is equivalent to a "refrigerant" of the present invention. When the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, the supplying path 32X and the discharging path 32Y are connected to the cooling space V. As the air blowing source 35 is driven while the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, (i) air is supplied from the air blowing source 35 to the cooling space V through the supplying path 32X and (ii) the air supplied to the cooling space V is discharged through the discharging path 32Y.

[0062] As the air is supplied from the air blowing source 35 to the cooling space V so as to cool the cooled unit X, molten polymer in the cooled unit X is solidified. As a result, the flow rate of the molten polymer is decreased (that is, the flow is stopped). When the flow of the molten polymer is stopped in the cooled unit X as described above, the maintenance of the gear pump 25 provided downstream of the cooled unit X in the flow direction A is performable.

[0063] The housing 29 includes a housing space 29v which accommodates the heating box 21 and walls 29w (see FIG. 3) which define the housing space 29v. The upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 protrudes as compared to an upper surface (outer surface) of the heating box 21, but does not protrude as compared to an upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29, i.e., an upper surface of upper one (hereinafter, this will be referred to as upper wall 29w) of the walls 29w (see FIG. 3(a)) of the housing 29. While being attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31, the supplying unit 32 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29, i.e., the upper surface of the upper wall 29w (see FIG. 3(b)) of the housing 29.

[0064] Molten polymer stored in the material tank 23 is pressure-supplied to the spinning packs 22 through the main piping 24 and the piping 241 by driving the gear pump 25. The molten polymer flowing in the spinning packs 22 is pushed downward through through holes of spinnerets (not illustrated) provided at lower ends of the spinning packs 22.

[0065] The following will detail each cooling unit 31 and each supplying unit 32 with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6.

[0066] The up-down direction of the supplying unit 32 which will be used in the following description is defined on the premise that the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 4(a), the cooling unit 31 includes a lower portion 31b attached to the piping 241 and a main portion 31c extending upward from the lower portion 31b.

[0068] The lower portion 31b is cylindrical in shape, and has a central axis extending along the left-right direction. The piping 241 penetrates a center portion of the lower portion 31b. The lower portion 31b is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 and a position downstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A, and defines the cooling space V.

[0069] The main portion 31c is cylindrical in shape, and has a central axis extending along the up-down direction. An upper end of the main portion 31c, i.e., the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 includes an opening portion 31x which is open in an upward direction as shown in FIG. 4(a). As shown in FIG. 3(a), the upper end 31a protrudes from the upper surface (outer surface) of the heating box 21. An outer circumferential surface 31s of the upper end 31a is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward an upper end of the upper end 31a.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 3(b) and FIG. 4(b), the supplying unit 32 incudes an upper end 32a to which the tube 33 (see FIG. 2) is attached and a lower end 32b attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the supplying unit 32 is a double pipe and includes an inner pipe 321 and an outer pipe 322. The inner pipe 321 and the outer pipe 322 are both cylindrical in shape, and have central axes extending along the up-down direction. The inner diameter of the outer pipe 322 is larger than the outer diameter of the inner pipe 321, and the outer pipe 322 is provided outside the inner pipe 321.

[0072] An upper end of the inner pipe 321 is equivalent to the upper end 32a of the supplying unit 32, and a lower end of the outer pipe 322 is equivalent to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the upper end of the inner pipe 321, i.e., the upper end 32a of the supplying unit 32 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29, i.e., the upper surface of upper wall 29w. An inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the outer pipe 322, i.e., an inner circumferential surface 32s of the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32 is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases toward a lower end of the lower end 32b.

[0073] An inclination angle θ1 (see FIG. 4(a)) of the outer circumferential surface 31s with respect to the vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle θ2 (see FIG. 4(b)) of the inner circumferential surface 32s with respect to the vertical direction.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the housing 29 is provided with a through hole 29x penetrating the upper wall 29w. The supplying unit 32 is attachable to the cooling unit 31 by being inserted into the housing 29 (into the housing space 29v) through the through hole 29x from a position above the housing 29 and being moved downward. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32.

[0075] When the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31, the supplying unit 32 is provided in the through hole 29x.

[0076] The lower end of the inner pipe 321 protrudes as compared to the lower end of the outer pipe 322. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31, the lower end of the inner pipe 321 is provided slightly above the upper surface of the cooled unit X.

[0077] An internal space of the inner pipe 321 forms the supplying path 32X, and a space between the inner pipe 321 and the outer pipe 322 forms the discharging path 32Y.

[0078] Air from the air blowing source 35 flows into the inner pipe 321 from the upper end 32a of the supplying unit 32 through the tube 33, and flows downward through the supplying path 32X. This air is discharged into the lower portion 31b of the cooling unit 31 from the lower end of the inner pipe 321, and sent to the cooling space V in contact with the cooled unit X of the piping 241. After that, this air flows upward through the discharging path 32Y and is discharged from an outlet 32Ya provided at an upper portion of the outer pipe 322.

[0079] The supplying path 32X includes an upper end connected to the air blowing source 35 through the tube 33 and a lower end connected to the cooling space V. The discharging path 32Y includes an upper end formed of the outlet 32Ya and a lower end connected to the cooling space V. Air from the air blowing source 35 flows from the upper end to lower end of the supplying path 32X, and is supplied to the cooling space V. The air which is supplied to the cooling space V and which receives heat by cooling the cooled unit X flows from the lower end to upper end of the discharging path 32Y, and is discharged from the outlet 32Ya forming this upper end.

[0080] Except the maintenance of the gear pump 25, the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31 (see right two of the spinning units 20 shown in FIG. 2). In this case, because heat is radiated to the outside of the housing 29 from the heating box 21 through the through hole 29x (see FIG. 3(b)), it may be necessary to increase the frequency of heating the heating box 21 so that power consumption disadvantageously increases. In order to suppress this problem, in the present embodiment, each spinning unit 20 includes a heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 7) which is able to close the through hole 29x when the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the heat insulating material 40 extends in the up-down direction, and a handle 41 is provided at an upper end of the heat insulating material 40. The handle 41 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29. As shown in FIG. 7, while gripping the handle 41, an operator who performs maintenance can insert the heat insulating material 40 into the housing 29 (into the housing space 29v) through the through hole 29x from a position above the housing 29. When the heat insulating material 40 is attached to the housing 29, the through hole 29x is closed by the heat insulating material 40.

[0082] The heat insulating material 40 is equivalent to a "preventer" of the present invention, and has a function of preventing heat radiation to the outside of the housing 29 from the heating box 21 through the through hole 29x. For example, the heat insulating material 40 is made of a material whose heat conductivity is lower than the heat conductivity of a material of the supplying unit 32 (e.g., metal). Alternatively, a member including an air layer may be used as the heat insulating material 40.

[0083] As described above, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31, the present embodiment makes it possible to cool the cooled unit X so as to decrease the flow rate of molten polymer in the cooled unit X (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) by supplying air to the cooling space V through the supplying path 32X of the supplying unit 32. With this arrangement, one supplying unit 32 is applicable to the cooling units 31 provided in the respective spinning units 20 (see FIG. 2). In this case, because the number of supplying units 32 is small, a material cost of the supplying unit 32 is suppressed as compared to a case where a combination of the cooling unit 31 and the supplying unit 32 is provided for the cooled unit X of each spinning unit 20. In the present embodiment, the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 does not protrude as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the housing 29 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 3(a), etc.). It is therefore possible to suppress the heat radiation to the outside of the housing 29 through the upper end 31a, and thus the increase in power consumption is suppressed. That is, the present embodiment makes it possible to suppress both the material cost of the supplying unit 32 and the increase in power consumption in the spinning apparatus 2 including the spinning units 20.

[0084] The target unit which is a target of maintenance is the gear pump 25 (see FIG. 2) configured to pressure-supply molten polymer to the spinning packs 22. In this case, the maintenance of the gear pump 25 is performable while the flow rate of the molten polymer is decreased by cooling the molten polymer in the cooled unit X with use of air supplied from the supplying unit 32.

[0085] The upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 protrudes as compared to the upper surface (outer surface) of the heating box 21 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 3(a), etc.). With this arrangement, the influence of heat from the heating box 21 on the supplying unit 32 attached to the upper end 31a is decreased as compared to a case where the upper end 31a does not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the heating box 21. Furthermore, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31, the insertion of the supplying unit 32 into the heating box 21 is unnecessary. Therefore, the supplying unit 32 is easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0086] The upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 includes the opening portion 31x (see FIG. 4(a)). With this arrangement, when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, the supplying path 32X is easily connected to the cooling space V through the opening portion 31x.

[0087] The opening portion 31x is open in the upward direction (see FIG. 4(a)). With this arrangement, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a, the supplying unit 32 is moved downward because of its own weight so as to be easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0088] The upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. In this case, the upper end 31a includes the outer circumferential surface 31s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward the upper end of the upper end 31a (toward the lower end 32b which is before insertion). With this arrangement, the supplying unit 32 is easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0089] The lower end 32b includes the inner circumferential surface 32s (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6) which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases downward (toward the upper end 31a which is before insertion). With this arrangement, the supplying unit 32 is further easily attached to the cooling unit 31.

[0090] The inclination angle θ1 (see FIG. 4(a)) of the outer circumferential surface 31s with respect to the vertical direction is the same as the inclination angle θ2 (see FIG. 4(b)) of the inner circumferential surface 32s with respect to the vertical direction. With this arrangement, the supplying unit 32 is attached to the cooling unit 31 while sealing performance is achieved.

[0091] The supplying unit 32 includes the discharging path 32Y in addition to the supplying path 32X (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). Each spinning unit 20 is structured so that the discharging path 32Y is connected to the cooling space V when the supplying unit 32 is attached to the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31. This makes it possible to discharge air which is supplied to the cooling space V through the supplying path 32X and which receives heat by cooling the cooled unit X, through the discharging path 32Y. It is therefore possible to efficiently cool the cooled unit X. Furthermore, because the supplying unit 32 includes the discharging path 32Y, it is unnecessary to additionally provide a member including a discharging path. This suppresses the increase of a cost (a material cost, a manufacturing cost, etc.) due to the provision of this additional member.

[0092] The cooling unit 31 is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 and a position downstream of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A (see FIG. 5). With this arrangement, the cooling space V is reliably defined by the cooling unit 31, and the cooled unit X is efficiently cooled via the cooling space V.

[0093] The cooling space V is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit X (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6). With this arrangement, the cooled unit X is efficiently cooled via the cooling space V.

[0094] Each spinning unit 20 includes the heat insulating material 40 which is able to close the through hole 29x when the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31. With this arrangement, when the supplying unit 32 is not attached to the cooling unit 31, the heat insulating material 40 makes it possible to suppress the heat radiation to the outside of the housing 29 from the heating box 21 through the through hole 29x. As a result, the increase in power consumption is suppressed.<Second Embodiment>

[0095] The following will describe Second Embodiment of the present invention.

[0096] In First Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. Furthermore, the upper end 31a includes the outer circumferential surface 31s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward the upper end of the upper end 31a (toward the lower end 32b which is before inserted), and the lower end 32b includes the inner circumferential surface 32s which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases downward (toward the upper end 31a which is before insertion).

[0097] In Second Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a lower end 232b is attachable to an upper end 231a by inserting the lower end 232b of a supplying unit 232 into an opening portion 231X which is open in the upward direction and which is provided at the upper end 231a of a cooling unit 231. Furthermore, the lower end 232b includes an outer circumferential surface 232s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 232s decreases toward a lower end of the lower end 232b (toward the upper end 231a which is before insertion), and the upper end 231a includes an inner circumferential surface 231s which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 231s increases upward (toward the lower end 232b which is before insertion). An inclination angle of the outer circumferential surface 232s with respect to the vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle of the inner circumferential surface 231s with respect to the vertical direction.

[0098] In Second Embodiment, because the outer circumferential surface 232s and the inner circumferential surface 231s are inclined, the supplying unit 32 is easily attached to the cooling unit 31 similarly as in First Embodiment.<Example>

[0099] An inventor of the subject application formed samples of the spinning unit 20 (see FIG. 2) of First Embodiment, used (i) a sample in which the supplying unit 32 was not attached to the cooling unit 31 as Example and (ii) a sample in which the supplying unit 32 was attached to the cooling unit 31 as Comparative Example, and measured power consumption of each sample when the heating box 21 was heated. In Example, the heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 7) was provided in a provision space where the supplying unit 32 which was attached to the cooling unit 31 was provided.

[0100] As a result of the measurement, the power consumption in a steady state was 23.7 Wh in Example and was 36.5 Wh in Comparative Example. According to this, Example made it possible to reduce the power consumption by 12.7 Wh as compared to Comparative Example.<Modifications>

[0101] A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, as described below, for example.

[0102] For example, the target unit which is a target of maintenance is not limited to the gear pump. The target unit may be a pressure-supplying member such as a piston pump, a diaphragm pump, a vane pump, etc. which is not a pump of a gear type. Alternatively, the target unit is not limited to the pressure-supplying pump and may be a plate, a part of a piping, etc. which is provided between the pressure-supplying member and the heating box in order to protect the heating box from the damage and the dirt due to polymer.

[0103] The number of spinning packs attached to the heating box is not limited to plural, and may be one.

[0104] The attachment unit of the cooling unit may not protrude as compared to the outer surface of the heating box. For example, the attachment unit may be provided along the outer surface of the heating box or may be provided inside the heating box.

[0105] The preventor is not limited to extend in the up-down direction as in the embodiment above, as long as it is able to close the through hole when the supplying unit is not attached to the attachment unit. The preventer may be differently shaped. Alternatively, each spinning unit may not include the preventer.

[0106] In the embodiment above, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional area of a passage in the cooled unit X is smaller than that of a passage in the part X' of the piping 241, and the cooled unit X is long and oval in shape in the up-down direction in a cross section orthogonal to the left-right direction. In this regard, the part X' of the piping 241 is the remaining part of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the cross sectional shape of the cooled unit X may not be oval but may be differently shaped (circular, rectangular, etc.). The cross-sectional area of the passage in the cooled unit X may be the same as that of the passage in the remaining part X' of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X. The cooled unit X may be differently shaped as long as it is able to be cooled.

[0107] In the embodiment above, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the cooling space V is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit X. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The cooling space V may be in contact with only a part of the cooled unit X (e.g., in contact with not the entire circumference but an upper or a lower half of the entire circumference of the cooled unit X).

[0108] In the embodiment above, as shown in FIG. 5, the cooling space V is in contact with not only the cooled unit X but also positions provided on both sides of the cooled unit X of the piping 241 in the flow direction A (positions which are provided at the remaining part X' of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X and upstream and downstream of the cooled unit X in the flow direction A). However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the cooling space V may be in contact with only the cooled unit X (not be in contact with the remaining part X' of the piping 241 except the cooled unit X).

[0109] In First Embodiment (see FIG. 8(a)), one of the outer circumferential surface 31s of the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 and the inner circumferential surface 32s of the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32 may not be inclined but may extend in the up-down direction.

[0110] In Second Embodiment (see FIG. 8(b)), one of the inner circumferential surface 231s of the upper end 231a of the cooling unit 231 and the outer circumferential surface 232s of the lower end 232b of the supplying unit 232 may not be inclined but may extend in the up-down direction.

[0111] In order to attach the supplying unit to the cooling unit, (i) the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the cooling unit and (ii) the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the supplying unit are inclined in First Embodiment (see FIG. 8(a)), and (I) the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the cooling unit and (II) the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the supplying unit are inclined in Second Embodiment (see FIG. 8(b)). However, the disclosure is not limited to this. When the above-described outer circumferential surfaces and inner circumferential surfaces are not inclined but extend in the vertical direction, the following arrangements may be adopted. For example, an elastic member such as a rubber packing, etc. may be provided at a gap on a connecting portion between the cooling unit and the supplying unit. For another example, a protrusion may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the cooling unit while a curved slit is provided on a circumferential wall of the lower end of the supplying unit. Alternatively, a curved slit may be provided on a circumferential wall of the upper end of the cooling unit while a protrusion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the supplying unit. In this case, the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit by circumferentially rotating the supplying unit so that the protrusion moves in the slit. For another example, a biasing member such as a ball plunger, etc. may be provided at the connecting portion between the cooling unit and the supplying unit. In this case, after the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the positions of the cooling unit and the supplying unit may be fixed by the biasing member. For another example, a male screw portion and a female screw portion may be provided respectively at the cooling unit and the supplying unit. In this case, the supplying unit may be attached to the cooling unit by tightening the male screw portion and the female screw portion.

[0112] The opening portion of the attachment unit is always open in the embodiment above. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the opening portion may be closed before the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit and may be open so that the supplying path is connected to the cooling space when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit. In this case, for example, the attachment unit may be provided with a lid which is able to close and open the opening portion, this lid closes the opening portion before the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, and this lid is opened so as to open the opening portion when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit.

[0113] The opening portion is not limited to be open in the upward direction. For example, the opening portion may be open in a downward direction. In this case, the supplying unit is attachable to the cooling unit by moving the supplying unit upward. Alternatively, the opening portion may be open in a direction intersecting with the vertical direction. In this case, the supplying unit is attachable to the cooling unit by moving the supplying unit in the direction intersecting with the vertical direction.

[0114] The attachment unit is a part of the cooling unit, and the supplying unit is attachable to and detachable from this part. For example, the opening portion provided at the attachment unit may be separated from a contact point between the attachment unit and the supplying unit.

[0115] The attachment unit may not include the opening portion as long as, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is connected to the cooling space. For example, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path may be connected to the cooling space through an opening portion provided at a part of the cooling unit except the attachment unit.

[0116] When the supplying unit is attached to or detached from the cooling unit, the supplying unit may be moved differently as long as it is moved relative to the cooling unit. For example, when the supplying unit is attached to the cooling unit, the supplying unit may be moved toward the cooling unit or the cooling unit may be moved toward the supplying unit. When the supplying unit is detached from the cooling unit, the supplying unit may be moved away from the cooling unit or the cooling unit may be moved away from the supplying unit.

[0117] The supplying unit may not include the discharging path. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a supplying unit 332 does not include the discharging path and includes a supplying path 332X, a discharging unit 333 including a discharging path 332Y may be additionally provided. The discharging unit 333 is attached to a side portion of the cooling unit 31, and extends in the front-rear direction. Air supplied to the cooling space V through the supplying path 332X is discharged through the discharging path 332Y. For another example, as shown in FIG. 10, the following units may be attached to an upper end 431a of a cooling unit 431: a supplying unit 432 including a supplying path 432X; and a discharging unit 433 including a discharging path 432Y. The cooling unit 431 includes one upper end 431a to which the supplying unit 432 is attached, and another upper end 431a to which the discharging unit 433 is attached. The air supplied to the cooling space V through the supplying path 432X is discharged through the discharging path 432Y.

[0118] In the embodiment above (see FIG. 4(a)), the upper end (attachment unit) 31a of the cooling unit 31 and the opening portion 31x included in the upper end 31a are connected to the cooling space V. However, the disclosure is not limited to this. The attachment unit and the opening portion are not necessarily connected to the cooling space as long as, when the supplying unit is attached to the attachment unit, the supplying path is connected to the cooling space.

[0119] The refrigerant is not limited to air, and may be, e.g., gas which is not the air or liquid.

[0120] Each adjacent heating boxes in which spinning units are provided are separated from each other in the embodiment above (see FIG. 2), but may be in contact with each other. Alternatively, one heating box may be shared by adjacent spinning units.

Examples

first embodiment

[0033]To begin with, the following will describe a yarn production system 1 including a spinning apparatus 2 of First Embodiment of the present invention, with reference to FIG. 1.

[0034]An up-down direction which will be used in the following description is defined on the premise that the yarn production system 1 is placed to be available. Furthermore, the front side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the left part on the plane of FIG. 1, and the rear side of the yarn production system 1 is defined to be provided at the right part on the plane of FIG. 1. Moreover, a left-right direction is defined based on the assumption that the yarn production system 1 is viewed from the front.

[0035]As shown in FIG. 1, the yarn production system 1 includes the spinning apparatus 2 and a spun yarn take-up apparatus 3.

[0036]The spinning apparatus 2 is configured to spin out molten polymer downward as yarns Y, and includes spinning units 20 (see FIG. 2) aligned in the left-r...

second embodiment

[0095]The following will describe Second Embodiment of the present invention.

[0096]In First Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the upper end 31a is attachable to the lower end 32b by inserting the upper end 31a of the cooling unit 31 to the lower end 32b of the supplying unit 32. Furthermore, the upper end 31a includes the outer circumferential surface 31s which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 31s decreases toward the upper end of the upper end 31a (toward the lower end 32b which is before inserted), and the lower end 32b includes the inner circumferential surface 32s which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 32s increases downward (toward the upper end 31a which is before insertion).

[0097]In Second Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a lower end 232b is attachable to an upper end 231a by inserting the lower end 232b of a supplying unit 232 into an opening portion 231X which is open in the upward direction and wh...

Claims

1. A spinning apparatus (2) comprising spinning units (20), each of the spinning units (20) including: a heating box (21) to which at least one spinning pack (22) is attached; a piping (241) in which a molten material flows toward the at least one spinning pack (22) in the heating box (21); a target unit (25) which is provided at the piping (241) and which is a target of maintenance; a cooled unit (X) which is provided upstream of the target unit (25) in the piping (241) in a flow direction (A) of the molten material in the piping (241), the cooled unit (X) being cooled so as to decrease a flow rate of the molten material flowing in the cooled unit (X); a cooling unit (31) defining a cooling space (V) in contact with the cooled unit (X); and a housing (29) which accommodates the heating box (21), the cooling unit (31) including an attachment unit (31a) to which a supplying unit (32) including a supplying path for supplying a refrigerant is attachable and from which the supplying unit (32) is detachable, the each of the spinning units (20) being structured so that, when the supplying unit (32) is attached to the attachment unit (31a), the supplying path is connected to the cooling space (V), and the attachment unit (31a) not protruding as compared to an outer surface of the housing (29).

2. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 1, wherein, spinning packs (22) are attachable to the heating box (21), the piping (241) is branched from the target unit (25) toward the spinning packs (22), and the target unit (25) is a pressure-supplying member configured to pressure-supply the molten material toward the spinning packs (22).

3. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the attachment unit (31a) protrudes as compared to the outer surface of the heating box (21).

4. The spinning apparatus (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the attachment unit (31a) includes an opening portion (31x).

5. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 4, wherein, the opening portion (31x) is open in an upward direction.

6. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 5, wherein, an upper end of the cooling unit (31) forms the attachment unit (31a), the upper end is attachable to a lower end (32b) of the supplying unit (32) by inserting one of the upper end and the lower end into the other of the upper end and the lower end, and the one of the upper end and the lower end includes an outer circumferential surface (31s) which is inclined so that the diameter of the outer circumferential surface (31s) decreases toward the other of the upper end and the lower end.

7. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 6, wherein, the other of the upper end and the lower end includes an inner circumferential surface (32s) which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface (32s) increases toward the one of the upper end and the lower end.

8. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 7, wherein, an inclination angle (θ1) of the outer circumferential surface (31s) with respect to a vertical direction is the same as an inclination angle (θ2) of the inner circumferential surface (32s) with respect to the vertical direction.

9. The spinning apparatus (2) according to claim 5, wherein, an upper end of the cooling unit (31) forms the attachment unit (31a), the upper end is attachable to a lower end (32b) of the supplying unit (32) by inserting one of the upper end and the lower end into the other of the upper end and the lower end, and the other of the upper end and the lower end includes an inner circumferential surface (32s) which is inclined so that the diameter of the inner circumferential surface (32s) increases toward the one of the upper end and the lower end.

10. The spinning apparatus (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, the supplying unit (32) further includes a discharging path (32Y) for discharging the refrigerant, and the each of the spinning units (20) is structured so that, when the supplying unit (32) is attached to the attachment unit (31a), the discharging path (32Y) is connected to the cooling space (V).

11. The spinning apparatus (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, the cooling unit (31) is attached to a position upstream of the cooled unit (X) in the piping (241) and a position downstream of the cooled unit (X) in the piping (241) in the flow direction.

12. The spinning apparatus (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, the cooling space (V) is in contact with the entire circumference of the cooled unit (X).

13. The spinning apparatus (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, the housing (29) includes: a housing space (29v) which accommodates the heating box (21); a wall (29w) defining the housing space (29v); and a through hole (29x) closed by the supplying unit (32) when the supplying unit (32) is attached to the attachment unit (31a), and the each of the spinning units (20) further includes a preventer (40) which is able to close the through hole (29x) when the supplying unit (32) is not attached to the attachment unit (31a) and which is configured to prevent heat from being radiated to the outside of the housing (29) from the heating box (21) through the through hole (29x).

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