Method of fixing thread to small-sized bobbin using fixing tape

Abstract

To provide an industrially-utilizable method of fixing a thread to a small-sized bobbin using a fixing tape.SOLUTION: A method of fixing a thread to a small-sized bobbin includes: using crimp rolls 15, 16 and a fixing-tape labeler to a thread applied with constant tension having wind-off and small-sized bobbins as both ends and adhering the thread onto an adhesion surface of a fixing tape; next forming a lower-holed thread by cutting the thread at an end of the fixing tape closer to the small-sized bobbin; and then winding the fixing tape around a core of the small-sized bobbin using the crimp roll 14 to thereby fix the lower-holed thread to the small-sized bobbin together with the fixing tape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for fixing a thread to a small bobbin using a fixing tape. [Background technology]

[0002] The method for fixing the end of the yarn at the beginning of winding onto the bobbin (hereinafter referred to as the lower end yarn) will be described below.

[0003] Known industrial methods for fixing a lower end yarn to a bobbin include a method in which the yarn is temporarily fixed during bunch winding before regular winding and then the regular winding is started, a method in which a sticker with the function of fixing the lower end yarn is attached to the bobbin in advance and the lower end yarn is fixed during doffing (Patent Document 1), and a fixing method using a flange bobbin with a bunch winding area arranged on the flange part of the bobbin (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-118980 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-46567 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-266675 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6282381 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The small bobbins that are the subject of the invention are generally used for special purposes.

[0006] For example, there is a cleaner for a connector that connects optical fibers, and the cleaner (module) incorporates a small bobbin around which a cleaning thread (string) is wound (Patent Document 3).

[0007] Small bobbins are designed as part of a module, and often have restrictions on how the lower thread is secured to the bobbin.

[0008] The small bobbins used in connector cleaners generally have their lower end threads fixed with fixing tape. Specifically, the fixing tape is attached to the outer periphery of the bobbin core in an Ω shape, and then the end thread is pinched when the unattached surfaces of both ends of the tape (the legs of the Ω shape) are attached together (Figure 1).

[0009] Fixing the lower end thread using such fixing tape has the problem that the work can easily become complicated. Specifically, because the bobbins are small, attaching the fixing sticker requires delicate work, and when there are several types of product modules (series, etc.), production requires combining small bobbins and fixing tapes with different specifications, making the work even more complicated.

[0010] In the prior art, there has been no method proposed for fixing a lower mouth thread to a small bobbin using such fixing tape that is suitable for mass production. For this reason, fixing the lower mouth thread is almost always done manually. This method not only has low production efficiency, but also places a heavy burden on the worker because it requires complicated and detailed work repeated in short cycles.

[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide a fixing method suitable for mass production in relation to the currently performed manual process of fixing a lower end thread to a small bobbin using fixing tape, specifically for fixing the lower end thread of a cleaning string used in an optical fiber connector cleaner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above, and the invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the lower drawstring is first adhered to the adhesive portion of the fixing tape, and then the adhesive portion of the fixing tape is wound around the outer periphery of the core of the small bobbin, thereby fixing the lower drawstring to the small bobbin together with the fixing tape.

[0013] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, which comprises the steps of first adhering the lower end thread to the adhesive portion of the fixing tape, pressing a portion of the adhesive surface of the tape onto a small bobbin, and then winding the tape around the outer periphery of the core of the small bobbin, and is characterized in that the lower end thread is formed by adhering the fixing tape to a thread having the small bobbin and the source bobbin at both ends, and then cutting the thread at the end of the fixing tape on the small bobbin side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] By using the method for fixing the lower nozzle thread using the fixing tape of this invention, work that was previously done manually can now be automated. The tact time for fixing the lower nozzle thread to a small bobbin is shortened, and multiple machines can now be operated by one person instead of one machine, significantly reducing the workload and improving productivity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] A diagram explaining the method of fixing the lower thread to the fixing tape attached in an Ω shape (conventional method) [Figure 2] Diagram explaining an example of the structure of a small bobbin and a crimping roll [Figure 3] A diagram illustrating an example of connection between a small bobbin and a detachable drive motor. [Figure 4] Reference diagram explaining the structure of a typical roller-type labeler [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an apparatus for carrying out the invention. [Figure 6] A diagram explaining the process of attaching thread to the fixing tape [Figure 7] A diagram explaining the process of crimping the fixing tape with the thread adhered to it onto a small bobbin. [Figure 8] A diagram explaining the process of winding the fixing tape with the thread crimped onto it around a small bobbin to fix the lower end thread. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] <Production of cleaning strings used for optical fiber connectors (hereinafter referred to as cleaning strings)> The cleaning string used in the present invention is made by twisting together a plurality of multifilaments of chemical fibers.

[0017] Usually, multifilaments have oil on them during spinning, and after removing the oil, they are used as cleaning strings.

[0018] A known prior art manufacturing method involves twisting a plurality of chemical fiber multifilaments together, forming a honeycomb wound structure, washing the structure with a surfactant-containing liquid to remove oil adhering to the chemical fiber multifilaments, then washing the structure with pure water, drying, and then unwinding the structure (Patent Document 4).

[0019] The twisting of the multifilaments is preferably carried out before the removal of the oil, since the winding operation after the removal of the oil involves significant charging, and the oil is removed by a washing operation using an organic solvent.

[0020] The organic solvent used to remove the oil is preferably a water-soluble organic solvent, and methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, or propyl alcohol is more preferred in terms of wettability to the multifilament and ease of drying after washing. Also, in terms of ease of availability, a mixed solvent containing these water-soluble organic solvents as a main component or a water-containing product thereof may be used.

[0021] The preferred form of cleaning is a honeycomb-wound yarn package, which can be formed by twisting multifilaments, providing a traverse, and winding them onto a bobbin. Honeycomb winding significantly improves the penetration of organic solvents into the yarn package, improving the cleaning efficiency of multifilaments.

[0022] The washing operation consists of washing operation 1, which washes the surface of the multifilaments that make up the yarn package; immersion operation 2, which dissolves the oil from inside the multifilaments, i.e., on the surface of the multifilament single yarns, to the outside of the multifilaments; and replacement operation 3, which replaces the organic solvent that remains in the voids of the yarn package after the immersion operation, where the oil concentration has increased.

[0023] A simple method is cleaning operation 1, in which the yarn package is immersed in a container filled with an organic solvent for a few seconds, and then pulled out. This operation is repeated several times, and most of the oil on the surface of the multifilaments that make up the yarn package can be washed away.

[0024] This operation improves the oil dissolution effect in immersion operation 2. In immersion operation 2, the organic solvent remaining in the voids of the yarn package penetrates into the interior of the multifilament, allowing penetration of an organic solvent with a lower oil concentration. Industrially, the yarn package can be washed by known methods such as showering with an organic solvent.

[0025] In the immersion operation 2, the yarn package is immersed in a container filled with the organic solvent used in the washing operation 1 for several hours to a day, thereby dissolving the oil solution inside the multifilament to the outside of the multifilament.

[0026] The immersion time can easily change depending on the twisting conditions of the multifilaments, the winding length onto the yarn package, the winding pressure, etc., so it is preferably adjusted by the amount of multifilaments wound onto the yarn package so that the immersion time falls within an appropriate range.

[0027] In the replacement operation 3, the organic solvent with a high oil concentration remaining in the gaps of the yarn package is replaced in the same manner as in the washing operation 1. The organic solvent may be the same as that used in the immersion operation 2, or may be replaced with a new organic solvent if further oil removal is desired.

[0028] After the organic solvent replacement, the yarn package is dried and used as the source bobbin for unwinding onto a small bobbin. If safety measures cannot be taken during drying, after the organic solvent replacement, the organic solvent may be replaced with pure water that does not contain foreign matter, using the same method as in cleaning operation 3. <How to fix the cleaning string lower opening to a small bobbin> Hereinafter, a method for fixing a lower end yarn to a small bobbin according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings showing an apparatus for carrying out the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 shows the overall configuration of the device, which consists of the steps of adhering the yarn to the fixing tape, adhering the tape to a portion of the small bobbin core, adhering the fixing tape along the outer periphery of the small bobbin core to fix the lower end yarn, and winding the yarn after fixing. In the figure, the pressure roll 14, the pressure roll 15, the clips 18a, 18b, and the clips 19a, 19b are movable, and the movable range of the clips is indicated by dashed lines. In addition, the pressure roll 14, the pressure roll 15, and the clips 18a, 18b, and clips 19a, 19b, shown in black, indicate their initial positions when implementing the present invention. The clips 18a and 18b are provided with blades for cutting the yarn to enable continuous operation, and the crimping roll 16 and small bobbin 13 can be rotated in any desired manner by a drive motor, as will be described later.

[0030] This series of operations (movement and drive) is patterned as explained below, and can be automated by computer-controlling the drive output to each operating mechanism.

[0031] A series of methods will be described below, with the small bobbin 13 being fully wound as the initial state (position).

[0032] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the process of adhering the thread to the fixing tape.

[0033] In the initial state, winding onto the small bobbin 13 is completed, and the small bobbin 13 is now full, and the yarn 2 unwound from the bobbin 17 from which it is unwound is stretched with a certain tension (FIG. 6A).

[0034] The constant tension can be maintained, for example, by continuously supplying an appropriate weak current to the drive motor 5 (described later) connected to the small bobbin 13. The current is supplied until the small bobbin 13 is fully wound and disconnected from the drive motor 5, during which time the yarn 2 is kept at a constant tension.

[0035] First, the yarn is attached to a fixing tape for winding onto the next small bobbin (next batch).

[0036] The pressure roll 15 moves horizontally downward in the plane of the drawing toward the pressure roll 16 and presses against the pressure roll 16, thereby sandwiching the yarn 2 between the rolls (FIG. 6B).

[0037] Thereafter, the pressure roller 16 and the labeler are operated in synchronization.

[0038] The labeler itself is a known technique, but a typical labeler that can be used in the present invention is shown in FIG. The labeler is composed of a pressure roll 8 and a release plate 10. Tape 9 is arranged at regular intervals on a tape backing 11. When a cylindrical adherend 12 such as a bottle is fed into the labeler, the adherend 12 is pressed onto the pressure roll 8. The tape backing 11 is then drawn in the direction of the arrow in the figure. This operation causes the tape 9 on the tape backing 11 to peel off from the tape backing 11 at the folding point of the release plate, and the rotation of the pressure roll 8, which is synchronized with the drawing speed of the tape backing, causes the tape 9 to adhere to the side of the adherend 12.

[0039] By utilizing this technology, in the present invention, the fastening tape on the tape backing is peeled off from the backing by the synchronized operation of the pressure roll 16 and the labeler and is sent between the pressure rolls 15 and 16, and the fastening tape is pushed out to the left of the paper while adhering the thread (Figure 6C).

[0040] The pressure roller 15 comes into contact with the adhesive surface of the tape, and therefore has a surface that is made uneven by groove processing, and is made of a hard-to-adhere material such as Teflon (registered trademark). When one fixing label is fed out, the labeler and pressure roller 16 stop in synchronization.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the process from adhering the yarn to the fixing tape to fixing the lower draw yarn to the empty bobbin of the next batch.

[0042] After the thread is bonded to the fixing tape, the thread bonded to the fixing tape between the small bobbin 13 and the pressure rollers 15, 16 is in a state of being bonded across both ends of the fixing tape. Then, movable tape clips 18a, 18b each move to clamp the left end of the fixing tape as shown in the drawing. The clamping positions of clips 18a, 18b are set in advance to positions according to the combination specifications in order to correspond to the combination of small bobbin and fixing tape (Fig. 7A).

[0043] After clamping, the thread at the left end of the fixing tape on the paper surface is cut with the blades provided on the tape clips 18a and 18b.

[0044] As a result, the full small bobbin 13 is ready to be removed from the device, and is then disconnected from the drive motor 5 and sent to the next process by the transport function.

[0045] An empty small bobbin 13 of the next batch is set in the place of the full small bobbin 13 and is connected to the drive motor 5 for the next operation (FIG. 7B).

[0046] The drive motor 5 and the small bobbin 13 can be detached from each other by using, for example, the structure shown in Fig. 3. The transport function of the small bobbin 13 can be achieved by using existing technology such as a robot arm that can clamp the small bobbin 13, and so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0047] Next, the process of adhering the fixing tape to the small empty bobbin 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7C and 7D.

[0048] The clips 18a and 18b holding the fixing tape move horizontally to the left of the drawing to an arbitrary position, which is determined by the combination of the small bobbin and the fixing tape (FIG. 7C).

[0049] Furthermore, in order to allow clips 18a and 18b to move, pressure roller 15 is moved in advance to an initial position in the upward direction of the paper surface.

[0050] After clips 18a and 18b holding the fixing tape have moved to an arbitrary position, pressure roller 14 moves upward in the plane of the drawing to press the fixing tape onto the core of small empty bobbin 13 (FIG. 7D).

[0051] The crimping between the crimping roll 14 and the core of the small empty bobbin 13 can be achieved by using a crimping roll with a width shorter than the width of the small bobbin core (FIG. 2).

[0052] After crimping, the clips 18a, 18b are released and move to their initial positions (FIG. 8A).

[0053] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the process of crimping a fixing tape onto the small empty bobbin 13, and then winding the fixing tape around the empty bobbin core in an Ω shape to fix the lower winding yarn.

[0054] After a portion of the fixing tape is crimped to the core portion of the small empty bobbin 13, the small empty bobbin 13 is rotated by an arbitrary angle by driving the drive motor 5 linked to the small empty bobbin 13. By the rotation, the fixing tape is adhered in an Ω shape along the outer circumferential surface of the bobbin core, starting from the crimped portion, with unadhesive portions remaining on both ends of the fixing tape (Fig. 8B).

[0055] After bonding, the pressure roller 14 moves downward to its initial position on the paper.

[0056] Next, the adhesive surfaces of both ends (the legs of the Ω part) of the fixing tape are adhered to each other by tape-fastening clips 19a and 19b (FIG. 8C). After adhesion, clips 19a and 19b move to their initial positions (FIG. 8D).

[0057] Thereafter, by repeating the operations from the initial state (FIG. 6A) to the final state (FIG. 8D) described above, the lower mouth yarn can be fixed to the small bobbin 13 and the yarn winding operation can be performed continuously. <Second embodiment of the invention> The present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration and can be modified as appropriate.

[0058] For example, in a method of adhering threads to fixing tape using a labeler, it is not necessary to use a roll type using a pressure roller; instead, it is possible to use a cylinder type that utilizes existing labeler technology, or a method of pulling out and adhering tape from a general roll type adhesive tape (e.g., Cellotape (registered trademark)) that is wound up with an adhesive layer on one side. <Third embodiment of the invention> In the method of adhering the fixing tape to the small empty bobbin 13, the left end of the fixing tape (Fig. 8A) on the paper is adhered to the core part of the empty bobbin, and then the fixing tape is adhered in roll form around the outer periphery of the core part of the small empty bobbin using the small empty bobbin 13 and the pressure roll 14. This operation makes it possible to omit the lamination of the unadhered part of the fixing tape using clips 19a and 19b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1 Fixing tape 2. Thread 3 Small bobbin core 4 small bobbins 5 Bobbin drive motor 6 Bobbin joint 7 Bobbin movable joint 8. Crimping Roll 9 Tape 10 Peeling board 11 Tape mount 12 Adherent 13 Small bobbin 14 Crimping roll 15 Crimping roll 16 Crimping roll 17 Unwinding bobbin 18a clip 18b clip 19a clip 19b clip

Claims

1. A method for fixing a lower end thread to a small bobbin, characterized in that the end thread at the start of winding onto the small bobbin (hereinafter referred to as the lower end thread) is first adhered to the adhesive part of a fixing tape, and then the adhesive part of the fixing tape is wound around the outer periphery of the core of the small bobbin, thereby fixing the lower end thread to the small bobbin together with the fixing tape.

2. 2. The method for fixing a lower thread to a small bobbin according to claim 1, wherein the lower thread is formed by adhering the fixing tape to a thread having the small bobbin and the source bobbin at both ends, and then cutting the thread at the end of the fixing tape on the side of the small bobbin.

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