Winding device for circular knitting machine and method for controlling drive roller in the same

Abstract

To provide a transmission type winder capable of eliminating labor in a manual operation concerning a drive roller in the transmission type winder, facilitating fabric pull-down and achieving a limit-less roll diameter and low possibility of component damage.SOLUTION: A winder (3) for a circular knitting machine, used to collect fabric knitted by a knitting section of the circular knitting machine, includes an arm drive apparatus (35) connected with an arm rotating shaft (331). The arm drive apparatus (35) can rotate an arm (332) switchably to either one of normal direction or opposite direction at a constant torque. When rotation is made in the normal direction, a drive roller (33) approaches a winding roller (32) and when rotation is made in the opposite direction, the drive roller separates from the winding roller (32). A stopper (37) is also provided which is on a rotation path of the arm (32) and the drive roller (33) and comes into contact with them to stop the rotation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a winding device for a circular knitting machine, which is disposed under a circular knitting machine that produces a tubular knitted fabric, winds the knitted fabric around a winding roller and sends it out and stores it together with a drive roller, and to a control method for a drive roller in the same device. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that in a circular knitting machine, a tubular knitted fabric produced in a knitting section provided at the top of the knitting machine is wound and stored by a winding device arranged at the bottom of the knitting machine. In general, in this winding device, a tension roller sends out the tubular knitted fabric downward, and the tubular knitted fabric is wound around a winding roller to be collected in a roll. There are several types of winding devices, and one of them is a winding device that uses friction or other power transmission from a driving roller. This is a winding device that uses an arm that holds a driving roller on one side and has a rotation center shaft on the other side and is swingably attached to the winding device, and attaches the driving roller to the fabric wound around the winding roller by the weight of the driving roller.

[0003] This winding device is a transmission type winding device in which a drive roller is placed on the knitted fabric wound around a winding roller, the drive roller is driven to rotate, and the knitted fabric is sent out by the transmission of the rotation, and the winding roller is rotated together with the drive roller, and a roll of knitted fabric is made and collected. In addition, since the winding roller is rotated by the friction of the drive roller, it is also called a friction type winding device. Unlike other types, this transmission type winding device does not need to greatly change the torque of the drive roller depending on the weight and size of the roll of knitted fabric. Since a constant amount of rotation of the drive roller can send out a constant amount of knitted fabric without being greatly affected by the weight and size of the roll, stable winding is possible. This makes it easy to manufacture a roll with little unevenness at the end of the roll and in good condition. Examples of such a transmission type winding device include Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0004] In these transmission type winding devices, the drive roller abuts against the winding roller by its own weight. Therefore, when removing the winding roller to lower the roll of knitted fabric from the winding device, the drive roller must be manually lifted and stopped with a stopper, or the roll cannot be lowered because the drive roller will fall with gravity when the winding roller is removed and hit an operator or collide with other components, causing damage. In addition, when reattaching the winding roller to the winding device after lowering the roll, the drive roller must be moved manually because the drive roller is structured to lean against the winding roller by its own weight, which is somewhat time-consuming.

[0005] In addition, even in a so-called auto-doffer winding device in which, after knitting a specified amount of knitted fabric, the knitted fabric is automatically cut by an automatic cutting device and the roll of knitted fabric is automatically lowered from the winding device and discharged outside the knitting machine, there is a risk of damage due to the weight of the drive roller. Moreover, when reattaching the winding roller, it is necessary to lift the drive roller, and this drive roller becomes an obstacle.

[0006] In this regard, the winding device of Patent Document 3 enables auto-doffering by fastening the drive roller with a retention protrusion. However, in Patent Document 3, the drive roller cannot be fastened unless the roll diameter of the knitted fabric is larger than the position of the retention protrusion. In addition, when the roll of knitted fabric is lowered, the drive roller falls naturally under its own weight and collides with the retention protrusion with force. In addition, when the retention protrusion is released, it collides with the winding roller with force. This can cause damage or deterioration of the components, resulting in a deterioration in the quality of the wound knitted fabric. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-11878 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-8599 A [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 63-309655 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a winding device for a circular knitting machine that eliminates the need to manually operate the drive roller in a transmission-type winding device, makes it easy to lower the knitted fabric, and realizes a transmission-type winding device with no restrictions on roll diameter and a low risk of component damage, and a method for controlling the drive roller in the same device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The winding device for a circular knitting machine according to the present invention is a winding device for a circular knitting machine that collects a knitted fabric knitted by a knitting section of a circular knitting machine, and includes a base provided at the bottom of the winding device, side members provided at both ends of the base, a winding roller rotatably provided between the two side members, two arm rotation shafts rotatably connected to opposing surfaces of the two side members, two arms rotatably provided in parallel to each other around the two arm rotation shafts, a drive roller rotatably provided between the two arms, and a drive mechanism for rotatably driving the drive roller. The present invention relates to a winding device having a roller drive device that drives the arm rotation shaft, and the arm drive device is connected to the arm rotation shaft, and the arm drive device drives the arm rotation shaft and can rotate the arm in either a forward or reverse direction with a constant torque, where the forward direction is the direction in which the drive roller approaches the winding roller and the reverse direction is the direction in which it moves away from the winding roller.The present invention is characterized in that the arm drive device further has a stopper that is provided on the rotational orbit of the arm and the drive roller and comes into contact with the arm or the drive roller to stop the rotation of the arm and the drive roller.

[0010] According to this configuration, by rotating the arm and the drive roller in the forward direction by the arm drive device, the drive roller can be brought into contact with the winding roller or the fabric wound around the winding roller without manual operation, and by rotating them in the reverse direction, the drive roller can be released from the winding roller or the fabric wound around the winding roller without manual operation, thereby eliminating the need to manually operate the drive roller. As a result, it is not necessary to bring the drive roller to the front side, and the drive roller does not get in the way when lowering the knitted fabric. In addition, the arm and the drive roller can be freely rotated to the position of the arm and the drive roller by the arm drive device. As a result, when the drive roller is removed from the roll of knitted fabric, the arm is rotated in the reverse direction with a constant torque, and when the arm has rotated a certain amount, the stopper comes into contact with the arm or the drive roller, thereby stopping the reverse rotation of the arm. At this time, the rotation is at a constant torque and is a movement in the opposite direction to gravity, so the stopper comes into contact with the arm or the drive roller without momentum, and the impact on the parts is very small. As a result, an auto doffer of a winding device with a transmission type that has no limit on the roll diameter and is less likely to damage parts can be used.

[0011] Preferably, the set value of the constant torque for rotating the arm rotation shaft by the arm driving device can be changed.

[0012] According to this configuration, the setting of the arm drive device can be changed, and the magnitude of the torque applied to the arm rotation shaft can be freely changed. This makes it possible to easily change the magnitude of the pressure of the drive roller on the knitted fabric without using parts such as weights. The transmission type winding device is structured so that the drive roller is pressed against the winding roller or the knitted fabric by its own weight. For this reason, when the knitting machine is operated at high speed, the winding device also rotates at high speed, and the drive roller jumps up due to centrifugal force and separates from the knitted fabric, which may cause a situation in which the knitted fabric cannot be sent out and stored. However, if the pressure is made too large, the manual jumping up becomes difficult. In addition, since the tubular knitted fabric is folded in half, the creases at both ends of the knitted fabric become stronger. In addition, a part that serves as a weight is required to increase the pressure of the drive roller on the knitted fabric, which requires the cost of the part and the work of attaching and detaching it. This makes it possible to reduce the time, labor, and cost required to adjust the pressure of the drive roller on the knitted fabric. The setting can be changed by a setting change device, such as a knob or an operation panel, directly or indirectly connected to the arm drive device.

[0013] More preferably, the stopper is a rubber member provided on the rotation track of the arm, and at least one is attached to either one of the opposing surfaces of the side members.

[0014] With this configuration, the rubber member comes into contact with the arm, so there is no large impact on the arm and there is no risk of damaging the drive roller. Also, because rotation is stopped by physical contact with the member, there is no risk of the roller rotating further by mistake, coming into contact with other parts, or damaging the knitted fabric.

[0015] Also preferably, the arm drive device is a servo motor provided on the side member, the servo motor and the arm rotation shaft are connected via a gear, and by switching the rotation direction of the servo motor, the forward and reverse directions of rotation of the arm can be switched accordingly.

[0016] With this configuration, the servo motor rotates the arm by rotating the arm rotation shaft in conjunction with a gear, so that the rotation direction of the arm, the magnitude of the torque, etc. can be changed by issuing a command to the servo motor.

[0017] Also, preferably, when viewed from the winding device, the side where the drive roller is located is opposite to the side where the knitted fabric is lowered.

[0018] If the side where the drive roller is located and the side where the knitted fabric is lowered are the same, the worker must lower the knitted fabric with the drive roller in front of him, which is in the way. However, if the side where the drive roller is located and the side where the knitted fabric is lowered are on opposite sides, the drive roller is not in front of the worker, making the work easier. In addition, the presence of the drive roller does not narrow the space through which the knitted fabric passes when lowering it. This not only improves the ease of work, but is also effective when using an auto-doffer that requires space to lower the knitted fabric using a device. Since there is no need to manually operate the drive roller, the direction in which the knitted fabric wound around the winding roller is lowered can be reversed to the direction in which the drive roller is located. This makes it possible to secure a wide space for lowering the knitted fabric.

[0019] Furthermore, the method for controlling the drive roller in the winding device for a circular knitting machine of the present invention uses the winding device, and at the start of knitting, automatically drives the arm drive device to rotate the arm in the forward direction to press the drive roller against the winding roller or the fabric being wound around the winding roller, and after knitting is completed, automatically drives the arm drive device to rotate the arm in the reverse direction to separate the drive roller from the fabric.

[0020] According to this configuration, there is no need to manually operate the drive arm, and the trouble involved can be eliminated. Also, since there is no need to manually operate the drive roller, the drive arm can be stopped in the opposite direction to the direction in which the knitted fabric is lowered, and the drive roller does not get in the way, making it easier to lower the roll of knitted fabric from the winding device. Note that the roll of knitted fabric is not limited to the roll without the winding roller, but also includes the knitted fabric that is still wound around the winding roller. This method can also be used when an auto doffer is used.

[0021] Also preferably, knitting of a predetermined knitted fabric is started, the knitted fabric is automatically wound around the winding roller, the arm is rotated in the forward direction to press the drive roller against the knitted fabric, and after the predetermined knitting is completed, the knitting machine automatically stops, the arm is rotated in the reverse direction to move the drive roller away from the knitted fabric, the knitted fabric is automatically removed from the winding device, and the knitted fabric is automatically discharged outside the circular knitting machine.

[0022] According to this configuration, after knitting has started according to a predetermined program, the knitted fabric is automatically wound around the winding roller without having to be wound around the winding roller manually by using elements such as friction tape or claws, air pressure, or clamping the knitted fabric between a divided winding roller or holes in the winding roller, the drive roller is automatically pressed against the knitted fabric, the drive roller feeds the knitted fabric, the machine stops after knitting is completed, the drive roller separates from the knitted fabric, the knitted fabric is removed from the winding roller and lowered or the knitted fabric together with the winding roller is lowered from the winding device and discharged outside the circular knitting machine, and the next knitting starts. It is possible to implement an auto-doffer that automatically performs almost all of the steps. Effect of the Invention

[0023] In the present invention, in a transmission type winding device, the arm driving device rotates the arm with a set constant torque, so that the drive roller can be pressed against the winding roller or the knitted fabric wound around the winding roller with a constant force automatically without manual operation, and the drive roller can be automatically separated from the winding roller or the knitted fabric wound around the winding roller without manual operation, which eliminates the need to manually operate the drive roller and makes it easier to lower the knitted fabric. In addition, the arm driving device allows the arm to be moved regardless of the roll diameter of the knitted fabric. Furthermore, the constant torque from the arm driving device causes the drive roller to move at a constant speed, so that the drive roller can come into contact with the parts it comes into contact with without causing a large impact, and the parts are less likely to be damaged. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1]1 is a front view of an entire circular knitting machine in which a winding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG 1, illustrating the position of a drive roller when an arm is rotated in the forward direction in the winding device of FIG 1. Hatching of the cross-sectional portion is omitted. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the winding device taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating the position of the drive roller when the arm is rotated in the reverse direction in the winding device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a side view of a side member to which the arm driving device of FIG. 1 is attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the entire circular knitting machine equipped with a winding device according to Example 1. In this embodiment, the knitted fabric knitted in the knitting section 2 at the top of the circular knitting machine 1 is pulled by a tension roller 31 provided at the top of the winding device 3, and wound around the winding roller 32 for collection. When the knitted fabric is not wound around the winding roller 32, the drive roller 33 abuts against the winding roller 32. When the knitted fabric is wound around the winding roller 32, the drive roller 33 abuts against the knitted fabric. The drive roller 33 is driven by a roller drive device 34 to rotate, and receives the friction caused by the rotation to feed a certain amount of the knitted fabric on the winding roller 32, rotates the winding roller 32 together with the knitted fabric, winds the knitted fabric around the winding roller 32, and creates a roll 36 of knitted fabric to collect the knitted fabric. The tension roller 31 and the drive roller 33 are driven by the roller drive device 34 to rotate the rollers. The roller drive device 34 is a servo motor separate from the arm drive device 35 .

[0026] In this embodiment, the knitting section knits the fabric as with a typical single circular knitting machine. That is, the knitting section is provided with a cylinder housing multiple needles, and when the cylinder rotates under the driving force of power, the butts of the needles are guided into the grooves of the cams attached to the cam holders fixed to the outer periphery of the cylinder so as to face the cylinder, and the needles move up and down. At this time, when the needles descend, the yarn is caught by the hooks of the needles, and the needles continue to descend to form stitches, and this process is repeated to produce a tubular knitted fabric.

[0027] The tubular knitted fabric thus produced by the knitting unit is guided in a double plane shape by a general width setting device or the like, and is collected by a winding device. The winding device has a base 301 at its bottom, and side members 302, 303 are provided at both ends of the base 301. A winding roller 32 is rotatably provided between the two side members 302, 303. An arm rotation shaft 331 is rotatably provided on each of the opposing surfaces of the two side members 302, 303.

[0028] An arm 332 is connected to each arm rotation shaft 331. The arm rotation shaft 331 is connected to one end of the arm 332 in the longitudinal direction, and a drive roller 33 is provided on the opposite side so as to be rotatable. The two arms 332 are rotatable in parallel to each other around the arm rotation shaft 331. The drive roller 33 is connected to a roller drive device 34, which allows the drive roller 33 to be rotatably driven.

[0029] The tension roller 31, the take-up roller 32, and the drive roller 33 are arranged horizontally and parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction. One of the arm rotation shafts 331 is connected to an arm drive device 35 via a gear 38, and the arm rotation shaft 331 can be rotated by driving the arm drive device 35, whereby the arm 332 connected to the arm rotation shaft 331 and the drive roller 33 connected to the arm 332 can also be rotated up and down around the arm rotation shaft 331.

[0030] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 1, illustrating the position of the drive roller when the arm is rotated in the forward direction in the winding device of Fig. 1. The direction in which the drive roller 33 approaches the winding roller 32 is defined as the forward direction.

[0031] In FIG. 2, the arm rotation shaft 331 rotates clockwise, and accordingly, the arm 332 and the drive roller 33 also rotate clockwise around the arm rotation shaft 331. Since the arm 332 rotates with a constant torque by the arm drive device 35, the drive roller 33 is also pressed against the knitted fabric roll 36 at a constant speed. The pressed drive roller 33 cannot move any further and remains in that position. At this time, the torque transmitted from the arm drive device 35 is still applied to the drive roller 33 in the knitted fabric direction, and the knitted fabric is firmly pressed down. By changing the setting value of the arm drive device 35, it is possible to increase the torque to increase the pressure on the knitted fabric roll 36, or conversely, to decrease the torque to decrease the pressure. It is easy to make adjustments such as increasing the pressure so that the drive roller 33 does not float up due to centrifugal force when high-speed rotation is required, or decreasing the pressure to weaken the folds at both ends of the knitted fabric folded from a circular shape into a double plane shape. In this embodiment, this adjustment can be set on an operation panel electrically connected to the arm drive device 35. In addition to this method, various other methods are possible, such as providing a knob on the outside of the knitting machine and adjusting the torque by turning this.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the winding device taken along line AA in Fig. 1, showing the position of the drive roller when arm 332 in the winding device of Fig. 1 is rotated in the reverse direction. This is the direction in which drive roller 33 moves away from winding roller 32, and this direction is called the "reverse direction." In Fig. 3, arm rotation shaft 331 rotates counterclockwise, and both arm 332 and drive roller 33 rotate counterclockwise around arm rotation shaft 331.

[0033] In this embodiment, a stopper 37 made of hard rubber is provided to stop the rotation of the arm 332. The stopper 37 is provided so as to abut against the side of the arm 332 in the longitudinal direction of the arm 332, in the direction opposite to the driving roller 33 as viewed from the arm rotation shaft 331. The stopper 37 is provided on the surface of one side member 303 facing the other side member 302, at a position lower than the arm rotation shaft 331, and in a position opposite to the direction of the driving roller 33 as viewed from the arm rotation shaft 331. When the arm 332 rotates in the opposite direction and abuts against the stopper 37, it cannot rotate any further and remains at that position. Since the arm 332 moves at a constant speed and contacts the stopper 37, the impact on the stopper 37 is smaller than when it contacts with momentum by accelerating. This extends the service life of the stopper 37.

[0034] Fig. 4 is a side view of the side member to which the arm drive device of Fig. 1 is attached. In this embodiment, the arm drive device 35 is a servo motor separate from the roller drive device 34, and is attached not to the side member 302 on the side where the roller drive device 34 is attached, but to the side member 303 on the opposite side. It is located below the arm rotation shaft 331 and is connected to the arm rotation shaft 331 via several gears 38. It is also electrically connected to an operation panel, and the set values ​​of the servo motor, such as torque, can be changed on the operation panel. When a preset number of rotations according to the knitting requirements is input and the knitting machine is started, the arm rotation shaft 331 is automatically rotated in the forward direction by the drive of the arm drive device 35, and the arm 332 is also rotated in the forward direction, and the drive roller 33 is pressed against the knitting fabric.

[0035] After that, when the preset number of rotations is completed, the knitting machine stops, and the arm 332 is automatically rotated in the reverse direction by the drive of the arm drive device 35, and the drive roller 33 moves away from the knitted fabric. In this way, there is no need to manually operate the drive roller 33. For this reason, the side where the drive roller 33 is located and the side where the knitted fabric is lowered are reversed when viewed from the winding device 3. Conventionally, since there is no space inside the circular knitting machine for an operator to move to the opposite side of the winding device, it is necessary to be able to complete operations on the winding device on one side, so the side where the drive roller 33 is located and the side where the knitted fabric is lowered must be the same, and as a result, the presence of the drive roller 33 gets in the way of the work when the knitted fabric is lowered. By reversing the side where the knitted fabric is lowered and the side where the drive roller 33 is located, the drive roller 33 does not get in the way.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and may be used, for example, in a winding device of an auto-doffer that automatically takes the knitted fabric off the winding roller and discharges it outside the circular knitting machine. The winding roller automatically separates at a midpoint in the longitudinal direction, the winding rollers are pulled out from the knitted fabric from both sides, the knitted fabric is discharged outside the circular knitting machine by a discharge device, the winding roller is set again, the knitting machine rotates, and even if the knitted fabric is not manually wound around the winding roller, the knitted fabric is automatically wound around the winding roller by a method such as using a friction tape or a claw, air pressure, or pinching between a divided winding roller or a hole provided in the winding roller, and when the knitted fabric is wound to a certain extent, the drive roller automatically presses it against the knitted fabric, the drive roller sends out and stores the knitted fabric, the machine stops after knitting is completed, the drive roller automatically releases the knitted fabric, and the winding roller separates at a midpoint, making it possible to perform fully automatic knitting work without human intervention in almost all steps such as production, winding, and discharge.

[0037] Other possible solutions include providing the arm rotation shaft below the winding roller, or having the drive roller contact the knitted fabric but not the winding roller. Also, it is possible to change the servo motor to a different type of motor, or to replace the hard rubber of the stopper with a sensor, or to other devices with similar functions. It goes without saying that the present invention can be used even if the side with the drive roller and the side where the knitted fabric is lowered are the same. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1: Circular knitting machine 2: Organization department 3: Winding device 301: Bass 302, 303: Side members 31: Tension roller 32: Winding roller 33: Drive roller 331: Arm rotation axis 332: Arm 331: Arm rotation axis 34: Roller drive unit 35: Arm drive unit 36: Knitted fabric roll 37: Stopper 38: Gear

Claims

1. A winding device (3) for a circular knitting machine that collects a knitted fabric knitted in a knitting section (2) of a circular knitting machine (1), comprising: The winding device (3) has a base (301) provided at the bottom of the winding device (3), side members (302, 303) provided at both ends of the base (301), a winding roller (32) rotatably provided between the two side members (302, 303), two arm rotation shafts (331) rotatably connected to the opposing surfaces of the two side members (302, 303), two arms (332) rotatably provided in parallel to each other about the two arm rotation shafts (331), a drive roller (33) rotatably provided between the two arms (332), and a roller drive device (34) for driving the drive roller (33) to rotate, The winding roller (32) includes an arm driving device (35) connected to the arm rotating shaft (331), and the arm driving device (35) drives the arm rotating shaft (331) and can rotate the arm (332) in a switchable manner in either a forward direction or a reverse direction with a constant torque, where the forward direction is the direction in which the drive roller (33) approaches the winding roller (32) and the reverse direction is the direction in which the drive roller moves away from the winding roller (32); Further, a stopper (37) is provided on the rotation orbit of the arm (332) and the drive roller (33), and contacts the arm (332) or the drive roller (33) to stop the rotation of the arm (332) and the drive roller (33). A winding device for a circular knitting machine (3).

2. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the arm driving device (35) is capable of changing a set value of a constant torque for rotating the arm rotation shaft (331).

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stopper (37) is a rubber member provided on the rotational track of the arm (332), and at least one is attached to either one of the opposing surfaces of the side members (302, 303).

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the arm drive device (35) is a servo motor provided on a side member (302, 303), the servo motor and the arm rotation shaft (331) are connected via a gear (38), and by switching the rotation direction of the servo motor, the forward direction and reverse direction of the rotation of the arm (332) can be switched accordingly.

5. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the side of the drive roller (33) is opposite to the side where the knitted fabric is lowered, as viewed from the winding device (3).

6. A method for controlling the drive roller (32) in a winding device for a circular knitting machine, using the winding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, at the start of knitting, the arm drive device (35) is automatically driven to rotate the arm (332) in a forward direction to press the drive roller (33) against the winding roller (32) or the knitted fabric wound around the winding roller (32), and, after knitting is completed, the arm drive device (35) is automatically driven to rotate the arm (332) in a reverse direction to separate the drive roller (32) from the knitted fabric.

7. 7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that knitting of a predetermined knitted fabric is started, and after the knitted fabric is automatically wound around the winding roller (32), the arm (332) is rotated in the forward direction to press the drive roller (33) against the knitted fabric, and after the predetermined knitting is completed, the knitting machine automatically stops, the arm (332) is rotated in the reverse direction to separate the drive roller (33) from the knitted fabric, the knitted fabric is automatically lowered from the winding device (3), and the knitted fabric is automatically discharged outside the circular knitting machine (1).

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