EP4606939A1

EP4606939A1 - Bobbin conveyance device

Info

Publication number: EP4606939A1
Application number: EP23879473.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hiroyuki Koga
Original assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Industries Corp
Priority date: 2022-10-21
Filing date: 2023-08-29
Publication date: 2025-08-27
Also published as: EP4606939A4; JP2024061412A; KR20250068740A; WO2024084821A1; CN120051597A; JP7760983B2

Abstract

A bobbin conveyance device (10) comprises: a first conveyance unit (11) that performs a bobbin passing operation; an exchanger that performs a bobbin replacement operation; a hanger detection unit (16) that detects the presence or absence of a hanger (H) in an exchange position (C), and the type of the hanger (H); a bobbin detection unit (17) that detects the presence or absence of a bobbin (B); and a control unit that controls the first conveyance unit (11) and the exchanger on the basis of detection results from the detection units (16, 17). The control unit causes a carriage of the first conveyance unit (11) to move in circle in a state in which the exchanger is not allowed to perform the bobbin replacement operation before performing a bobbin reception operation, and determines whether a bobbin (B) is hung on a full-bobbin hanger (Hf) on the basis of the detection results from the detection units (16, 17) during the circular movement. If it is determined that the bobbin (B) is hung on the full-bobbin hanger (Hf), the control unit determines that a bobbin (B) hanging error is present with respect to the hanger (H).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a bobbin transport device.

BACKGROUND ART

The bobbin transport device transports a bobbin, which serves as a full bobbin around which roving is wound or an empty bobbin around which roving is not wound, between a roving machine and a spinning machine. The bobbin transport device includes a first transport unit, a second transport unit, an exchanger, and a control unit. The first transport unit includes a loop rail, a carriage movable along the loop rail, and a plurality of hangers suspended from the carriage. Each of the hangers serves as a full bobbin hanger intended for a full bobbin to be hung, or as an empty bobbin hanger intended for an empty bobbin to be hung. The full bobbin hangers and the empty bobbin hangers are arranged alternately. The first transport unit is configured to perform a bobbin transfer operation of transferring the full bobbin from the roving machine to the full bobbin hanger and transferring the empty bobbin from the empty bobbin hanger to the roving machine. The second transport unit is connected to the spinning machine. The exchanger is configured to perform a bobbin exchange operation of exchanging the full bobbin with the empty bobbin between the first transport unit and the second transport unit. The control unit is configured to control the first transport unit and the exchanger.
In such a bobbin transport device, if the empty bobbin is incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger, the empty bobbin comes into contact with the full bobbin of the roving machine when the bobbin transfer operation is performed. Such contact between the bobbins may lead to failure of the bobbin transfer operation or failure of the roving machine and the bobbin transport device. Therefore, it is required that the bobbin is not hung on the full bobbin hanger before the bobbin transfer operation.
When the exchanger properly performs the bobbin exchange operation, the bobbin is not hung on the full bobbin hanger after the bobbin exchange operation. Therefore, by confirming that the exchanger has properly performed the bobbin exchange operation, the conventional bobbin transport device ensures that the bobbin is not hung on the full bobbin hanger before the bobbin transfer operation. For example, the conventional bobbin transfer device may have the following configuration for confirming that the exchanger has properly performed the bobbin exchange operation. The bobbin transport device includes a hanger detection unit and a bobbin detection unit. The exchanger performs the bobbin exchange operation at an exchange position, which is a position in the circumferential direction of the loop rail. The hanger detection unit is configured to detect whether a hanger is present at the exchange position, and detect whether the hanger is the full bobbin hanger or the empty bobbin hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position. The bobbin detection unit is configured to detect whether the bobbin is present on the hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position.
In such a bobbin transport device, when the full bobbin hanger is transported to the exchange position after the bobbin transfer operation, the hanger detection unit detects that a hanger is present at the exchange position, and that the hanger is the full bobbin hanger. When the exchanger properly transfers a full bobbin from the full bobbin hanger at the exchange position to the second transport unit, the detection result of the bobbin detection unit for the full bobbin hanger changes from "with bobbin" to "without bobbin". When the empty bobbin hanger is transported to the exchange position after the bobbin transfer operation, the hanger detection unit detects that a hanger is present at the exchange position, and that the hanger is the empty bobbin hanger. When the exchanger properly transfers an empty bobbin from the second transport unit to the empty bobbin hanger at the exchange position, the detection result of the bobbin detection unit for the empty bobbin hanger changes from "without bobbin" to "with bobbin". Based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit, the control unit confirms that the exchanger has properly performed the bobbin exchange operation. That is, the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit are the detection unit configured to confirm that the exchanger has properly performed the bobbin exchange operation.
Moreover, Patent Literature 1 discloses a bobbin transport device configured to detect whether a bobbin has been transferred reliably between a roving machine and a bobbin transport device. A full bobbin hanger and an empty bobbin hanger are located at different heights. The bobbin transport device includes a full bobbin detection unit configured to detect whether a bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger. The full bobbin detection unit includes a light emitter for emitting light in the length direction of the roving machine, and a light receiver positioned facing the light emitter in the length direction of the roving machine. When the light receiver detects the light emitted by the light emitter, the full bobbin detection unit determines that the bobbin is not hung on the full bobbin hanger. This bobbin transport device allows for an inspection to check whether an empty bobbin is incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-027041

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

If the exchanger fails, an operator may instead replace the bobbin for the hanger of the first transport unit. In this case, the operator visually checks that any bobbin is not hung on the full bobbin hanger, and then operates the first transport unit. However, the visual check may fail to detect misplacement of the bobbin on the full bobbin hanger. Furthermore, the bobbin transport device mentioned in Patent Literature 1 additionally needs a detection unit to detect whether a bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger. Accordingly, it has been desired that incorrect hanging of a bobbin on a hanger caused by an operator is inspected without using another detection unit.

Solution to Problem

The bobbin transport device for solving the above-described problem is a bobbin transport device configured to transport a bobbin between a roving machine and a spinning machine, the bobbin serving as a full bobbin around which roving is wound or an empty bobbin around which the roving is not wound, the bobbin transport device comprising: a first transport unit including a loop rail, a carriage movable along the loop rail, and a plurality of hangers suspended from the carriage, and each of the hangers serving as a full bobbin hanger intended for the full bobbin to be hung or an empty bobbin hanger intended for the empty bobbin to be hung, the full bobbin hangers and the empty bobbin hangers being arranged alternately, the first transport unit being configured to perform a bobbin transfer operation of transferring the full bobbin from the roving machine to the full bobbin hanger and transferring the empty bobbin from the empty bobbin hanger to the roving machine; a second transport unit connected to the spinning machine; an exchanger configured to perform a bobbin exchange operation of exchanging the full bobbin with the empty bobbin between the first transport unit and the second transport unit; a hanger detection unit configured to detect whether each of the hangers is present at an exchange position which is a position in a circumferential direction of the loop rail and where the exchanger performs the bobbin exchange operation, and the hanger detection unit being configured to detect whether the hanger is the full bobbin hanger or the empty bobbin hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position; a bobbin detection unit configured to detect whether the bobbin is present on the hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position; and a control unit configured to control the first transport unit and the exchanger based on detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit, characterized in that the control unit moves the carriage in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger, before the bobbin transfer operation, the control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage, and the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred when the control unit determines that the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger.
The control unit moves the carriage in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger, before the bobbin transfer operation. The control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage. When an operator replaces the bobbin on the hanger of the first transport unit properly, the empty bobbin is not hung on the full bobbin hanger. When the control unit determines that the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger, the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred as the empty bobbin has been incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger. The control unit operates the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit to determine whether the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger. The hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit are original detection units configured to confirm that the exchanger has properly performed the bobbin exchange operation. This allows for inspection for incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger caused by the operator, without using another detection unit.
In the above-described bobbin transport device, the control unit may determine whether the bobbin is hung on the empty bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage, and the control unit may determine that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred when the control unit determines that the bobbin is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger.
The control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the empty bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage. When the operator replaces the bobbin on the hanger of the first transport unit properly, the empty bobbin is hung on the empty bobbin hanger. Accordingly, when the control unit determines that the bobbin is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger, the control unit determines that the incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred as the empty bobbin has been left off the empty bobbin hanger. The control unit operates the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit, which are the original detection units, to determine whether the bobbin is hung on the empty bobbin hanger. This allows for inspection to check whether the operator has hung the empty bobbin on the empty bobbin hanger, without using another detection unit.
In the above-described bobbin transport device, the control unit may inhibit the bobbin transfer operation by the first transport unit, when the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred.
This prevents the empty bobbin on the full bobbin hanger from coming into contact with the full bobbin of the roving machine when the bobbin transfer operation is performed, if the empty bobbin is incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger.
In the above-described bobbin transport device, the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit may each perform detection while the bobbin is being transported by the carriage.
This reduces the time of inspection for incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger, compared to when the hanger is stopped at the exchange position every time the hanger is transported to the exchange position.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present invention allows that incorrect hanging of a bobbin on a hanger caused by an operator is inspected without using another detection unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a roving machine, a spinning machine, and a bobbin transport device.
[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the roving machine and a first transport unit before a bobbin transfer operation.
[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit before the bobbin transfer operation.
[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the roving machine and the first transport unit after the bobbin transfer operation.
[FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit after the bobbin transfer operation.
[FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the bobbin transport device.
[FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the bobbin transport device.
[FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a side view of a hanger detection unit and a bobbin detection unit.
[FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the roving machine and the first transport unit when a full bobbin is transferred from the roving machine to the first transport unit.
[FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit after the full bobbin is transferred from the roving machine to the first transport unit.
[FIG. 11] FIG. 11 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit after the full bobbin is transferred from the roving machine to the first transport unit.
[FIG. 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view of the roving machine and the first transport unit when an empty bobbin is transferred from the first transport unit to the roving machine.
[FIG. 13] FIG. 13 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit when the empty bobbin is transferred from the first transport unit to the roving machine.
[FIG. 14] FIG. 14 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit after the empty bobbin is transferred from the first transport unit to the roving machine.
[FIG. 15] FIG. 15 is a side view of the roving machine and the first transport unit after the empty bobbin is transferred from the first transport unit to the roving machine.
[FIG. 16] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an inspection for incorrect hanging of a bobbin.
[FIG. 17] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the inspection for incorrect hanging of the bobbin.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following will describe an embodiment of a bobbin transport device with reference to FIGS. 1 through 17.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a roving machine 100, a spinning machine 200, and a bobbin transport device 10 are installed in a spinning factory. The roving machine 100 performs a roving process. The spinning machine 200 performs a spinning process. The bobbin transport device 10 transports bobbins B between the roving machine 100 and the spinning machine 200.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roving machine 100 includes a roving machine main body 101 and a rail transport unit 102.
The roving machine main body 101 includes a frame 21 and a bobbin rail 23. The frame 21 includes a plurality of flyers 22 extending downward. Although not illustrated, the flyers 22 are aligned in the length direction of the frame 21, but are staggered in the width direction of the frame 21. The bobbin rail 23 includes a plurality of bobbin wheels 24. The bobbin wheels 24 are aligned in the length direction of the frame 21, but are staggered in the width direction of the frame 21. The bobbin wheels 24 protrude from the upper surface of the bobbin rail 23. The bobbin wheels 24 are rotatably disposed on the bobbin rail 23. The bobbin wheels 24 support the bobbins B so that the bobbins B are rotatable.
The bobbin rail 23 is configured to move in the up-down direction between a roving position where each of the bobbins B is located inside the flyer 22 and a standby position where each of the bobbins B is located below the flyer 22. FIG. 2 illustrates the bobbin rail 23 in the standby position. When the bobbin rail 23 is in the roving position, the roving delivered from the frame 21 is wound around the rotating bobbin B. In the following description, the bobbin B serving as the bobbin around which the roving is wound is referred to as the full bobbin Bf, and the bobbin B serving as the bobbin around which the roving is not wound is referred to as the empty bobbin Be. When the bobbin B becomes the full bobbin Bf, the bobbin rail 23 is moved down from the roving position to the standby position.
The rail transport unit 102 is configured to reciprocate in the width direction of the frame 21 between a position below the flyers 22 and a position below a first transport unit 11, which will be described later. When the bobbin rail 23 is in the standby position, the bobbin rail 23 is placed on the rail transport unit 102. The rail transport unit 102 moves away from the frame 21 to transport the bobbin rail 23 from the position below the flyers 22 to the position below the first transport unit 11. The rail transport unit 102 approaches the frame 21 to transport the bobbin rail 23 from the position below the first transport unit 11 to the position below the flyers 22. FIG. 2 illustrates the bobbin rail 23 and the rail transport unit 102 located at the position below the flyers 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bobbin transport device 10 includes the first transport unit 11, a second transport unit 12, an exchanger 13, a receiving position sensor 14, a delivery position sensor 15, a hanger detection unit 16, a bobbin detection unit 17, and a control unit 18.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first transport unit 11 includes a loop rail 31, a carriage 32, and a plurality of hangers H.
The loop rail 31 is arranged in an elliptical shape. The loop rail 31 has a first straight portion 31a, a second straight portion 31b, a first arcuate portion 31c, and a second arcuate portion 31d. The first straight portion 31a and the second straight portion 31b extend along the length direction of the frame 21. The first arcuate portion 31c connects one end of the first straight portion 31a to one end of the second straight portion 31b, and the second arcuate portion 31d connects the other end of the first straight portion 31a to the other end of the second straight portion 31b. The loop rail 31 is supported by a post 33. The loop rail 31 is movable in the up-down direction.
The carriage 32 is mounted on the lower surface of the loop rail 31. The carriage 32 is movable along the loop rail 31. The carriage 32 moves only in a movement direction X indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1. The carriage 32 includes a detection target device 32a at the leading end of the carriage 32 in the movement direction X.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of hangers H is suspended from the carriage 32. The hangers H are lined up in a row along the loop rail 31. The carriage 32 moves to transport the hangers H along the loop rail 31. In other words, the carriage 32 transports the hangers H along the loop rail 31. Accordingly, the movement direction X of the carriage 32 also serves as the transport direction of the hangers H.
Each of the hangers H serves as a full bobbin hanger Hf intended for the full bobbin Bf to be hung, or as an empty bobbin hanger He intended for the empty bobbin Be to be hung. The first hanger H in the movement direction X of the carriage 32 serves as the full bobbin hanger Hf. The second hanger H serves as the empty bobbin hanger He. The third hanger H serves as the full bobbin hanger Hf. The fourth hanger H serves as the empty bobbin hanger He. In such a manner, the odd-numbered hangers H serve as the full bobbin hangers Hf. The even-numbered hangers H serve as the empty bobbin hangers He. Accordingly, the full bobbin hangers Hf and the empty bobbin hangers He are arranged alternately.
The positional relationship between the hangers H of the first transport unit 11 and the bobbin wheels 24 of the bobbin rail 23 is determined by the position of the carriage 32 on the loop rail 31.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the carriage 32 is at a receiving position D1 on the loop rail 31 when the position of each full bobbin hanger Hf corresponds to the position of each bobbin wheel 24 in the length direction of the frame 21. When the carriage 32 is located at the receiving position D1, the detection target device 32a of the carriage 32 is located on the first straight portion 31a of the loop rail 31.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the carriage 32 is at a delivery position D2 on the loop rail 31 when the position of each empty bobbin hanger He corresponds to the position of each bobbin wheel 24 in the length direction of the frame 21. When the carriage 32 is located at the delivery position D2, the detection target device 32a of the carriage 32 is located on the first straight portion 31a of the loop rail 31. Specifically, the position of the detection target device 32a when the carriage 32 is located at the delivery position D2 is closer to the first arcuate portion 31c than the position of the detection target device 32a when the carriage 32 is located at the receiving position D1.
The first transport unit 11 performs a bobbin transfer operation with the roving machine 100. Specifically, the first transport unit 11 transfers the full bobbins Bf from the roving machine 100 to the full bobbin hangers Hf. The first transport unit 11 also transfers the empty bobbins Be from the empty bobbin hangers He to the roving machine 100. The first transport unit 11 of the present embodiment performs the bobbin transfer operation with the bobbin rail 23 transported to the position below the first transport unit 11 by the rail transport unit 102.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second transport unit 12 includes a rail main body 12a, a hanger transport unit 12b, and a plurality of hangers H. Although not illustrated, the rail main body 12a has a loop shape. A circumferential portion of the rail main body 12a is connected to the spinning machine 200. Accordingly, the second transport unit 12 is connected to the spinning machine 200. The hanger transport unit 12b is movable along the rail main body 12a. The hanger transport unit 12b holds the hangers H. The hanger transport unit 12b moves along the rail main body 12a to transport the hangers H. Accordingly, the second transport unit 12 transports the bobbins B hung on the hangers H of the second transport unit 12.
The exchanger 13 is disposed between the first transport unit 11 and the second transport unit 12. Specifically, the exchanger 13 is disposed beside the first arcuate portion 31c of the loop rail 31.
The exchanger 13 of the present embodiment includes a rotary shaft 41 and an exchange unit 42 that is rotated together with the rotary shaft 41. The exchanger 13 is movable in the up-down direction. The exchange unit 42 includes a base plate 420, a first plate 421, and a second plate 422. The base plate 420 has a rectangular shape. The rotary shaft 41 is inserted through the base plate 420 at the center of the base plate 420 in the length direction of the base plate 420. The first plate 421 and the second plate 422 are disposed at one end and the other end of the base plate 420 in the length direction of the base plate 420, respectively.
The first plate 421 has a full bobbin supporting portion 421a that supports the full bobbin Bf. The first plate 421 is configured to reciprocate between a standby position where the first plate 421 is located on the base plate 420 and a protruding position where the first plate 421 protrudes from the one end of the base plate 420 in the length direction of the base plate 420. The second plate 422 has an empty bobbin supporting portion 422a that supports the empty bobbin Be. The second plate 422 is configured to reciprocate between a standby position where the second plate 422 is located on the base plate 420 and a protruding position where the second plate 422 protrudes from the other end of the base plate 420 in the length direction of the base plate 420. FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 at the standby positions.
The exchanger 13 is configured to perform a bobbin exchange operation of exchanging the full bobbin Bf with the empty bobbin Be between the first transport unit 11 and the second transport unit 12. Specifically, the exchanger 13 transfers the empty bobbin Be from the hanger H of the second transport unit 12 to the empty bobbin hanger He of the first transport unit 11. The exchanger 13 transfers the full bobbin Bf from the full bobbin hanger Hf of the first transport unit 11 to the hanger H of the second transport unit 12. Specifically, the hanger H of the second transport unit 12 to which the full bobbin Bf is transferred is the hanger H on which the empty bobbin Be transferred to the first transport unit 11 was hung.
Therefore, among the hangers H of the second transport unit 12, the hangers H located upstream of the exchanger 13 in a transport direction Y of the hangers H hold the empty bobbins Be. The empty bobbins Be are transferred to the empty bobbin hangers He of the first transport unit 11 by the exchanger 13. Among the hangers H of the second transport unit 12, the hangers H located downstream of the exchanger 13 in the transport direction Y of the hangers H hold the full bobbins Bf. The full bobbins Bf are transferred from the full bobbin hangers Hf of the first transport unit 11 by the exchanger 13.
The exchanger 13 performs the bobbin exchange operation at an exchange position C, which is a position in the circumferential direction of the loop rail 31. In the present embodiment, the exchange position C is located on the first arcuate portion 31c.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the receiving position sensor 14 is located beside the first straight portion 31a of the loop rail 31. The receiving position sensor 14 is configured to detect the detection target device 32a of the carriage 32. When the carriage 32 is located at the receiving position D1, the receiving position sensor 14 detects the detection target device 32a.
The delivery position sensor 15 is disposed beside the first straight portion 31a of the loop rail 31 and alongside the receiving position sensor 14. The delivery position sensor 15 is located closer to the first arcuate portion 31c than the receiving position sensor 14 to the first arcuate portion 31c. The delivery position sensor 15 is configured to detect the detection target device 32a of the carriage 32. When the carriage 32 is located at the delivery position D2, the delivery position sensor 15 detects the detection target device 32a.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 8, the hanger detection unit 16 is disposed beside the exchange position C. In the present embodiment, the hanger detection unit 16 is disposed beside the first arcuate portion 31c. The hanger detection unit 16 detects whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He. In the present embodiment, the hanger detection unit 16 is a single sensor 16a. That is, in the present embodiment, the single sensor 16a detects whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, and detects whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He when the sensor 16a detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.
Specifically, the sensor 16a is configured to detect the hanger H. When the hanger H is transported to the exchange position C by the carriage 32, the sensor 16a detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the sensor 16a detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the sensor 16a counts the ordinal position of the hanger H detected at the exchange position C. As previously described, the odd-numbered hangers H in the movement direction X of the carriage 32, i.e., the transport direction of the hangers H, are the full bobbin hangers Hf, and the even-numbered hangers H are the empty bobbin hangers He. Therefore, the sensor 16a detects whether the hanger H located at the exchange position C is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He based on the ordinal position of the detected hanger H. When the detected hanger H is the odd-numbered hanger H, the sensor 16a detects that the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf. When the detected hanger H is the even-numbered hanger H, the sensor 16a detects that the hanger H is the empty bobbin hanger He.
The bobbin detection unit 17 is disposed beside the exchange position C on the loop rail 31. In the present embodiment, the bobbin detection unit 17 is disposed beside the first arcuate portion 31c. The bobbin detection unit 17 is disposed below the hanger detection unit 16. The bobbin detection unit 17 is configured to detect the bobbin B. The bobbin detection unit 17 detects whether the bobbin B is present on the hanger H at the exchange position C, when the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. That is, the bobbin detection unit 17 detects whether the bobbin B is hung on the hanger H located at the exchange position C.
The control unit 18 includes a processor and a storage unit (not illustrated). Examples of the processor include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a digital signal processor (DSP). Examples of the storage unit include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The storage unit stores program code or instructions for causing the processor to execute the processing. The storage unit, i.e., a computer-readable medium, includes any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or dedicated computer. The control unit 18 may include a hardware circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 18, which is a processing circuit, may include one or more processors operating in accordance with a computer program, one or more hardware circuits, such as ASICs and FPGAs, or combinations thereof.
The control unit 18 is connected to the receiving position sensor 14, the delivery position sensor 15, the hanger detection unit 16, and the bobbin detection unit 17. The control unit 18 is configured to control the first transport unit 11 and the exchanger 13 based on the detection results of the receiving position sensor 14, the delivery position sensor 15, the hanger detection unit 16, and the bobbin detection unit 17.
If the exchanger 13 fails, an operator may instead replace the bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11. In this case, the control unit 18 inspects for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11 caused by the operator, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17.

The following will describe the operation of the bobbin transport device 10 together with the operation of the roving machine 100.
FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate the roving machine 100 after the completion of the roving process and the first transport unit 11 before the bobbin transfer operation. The bobbin rail 23 of the roving machine 100 is placed on the rail transport unit 102 below the flyers 22. Each of the bobbin wheels 24 supports the full bobbin Bf. The loop rail 31 of the first transport unit 11 is located above the frame 21. The carriage 32 is located at the receiving position D1. The full bobbin hangers Hf do not hold the bobbins B. The empty bobbin hangers He hold the empty bobbins Be hung thereon.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the rail transport unit 102 transports the bobbin rail 23 to the position below the first transport unit 11. Accordingly, the full bobbin hangers Hf respectively face the bobbin wheels 24 in the up-down direction. The loop rail 31 moves down simultaneously as the rail transport unit 102 transports the bobbin rail 23 to the position below the first transport unit 11. Accordingly, the full bobbin hangers Hf receive the full bobbins Bf from the bobbin wheels 24.
As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, after the full bobbin hangers Hf receive the full bobbins Bf from the bobbin wheels 24, the loop rail 31 rises. Accordingly, the full bobbins Bf are hung on the full bobbin hangers Hf. In contrast, the bobbin wheels 24 do not support the bobbins B.
As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32. When the delivery position sensor 15 detects the detection target device 32a of the carriage 32, the control unit 18 stops the carriage 32. The carriage 32 stops at the delivery position D2. The empty bobbin hangers He respectively face the bobbin wheels 24 in the up-down direction. The loop rail 31 is moved down, so that the empty bobbin hangers He deliver the empty bobbins Be to the bobbin wheels 24.
As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, after the empty bobbin hangers He deliver the empty bobbins Be to the bobbin wheels 24, the loop rail 31 rises. Accordingly, the bobbins B are not hung on the empty bobbin hangers He. In contrast, the bobbin wheels 24 support the empty bobbins Be.
Then, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rail transport unit 102 transports the bobbin rail 23 from the position below the first transport unit 11 to the position below the flyers 22. After the bobbin rail 23 is transported to the position below the flyers 22, the bobbin rail 23 is moved up to the roving position. Accordingly, the roving machine main body 101 becomes ready to start the roving process. The loop rail 31 is moved up above the frame 21. This completes the bobbin transfer operation of the first transport unit 11. After the bobbin transfer operation is completed, the full bobbins Bf are hung on the full bobbin hangers Hf of the first transport unit 11. The bobbins B are not hung on the empty bobbin hangers He.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 after the bobbin transfer operation is completed. When the full bobbin hanger Hf as the first hanger H of the first transport unit 11 is transported to the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the control unit 18 stops the movement of the carriage 32. Accordingly, the full bobbin hanger Hf is stopped at the exchange position C. The hanger detection unit 16 counts the ordinal position of the hanger H detected. Since the detected hanger H is the first hanger H, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H at the exchange position C is the full bobbin hanger Hf.
The first plate 421 and the second plate 422 of the exchanger 13 are respectively adjacent to the first transport unit 11 and the second transport unit 12. The control unit 18 moves the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 from the standby positions to the protruding positions. That is, the first plate 421 moves to a position below the full bobbin hanger Hf at the exchange position C. The second plate 422 moves to a position below the hanger H on which the empty bobbin Be of the second transport unit 12 is hung. The control unit 18 moves up the exchanger 13. The full bobbin supporting portion 421a receives the full bobbin Bf from the full bobbin hanger Hf located at the exchange position C. That is, the bobbin B is not hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf as the first hanger H. The empty bobbin supporting portion 422a receives the empty bobbin Be from the hanger H of the second transport unit 12. That is, the bobbin B is not hung on the hanger H adjacent to the exchanger 13 among the hangers H of the second transport unit 12.
When the exchanger 13 properly receives the full bobbin Bf from the full bobbin hanger Hf at the exchange position C, the detection result of the bobbin detection unit 17 for the full bobbin hanger Hf changes from "with bobbin" to "without bobbin". As a result of the detection result of the bobbin detection unit 17 changing from "with bobbin" to "without bobbin", the control unit 18 confirms that the exchanger 13 has properly received the full bobbin Bf from the full bobbin hanger Hf of the first transport unit 11. Then, the control unit 18 moves down the exchanger 13, and moves the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 from the protruding positions to the standby positions. The control unit 18 rotates the rotary shaft 41 half a turn, thereby rotating the exchange unit 42 half a turn.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, this causes the second plate 422 and the first plate 421 of the exchanger 13 to be adjacent to the first transport unit 11 and the second transport unit 12, respectively. The control unit 18 restarts the movement of the carriage 32. When the empty bobbin hanger He as the second hanger H of the first transport unit 11 is transported to the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the control unit 18 stops the movement of the carriage 32. Accordingly, the empty bobbin hanger He is stopped at the exchange position C. The hanger detection unit 16 counts the ordinal position of the hanger H detected. Since the detected hanger H is the second hanger H, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H at the exchange position C is the empty bobbin hanger He.
The control unit 18 moves the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 from the standby positions to the protruding positions. The first plate 421 moves to a position below the hanger H of the second transport unit 12 on which the bobbin B is not hung. That is, the second plate 422 moves to a position below the empty bobbin hanger He at the exchange position C. The control unit 18 moves up the exchanger 13. Then, the full bobbin supporting portion 421a transfers the full bobbin Bf from the first transport unit 11 to the hanger H of the second transport unit 12 on which the bobbin B is not hung. As a result, among the hangers H of the second transport unit 12, the hanger H adjacent to the exchanger 13 holds the full bobbin Bf hung thereon. The empty bobbin supporting portion 422a transfers the empty bobbin Be from the second transport unit 12 to the empty bobbin hanger He of the first transport unit 11. That is, the empty bobbin Be is hung on the empty bobbin hanger He as the second hanger H.
When the exchanger 13 properly transfers the empty bobbin Be to the empty bobbin hanger He at the exchange position C, the detection result of the bobbin detection unit 17 for the empty bobbin hanger He changes from "without bobbin" to "with bobbin". As a result of the detection result of the bobbin detection unit 17 changing from "without bobbin" to "with bobbin", the control unit 18 confirms that the exchanger 13 has properly transferred the empty bobbin Be to the empty bobbin hanger He of the first transport unit 11. Then, the control unit 18 moves down the exchanger 13, and moves the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 from the protruding positions to the standby positions. The control unit 18 rotates the rotary shaft 41 half a turn, thereby rotating the exchange unit 42 half a turn. This returns the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 of the exchanger 13 to the original positions so that the first plate 421 and the second plate 422 are respectively adjacent to the first transport unit 11 and the second transport unit 12. This completes one cycle of the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13.
The control unit 18 restarts the movement of the carriage 32. When the full bobbin hanger Hf as the third hanger H of the first transport unit 11 is transported to the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the control unit 18 stops the movement of the carriage 32. Accordingly, the full bobbin hanger Hf is stopped at the exchange position C. The hanger detection unit 16 counts the ordinal position of the hanger H detected. Since the detected hanger H is the third hanger H, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H at the exchange position C is the full bobbin hanger Hf. The second transport unit 12 transports one hanger H at a time when the carriage 32 moves. As a result, the hanger H adjacent to the exchanger 13 holds the empty bobbin Be hung thereon.
The subsequent operation of the exchanger 13 is the same as that described previously, and therefore will not be elaborated.
When the control unit 18 confirms that the exchanger 13 has transferred the empty bobbin Be to the empty bobbin hanger He, which is the rearmost hanger H of the first transport unit 11, the control unit 18 restarts the movement of the carriage 32. When the receiving position sensor 14 detects the detection target device 32a of the carriage 32, the control unit 18 stops the movement of the carriage 32. The carriage 32 stops at the receiving position D1. Therefore, the first transport unit 11 returns to the state before the bobbin transfer operation illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.
In this manner, the bobbin B, which has become the full bobbin Bf through the roving process performed by the roving machine main body 101, is transferred from the roving machine 100 to the first transport unit 11. The full bobbin Bf transferred to the first transport unit 11 is further transferred to the second transport unit 12 by the exchanger 13. The full bobbin Bf transferred to the second transport unit 12 is further transferred to the spinning machine 200. The full bobbin Bf becomes the empty bobbin Be as the roving is removed from the full bobbin Bf in the spinning process. The empty bobbin Be is transferred to the exchanger 13 by the second transport unit 12, and further transferred to the first transport unit 11 by the exchanger 13. The empty bobbin Be transferred to the first transport unit 11 is further transported to the roving machine 100.
The bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13 is as described above. However, if the exchanger 13 fails, the operator may instead replace the bobbins B on the hangers H of the first transport unit 11. In this case, after the bobbin transfer operation by the first transport unit 11, the operator removes the full bobbins Bf from the full bobbin hangers Hf and attaches the empty bobbins Be to the empty bobbin hangers He with the carriage 32 located at the delivery position D2. When the operator replaces each bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11, incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H may occur, for example, the operator may incorrectly hang the empty bobbin Be on the full bobbin hanger Hf, or forget to hang the empty bobbin Be on the empty bobbin hanger He.

If the operator replaces the bobbins B on the hangers H of the first transport unit 11, the control unit 18 inspects for incorrect hanging of each of the bobbins B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11, caused by the operator, as follows.
When the operator completes the replacement of the bobbins B on the hangers H of the first transport unit 11, the control unit 18 returns the carriage 32 from the delivery position D2 to the receiving position D1 by moving the carriage 32 in a loop, before the next bobbin transfer operation. That is, the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13, before the bobbin transfer operation. Accordingly, the hangers H are transported to the exchange position C sequentially, starting from the first hanger H. At this time, the hanger detection unit 16 detects whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, and detects whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He when the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. In the present embodiment, the hanger detection unit 16 detects whether the hanger H located at the exchange position C is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He based on the ordinal position of the detected hanger H. The bobbin detection unit 17 detects whether the bobbin B is present on the hanger H, when the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.
In the present embodiment, when the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 in a loop without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13 before the bobbin transfer operation, the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 continuously, without stopping each of the hangers H at the exchange position C. Accordingly, the hangers H are transported by the carriage 32 such that each of the hangers H passes through the exchange position C. In the present embodiment, the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 each perform detection while the bobbin B is being transported by the carriage 32. Specifically, when the hanger H passes through the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. Further, the hanger detection unit 16 detects whether the hanger H passing through the exchange position C is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He. The bobbin detection unit 17 detects, for each hanger H passing through the exchange position C, whether the bobbin B is hung on the hanger H.
The control unit 18 determines whether incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 during the loop movement of the carriage 32.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the empty bobbin Be may be incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger Hf. In this case, when the hanger H is transported to the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 counts the ordinal position of the hanger H detected. Since the detected hanger H is the odd-numbered hanger H, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H at the exchange position C is the full bobbin hanger Hf. The bobbin detection unit 17 detects "with bobbin", when the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.
In this case, the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17. When the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred as the empty bobbin Be has been incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger Hf.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the empty bobbin Be may be left off the empty bobbin hanger He. In this case, when the hanger H is transported to the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. When the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the hanger detection unit 16 counts the ordinal position of the hanger H detected. As the detected hanger H is the even-numbered hanger H, the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H at the exchange position C is the empty bobbin hanger He. The bobbin detection unit 17 detects "without bobbin", when the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.
In this case, the control unit 18 according to the present embodiment determines that the bobbin B is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger He, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17. When the control unit 18 according to the present embodiment determines that the bobbin B is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger He, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred as the empty bobbin Be has been left off the empty bobbin hanger He.
As such, the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13, before the bobbin transfer operation. The control unit 18 determines whether the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 during the loop movement of the carriage 32. When the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred. The control unit 18 according to the present embodiment determines whether the bobbin B is hung on the empty bobbin hanger He, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 during the loop movement of the carriage 32. When the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger He, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred.
When the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is not hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf and that the bobbin B is hung on the empty bobbin hanger He during the period until the receiving position sensor 14 detects the detection target device 32a, i.e., until the carriage 32 returns to the receiving position D1, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has not occurred.
When the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has not occurred, the control unit 18 allows the first transport unit 11 to perform the bobbin transfer operation. The control unit 18 causes the first transport unit 11 to start the bobbin transfer operation.
When the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred, the control unit 18 displays on a display screen (not illustrated) an error message that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred. The control unit 18 does not allow the first transport unit 11 to perform the bobbin transfer operation. The control unit 18 inhibits the bobbin transfer operation by the first transport unit 11.
The operator recognizes that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred, by checking the error message displayed on the display screen. The operator removes the empty bobbin Be incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger Hf, or hangs the empty bobbin Be on the empty bobbin hanger He off which the empty bobbin Be has been left. Then, the control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 again in a loop without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13 to inspect for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H. When the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has not occurred, the control unit 18 clears the error message and allows the first transport unit 11 to perform the bobbin transfer operation. The control unit 18 causes the first transport unit 11 to start the bobbin transfer operation.

[Operation and effects of embodiment]

The following will describe the operation and effects of the present embodiment.

(1) The control unit 18 moves the carriage 32 in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13, before the bobbin transfer operation. The control unit 18 determines whether the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 during the loop movement of the carriage 32. When the operator replaces the bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11 properly, the empty bobbin Be is not hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf. When the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred as the empty bobbin Be has been incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger Hf. The control unit 18 operates the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 to determine whether the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf. That is, the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 are original detection units configured to check that the exchanger 13 has properly performed the bobbin exchange operation. Therefore, incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H caused by the operator may be inspected without using another detection unit.
(2) The control unit 18 determines whether the bobbin B is hung on the empty bobbin hanger He, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 during the loop movement of the carriage 32. When the operator replaces the bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11 properly, the empty bobbin Be is hung on the empty bobbin hanger He. Accordingly, when the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger He, the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred as the empty bobbin Be has been left off the empty bobbin hanger He. The control unit 18 operates the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17, which are the original detection units, to determine whether the bobbin B is hung on the empty bobbin hanger He. This allows for inspection to check whether the operator has hung the empty bobbin Be on the empty bobbin hanger He, without using another detection unit. This prevents a spinning failure, which may be caused by no empty bobbin Be being supplied to the roving machine main body 101.
(3) When the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred, the control unit 18 inhibits the bobbin transfer operation by the first transport unit 11. This prevents the empty bobbin Be on the full bobbin hanger Hf from coming into contact with the full bobbin Bf of the roving machine 100 when the bobbin transfer operation is performed, if the empty bobbin Be is incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger Hf.
(4) The hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 each perform detection while the bobbin B is being transported by the carriage 32. This reduces the time of inspection for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H, compared to when the hanger H is stopped at the exchange position C every time the hanger H is transported to the exchange position C, for example, during the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13.
(5) The carriage 32 is located at the delivery position D2 on the first transport unit 11 after the bobbin transfer operation. This requires the carriage 32 to move in a loop to the receiving position D1 for the next bobbin transfer operation, when the operator replaces the bobbins B on the hangers H of the first transport unit 11. Inspection for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11 is performed during the loop movement of the carriage 32 from the delivery position D2 to the receiving position D1. This eliminates the need for additional inspection process for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H of the first transport unit 11.
(6) A conventional full bobbin detection unit is likely to cause a detection failure due to a reason, such as, a position failure of the full bobbin detection unit, tilt of the hanger H, or foreign matter on the hanger H, because of the large distance between the light emitter and the light receiver. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 are disposed at the exchange position C, and therefore are adjacent to the hanger H. This suppresses the occurrence of detection failures in the bobbin transport device 10 of the present embodiment. In addition, this facilitates adjustment of the position of the hanger detection unit 16 relative to the hanger H and adjustment of the position of the bobbin detection unit 17 relative to the bobbin B.
(7) The control unit 18 detects whether the bobbin B is hung on the hanger H, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17. This enables more reliable inspection for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H, compared to when the operator visually checks whether the bobbin B is hung on the hanger H.
(8) The single sensor 16a serves as the hanger detection unit 16 of the present embodiment. The sensor 16a detects whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, and detects whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He when the sensor 16a detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. This allows simplification of the configuration of the bobbin transport device 10, compared to a configuration in which the hanger detection unit 16 includes a first sensor for detecting whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C and a second sensor for detecting whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He when the first sensor detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.

[Modification example]

The embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various manners, as exemplified below. The present embodiment and the following modification examples may be combined within the scope of the present invention.
The control unit 18 may determine that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H has occurred, only when the control unit 18 determines that the bobbin B is hung on the full bobbin hanger Hf, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit 16 and the bobbin detection unit 17 during the loop movement of the carriage 32. In other words, the control unit 18 does not necessarily have to inspect whether the empty bobbin Be has been left off the empty bobbin hanger He.
When the control unit 18 inspects for incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H caused by the operator, the control unit 18 may stop the carriage 32 every time the hanger H is transported to the exchange position C, like during the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger 13.
The control unit 18 may determine that all of the hangers H have been inspected for incorrect hanging of the bobbins B when the numbers of hangers H counted by the hanger detection unit 16 matches the total number of hangers H.
The hanger detection unit 16 does not have to be composed of the single sensor 16a. The hanger detection unit 16 may include two sensors, such as a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor is a sensor for detecting whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C. The second sensor is a sensor that, when the first sensor detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, detects whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He.
In this configuration, for example, a dog may be provided on the full bobbin hanger Hf. The second sensor is configured to detect the dog. When the first sensor detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C, the second sensor detects whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He depending on the presence of the dog on the hanger H. When the second sensor detects the dog, the second sensor detects that the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf. When the second sensor does not detect the dog, the second sensor detects that the hanger H is the empty bobbin hanger He.
The dog may be provided on the empty bobbin hanger He instead of the full bobbin hanger Hf. In this configuration, when the second sensor detects the dog, the second sensor detects that the hanger H is the empty bobbin hanger He. When the second sensor does not detect the dog, the second sensor detects that the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf.
The hanger detection unit 16 does not need to be located at the exchange position C as long as the hanger detection unit 16 is capable of detecting whether the hanger H is present at the exchange position C and detecting whether the hanger H is the full bobbin hanger Hf or the empty bobbin hanger He when detecting that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.
The bobbin detection unit 17 does not need to be located at the exchange position C as long as the bobbin detection unit 17 is capable of detecting whether the bobbin B is present on the hanger H when the hanger detection unit 16 detects that the hanger H is present at the exchange position C.
When the control unit 18 determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H caused by the operator has occurred, the control unit 18 may notify the operator of the incorrect hanging of the bobbin B on the hanger H with a buzzer instead of displaying an error message on the display screen. The control unit 18 may notify the operator of the incorrect hanging of the bobbin B with a buzzer and by displaying an error message on the display screen.
The control unit 18 may display different error messages on the display screen depending on when the empty bobbin Be has been incorrectly assigned to the full bobbin hanger Hf or when the empty bobbin Be has been left off the empty bobbin hanger He. This allows the operator to only check the hanger H for which the error message is displayed, thereby reducing the burden on the operator.
The carriage 32 may move in a direction opposite to the movement direction X according to the above-described embodiment. In this case, the receiving position sensor 14 and the delivery position sensor 15 are adjacent to the second straight portion 31b. The hanger H serving as the full bobbin hanger Hf in the above-described embodiment serves as the empty bobbin hanger He, and the hanger H serving as the empty bobbin hanger He serves as the full bobbin hanger Hf.
The configuration of the exchanger 13 in the above-described embodiment is an example. The configuration of the exchanger 13 may be changed as appropriate as long as the configuration of the exchanger 13 is capable of performing the bobbin exchange operation between the first transport unit 11 and the second transport unit 12.
The roving machine 100 and the bobbin transport device 10 may be collectively controlled by a single control device. In this case, the control unit 18 is included in the control device for controlling the roving machine 100 and the bobbin transport device 10.

[Additional Notes]

The following will describe technical ideas on the present embodiment and its modification examples.

[1] A bobbin transport device configured to transport a bobbin between a roving machine and a spinning machine, the bobbin serving as a full bobbin around which roving is wound or an empty bobbin around which the roving is not wound, the bobbin transport device comprising: a first transport unit including a loop rail, a carriage movable along the loop rail, and a plurality of hangers suspended from the carriage, and each of the hangers serving as a full bobbin hanger intended for the full bobbin to be hung or an empty bobbin hanger intended for the empty bobbin to be hung, the full bobbin hangers and the empty bobbin hangers being arranged alternately, the first transport unit being configured to perform a bobbin transfer operation of transferring the full bobbin from the roving machine to the full bobbin hanger and transferring the empty bobbin from the empty bobbin hanger to the roving machine; a second transport unit connected to the spinning machine; an exchanger configured to perform a bobbin exchange operation of exchanging the full bobbin with the empty bobbin between the first transport unit and the second transport unit; a hanger detection unit configured to detect whether the hanger is present at an exchange position which is a position in a circumferential direction of the loop rail and where the exchanger performs the bobbin exchange operation, and the hanger detection unit being configured to detect whether the hanger is the full bobbin hanger or the empty bobbin hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position; a bobbin detection unit configured to detect whether the bobbin is present on the hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position; and a control unit configured to control the first transport unit and the exchanger based on detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit, characterized in that the control unit moves the carriage in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger, before the bobbin transfer operation, the control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage, and the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred when the control unit determines that the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger.
[2] The bobbin transport device according to [1], characterized in that the control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the empty bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage, and the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred when the control unit determines that the bobbin is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger.
[3] The bobbin transport device according to [1] or [2], characterized in that the control unit inhibits the bobbin transfer operation by the first transport unit, when the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred.
[4] The bobbin transport device according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit each perform detection while the bobbin is being transported by the carriage.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

10 bobbin transport device
11 first transport unit
12 second transport unit
13 exchanger
16 hanger detection unit
17 bobbin detection unit
18 control unit
31 loop rail
32 carriage
100 roving machine
200 spinning machine
B bobbin
Be empty bobbin
Bf full bobbin
C exchange position
H hanger
He empty bobbin hanger
Hf full bobbin hanger

Claims

A bobbin transport device configured to transport a bobbin between a roving machine and a spinning machine, the bobbin serving as a full bobbin around which roving is wound or an empty bobbin around which the roving is not wound, the bobbin transport device comprising:
a first transport unit including a loop rail, a carriage movable along the loop rail, and a plurality of hangers suspended from the carriage, and each of the hangers serving as a full bobbin hanger intended for the full bobbin to be hung or an empty bobbin hanger intended for the empty bobbin to be hung, the full bobbin hangers and the empty bobbin hangers being arranged alternately, the first transport unit being configured to perform a bobbin transfer operation of transferring the full bobbin from the roving machine to the full bobbin hanger and transferring the empty bobbin from the empty bobbin hanger to the roving machine;

a second transport unit connected to the spinning machine;

an exchanger configured to perform a bobbin exchange operation of exchanging the full bobbin with the empty bobbin between the first transport unit and the second transport unit;

a hanger detection unit configured to detect whether the hanger is present at an exchange position which is a position in a circumferential direction of the loop rail and where the exchanger performs the bobbin exchange operation, the hanger detection unit being configured to detect whether the hanger is the full bobbin hanger or the empty bobbin hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position;

a bobbin detection unit configured to detect whether the bobbin is present on the hanger when the hanger detection unit detects that the hanger is present at the exchange position; and

a control unit configured to control the first transport unit and the exchanger based on detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit, characterized in that

the control unit moves the carriage in a loop, without the bobbin exchange operation by the exchanger, before the bobbin transfer operation,

the control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage, and

the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred when the control unit determines that the bobbin is hung on the full bobbin hanger.
The bobbin transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that
the control unit determines whether the bobbin is hung on the empty bobbin hanger, based on the detection results of the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit during the loop movement of the carriage, and

the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred when the control unit determines that the bobbin is not hung on the empty bobbin hanger.
The bobbin transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that
the control unit inhibits the bobbin transfer operation by the first transport unit, when the control unit determines that incorrect hanging of the bobbin on the hanger has occurred.
The bobbin transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that
the hanger detection unit and the bobbin detection unit each perform detection while the bobbin is being transported by the carriage.