US3305184A - Process for cleaning automatic textile winding machines - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 1967 SERESS ET AL 3,305,184

PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES Filed QCt. 12, 1964 I 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 GEORGE- SEIZEss and Woomzow W. HE-WlTT ATTORNEYS IN VENTORSZ Feb. 21, 1967 R S ET AL 3,305,184

PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gal 60 INVENTORSZ G EORGE: SEEE-ss and Woomznw W. HEWITT BYQMA Jbgb, 12% MM ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1967 PROCESS FOR Filed Oct. 12, 1964 G. SERESS ET AL 3,305,184

CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Gui-czar: 5525-255 and WoobRow W. HEWITT ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1967 SERESS ET AL PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES' 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 12, 1964 INVENTORS: GEORGE 552E555 Ema. Woomzow W. HEWITT ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1967 ss ET AL PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 12, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 MMJLgQZA WL ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1967 G. SERESS ET AL PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Oct. 12, 1964 INVENTORS'. G EORG E- 5 E-E E55 and Woomzow W. H E-W ITT Bywflednlag M M ATTORNEYS United States Patent PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES George Seress and Woodrow W. Hewitt, Charlotte, N.C., assignors to Parks-Cramer Company, Fitchburg, Mass,

a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Oct. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 403,227 Claims. (Cl. 242-355) This invention relates to an improved process for removing fiber waste from critical portions of automatic winding machines during operation thereof. Automatic winding machines are characterized in that they comprise a row of yarn winding heads or instrumentalities including yarn guiding, tensioning, inspecting and detecting elements between active yarn supply and take-up packages with a reserve of supply packages for automatically replacing any exhausted active supply package, and wherein a winder tending mechanism repeatedly traverses the row of winding heads and automatically grasps and unites any parted yarns between active yarn supply and take-up packages.

With the exceptions of replenishing the reserve of supply packages, dofiing the take-up packages and periodic maintenance, yarn winding machines of the type described above are presumed to be fully automatic. However, such winding machines have not been able to function in their contemplated automatic manner for. prolonged periods of time due to excessive accumulations of lint and other foreign matter on the critical guiding, tensioning, inspecting and detecting elements thereof causing malfunction of these elements. Although traveling blowing devices have been traversed over such winding machines heretofore, they have been of such low power that the air streams therefrom would simply disturb and redistribute some of the lint on the more exposed upper surface portions of the machines and reserve supply packages. The area, velocity and direction of application of the air streams also have been such that they were ineffective to remove lint from the more critical and somewhat shielded lower portions of the winding machines. The trend of the industry is to increase the speed of winding machines. The faster yarn travels through a winding machine the greater the shedding of lint from the yarn and the more important becomes the necessity for effectively removing residual lint from critical portions of automatic winding machines.

Among the most critical portions of an automatic winding machine are the yarn guiding and detecting elements which generally are in the form of relatively movable intermeshing grates normally biased together and against the yarn therebetween. The adjacent yarn tensioning elements are also quite critical and generally are in the form of a rotary disk against which the yarn is normally yieldably urged 'by a tension member. During each operation of the winder tending mechanism in grasping and tying opposed portions of a parted yarn, the grates are separated and the tension member is moved away from its disk. Accumulations of lint on the grates may prevent the grates from moving into greater intermeshing relationship upon subsequent parting of the yarn so the grates will not perform their intended detecting function calling for operation of the winder tending mechanism. Further, if excessive lint becomes lodged between the aforementioned disk and the tension member, the yarn will not be maintained under proper winding tension in its course to the corresponding take-up package, thus resulting in a take-up package of uneven density.

Each inspecting element of an automatic winding machine is a form of snick plate or slub-catcher, another very critical element, which functions to part the yarn whenever a thick place therein enters the inspecting element so as to remove such thick place, after which the opposed portions of yarn are united by the knotter on the tending mechanism. Excessive accumulations of lint not only cause malfunction of the inspecting element, but also they form bunches on the yarn which must be removed by the inspecting element or which are wound onto the take-up package.

Accordingly, since the conventional blowing devices have been inadequate to clean the critical portions discussed above, frequent manual cleaning With high pressure compressed air hoses has been necessary. In a typical mill, it was necessary to stop each automatic Winder and clean it manually at intervals of about every four hours and it required about fifteen minutes to clean about fifty Winding heads. Even then, it was necessary to manually remove some lint from these critical areas at times between successive general cleaning operations. It was necessary to stop the winding machine during general man ual cleaning because of the hazards presented by the moving parts of the machines and the breaking or slackening of the yarn by the strong air blast from the manually manipulated compressed air hose.

A new process for cleaning automatic textile winding machines now has been discovered enabling the use of traveling fine jet air streams directed at and oscillating adjacent to the critical areas of such machines and which air streams are of small area and of high velocity so they achieve very effective cleaning of the machines without adversely effecting the yarn being wound or extending from the reserve supply packages to the usual anchor means adjacent the paths of the grasping elements of the Y winder tending mechanism.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel process for removing fiber waste from critical areas of an automatic winding machine, or a row of such machines, which process comprises producing one or more high velocity fine jet oscillating air streams and causing these air streams to travel automatically and repeatedly along the winding machine or row of machines and to be directed against critical areas of the winding machine or row of machines in such a manner as to remove lint from these critical areas effectively without interfering with operation of the winding machine, or row of machines or the yarn in process and in reserve thereon.

It is another object of this invention to provide a process for removing lint from portions or areas of a row of winding heads and a winder tending mechanism of an automatic textile winding machine during operation thereof and wherein said portions include yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective yarn supply and take-up packages, and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with said guiding, inspecting and detecting elements, and which process includes directing high velocity fine jet air streams toward these areas and causing the air streams to travel automatically longitudinally of the row of winding heads while continuously oscillating these air streams substantially in directions laterally of the path of travel thereof, and automatically repeating the travel of the high velocity fine jet air streams at such frequency, rate of travel and rate of oscillation as to maintain said areas in substantially lint-free condition for extended periods of time.

Another object is to dispose of lint removed from the aforesaid areas and settling on the floor by means of a traveling suction cleaner moving with the air streams and having one or more suction nozzles traveling close to the floor to suck the lint off the floor and into a collector traveling in unison with the fine jet air streams.

In order to obtain the foregoing and other objects in a Wide variety of automatic winder cleaning situations, it has been found that it is necessary to combine several important features.

Of particular importance is the fact that high velocity air streams are employed, that is, air streams having a velocity of from about 2,000 to about 9,000 feet or more per minute at the surfaces to be cleaned. To secure a velocity of from 2,000 to 9,000 feet per minute at surfaces to be cleaned, a velocity at the nozzle on the order of 6,000 :to 12,000 feet per minute is desirable depending upon the distances from the nozzles to such surfaces to be cleaned and as determined by machine obstructions past which the nozzles must move without being encumbered thereby.

In order to remove the lint effectively, it is also important to utilize fine jet air streams, that is, air streams from small nozzle openings, preferably on the order of about one inch in diameter. By using a plurality of closely spaced or grouped nozzles and keeping the area of each nozzle opening small and delivering :the air at a high velocity, the effective area of each air stream at the cleaning point is very small, permitting accurate placement and control of the air stream at the surfaces to be cleaned without interference with the winding machine operation.

For effective cleaning of critical areas of automatic winding machines, we have found that it is important to oscillate the fine jet high velocity air streams substantially in planes normal to the direction of travel of the cleaner when the cleaner travels longitudinally of the row of winding heads. In other words, the air streams oscillate or move back and forth continuously, substantially in directions normal to the longitudinal direction of the travel of the cleaner. The rate of oscillation is sufiiciently rapid relative to the rate of travel of the cleaner to properly minimize the longitudinal distance traveled by each air jet during each period of oscillation of the air stream.

The usually preferred rate of travel of the blowing cleaner is from about 30 to about 50 feet per minute. This slow speed in combination with lateral oscillation of each fine jet high velocity air stream insures an effective attack upon lint resting on or adhering to parts of the winding machine to dislodge and remove it.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a typical automatic yarn winding machine showing traveling blowing and suction cleaners in association therewith for carrying out the process of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view looking at the righthand side of the coupling 67 and associated elements in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a View looking at the opposite side of the winding machine and the traveling cleaners from that of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of the automatic winding machine and traveling cleaners looking at the righthand side of FIGURE =1;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view, mostly in elevation, taken substantially along line 5-5 in FIGURE 1 and showing one of the winding heads of the automatic winding machine;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the essential components of one of the winding heads looking in at the lefthand side of the machine in FIGURE 4, with some of the parts removed or omitted for purposes of clarity; and

FIGURE 7 is an inverted plan view of the traveling blowing cleaner looking up at the bottom thereof in FIG- URE 5, but showing the same removed from the overhead track and also showing the blowing tubes and corresponding nozzles removed therefrom for purposes of clarity.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 broadly designates a typical automatic winding machine or row of automatic winding machines to which the process of the present invention is applied. The machine 10 is representative of various types of automatic winding machines such as is known as a Barber-Colman Barcomatic, a Foster-Mueller or a Leesona Uniconer and is specifically illustrated as being of a :type known as a Schlafhorst Aut-oconer by way of example only. 'Since the Winding machine 10 is of generally well-known construction, only essential elements thereof will be described in detail, with particular reference being given to those elements or operating instrumentalities which are critical insofar as the necessity for maintaining the same free of excessive accumulations of lint is concerned.

The winding machine includes a plurality or row of Winding heads or winding units generally designated at 11, the front portion of each of which is provided with a magazine or storage hopper 12 for a reserve supply of yarn packages or filled bobbins 13. The operator of the machine replenishes the supply of reserve packages 13 in the magazines 12 from a container 14- which the operator moves along a suitable track 15 extending longitudinally of the front side of the machine 10. As the operator places each reserve supply package 13 in each magazine 12, she trains or positions each end of yarn Y from the corresponding package 13 past the front edge of a deflector plate 16 (FIGURE 6) and positions the yarn end adjacent the upper end of a yarn capturing suction tube 17.

Usually, a suitable guide plate is provided adjacent the upper end of capturing tube 17 to assist the operator in guiding the yarn ends toward and into close proximity to the upper end of tube 17, but such plate is omitted in this instance, since it would obscure other parts of the machine to be described hereinafter. The yarn end capturing tube 17 extendsdownwardly and rearwardly and is connected to rigid suction duct 20 (FIGURES 1, 3 and 5) extending longitudinally of the machine 10 and in which suction or negative pressure is maintained by conventional means, not shown, in the head end of the machine 10.

During each bobbin transferring operation, a stopper 22 (FIGURE 6), which normally closes the upper end of capturing tube 17, is automatically raised away from tube 17 sufliciently to permit the ends of the yarns Y to be sucked into the upper end of the tube 17 as the lowermost yarn package 13 in the corresponding magazine 12 is released from the magazine and drops into a downwardly and inwardly or rearwardly inclined chute 23. An active yarn supply package 13a is shown positioned in a pocket 24 at the lower end of the chute 23 and from whence the corresponding yarn Y is withdrawn in its course to a corresponding take-up yarn package 25 at the upper portion of the machine.

As each successive take-up yarn package 25 becomes wound to the desired diameter, the operation of the corresponding winding head 11 is stopped automatically, by well-known means not shown in the present drawings, and the operator subsequently removes the corresponding filled take-up package from the take-up package support unit 26 and places the same on a tray 27,-extending longitudinally of the upper portion of the machine 10 and adjacent the rear side thereof, preparatory to another core or yarn carrier 30 being positioned on the take-up package support unit 26, Each take-up package 25 rests upon and is driven by a reversely spirally grooved takeup roll 31, the reversely spiraled groove of which serves in the well-known manner to traverse the yarn Y onto the corresponding receiving or take-up package 25.

In its course from the active yarn supply package 13a to the take-up package 25 of each winding head 11, the yarn Y passes successively through a lower guide eye 34 (FIGURE 6), between a pair of grids or grates a, a, and then through a tension device including a driven rotary disk b and a cooperating movable and yieldably biased tension member b. The yarn Y then passes upwardly through a suitable slub-catcher c, sometimes called a snick plate, and then through a slotted upper guide plate 35; which converges rearwardly with respect to an adjacent; guide plate 36.

The lower guide eye 34 is carried by a lower guide plate which diverges outwardly and forwardly from guine eye 34. The grates a, a serve as detecting elements in that one of them is biased toward the other and, in the absence of a strand of yarn therebetween, or in the event of the yarn being unduly slack, grates a, a move into closer intermeshing relationship so as to actuate the grasping and knotting or tying elements of a winder tending mechanism 40 (FIGURES l, 3 and 5), when it subsequently registers with the corresponding winding head 11, as will be later described.

The slub-catcher c, which serves as an inspecting element, is of the usual type which detects any enlarged places or slubs in the yarn Y and parts the yarn upon a corresponding enlarged portion or slub passing into the slub-catcher. Since the construction and function of a slub-catcher is well known in the art, a further and more detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary. It might be stated that the slub-catcher 0, associated with this particular type of automatic winding machine, is of a type having a blade which is biased toward a platen against which the yarn runs and, upon the occurrence of a slub in the yarn, the blade is moved against the platen by the slub, thus ensnaring and parting the yarn.

The winder tending mechanism 40 is a form of carriage mounted upon and longitudinally movable upon the rigid suction conduit i.e., conduit 20 serves as a track for the winder tending mechanism 40. The winder tending mechanism 49 comprises a knotter 45 and a pair of automatically arcuately movable yarn ensnaring suction elements 46, 47 (FIGURES 3 and 5). The yarn ensnaring elements 46, 47 are of hollow or tubular construction and communicate with the hollow interior of the housing of the winder tending mechanism 40. The winder tending mechanism 40 is driven to reciprocate along the rigid suction conduit 20 by an electric motor 50 and, as the winder tending mechanism moves into registration with each winding head 11, it automatically swings a corresponding valve plate 51 (FIGURE 3) therewith to establish communication between the rigid suction conduit 20 and a suction conduit 52 carried by the winder tending mechanism 40, thus producing suction or negative pressure at the open ends of the yarn ensnaring elements 46, 47.

Whenever the yarn Y becomes parted at any of the winding heads 11, this is detected by the grates a, a in the manner heretofore described and automatically causes the winder tending mechanism to dwell when it subsequently approaches the corresponding winding head 11, and whereupon the ensnaring elements 46, 47 move forwardly in opposite directions; i.e., upper ensnaring element 46 moves downwardly in an arcuate path as lower ensnaring element 47 moves upwardly in an arcuate path. In so doing, the ensnaring element 47 moves into close proximity to the nip between the take-up roll 31 and the take-up package 25, the take-up roll 31 moves in a reverse direction relative to its normal direction of rotation and the yarn end extending from the package is sucked into the ensnaring element 47. At the same time, the ensnaring element 46 moves downwardly to a position adjacent or between grates a, a and guide eye 34 to ensnare the lower portion of the yarn extending from the bobbin or active supply package 13a.

Both of the ensnaring elements 46, 47 then return to their normal positions shown in FIGURE 5 to draw the ends of the yarns from the respective packages 25, 13:! past each other as the knotter 45 automatically moves forwardly or inwardly and engages the crossed ends of yarn and unites the same in a well-known manner. Thereafter, the knotter is withdrawn and the winder tending mechanism moves on to the next winding head 11 which may have a broken yarn Y therein.

Whenever the yarn on the active supply package 13a is exhausted, a spring-biased detecting element 55 (FIG- 6 URE 3) adjacent the corresponding pocket 24 detects the absence of yarn on the corresponding bobbin to actu ate conventional release mechanism, not shown, for dis charging the exhausted bobbin from the lower portion of the corresponding chute 23 and pocket 24 into a bin 56 (FIGURE 5).

The detection of an exhausted bobbin by the detecting element 55 at any of the winding heads 11 also automatically releases the lowermost bobbin package 13 from the corresponding magazine 12 which then drops into the chute 23 and replaces the previously exhausted active supply package 13a. In so doing, the yarn Y of the new bobbin extends downwardly from the yarn capturing tube 17 so as to be ensnared by the yarn ensnaring element 46 (FIGURE 5) the next time that the winder tending mechanism 40 moves adjacent the corresponding winding head 11.

It should be noted that the divergent front edge portions of the lower guide plate 37 (FIGURE 6) serve to lead the yarn into the guide eye 34 While the divergent front edges of the upper plates 35, 36 serve to lead the yarn into the slotted rear portion of plate 35 each time the yarn is pieced up in the manner heretofore described. Of course, the grates a, a are automatically separated, as are the tension elements b, b whenever the piecing of a broken end occurs and are then automatically permitted to return to their normal positions so that the yarn is automatically inserted between the grates a, a and the tension elements b, b as well as being inserted through the slub-catcher 0 whenever the strand from the receiving or take-up package 25 is united with the strand from the active supply package 13a by the winder tending mechanism in the manner heretofore described.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that excessive accumulations of lint and other light material or foreign matter on the upper end of the yarn capturing tube 17, on the ends of the yarn ensnaring elements 46, 47, on the plates 35, 36, 37, on the guide eye 34, on the grates a, a, between and on the tension elements 12, b and on the slub-catcher 0 can produce defects in the yarn being wound and, more especially, will frequently cause malfunction of the grates a, a, the tension elements b, b, the slub-catcher c, and the detecting element 55. The process of the present invention is particularly effective in keeping these critical elements of the winding machine 10 in clean condition over prolonged periods of time, thus greatly increasing the elliciency of the automatic winding machine to an extent which has not been obtainable heretofore with the usual types of cleaning devices and methods employed.

Heretofore, automatic winding machines of the type described have been equipped with a blower moving on a track longitudinally of each winding machine, and having a single air discharge nozzle thereon which discharged a single non-oscillating relatively low velocity stream of air extending over a relatively wide area. This stream of air would remove lint from certain easy-to-reach parts of the automatic winding machine. However, it Was largely ineffective in reaching the more critical areas of the automatic winding machine, particularly the yarn guiding, detecting and inspecting elements heretofore described and which are best shown in the lower central portion of FIG- URE 6.

According to the present invention, a plurality of fine jet high velocity air streams are caused to travel longitudinally of the machine or machines 10 while oscillating laterally of the path of travel thereof, with the high velocity fine jet air streams being directed toward the machine in such a manner as to transverse the critical as well as adjacent less critical elements of the machine to effectively remove and prevent accumulation of excessive lint on the critical parts of the machine. As a desirable adjunct to the process, heretofore described of blowing lint from critical areas of the automatic winding machine, lint thus removed from such critical areas which has settled on the floor is sucked therefrom into a collection chamber traveling in unison with the high velocity air streams. Suitable apparatus for carrying out the process of the present invention will now be described.

The high velocity fine jet oscillating air streams are produced by an overhead mounted traveling blowing cleaner broadly designated at 60 and which operates in conjunction with a traveling suction floor cleaner broadly designated at 61. With the exceptions of the depending blowing tubes and the oscillating means therefor, traveling blowing cleaner 60 may be of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,055,038, dated September 25, 1962. The entire traveling blowing cleaner 60 also may be of the type disclosed in copending application Serial No. 367,323, filed May 14, 1964 and entitled Traveling Cleaner for Looms and Method.

The traveling suction floor cleaner 61 may be of the type disclosed and claimed in US. Patent No. 3,011,202, dated December 5, 1961 or of a type such as is shown in copending application Serial No. 105,073, filed April 24, 1961 and entitled Traveling Suction Cleaner for Textile Mills, now Patent No. 3,188,680. Accordingly, only so much of the traveling cleaners 60, 61 will be described as is necessary to a clear understanding of the invention and to clearly support the claimed subject matter of this application. The traveling cleaners 60, 61 are shown mounted on an elongate track 62 extending above and longitudinally of the machine or row of machines 10.

The traveling blowing cleaner 60 comprises a hollow blower housing 65 of v'olute form in plan and having a pair of outwardly curved substantially laterally opposed ducts 66, 66' thereon whose ends are curved downwardly for pivotally supporting respective hollow couplings 67, 67' pivotally connected thereto as at 70, 70 (FIGURE and communicatively connected thereto by respective flexible boot- s 71, 71.

A group of high velocity air blowing tubes, each of relatively small diameter, and made from a rigid material such as plastic, is suitably secured to the substantially closed lower end of each coupling 67 67 for communication with the interior thereof. In this instance, three blowing tubes 73, '74, 75 are communicatively connected to coupling 67 and depend therefrom, and three blowing tubes 73', 74', 75 are communicatively connected to and depend from coupling 67. The blowing tubes 73, 74, 75, 73', 74, 75 are preferably connected to couplings 67, 67' by means of flexible tubular connector elements 76 so the tubes may yield upon engaging any parts of the machine or the operator during travel and oscillation thereof. The arrangement of the blowing tubes and nozzles thereof with respect to the automatic winding machine will be later described.

Housing 65 contains a high air velocity impeller or fan 80 disposed above and driven by an electric motor 81 mounted on a wheeled carriage 82. Carriage 82 has wheels 85 thereon which ride upon track 62 and the pair of wheels 85 are driven by an electric motor 86 which may be of the reversible type, depending upon whether track 62 is double-ended or endless.

Housing 65 is suitably supported upon and attached to the upper portion of electric motor 81 and a lower or medial portion of motor 81 also has an annular plate 90 suitably attached thereto upon which a ratchet wheel 91 is supported for stepwise rotational movement. Ratchet wheel 91 supports an annular filter 92 thereon, whose upper edge portion rotates in substantially sealing engagement with the lower wall of housing 65. Filter 92 filters air drawn into housing 65 by impeller 80 as the impeller discharges the air through the duct 66, 66', couplings 67, 67, and tubes 73-75, 7375.

Stepwise rotation is imparted to ratchet wheel 91 and filter 92, and lateral oscillation is imparted to couplings 67, 67, by means of intervening connections with a relatively small electric motor 95 disposed inwardly of and carried by the downwardly projecting outer end portion of the duct 66' of blower housing 65 (FIGURES 5 and 7). To this end, an extensibly adjustable link 96 extends from a disk 2 (FIGURES 2 and 7) on motor to the upper portion of a lever 97 whose medial portion is fixed on pivot 70 so as to oscillate coupling 67. The lower end of lever 97 is connected by links 101, 102 and a swing arm 103, to a bell crank 104 (FIGURE 7) pivotally mounted on the lower surface of annular plate 90 and having a spring loaded pawl thereon biased against ratchet wheel 91.

Links 101, 102 are preferably of the extensibly adjustable type and are preferably adjustably connected to arm 103 and bell crank 104 so as to permit variation of the throw of pawl 105 relative to that of coupling 67. Arm

103 is pivotally suspended from plate 90. Extensibly adjustable links 106, 106', 107 interconnect couplings 67, 67'. Links 106, 106 are adjustably connected to swing arms 110, 110' pivotally suspended from plate 90 and opposite ends of link 107 are adjustably connected to arms 110, 110' thereby permitting adjustment of the extent and range of throw of coupling 67 relative to that of coupling 67.

In order to prevent clogging of annular filter 92, the alined mouths of blowing and suction nozzles 113, 114, suitably supported by housing 65, are disposed closely adjacent respective inner and outer surfaces of annular filter 92. Filter-cleaning blowing nozzle 113 is connected to air outlet duct 66 by a conduit 115. A conduit 116 connects filter-cleaning suction nozzle 114 to the inlet side of the suction housing 120 of suction floor cleaner 61.

The blowing tubes 7375, 7 3'75 are of relatively varying lengths and have respective blowing nozzles 73a-75a,

73a75a thereon provided with air discharge openings.

of relatively small diameter of from about /2 inch to about 1% inches positioned as close as is practicable to the parts of the automatic winding machine to be cleaned so as to direct fine jet air streams at nozzle velocities of at least 5000 feet per minute toward and past such parts during longitudinal travel and lateral oscillation of the nozzles along the machine. Favorable results have been obtained by using nozzles whose discharge orifices are from about 5 inch to about 1%; inches diameter.

Blowing nozzles 73a, 76a oscillate a short distance above the horizontal plane of magazines 12 and from adjacent the front of the magazines 12 to point sufiiciently rearwardly of the magazines to cause the fine jet air streams therefrom to impinge upon the critical operating instrumentalities 17, 22, 3437, a, a, b, b and 0 (FIG- URE 6) of each successive winding head 11. Although nozzle 73a, 74a trace similar paths, it is important to note that the nozzle 73a is angularly disposed relative to nozzle 74a so the air streams are discharged from nozzles 73a, 74a at different angles. This arrangement not only subjects many parts of the machine to attack of high velocity air streams at different angles, but it insures that parts of the machine which may be shielded thereabove by other parts of the machine or by the take-up packages 25 are subjected to the air stream from nozzle 73a. The angular attitude of nozzle 73a also directs the air stream therefrom so it removes lint from the operating elements of the knotter 45 on the winder tending mechanism 40.

Nozzle 75a swings on a higher level than nozzles 73a, 74a, and inwardly thereof, so as to direct a high velocity fine jet air stream toward :and against the take-up rolls 31, the yarn take-up paskages 25 and the supporting means therefor. To assist the air stream from nozzles 73a, 74a in removing lint from the aforementioned critical operating instrumentalities and other elements in the lower portion of the automatic winding machine, the nozzles 73a, 74a, 75a are positioned at different levels and are curved inwardly toward the back side of the machine 10 so the high velocity fine jet air streams therefrom flow in substantially horizontal directions while oscillating in a generally vertical manner at their points of impingement against critical elements of the machine.

In this instance, it should be noted that the fine jet air stream from nozzles 73a impinges against the lower portion of the winder tending mechanism 40, the active supply packages 13a, the pockets 24 therefor and the detecting elements 55 which detect the exhaustion of yarn from the active supply packages 13a. The fine jet air streams from blowing nozzles 73a, 74a cooperate in removing lint from the chutes 23, the rigid suction conduit 20 and other adjacent areas of the machine.

The fine jet air streams from nozzle 74a also removes lint from the medial portions of winder tending mechanism 40, the grates a, a, tension devices b, b and slubcatchers c and other adjacent areas. The fine jet air stream from nozzle 75a assists in removing lint from the takeup rolls 31, the yarn ensnaring elements 46, 47, the rear portions of the yarn capturing tubes 17 and stoppers 22 and other upper portions of the winder tending mechanism 40. The travel of the high velocity fine jet air streams longitudinally of the row of winding heads 11 is preferably from about 30 to about 50 feet per minute and the preferred rate of oscillation of the air streams generally normal to their paths of travel is from about 35 to about 65 complete back and forth oscillations per minute.

Since all the air streams are concentrated in the form of jets of small area and oscillate laterally while traveling lengthwise of the automatic winding machine or row of machines, all critical areas of the machines are cleaned effectively without interfering with the material in process or with any of the operating instrumentalities of the machines so that the machines may operate for prolonged periods of time without the necessity for stopping the same for manual cleaning purposes.

In a typical installation, a 12-blade, 14-inch diameter fan 80 was used which was driven by a two horsepower electric motor 81 at a speed of about 3500 revolutions per minute. The orifices of nozzles 74a, 75a were about 4 inch diameter; the orifices of nozzles 73a, 74a, 75a were about one inch diameter; and the orifice of nozzle 73a was about 1%; inches diameter. The air velocities at the different nozzles varied from about 9,200 to about 11,000 feet per minute.

When the high velocity blowing nozzles 73a, 74a, 75a occupied the solid line positions of FIGURE 5, nozzle 73a was about 18 inches from grates a, a (FIGURE 6) and the air stream impinged against the grates at a velocity of about 3300 feet per minute. Nozzles 74a, 75a were about inches and 7 inches from magazines 12 and takeup package 25, respectively, and the air streams therefrom impinged on the magazine 12 and take-up package at velocities of about 7800 and about 8500 feet per minute respectively.

When nozzles 73a'75a' occupied the broken line positions of FIGURE 5, they were spaced from pocket 24, grates a, a and yarn ensnaring devices 46, 47 about 12 inches, 18 inches, and 15 inches, respectively, and the air stream velocities at these machine parts were about 5300, 3400 and 4300 feet per minute, respectively. This arrangement of the blowing nozzles and air velocities cleaned all critical elements .and adjacent areas very effectively and to such extent that the automatic winding machine 10 operated eificiently, without down time for manual cleaning, for 24 hours or more following each manual cleaning of the machine 10. Even then, manual cleaning of an automatic winder having 50 winding heads 11 was carried out at approximately 24-hour intervals, by means of a hand-held compressed air hose, within 2 to 3 minutes.

Heretofore, the type of Winding machine shown in the drawings had to be stopped and cleaned manually about every 4 to 5 hours and each manual cleaning of a SO-head machine required about 15 minutes. It is apparent therefore that, in improving the efliciency of automatic wind- Velocities of Air from Various Nozzles Distance from Oi'ifices 1%! Dia. 1" Dia. Dia. Dia.

Orifice Orifice Orifice Orifice The traveling suction cleaner 61 serves to suck lint removed from the various parts of the automatic winding machines by the high velocity fine jet blowing air streams emanating from nozzles 73a75a, 73a'-75a and conveys such lint into a collector traveling generally with the blowing air streams. Accordingly, suction housing has a pair of outwardly extending ducts 121, 121' on opposite sides thereof whose distal ends extend downwardly and have respective flexible suction tubes 122, 122 communicatively connected thereto and straddling the winding machine 10. The lower ends of suction tubes 122, 122 have respective flared floor sweeping suction nozzles 123, 123 thereon which are provided with spacer members 124, 124' which slide against the floor F and maintain a gap between each suction nozzle and the floor.

Suction housing 120 of traveling suction cleaner 61 rests upon and communicates with a suction blower housing having an air impeller or suction fan 131 therein (FIGURE 4) disposed above and driven by an electric motor 132. Suction blower housing 130 is mounted on the electric motor. Thus, electric motor 132 serves as a carriage for traveling suction cleaner 61. Motor 132 has suitable wheels or rollers 133 thereon which ride upon track 62. In this instance, a link 135 connects the motor 132 and suction blower housing 130 to the carriage 82 of the traveling blowing cleaner 60 so the two traveling cleaners 60, 61 are maintained in predetermined spaced relationship and both traveling cleaners 60, 61 are propelled along track 62 by electric motor 86 (FIGURE 1).

Suction blower housing 130 has a pair of opposed outwardly extending outlet ducts 136, 136' thereon connected in off-center relation to respective lint collection chambers 137, 137 which are preferably substantially cylindrical and positioned on substantially vertical axes. The upper and lower ends of the cylindrical walls 140, 140 of collection chambers 137, 137 are closed by closure members 141, 142 and 141', 142', respectively. The bottom closure members 142, 142 serve as doors for collector chambers 137, 137 and are hingedly connected to the respective cylindrical Walls 140, 140'. The doors 142, 142' may be releasably secured in closed position by suitable latch means 143 (FIGURE 1) and 143' (FIG- URE 3). The cylindrical walls 140, 140 are partially formed of respective filters or screens 145, 145' to permit air to escape from collection chambers 137, 137 as lint is collected therein.

It is apparent that most of the lint and other light foreign matter removed from the various parts of the automatic winding machine or machines 10 settles upon the floor adjacent opposite sides of the machines and is thus sucked into the suction floor sweeping nozzles 123, 123 and passes through the tubes 122, 122', the ducts 121, 121 and suction housing 120 into the suction blower housing 130, whereupon fan 131 blows the lint into the collection chambers 137, 137'. If desired, additional suc- 1 1' tion nozzles 150 may be provided for receiving some airborne lint before it reaches the fioor.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. A process for removing lint tending to accumulate on operating instrumentalities of automatic textile winding machines, which instrumentalities include a longitudinal row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective supply and take-up yarn packages, and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with the row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements; said process comprising directing a plurality of high velocity fine jet air streams downwardly from an overhead source toward and in close proximity to certain of said instrumentalities while traveling said streams along and adjacent said row of elements and while continuously oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to the direction of travel of said streams, and automatically repeating the travel of said streams along and adjacent said row of elements at sufficiently frequent intervals to maintain said certain instrumentalities substantially free of lint.

2. A process for removing lint tending to accumulate on operating instrumentalities of an automatic textile winding machine, which instrumentalities include a longitudinal row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective supply and take-up yarn packages, and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with the row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements; said process comprising directing a plurality of high velocity fine jet air streams downwardly from an overhead source toward and in close proximity to certain of said instrumentalities while traveling said streams along and adjacent said row of elements and while continuously oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to their direction of travel, automatically repeating the travel of said streams along and adjacent said row of elements at sufiiciently frequent intervals to maintain said certain instrumentalities substantially free of lint, and sucking lint removed from said certain instrumentalities into a collector traveling generally with said high velocity fine jet air streams.

3. A process of preventing excessive accumulations of lint and other light waste material on critical operating instrumentalities of automatic winding machines of the type having means for automatically replenishing exhausted yarn supply packages and automatically piecing up any parted yarns between yarn supply packages and yarn take-up packages at a row of winding unit and wherein said critical operating instrumentalities include cooperating yarn detecting grates, yarn tension devices and slub-catchers through which yarns pass from the supply packages .to the take-up packages; said proces comprising automatically traveling high velocity fine jet air streams along and adjacent the row of winding units while oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal tothe direction of travel of said streams and thereby causing said streams to impinge against said operating instrumentalities during at least portions of the oscillations of said streams.

4. A process of preventing excessive accumulations of lint and other light waste material on critical operating instrumentalities of automatic winding machines of the type having means for automatically replenishing exhausted yarn supply packages and automatically piecing up any parted yarns between yarn supply packages and yarn take-up packages at a row of winding units and wherein said critical operating instrumentalities include cooperating yarn detecting grates, yarn tension devices and slub-catchers through which yarns pass from the supply packages to the take-up packages; said process comprising automatically traveling high velocity fine jet air streams along the row of winding units while oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to the direction of travel of said streams, and while directing said streams at various angles toward and against certain of said operating instrumentalities in the course of travel and oscillation of said streams, and whereby said streams remove lint from said operating instrumentalities.

5. A process for removing lint tending to accumulate on operating instrumentalities of an automatic textile winding machine, which instrumentalities include a longitudinal row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective supply and take-up yarn packages and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with the row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements; said process comprising directing a plurality of fine jet air streams downwardly from an overhead source onto certain of said instrumentalities at velocities of at least 2000 feet per minute while traveling said streams along said row of elements and while continuously oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to their path of travel, and automatically repeating the travel of said streams along said row of elements at sufficiently frequent intervals to maintain saidcertain instrumentalities substantially free of lint.

6. A process for removing lint from operating instrumentalities of an automatic textile winding machine, which instrumentalitie include a longitudinal row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective supply and take-up yarn packages and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with the row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements; said process comprising directing a plurality of fine jet air streams downwardly through nozzle from an overhead source onto certain of said instrumentalities at nozzle velocities in excess of 5000 feet per minute while traveling said streams along said row of elements and while continuously oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to the path of travel of said air streams, and automatically repeating the travei of said streams along said row of elements at sufiiciently frequent intervals to maintain said certain instrumentalities substantially free of lint.

7. A process of preventing excessive accumulations of lint and other light waste material on critical operating instrumentalities of automatic winding machines of the type having means for automatically replenishing exhausted yarn supply packages and automatically piecing up any parted yarns between yarn supply package and yarn take-up packages at a row of winding units and wherein said critical operating instrumentalities include cooperating yarn detecting grates, yarn tension devices and slubcatchers through which yarns pass from the supply packages to the take-up packages; said process comprising automatically traveling along the row of winding units a plurality of small air nozzles having a minimum internal diameter of not over 1% inches emitting high velocity fine jet air streams while arcuately oscillating said nozzles substantially in planes normal to the direction of travel of said streams and directing said streams to impinge at high velocities against said operating instrumentalities during the travel and oscillation of said streams.

8. A process for removing lint tending to accumulate on operating instrumentalities of an automatic textile winding machine, which instrumentalities include a longitudinal row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective supply and take-up yarn packages and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with the row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements; said process comprising directing a plurality of high velocity fine jet air streams downwardly through nozzles from an overhead source toward and in close proximity to certain of said instrumentalities at nozzle velocities of at least 5000 feet per minute, while moving said streams along said row of elements at a speed of from about 30 to about 50 feet per minute, while continuously oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to said row of elements at a rate of from about 35 to about 65 complete oscillations per minute, and automatically repeating the movement of said streams along said row of elements at sufiiciently frequent. intervals to maintain said certain instrumentalities substantially free of lint.

9. A process of preventing excessive accumulations of lint and other light waste material on critical operating instrumentalities of automatic winding machines of the type having means for automatically replenishing exhausted yarn supply packages and automatically piecing up any parted yarns between yarn supply packages and yarn take-up packages at a row of Winding units and wherein said critical operating instrumentalities include cooperating yarn detecting grates, yarn tension devices and slubcatchers through which yarns pass from the supply packages to the take-up packages; said process comprising automatically moving a plurality of small air nozzles, emitting high velocity fine jet air streams, along the row of winding units at from 30 to 50 feet per minute while arcuately oscillating said nozzles from about 35 to about 65 complete oscillations per minute substantially in planes normal to the direction of travel of said streams and while directing said streams to impinge at velocities of at least 2000 feet per minute against said operating instrumentalities during the travel and oscillation of said streams.

10. A process for removing lint tending to accumulate on operating instrumentalities of an automatic textile winding machine, which instrumentalities include a longitudinal row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements positioned between respective supply and take-up yarn packages, and yarn ensnaring and tying elements cooperating with the row of yarn guiding, inspecting and detecting elements; said process comprising directing a plurality of high velocity fine jet air streams downwardly from an overhead source toward and in close proximity to certain of said instrumentalities while moving said streams along and adjacent said row of elements and while continuously oscillating said streams substantially in planes normal to their direction of movement along said row of elements causing at least some of the removed lint to settle on the floor adjacent the machine, automatically repeating the movement of said streams along said row of elements at sufliciently frequent intervals to maintain said certain instrumentali-ties substantially free of lint, producing at least one suction zone adjacent the floor, automatically moving said suction zone substantially parallel with said row of elements, and conveying lint sucked into said zone from the floor into a collector traveling generally with said high velocity fine jet oscillating air streams.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1962 Great Britain. 1/ 1963 Great Britain.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A PROCESS FOR REMOVING LINT TENDING TO ACCUMULATE ON OPERATING INSTRUMENTALITIES OF AUTOMATIC TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES, WHICH INSTRUMENTALITIES INCLUDE A LONGITUDINAL ROW OF YARN GUIDING, INSPECTING AND DETECTING ELEMENTS POSITIONED BETWEEN RESPECTIVE SUPPLY AND TAKE-UP YARN PACKAGES, AND YARN ENSNARING AND TYING ELEMENTS COOPERATING WITH THE ROW OF YARN GUIDING, INSPECTING AND DETECTING ELEMENTS; SAID PROCESS COMPRISING DIRECTING A PLURALITY OF HIGH VELOCITY FINE JET AIR STREAMS DOWNWARDLY FROM AN OVERHEAD SOURCE TOWARD AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO CERTAIN OF SAID INSTRUMENTALITIES WHILE TRAVELING SAID STREAMS ALONG AND ADJACENT SAID ROW OF ELEMENTS AND WHILE CONTINUOUSLY OSCILLATING SAID STREAMS SUBSTANTIALLY IN PLANES NORMAL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID STREAMS, AND AUTOMATICALLY REPEATING THE TRAVEL OF SAID STREAMS ALONG AND ADJACENT SAID ROW OF ELEMENTS AT SUFFICIENTLY FREQUENT INTERVALS TO MAINTAIN SAID CERTAIN INSTRUMENTALITIES SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF LINT.

Images