Title of Invention

BOBBIN CARRIER SYSTEM OF A SPINNING MACHINE

Abstract

A bobbin carrier system of a spinning machine includes a tray rail, a transfer rail and an engaging member. The tray rail has a passage along which a plurality of peg trays are movable in a row. The transfer rail is located below the row of peg trays. The transfer rail is allowed to reciprocate along the passage and inhibited from moving vertically. The engaging member is mounted to the transfer rail. The engaging member is displaceable into an engaged position and a retracted position. A guide member is mounted to the transfer rail for guiding the transfer rail to reciprocate along the passage. A support is arranged below the passage for slidably supporting the guide member in moving along the passage. Further, the guide member is arranged so as to correspond to the engaging member.

Full Text

BOBBIN CARRIER SYSTEM OF A SPINNING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bobbin carrier system of a spinning machine. In a spinning machine, a bobbin carrier system is widely used for facilitating automatic doffing operation of a bobbin changing device. The bobbin carrier system is operable to carry a plurality of empty bobbins at a spaced interval corresponding to a spindle-to-spindle spacing in front of the spinning machine, and then carry doffed full bobbins out of the spinning machine. Such a bobbin carrier system is disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Publication No, 9-67722. The bobbin carrier system of this publication includes a carrier rail for guiding the movement of peg trays along the spinning machine, and a conveyor rod (or transferring means) movable along the carrier rail in the longitudinal direction thereof. In addition, the bobbin carrier system includes a catch (or an engaging member) mounted pivotally to the conveyor rod and engage able with the peg tray at its bottom recess. In operation of the conveyor rod in this bobbin carrier system, the catch is engaged with or disengaged from the peg trays, thereby carrying the peg trays one at a time in the forward direction. A known bobbin carrier system has employed a flat-shaped transfer rail as the transferring means which is reciprocally movable by an air cylinder for transferring the engaging member. However, such a transfer rail may be deformed or bent in a meander shape, thereby causing a shift or displacement of positions of engagement between the engaging member and the recesses of the peg trays. When the peg trays are pushed in the direction of movement of the peg trays by the engaging member, it is desirable that the pushing force acts in the direction of movement of the peg trays. However, if the transfer rail is deformed, the position of engagement between the engaging member and the recesses of the peg trays may be displaced laterally. This displacement changes the direction of the pushing force away from the direction of movement of the peg trays. The present invention is directed to a bobbin carrier system wherein displacement of the position of engagement between a peg tray and an engaging member of a transfer rail caused by deformation of the transfer rail is prevented. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a bobbin carrier system of a spinning machine, including a tray rail, a transfer rail, a driver and an engaging member. The tray rail has a passage along which a plurality of peg trays are movable in a row, Each peg tray has on the top thereof a peg for receiving a bobbin thereon. Each peg tray also has in the bottom thereof a recess. The transfer rail is located below the row of peg trays. The transfer rail is allowed to reciprocate along the passage and inhibited from moving vertically. The driver imparts the reciprocating motion to the transfer rail. The engaging member is mounted to the transfer rail. When the transfer rail moves in one direction, the engaging member is displaceable into an engaged position, in which the engaging member is engaged with the recess of the peg trays thereby to prevent the peg tray from moving in the other direction. When the transfer rail moves in the other direction, the engaging member is displaceable into a retracted position, in which the engaging member allows the peg tray to pass. The bobbin carrier system is characterized in that a guide member is mounted to the transfer rail for guiding the transfer rail to reciprocate along the passage. In addition, a support is arranged below the passage for slidably supporting the guide member in moving along the passage. Further, the guide member is arranged so as to correspond to the engaging member. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present invention that are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front view showing part of a spinning machine having a bobbin carrier system; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view showing a transfer rail and a pair of pawl members supported by a pair of rail guides of the bobbin carrier system; Fig. 3A is a plan view showing the rail guides and the pawl members arranged on the transfer rail; Fig. 3B is a side view of Fig. 3A; Figs. 4A through 4C are schematic side views illustrating the operation of the pawl members; Fig. 5A is a plan view similar to Fig. 3A, but showing another embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 5B is a side view of Fig. 5A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following will describe a bobbin carrier system of a spinning machine according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs. 1 to 4C. Referring to Fig. 1, the spinning machine 1 has a spindle ran 4 for supporting a plurality of spindles 2 and a plurality of intermediate pegs 3. The spindles 2 are arranged at a predetermined interval in a row on the upper side of the spindle rail 4. The intermediate pegs 3 are arranged at the same spindle interval on the lower side of the spindle rail 4. The spindles 2 are in parallel with the intermediate pegs 3. The spinning machine 1 further has a bobbin carrier system T located below the spindle rail 4 and having a tray rail 5 that extends along the row of spindles 2. One end of the tray rail 5 is located adjacent to a conveyor 6. The other end of the tray rail 5 is connected through a turnaround rail (not shown) to the tray rail of another bobbin carrier system (not shown) which is located on the other side of the spinning machine 1, As shown in Fig. 2, the tray rail 5 is made of a pair of integral tray guide members 5A, 5B fixed to the frame (not shown) of the spinning machine 1. The tray guide member 5A located on the right-hand side of Fig. 2 has a folded portion 5A1 having a substantial U-shape in the transverse section of the tray rail 5 and serving as a passage portion. The tray guide member 5A further has a flat portion 5A2 extending vertically from the lower surface of the folded portion 5A1 and serving as a vertical extension. The other tray guide member 5B located on the left-hand side of Fig. 2 has a folded portion 5B1 and a flat portion 5B2 formed and disposed in the same manner as the folded portion 5A1 and the flat portion 5A2 of the tray guide member 5A. As shown in Fig. 2, the folded portion 5A1 and the flat portion 5A2 of the tray guide member 5A and the folded portion 5B1 and the flat portion 5B2 of the tray guide member 5B are arranged on opposite sides of the tray rail 5. By so arranging, the tray rail 5 has a passage 5C formed between the folded portions 5A1, 5B1 of the tray guide members 5A, 5B. The passage 5C extends in the longitudinal direction of the trail rail 5, along which a plurality of disc-like peg trays P (only one being shown in Fig. 2) are movable in a row. Each of the folded portions 5A1, 5B1 has a bottom wail 5C1 and a side wall 5C2 for guiding the bottom and side surfaces of each tray P. Thus, the plural trays P arranged in a row are guided along the passage 5C by the bottom walls 5C1 and the side walls 5C2. Each tray P has on the top thereof an upstanding peg PA for receiving a full or empty bobbin thereon. The tray rail 5 has a slit 5D formed between the upper surfaces of the folded portions 5A1, 5B1 for allowing the pegs PA of the trays P to extend out of the passage 5C there through. The slit 5D is formed continuously in the longitudinal direction of the tray rail 5. A support stem 8 is formed between the inner surfaces of the flat portions 5A2,5B2 of the tray guide members 5A, 5B for supporting a ball bearing (rotor) 9. Plural sets of the support stem 8 and the ball bearing 9 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the tray rail 5. A relatively long transfer rail 10 having a flat shape is located below the row of the trays P in the-passage 5C between the inner surfaces of the flat portions 5A2, 5B2 of the tray guide members 5A, 5B. The lower surface of the transfer ran 10 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the ball bearing 9. The transfer rail 10 is supported so that vertical motion of the transfer rail 10 is inhibited. The transfer rail 10 is allowed to reciprocate along the passage 5C. In the present embodiment, only one transfer rail 10 is provided. Referring back to Fig. 1, the transfer rail 10 is connected at one end thereof to the piston rod 11A of an air cylinder 11 through a connecting member 12. The air cylinder 11 serves as a driver. The air cylinder 11 imparts the reciprocating motion along the row of the spindles 2 to the transfer rail 10 for a predetermined length of stroke that is slightly larger than the spindle-to-spindle spacing. As shown In Fig. 3A, a pair of rail guides 13, 14 and a pair of pawl members 15,16 are mounted to the transfer rail 10 so as to be arranged on the opposite sides of the transfer rail 10, The rail guides 13, 14 and the pawl members 15, 16 of the present embodiment serve as a guide member and an engaging member of the present invention, respectively, In the present embodiment, one pair of rail guides 13, 14 and one pair of pawl members 15,16 make one set of rail guides 13,14 and pawl members 15,16. Plural sets of such pairs of rail guides 13, 14 and pawl members 15, 16 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the transfer rail 10. The pawl members 15,16 are located across the transfer rail 10 and the corresponding rail guides T3y 14 are located further across the pawl members 15, 16, as shown in . Fig, 3A. That is, the plural rail guides 13 and the same number of pawl members 15 are arranged on one side of the transfer rail 10. The same number of rail guides 14 and pawl members 16 as those of the rail guides 13 and the pawl members 15 are arranged on the other side. It is noted that the drawings show only one set of the rail guides 13,14 and the pawl members 15,16. Each rail guide 13 is arranged between the transfer rail 10 and the inner surface of the flat portion 5A2 of the tray guide member 5A and each rail guide 14 between the transfer rail 10 and the inner surface of the fiat portion 5B2 of the tray guide member 5B, respectively. The rail guides 13,14 guide the reciprocating motion of the transfer rail 10 along the passage 5C while sliding along the inner surfaces of the flat portions 5A2, 5B2, respectively. The flat portions 5A2, 5B2 of the tray guide members 5A, 5B are arranged below the passage 5C and serve as a support for slidably supporting the rail guides 13, 14 in moving along the passage 5C. When the transfer rail 10 moves forward (or leftward of Fig. 4A) as indicated by arrow A, the pawl member 15 is displaceable into an engaged position. In this engaged position, the pawl member 15 is engaged with a recess PB formed in the bottom of the tray P thereby to prevent the tray P from moving backward. When the transfer rail 10 moves backward (or rightward of Fig. 4B) as indicated by arrow B, the pawl member 15 is displaceable into a disengaged position or a retracted position. In this retracted position, the pawl member 15 allows the tray P to pass by the pawl member 15 backward. The same is true of the pawl member 16. The pawl members 15,16 of the present embodiment are independently displaceable. The rail guides 13,14 are formed in the identical shape having an angular top, as shown in Fig. 3B, and provided by a resin block. The rail guides 13,14 are formed with such a height that the top of the rail guides 13, 14 does not extend further than the transfer rail 10. The rail guides 13,14 have formed there through at the center thereof bolt holes 13A, 14A, respectively, through which a bolt B as a fastener is inserted for fastening the rail guides 13, 14 to the transfer rail 10. The rail guides 13, 14 also have bosses 13B, 14B formed at positions corresponding to the bolt holes 13A, 14A, respectively, for supporting the pawl members 15, 16 pivotably around the central axis of the bolt holes 13A, 14A. respectively. The rail guide 13 has a pair of projections 13C, 13D formed on the opposite sides thereof across the boss 13B and projecting in the same direction. Similarly, the other rail guide 14 has a pair of projections 14C, 14D formed on the opposite sides thereof across the boss 14B and projecting in the same direction. The pawl members 15, 16 are made of metal formed in such identical shape and size that the pawl members 15, 16 can be positioned within the height of the transfer rail 10. That is, the pawl members 15,16 are made so small that no part thereof extends out from the lower surface of the transfer rail 10 in any of the engaged position-(Fig. 4A) and the retracted position (Fig, 4B) of the pawl members 15,16. The pawl members 15,16 have fitting portions 15B, 16B with holes 15A, 16A, through which the bosses 13B, 14B of the rail guides 13, 14 are loosely fitted, respectively, Thus, the pawl members 15, 16 are supported pivotably (displaceably) on the rail guides 13,14, respectively. As shown in Figs. 3A and 3B, the pawl members 15, 16 have opposite two ends, i.e. first ends 15C, 16C and sharp second ends 15D, 16D, respectively. The pawl members 15,16 are formed larger on the side adjacent to the second ends 15D, 16D than on the opposite side adjacent to the first ends 15C, 16C, respectively, Therefore, the pawl members 15, 16 supported by the bosses 13B, 14B of the rail guides 13,14 are urged to be turned by their own weight to their engaged position (Fig, 3B) with the first ends 15C, 16C projecting above the upper surface of the transfer rail 10. Referring to Figs. 3A and 3B, the pawl members 15, 16 have cutout portions 15E, 16E formed between the fitting portions 15B, 16B and the second ends 15D, 16D, respectively. When the pawl member 15 is in its engaged position, the projection 13D of the rail guide 13 is in contact with the cutout portion 15E. This contact inhibits the pivoting movement of the pawl member 15 thereby to hold the pawl member 15 in the engaged position. This is true of the pawl member 16. When the pawl members 15, 16 are held in the engaged positions, i the first ends 15C, 16C are projected above the upper surface of the transfer rail 10. On the other hand, when the pawl member 15 is in the retracted position, the lower surface of the pawl member 15 adjacent to the first end 15C is in contact with the projection 13C of the rail guide 13. This contact inhibits the pivoting movement of the pawl member 15 thereby to hold the pawl member 15 so that the upper surface thereof is located horizontal along the upper surface of the transfer rail 10, as shown in Fig. 4B. The same holds true of the other pawl member 16, Each of the projections 13C, 13D, 14C, 14D of the rail guides 13,14 of the present embodiment functions to restrict displacement (or pivoting movement) of the pawl members 15,16 and thus serves as a restricting portion of the present invention. The transfer rail 10 has a bolt hole 10B at a position corresponding to the bolt holes 13A, 14Aof the rail guides 13, 14, through which the bolt B is inserted. The transfer rail 10 also has positioning holes 10C, 10D on the opposite sides thereof. The projections 13C, 14D of the rail guides 13, 14 are inserted in the positioning hole 10C and the projections 13D, 14C of the rail guides 13, 14 are inserted in the positioning hole 10D. Thus, the rail guide 13 whose boss 13B supports the pawl member 15 is positioned on one side of the transfer rail 10. The rail guide 14 whose boss 14B supports the pawl member 16 is positioned on the other side of the transfer rail 10. The rail guides 13, 14 are fixed to the transfer rail 10 by fastening the bolt B inserted through the bolt holes 14A, 10B, 13A with a nut N. The rail guides 13,14 fixed to the transfer rail 10 and the pawl members 15, 16 move in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the transfer rail 10. Since the rail guides 13,14 are in sliding contact with the flat portions 5A2, 5B2 of the tray guide members 5A, 5B, the transfer rail 10 moves reciprocally along the passage 5C while being guided by the rail guides 13,14. The pawl members 15, 16 are pivotable on the axis of the bolt B and the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged on the pivot axis of the pawl members 15, 16. Therefore, the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged in longitudinal positions corresponding to the engaged points in which the pawl members 15, 16 are engaged with the recess PB of the tray P. That is, the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged adjacent to the engaged points in which the pawl members 15,16 are engaged with the recess PB of the tray P. The spinning machine 1 is provided with a known simultaneous bobbin changing device 22. The bobbin changing device 22 has a bobbin catcher 21 movable up and down through a pantograph mechanism 20 by reciprocating motion of the drive rod 19 connected to a power cylinder 18. The following will describe the operation of the above-described bobbin carrier system T. When the operation of the spinning machine 1 is stopped for doffing of full bobbins F, empty bobbins E on the trays P are exchanged with the full bobbins F on the spindles 2 through the intermediate pegs 3 by the bobbin changing device 22. After the completion of bobbin exchanging operation, removal of the full bobbins F just doffed from the spinning machine 1 and supply of the empty bobbins E to the spinning machine 1 are initiated in response to an appropriate signal from a winder, When the transfer rail 10 is set in its reference position, as shown in Fig. 4A, the forward ends (the first ends 15C, 16C) of the pawl members 15, 16 are positioned in the recesses PB of the tray P in engagement with the inner wall of the tray P, When the air cylinder 11 is retracted to move the transfer rail 10 forward or in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 4A, the forward ends of the paw! members 15,16 push the tray P in the same direction of arrow A thereby to move the tray P forward. In the bobbin carrier system T of the present embodiment wherein the transfer rail 10 of the bobbin carrier system T is guided by the rail guides 13, 14, the pawl members 15, 16 are held always in the same engaged point in the recess PB. Therefore, the pushing force of the pawl members 15,16 is applied always to the same positions of the tray P in moving the transfer rail 10 forward. That is, the pushing force acts in the direction in which the tray P should be transferred. When the air cylinder 11 is extended to move the transfer rail 10 -.. backward or in the direction of the arrow B of Fig. 4B, on the other hand, the forward ends of the pawl members 15,16 are released from the engagement with the inner wall of the tray P. As the transfer rail 10 is moved further backward, the pawl members 15, 16 are pivoted counterclockwise on the axis to lie under the tray P, as shown in Fig. 4B, In this case, the engagement of the pawl members 15, 16 at the cutout portions 15E, 16E with the projections 13D, 14C of the rail guides 13, 14 is released. This pivoting movement of the pawl members 15, 16 is stopped when the lower surfaces of the pawl members 15,16 adjacent to the first ends 15C, 16C are brought into contact with the projections 13C, 14D of the rail guides 13,14, respectively. As the transfer rail 10 is returned to the reference position, as shown in Fig. 4C, the forward ends of the pawl members 15, 16 engage with the inner wall of the tray P1 which is located behind and follows the tray P of Fig. 4A. In this case, the pawl members 15,16 pivot clockwise on the axis by their own weight so that the forward ends of the pawl members 15, 16 enter the recess PB of the tray P, The clockwise pivoting movement of the pawl members 15,16 is stopped when the cutout portions 15E, 16E of the pawl members 15,16 are brought into contact with the projections 13D, 14C of the rail guides 13,14. According to the present embodiment, the following effects are obtained. (1) The rail guides 13, 14 are arranged -so as to correspond to the pawl members 15, 16. More specifically, the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged so that at least part of the rail guides 13,14 overlap part of the pawl members 15, 16 in the longitudinal direction of the transfer rail 10. That is, the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged so that at least part of the rail guides 13, 14 overlap part of the pawl members 15, 16 from the first ends 15C, 16C to the second ends 15D, 16D. In such structure, the rail guides 13,14 are arranged adjacent to the engaged points between the tray P and the pawl members 15, 16, respectively. Therefore, the transfer rail 10 is not deformed into a meander shape at the engaged points between the tray P and the pawl members 15, 16, so that proper positions of the i engagement of the pawl members 15,16 with the tray P are maintained, That is, the tray P can be pushed always at the center of its forward inner wall of the recess PB by the pawl members 15, 16, with the result that displacement of the engaged points due to the deformation of the transfer rail 10 is prevented successfully. (2) When the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged with a space from the pawl members 15,16 in the longitudinal direction of the transfer rail 10, the transfer rail 10 is deformed in a meander shape at the engaged points between the tray P and the paw members 15,16. Because the transfer rail 10 is deformed in a meander shape at the engaged points, the engaged points shift away from the center of its forward inner wall of the recess PB. In such a case, the pushing force of the pawl members 15: 16 fails to act in the transferring direction of the tray P, but it is applied to the tray P in a wrong direction due to the deformation of the transfer rail 10, As a result, the tray P being transferred is in sliding contact, for example, with the side wall 5C2 of the folded portion 5A1 ,thus causing abrasion to the tray rail 5 and the tray P. To avoid such trouble, the rail guides 13,14 are arranged adjacent to the engaged points between the tray P and the pawl members 15, 16 so that the engaged points of the pawl members 15,16 are always properly maintained. Because the pushing force acts in the transferring direction of the tray P, abrasion of the tray rail 5 and the tray P does not occur. In addition, an increase of the load caused by transferring the tray P does not result. (3) The rail guides 13,14 are arranged on the pivot axis of the pawl members 15,16. This structure enables the pawl members 15,16 and the rail guides 13,14 to be mounted to the transfer rail 10 during the same assembling work, so that the working efficiency for the assembling is improved. That is, the rail guides 13,14 and the pawl members 15,16 can be mounted to the transfer rail 10 by the bolt B. (4) The rail guide 13 has the projections 13C, 13D for limiting the displacement (or pivoting movement) of the pawl member 15 at the engaged position and the retracted position thereof, respectively. Further, the rail guide 14 has the projections 14D, 14C for limiting the displacement (or pivoting movement) of the pawl member 16 at the engaged position and the retracted position thereof, respectively. This structure enables the displacement (or pivoting movement) of the pawi members 15,16 to be restricted reliably during the reciprocating motion of the transfer rail 10. That is, such restriction of the displacement (pivoting movement) of the pawl members 15, 16 enhances the repeatability of the movement in the bobbin carrier system T in which the tray P is moved reciprocally repeatedly. (5) The transfer rail 10 is provided with a pair of pawl members 15, 16 that are independently displaceable. This is advantageous in that, if one of the pawl members 15,16 fails to operate properly due to the attachment of fibers or other matters, there is no need to stop the operation of the bobbin carrier system T immediately because the other pawl member continues to function properly. Thus, the period of time or the frequency of stopping the operation of the bobbin carrier system T is reduced. (6) The tray guide members 5A, 5B are provided with flat portions 5A2, 5B2 for supporting the rail guides 13, 14, respectively, thus dispensing with an additional member for supporting the rail guides 13, 14 other than the tray rail 5. Compared to the case where the tray ran 5 and the above additional member for supporting the rail guides 13, 14 are provided separately, the number of parts of the bobbin carrier system T is reduced thereby to simplify the system T. This helps to restrict an increase of the manufacturing cost. The above embodiment may be modified as follows. The structure of the rail guides 13,14 and the pawl members 15,16 may be modified as shown in Figs. 5A and 5B. The rail guides 13, 14 of Figs. 5A, 5B differ from the counterparts of Figs. 3A, 3B in the above embodiment in that a metallic pin K is used instead of the projections 13D, 14C. The rail guides 13, 14 are formed with holes 23A, 23B, through which the pin K is inserted. The pawl members 15, 16 are formed with elongated holes 24A, 24B instead of the cutout portions 15E, 16E of Figs. 3A, 3B, through which the pin K is also inserted. Thus, the rail guides 13, 14 are positioned with respect to the transfer rail 10 by inserting the pin K through the holes 23A, 23B, the elongated holes 24A, 24B, and the positioning hole 10D. In addition, the rail guides 13, 14 are fixed to the transfer rail 10 by the bolt B as described in the previous embodiment. According to this structure, the pivoting movement of the pawl members 15,16 is restricted by the contact of the metallic pin K with the peripheries of the elongated holes 24A, 24B of the metallic pawl members 15,16. In the previous embodiment, the transfer rail 10 is provided with a pair of pawl members 15,16 that are independently displaceable. However, the transfer rail 10 may be provided with an integral pawl member having two forward ends (the first ends 15C, 16C in the previous embodiment) that are engageable with or retractable from the recess PB of the tray P. The integral pawl member moves in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the transfer rail 10. In the previous embodiment, the rail guides 13,14 and the pawl members 15, 16 are mounted to the transfer rail 10 in the same position by the bolt B. However, the rail guides 13,14 and the pawl members 15,16 may be mounted to the transfer rail 10 separately. That is, it is only necessary that the rail guides 13, 14 are arranged so as to correspond to the pawl members 15, 16. For example, the rail guides 13,14 may be arranged immediately below the forward ends (the first ends 15C, 16C) of the pawl members 15,16. In the previous embodiment, the pivotable pawl members 15, 16 may be urged toward the engaged positions by a spring. Although the rail guides 13, 14 of the previous embodiment are formed separately, they may be integrated to form a single part. Therefore, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims. We claim: 1. A bobbin carrier system of a spinning machine, comprising: a tray rail having a passage along which a plurality of peg trays are movable in a row, wherein each peg tray has on the top thereof a peg for receiving a bobbin thereon, wherein each peg tray also has in the bottom thereof a recess; a transfer rail located below the row of peg trays, wherein the transfer rail is allowed to reciprocate along the passage and inhibited from moving vertically; a driver for imparting the reciprocating motion to the transfer rail; and an engaging member mounted to the transfer rail, wherein when the transfer rail moves in one direction, the engaging member is displaceable into an engaged position, in which the engaging member is engaged with the recess of the peg trays thereby to prevent the peg tray from moving in the other direction, wherein when the transfer rail moves in the other direction, the engaging member is displaceable into a retracted position, in which the engaging member allows the peg tray to pass; characterized in that a guide member is mounted to the transfer rail for guiding the transfer rail to reciprocate along the passage, wherein a support is arranged below the passage for slidably supporting the guide member in moving along the passage, wherein the guide member is arranged so as to correspond to the engaging member. 2. The bobbin carrier system according to claim 1, wherein the engaging member is pivotable to the transfer rail and has a pivot axis, wherein the guide member is arranged on the pivot axis of the engaging member. 3. The bobbin carrier system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide member is provided with restricting portions for restricting displacement of the engaging member at the engaged position and the retracted position, respectively. 4. The bobbin carrier system according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein the engaging member is provided by a pair of pawl members that are arranged across the transfer rail, wherein the paired pawl members are independently displaceable. 5. The bobbin carrier system according to claim 4, wherein the guide member has a pair of rail guides, wherein the paired rail guides have holes at the center thereof, respectively, through which a fastener is inserted for fastening the rail guides to the transfer rail, wherein the rail guides have bosses formed at positions corresponding to the holes, respectively, for supporting the pawl members pivotably around the central axis of the holes, respectively, wherein each of the rail guides has a pair of projections formed on the opposite sides thereof across the boss and projecting in the same direction. 6. The bobbin carrier system according to any one of claims 1 through 5, wherein the tray rail has a pair of tray guide members, each of which has a passage portion and a vertical extension that extends vertically from the passage portion, wherein the passage portions have the passage and guide the bottom surface and the side surface of each peg tray along the passage, wherein the vertical extensions, are arranged across, the transfer rail, wherein the guide member is arranged between the vertical extensions, wherein when the transfer rail reciprocates, the guide member slides along the inner surfaces of the vertical extensions, wherein the vertical extensions of the tray guide members are also used as the support.

Documents:

1419-CHE-2008 AMENDED CLAIMS 01-07-2013.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 01-07-2013.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 DRAWINGS 11-06-2008.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 ENGLISH TRANSLATION 03-04-2013.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 FORM-3 01-07-2013.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 POWER OF ATTORNEY 03-04-2013.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 03-04-2013.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 FORM-2 11-06-2008.pdf

1419-che-2008 abstract.pdf

1419-che-2008 claims.pdf

1419-che-2008 correspondence-others.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE) 11-06-2008.pdf

1419-CHE-2008 FORM -3 11-12-2008.pdf

1419-che-2008 form-1.pdf

1419-che-2008 form-18.pdf

1419-che-2008 form-3.pdf

1419-che-2008 form-5.pdf