Guide roller and fiber bundle arranging device

Abstract

A guide roller 34 includes a cylindrical portion 44 fixed to a support shaft 341 , flanges 45, 46 provided at he axial ends of the cylindrical portion 44 , a plurality of columnar contact bars 47 extending between the flanges 45, 46 . The contact bars 47 are annularly arranged about a rotational axis 340 of the guide roller 34 . A fiber bundle F is wrapped around the guide roller 34 so as to contact some of the contact bars 47 . The contact bars 47 form a circumferential guide surface S, which contacts the fiber bundle F, about the rotational axis 340 . A plurality of through holes 451, 461 are formed in the flanges 45, 46.

1 . A rotatable guide roller for guiding an untwisted fiber bundle, the rotatable guide roller comprising:
 a circumferential guide surface that contacts the fiber bundle so as to guide the fiber bundle, the circumferential guide surface having a pair of sides;   side surfaces provided on both sides of the circumferential guide surface in an axial direction; and   an air passage that, through rotation of the guide roller, draws air from at least one of the side surfaces and blows the air radially outward relative to the circumferential guide surface.   
   
   
       2 . The guide roller according to  claim 1 , further comprising an outlet that uses centrifugal force generated when the guide roller rotates, to move air in the air passage radially outward relative to the circumferential guide surface. 
   
   
       3 . The guide roller according to  claim 2 , wherein the circumferential guide surface is formed by annularly arranging a plurality of contact bars about a rotational axis of the guide roller, and wherein the outlet is a clearance between each adjacent pair of the contact bars. 
   
   
       4 . The guide roller according to  claim 2 , further comprising a cylindrical portion encompassing a rotational axis of the guide roller, wherein the cylindrical portion has an inner space and an outer circumferential surface, the inner space having an opening at least at one of the side surfaces of the guide roller, and the outer circumferential surface forming the circumferential guide surface, and wherein the outlet is a passage that extends from the circumferential guide surface through the cylindrical portion to reach the inner space. 
   
   
       5 . The guide roller according to  claim 2 , wherein the outlet comprises a plurality of slits that are formed in the outer circumferential surface of the guide roller to extend parallel with the rotational axis. 
   
   
       6 . The guide roller according to  claim 1 , wherein the circumferential guide surface is formed by annularly arranging a plurality of contact bars about a rotational axis of the guide roller, and wherein each contact bar has a descending surface that approaches the rotational axis toward the leading end in the rotational direction of the guide roller. 
   
   
       7 . The guide roller according to  claim 1 , further comprising a fan that, through rotation of the guide roller, actively draws air from at least one of the side surfaces into the air passage. 
   
   
       8 . The guide roller according to  claim 1 , further comprising an inlet that opens at least at one of the side surfaces and an outlet that opens in the circumferential guide surface, wherein the inlet is located inside of the outlet with respect to the radial direction of the guide roller, and the air passage extends from the inlet to the outlet. 
   
   
       9 . The guide roller according to  claim 1 , wherein the guide roller is capable of being driven to rotate by a drive source. 
   
   
       10 . The guide roller according to  claim 9 , wherein the guide roller is capable of being driven such that the circumferential velocity of the circumferential guide surface is greater than the movement speed of the fiber bundle. 
   
   
       11 . A fiber bundle arranging device having the guide roller according to  claim 1 , wherein the device arranges a fiber bundle fed out from a bobbin in a flat state.