Flexible whirl-cleaning nozzle

In a textile machine cleaning device adapted to travel along the length of at least one textile machine having a series of yarn-handling stations which require a flow of cleaning air:

• said cleaning device comprising:
• (a) track means extending along the entire length of said textile machine,
• (b) a carriage mounted on said track means for travel along the length of said machine, and having suction and exhaust means to generate an outward flow of cleaning air and an inward flow of vacuum air,
• (c) an exhaust tube connected to said exhaust means and having at least one exhaust port, and a suction tube connected to said suction means and having at least one suction port,
• (d) the improvement wherein said exhaust tube includes a retractable and extendible nozzle having a proximal end supported in communication with said exhaust port for travel along the length of the textile machine, and a distal end positioned when the nozzle is extended into close proximity to said textile machine to direct said cleaning air toward the yarn-handling stations, and positioning away from the textile machine when the nozzle is retracted, wherein said nozzle is conical-shaped and comprises a soft, lightweight, and flexible fabric substantially impermeable to air, said distal end fitted with a ring structure sewn into the fabric of said distal end, said ring structure forming a circular distal opening;
• and
• (e) control means operable to control the flow of cleaning air from said exhaust means to alternatively extend and retract said nozzle by the flow of cleaning air and by the absence of flow of cleaning air respectively.

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning operating parts of a textile machine, comprising:

• (a) a conveyor extending along the length of the textile machine;
• (b) a carriage for moving on the conveyor along the length of the textile machine;
• (c) a blower mounted on the carriage for supplying cleaning air under pressure, and including control means for alternately supplying air from the blower and shutting off the supply of air from the blower;
• (d) a nozzle cooperating with the blower for delivering pressurized cleaning air from the blower to the operating parts of the textile machine, the nozzle alternately moveable between an inoperative, retracted, non-cleaning position, and an operative extended, cleaning position;
• (e) the nozzle including biasing means for normally biasing the nozzle in the inoperative, retracted, non-cleaning position when the supply of pressurized air from the blower is shut off by the control means;
• and
• (f) the nozzle responsive to dynamic pressure of a supply of pressurized cleaning air from the blower to overcome the biasing means and to extend the nozzle into an operative position in closely spaced-apart relation to the operating parts of the textile machine to be cleaned, wherein said textile machine comprises a machine for winding yarn onto a spindle-mounted bobbin at each of a plurality of yarn-handling stations during a winding cycle, said spindle including a whirl having a circumferential surface adjacent one end of the bobbin for receiving several wraps of yarn at the conclusion of the winding cycle, and the operating parts of the textile machine to be cleaned by the pressurized air through the nozzle comprise a whirl-cleaner blade positioned adjacent each yarn-handing station for engaging and thereby stripping yarn from the whirl-cleaner blade.