US3298166A

US3298166A - Bobbin guiding grate

Info

Publication number: US3298166A
Application number: US344050A
Authority: US
Inventors: Waldo H Banks; Haagsma Herman
Original assignee: Draper Corp
Current assignee: Draper Corp
Priority date: 1964-02-11
Filing date: 1964-02-11
Publication date: 1967-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-17

Description

BOBBIN GUIDING GRATE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, 1964 INVENTORS WHLDO HBHNKS.

BY HERMAN Hnnesmn.

WQOuM A TTORNEY Jan. 17, 1967 w. H. BANKS ETAL 3,298,166

BOBBIN GUIDING GRATE Filed Feb. 11, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITH INVENTORS Wnuno HLBRNKS BY HERMAN IHHAGSMA.

mm 0411M A TTORNE Y Jan. 17, 1967 w. H. BANKS ETAL 3,298,166

BOBBIN GUIDING GRATE Filed Feb. 11, 1964 5 SheetsSheet 3 f g INVENTORS I5; WHLDO H. BANKS.

y HERMAN Hanesma.

QMQ VnM A T TORNE Y United States Patent M 3,298,166 BOBBIN GUIDING GRATE Waldo H. Banks, Hopedale, and Herman Haagsma, Whitinsville, Mass., assignors to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Filed Feb. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 344,050 3 Claims. (Cl. 57-53) This invention pertains to a bobbin guiding grate and, more particularly, to a guiding grate utilized to guide and feed empty filling bobbins to the conveying chain of a donning apparatus such as that shown and described in United States Patent No. 3,077,725.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a positive, simple, and inexpensive means of guiding empty bobbins from a source of supply onto the conveying means of the aforementioned apparatus donning mechanism.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bobbin guiding grate having a means cooperating therewith for supporting the reserve bobbins being carried in the bobbin magazine.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a bobbin guiding grate and a bobbin conveying chain cooperating therewith which is effective in preventing bobbins from being received in a cross over or unaligned position onto said conveyor chain resulting in the subsequent jamming of the donning mechanism.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following more detailed disclosure.

The instant invention pertains to a bobbin guiding and supporting device which is adapted to cooperate with a bobbin magazine of the type shown and described in co-pending application Serial No. 165,578, filed January 11, 1962, now US. Patent No. 3,159,961. One or more such magazines are adapted to assemble on the carriage of a donning unit above a dual conveyor chain which receives the bobbins from the magazine and carries them to a point where they are presented to the donning mechanism.

The conveyor belts are comprised of a plurality of interconnected link members having provisions in each link for receiving and carrying an empty bobbin.

Prior to the instant invention the oriented bobbins within a magazine were allowed to drop directly therefrom into the link members of the conveyor belts as they passed beneath said magazine. When a bobbin is present in the links of the conveyor belts, it restricts the discharge of another bobbin from the supply being carried in the magazine. This manner of supporting the reserve bobbins in the magazine functioned with some degree of success but left something to be desired with regard to the ease and smoothness of the conveyor belt travel. The reserve bobbins within a magazine are caused to rise and settle intermittently as the lowermost bobbin therein is caused to ride up over and then drop between the butts of the bobbins being carried by the conveyor chain. Although the bobbin channels within the magazine are spaced so that all reserve bobbins will not rise and settle simultaneously, the spacing is not sufficient to permit the conveyor chains to run smoothly and with the same amount of force acting upon them continuously. Another undesirable condition which exists with this method of feeding bobbins to the conveyor chains is the cross-over of bobbins or misaligned bobbins on said conveyor chain resulting in the subsequent jamming of the donning mechanism. Prior to the instant invention the dual conveying chains were spaced so that the aligned link members supported a bobbin adjacent each end thereof. In the event a bobbin should not drop freely onto the conveying means, such for example, as

3,298,166 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 the tip portion dropping before the butt portion, the moving conveyor chain will move said tip portion and the butt portion will then drop into the link following its proper position on said conveying means. This condition creates what is termed a cross-over bobbin and the subsequent jamming of the donning mechanism.

The mechanism according to the instant invention has eliminated the aforementioned conditions by providing a combined novel bobbin guiding and supporting means which is adapted to cooperate with the bobbin magazines to furnish bobbins to the conveyor belts of the donning unit.

The guiding means includes a plurality of spaced grid members the ends of which are supported by the sides of the carriage of the donning unit. The grid members are superimposed above the conveyor chains and extend transversely thereof. The bobbin magazines assemble on the carriage in the usual manner which positions the grid member directly below said magazines. The spacing of the grid members is arranged to conform to the channel walls of the magazines thereby forming guide slots through which the bobbins must pass before being received into the aligned sockets of the conveyor belts. The conveyor belts have been repositioned so as to sup port each bobbin very near what is considered the center of gravity. The grid members serve to guide the bobbins to their proper position on the conveyor belts and the relocating of said belts prevents the so-called cross over bobbin condition. If the tip of a bobbin drops down before the butt portion, the conveyor chain simply passes beneath the bobbin and fails to move the tip portion thereof.

The bobbin supporting means comprises a plurality of individual pivotable bobbin gate members which are suspended from the lower portion of the individual grid members. When bobbins are present on the moving conveyor chains, the gate members are swung upwardly to a nearly horizontal position and rest on the shank portion of the bobbins in said chains. When in this position; the gate members support the reserve bobbins being carried in the magazines and permit the conveyor chains to move more smoothly than has been heretofore possible. The gate members being held in a substantially horizontal position by the shank portion of the bobbins support the reserve bobbins in the magazines in a manner which does not cause them to rise and settle intermittently as was the case with the known means of support where the reserve bobbins were in direct contact with the bobbins in the conveyor belts. As one bobbin moves from beneath a particular gate member the next bobbin on the conveyor will have been in contact with said gate to maintain it in its horizontal position, thereby permitting the conveyor to move more smoothly beneath the reserve bobbins. When bobbins are lacking on the conveyor, the gate members swing downwardly to their suspended position and permit reserve bobbins to pass through the guiding slots formed by the grid members.

The invention will be described hereinafter in greater detail by reference to the accompanying figures of drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a donning unit showing a few of the combined bobbin guiding and supporting members according to the invention as applied thereto; 1

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 but showing the addition of bobbins to the conveying means and their relation to the guiding and supporting members;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of three guiding grid members showing the guiding slots formed therebetween through which bobbins must pass before being received onto the bobbin conveyor belts; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. I.

Now referring to the figures of drawing, FIGS. 1 and 2 show aportion of a donning unit which includes a carriage having opposed side walls 11 and 12 which extend upwardly therefrom.

A bobbin magazine 13 which is adapted to carry a plurality of oriented filling bobbins 14 therein assembles on the upper surfaces of side 'walls 11 and 12 and is retained thereon by means of a clamping bar 15 attached to side wall 12 and spring biased clip members 16 extending upwardly from side Wall 11. Both the clamping bar 15 and spring biased clip members 16 have surfaces which conform to the configuration of the lowermost sides of the magazine 13 thereby retaining said magazine by clamping pressure and yet making it readily removable for replacement purposes.

The bobbin conveying means comprises a pair of

link type belts

17 and 18 mounted on and movable lengthwise of the carriage 10. The belt members being formed of links are formed in such a manner as to provide sockets 19 (FIG. 4) to receive and hold bobbins and to convey them to a position (not shown) where they are presented to the donning mechanism. These

belts

17 and 18 move simultaneously and are driven in such a manner that the sockets 19 of one chain are always in alignment with the sockets of the other.

The bobbin guiding means according to the invention comprises a plurality of spaced grid members generally indicated by numeral 20 which are superimposed above the

conveying link belts

17 and 18 and extend transversely thereof. These grid members extend between side walls 11 and 12 and are supported by the latter in a manner which permits the bobbin magazines to be mounted directly over said grid members. The ends of the grid members are provided with integrally formed

lug members

21 and 22 of reduced thickness which serve to support said members by assembling in vertically disposed and aligned

slots

23 and 24 provided in the upper portion of side walls 11 and 12, respectively.

Each grid member is provided with integrally formed and laterally directed bobbin positioning and restraining ribs generally indicated by numeral 25. The plurality of grids being juxtapositioned and superimposed above the conveyor belts form guiding slots therebetween through which the :bobbins must pass before being received onto said conveyor belts. These positioning and restraining ribs serve to guide and restrain the individual bobbins against lateral movement as they are received from the magazine and caused to pass therebetween. A generally U-shaped rib 26 being centrally disposed with respect to the length of the grid serves to guide and restrain the shank portion of the bobbins while a similar rib 27 disposed intermediate rib 26 and lug member 21 serves to guide and restrain the tip portion of the bobbins. Intermediate rib 26 and lug member 22 a single vertically disposed and laterally extending rib 28 is provided which serves to guide a bobbin against lateral movement as well as to restrain it axially (FIG. 3). A centrally disposed and longitudinally extending rib 29

interconnects ribs

26, 27, and 28 and aids in strengthening the grid members. The grids being of a cast construction, the primary purpose of rib 29 is to prevent distortion of said grids during the cooling period after being formed.

The carriage 10 is adapted to support more than one magazine with a full complement of bobbins in each and accordingly, there are provided special grid members such as those depicted by

numerals

30 and 31 in FIG. 3 which have their bobbin guiding and positioning ribs formed on one side only.

These special grid members are positioned directly beneath the sides of adjacent magazines being supported by the carriage and being disposed in the manner shown in FIG. 3, the guiding slots formed on either side thereof are .4 spaced so as to be in vertical alignment with the end bobbin channels of said adjacent magazines.

The bobbin supporting means according to the instant invention comprises individual pivotable gate members generally indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4 by numeral 32. These gate members are suspended beneath the grid members and are suitably attached to a longitudinally extending pin 33. One end of pin 33 is journaled in an appropriate aperture below and in vertical alignment with slots 24 provided in the upper portion of side wall 12. The opposite end of pin 33 is journaled in an aligned aperture provided in the lower central portion of the grid immediately adjacent to rib 26. That end of the gate member 32 adjacent rib 26 extends downwardly between the

conveyor belts

17 and 18 as at 34 and is provided at this portion with integrally formed and laterally extending spaced

wall members

35 and 36. These spaced wall members are adapted to contact the bobbins being carried by the conveyor belts to swing the gate member to a bobbin supporting position in a manner to be more fully explained hereinafter. A pivotable gate extension 37 assembles between and at the lower portion of the

wall members

35 and 36 by means of a pin 38 (FIG. 4) passing through said extension and the ends thereof being journaled in aligned apertures provided in said wall members.

Although the preferred form of the invention consists of individually cast grid members, it is to be understood that the plurality of individual grid members utilized could be cast as a single unit in the form of a grate which would overlie the entire carriage 10 and would function to guide and restrain the bobbins in the same manner as said individual grid members.

In operation, the magazines being supported by the side walls of the carriage have their bobbin retaining channels in vertical alignment with the guiding slots formed between the plurality of grid members superimposed over the conveying

belts

17 and 18. The lowermost bobbin in each channel of the magazines is permitted to pass through the guiding slots and into its proper position on the conveyor belts. At this time the weight of the reserve bobbins is on the aligned bobbins positioned on the conveyor belts. When the donning apparatus is put into operation, the conveyor belts are caused to move in the direction of the indicating arrow depicted in FIG. 4. The bobbins being carried by the conveyor belts contact the pivotable gate member swinging them to a nearly horizontal position as shown in FIG. 4. When the gate members are in this position, the weight of the reserve bobbins is resting and is being supported by the upper surface of said gate members. As the conveyor belts continue to move the bobbins move under the gate extension 37 and before passing beyond the limits thereof the bobbins following will come into contact with the

wall members

35 and 36 to maintain a particular gate member in its bobbin supporting position.

As long as bobbins are present on the conveyor belts and said belts are moving in the direction of the indicating arrow shown in FIG. 4, the gate members 32 remain in a generally horizontal position to support the reserve bobbins in the magazines. The absence of bobbins on the conveyor belts allows the gate members to swing downwardly to that position shown in FIG. 1 and as depicted by that gate member on the left side of FIG. 4.

The pivotable gate extensions 37 are made from cast iron or steel and have sufficient weight to assure a quick return of the gate members to a vertical position when bobbins are lacking on the conveying belts.

When the gate members swing downwardly to this position, they permit reserve bobbins to drop into the conveyor belts and continued movement of the latter will again swing the gate members to that position to support the remaining reserve bobbins.

The pivotable gate extensions 37 are pivotable in a clockwise direction and in addition to serving as an extension for the gate members, they Will permit the conveyor belts to be moved in a reverse direction should the need be required.

The opposed side Walls 11 and 12 are selectively adjustable in a vertical direction to provide a means Whereby the space between the lower surface of the grid members and the bobbins being carried in the conveyor belts may be varied to obtain the desired amount of clearance there'between.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of Ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. A bobbin guiding grate for a machine adapted to move along a spinning frame to don empty bobbins on a row of spindles carried by said spinning frame, said machine including a carriage, said carriage adapted to support a bobbin magazine, and a conveyor belt movable over said carriage and beneath said magazine and having sockets to receive the bobbins from said magazine for carrying and presenting them to a donning mechanism, said guiding grate including a plurality of spaced grid members extending transversely of said conveyor belt forming openings therebetween for guiding the bobbins from said magazine into the sockets of said conveyor belt, means associated with said grid members for supporting the reserve bobbins carried in said magazine, said means defining individual pivotable gate members suspended from each said grid members and adapted to be acted upon by the bobbins being carried by said conveyor belt.

2. A bobbin guiding grate for a machine adapted to move along a spinning frame to don empty bobbins on a row of spindles carried by said spinning frame, said machine including a carriage, said carriage adapted to support a bobbin magazine, and a conveyor belt movable over said carriage and beneath said magazine and having sockets to receive the bobbins from said magazine for carrying and presenting them to a donning mechanism, said guiding grate including a plurality of spaced grid members extending transversely of said conveyor belt forming openings therebetween for guiding the bobbins from said magazine into the sockets of said conveyor belt, means associated with said grid members for supporting the reserve bobbins carried in said magazine, and a further means associated with said first mentioned means for providing an extension of the latter and to permit said conveyor belt to be moved in a reverse direction.

3. A bobbin guiding grate for a machine adapted to move along a spinning frame to don empty bobbins on a row of spindles carried by said spinning frame, said machine including a carriage, said carriage adapted to support a bobbin magazine, and a conveyor belt movable over said carriage and beneath said magazine and having sockets to receive the bobbins from said magazine for carrying and presenting them to a donning mechanism, said guiding grate including a plurality of spaced grid members extending transversely of said conveyor belt forming openings therebetween for guiding the bobbins from said magazine into the sockets of said conveyor belt, means associated with said grid members for supporting the reserve bobbins carried in said magazine, and a further means associated With said first mentioned means for providing an extension of the latter and to per-mit said conveyor belt to be moved in a reverse direction, said further means defining a pivotable weighted member effective in urging said gate members to a nonsupporting position when bobbins are absent on said conveyor belt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,077,725 2/1963 Du Buis et al. 57-53 3,088,267 5/1963 Tsukurno et a1 5753 3,159,961 12/1964 Banks 57-53 X 3,164,946 1/1965 Du Buis et a1 5753 FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. J. PETRAKES, Assistant Examiner.