US3695524A

US3695524A - Yarn winding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3695524A
Application number: US88875A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ingham S Roberts
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-11-12
Filing date: 1970-11-12
Publication date: 1972-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1989-10-03

Abstract

For use in yarn winding apparatus having takeup means for forming yarn into a package and traversing means for reciprocating the yarn to form helical wrappings on the package, a structural arrangement whereby the traverse assembly is pivoted on a first axis for movement of the traverse guide path toward and away from the package spindle and whereby a roller bail is mounted on a frame which is pivoted on a second axis for movement of the roller bail toward and away from the package spindle and whereby a segment attached to the traverse assembly and having an arcuate face centered on said first axis is operatively associated with a segment attached to the roller bail frame and having an arcuate face centered on said second axis so that movement of the roller bail away from the package spindle during package formation produces equal movement of the traverse guide path away from the package spindle to maintain a preset clearance between the guide path and the surface of the package.

Description

United States Patent 1 3,695,524 Roberts [4 1 Oct. 3, 1972 YARN WINDING APPARATUS I [72] Inventor: Ingham S. Roberts, 412 Harrison [57] ABSTRACT St., Ridley Park, Pa. 19078 Primary Examiner-Wemer H. Schroeder Attorney-Howson & Howson For use in yarn winding apparatus having takeup means for forming yarn into a package and traversing means for reciprocating the yarn to form helical wrappings on the package, a structural arrangement whereby the traverse assembly is pivoted on a first axis for movement of the traverse guide path toward and away from the package spindle and whereby a roller bail is mounted on a frame which is pivoted on a second axis for movement of the roller bail toward and away from the package spindle and whereby a segment attached to the traverse assembly and having an arcuate face centered on said first axis is operatively associated with a segment attached to the roller bail frame and having an arcuate face centered on said second axis so that movement of the roller bail away from the package spindle during package formation produces equal movement of the traverse guide path away from the package spindle to maintain a preset clearance between the guide path and the surface of the package.

13 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDncra I972 SHEET R 0F Q INVENTORI INGHAM S. ROBERTS ATTYS.

' PKTENTED BN3 I972 SHEU 3 OF a FIG. 4.

INVENTORI INGHAM s. ROBERTS WWW ATTYS.

PATENTEDHBT3 m2 SHEE] m (If 4 INVENTORI INGHAM S. ROBERTS ATT'YS.

YARN WINDING APPARATUS This invention relates to improvements in yarn winding apparatus and particularly to improvements in precise yarn winders to adapte them to higher operating speeds.

A precise wind package is formed on a tubular or conical central form mounted on a driven spindle by successive helical wrappings of yarn. The helixes are formed by a traversing guide or system of guides which moves the yarn laterally on the package a definite distance for each turn of the spindle and which reverses the direction of this lateral movement at the ends of the traverse. The formation of satisfactory precise wind packages requires that the helix angles formed by the yarn when its lateral movement is reversed be as sharp as possible not in the sense of having a small included angle but in the sense of not being rounded at the point. With rounded helix angles, too much yarn is laid down at the ends of the package causing hard ends and soft centers. Also, a rounded loop sometimes drops off the end of the package to form a chord or stitch which makes subsequent unwinding difficult. One of the principal causes of rounded helix angles is excessive distance between the guide or guides and the surface of the package at the point of reversal. A precise winder with a cam-operated reciprocating usually keeps this distance to a minimum by extending the guide supporting structure over the roller bail. The ability of this supporting structure to withstand rapid reciprocating motion becomes critical in the design of cam-operated precise winders for high speed operation. The present invention removes the roller bail from its usual position close to the guide path and permits the use of a shorter and lighter guide supporting structure while maintaining an optimum small distance between the guide path and the surface of the package. It also permits the roller bail to be made much larger in diameter and thus slower in rotational speed and promotes trouble-free operation over longer periods. At 4,000 yards per minute yarn speed, a l A inches diameter roller bail rotates at about 36,000 rpm while a 4 1% inches diameter roller bail rotates at about 10,000 rpm.

This invention can also be used with belt traverse winders such as that of my prior US. Pat. No. 3,491,962dated .Ian. 27, l970and entitled High Speed Winder, to maintain a constant small clearance between the guide path and the surface of the package and thereby to promote good package end formation. The present invention performs these functions more precisely and with less structural expense than is possible with the means which are shown in US. Pat. No. 3,491,962.

These and other objects of the present invention and the various features and details of the operation and construction thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth in accordance with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a yarn winding apparatus incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus as viewed from the right in Fig. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views taken on lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of FIG. 1.;

FIG. 4a is a diagrammatic view illustrating the functional relationship of the various components;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a modified arrangement of yarn winding apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6a is a view similar to FIG. 4a except as related to the modification of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 shows an alternate gear arrangement for the control segments of the roller bail and traverse assembly. Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-4 thereof, there is illustrated a yarn winding apparatus generally designated by the numeral 10 incorporating the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes a main frame structure 12, a spindle 14 for mounting a bobbin 16 on which the package is formed and a traverse assembly generally designated by the numeral 118 for guiding the yarn Y as it is laid onto the bobbin to form the package P.

The traverse assembly 18 includes a traverse housing 20, a traversing guide member 22 mounted for reciprocating movement on a pair of spaced bars 24 mounted in a fixed position between the end walls of the traverse housing. As is conventional, the traverse guide 22 is reciprocated in the traverse plane to form helical wrappings of the yarn on the package by means of a rotatably mounted cam 30 having a trackway 32 formed therein within which the depending pin 34 of the traverse guide rides. The cam 30 is rotatably supported on a shaft 36 journalled in the end walls of the traverse housing 20.

A drive system employing timing belts and associated sprockets is provided for rotating the bobbin l6 and the cam shaft 36 in a predetermined relation to one another. While the belts comprising said drive system are shown as plain belts in Fig. 1 for simplicity, it will be understood that they have a conventional toothed configuration on their wrap side so as to preserve proper synchronization between the sprockets of the drive system, and thus, the relationship between the bobbin and the traverse mechanism. To this end, as illustrated in Figs. I and 2, the drive system includes a motor M having an output shaft 38 which mounts a motor sprocket 40 which through a timing belt 42 drives the spindle sprocket 44 and the traverse drive sprocket 46. As illustrated, the traverse drive sprocket 46 is mounted on one end of a shaft 50 and which carries a sprocket 52 at its opposite end, which sprocket 52 in turn drives the cam sprocket 54 through the timing belt 56. Sprockets 44, 46, 52 and 54 constitute what is commonly referred to as the gainer gear train and establish the desired wind ratio between the rotary speeds of the bobbin and the traverse assembly cam.

The traverse assembly is pivotally mounted to the main frame structure to permit movement thereof relative to the bobbin as the package size increases during package formation. The specific mounting arrangement as best shown in Fig. 3 consists of a tubular collar 60 secured to the traverse housing 20 at its lower end which circumscribes the shaft 50 and is supported therein by conventional bearing 62 and 64. The collar 60 in turn mounts

sleeve type bearings

66 and 68 which are carried by

brackets

70 and 72 bolted to the main frame. Thus, the pivotal axis of the traverse housing is coincident with the rotational axis 8-8 of shaft 50.

The apparatus further includes a roller bail 80 rotatably mounted at the outer terminal ends of a support arm structure 82 which in turn is pivotally mounted to the main frame about shaft 84. A combination overrunning clutch and friction brake generally designated by the numeral 86 permits the roller bail 80 to move freely away form the bobbin during package formation, that is, in a counter-clockwise direction with respect to FIG. 1, but prevents return pivotal movement of the roller bail toward the bobbin until the friction brake is released by the operator. The details of the construction of the combination over-running clutch and friction brake 86 are illustrated and described in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,491,962, dated Jan. 27, 1970, and entitled High Speed Winder. Roller bail 80 is normally biased in a clockwise direction to maintain a predetermined desired pressure contact with the surface of the package by spring 88 which has adjustable means (not shown) to permit the pressure applying relation between roller bail and package to be varied selectively.

in accordance with the present invention, means is provided for selectively controlling the relative pivotal movement of the roller bail and the traverse housing during package formation to maintain the traverse guide in close proximity to the surface of the package during package formation. To this end, the traverse housing 20 mounts a first segment 90 having an arcuate face portion 92 centered on shaft 50 and the roller bail pivot shaft 84 mounts a second segment 94 having an arcuate face portion 96 centered on shaft 84. The face portions 92 and 96 of the segment are in face-to-face confronting relation. A flexible member 98, such as a light cable or metallic strip, is secured to the top of the traverse assembly segment 90 and to the bottom of the roller bail segment 94, and a second flexible member 100 is attached to the top of the roller bail segment and the bottom of the traverse assembly segment. The radii of the segments are predetermined and selected so that the ratio of the traverse segment radius R, to the distance D, between the traverse assembly pivot center C, and the traversing guide is the same as the ratio of the roller bail segment radius R to the distance D between the roller bail assembly pivot center C and rotational axis of the roller bail. (See FIG. 4a). By this arrangement, pivotal movement of the roller bail 80 in a counter-clockwise direction away from the bobbin as the package increases in diameter during package formation imparts an equal pivotal movement of the traverse housing guide away from the bobbin in an opposite pivotal direction, thereby to maintain a constant pre-set small clearance between the guide and surface of the package.

As illustrated, the roller bail segment is mounted for slight adjustment by means of an adjustment screw 102 which engages through a slotted opening 104 in the segment 94 and is secured to a bracket 106 affixed to the roller bail pivot shaft 84. In this manner the roller bail segment which is rotatable on the pivot shaft may be adjusted. This permits the initial setting of the traversing guide button and permits a degree of leeway in fixing this setting.

There is shown in Figs. and 6 another embodiment of yarn winding apparatus incorporating the present invention. This apparatus, which is generally designated by the numeral 110, is generally similar to the previously described embodiment except that the traverse assembly and drive system are of the type shown in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,491,962. Thus, the traverse assembly 112 includes a housing 114, a pair of spaced apart guide

bars

116 and 118 generally parallel to the surface of the package P, in a plane defined as the traverse plane and sets of counter-moving guide members F, and F for moving the yarn back and forth in the traverse plane during package formation. The system for actuating the guide members F, and F includes timing belts and an arrangement of sprockets and a drive system for moving the guide members F, and F in a predetermined relation to the spindle on which the cone or tube for the package is mounted as specifically shown and described in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,491,962 referred to above.

in the present instance, the traverse housing 114 is pivotally supported on the outer terminal end of a bracket 116 depending from the main frame structure 118. The specific mounting arrangement includes a pivot shaft 120 journalled in the outer terminal end of the bracket 116 which mounts a support member 122 connected to the traverse housing. A roller bail 124 is rotatably supported at one end of an elongated arm 126 which at its inner end is mounted on a shaft 128 rotatably journalled in a support bracket 130 depending from the main frame. Pivotal movement of the roller bail 124 is controlled by means of a combination over-running clutch and friction brake 132, the details of which are not shown and which is similar in construction and function to that illustrated in my US. Pat. No. 3,491,962.

Interacting cooperating means operatively associated with the traverse assembly 112 and roller bail 124 is provided for maintaining a predetermined clearance between the inner guide bar 116 and surface of the package P,during package formation. To this end, the traverse housing pivot shaft 120 mounts a first segment 134 and the pivot shaft 128 for the roller bail 124 mounts a second segment 136, each of the segments having confronting arcuate faces 134a and 136a centered on

shafts

120 and 128 respectively. A flexible member 138, such as a light cable or metallic strip, is secured adjacent the top edge of the arcuate face 134a of the traverse housing segment 134 and to the bottom edge of the arcuate face 136a of the roller bail segment 136. A second flexible member is secured adjacent the top edge of the arcuate face 136a of the roller bail segment 136 and adjacent the bottom edge of the arcuate face 134a of the traverse housing segment 134. By this arrangement, as the package builds up, the roller bail 24 is pivoted downwardly about its center of rotation (axis of shaft 128), thus effecting pivotal movement of the roller segment 136 in a counter-clockwise direction. Pivotal movement of the roller bail segment 136 is transmitted to the traverse assembly segment 134 by the interaction of the

flexible members

138 and 140 thereby to effect a corresponding pivotal movement of the traverse segment 134 and the traverse housing 114 about its pivotal axis (axis of shaft 120) thereby to maintain a predetermined small clearance between the surface of the package and the inner guide bar 1 16.

BEST AVAILABLE COPY reels R1 and R2 between the opposite frame members of each pair of reel supporting frame structure. These rails are designed to guide wire take-up reels therealong in such a manner that an empty reel is rolled on the rails 51 and 52 into the apparatus and a full reel is rolled out of the apparatus. For this purpose, the rails 51 and 52 are slightly sloped down from the empty reel rolling-in position toward the full reel rolling-out position. A pair of stops 53 are provided in the rails 51 and 52, respectively. at a position upstream of the pairs of reel supporting frames. Similarly, another pair of stops S5 and 56 are provided in the rails 51 and 52 in such a position as to hold a full reel dismounted down onto the rails from either pair of reel supporting frame members. Both pairs of stops 53 and 54 and 55 and 56 are designed to be retracted down below the surfaces of the rails by any conventional means so that empty and full reels may be free, when required, to roll down along the rails.

Now, a description will be made with respect to the operation ofthe apparatus in reference to FIGS 3 to 5.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the apparatus in a position in which the wire guiding sheave 38 is in the position B and is guiding the wire to the reel R1 mounted on the pair of frame members 16 and 17. Another empty reel R2 is prepared on he other pair of frame members 160 and 170. Still another or next empty reel Rl-a is prepared on the rails 51 and 52 and stopped by the stops 53 and 54.

When the wire is wound up on the reel R1 almost to its full capacity, the reel R2 is started its rotation and the peripheral speed thereof is adjusted so as to be substantially the same as the linear speed of the wire being taken up on the' reel Rl. At the same time, the piston and cylinder assembly 22 is actuated to move or rock the reel supporting frame members 16 and 17 down to a position shown in FIG. 4 so that the running wire is brought into contact with the periphery of the wire take-up drum of the reel R2, as will be seen in FIG. 4. At the time the reel R] has taken up the wire thereon to its full capacity, he wire guiding sheave 38 is rapidly moved by the rotation of the externally threaded shaft 40 to a position, shown in FIG. 5, which is axially beyond the disc 25a. The sheave 38 is maintained at this position for a while. Simultaneously, the piston and cylinder assembly 31a is actuated to move the associated rod 33a axially of the reels R1 and R2 beyond the discs 25 and 250 so that the part of the wire between the discs is engaged by the claws 26 and 26a, as seen in FIG. 5. and arrested on the discs. The continuous rotation of the reels and the discs is sufficient to cut the wire therebetween. The cut end of the wire arrested on the disc 25a causes a further continuous length of the wire to be taken up on the reel R2. In other words, the wire is thus automatically transferred from the full reel R1 to the empty one R2. The wire guiding sheave 38 is then moved to the position A and serves in this position to guide the wlre to the reel R2 until it takes up the wire almost to its full capacity.

On the other hand, the full reel R! has stopped its rotation and is then removed off the pair of reel supporting frame members 16 and 17 down onto the rails SI and 52 by retracting the shaft 23 outwardly. The thus removed full reel is rolled down off the apparatus as shown in FIG. 4 by broken line. Then, the stops 53 and 54 are retracted down and another empty reel Rl-a which has been prepared on the rails, are rolled down until it is reached by the stops and 56. The new reel Rl-a is then mounted on the pair of frame members 16 and 17 which are then rocked upwardly to their normal position shown in FIG. 2 by the piston and cylinder assembly 22. When the reel R2 has taken up the wire thereon substantially to its full capacity, the piston and cylinder assembly 220 is actuated to rock down the reel supporting frame members 16a and 17a and the apparatus 10 operates in cyclical manner in a similar fashion.

In the above-described and illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the wire shifting rods 33 and 33a are mounted on the piston and cylinder assemblies 31 and 31a which are mounted on the respective pairs of reel supporting frame members 16 and I7 and 16a and 17a. The wire shifting rods 33 and 33a, however, may be disposed at any position which may enable these rods to shift the wire axially of the reels beyond one ends thereof.

lt is particularly to be noted that when one of the pairs of reel supporting frame members is rocked down together with a substantially full reel thereon, the wire being still taken up on the full reel is brought into contact with the wire take-up drum of another empty reel and is advanced along a substantially vertical path as will be seen in FIG. 4. This makes it possible for a single rod, which is associated with the empty reel, to be brought into contact with the portion of the wire extending between the opposite wire take-up drums and bias or shift the wire portion axially beyond one ends of the reels whereby the wire is engaged and arrested by the claws on the discs at the said one ends of the reels. It is also pointed out that the sloped rails 51 and 52 and the stops 53 and 54 and 55 and 56 assure easy mounting and dismounting of reels on and off the reel supporting frame members.

What is claimed is:

l. An apparatus for continuously winding up a linear product comprising a housing, a pair of frame members each pivotally mounted in said housing on parallel pivotal axes, a take-up reel for each of said frame members, said reels being detachably and rotatably supported in a first position in side by side parallel relationship in substantially the same plane on said frame members, motor means for rotating each of said reels in opposite directions, power means for rocking each of said frame members about said pivotal axes toward and away from each other to a second position whereby one reel is in a plane below that of the other, a disc member mounted on each of said frame members adjacent one end of the reel thereon for rotation therewith, a source means for said linear product, means for guiding said linear product, means for guiding said linear product from said source means alternately to said reels, said linear product running substantially tangential to each of said reels when one of said frame members is in the second position, said guiding means being movable in a horizontal plane above said reel in directions parallel and perpendicular, respectively, to the axes of rotation of the reels, means movable between said reel axially thereof for shifling said linear product axially of said reels beyond said discs, and at least one claw member on the periphery of each of said disc members, said 9. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said arcuate face portions of the segments are in the form of intermeshing gear teeth.

10. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 7 including adjustable means for initially setting the seg ments relative to one another to establish a predetermined clearance between the inner guide bar and surface of the package.

1 l. in a yarn winding apparatus comprising a support structure, takeup means mounted on said structure including a rotatable takeup spindle supporting a member on which the yarn is wound to form a package, a traverse assembly including means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn to form the package, means mounting the traverse assembly on said support structure and for pivotal motion toward and away from said takeup spindle, a first segment associated with said traverse assembly and having an arcuate face having a common center with said traverse assembly pivotal mounting, a roller bail engageable with the package during package formation, means mounting the roller bail spindle on said support structure and for pivotal motion toward and away from said takeup spindle, a second segment associated with said roller bail mounting means and having an arcuate face having a common center with the pivot of said roller bail mounting means, the arcuate faces of said first and second segments having a face-to-face relationship, said segments being operatively associated whereby movement of the roller bail away from the takeup spindle during package formation causes movement in a predetermined controlled manner of the path of said yam supporting and reciprocating means away from said takeup spindle to establish a desired clearance between said means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn and the surface of the package.

12. The yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the radii of the segments and the distance between the traverse assembly pivot center to the center of rotation of one of the segments and the distance between the rotational axis of the roller bail and the pivot center of the other segment are in a predetermined ratio relative to one another.

13. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn includes at least one set of countermoving guide members operable to move the yarn back and forth in a traverse plane during package formation.

Claims

1. In a yarn winding apparatus comprising a support structure, takeup means mounted on said structure including a rotatable takeup spindle supporting a member on which the yarn is wound to form a package, a traverse assembly including means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn to form the package, means mounting the traverse assembly on said support structure and for pivotal motion toward and away from said takeup spindle, a first segment associated with said traverse assembly and having an arcuate face having a common center with said traverse assembly pivotal mounting, a roller bail engageable with the package during package formation, means mounting the roller bail spindle on said support structure and for pivotal motion toward and away from said takeup spindle, a second segment associated with said roller bail mounting means and having an arcuate face having a common center with the pivot of said roller bail mounting means, the arcuate faces of said first and second segments having a face-to-face relationship, said segments being operatively associated whereby movement of the roller bail away from the takeup spindle during package formation causes equal movement of the path of said yarn supporting and reciprocating means away from said takeup spindle to maintain a desired clearance between said means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn and the surface of the package.

2. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn is a reciprocating guide which maintains continuous contact with the yarn.

3. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operational association between the face portions of said first and second segments is effected by means of a first flexible member connected to one end of the face portion of said first segment and to the other end of said second segment and by means of a second flexible member connected to one end of the face portion of said second segment and to the other end of the face portion of said first segment, the one end of the face portion of said first segment having a face-to-face relationship with the one end of the face portion of said second segment.

4. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said operational association between the face portions of said first and second segments is effected by intermeshing gear teeth on the face portions of said first and second segments.

5. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including adjustable means for initially setting the segments relative to one another to establish a predetermined optimum clearance between said means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn and the surface of the package.

6. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the yarn takeup spindle and the traverse assembly are driven in timed relatIonship.

7. A yarn winding apparatus comprising a frame structure to support a member on which the yarn is wound, a drive system for rotating the spindle, a traverse assembly pivotally mounted on said frame structure for movement toward and away from said spindle, said traverse assembly including means for reciprocating the yarn back and forth in a traverse plane as it is being wound and an inner guide bar disposed between the surface of the package and the means for reciprocating the yarn, a roller bail assembly pivotally mounted on said frame structure for forming the yarn as it is being wound and means for establishing a predetermined relationship between the inner guide bar and package during formation including at least first and second segments, said first segment having an arcuate face portion centered on the pivotal axis of said roller bail assembly and said second segment having an arcuate face portion centered on the pivotal axis of said traverse assembly and confronting the face portion of said first segment, and including means interconnecting the arcuate face portions of said segments whereby pivotal movement of said first segment effects proportional pivotal movement of said second segment whereby pivotal movement of said roller bail assembly away from said member on which the yarn is being wound during package formation causes proportional pivotal movement of said traverse assembly away from said member on which the yarn is wound thereby to maintain a desired predetermined clearance between the inner guide bar and the surface of the package.

8. The yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said means interconnecting said face portions of said segments comprises a pair of flexible members, each of said flexible members being connected to the face portion of each of said segments.

9. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said arcuate face portions of the segments are in the form of intermeshing gear teeth.

10. A yarn winding apparatus as claimed in claim 7 including adjustable means for initially setting the segments relative to one another to establish a predetermined clearance between the inner guide bar and surface of the package.

11. In a yarn winding apparatus comprising a support structure, takeup means mounted on said structure including a rotatable takeup spindle supporting a member on which the yarn is wound to form a package, a traverse assembly including means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn to form the package, means mounting the traverse assembly on said support structure and for pivotal motion toward and away from said takeup spindle, a first segment associated with said traverse assembly and having an arcuate face having a common center with said traverse assembly pivotal mounting, a roller bail engageable with the package during package formation, means mounting the roller bail spindle on said support structure and for pivotal motion toward and away from said takeup spindle, a second segment associated with said roller bail mounting means and having an arcuate face having a common center with the pivot of said roller bail mounting means, the arcuate faces of said first and second segments having a face-to-face relationship, said segments being operatively associated whereby movement of the roller bail away from the takeup spindle during package formation causes movement in a predetermined controlled manner of the path of said yarn supporting and reciprocating means away from said takeup spindle to establish a desired clearance between said means for supporting and reciprocating the yarn and the surface of the package.