AU456015B2 - Cord creel - Google Patents

Description

42, 3 8 4 /72 This invention relates to apparatus for controlling the tension in one or each cord of a plurality of cords

each extending respectively from a spool on which one such

cord is wound, and particularly to an apparatus generally

referred to as a creel from which a plurality of such cords are

supplied to apparatus in which the plurality of cords are

treated. Still more particularly, a creel including a multiplicity of spools, each mounted on a spindle having a

reversible controlling torque applied thereto, supplies

a plurality of cords to an apparatus, such as a calender

wherein the cords are to be covered with a rubber compound

to form ply material for the manufacture of tires.

An object of the invention is to provide a low cost and simple apparatus for the control of the tension in a cord

or in each cord of a plurality thereof as such cords are

supplied from a creel to apparatus in which the plurality

of cords is to be treated.

A further object is the provision in a creel of tension

control apparatus capable of being reversed in rotational

sense, in the event of breakage of a cord, or of the tension

in a cord becoming less than a selected minimum value, in

order to rewind said cord upon the spool.

Another object of the invention is the provision of tension control apparatus capable of providing adequate

tension control in each cord as well as adequate uniformity

of the individual cords of the plurality of cords being

paid off from the creel.

The foregoing objects and advantages, as well as others which will become apparent or be particularly pointed

out as the description proceeds, are accomplished in

accordance with the invention by an apparatus comprising

energy conversion means capable of pumping an energy medium 3 456,015

42,384./72 such as a fluid to a higher energy level or pressure in

response to the rotation of a spool from which a cord is

unwound, and which means is reversible to receive the me from the higher level and converts the energy thereof to

such cord onto the spool. Spindle means rotatably suppor

each spool is coupled to the energy conversion means exe

by a fluid pump-motor device capable of being reversed i

rotational sense. As the spool rotates while the cord i

unwound therefrom, the device delivers energy in the forn compressed fluid into storage means, the energy level or pressure difference between the fluid entering the device the medium being delivered by the device is regulated at

preselected value. Should the cord be broken or the tent

therein reduced, as by reason of a change in speed of the

apparatus being served, the direction of flow of the enez

medium is reversed relatively through the device, causing same to reverse its rotational sense and act then as a me

to rewind the cord, either completely as in the event of

break, or sufficiently to restore the tension to the desi

value. A further feature of the invention provides that

frame of the creel on which the spools are carried includ

structural parts thereof, members forming chambers which

vide storage means for the energy medium or fluid.

In a further aspect of the invention a plurality of

pump-motor devices are connected to deliver, during norms unwinding of cords, a fluid medium at elevated pressure t

storage chamber and to receive fluid medium from a second

chamber, the two chambers being interconnected for fluid therebetween so as to provide a closed fluid system in wh

the operating fluid medium can circulate free of contamin by foreign materials. Between the two chambers, throttli: means is proviC'ed for control of the flow of fluid there-

4 4 5 6,01

42,384/72 between in response to the means for regulating the dif- ferential pressure between the respective inlet/outlet means of the plurality of pump-motor devices. An illustrative embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic .view of apparatus embodying the invention; FIG. 2 is an elevation view in larger scale of the ap- paratus of FIG. 1, portions being broken away, and portions being shown schematically; and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus according to FIG. 1, taken as indicated by line 3-3 in FIG. 2. Illustrated in FIG. 1, an apparatus 10 according to the invention is shown in connection with a calender 12 in which a web-like array 14 of parallel cords 16 is to be covered with a rubber compound. The resulting product from the calender is useful for the construction of tires. The apparatus 10, commonly called a creel, comprises a frame 20 on which are mounted a plurality of spindles 22 each of which accommodates a single spool having a single cord wound thereon. The term "cord" as used herein and in the appended claims, is intended to be understood generically and to include any sort of strand, filament, thread, wire, or cable, of any material. In particular, any such cord, strand, or wire is suitable for use in the manufacture of tires. The frame 20 includes a plurality of upright members 24,26 and at least one cross-member 30. A second cross-member 32 extends parallel to the member 30. Preferably, the members are tubular in form and are constructed and joined so as to 456.015

42 384. /72 provide suitable storage chambers 34,36 for a fluid under pressure as will be pointed out presently. It will be appreciated also that the frame 20 can be constructed to any dimensions suitable to accommodate the desired number off spools for single cords and that, alternativel a number of' framies such as those illustrated may be combined to provide for the accommodation of the desired number of spools as required for the desired number of single ends in the web-like array 14 or other cord arrangement to be treated.. A plurality of horizontal members 40 are mounted in the frame 20 to extend from or between respective upright members 24,26, and as may be seen in FIG. 2, have mounting surfaces 42 inclined relative to the horizontal to provide a correspond- ing incline for each of the spindles 22 mounted thereon. The angle at which the spindles 22 incline is sufficient to retain spools of cord thereon for corotation with the, spindles, each of which has drive pin (not shown) engageable with a spool there on. Conventional guide means (not shown) are mounted on the frame 20 so that each individual cord 16 can be trained through or over such guide means and the plurality of cords trained from a selected group offspools, for example 45i over guiding or combining rollers 4i8 or the like in order to provide the desired web-like array 14gat the calender or other treating apparatus. In order to control the tension in each of the individual cords 16 in accordance with the invention, energy conversion means is provided in the form of a plurality of pump-motor devices 50 each having a rotatable member therein to which one spindle 22 is connected. Referring to FIG. 3, the pump- motor device. 50 employed in the specific embodiment described herein are commercially available air motors of the type 6 4 56,015 reversible in rotation manufactt&'e~ 72t Gast Manufacturing Company of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Each spindle 22 is con- nected to or made part of a respective motor shaft on which is mounted the rotor (not shown) rotatable within the motor housing. Each pump-motor device 50 has two ports 51,52 through which the energy medium, which in the present embodiment is air, -flows to or from the device The Pump-motor devices 50 are arranged in groups, such as the group 4+5, mounted in spaced-relation on the respective horizontal members 1+0 so that the spindles 22 extend alternate- ly oppositely from the frame, toward and away from the viewer, FIG. Each of the ports 51 of the devices 50 in a particular group are connected, by a fluid conduit 549, to the chamber 56 provided within the upright member 21+. Each of the ports 52 of the devices 50 of each respective group is connected by a fluid conduit 58 to the chamber 60 provided within the upright member 26. Each of the ports 51,52 is connected to a respective one of the fluid conduits 54,58 through a conventional flow control valve 62, and for convenience is provided with a quick dis- connect coupling.61+ to permit shut-off, removal, and/or replacement of any individual pump-motor device 50. The respective chambers 56 in the upright members 24+are connected, as best seen in FIG. 3, by a connector 65 to the chamber 34+ provided within the horizontal cross-member 30 so as to form a common storage means connected to each of the ports 51 for fluid flow communication therebetween. The chambers the respective upright members 26 are each connected to the chamber 36 provided within the horizontal member 32 by a con- nector 66 so as to form a storage chamber connected for flow communication with each of the ports 52. .7 4 56,0o15

42,38 4 /72 A cross-over connection 70 for flow conmmunication between the respective cha;mbers 34 and 36 is provided with a throttling valve 72 waich is controlled in response to a conventional pressure controller or differential pressure measuring instru- ment 74, one side 76 of which is connected to the chamber 34 and the other side 78 of which is connected to the chamber 36. The chamber 34 is provided also with a connection 80 to a conventional air supply through a pair of pressure regulating valves 82,84 and a filter 86. The chamber 36 is connected to the air supply through the pair of pressure regulator valves 82 and 88. The chamber 36 is also provided with a pressure relief valve The creel according to the invention is placed in operation by mounting individual spools of cord on each of the spindles 22 or on a number of spindles sufficient to supply the desired web-like array of cords. Each cord 16 is passed through or over suitable guide means (not shown) on the frame 20 and thence about the turning~ rolls 48 and into the calender 12 or other treatment apparatus. Air at a predetermined pressure is ad- mitted to charge the chambers. 34 and 56 providing a pressure. or energy level of, for example, 17 pounds per square inch. The chambers 36 and 60 are charged with air at a lower pressure or energy level of, for example, 15 pounds per square inch. The pressure in the chambers 34,56 in flow communication with the Ports 51, being greater than the, pressure in the chambers 36,60 in communication with the ports 52, tends to urge the Pump-motor devices 50 to rotate or at least apply a torque in a direction, arrow 95, such as to wind the cords onto the respective spools. Since the cords are held by the calendar or other treating apparatus, tension is created in each of the cords Proportional to the pressure difference applied at each of the pump-motor devices. As the calender or other apparatus 8 4 k:.6 0

42.384/72 withdraws the cords from the respective spools, each individual pump-motor device 50 is rotated by the unwinding cord, in a rotational sense opposite to that indicated by the arrow A driving torque is thereby applied to the individual pump- motor devices which act to pump air from the chamber 36 to the chamber 34 at a higher pressure, thus converting the driving effort exerted by the spools on the spindles to fluid pressure, the higher pressure being delivered through the port 51 to the chamber 34.

As air is delivered by the plurality of pump-motor devices into the chamber 34 tending to increase the air pressure therewithin, such increase is detected by the dif- ferential pressure instrument 74 which then acts to open the throttle valve 72 sufficiently. to maintain the preset pressure in the chamber 34 by permitting air to flow into the chamber 36 from which the air flows into the ports 52 of the respec- tive pump-motor devices.

A particular feature of the invention is that should a cord be broken or the tension therein dropped below a desired value, the associated device 50 acts to reverse the torque acting on the spindle carrying the spool from which the broken or slack cord extends and, therefore, to restore the tension in the cord or cords to the desired value or to rewind the broken cord. By reversing its rotation to rewind the remain-

ing portion of the cord onto the spool, the pump-motor device avoids or reduces tangling of the broken cord with the remain- ing cords of the array. The flow control valves 62 limit such

rewinding to a preset speed as the fluid or air flows from the chamber 34 into the port 51 of the particular device. In a further aspect of the invention, the rear chamber and the respective connections therefrom to the ports 52 can be omitted, permitting the pump-motor devices to receive air 9 456,015

42,38 4 /72 directly from the surrounding atmosphere into the respec ports 52.to be pumped into the front chamber by the unwi rotation of the pump-motor devices. In such practice, individual filters may be fitted to the respective ports While certain representative embodiments and detail have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the inver it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that varj changes and modifications may be made therein without del from the spirit or scope of the invention.

4 56,0 1

Claims (7)

4 2 .384I17 THlE OLAI;1S DEFINING TI{E INVENTION ARE A3 FOLLOWS.

1. Apparatus for controlling the tension of a cord of a plurality of like cords each extending from a spool on which one said cord is wound, comprising spindle means for releasably and corotatably mounting respectively each said spool for rotation about its own axis for unwinding and winding one said cord respectively from and on said spool, energy converting means including a movable element connected to said spindle means and having a pair of inlet/outlet means for passage of an energy medium into and out of said converting_ means, said energy converting means being reversible to reverse the rotational sense of said spindle means in response to a change in tension in the respectively assoc-a~ted cord.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising regulating means connected between said pair of inlet/outlet means to regulate the energy level of said medium.-at one of said pair with respect to such level at the other of said pair.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said energy conversion means comprises a pumping means, azid said energy medium comprises a fluid.

Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said pumping means comprises a pump-motor device operable as a fluid pump and as a fluid motor, and said medium comprises a gas.

Apparatus as claimed In Claim 1, further' comprising energy storage means connected for flow communication of said medium between one of said inlet/outlet means and said storage means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said storage means comprises a chamber for receiving fluid under pressure, said medium being fluid.

456, 015

42. 38 4./72

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, further including means for connecting said chamber to an auxiliary source of

said medium at elevated pressure.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, further comprising

control means for regulating the pressure of said medium

in said storage means.

9. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, further comprising

a frame supporting a plurality of said converting means,

and wherein said chamber comprises a structural part of said

frame.

Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising

energy storage means and wherein said energy conversion means

on being reversed in response to diminished tension in said

cord receives energy medium from said storage means.

11. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10, wherein said

energy conversion means is a pump-motor device.

12. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10, further comprising

means for supplying said energy medium to the other of said

inlet/outlet means during unwinding rotation of said spool.

13. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said means

for supplying comprises a fluid retaining chamber, said medium

being fluid.

14. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13, including means

providing flow communication between said supply means and

said storage means to form a closed loop including said

device, in which loop said fluid is contained.

Apparatus as claimed in Claim 14, further including

throttlini means regulating the flow of said medium between

said storage means and said supply means.

16. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, furthe.r including flow control means for regulating the flow of said medium

between at least one of said inlet/outlet means and a

respectively associated chamber. 456 1 12 456015

17. 42,38 4/72 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 16, further including a frame, said storag:e means and said supply means respectively forming structural parts of said frame, said pump-motor device being mounted on said frame, and further comprising shut-off means associated with each said spool to prevent rotation thereof,

DATED this SIXTEENTH day of MAY, 1972

THE GOODYEAR TIRE RUBBER COMPANY

Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON

456.0

42.384 /72

c'J

cm 0I

CD to~

I'I

N In

Ux

0 9 Ln

'D e U

-01 271 k"

456~O1