CA2176779A1 - Line juxtapositioner - Google Patents
Line juxtapositionerInfo
- Publication number
- CA2176779A1 CA2176779A1 CA 2176779 CA2176779A CA2176779A1 CA 2176779 A1 CA2176779 A1 CA 2176779A1 CA 2176779 CA2176779 CA 2176779 CA 2176779 A CA2176779 A CA 2176779A CA 2176779 A1 CA2176779 A1 CA 2176779A1
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- drum
- strand material
- segment
- central axis
- parallel
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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- Heat Treatment Of Strip Materials And Filament Materials (AREA)
Abstract
A line juxtapositioner 100 comprises a generally cylindrical drum 110 for storing a layer of strand material 200 around its exterior surface. The layer is formed by wrapping the strand material in adjacent convolutions around the exterior surface which is energized to move in a direction which is parallel to the central axis 101-101 of the drum. Consequently the strand material, which is in direct contact with the exterior surface, also moves in a direction that is parallel to the central axis and advances from one end of the drum toward the other. The exterior surface of the drum comprises six segments 120-120 which attach to a common support infrastructure.
Electromagnets 710, 720, 730 associated with each segment cooperate to impart cyclic movement to the segment which causes objects on the segment surface to move in a direction which is parallel to the central axis of the drum. Strand material enters the drum at one end and exits at the other end when the drum is rotated. Because the line juxtapositioner stores a relatively large quantity of moving strand material in a relatively compact space, it may be mounted in an oven to improve the annealing of copper wire.
Electromagnets 710, 720, 730 associated with each segment cooperate to impart cyclic movement to the segment which causes objects on the segment surface to move in a direction which is parallel to the central axis of the drum. Strand material enters the drum at one end and exits at the other end when the drum is rotated. Because the line juxtapositioner stores a relatively large quantity of moving strand material in a relatively compact space, it may be mounted in an oven to improve the annealing of copper wire.
Description
2~ 76779 -LINE JUXTAPOSITIONER
Cro~ Ri ~ tn R~ ` ' ' ~ ' ' ~
This invention is related to U.S. Serial Number 08/496792 and U. S. Serial Number 08/496555, both to Peter L. Josoff filed concurrently with this patent application.
T~ ' ' Fi ' ' --This invention relates to apparatus for storing moving strarld material - such as optical fiber, copper wire or ya~n - in a ~ operation.
to of ~
In the wire and cable industry, which includes optical fiber cable ~ ur~.~ulc, strand material is moved along a . ., - ,., t; . 1 . ., i.,~ line where various operations are performed thereon. For example, a copper wire which has been drawn from copper rod may be annealed and preheated, after which plastic insulating material is extruded onto the wire. The insulated wire is then cooled by water, and excess water removed by an air-wipe device. Additional operations ln;ay include the application of a colorant material to an outer surface ~f the insulated wire, high-voltage testing, inspection and repair.
Annealing is a process of treating a metal, alloy or glass with heat and then cool to remove internal stresses and to make the material less brittle. In the case of copper wire, annealing generally takes place in an oven after a thick wire (e.g., 12 gauge) has been drawn do vn (and thus "cold worked") to a thinner size (e.g., 24gauge). It has been found that in addition to increasing the ductility of copper wire, annealing also affects its ~:ulldu~livi~y in accordance with an annealing profile (i.e., parameters such as Lclll,ucl~Lulc and time). Known copper ~vire anrlealers operate by illLIudu~,;llg a large electrical current onto tbe wire causing it to become extremely hot.
This is ~ c . ,,, ,1.l i~l ,. J by applying different electrical voltages to different sheaves ir an annealing oven. The sheaves not only apply an electrical voltage to the drawncopper wire, but also allow it to be in continuous movement. And while such a technique is useful, it is desirable to more precisely control the annealing process in order to c,u~ y and accurately control the ~,vllvu~,LiviLy of copper wire.
Another technique for controlling the armealing process is to construct a very large oven through which the copper wire travels. Oven size may be reduced by the use of an ~rcllmll' such as shown in U.S. Patent 3,163,372 in which strand material is looped around groups of sheaves, each group being mounted on a common axis amd at least two groups are used. Without ill.~ the flow of strand materialat its input, the axes of the groups of sheaves are moved away from each other in order to slow-down or stop the flow of material at the output. And when there is no 0 further need to have zero output, the axes of the groups of sheaves are moved toward each other. Although such an ~r~rllmll~ , frequently referred to as a "dancer"
because of its rhythmic IIIU ~..III~,IIL.~, has been used for many years in the wire and cable industry to facilitate cutover between reels, there are ~LvlLuulL~ associated with its use. For example, because each loop of stored material requires a pair of 1~ sheaves, the volume of material which can be stored is severely limited. Accordingly, the floor space required to store any significant volume of strand material is prohibitive.
It is known to construct a thread-advancing reel by positioning a plurality of individually rotating rollers with their axes slightly out of parallelism in order to advance a thread. One such device is shown in U.S. Patent 2,677,949. Typically, such designs require relatively complex drive systems and, because the rollers are out of r~r:~llPli~m, the outside .,~ lrtl~ ll.,~ changes along the length of the device which causes the strand material to become slack as it progresses. Moreover, the strand material is periodically and continually flexed as it travels around the device. The strand material conforms to the contour of each roller as it passes over it, then it straightens out between rollers, and then it conforms to the contour of the next roller, and so on ~ which may not matter for yarn, but is Illld~ilable for other materials. Yet another drawback associated with this device is that the strand material is continually rotating as it travels along the device. Situations exist whereby it is desirable to inspect and repair strand material as it travels along a device. For example, copper ~vire might not be fully covered with insulating material as it emerges from an extruder, and thus contains bare spots which cause an entire spool to be scrapped.
21 7677~
- Such defects could be found and repaired if the strand material did not kavel around the ,il~u~lc--~,e of the reel as it progressed along the length of the reel.
What is needed, and what seemingly is not available in the art, is an apparatus for storing and delivering a large volume of moving strand material in a relatively 5 small space. Fu~ ulc, this apparatus should be uncnnnr~ f~l allow a controlled~rmlnn~ tinn of material, and be capable of integration into a variety of operations along a, . IA~ I j I r~ Iine that processes elongated strand material.
S of f~
lo The foregoing problems of the prior art have been overcome with a line ju~tRr,-qition. . comprising a moving surface that temporarily stores a layer ofelongated strand material on the moving surface The layer is formed by wrapping the strand material in adjacent convolutions around the surface in a direction which is transverse to the direction which the surface moves. The surface advances the 15 convolutionsofstrandmaterialfromaninputendofthelineillyf~roqiti~n~-rtoan output end thereof without necessarily advancing the convolutions in the transverse direction.
In an illustrative clllbodi~ . ,.,.l of the invention, the surface of the line f~r~qitir~n~r comprises a generally cylindrical drum made from six elongated 20 segments that are attached to a support structure. An end view of each segment comprises a 60 arc so that when all six segments are joined to the support structure, a complete cylinder is formed. The segments are i~ y movable in two directions: (i) p~ ldiuulal to a central axis of the drum (i.e., up and down); and (ii) parallel to the central axis. By controlling these two directions of motion, the exterior ~5 surface can be made to move objects on its surface in a direction which is parallel to the central axis. More specifically, Cl~,L..,...a~ are associated with each drumsegment to impart a cyclic movement in a plane which passes through the central axis so that the drum segment not only moves back-and-forth, it also moves up-and-down.
When the drum segment is in contact with the strand material, it is moving in a 30 direction toward the output end of the drum where strand material in exiting; and when the drum segment is not in contact with the strand material, it is moving in a direction toward the input end of the druun where strand material is entering.
=
- In addition to the movement of the drum segments which cause the strand material to move from one end of the drum to the other, the drum may also be rotated.
Because the line j~ is relatively compact in view of the amount of strand material that can be stored, it can be placed within an oven so that the t~ Ul~ of s the strand material can be precisely controlled. Such precise control is key to improving the annealing process.
ir~f ]~ ~ ~ ' of " ~
The invention and its mode of operation will be more clearly understood from o the following detailed description when read with the appended drawing in which:
FIG. I is a simplified perspective view of a line j..Yt~roiitir nr-r in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the line juxtapositioner showing the locus of a point located on its exterior surface;
FIG. 3 shows a line jllYtslrr)~itir~nr-r comprising a drum and a winder that enables strand material to be received at a variable input speed while delivering same at a constant output speed;
FIG. 4 shows a line jllYt:~ro~itir~nr r comprising a drum and an unwinder that enables strand material to be delivered at a variable output speed while receiving same 20 at a constant input speed;
FIG. S is a detailed perspective view of a line jllYt~rr~ifionr-r comprising a drum, a winder, and an unwinder;
FIG. 6 is a detailed side view of the line j..Yt~rr.~ifirmr-r shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 shows an exploded isometric view of one segment of the drum 25 illustrating the electrical and mrrh~m~ UlLU~LiUII between the exterior surface and its associated mounting plate;
FIG. 8 is a top view of one segment of the drum with the exterior surface and associated mounting plate illL~IuuL--l~,.,t~
FIG. 9 is a side view of the segment shown in FIG. 8 showing its mr-r h~nir ~1 30 attachment to the drum shaft;
FIG. 10 is an end view of FIG. 9 generally showing a cylindrical drum comprising six segments, and ~a~ lally showing an f lf ~ ullla~llrt which moves one of the segments in a vertical direction;
FIG. I r is another end view of FIG. 9 showing the support rod which flexibly 5 couples one of the segments to the mounting plate;
FIG. 12 is yet another end view of FIG. 9 showing the f lf~ ulll~llc~ which moves one of the segments in a direction parallel to the plane of the segment;
FlG. 13 is a prior art tandem wire drawing and insulating line; and FIG. 14 is a tandem v~ire drawing and insulating line using the line 0 jll-rtS~rocitif)nPrC of the present invention.
crription FIG. I is a simplified perspective view of a line juxtapositioner 100 which willbe used to generally describe its key feature; namely, its ability to store a volume of moving strand material 200 thereon while advancing same from one end thereof to the other. The line j ~ shown in FIG. 1 comprises drum 110 supported by drum shaft 150 which enables the drum to rotate about central axis 101-101. The drum 110 itself comprises one or more segments 120 (six are shown here) which are capable of movement apart from the rotation of the drum. And although there are 20 numerous specific ways in which such movement can be achieved, it is preferable to use cyclic ~ llr,ll~ of the one or more segments 120 which form an exterior surfæe ("skin") of the drum. In this example Pmho~limPnt, each segment is ;".l~f . ,~ ly moveable.
The direction of rotation is illustratively shown in the clockwise direction 25 which causes input strand material 201 to be pulled onto the drum and output strand material 202 to exit the drum. Because each rotation of the drum causes the sameamount of material to enter and exit the drum, a constant number of convolution3 of strand material 200 are maintained on the drum. As a practical matter, a winder 310 (see FIG. 3) is used to load the drum and establish a constant volume condition. In 30 subsequent drawings, it will be shown that winders arld unwinders can be used to dynamically increase or decrease the volume of material stored on the drum - thereby providing the line~ t~r~citil~nPr with improved versatility.
21 7677q .
Only a single layer of strand material is stored on the drum so that it can be easily deposited and removed therefrom; nevertheless, a substantial quantity of material can be ~r, ' ' ~ on the drum which is dependent orl its dimensions and the thickness of the strand material. For example, a drum which has a two-foot diameter and is two feet long can theoretically store over 4000 feet of 24 AWG
insulated conductor (667 convolutions of insulated wire whose outside diameter is about 36 mils).
As shown in FIG. 2, the drum segment is energized to move in a clockwise manner (a-b-c-d) which tends to advance strand material 200 from left to right across the drum surface. The apparatus which causes this motion is discussed in connection with FIG. 7-12, but is omitted from this i~ u~u~lul y discussion. The motion of the drum segment, which ultimately advances the strand material, can be best understood by cnnc~ n~ the locus of a point shown on the left-hand side of the segment. In particular, rectangular motion (a-b-c-d) of the point is illustrated. During movement "a," the drum segment moves from its initial location, denoted 120', toward the central axis 101 of the drum (i.e., away from the strand material 200). During movement "b,"
the drum segment moves laterally from right to left while it is nQI in contact with the strand material. At the end of movement "b" the position of the drum segment is in a location denoted 120". During movement "c," the drum segment moves away from the central axis 101 of the drum (i.e., toward the strand material 200). And during movement "d," the drum segment moves laterally from left to right while it is incontact with the strand material - thereby advancing the strand material i~ .llyto the right. At the end of movement "d" the drum segment is in its initial location 120'. The above-described motion of the drum segment is energized by apparatus that resides between the segment and mounting plate 125. The drum segment is m~rhln~ lly linked to mounting plate 12~ which, in turn, is linked to shaft 150 via plate support members 151-154. As the shaft rotates, so too does the drum segment.
FIG.3disclosesalinej~t~rneitinn~r300comprisingadrumllOanda winder 310. T_e line j~ rncitioner receives input strand material 201 at one end of the drum and delivers output strand material 202 at the other end of the drum. Strand material is initially loaded onto the drum by rotating the winder 310 in the direction shown, but not rotating the drum itself. In order to advamce the convolutions of strand . 7 2l7~77~
.
material 200 from one end of the drum to the other (left-to-right in FIG. 3), segments 120-120 are energized in the manner described hereinafter. Once the desired amount of strand material is loaded, the drum is rotated in the direction shown by rotating shaft 150; and assuming that the drum rotation speed is constant, the output speed of 5 the strand material is also constant. In one application, the winder 310 stops rotating after the drum is loaded and the drum begins to rotate. However, in the event that input strand material 201 being received by line j~ .o~ 300 changes speed (perhaps due to variations in production rate), winder 31 0 can ~ r by rotating in the direction shov~n (to a~ ' a speed decrease) or by rotating in a directiono which is opposite the direction shown (to ;~ ~ ., . ". .~ a speed increase). In this mamner, a constant delivery speed of output strand material 202 can be m~int~in~Upstream variations in the f ow of strand material can be completely i . .. "I ,~ lrd (for a limited time) by controlling the rotation speed and direction of winder 310.
FIG. 4 discloses a line j.. ~i l.o~ , . 400 comprising a drum 110 and an unwinder 420. Similar to FIG. 3, the line j~lxt~rr~iti~-nrr receives input strand material 201 at one end of the drum and delivers output strand material 202 at the other end of the drum. FIG. 4 illustrates the situation wherein strand material 201 enters drum 110 at a constant input speed but may be removed at a variable output speed. If, for example, the strand material 201 being delivered to line jllxtz~ro~itir~nf~r 400 changes, and drum rotation needs to speed up, unwinder 420 can ~ , - ' by rotating in the direction shown to maintain the same output delivery speed of strand material 202. Alternatively, unwinder 420 can be rotated in a direction which isopposite the direction shown to increase the output delivery speed of strand material 202. Downstream flow of strand material can be completely regulated (for a limited time) by controlling the rotation speed and direction of unwinder 420.
Reference is now made to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 which show detailed views of line jl.~ 500 comprising a drum 110, a winder assembly S10, and an unwinder assembly 520. Pillars 551-552 include bearings (not shown) that function to supportshaftl40andtofacilitatetherotationofwinderassemblyS10. Similarly, pillars 553-554 include bearings (not shown) which function to support shaft 160 and to facilitate the rotation of unwinder assembly 520. Drum shaft 150 is connected at one end to shaft 140 via internal bearings; and is connected at its other end to the shaft .
160 via internal bearings. Accordingly, each ofthe shafts (140, 150, 160) is capable of i,~ rotation with respect to the other.
Rigidly mounted on shaft 140 are winder pulley (sheave) 531, slip ring assembly 541, and winder assembly 510. When the winder pulley is rotated, the slip ring assembly and the winder assembly are similarly rotated. Shaft 140 includes an axial bore which enables input skand material 201 to be delivered to the winder assembly 510 while the shaft is rotating without twisting the strand material.
Additionally, brush contacts 517 are mounted on pillar 551 in order to deliver electrical power to the slip ring assembly 541 while the drum and/or the winder assembly are rotating. Such electrical power is used by apparatus within the drum 110 to activate the drum segments 120. The slip ring assembly 541 is shown having a plurality of rings so that each drum segment can, for example, be energized c~ ly. A groove along the outside surface of shaft 140 (not shown) is used to route wires from slip ring assembly 541 (mounted on winder shaft 140) to slip ring assembly 542 (mounted on drum shaft 150). These wires terminate in brush contacts 518 that extend into slip ring assembly 542.
Winder Rotat~on Motor 610 is shown mounted between pillars 551-552 in FIG. 6, and is energiæd in order to rotate the winder assembly 510. Attached to the output of motor 610 is a drive pulley 532 which is illLel~,Ullll.~ ,d to pulley 531 via drive belt 171.
When pulley 531 rotates, shaR 140 and winder assembly 510 also rotate. A housing515 surrounds the winder assembly although only its edges are shown in FIG. 5 and 6 to reveal the internal structure. In particular, the winder assembly 510 includes pulleys 511-512 which are mPrhslnir~lly held by the housing 515, and cooperate to deliver strand material to the external surface of the drum 110. Pulley 51 1 is frequently referred to as a strand-payout member. Pulleys 536 and 538 are rigidly mounded on a shaft 513 whose outside surface is covered with a sleeve. One belt 173 connects pulley 535 to pulley 536; and another belt 174 connects pulley 537 to pulley 538. The housing 515 attaches to the sleeve on shaft 513 so that when the winderassembly 510 rotates around the central axis of the line j~ r~ 500, SO too does shaft 513. In ~IG. 6, for example, as pulley 511 moves away from the viewer(i.e., into the page), shaft 513 moves toward the viewer. Such rotation of the winder .
assembly S10 does not impart any rotation to the drum 110. Note that pulleys 533 and 535 are mechanically joined together and attached to shaft 140 via bearings. These pulleys are linked to, and held rigid by, the output of drum drive motor 620 as discussed below.
5 Drt~m Rotation Motor 620 is shown mounted between pillars SS I -552 in FIG. 6, and is energized to rotate the drum 110. Attached to the output of motor 620 is a drivepulley 534 which ultimately rotates drum shaft IS0. This is ~ via mPrh~nir ~ among pulleys S33-538 as discussed herein. Pulleys S33 and lo 534 are linked together via belt 172 so that any rotation of pulley 534 causes pulley 533 to rotate. Pulleys 533 and 535 are mPrh:lnirAIly joined together, but are mounted on shaft 140 via bearings. These pulleys (533, 535) rotate together, but are ~llhst:~nti~lly ;~ of any rotation by shaft 140. Pulleys 535 and 536 are linked together via belt 173 so that any rotation of pulley 535 causes pulley 536 to rotate. It is noted that the winder assembly 510 is precluded from moving at this time because shaft 140 is held rigid by winder drive pulley 531 (i.e., is controlled by motor 610 which drives the winder assembly). Pulleys 538 and 537 are linked together via belt 174, and since pulley 537 is rigidly attached to the drum shaft IS0, any rotation of pulley 538 causes the drum shaft to rotate.
Unwinder Rotation Motor 630 is shown mounted between pillars 553-554 in FIG. 5 and 6, and is energized in order to rotate the unwinder assembly 520. Attached to the output of motor 630 is a drive pulley 544 which is i~ d to pulley 543 via drive belt 175. When pulley 543 rotates, shaft 160 and unwinder assembly 520 also rotate. Ahousing 525 surrounds the umwinder assembly although only its edges are shown inFIG. S and 6 to reveal the internal structure. In particular, the unwinder assembly 520 includes pulleys 521-522 which are mPrh~nir~lly linked to the housing 525, and cooperate to take up strand material from the external surface of the drum 110. Pulley 521 is frequently referred to as a strand-receiving member. The housing 525 attaches to a mass 523 so that when the unwinder assembly 520 rotates around the central axis of the line j~l~t:lrn~itionPr 500, so too does mass 523. In FIG. 6, for example, as pulley 521 moves away from the viewer (i.e., into the page), mass 523 moves toward Io 21 7677~ -- the viewer (i.e., toward the viewer). Mass 523 is used to ~,uul~ dla~ the remaining mass of the unwinder assembly 520 so that the overall center of gravity lies on the axis of rotation. Shaft 160 includes an axial bore which enables output strand material 202 to exit the unwinder assembly 520 while the shaft is rotating.
FIG. 7 shows an exploded isometric view of one segment 120 of the drum illustrating the mrrhRnirRl i~ ll-c~lh~l- between the segment and its associatedmounting plate 125. One mechanical connection is made to the segment 120 via block 742 which, in turn, is mechanically connected to mounting plate 125 via flexible steel rod 745 and blocks 741, 743. Another mechanical connection is made to o the exterior surface 120 via block 752 which, in turn, is m~rh~nirRlly connected to mounting plate 125 via flexible steel rod 755 and blocks 751, 753. The ~1imrnci~n~
and material used in rods 745 and 755 are identical and are designed to allow surface 120 to move with respect to mounting plate 125. Moreover, they are used to change the resonance frequency of the exterior surface 120. For example, the distance between blocks 741 and 743 (and hence the operating length of rod 745) can be changed by rrrrl~itionin~ block 743 at a different location in slots 747. Changes in the operating length of the rod 745 affects the vertical and horizontal resonance frequencies of surface 120.
FIG. 7 also illustrates the electrical i~lLcl.,ollll~,Lion between tne exterior surface 120 and its associated mounting plate 125. T_ree electromagnets 710, 720, 730 are used for moving the surface in two direction3. Horizontal movement (i.e., parallel to drum shaft 150) is controlled by cl~ lul~lcl 720 comprising winding section 720-1 which is mounted on mounting plate 125, and pole portions 720-2, 720-3 which are mounted on segment 120. FIG. 12 shows an end view of clc~ .lc~
720 to further illustrate its partial attachment to segment 120 and mounting plate 125.
Vertical movement (i.e., ~cl~ li ul~ to surface 120) is controlled by clc~, 710 and 730. Electromagnet 710 comprises winding section 710-1 which is mounted to moumting plate 125, and pole portion 710-2 which is mounted to surface 120.
Similarly, cl~ ,...~..ct 730 comprises winding section 730-1 which is mounted onmounting plate 125, and pole portion 730-2 which is mounted on surface 120.
Finally, segment 120 is joined to the drum shaft 150 via plate support members 151-154 (see also FIG. 9).
" 21 7677q - -.
FIG. 8 is a top view of one segment of the drum with the exterior surface 120 and associated mounting plate 125 i l~l~,u~ ,ted. Fl ~ 710 and 730 are electrically powered in parallel with each other in order to move the exterior surface 120 toward the viewer and away from the viewer of FIG. 8. E~ ,LIullla~ t 720 is electrically powered to move the exterior surface 120 to the left and right as viewed in FIG. 8. In particular, winding portion 720-1 of electromagnet 720 is mounted on mounting plate 125, and pole portion 720-2 is mounted on exterior surface 120.
Between these portions are gaps 725 whose widths are du,ulu~ atcly 0.6 millimrtl r~
to allow side-to-side movement. Referring briefly to FIG. 10, winding portion 710-1 o of ~ LIullld~ L 710 is mounted on mounting plate 125, and pole portion 710-2 is mounted on exterior surface 120. Between these portions are gaps 715 whûse widths are alJ,ulu. ly 0.6 millimeters to allûw up-and-down movement. Electrical signals having sinusoidal wave shapes are used to drive the ,Ic~ a~ . The electrical signals used for driving electromagnets 710 and 730 are phase shifted by 90 degrees with respect to the electrical signal used for driving Cl~.,LIullld~ 720. The frequency chosen (illustratively 43 Hz) is selected to take advantage of the mr-rhAnir ~l resonance of the surface 120 in order to minimize power culli,u,lll,Liull. Such mechanical resonance is determined by the mass and shape of the segment 120 together with the manner in which it is mounted onto mounting plate 125. In the example r~ l;",r,.l, each drum segment is about 1.5 meters in length, 0.5 meterswide and I cm thick. Cold-rolled steel is used, and the overall weight of segment 120 is about 50 kilograms. It is understood that different materials and dimensions may be used in the present invention in accordance with cost ~ and a particular application. For example, an aluminum drum surface might reduce overall weight, but ~vould not be a,ul"u~ , in certain ~ (e.g., annealing copper wire) where the L~ alul~s run too high (i.e., 500C- 600C).
FIG. 8 together with FIG. I l illustrate the particular manner in which the exterior surface 120 is mt~rh:mir~lly attached to mounting plate 125. Block 742 attaches to the exterior surface 120 while blocks 741, 743 attach to one end of mounting plate 125. Each mounting apparatus comprises upper and lower portions which, when clamped together, capture a flexible steel rod 745 tll~,.c bc~lw~ which extends through circular openings in each of the mounting apparatus. A similar 12 21 7~779 rlll Il comprising blocks 751-753 and flexible steel rod 755 are positioned at the other end of mounting plate 125. Mounting apparatus 741 and 743 are positioned in slots 746 and 747 respectively so that they can be moved closer together or futther apart to change the mechanical resonance as discussed above.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the segment sho~vn in FIG. 8 showing its mPrh~nirl~l attachment to the drum illrla~LIu~ c . In particular, drum shaft 150 resides on central axis lOI-101, and is joined to four spaced-apart plate supports l51-154 which, in turn, are joined to mounting plate 125 to form the infrastructure of the drum. Not shown, for the sake of clarity, are the other five mounting plates which complete the drum ~0 illrla~ lu~,~UI~.
FIG. 10 is an end view of FIG. 9 generally showing a cylindrical drum comp}ising six segments, and ~alLi~ulrlly showing one of the cl~ u.lla~ L~ 710 which moves segment 120 in the vertical direction. Each of the six segments 120-120 attaches to an identical mounting plate 125. The mounting plates are connected to drum shaft 150 via hexagonal plate support members 151-154 (see also FIG. 9).
APPLICATIONS
The line juxtapositioner of the present invention can be used in a wide variety of ~ The following uses of the line j~ ts~pr~itir~nPr are not exclusive7 and 20 are offered by way of example.
~nnealing FIG. 13 discloses a prior art tandem wire drawing and insulating line that includes a number of stations for processing moving copper wire. A description of a known ,.,-.",r.. 1.,, ',.~ Iine is provided herein, although more details are contained in 25 the book series entitled "abc of the Telephone. " In particular, reference is made to Vol. 5 entitled "Cable, inside and out" by Frank W. Horn; and chapter 4 is specifically inrr,rlnr,rs3tPd by reference. Briefly, station 10 includes a continuous supply of copper wire (e.g., 12 gauge) wrapped around a supply spool 205 which delivers copper wire to the ",~ .-,r~ 1,-, ,,,~ line. As the 12 gauge wire is moved 30 through the wire drawing station 20, its gauge size is reduced (e.g., to 24 gauge) and its grain structure is altered. Such "cold working" increases the number of dislocations through which electrons must travel during the flow of current. As a result, the resistivity of the wire is increased through such cold working and its cullducLivi~y is decreased. Annealing is a process in which the wire is heated to cause recovery, recryctAlli7Atinn, grain growth and, ultimately, increased ductility and ~ull~lu~,LiviLy .
Station 30 illustrates a know annealer which operates by introducing electrical currents onto various portions of the wire causing it to heat up. This is A~
by applying different electrical voltages to different sheaves within the annealer.
These sheaves not only apply an electrical voltage to the reduced-thickness coFper wire, but also allow it to be in continuous movement. For example, pulleys 11 and 12 lo at the input and output of the annealer are grounded, while the other sheaves have different ~Ir.lr~rll.,;,~r~l voltages applied to them. Such voltages differences cause eleckical current to flow in the moving copper wire, thereby heating it. The wire is preheated to about 250C before entering steam chest 15 where it reaches t~ Jcla~ulc~ in excess of 500CC. The steam chest provides an c~vi~u~u,lcllL that keeps the copper wire from discoloring due to oxidation at these I rl ~ rC A water bath at the bottom of steam chest 15 reduces the ~c~ luu~ of the wire before it is exposed to an oxidi_ing CllVilUlllllCllL. A more detailed description of a knownannealer is provided in U.S. Patent 4,818,311. After the wire is annealed, station 40 exkudes a layer of plastic insulation onto the wire, and the insulated wire is then cooled by passing through water krough 50.
Station 60 comprises a capstan which pulls the insulated wire along at a controlled rate. Take-up station 80 includes a spool onto which the insulated wire is wrapped. Because it may be necessary to stop, or slow down, the moving copper wire due to spool Cll~lllgCUVCI~ station 70 is needed to buffer speed variations. Buffer station 70 comprises a "dancer" such as described above and shown in U.S. Patent3,163,372, and an air-wipe device such as shown in U.S. Patent 2,077,949. An airwipe device directs a blast of air onto wet skand material so that it will be dry before being wound onto the take-up spool. Known air-wipe devices are extremely noisy, but have heretofore been necessary. FIG. 14 discloses improvements to the above-described ~.,~."1~. 1ll,;,,~ line by replacing the :u~vcl~liul~al equipment at annealing station 30 with one line jln~t~rocitinnl r 100, and replacing the cull~.,llLiu~
equipment at buffer station 70 with another line j~ tAroCitinnpr 500 .
- In connection with the improved annealing station 30 shown in FIG. 14, due to the very high ~ lu~ which are needed (e.g., 500C), the use of an aluminum surface on the line ju~fArncitinnf r 100 is not appropriate. Instead, Inconel steel is used. And although the line jllxt~rn~itinn~r 100 used in annealing station 30 only shows the drum rotating, it is understood that a winder is typically used to load the drum with strand material. Moreover, drum rotation is not necessary in the annealing application when a winder 510 and an unwinder 520 (see FIG. 5 and ~) are both used.
In connection with the improved buffer station 70 shown in FIG. 14, about one minute's worth of strand material is stored on line jl~xtArncitinn--r 500. This allows o use of a low-speed fan to dry the strand material - which is much quieter and less costly than prior art air-wipe devices. And although the linei~lx~ 500 used in buffer station 70 shows a winder and an unwinder, it is understood that buffering can be A~ cnmrlich/ d with only one of these devices when drum rotation is used.
TwistingSfrand MateYial It is not possible to impart a unidirectional twist onto a pair of wires when only mid-span access is available. Either the take-up spool needs to be twisted as anuntwisted wire-pair is deposited thereon, or a pair of supply spools (each containing a single wire) need to be twisted around each other as wire is exiting. A discussion of these known twisting techniques is presented in the book series entitled "abc of the Telephone." In particular, reference is made to Vol. 5 entitled "Cable, irlside and out" by Frank W. Horn.
Reference is made to FIG. 3 in order to more fully explore the possibility of twisting a pair of wires using the line j~ , of the present invention. When winder 310 installs strand material onto the drum 110, it is noted that one twist per rotation of the winder is imparted onto the strand material. However this only occurs when the volume of material 200 on the drum is increasing or decreasing. For example, assume that incoming strand material 201 comprises a pair of wires, andassume that the drum is rotating in the direction shown. If the winder 310 does not rotate, then no twist will be imparted onto the wires and the volume of wire 200 on the drum will remain constant. If the winder rotates in the same direction as the drum, then a positive twist will be imparted onto the wire pair and the volume of wire on the 1~ 2~ 76779 drum will be decreasing. And if the winder rotates in a direction that is opposite the direction of drum rotation, then a negative twist will be imparted onto the wire pair and the volume of wire on the drum will be increasing.
One twisting technique uses a die (not shown) having a pair of side-by-side 5 pa~:~a~wa~:i. The die is positioned to the left of winder assembly 310 in FIG. 3, and one wire is fed through each ~ai~a~ ay. As the winder assembly rotates, twists will between the die and pulley 312. Eventually, these twists will propagate beyond pulley 312 and onto the drum 110. The purpose of the die is to insure that twists are imparted downstream onto the wires as they are installed on the drum 110 10 rather than upstream.
Twisting is also ~. c. .,.~ 1 by using an unwinder assembly, such as shown in Fl~. 4, in much the same marlner; although, in this situâtion, no die is used because dUV~ lupàæaLiull oftwists is desirable. Note that twisting only occurs when the volume of strand material on the drum 110 is increasing or decreasing.
Owing the large volume of strand material that can be compactly stored on tl1e drum, it is possible to vary this volume by a large amoumt. This allows the linejuxtapositioner to provide a wire pair that is twisted in one direction for a substantial distance and then twisted in the other direction for an equal distance. Such a technique is generally referred to as "S-Z" twisting.
Although particulam,.llbodilll~,llL~ have been shown and described, it is understood that various mo~lifir~til~ns may be made within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. These mntiif~ tinn~ include, but are not limited to, the use of apparatus other than el~, Llullla~ to move the drum surface; the use of fewer or more than six segments on the drum; use of a non-cylindrical drum surface; the use of materials otherthanthosedisclosedinthe~oll~tlu~Liullofalineilnrf~rn~itinn~r;andtheuseofa line j~ ts~rn~itiC~n~r in connection with the movement of materials other than strand materials.
Cro~ Ri ~ tn R~ ` ' ' ~ ' ' ~
This invention is related to U.S. Serial Number 08/496792 and U. S. Serial Number 08/496555, both to Peter L. Josoff filed concurrently with this patent application.
T~ ' ' Fi ' ' --This invention relates to apparatus for storing moving strarld material - such as optical fiber, copper wire or ya~n - in a ~ operation.
to of ~
In the wire and cable industry, which includes optical fiber cable ~ ur~.~ulc, strand material is moved along a . ., - ,., t; . 1 . ., i.,~ line where various operations are performed thereon. For example, a copper wire which has been drawn from copper rod may be annealed and preheated, after which plastic insulating material is extruded onto the wire. The insulated wire is then cooled by water, and excess water removed by an air-wipe device. Additional operations ln;ay include the application of a colorant material to an outer surface ~f the insulated wire, high-voltage testing, inspection and repair.
Annealing is a process of treating a metal, alloy or glass with heat and then cool to remove internal stresses and to make the material less brittle. In the case of copper wire, annealing generally takes place in an oven after a thick wire (e.g., 12 gauge) has been drawn do vn (and thus "cold worked") to a thinner size (e.g., 24gauge). It has been found that in addition to increasing the ductility of copper wire, annealing also affects its ~:ulldu~livi~y in accordance with an annealing profile (i.e., parameters such as Lclll,ucl~Lulc and time). Known copper ~vire anrlealers operate by illLIudu~,;llg a large electrical current onto tbe wire causing it to become extremely hot.
This is ~ c . ,,, ,1.l i~l ,. J by applying different electrical voltages to different sheaves ir an annealing oven. The sheaves not only apply an electrical voltage to the drawncopper wire, but also allow it to be in continuous movement. And while such a technique is useful, it is desirable to more precisely control the annealing process in order to c,u~ y and accurately control the ~,vllvu~,LiviLy of copper wire.
Another technique for controlling the armealing process is to construct a very large oven through which the copper wire travels. Oven size may be reduced by the use of an ~rcllmll' such as shown in U.S. Patent 3,163,372 in which strand material is looped around groups of sheaves, each group being mounted on a common axis amd at least two groups are used. Without ill.~ the flow of strand materialat its input, the axes of the groups of sheaves are moved away from each other in order to slow-down or stop the flow of material at the output. And when there is no 0 further need to have zero output, the axes of the groups of sheaves are moved toward each other. Although such an ~r~rllmll~ , frequently referred to as a "dancer"
because of its rhythmic IIIU ~..III~,IIL.~, has been used for many years in the wire and cable industry to facilitate cutover between reels, there are ~LvlLuulL~ associated with its use. For example, because each loop of stored material requires a pair of 1~ sheaves, the volume of material which can be stored is severely limited. Accordingly, the floor space required to store any significant volume of strand material is prohibitive.
It is known to construct a thread-advancing reel by positioning a plurality of individually rotating rollers with their axes slightly out of parallelism in order to advance a thread. One such device is shown in U.S. Patent 2,677,949. Typically, such designs require relatively complex drive systems and, because the rollers are out of r~r:~llPli~m, the outside .,~ lrtl~ ll.,~ changes along the length of the device which causes the strand material to become slack as it progresses. Moreover, the strand material is periodically and continually flexed as it travels around the device. The strand material conforms to the contour of each roller as it passes over it, then it straightens out between rollers, and then it conforms to the contour of the next roller, and so on ~ which may not matter for yarn, but is Illld~ilable for other materials. Yet another drawback associated with this device is that the strand material is continually rotating as it travels along the device. Situations exist whereby it is desirable to inspect and repair strand material as it travels along a device. For example, copper ~vire might not be fully covered with insulating material as it emerges from an extruder, and thus contains bare spots which cause an entire spool to be scrapped.
21 7677~
- Such defects could be found and repaired if the strand material did not kavel around the ,il~u~lc--~,e of the reel as it progressed along the length of the reel.
What is needed, and what seemingly is not available in the art, is an apparatus for storing and delivering a large volume of moving strand material in a relatively 5 small space. Fu~ ulc, this apparatus should be uncnnnr~ f~l allow a controlled~rmlnn~ tinn of material, and be capable of integration into a variety of operations along a, . IA~ I j I r~ Iine that processes elongated strand material.
S of f~
lo The foregoing problems of the prior art have been overcome with a line ju~tRr,-qition. . comprising a moving surface that temporarily stores a layer ofelongated strand material on the moving surface The layer is formed by wrapping the strand material in adjacent convolutions around the surface in a direction which is transverse to the direction which the surface moves. The surface advances the 15 convolutionsofstrandmaterialfromaninputendofthelineillyf~roqiti~n~-rtoan output end thereof without necessarily advancing the convolutions in the transverse direction.
In an illustrative clllbodi~ . ,.,.l of the invention, the surface of the line f~r~qitir~n~r comprises a generally cylindrical drum made from six elongated 20 segments that are attached to a support structure. An end view of each segment comprises a 60 arc so that when all six segments are joined to the support structure, a complete cylinder is formed. The segments are i~ y movable in two directions: (i) p~ ldiuulal to a central axis of the drum (i.e., up and down); and (ii) parallel to the central axis. By controlling these two directions of motion, the exterior ~5 surface can be made to move objects on its surface in a direction which is parallel to the central axis. More specifically, Cl~,L..,...a~ are associated with each drumsegment to impart a cyclic movement in a plane which passes through the central axis so that the drum segment not only moves back-and-forth, it also moves up-and-down.
When the drum segment is in contact with the strand material, it is moving in a 30 direction toward the output end of the drum where strand material in exiting; and when the drum segment is not in contact with the strand material, it is moving in a direction toward the input end of the druun where strand material is entering.
=
- In addition to the movement of the drum segments which cause the strand material to move from one end of the drum to the other, the drum may also be rotated.
Because the line j~ is relatively compact in view of the amount of strand material that can be stored, it can be placed within an oven so that the t~ Ul~ of s the strand material can be precisely controlled. Such precise control is key to improving the annealing process.
ir~f ]~ ~ ~ ' of " ~
The invention and its mode of operation will be more clearly understood from o the following detailed description when read with the appended drawing in which:
FIG. I is a simplified perspective view of a line j..Yt~roiitir nr-r in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the line juxtapositioner showing the locus of a point located on its exterior surface;
FIG. 3 shows a line jllYtslrr)~itir~nr-r comprising a drum and a winder that enables strand material to be received at a variable input speed while delivering same at a constant output speed;
FIG. 4 shows a line jllYt:~ro~itir~nr r comprising a drum and an unwinder that enables strand material to be delivered at a variable output speed while receiving same 20 at a constant input speed;
FIG. S is a detailed perspective view of a line jllYt~rr~ifionr-r comprising a drum, a winder, and an unwinder;
FIG. 6 is a detailed side view of the line j..Yt~rr.~ifirmr-r shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 shows an exploded isometric view of one segment of the drum 25 illustrating the electrical and mrrh~m~ UlLU~LiUII between the exterior surface and its associated mounting plate;
FIG. 8 is a top view of one segment of the drum with the exterior surface and associated mounting plate illL~IuuL--l~,.,t~
FIG. 9 is a side view of the segment shown in FIG. 8 showing its mr-r h~nir ~1 30 attachment to the drum shaft;
FIG. 10 is an end view of FIG. 9 generally showing a cylindrical drum comprising six segments, and ~a~ lally showing an f lf ~ ullla~llrt which moves one of the segments in a vertical direction;
FIG. I r is another end view of FIG. 9 showing the support rod which flexibly 5 couples one of the segments to the mounting plate;
FIG. 12 is yet another end view of FIG. 9 showing the f lf~ ulll~llc~ which moves one of the segments in a direction parallel to the plane of the segment;
FlG. 13 is a prior art tandem wire drawing and insulating line; and FIG. 14 is a tandem v~ire drawing and insulating line using the line 0 jll-rtS~rocitif)nPrC of the present invention.
crription FIG. I is a simplified perspective view of a line juxtapositioner 100 which willbe used to generally describe its key feature; namely, its ability to store a volume of moving strand material 200 thereon while advancing same from one end thereof to the other. The line j ~ shown in FIG. 1 comprises drum 110 supported by drum shaft 150 which enables the drum to rotate about central axis 101-101. The drum 110 itself comprises one or more segments 120 (six are shown here) which are capable of movement apart from the rotation of the drum. And although there are 20 numerous specific ways in which such movement can be achieved, it is preferable to use cyclic ~ llr,ll~ of the one or more segments 120 which form an exterior surfæe ("skin") of the drum. In this example Pmho~limPnt, each segment is ;".l~f . ,~ ly moveable.
The direction of rotation is illustratively shown in the clockwise direction 25 which causes input strand material 201 to be pulled onto the drum and output strand material 202 to exit the drum. Because each rotation of the drum causes the sameamount of material to enter and exit the drum, a constant number of convolution3 of strand material 200 are maintained on the drum. As a practical matter, a winder 310 (see FIG. 3) is used to load the drum and establish a constant volume condition. In 30 subsequent drawings, it will be shown that winders arld unwinders can be used to dynamically increase or decrease the volume of material stored on the drum - thereby providing the line~ t~r~citil~nPr with improved versatility.
21 7677q .
Only a single layer of strand material is stored on the drum so that it can be easily deposited and removed therefrom; nevertheless, a substantial quantity of material can be ~r, ' ' ~ on the drum which is dependent orl its dimensions and the thickness of the strand material. For example, a drum which has a two-foot diameter and is two feet long can theoretically store over 4000 feet of 24 AWG
insulated conductor (667 convolutions of insulated wire whose outside diameter is about 36 mils).
As shown in FIG. 2, the drum segment is energized to move in a clockwise manner (a-b-c-d) which tends to advance strand material 200 from left to right across the drum surface. The apparatus which causes this motion is discussed in connection with FIG. 7-12, but is omitted from this i~ u~u~lul y discussion. The motion of the drum segment, which ultimately advances the strand material, can be best understood by cnnc~ n~ the locus of a point shown on the left-hand side of the segment. In particular, rectangular motion (a-b-c-d) of the point is illustrated. During movement "a," the drum segment moves from its initial location, denoted 120', toward the central axis 101 of the drum (i.e., away from the strand material 200). During movement "b,"
the drum segment moves laterally from right to left while it is nQI in contact with the strand material. At the end of movement "b" the position of the drum segment is in a location denoted 120". During movement "c," the drum segment moves away from the central axis 101 of the drum (i.e., toward the strand material 200). And during movement "d," the drum segment moves laterally from left to right while it is incontact with the strand material - thereby advancing the strand material i~ .llyto the right. At the end of movement "d" the drum segment is in its initial location 120'. The above-described motion of the drum segment is energized by apparatus that resides between the segment and mounting plate 125. The drum segment is m~rhln~ lly linked to mounting plate 12~ which, in turn, is linked to shaft 150 via plate support members 151-154. As the shaft rotates, so too does the drum segment.
FIG.3disclosesalinej~t~rneitinn~r300comprisingadrumllOanda winder 310. T_e line j~ rncitioner receives input strand material 201 at one end of the drum and delivers output strand material 202 at the other end of the drum. Strand material is initially loaded onto the drum by rotating the winder 310 in the direction shown, but not rotating the drum itself. In order to advamce the convolutions of strand . 7 2l7~77~
.
material 200 from one end of the drum to the other (left-to-right in FIG. 3), segments 120-120 are energized in the manner described hereinafter. Once the desired amount of strand material is loaded, the drum is rotated in the direction shown by rotating shaft 150; and assuming that the drum rotation speed is constant, the output speed of 5 the strand material is also constant. In one application, the winder 310 stops rotating after the drum is loaded and the drum begins to rotate. However, in the event that input strand material 201 being received by line j~ .o~ 300 changes speed (perhaps due to variations in production rate), winder 31 0 can ~ r by rotating in the direction shov~n (to a~ ' a speed decrease) or by rotating in a directiono which is opposite the direction shown (to ;~ ~ ., . ". .~ a speed increase). In this mamner, a constant delivery speed of output strand material 202 can be m~int~in~Upstream variations in the f ow of strand material can be completely i . .. "I ,~ lrd (for a limited time) by controlling the rotation speed and direction of winder 310.
FIG. 4 discloses a line j.. ~i l.o~ , . 400 comprising a drum 110 and an unwinder 420. Similar to FIG. 3, the line j~lxt~rr~iti~-nrr receives input strand material 201 at one end of the drum and delivers output strand material 202 at the other end of the drum. FIG. 4 illustrates the situation wherein strand material 201 enters drum 110 at a constant input speed but may be removed at a variable output speed. If, for example, the strand material 201 being delivered to line jllxtz~ro~itir~nf~r 400 changes, and drum rotation needs to speed up, unwinder 420 can ~ , - ' by rotating in the direction shown to maintain the same output delivery speed of strand material 202. Alternatively, unwinder 420 can be rotated in a direction which isopposite the direction shown to increase the output delivery speed of strand material 202. Downstream flow of strand material can be completely regulated (for a limited time) by controlling the rotation speed and direction of unwinder 420.
Reference is now made to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 which show detailed views of line jl.~ 500 comprising a drum 110, a winder assembly S10, and an unwinder assembly 520. Pillars 551-552 include bearings (not shown) that function to supportshaftl40andtofacilitatetherotationofwinderassemblyS10. Similarly, pillars 553-554 include bearings (not shown) which function to support shaft 160 and to facilitate the rotation of unwinder assembly 520. Drum shaft 150 is connected at one end to shaft 140 via internal bearings; and is connected at its other end to the shaft .
160 via internal bearings. Accordingly, each ofthe shafts (140, 150, 160) is capable of i,~ rotation with respect to the other.
Rigidly mounted on shaft 140 are winder pulley (sheave) 531, slip ring assembly 541, and winder assembly 510. When the winder pulley is rotated, the slip ring assembly and the winder assembly are similarly rotated. Shaft 140 includes an axial bore which enables input skand material 201 to be delivered to the winder assembly 510 while the shaft is rotating without twisting the strand material.
Additionally, brush contacts 517 are mounted on pillar 551 in order to deliver electrical power to the slip ring assembly 541 while the drum and/or the winder assembly are rotating. Such electrical power is used by apparatus within the drum 110 to activate the drum segments 120. The slip ring assembly 541 is shown having a plurality of rings so that each drum segment can, for example, be energized c~ ly. A groove along the outside surface of shaft 140 (not shown) is used to route wires from slip ring assembly 541 (mounted on winder shaft 140) to slip ring assembly 542 (mounted on drum shaft 150). These wires terminate in brush contacts 518 that extend into slip ring assembly 542.
Winder Rotat~on Motor 610 is shown mounted between pillars 551-552 in FIG. 6, and is energiæd in order to rotate the winder assembly 510. Attached to the output of motor 610 is a drive pulley 532 which is illLel~,Ullll.~ ,d to pulley 531 via drive belt 171.
When pulley 531 rotates, shaR 140 and winder assembly 510 also rotate. A housing515 surrounds the winder assembly although only its edges are shown in FIG. 5 and 6 to reveal the internal structure. In particular, the winder assembly 510 includes pulleys 511-512 which are mPrhslnir~lly held by the housing 515, and cooperate to deliver strand material to the external surface of the drum 110. Pulley 51 1 is frequently referred to as a strand-payout member. Pulleys 536 and 538 are rigidly mounded on a shaft 513 whose outside surface is covered with a sleeve. One belt 173 connects pulley 535 to pulley 536; and another belt 174 connects pulley 537 to pulley 538. The housing 515 attaches to the sleeve on shaft 513 so that when the winderassembly 510 rotates around the central axis of the line j~ r~ 500, SO too does shaft 513. In ~IG. 6, for example, as pulley 511 moves away from the viewer(i.e., into the page), shaft 513 moves toward the viewer. Such rotation of the winder .
assembly S10 does not impart any rotation to the drum 110. Note that pulleys 533 and 535 are mechanically joined together and attached to shaft 140 via bearings. These pulleys are linked to, and held rigid by, the output of drum drive motor 620 as discussed below.
5 Drt~m Rotation Motor 620 is shown mounted between pillars SS I -552 in FIG. 6, and is energized to rotate the drum 110. Attached to the output of motor 620 is a drivepulley 534 which ultimately rotates drum shaft IS0. This is ~ via mPrh~nir ~ among pulleys S33-538 as discussed herein. Pulleys S33 and lo 534 are linked together via belt 172 so that any rotation of pulley 534 causes pulley 533 to rotate. Pulleys 533 and 535 are mPrh:lnirAIly joined together, but are mounted on shaft 140 via bearings. These pulleys (533, 535) rotate together, but are ~llhst:~nti~lly ;~ of any rotation by shaft 140. Pulleys 535 and 536 are linked together via belt 173 so that any rotation of pulley 535 causes pulley 536 to rotate. It is noted that the winder assembly 510 is precluded from moving at this time because shaft 140 is held rigid by winder drive pulley 531 (i.e., is controlled by motor 610 which drives the winder assembly). Pulleys 538 and 537 are linked together via belt 174, and since pulley 537 is rigidly attached to the drum shaft IS0, any rotation of pulley 538 causes the drum shaft to rotate.
Unwinder Rotation Motor 630 is shown mounted between pillars 553-554 in FIG. 5 and 6, and is energized in order to rotate the unwinder assembly 520. Attached to the output of motor 630 is a drive pulley 544 which is i~ d to pulley 543 via drive belt 175. When pulley 543 rotates, shaft 160 and unwinder assembly 520 also rotate. Ahousing 525 surrounds the umwinder assembly although only its edges are shown inFIG. S and 6 to reveal the internal structure. In particular, the unwinder assembly 520 includes pulleys 521-522 which are mPrh~nir~lly linked to the housing 525, and cooperate to take up strand material from the external surface of the drum 110. Pulley 521 is frequently referred to as a strand-receiving member. The housing 525 attaches to a mass 523 so that when the unwinder assembly 520 rotates around the central axis of the line j~l~t:lrn~itionPr 500, so too does mass 523. In FIG. 6, for example, as pulley 521 moves away from the viewer (i.e., into the page), mass 523 moves toward Io 21 7677~ -- the viewer (i.e., toward the viewer). Mass 523 is used to ~,uul~ dla~ the remaining mass of the unwinder assembly 520 so that the overall center of gravity lies on the axis of rotation. Shaft 160 includes an axial bore which enables output strand material 202 to exit the unwinder assembly 520 while the shaft is rotating.
FIG. 7 shows an exploded isometric view of one segment 120 of the drum illustrating the mrrhRnirRl i~ ll-c~lh~l- between the segment and its associatedmounting plate 125. One mechanical connection is made to the segment 120 via block 742 which, in turn, is mechanically connected to mounting plate 125 via flexible steel rod 745 and blocks 741, 743. Another mechanical connection is made to o the exterior surface 120 via block 752 which, in turn, is m~rh~nirRlly connected to mounting plate 125 via flexible steel rod 755 and blocks 751, 753. The ~1imrnci~n~
and material used in rods 745 and 755 are identical and are designed to allow surface 120 to move with respect to mounting plate 125. Moreover, they are used to change the resonance frequency of the exterior surface 120. For example, the distance between blocks 741 and 743 (and hence the operating length of rod 745) can be changed by rrrrl~itionin~ block 743 at a different location in slots 747. Changes in the operating length of the rod 745 affects the vertical and horizontal resonance frequencies of surface 120.
FIG. 7 also illustrates the electrical i~lLcl.,ollll~,Lion between tne exterior surface 120 and its associated mounting plate 125. T_ree electromagnets 710, 720, 730 are used for moving the surface in two direction3. Horizontal movement (i.e., parallel to drum shaft 150) is controlled by cl~ lul~lcl 720 comprising winding section 720-1 which is mounted on mounting plate 125, and pole portions 720-2, 720-3 which are mounted on segment 120. FIG. 12 shows an end view of clc~ .lc~
720 to further illustrate its partial attachment to segment 120 and mounting plate 125.
Vertical movement (i.e., ~cl~ li ul~ to surface 120) is controlled by clc~, 710 and 730. Electromagnet 710 comprises winding section 710-1 which is mounted to moumting plate 125, and pole portion 710-2 which is mounted to surface 120.
Similarly, cl~ ,...~..ct 730 comprises winding section 730-1 which is mounted onmounting plate 125, and pole portion 730-2 which is mounted on surface 120.
Finally, segment 120 is joined to the drum shaft 150 via plate support members 151-154 (see also FIG. 9).
" 21 7677q - -.
FIG. 8 is a top view of one segment of the drum with the exterior surface 120 and associated mounting plate 125 i l~l~,u~ ,ted. Fl ~ 710 and 730 are electrically powered in parallel with each other in order to move the exterior surface 120 toward the viewer and away from the viewer of FIG. 8. E~ ,LIullla~ t 720 is electrically powered to move the exterior surface 120 to the left and right as viewed in FIG. 8. In particular, winding portion 720-1 of electromagnet 720 is mounted on mounting plate 125, and pole portion 720-2 is mounted on exterior surface 120.
Between these portions are gaps 725 whose widths are du,ulu~ atcly 0.6 millimrtl r~
to allow side-to-side movement. Referring briefly to FIG. 10, winding portion 710-1 o of ~ LIullld~ L 710 is mounted on mounting plate 125, and pole portion 710-2 is mounted on exterior surface 120. Between these portions are gaps 715 whûse widths are alJ,ulu. ly 0.6 millimeters to allûw up-and-down movement. Electrical signals having sinusoidal wave shapes are used to drive the ,Ic~ a~ . The electrical signals used for driving electromagnets 710 and 730 are phase shifted by 90 degrees with respect to the electrical signal used for driving Cl~.,LIullld~ 720. The frequency chosen (illustratively 43 Hz) is selected to take advantage of the mr-rhAnir ~l resonance of the surface 120 in order to minimize power culli,u,lll,Liull. Such mechanical resonance is determined by the mass and shape of the segment 120 together with the manner in which it is mounted onto mounting plate 125. In the example r~ l;",r,.l, each drum segment is about 1.5 meters in length, 0.5 meterswide and I cm thick. Cold-rolled steel is used, and the overall weight of segment 120 is about 50 kilograms. It is understood that different materials and dimensions may be used in the present invention in accordance with cost ~ and a particular application. For example, an aluminum drum surface might reduce overall weight, but ~vould not be a,ul"u~ , in certain ~ (e.g., annealing copper wire) where the L~ alul~s run too high (i.e., 500C- 600C).
FIG. 8 together with FIG. I l illustrate the particular manner in which the exterior surface 120 is mt~rh:mir~lly attached to mounting plate 125. Block 742 attaches to the exterior surface 120 while blocks 741, 743 attach to one end of mounting plate 125. Each mounting apparatus comprises upper and lower portions which, when clamped together, capture a flexible steel rod 745 tll~,.c bc~lw~ which extends through circular openings in each of the mounting apparatus. A similar 12 21 7~779 rlll Il comprising blocks 751-753 and flexible steel rod 755 are positioned at the other end of mounting plate 125. Mounting apparatus 741 and 743 are positioned in slots 746 and 747 respectively so that they can be moved closer together or futther apart to change the mechanical resonance as discussed above.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the segment sho~vn in FIG. 8 showing its mPrh~nirl~l attachment to the drum illrla~LIu~ c . In particular, drum shaft 150 resides on central axis lOI-101, and is joined to four spaced-apart plate supports l51-154 which, in turn, are joined to mounting plate 125 to form the infrastructure of the drum. Not shown, for the sake of clarity, are the other five mounting plates which complete the drum ~0 illrla~ lu~,~UI~.
FIG. 10 is an end view of FIG. 9 generally showing a cylindrical drum comp}ising six segments, and ~alLi~ulrlly showing one of the cl~ u.lla~ L~ 710 which moves segment 120 in the vertical direction. Each of the six segments 120-120 attaches to an identical mounting plate 125. The mounting plates are connected to drum shaft 150 via hexagonal plate support members 151-154 (see also FIG. 9).
APPLICATIONS
The line juxtapositioner of the present invention can be used in a wide variety of ~ The following uses of the line j~ ts~pr~itir~nPr are not exclusive7 and 20 are offered by way of example.
~nnealing FIG. 13 discloses a prior art tandem wire drawing and insulating line that includes a number of stations for processing moving copper wire. A description of a known ,.,-.",r.. 1.,, ',.~ Iine is provided herein, although more details are contained in 25 the book series entitled "abc of the Telephone. " In particular, reference is made to Vol. 5 entitled "Cable, inside and out" by Frank W. Horn; and chapter 4 is specifically inrr,rlnr,rs3tPd by reference. Briefly, station 10 includes a continuous supply of copper wire (e.g., 12 gauge) wrapped around a supply spool 205 which delivers copper wire to the ",~ .-,r~ 1,-, ,,,~ line. As the 12 gauge wire is moved 30 through the wire drawing station 20, its gauge size is reduced (e.g., to 24 gauge) and its grain structure is altered. Such "cold working" increases the number of dislocations through which electrons must travel during the flow of current. As a result, the resistivity of the wire is increased through such cold working and its cullducLivi~y is decreased. Annealing is a process in which the wire is heated to cause recovery, recryctAlli7Atinn, grain growth and, ultimately, increased ductility and ~ull~lu~,LiviLy .
Station 30 illustrates a know annealer which operates by introducing electrical currents onto various portions of the wire causing it to heat up. This is A~
by applying different electrical voltages to different sheaves within the annealer.
These sheaves not only apply an electrical voltage to the reduced-thickness coFper wire, but also allow it to be in continuous movement. For example, pulleys 11 and 12 lo at the input and output of the annealer are grounded, while the other sheaves have different ~Ir.lr~rll.,;,~r~l voltages applied to them. Such voltages differences cause eleckical current to flow in the moving copper wire, thereby heating it. The wire is preheated to about 250C before entering steam chest 15 where it reaches t~ Jcla~ulc~ in excess of 500CC. The steam chest provides an c~vi~u~u,lcllL that keeps the copper wire from discoloring due to oxidation at these I rl ~ rC A water bath at the bottom of steam chest 15 reduces the ~c~ luu~ of the wire before it is exposed to an oxidi_ing CllVilUlllllCllL. A more detailed description of a knownannealer is provided in U.S. Patent 4,818,311. After the wire is annealed, station 40 exkudes a layer of plastic insulation onto the wire, and the insulated wire is then cooled by passing through water krough 50.
Station 60 comprises a capstan which pulls the insulated wire along at a controlled rate. Take-up station 80 includes a spool onto which the insulated wire is wrapped. Because it may be necessary to stop, or slow down, the moving copper wire due to spool Cll~lllgCUVCI~ station 70 is needed to buffer speed variations. Buffer station 70 comprises a "dancer" such as described above and shown in U.S. Patent3,163,372, and an air-wipe device such as shown in U.S. Patent 2,077,949. An airwipe device directs a blast of air onto wet skand material so that it will be dry before being wound onto the take-up spool. Known air-wipe devices are extremely noisy, but have heretofore been necessary. FIG. 14 discloses improvements to the above-described ~.,~."1~. 1ll,;,,~ line by replacing the :u~vcl~liul~al equipment at annealing station 30 with one line jln~t~rocitinnl r 100, and replacing the cull~.,llLiu~
equipment at buffer station 70 with another line j~ tAroCitinnpr 500 .
- In connection with the improved annealing station 30 shown in FIG. 14, due to the very high ~ lu~ which are needed (e.g., 500C), the use of an aluminum surface on the line ju~fArncitinnf r 100 is not appropriate. Instead, Inconel steel is used. And although the line jllxt~rn~itinn~r 100 used in annealing station 30 only shows the drum rotating, it is understood that a winder is typically used to load the drum with strand material. Moreover, drum rotation is not necessary in the annealing application when a winder 510 and an unwinder 520 (see FIG. 5 and ~) are both used.
In connection with the improved buffer station 70 shown in FIG. 14, about one minute's worth of strand material is stored on line jl~xtArncitinn--r 500. This allows o use of a low-speed fan to dry the strand material - which is much quieter and less costly than prior art air-wipe devices. And although the linei~lx~ 500 used in buffer station 70 shows a winder and an unwinder, it is understood that buffering can be A~ cnmrlich/ d with only one of these devices when drum rotation is used.
TwistingSfrand MateYial It is not possible to impart a unidirectional twist onto a pair of wires when only mid-span access is available. Either the take-up spool needs to be twisted as anuntwisted wire-pair is deposited thereon, or a pair of supply spools (each containing a single wire) need to be twisted around each other as wire is exiting. A discussion of these known twisting techniques is presented in the book series entitled "abc of the Telephone." In particular, reference is made to Vol. 5 entitled "Cable, irlside and out" by Frank W. Horn.
Reference is made to FIG. 3 in order to more fully explore the possibility of twisting a pair of wires using the line j~ , of the present invention. When winder 310 installs strand material onto the drum 110, it is noted that one twist per rotation of the winder is imparted onto the strand material. However this only occurs when the volume of material 200 on the drum is increasing or decreasing. For example, assume that incoming strand material 201 comprises a pair of wires, andassume that the drum is rotating in the direction shown. If the winder 310 does not rotate, then no twist will be imparted onto the wires and the volume of wire 200 on the drum will remain constant. If the winder rotates in the same direction as the drum, then a positive twist will be imparted onto the wire pair and the volume of wire on the 1~ 2~ 76779 drum will be decreasing. And if the winder rotates in a direction that is opposite the direction of drum rotation, then a negative twist will be imparted onto the wire pair and the volume of wire on the drum will be increasing.
One twisting technique uses a die (not shown) having a pair of side-by-side 5 pa~:~a~wa~:i. The die is positioned to the left of winder assembly 310 in FIG. 3, and one wire is fed through each ~ai~a~ ay. As the winder assembly rotates, twists will between the die and pulley 312. Eventually, these twists will propagate beyond pulley 312 and onto the drum 110. The purpose of the die is to insure that twists are imparted downstream onto the wires as they are installed on the drum 110 10 rather than upstream.
Twisting is also ~. c. .,.~ 1 by using an unwinder assembly, such as shown in Fl~. 4, in much the same marlner; although, in this situâtion, no die is used because dUV~ lupàæaLiull oftwists is desirable. Note that twisting only occurs when the volume of strand material on the drum 110 is increasing or decreasing.
Owing the large volume of strand material that can be compactly stored on tl1e drum, it is possible to vary this volume by a large amoumt. This allows the linejuxtapositioner to provide a wire pair that is twisted in one direction for a substantial distance and then twisted in the other direction for an equal distance. Such a technique is generally referred to as "S-Z" twisting.
Although particulam,.llbodilll~,llL~ have been shown and described, it is understood that various mo~lifir~til~ns may be made within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. These mntiif~ tinn~ include, but are not limited to, the use of apparatus other than el~, Llullla~ to move the drum surface; the use of fewer or more than six segments on the drum; use of a non-cylindrical drum surface; the use of materials otherthanthosedisclosedinthe~oll~tlu~Liullofalineilnrf~rn~itinn~r;andtheuseofa line j~ ts~rn~itiC~n~r in connection with the movement of materials other than strand materials.
Claims (10)
1. Apparatus 100 for storing strand material 200 comprising:
a surface 120 for supporting a plurality of convolutions of the strand material thereon, the convolutions being parallel to each other and co-planar with the surface in a first direction; and means 720 for moving the surface in a second direction which is co-planar with the surface and perpendicular to said first direction; whereby the strand material is advanced along the surface in the second direction.
a surface 120 for supporting a plurality of convolutions of the strand material thereon, the convolutions being parallel to each other and co-planar with the surface in a first direction; and means 720 for moving the surface in a second direction which is co-planar with the surface and perpendicular to said first direction; whereby the strand material is advanced along the surface in the second direction.
2. The apparatus 100 of claim 1 wherein the surface 110 comprises at least one segment 120 of a hollow cylinder, the segment having a pair of opposite sides that are parallel to each other and parallel to a central axis 101-101 of the hollow cylinder.
3. The apparatus 100 of claim 1 wherein the surface 110 comprises a plurality of segments 120 of a hollow cylinder, each segment having a pair of edges that are parallel to each other and parallel to a central axis 101-101 of the hollow cylinder, at least one of said segments being movable in the second direction.
4. The apparatus 100 of claim 3 wherein the plurality of segments 120 are attached to an equal plurality of mounting plates 125, said plates being attached to a common shaft 150 by plate supports 151-154 in an array such that the segments form a generally cylindrical surface.
5. The apparatus 100 of claim 2 wherein the segment 120 is attached to a mounting plate 125 and is movable with respect to the mounting plate in a third direction, said third direction being perpendicular to the segment; whereby the segment is capable of cyclic movement.
6. The apparatus 100 of claim 5 wherein a plurality of electromagnets 710, 720, 730 are used to move the segment 120 in two directions, each of the electromagnets comprising a first portion 710-1, 720-1, 730-1 which is mounted on the mounting plate 125 and a second portion 710-2, 720-2, 730-2 which is mountedon the segment 120, said first and second portions being separated by an air gap.
7. The apparatus 100 of claim 6 wherein at least one of the electromagnets 720 is positioned to cause movement in the second direction when it is energized, and at least one of the electromagnets 710, 730 is positioned to cause movement in the third direction when it is energized.
8. The apparatus 100 of claim 4 wherein a plurality of mounting plates 125 are affixed to an axial shaft 150 for rotating the hollow cylinder about its central axis 101-101.
9. A method for accumulating a plurality of convolutions of an elongated strand material 200, said method including the steps of:
moving the elongated strand material along a path of travel;
wrapping successive increments of the strand material around a movable surface 110;
advancing the successive increments of the strand material from an input end of the movable surface to an output end thereof by introducing cyclic oscillations onto the surface; and transferring the successive increments of strand material from the output end of the movable surface to a take-up reel 80.
moving the elongated strand material along a path of travel;
wrapping successive increments of the strand material around a movable surface 110;
advancing the successive increments of the strand material from an input end of the movable surface to an output end thereof by introducing cyclic oscillations onto the surface; and transferring the successive increments of strand material from the output end of the movable surface to a take-up reel 80.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the movable surface 110 comprises a generally cylindrical drum which is rotatable about a central axis 101-101.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US49663895A | 1995-06-29 | 1995-06-29 | |
| US496,638 | 1995-06-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2176779A1 true CA2176779A1 (en) | 1996-12-30 |
Family
ID=23973514
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2176779 Abandoned CA2176779A1 (en) | 1995-06-29 | 1996-05-16 | Line juxtapositioner |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2176779A1 (en) |
-
1996
- 1996-05-16 CA CA 2176779 patent/CA2176779A1/en not_active Abandoned
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |