GB1347363A - Automatic towel winder - Google Patents

Abstract

1347363 Winding webs STEINER CO LAUSANNE SA 19 April 1971 [25 March 1970] 22781/71 Heading B8R An automatic towel winder comprises a frame supporting a plurality of winding units in staggered relationship (Fig. 1, not shown) and a conveyer assembly for feeding a plurality of towels respectively to the winding units along parallel side-by-side lanes. Winding units.-A constant torque motor 155 drives a hollow mandrel 160 provided with perforations 165. The leading edge of a towel is fed over guides to the mandrel and suction is applied to the perforations 165 whereby the towel is urged against the mandrel to initiate winding thereon (Fig. 10, not shown). When the roll is fully wound an ejector plate 185 is actuated to strip the completed roll from the mandrel, the roll being received by a receptacle 177. In a modification (Figs. 18 and 19, not shown), all the winding units are driven by a single motor associated with two line shafts. Lateral guiding.-Each towel passes over a roller (120) which pivots, under the control of a sensor, to correct for lateral deviations of the towel from a desired path. The sensor comprises a plate (125) which straddles the towel and which is provided with depending wings (128) engageable by the edges of the towel (Figs. 13 and 14, not shown). Control apparatus.-The initiating of winding and the ejection of completed rolls are effected automatically by a control system responsive to detectors which are associated with the feed conveyer assembly and which sense the leading and trailing ends of the respective towels. The detectors each comprise an electric switch having a movable contact in the form of a generally hook-shaped wire extending into the path of the towel (Fig. 10, not shown). Suitable arrangements for the control circuitry are described with reference to Figs. 21 to 23 (not shown).