GB2120287A - Method of and apparatus for preparing spinning cops - Google Patents

Abstract

Cops supplied from a supply station (Z) are sequentially fed to a preparation station (V) and, after preparation has taken place, to a cop magazine (5) of a winding machine. If preparation is not accomplished, the cops are deflected to the supply station and recycled through the preparation station. After further cycles a residue of cops which can only be manually prepared accumulates, the quantity increasing with increasing operating time. Unprepared cops are counted and the ratio of unprepared to prepared or total cops is determined, causing extraction of unprepared cops from the recycling process. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and apparatus for preparing spinning cops This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for preparing spinning cops conveyed from a supply station into a preparation station which is located upstream of a winding machine.

It is known to prepare or finish in a preparation or finishing station, cops which have been rewound in a fully automatic winding machine.

Such winding machines are normally provided with a reservoir in the form of a cop container or magazine in which the prepared cops are stored until they are transferred to the winding station of a winding machine which generally has several winding stations. The preparation of cops is generally understood to include a number of different operations. For present purposes the term "preparation" will be used to mean the seeking or selecting of the cop thread, the securing thereof and its transfer to a thread gripper or a shuttle. As soon as the cop thread is secured by the thread gripper and this fact is confirmed by an associated thread monitoring means, the cop is supplied by means of a pivotable rocker, with the cop thread being supplied by means of the thread gripper, to the cop magazine.If there is no cop thread in the gripper, the rocker is reversed so that the cop is removed into, for example, a container. The removed cops are then either prepared and placed in the cop magazine or are again fed to the preparation station where the preparation of the cops, i.e., the selecting of the thread end and the transfer thereof to the thread gripper, is attempted again.

It will be recognized that, for more fully automatic cop preparation, it is desirable to not merely remove the cops which have not been prepared in the preparation station but to recycle them again into the preparation station. Thus, in the supply station, the new incoming cops and the "recycled" cops are brought together and are conveyed from the supply station to the preparation station where the cops go through the preparation process in the described manner. The reason for the return of the removed cops into the supply station is that a large number of the cops not prepared during the first passage through the preparation station are prepared during the second or, possibly, the third passage. It is therefore desirable to return the unprepared cops to the preparation station again because this leads to a noticeable increase in the total percentage of prepared cops.

However, one cannot overlook the fact that a small proportion of the cops cannot be prepared by machine, even after several passages through the preparation station, because of errors in the cop winding which make it impossible to find and engage the cop thread end. As a result, as unprepared cops are repeatedly recycled while easily prepared cops pass onto the cop magazine of the winding machine, an increasingly large number of cops which cannot be prepared become confined in the cycle from the supply station to the preparation station and back again.

Thus, it becomes necessary to remove them in order to ensure an adequate cop supply to the cop magazine. However, such a state of circumstances, i.e., the increase in the proportion of unpreparable cops, can only be determined, as a rule, at a relatively late stage so that interruptions in the winding operation of the winding machine are unavoidable. Admittedly, cops in this cycle can be manually removed, but this requires supervision and intervention by personnel. It is also conceivable to monitor the cycle of the unprepared cops by corresponding devices and to remove them after, for example, the second cycle, but this would involve the use of very complicated devices.

Accordingly, an aim of the present invention is to provide a method of preparing cops such that the cop cycle of unprepared cops form a preparation station to the supply station and back again is supervised and so that unprepared cops can be removed sufficiently early without requiring the use of complicated, expensive equipment.

The invention provides a method of controlling the preparation of spinning cops from a supply station in an automatic preparation station for delivery to a winding machine where preparation includes locating the cop thread and transferring the thread to a thread gripper and then to the winding machine, the method including sequentially delivering the cops from the supply station to the preparation station wherein automatic preparation is individually attempted on each cop, conveying each prepared cop to the winding machine, normally returning via a return path each unprepared cop to the supply station for redelivery to the preparation station wherein preparation is again attempted, counting the prepared and unprepared cops leaving the preparation station, storing the counts and monitoring the ratio thereof, and automatically diverting a predetermined number of subsequent unprepared cops leaving the preparation station so that they do not follow said return path when the ratio reaches a predetermined value in respect of cops recently passing through the preparation station.

In another aspect, the invention provides apparatus for controlling the preparation and delivery of prepared cops to a winding machine comprising a supply station; a preparation station including means for locating and engaging a thread end on the cop, thereby preparing the cop for delivery to the winding machine; conveyor means for sequentially delivering unprepared cops from said supply station to said preparation station; delivery means for selectively delivering cops from said preparation station to one of said supply station, the winding machine and a rejecting location; means at said preparation station for detecting and counting unprepared cops leaving said preparation station; control means for counting cops at said preparation station and for forming a value representative of the ratio of unprepared cops to total or prepared cops leaving said preparation station; said delivery means being responsive to said control means to deliver unprepared cops leaving said preparation station to said supply station when said ratio is below a predetermined value and to deliver unprepared cops to said rejection location when said ratio is above a predetermined value.

The invention also provides apparatus for controlling the preparation of spinning cops which are supplied at a supply station for preparation in an automatic preparation station for delivery to a winding machine such apparatus including means sequentially to deliver the cops from the supply station to the preparation station, means to show whether cops are prepared or not in the preparation station, means to convey each prepared cop from the preparation station to the winding machine, means normally to return via a return path each unprepared cop to the supply station for redelivery to the preparation station, means for counting the prepared and unprepared cops leaving the preparation station, storing the counts and monitoring the ratio thereof and means automatically to divert a predetermined number of subsequent unprepared cops leaving the preparation station, so that they do not follow said return path, when the ratio reaches a predetermined value in respect of cops recently passing through the preparation station.

With the invention each unprepared cop leaving the preparation station is returned to the supply station and again conveyed to the preparation station until a critical ratio of unprepared to prepared cops amongst recent cops leaving the preparation station is reached. When this occurs, the next unprepared cop or a given number of following cops leaving the preparation station is no longer returned to the supply station but is, instead, removed from the cycle.

The apparatus can include, between the preparation station and the winding machine, a separating station operated by a counting and control unit with a deflector for guiding the cops arriving from the preparation station to one of three discharge lines leading, respectively, to a rejection container and a supply station as well as the winding machine.

In order that the invention can be more clearly understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a schematic side elevation of an apparatus for performing the method of the invention.

The drawing diagrammatically illustrates the supply of randomly aligned cops and their progressive alignment in a supply station followed by the subsequent sequential transfer of the cops to a preparation station with appropriate distribution of the cops thereafter.

The apparatus shown in the drawing has a supply station indicated generally at Z, a preparation station indicated at V which is connected to receive cops from the supply station Z by means of a conveyor system F, illustrated as being an elevating conveyor 4, and a separation station T having a deflector means 10 for distributing the cops to different points.

The supply station Z comprises a reservoir 1 which can be, for example, a cop trolley or truck in which the cops are disposed in a random fashion and further includes a supply mechanism 3 on which the cops 2 arriving from reservoir 1 are aligned in a known manner which does not form part of the present invention and therefore will not be described in detail. The mechanism 3 individually transfers the cops 2 to the conveyor system F. The supply mechanism 3 can be constructed in various different ways and includes advancing and alignment members, commonly vibratory devices.

Cops 2 are individually elevated by elevator 4 to preparation station V which is at a predetermined distance above supply station Z in such a way that cops leaving the preparation station V can pass by gravity either into the supply station Z or into a cop magazine of a winding machine indicated generally at 5, or into a rejection container 6.

In preparation station V is provided a light barrier 7 for counting the cops 2. The light barrier can comprise a conventional optical sensing device of a transmissive or reflective type for detecting the passage of each cop entering the preparation station and supplying a signal to a counting and control unit 9. A further signal is produced by a sensor determining the success of the preparation operation. The signal indicating the location and engagement of the cop thread is delivered by a connecting line 8 to the counting and control unit. Alternatively, this unit indicates the passage of a cop which remains unprepared, i.e., in connection with which the preparation attempt was unsuccessful.The counting and control unit is coupled to movable deflectors 10 in separating station T to connect the chute 11 leading from the preparation station to one of chutes 12, 13 and 14, thereby deflecting prepared cops into cop magazine and winding machine 5 and deflecting unprepared cops either into chute 1 4 for recycling in supply station Z or into rejection container 6. The cops 2 returned by discharge line 14 are delivered into the general vicinity of the supply mechanism or, alternatively, can be delivered to the vicinity of reservoir 1.

The installation shown in the drawing functions as follows. The cops 2 coming from reservoir 1 are individually supplied by elevator 4 to preparation station V where they are counted and checked with regard to their preparation state. If preparation in preparation station V has been successful, deflectors 10 connect supply line 11 to discharge line 12 so that the cops are supplied to cop magazine 5. If unsuccessful preparation is detected, deflectors 10 connect supply line 11 to discharge line 14. The unprepared cop then passes into the cycle at supply station Z. In the same way, all unprepared cops are fed to supply station Z from which they are again delivered sequentially to the preparation station. Some of the cops 2 in the cycle are successfully prepared in the second passage and are fed to cop magazine 5.Only a small proportion of the cops remain in the cycle, namely, those which can only be prepared manually. In order that such cops, whose number increases with increasing operating time, do not uselessly burden the preparation station V and consequently prevent the preparation of other cops, the ratio of unprepared cops to prepared cops of the last n crops passing through preparation station V is determined. If, for example, the number n is selected to be 8, the eight last cops are checked with respect to the preparation state and, if the number of unprepared cops is greater than a predetermined number, such as two or three, a certain number of subsequent unprepared cops are fed into rejection container 6 by appropriate deflection of deflectors 10 instead of into the recycling process by directing them to supply station Z.Thus the cops which can only be prepared manually do not repeatedly circulate and, consequently, unnecessary filling of preparation station V is kept to small proportions.

This manner of monitoring the cops in preparation station V can be realised with relatively simple control means. All of the prepared cops pass into magazine 5 of the winding machine, while the unprepared cops are returned in the cycle to supply station Z. Only if the proportion of unprepared cops is too high do the unprepared cops exceeding the set value pass into ejection container 6.

The simplicity of the above-described apparatus makes it possible for use without any mechanical conversion for a wide range of cop diameters and lengths.

While one advantageous embodiment has been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. A method of controlling the preparation of spinning cops from a supply station in an automatic preparation station for delivery to a winding machine where preparation includes locating the cop thread and transferring the thread to a -thread gripper and then to the winding machine, the method including sequentially delivering the cops from the supply station to the preparation station wherein automatic preparation is individually attempted on each cop, conveying each prepared cop to the winding machine, normally returning via a return path each unprepared cop to the supply station for redelivery to the preparation station wherein preparation is again attempted, counting the prepared and unprepared cops leaving the preparation station, storing the counts and monitoring the ratio thereof, and automatically diverting a predetermined number of subsequent unprepared cops leaving the preparation station so that they do not follow said return path when the ratio reaches a predetermined value in respect of cops recently passing through the preparation station.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of counting and storing includes storing counts of prepared and unprepared cops for the last n cops passing through the preparation station, and wherein the step of removing is continued until the ratio falls below the predetermined value.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the unprepared cops being returned to the supply station are delivered at a random location with unarranged cops to be delivered for the first time.

4. An apparatus for the preparation and delivery of prepared cops to a winding machine comprising a supply station; a preparation station including means for locating and engaging a thread end on the cop, thereby preparing the cop for delivery to the winding machine; conveyor means for sequentially delivering unprepared cops from said supply station to said preparation station; delivery means for selectively delivering cops from said preparation station to one of said supply station, the winding machine and a rejection location; means at said preparation station for detecting and counting unprepared cops leaving said preparation station; control means for counting cops at said preparation station and for forming a value representative of the ratio of unprepared cops to total or prepared cops leaving said preparation station;; said delivery means being responsive to said control means to deliver unprepared cops leaving said preparation station to said supply station when said ratio is below a predetermined value and to deliver unprepared cops to said rejection location when said ratio is above a predetermined value.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said delivery means includes a first chute leading away from said preparation station; second, third and fourth chutes leading from a junction with said first chute to said supply and rejection stations and said winding machine, respectively; and movable deflector means at said junction for guiding cops from said first chute into one of said second, third and fourth chutes.

6. Apparatus for controlling the preparation of spinning cops which are supplied at a supply station for preparation in an automatic preparation station for delivery to a winding machine such apparatus including means sequentially to deliver the cops from the supply station to the preparation station, means to show whether cops are prepared or not in the preparation station, means to convey each prepared cop from the preparation station to the winding machine, means normally to return via a return path each unprepared cop to the supply station for redelivery to the preparation station, means for counting the prepared and unprepared cops leaving the preparation station, storing the counts and monitoring the ratio thereof and means automatically to divert a predetermined number of subsequent unprepared cops leaving the preparation station so that they do not follow said return paths, when the ratio reaches a predetermined value in respect of cops recently passing through the preparation station.

7. A method of controlling the preparation of spinning cops substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

8. Apparatus for the preparation and delivery of prepared cops substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

9. Apparatus for controlling the preparation of spinning cops substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.