GB2184465A - Wire skeining apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus includes a shuttle 3 and a wire feed path extending between a ceramic eye 1 and a hooked pin 15. The shuttle is orbited in an elongate path (chain 7, Figure 2) to multiplex wire about pin 15 and removable pin 17. To twist the multiplexed wire, pin 15 is rotated by hollow rotor 22 of electric motor 23. The wire and skein are drawn through the rotor. The motor 23 itself is provided with electrical components to enable the rotor to be correctly orientated during rest periods and hence correctly orient the pin 15. The motor may be hydraulic or pneumatic. The twisted skein may form a thick, connectible portion at the end of wire wound on an electrical coil. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Skeining apparatus The present invention relates to skeining apparatus forskeiningwire,forexamplefortheendsofa length of wire wound into an electrical coil.

One such apparatus is described in GB-2049748-A.

In that apparatus wire is multiplexed between two pins by a shuttle which is reciprocated by a chain driven by an electric motor. One of the pins, the front pin, is rotated to twistthe multiplexed wire into a skein. G B-2049748-A uses an AC motor coupled to a positioning device to rotate the front pin. The motor rotates the pin via a pulley and belt system and then positions the orienting pin afterthe AC motors switched off.

This necessitates a considerable numberof moving parts.

According to the invention there is provided a skeining apparatus having a pair of pins, meansfor multiplexing a wire on the pins and a motorfor rotating one ofthe pins to twist the multiplexed wire to form a skein, in which the one pin is coupled to the end of a hollow rotor of the motor arranged to allow the wire to be fed pastthe one pin and through the motor.

The motor is preferably an electric motor but other motors may be used.

The motor may be permanent magnet DC motor having two slip rings connected to opposing rotor windings thereof and respective two brushes forthe slip ringsforconnection to a DC supply arranged so that the rotor can be arrested at or rotated from rest to a chosen orientation with respect to the field magnets of the motor.

In use, the skeining apparatus is usually mounted between a wire supply and a coil winding machine, the wire passing through the apparatus past the pins and a length ofthe wire being skeined on the pins at the beginning and end of a coil winding operation.

Preferablythe rotated pin is atthedownstream end ofthe skeining apparatus, and the aperture through the rotor shaft being sufficiently large to allowaskeintopasstherethrough.

Itwill be notedthatwith such an arrangementa compact apparatus can be provided with much fewer moving parts. The shaft or rotor can be arrested at or oriented after stopping, to orientthe pin, correctlyforeach rest period ofthe pin as required to carry out the skeining operations. This is achieved by applying a voltage to the rotorcoils when requiredviatheslipringsasthemotorslows down orafterthe motor has come to rest.

At the end of a skeining operation a shuttle which is reciprocated to multiplex wire on the pins is broughtto a halt away from the pins. It is desirableto stop the shuttle in a substantially constant position and a similar motor, that is incorporating positioning slip ring and brushes as above, can be used to drive the shuttle. The shuttle is preferably reciprocated by means of a closed loop belt or chain which is driven by an electric motor viva a sprocket or pulley in engagement with the belt, wherein the effective length ofthe belt is an integral multiple ofthe effective circumference ofthe sprocket or pulley.

In thiswaythe motor may be braked withthe shuttle in an approximate position within a range equal to the effective circumference of the sprocket or pulley, and a motor as described above with the additional pairofslip rings used to position the shuttle precisely, or a separate clutched motor coupled to the shuttle drive shaft used if preferred.

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a skeining apparatus according to the invention.

In the drawings: Figure lisa side elevation, partly in section, ofthe skeining apparatus; Figure2is a plan viewofthe apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1, partly cut-away; and Figure 4is a schematic diagram of electrical components of a DC motorforthe skeining apparatus.

Turning now to the drawings, there is shown a skeining apparatus for skeining a wire during its progress between a storage reel which would beto the right of Figures 1 and 2 as illustrated, and a coil winding machine which would be situated to the left ofthe skeining apparatus as illustrated.

During actual coil winding, i.e. when no skeining is taking place, the wirewould pass in through a ceramic eye 1 through a guide eye 2 mounted on a shuttle member 3 which would be stationary during this part ofthe procedure, and subsequently out to the coil winding machine. The shuttle member3 is in the form of a slide memberwhich runs between rails 5. The guide eye 2 is mounted on a support which is solid with a link member 6 pivotally connected to the slide member and to an endless chain 7 which runs between a pair of chain wheels 8 and 9.

The chain wheel 8 is driven by a DC motor 10 and the chain wheel 9 is an idler. It will be seen that when the motor 10 is running,theshuttle member reciprocates on the rails 5 and the eyes 2followa closed loop path. The chain carries a marker member 12 which co-operates with a proximity switch 13 so that when the proximity switch isenergised,the arrival ofthe marker member 12 operates to stopthe chain-drivewiththeshuttlein an approximate position. A hollow rotor member 14 is provided with a backwardly turned pin 1 to forum a hookwhich is within the closed loop path followed by the wire as the eye 2 follows its closed loop path. The hook 15 thus engages the wire each time the shuttle is at its end of the device.Opposite the hook member formed by the pin 15, is a pin 17which also normally projects within the closed loop path so that as the shuttle reciprocates the wire is wound round the hooks 15 and 17, and thereby multiplexed. The pin 17 is mounted on a plate 18which is pivotable about an axis 19 underthe action of a solenoid 20.Thewhole assembly carrying the pin 17 is also longitudinally adjustable so that the length of the skein may be varied as required within the limits imposed by the length ofthe closed loop path executed by the eye 2.

The pin 17 projects through a plate which acts to strip the formed skein off the pins when these latter are retracted.

The effective circumference ofthe chain wheel 8 is a whole fraction of the length of the chain 7. Motor 10 carries atthe distal end of its drive shaft a positioner 25 which, afterthe motor is stopped, is energised to bring the shaftto a predetermined orientation. In this way, if the shuttle is stopped by the motor in an approximate position the shaft may be oriented to bring the shuttle accurately to a predetermined desired position.

To twist the multiplexed wire, the member 14 carrying thefront pin 15 is rotatable. The member 14 is hollow and is mounted on and coaxial with a rotatable rotor shaft 22 of a permanent magnet DC motor 23. The motor itself is mounted fast on a housing 24 ofthe skeining apparatus. The shaft 22 being hollow allows a strand of wire and a skein to pass down through the member 14 and the shaft 22 during the sequenced operation of the skeining apparatus.

The member 14 and so the shaft 22 mustbe positioned between each skeining forming or twisting run and the motor 23 is especially designed to provide a desired positioning function. As seen in Figure 4, the motor has a generally convential commutator40 and motor brushes 41 provided for normal running ofthe motor. When the DC supply is removed from the brushes 41 the motorwill cometo rest. Application of power to additional brushes 42, in rubbing contact with respective slip rings 43 and 44, will cause the hollow shaft 22 to come to rest in a chosen particular oritentation orto turn to that orientation from rest, as the case may be.The relative position ofthe electrical connection ofthe slip rings to rotor coils, which cause opposing currents to flow in respective of the rotorwindings, orthe mechanical coupling between the member 14 and the shaft may be adjusted, where required, to ensure that the hook of the pin 15 stops each time in the correct orientation.

The motor is described as a DC electric motor but could be some other forum of electrical motor or a hydraulic or pneumatic motor if preferred. The arrangement of having the hollow rotor or drive shaft of the motor directly connected to the hook 15 and offeeding wire and the formed skein along that rotor or shaft enables a simplified and compact arrangementto be provided.

It will be noted that the hook may be actually formed on the end ofthe rotorordirectlycoupled thereto, as will be more usual, by a mechanical coupling or adhesive as preferred.

Claims (5)

1. Askeining apparatus having a pair of pins, means for multiplexing a wire on the pins and a motor four rotating one ofthe pins to twistthe multiplexwire to form a skein, in which the one pin is coupledtotheend of a hollow rotor ofthe motor arranged to aliowthewireto befed pastthe one pin and through the rotor.

2. A skeining apparatus according to claim 1 in which the motor is an electric motor.

3. A skeining apparatus according to claim 2 in which the motor is a permanent magnet DC motor having two slip rings connected to opposing rotor windings thereof and respective two brushes for the slip rings for connection to a DC supply arranged so that the rotor can be arrested at or rotated from rest to a chosen orientation with respect to the field magnets of the motor.

4. A skeining apparatus according to anyone of claims 1 to 3 including a shuttle and a positioner motorforthe shuttle, the positioning motor comprising a permanent magnet DC motor having two slip rings connected to opposing rotorwindings thereof and respective two brushes forthe slip rings for connection to a DC supply arranged so thatthe rotor can be arrested at or rotated from rest to a chosen orientation with respect to the field magnets ofthe motor.

5. A skeining apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.