GB2307486A - Bobbin unwinding - Google Patents

Abstract

Yarn 21 is passed over a yarn guide 17 spaced from a bobbin 20 and through a passageway (14) through the interior of the bobbin holder.

Description

FEEDING OF YARN FROM BOBBINS This invention relates to feeding yarn from a bobbin for subsequent use in textile machinery. It is particularly, though not exclusively, suited for use where a yarn is to be pulled a considerable distance through textile machinery, for example at a creel for carpet manufacture.

Common methods of carpet manufacture, for example, axminster weaving, require a plurality of yarns, often of different colours, to be fed through textile machinery. The yarn is processed for use, for example by spinning, cleaning and dying, and is then wound into a bobbin of yarn on a yarn holder for subsequent ease of handling. The yarn holder takes the form of hollow cylinder or cone around which the yarn is wound.

In use, the yarn holder is supported by a post passing through its hollow interior and the yarn is pulled off as required by a textile machine. When all or most of the yarn on a bobbin has been used, the empty bobbin is replaced by a full one so that the textile machine can continue in operation. The bobbin may be arranged to rotate as the yarn is pulled off. Commonly, however, the yarn is pulled from the bobbin in a substantially axial (as opposed to radial) direction such that the bobbin remains stationary but the point at which the yarn leaves the wound bobbin moves around the outside of the bobbin. This arrangement is often used with cone shaped bobbins of yarn.

Avoiding excessive tension on the yarn and excessive friction as the yarn is fed through textile machinery is always an important consideration. This is especially so when the yarn is fed a relatively large distance through the machine.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of feeding a yarn from a bobbin of yarn in which the yarn is passed over a yarn guide spaced from the bobbin and through a passageway passing through the interior of the bobbin.

Preferably, the bobbin is supported on an elongate bobbin holder which passes through the bobbin. The bobbin holder may be the in the form of a post adapted to be attached to a textile machine. It may be partially or wholly of a plastics material and may be formed as a moulding, for example, an injection moulding. The bobbin holder is preferably longer than the axial length of a bobbin it is intended to support.

In this way, when a bobbin is placed on the holder, the holder preferably extends beyond the end of the bobbin.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a bobbin holder comprising an elongate bobbin support having an axially extending passageway therethrough and a yarn guide spaced from the support.

Preferably, the yarn guide is provided as an integral part of or is supported by the bobbin support. The yarn guide may be provided as an insert attached or attachable to the bobbin support. It may be annular in form and preferably has smooth and/or rounded, and/or bevelled and/or chamfered surfaces to facilitate passage of the yarn thereover. It may be provided in a material having a low friction coefficient with respect to yarn and preferably in a material having suitable wear characteristics. One preferred material is a ceramic.

The bobbin may be supported on the bobbin holder by passing the bobbin holder through a yarn holder around which the yarn is wound. The bobbin holder may be tapered or have a tapered portion or portions adapted to engage the yarn holder.

The bobbin may be arranged on the bobbin holder substantially at or towards a base portion of the bobbin holder at one end thereof.

Alternatively, the bobbin may be arranged on the bobbin holder at a position spaced from the base portion such that it is further towards a tip of bobbin holder.

A spacer or other fixing means may be provided to hold the bobbin, or cause it to be held, in a position spaced along the bobbin holder. The spacer may be in the form of a wedge which may be inserted between the bobbin holder and the bobbin or the yarn holder.

The bobbin may be moved along the bobbin holder as yarn is taken off or once a predetermined amount of yarn has been taken off. The diameter of the bobbin decreases in size as yarn is fed off and moving the bobbin closer to the yarn guide when the bobbin size has decreased may facilitate subsequent removal of yarn. This may result from selecting a favourable angle at which the yarn is fed to the yarn guide from the exterior of the bobbin and may be used to ensure tension in and friction on the yarn remains within preferential levels.

The bobbin holder may be provided with an elongate yarn guide to facilitate passage of the yarn therethrough.

The elongate yarn guide may be provided as a tube; it may be of a plastics material and may be flexible. It may terminate in a ferrule, for example a brass ferrule, spaced from the tip of the bobbin holder and arranged within the passageway passing therethrough.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig.l shows a side view of a bobbin holder in accordance with the invention; Fig.2 shows a cross-section of the bobbin holder of Fig.l; Fig.3 shows the bobbin holder with a full bobbin of yarn arranged thereon; Fig.4 shows the bobbin holder with a partially full bobbin of yarn spaced from the base portion.

The bobbin holder 10 shown in the drawings is adapted for use in a creel (not shown) of a machine used in carpet manufacturing. The machine may be a spool setter.

The bobbin holder 10 has a base portion 11, an elongate body portion 12 which provides a bobbin support and a tip 13; it is an injection moulding of a plastics material. A central passageway 14 (shown in Fig.2) passes through the core or the bobbin holder 10.

The base portion 11 is provided with a pair of bolts 15 whose heads are prevented from rotating by contact with the bobbin holder 10. The bolts 15 are used to attach the holder to a frame of a creel (not shown).

The elongate body portion 12 has four fins 16 spaced around its circumference. The fins 16 extend part way down the elongate body portion 12 tapering down from the base portion 11 towards the tip 13.

A yarn guide 17 in the form of an annular ceramic insert is provided at the tip 13.

An elongate yarn guide 18 in the form of a flexible plastic tube with a brass ferrule tip 19 passes from a position towards but spaced from the tip 13, through the passageway 14, out through the base portion 11 and away from the bobbin holder 10.

Fig.3 shows a full bobbin 20 of yarn positioned on the yarn holder 10 for use. The bobbin 20 is wound around a hollow yarn holder (not shown), the inside of which frictionally engages with the exterior of the fins 16 to hold the bobbin 20 in place. The yarn 21 is fed from the outside of the bobbin 20, over the yarn guide 17, through the elongated yarn guide 18 through the passageway 14 passing through the yarn holder 10, through the interior of bobbin 20 and away from the bobbin into the textile machine (not shown) for use.

Fig.4 shows a partially full bobbin 20 of yarn 21 spaced and held part way along the bobbin holder 10.

The bobbin 20 is held in position by means of a tapered wedge 22 held between a pair of fins 16 which frictionally engages the yarn holder (not shown) and the bobbin holder 10.

The wedge 22 may be made of wood. A number of wedges may be provided such that the bobbin 10 may be arranged at one of a plurality of spaced positions along the bobbin holder 10. A single wedge 22 may be used to arrange the bobbin 10 at one of or at least two spaced positions along the bobbin holder, for example, if the wedge 22 is rectangular in cross-section, it may be arranged in one of two ways between the bobbin 20 and the bobbin holder 10.

Claims (28)

1. A method of feeding a yarn from a bobbin of yarn in which the yarn is passed over a yarn guide spaced from the bobbin and through a passageway passing through the interior of the bobbin.

2. A method of feeding a yarn from a bobbin of yarn in accordance with Claim 1, in which the bobbin is supported on an elongate bobbin holder which passes through the bobbin.

3. A method of feeding a yarn from a bobbin of yarn in accordance with Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the bobbin holder is in the form of a post adapted to be removably attached to a textile machine.

4. A method of feeding a yarn form a bobbin of yarn in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 3 in which the bobbin is moved along the bobbin holder as yarn is taken off.

5. A bobbin holder comprising an elongate bobbin support having an axially extending passageway therethrough and a yarn guide spaced from the support.

6. A bobbin holder in accordance with Claim 5 in which the yarn guide is provided as an integral part of the bobbin support.

7. A bobbin holder in accordance with Claim 5 or Claim 6 in which the yarn guide is supported by the bobbin support.

8. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 7 in which the yarn guide is provided as an insert attached or attachable to the bobbin support.

9. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 8 in which the yarn guide is annular in form.

10. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 9 in which the yarn guide has rounded or bevelled or chamfered surface portions over which yarn is intended to pass.

11. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 10 in which the yarn guide comprises a ceramic material.

12. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 11 in which the bobbin holder has a tapered portion adapted to frictionally engage the bobbin.

13. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 12 adapted to have a bobbin arranged on the bobbin holder at or towards a base portion of the bobbin holder at one end thereof.

14. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 13 adapted to have a bobbin arranged on the bobbin holder at a position spaced from the base portion towards a tip of the bobbin holder.

15. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 14 in which a fixing means is provided to facilitate holding of the bobbin at a position spaced along the bobbin holder.

16. A bobbin holder in accordance with Claim 15 in which the fixing means is a spacer.

17. A bobbin holder in accordance with Claim 16 in which the spacer is in the form of a wedge and is inserted between the bobbin holder and the bobbin.

18. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 17 in which the bobbin holder is provided with an elongate yarn guide through at least a portion of its axially extending passageway.

19. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claim 18 in which the elongate yarn guide is provided as a tube.

20. A bobbin holder in accordance with Claim 18 or Claim 19 in which the elongate yarn guide terminates in a ferrule.

21. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 20 in which the bobbin holder is partially or wholly of a plastics material.

22. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 21 in which the bobbin holder is formed as a moulding.

23. A bobbin holder in accordance with any one of Claims 5 to 22 in which the bobbin holder is longer than the axial length of a bobbin that it is intended to support.

24. Yarn feeding apparatus comprising: a) a bobbin holder comprising an elongate bobbin support having an axially extending passage there through and a yarn guide spaced from the support; and b) a bobbin supported on the bobbin holder by fixing means.

25. Yarn feeding apparatus in accordance with Claim 24 in which the fixing means comprises a removable wedge positioned between the bobbin holder and the bobbin.

26. A bobbin holder substantially as described herein with reference to one or more of the accompanying drawings.

27. A method of feeding a yarn from a bobbin of yarn substantially as described herein with reference to one or more of the accompanying drawings.

28. Apparatus for feeding a yarn from a bobbin of yarn substantially as described herein with reference to one or more of the accompanying drawings.