522,664. Winding yarns. CLARK, D'A. M. (Abbott Machine Co.). Dec. 20, 1938, No. 37040. [Classes 120 (ii) and 120 (iii)] A yarn - winding machine having a number of winding units each adapted to carry a supply mass of yarn is provided with a corereplenishing mechanism between which and the winding units there is relative movement to replenish the winding cores of the several units in succession, means for displacing wound packages from the winding position in the several units in preparation for the reception of a new core, means for causing the old supply yarn of each unit to be engaged in winding relation to the new core supplied by the core - replenishing mechanism, and means for successively starting the units for winding. As shown each winding unit has a main frame member 40, Fig. 4, carrying the supply mass of yarn 120, and extending between upper and lower rails 11, 12 of the machine and the member 40 is conveyed along the rails and around the machine by an endless chain 14<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 1, passing around sprockets 15, 16 driven from a motor 20. Each unit is driven by an electric motor 52 actuated by connections from brushes 131, 132, 133 carried by a rotatable shaft 135 and pressing against conductor rails 31, 32, 33 which are discontinuous around the right hand end of the machine so that winding on each unit is stopped as it approaches the core-replenishing mechanism 180. The shaft of the motor 52 carries a hollow centre 55, Fig. 13, between which and a revoluble hollow centre 60. the winding core 57 is held; the centre 60 is carried by a bracket 62 on a rod 63 movable in a sleeve 64 and urged by a spring 67 to grasp the lowest core and further The traverse assembly 77 is carried by the usual half-threaded traverse rod 76 actuated by a cam 72 from the motor 52 and the thread guide 105, Fig. 7, carried by an arm 107, pivoted on the yoke 100 between the arms of which the feeler wheel 115 is mounted, the yoke carrying a spring 111 which normally holds the guide in the yarnwinding position. The core-replenishing mechanism 180 includes a pair of inclined rods 184, 185 down which the supply of cores slides until the cores engage arcuate plates 186, 187 connected by a U-shaped strap 189, the lowest core being retained by spring fingers 202 and 203 disposed at each side of the mechanism and re- 'spectively carried by swinging arcuate members 195, 199a. As a unit reaches the right-hand end of the machine, a cam 171, on a post 170 coaxial with the chain-carrying sprocket 16, engages the end 63a of the rod 63 and forces the rod and centre 60 outwards to release the core 57 which drops down an inclined trough 174 on the unit and against an arcuate plate 175 extending around the end of the machine, the core dropping into a receptacle 176 when the trough leaves the plate 175; when 'the centres are in line with the lowest core in the mechanism 180, the end 63a of the rod 63 reaches an abrupt end of the cam 171 and the centre 60 is forced inwards by the spring 67 to grasp the lowest core and further movement of the unit causes the members 195, 199a to swing about their pivots until the core is withdrawn from the spring fingers 202, 203, the members then swinging back to supply a fresh core for the succeeding unit. As the old core is released by the arcuate plate 175, the yarn extending from the core to the thread guide 105 is engaged by serrations 220 on the centre 55 and clamped between the centre and the fresh core, the traverse assembly having been moved back to its initial position and the guide 105 being moved past that position by the engagement of an upturned portion 230 of the traverse assembly with a cam 231 also carried by the post 170; scissor blades mounted on an extension of the cam 171 engage the yarn extending from the released core to the wire 240 on the traverse assembly and a pin on the moving unit engages one blade of the scissors to sever the yarn and the unit again encounters the conductor rails 31, 32, 33 and winding is started. Winding is stopped when a core is full by the traverse assembly engaging an abutment 142 on a rod 141 which is moved, against the action of a spring 143, away from a member 140 projecting from the top of the shaft 135 which is then rotated by a spring to remove the brushes from the conductor rails. If the supply yarn breaks or becomes exhausted, a detector wire 159 drops and allows a rod 151 pivoted on the rod 141 to fall into engagement with one of a series of cams 153 arranged around the machine, the cam forcing the rod 151 outwards and moving the rod 141 to release the shaft 135 and stop winding as before. The brushes are restored into position to engage the conductor rails when the unit has left the mechanism 180 by a cam 271 which engages a crank arm 270 on the lower end of the shaft 135. Should the mechanism 180 fail to supply a fresh core to the centres 55, 60, the rod 63 moves past its normal position for the engagement of a core and engages a pin on the end of a wire in a flexible conduit 213, the other end of the wire carrying a pin 214 which actuates a switch 27 to de-energize the main driving motor 20 and stop movement of the units.