GB680762A - Improvements in and relating to textile winding machines - Google Patents

Abstract

680,762. Winding yam. ABBOTT MACHINE CO. April 20, 1949 [May 11, 1948], No. 10458/49. Classes 120(ii) and 120(iii) A yarn &c. winding machine comprises a series of travelling winding units each including a holder adapted to carry a bobbin constituting a yarn &c. supply, during unwinding from such bobbin by the unit, a magazine adapted to deliver bobbins to the holders of the units, means for progressively arranging bobbins of an unarranged mass into a systematic formation in the magazine with the base and tip ends of such bobbins consistently disposed, and means for controlling delivery of the bobbin by the magazine to the holders of the units in accordance with the condition of the supply of yarn &c. to the respective units. From a mixed mass of filled bobbins B contained in a hopper 151, bobbins are fed by an endless conveyer belt 165, running substantially horizontally, the belt being protected from the weight of the mass of bobbins by a shield above it. The belt is driven by a motor 175, the control of which is effected by a pivoted plate 194 forming part of a pit or secondary hopper into which the filled supply bobbins are delivered by the conveyer 165. When the numbers of bobbins in the pit becomes too large the plate 194 swings to break a switch 208 to stop the motor 175. From the pit supply bobbins are lifted, one by one, by a conveyer 181 including endless chains 182 and cross-pieces 184 carrying slats 185. The pit opening is normally closed by a pivoted gate 200 which is swung open by the pressure, of. passing slat 185 to allow a bobbin to be fed upwardly by the conveyer 181 whereon the bobbins are aligned by side plates 215. Surplus or misplaced bobbins are knocked off the conveyer by a swinging plate 210. At the top of the conveyer 181, the bobbins are fed on to two sloping rails 220 which engage, respectively, the tip end and enlarged base portion of the bobbin core so that in running down the' rails 220 the base end gains and the bobbin falls into a magazine funnel 222 base end foremost. The conveyer 181 is driven by a motor 224 connected to the top sprocket 183 and the motor is controlled by switch mechanism so that a further bobbin is delivered to the funnel 222 whenever a bobbin can be recieved by a magazine 225 which supplies filled bobbins to the various winding units as they pass which have need for the replenishment of supply. For the purpose of ascertaining when replenishment is necessary, each winding unit supply is tested by a detecting mechanism 240 comprising two spaced arms which can receive an empty bobbin therebetween. In this event, the feeler mechanism is not pivoted and a ramp engages the empty bobbin and lifts it from its carrying peg 247 and allows it to fall from the winding unit. If, however, the supply bobbin is not exhausted, the wound mass of yarn thereon contacts the feeler mechanism and pivots it to remove the ramp out of the path of the bobbin and so avoid: the removal of the bobbin. At the same time, only units whose bobbin coils have been removed, are in a position to operate the filled bobbin discharge gate at the bottom of the supply magazine 225. This is effected by a pin 300 in a passing unit needing replenishment, contacting a pin 301 carried by a spring-urged strip 303 connected to plates 280 slidably mounted on a rod, the lower end of the shoot being kept in the normal position by a counters-weight 290 but capable of moving in an arcuate path by a winding unit during replenishment. The magazine shoot is of the open-sided kind and is provided with four mechanically interconnected gates 320, 340, 340d, 340b. Upon discharge of the lowest filled bobbin in the shoot through the gate 320, which is pivoted to the plates 280 and operated by the passing winding unit, the gate 320 swings to the closed position and the discharged bobbin is positioned on its winding unit peg 247. When the gate 320 is closed, the gate 340 opens to feed another bobbin to it, and so on with gates 340a, 340b, the absence of a filled bobbin at any gate controlling the unlocking of the next preceding gate or gates. The top gate, in addition to its control by 340a, also carries a mercury switch 370 in the control circuit of the motor 224, so that when the top gate is empty the switch 370 closes to remove a brake 372 from a brake drum 373 and allow the motor 224 to ooerate and feed a bobbin to the gate 340b. The thread end on the newly positioned supply bobbin on the unit peg 247 has now to be connected to the package P of the unit. For this purpose, the peg 247 is provided with a rotatable hub 380 on which the bobbin rests and which can be driven in either direction by flexibly mounted constantly driven friction rollers 285, 286, 387 and 388, whilst a hook 455 is operated to search for and remove the end from the supply package. The bobbin is first driven in the winding direction by the roller 385 while the tip of the bobbin is supported by a guide rod to prevent it from being thrown off the peg. A roller 431a on the winding unit moves a link and lever system 431 to swing the hook 455 against the side of the supply package so that the usual open spiral thereon,will be engaged by the hook which is then moved outwards to separate the end from the package, breaking the attachment of the thread end to the base tail if such has previously happened. At this point, the bobbin is driven in the unwinding direction by the roller 386 so that the free end separated from the package can be sucked into a slotted suction conduit 460 mounted on a suction box 76, guide bars and wires assisting in, the directing of the thread to a knotter 122. At the same time, the thread end on the winding-on package P, which' has been partly unwound by a roller 111, is picked up by a slotted suction tube 108, connected to the suction box 76, and led to the knotter 122, the two ends being then attached together. Each package Pas it approaches the knotting position is in the raised position, having been lifted from the driving roll 40, being lowered on to the winding roll 111 for the knotting operation, after which it is again raised while it traverses the curved end portion of the machine. Also, upon yarn breakage or exhaustion, a package P is automatically raised from the driving roll 40 and in the case of a slub being caught in the catcher of the winding unit, the thread between catcher and supply package is removed by the hook 455 and after knotting to the package thread, the slub portion is removed by cutting or by suction. As an alternative to the hook 455, a combined thread cutting and clamping bill may be provided which clamps the end of thread from the supply package, cuts off the slub and feeds the same to a suction nozzle by which it is removed from the machine, the end from the supply package being then led to the suction conduit 460, as previously described. The third and fourth frictionrolls 387,388 rotate the supply package in a winding direction so that the thread is tightened to assist in directing it to the knotter 122 and in attaching it to the thread from the winding-on package. The knotter 122 is operated by a switch 525 made by a pin on a passing winding unit, the switch energizing a solenoid 522 and actuate the knotter. This latter, one element of which is continuously driven by a motor 509 mav also include means for cutting off the tails of the knot, which are carried away by the suction-box 76. Specifications. 423,422, [Group VII], 459,357, 459,413, 459,414,. 489,433, 389,461, [both in Group VII], 533,483 and 680,790 are referred to.