MXPA97006534A - Apparatus and method for constantly rolling a continuous filament on reels, with long internal extremes accesib - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a winding device for continuously winding a continuously advancing filament on reels, each having a cylindrical drum and circular end tabs at each axial end of the drum, which comprises a supporting element for supporting two reels spaced apart to rotate about substantially parallel axes, and to substantially align a set of corresponding tabs of the reels within a region between substantially parallel, substantially separate, reel and cut reference planes which are substantially normal to said axes; guide for alternately guiding the filament towards one of the reels for winding, this guide element including a positioning element for selectively guiding the filament towards the reel reference plane during the transfer of the reel to an empty reel, and for placing at least one portion of the filament in one direction substantially tangential to the periphery of the empty reel flange, just before transferring the reel to the empty reel, while allowing a continuous winding of the filament on the other reel wound, a deflection element located between the reels to momentarily divert the filament which advances from the reference plane of winding to the plane of reference of cut, just before biasing and cutting the filament, while maintaining the filament that advances in said substantially tangential orientation, a cutting element in the plane of reference of cutting, for cutting the filament into said substantially tangential portion, a biasing element for biasing the filament and cutting the filament on the cutting element, and for retaining an upstream end of the filament cut substantially on the periphery of the flange of the empty spool, in an external radial position, while the current end is allowed to low is wound onto the coiled spool, a long end storage element for storing a long end of the filament before winding the empty spool, the long end storage element comprising an element for defining an elongated generally spiral path, configured in the cutting reference plane, and extending gradually from the biasing element at the periphery of the flange, to an intermediate radial position substantially coextensive with the surface of the empty spool drum, the flange of the empty spool drum being formed between the reference planes of winding and cutting provided with a generally radial groove extending substantially from a point at the periphery of the flange just before the position of the biasing element, to the intermediate radial position of the elongated path, whereby , the placing element causes the filament to deposit a section l argo along the elongated path and enters the radial groove to provide a smooth transition of movement of the filament from the elongated path of the cutting reference plane to the empty reel drum in the reel reference plane; of impulse to drive the reels at selected speeds, and to initially drive the empty reel at a first speed when the filament is pulled into the cutting reference plane, and a control element to accelerate the rotation speed of the empty reel from the first speed when the filament is initially deposited along the elongated trajectory, up to a second higher velocity when the filament is removed from the elongated trajectory and applied to the empty reel drum, to compensate at least partially the variable radial distances from the moment the filament is cut and stopped at the edge of the empty reel or, until such time that the filament is initially wound on the empty reel drum, and whereby the filament is subjected to minimal bending stresses and tensile during transfer of the winding of a reel to the ot

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONSTANTLY ROLLING A CONTINUOUS FILAMENT ON REELS, WITH LONG INTERNAL EXTREMES ACCESSIBLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to winding and winding machinery, and more specifically to a winding method and apparatus for continuously winding a continuous filament on reels, with accessible long internal ends. It is conventional for the wire to be drawn from a stretching machine or an extruder, and continuously wound onto a pair of associated spools. See, for example, Patents of the United States of North America Nos. 2,763,442; 3,086,721; 3,368,765 and 4,119,27ß, all of which have been assigned to the Syncro Machine Company of Perth A boy, New Jersey. As will be appreciated, it is undesirable that the wire drawing machine or extruder be deactivated to transfer the wire feed from a full spool to an empty one. Accordingly, elements have been devised to automatically change the wire from a full spool to an empty one, while the wire stretching machine or the extruder remains in operation with minimal alteration. In a variety of rolled wire applications, it is often desirable that both the initial (or internal) and terminal (or external) ends of the full spool wire are easily accessible before unrolling it. This simplifies the testing of rolled reels and "downstream" processes, since the ends can be joined to ensure continuous operation. For this purpose, it is preferred that the inner end of the wire have a previously selected desired length, typically from 0.91 to 3.04 meters, to facilitate this process. Virtually all devices that have so far been proposed to provide a long free inner end on a reel use some variations of a false embobinator core, either a separate auxiliary spool, separate from the main core, or a structure that is built into the lashes of the main winding core. In many of the prior art winding configurations, a false spool adjacent to a main spool is used, and the wire must pass over the eyelashes when the long end is formed. This often results in an instantaneous change in velocity, with a resulting increase in the tension of the wire, as the wire crosses over the flange from one diameter to the other. These changes in tension, and abrupt discontinuities in the movements of the wire, often create elongation and breaking of the wire. Since these deformations and stresses are objectionable to conventional wires or cables, they become intolerable in relation to fiber optic cables, which have characteristic parameters that are particularly sensitive to bending, stretching and other deformations. At relatively high feed speeds of a filament, such as a wire or cable, even a second can represent many meters of movement. Therefore, even small errors, in the time of feeding the wire on the spool spool, can create many meters of unnecessary and unwanted wire on the long end, which has to be cut and disposed of as garbage. For the above-mentioned reels described in the aforementioned patents, the lengths of the internal long ends can be controlled a little better, as the speed of the stretch or extrusion line is reduced during the period in which the ends are produced. long However, this can significantly and adversely affect the productivity of the line, since you should not only consider the time it takes to slow down the furler, but also the time to put the entire line back to your line. normal operating speed. Also known are continuous operation wire spools normally used for winding bare wire.

These reels typically have a generally radial groove on the inner surface of the spool flange. However, this internal slot does not produce a long end. Other reels that are used to produce long ends, run the filament in a generally radial manner along the inner surface of the spool flange. However, this portion of radial filament and the subsequent turns on the spool, press against each other, and the radial portion or the butt turns, or both, are compressed or deformed. This is a particularly serious problem in relation to optical cables or filaments, since their optical properties are very sensitive to geometrical dimensions and configurations. Other drawbacks of the prior art furlers include the fact that they often scrape the wire, particularly when the wire is guided over the spool flanges between the main and the spool spools. Additionally, reels of the type under discussion, typically can not be used, for example, when winding aluminum or hard filament materials.

The movement of these hard filaments on the flange, as suggested above, and the change in wire speed can result in the breaking of the wire. The long ends are used not only to join a previous stretch of cable in a continuous process, but are also used to conduct measurements of the cable on reels rolled, using both ends of the wire or cable. Any damage to this wire, cable or filament, which is reflected by abnormal readings, may require that the entire length of cable be discarded on the reel. The free ends, whether long or short, are therefore critical, and must be safeguarded during the winding operation, particularly if this cable includes optical fibers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a winding apparatus for continuously winding a continuous filament on reels, which does not have the drawbacks inherent in prior art winding apparatuses. It is another object of the present invention to provide a continuous winding apparatus, which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a continuous winding apparatus as in the above objects, which minimizes bending and tensile forces on the filament being wound. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a winding apparatus of the aforementioned type, which is particularly useful, for winding optical fibers and / or fiber optic cables. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a winding apparatus as suggested by the above objects, which protects the ends of the cable from the spool rolled up. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method for winding a continuous filament, with accessible long internal ends, which minimizes bending and / or tensile stresses on the filament being wound. It is still a further object to provide a reel winding apparatus, with accessible long ends, wherein all the reel turns are free from contact with any radial filament that extends along the inner surface of a flange to avoid compression or the deformation of any portion of the filament. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a slotted reel of the type that can be used in connection with the aforementioned apparatus and method. In order to achieve the above objects, as well as others that will become clearer later in the present, a furling apparatus according to the present invention is used to continuously wind a continuous filament on reelseach having a cylindrical drum and circular end tabs at each axial end of the drum. The apparatus comprises a support element for supporting two separate spools for rotating about substantially parallel axes, and for substantially aligning a set of corresponding spools of the spools within a region between a separate, substantially parallel reel reference plane, and a cutting reference plane that are substantially normal to these axes. A guide element is provided to guide the filament towards one of the reels, while the other of the reels is empty, this guide element including a positioning element for selectively guiding the filament towards the reference plane of winding during the transfer of the filament. reel to an empty reel, and to place at least a portion of the filament in one direction, substantially tangential to the periphery of the empty reel flange, just before the reel change to the empty reel, while allowing a continuous winding of the filament on the other rolled reel. A deflection element is provided between the reels to momentarily deflect the filament advancing from said winding, up to the cut reference planes, just before biasing and cutting the filament, while maintaining the filament advancing in the substantially tangential orientation . A cutting element is provided in the cutting reference plane for cutting the filament in the substantially tangential portion. Biasing elements are provided to bias the filament and cut the filament on the cutting element, and to retain an upstream end of the filament cut substantially on the periphery of the flange of the empty spool, in an external radial position, while allowing the end downstream rotate with the other spool rolled up. A long-end storage element is provided for storing a long end before winding the empty spool, this long-end storage element comprising an elongated path configured in the cut reference plane, and extending gradually from the biasing element. at the periphery of the flange to the intermediate radial position substantially coextensive with the surface of the empty spool drum. The empty spool drum flange is formed between the winding and cutting reference planes, provided with a generally radial groove extending substantially from a point on the periphery of the flange, just before the position of the biasing element until the intermediate radial position on the elongated path. In this case, the setting element causes the filament to deposit a long length along the elongated path, and enter the radial slot to provide a smooth transition of the filament movement from the elongated path and the cutting reference plane to the empty reel drum and the reel reference plane. A drive element is provided for driving the reels at selected speeds, and for initially driving the empty reel at a first speed when the filament is pulled into the cutting reference plane. A control element is provided to accelerate the rotation speed of the empty spool from the first speed, as the filament is initially deposited along the elongated path, to a second higher speed, as the filament is removed. from the elongated path, and is applied to the empty reel drum to radial distances, at least partially variable from the moment the filament is cut and stopped at the edge of the empty reel, until the moment when the filament is initially wound on the empty reel drum. In this case, the filament is subjected to a bend and at minimum tensile stresses during the transfer of the winding from one reel to the other. The invention also pertains to the method of continuously winding a filament onto spools, with accessible long internal ends, as suggested, and the reels provided with the radial slots in at least one of the tabs, for the purpose of practicing the method and using the apparatus. , "* BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The aforementioned objects and other features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevated view of a furling apparatus according to the present invention, to provide accessible long internal ends, which shows the apparatus in a condition just prior to the transfer of the winding from the right spool or reel, to the left spool or reel, as seen in the figure. Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, showing the spools in phantom illustration. Figure 2A is a fragmentary top plan view of Figure 2, seen along line 2A-2A, and showing the mounting details for the floating pulley. Figure 3 is an amplified detail of the deflection mechanism located between the two coils, for a momentary deflection of the advancing filament, from a winding reference plane to a filament cutting reference plane, just before transferring the winding from one spool to the other. Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of the portion of the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2, which includes the bobbin support arrow 'for one of the reels or spools, and which illustrates the details of a storage path or track. long end located behind the empty reel to be rolled. Figure 5 is a front elevated view of the reel support arrow and the long end storage track or guide illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 6 is an enlarged detail, in top plan view, of a cylinder for moving a shield to and from a position, which covers at least a portion of the rolled spool to protect the loose outer ends of the filament after it is cut. Figure 7 is a partial, perspective view of one of the reels, shortly after the transfer of the reel to that reel, and which also shows the position of the thrower bolt and of the filament at the time of cutting the filament.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Now referring specifically to the figures, wherein the identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout them, and making reference first to Figure 1, the reference numeral 10 designates in In general, the furling apparatus for continuously winding a continuous filament on reels in accordance with the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes a generally rectangular frame and cover assembly 12, which supports and covers many of the moving components to be described. The frame 12 includes an erect support member 12a, horizontal support members 12b, 12c and vertical support members 12d, as shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these aforementioned support members are merely illustrative, and that other support structures can be used to support the elements or components to be described, with different degrees of advantages. These specific support members used, therefore, are not critical. Referring to Figure 1, a filament F is introduced into the apparatus 10, along the path Pl, through a suitable opening 12 '. The filament F can originate from any suitable source, such as an extruder, an external series of reels or coils, etc. Typically, with the winding machine of the type to be described, it is important that the filament F be advanced at a substantially fixed or constant linear velocity, unless compensating components, such as accumulators, are used in the line supply of the windings. reels. Alterations in this linear velocity can result in alterations of a whole line of machinery (which produces the filament), which would materially reduce the speed and operating efficiency of the global line. Accordingly, it should be understood that the description of apparatus 10, and its operation, is based on the premise that filament F enters the machine at * 12 '. at a substantially constant linear velocity, unless a compensating element, such as an accumulator, is used, as will be discussed more fully below. When the filament F is introduced into the machine 10, it is first deflected by a fixed input pulley, which deflects the filament upwards along the path P2, to a deflection pulley 11b, as can be seen in both Figures. 1 and 2. The purpose of the pulley 11b is to deflect the input filament along a path P3, which is substantially horizontal as seen in Figure 2, although, clearly, the specific orientation of the P3 path is not critical for reasons that will become evident. The pulley 11b is suitably mounted on the support member 12b by means of a clamp 11c and a support arm lid. The filament is directed from the trajectory P3 around a floating sheave lie, which mounts slidable enté for generally horizontal movements along the support member 12b. This can be achieved in any of a number of different ways. An example, which is illustrated in Figures 2 and 2A, includes a pair of opposed slots 11g on each side of the support member 12b. Suitable transverse shafts or arrows are mounted on a sliding clamp, which supports the floating pulley, whose arrows or bolts extend through the slot 11g to allow the floating pulley to move from a forward position A (shown in FIG. solid line) which is closest to the front of the machine 12F, and to a rear position B (shown in line in phantom) that is closest to the rear of the machine 12R. A suitable forcing element is provided to normally force the floating pulley lie to move to position B. This forcing element for forcing the floating rear pulley can consist of any of a number of different known devices, including springs, hydraulic cylinders or tires that are pressurized to desired levels, etc. In the presently preferred embodiment, an air cylinder 11h is mounted inside the support member 12b, which includes a piston rod which engages the sliding mechanism of the floating pulley lie to force the floating pulley to position B, by means of a Air pressure previously established or previously selected applied to the air cylinder. When the tension in the filament is increased, the forces applied on the floating pulley lie the floating pulley towards the front of the machine 12F, against the action of the air cylinder llh to assume a position to the left of the position B, and to move to the leftmost position A in extreme conditions, where these forces exceed a previously determined limit. Accordingly, it will be clear that the floating pulley operates in a typical manner to pick up the looseness of the filament, and maintain substantially uniform stresses therein, as is common in machines of this type. Conveniently, the air cylinder llh is provided with a potentiometer (not shown), which provides a variable resistance when the position of the piston rod is changed to provide a feedback to a control circuit that maintains the tension in the filament. "Once the filament F extends around the floating pulley lie, it exits along the path P4, which is also along an essentially horizontal direction in the central region of the apparatus 10, in proximity to the support member vertical 12a The trajectory P4, the filament F to pass through the pulley lli, which is supported by means of a support clamp llj on a travel screw llk, selectively controlled by a motor of travel llm. The forward pulley lli is configured to receive the filament F as it exits the floating pulley lie. From Figure 2, it will also be clear that the advancing pulley lli can be moved between a position C, closer to the front of the machine 12F (shown in solid line), and a position D closer to the rear of the machine. the 12R machine (shown in phantom line). These movements of the forward pulley lli are controlled by the advance motor llm, which selectively rotates the lead screw llk. The feed pulley lli also pivots with the support clamp llj around the feed screw llk, to accommodate the different feeding angles to both spools on both sides of the feed mechanism, as suggested by the paths P5, P6 (for the left reel) and trajectories P5 *, P6 '(for the right reel) in Figure 1. As best shown in Figures 2 to 4, the apparatus 10 to be used with the R reels (shown in ghost), each of which has a cylindrical drum Rl and circular end tabs R2, R3 at each axial end of the drum Rl. The apparatus 10 is provided with an element for supporting two separate reels to rotate about substantially parallel axes. In Figures 1, 2 and 4, this support is shown including a bearing 14 mounted on the support member; / ertical 12d, which rotatably supports an arrow 16 having a generally horizontal axis AA, and substantially aligning a flange R2 of the supported spool within a region S (Figure 3), which is provided between a reference plane of winding WP and a cutting reference plane CP, which are substantially normal to the axis AA of the supporting shaft 16. Although the specific positions of the rolling and cutting reference planes are not critical, they are conveniently provided on opposite sides of the plates. tabs R2, the cutting reference plane CP being essentially just on the inside of the flange R2, while the cutting reference plane CP is essentially just on the outside of the flange R2. The input pulley, the upper guide pulley 11b and the advancing pulley 1, together form a guiding element for guiding the filament F towards one of the spools R, while the other of the spools is empty. For the purposes of the following description, it will be assumed that the spool R on the right side of Figure 1 is rolled up to a point where a coil transfer to the spool on the left side (ie, the spool) will take place. right is rolled up completely), it being understood that similar structures and steps will be applicable when transferring the winding from the reel on the left side to that of the lac]; > law. The advancing pulley lli, which is part of the guide system for the filament, serves as a positioning member to selectively guide the filament F to the winding reference plane WP at the beginning of the transfer to an empty spool. Therefore, it will be clear that whenever the machine itself detects (or is determined by an operator) that the coiled spool (for example, the spool on the right side of Figure 1 in the example) is sufficiently coiled, an appropriate signal is applied to the feed motor llm to move the feed pulley lli to the rear of the machine 12R, from any position in which it is, to the position of D, to place the filament directed downwards F inside the reference plane of winding WP. In a contemporary manner, a carriage 36 is moved along the support member 12e to the left, to move the transfer pulleys 34a, 34b to their leftmost positions, as shown in the phantom illustration of the Figure 1. Since the transfer pulleys 34a, 34b are also placed inside the wrapping reference plane WP, the movement of the carriage 36 to the leftmost position causes the transfer pulley 34b (on the right side as shown in FIG. see in Figure 1) is coupled with the filament F, until the filament is guided along the trajectory P7 (the trajectory P8 when the transfer is in the opposite direction). In that deviated condition, at least a portion of the filament is in a substantially tangential orientation to the periphery of the flange (at T) of the empty reel (the one on the left side) just before transferring the winding. However, the filament continues to be fed, by means of the transfer pulley 34b, to wind the filament on the other coiled spool (shown to the right in Figure 1). Provided that between the spools R, and mounted on the vertical support member 12a, a biasing member 42 is provided to momentarily deflect the advancing filament F from the winding reference plane WP to the cutting reference plane CP just before the biasing and cutting of the filament, while maintaining the filament that advances in the substantially tangential orientation represented by the trajectory P7. The deflection member can be of any suitable construction, with a presently preferred embodiment of this deflection member 42 illustrated in Figure 3. The deflection member 42 includes upper and lower brackets 42a, 42b mounted on the vertical or erect support member 12a. An L-shaped crank lever 42c is pivotally mounted on the lower clamp 42b by means of the bolt 42i, a piston rod 42d being connected with one end of the crank lever 42c. The rod 42d forms part of an actuator cylinder 42e having its cylindrical housing pivotally connected to the upper clamp 42a by a pivot pin 42f. Connected to the L-shaped crank lever 42c is an elongated bolt 42g which is normally configured to remain behind the winding reference plane WP when the rod 42d is fully extended. Just before cutting the filament and transferring the winding from the right spool to the left spool, as seen in Figure 1, an appropriate signal or pressure is applied to the cylinder 42e, to cause retraction of the rod 42d, and this way pivoting the bolt 42g in a counter-clockwise direction, as suggested by the dotted lines of Figure 3. Accordingly, with the filament F initially in the position F 'in the reference plane of winding WP, the downwardly moving bolt 42g engages the filament in position F ', and forces the filament downward, first to position F "(still shown in the winding reference plane WP). Subsequently, the bolt 42g forces the filament to move outwards and backwards from the winding reference plane WP, and behind the operative positions of the filament F, in the space S, and the cutting reference plane CP. e shows in Figure 3, the filament, at F,,, f is actually deflected backwards, even beyond the storage area or area SZ which is located behind or behind the cutting reference plane CP. Accordingly, it is evident that the bolt 42g is instrumental in capturing the filament F while it is on one side of the flange R2, and to deflect it towards the other side of the flange. The operation of the deflection mechanism 42 will be described further below. Each of the arrows 16 is connected to an engine 18 through a converter or a transmission 20 to drive the reels at selected speeds. The specific nature of the pulses is not critical, and any configuration can be used to drive the reels at selected speeds. In the apparatus 10, the motors 18 are controlled to initially drive an empty spool at a lower first speed, which corresponds substantially to the linear velocity of the periphery of the flange, when the filament is first pulled towards the reference plane of cut. CP, and the cut end is skewed upstream to the periphery of the spool flange (Figure 7). As best shown in Figures 1, 3 and 7, a cutter 38 is positioned proximate the periphery of the reel flange mounted on the left side of the apparatus (at T), while the corresponding cutter assembly 40 is similarly mounted next to the periphery of the reel flange mounted on the right arrow 16. Once the bolt 42g deflects the filament to position F111, it will be evident that the filament will pass just above the cutter assembly 38 and in the path of a biaser 41 ( Figure 3), rotating with the empty spool, and engaging with the filament as the filament extends from the winding reference plane WP, as it exits the transfer pulley 34d, to the position at F '' ' . The biaser 41 holds the filament and forces it to cross the cut edge of the cutter 38, and continues to hold the upstream end of the filament cut sustainsially at the periphery of the empty spool flange (on the left), while it allows the downstream end E2 of the cut filament to continue rolling on the other full spool on the right side of the apparatus. In order to provide the rolled reels with accessible long inner ends, a long-end storage device is provided for storing a long end before winding the empty spool. In the currently preferred embodiment, the long-end storage device is in the form of an elongated path configured in the cutting reference plane CP, which extends gradually from the biaser 41 in the periphery of the R4 tab, to a position intermediate radial that corresponds substantially to the radial dimension of the surface of the empty reel drum Rl. As will be seen from Figure 7, the R2 tab of the empty spool, which is configured between the winding and cutting reference planes WP, CP, is provided with a generally radial groove RS extending substantially from a point about the periphery R4 of the flange just before the position of the biaser 41, to the intermediate radial position Rl on the elongated path. In the currently preferred embodiment, the elongated path comprises a spiral track 32 having an outer end 32a which is positioned proximate to the slot RS of the empty reel, at the time when the empty reel is mounted on its arrow 16, and one end internal 32b which is configured on the other side of the groove RS inside the flange R2, but on the surface of the drum Rl. As shown in Figure 4, the track 32 is mounted on a plate 22 which is secured to the arrow 16 by means, for example, of a weld 24. A support bar 30 extends through the arrow 16 ,. and extends at the upper end (Figures 4 and 5) to a region just beyond the flange R4 of the flange, while the opposite end of the bar 30 terminates substantially at the portion of the spiral track crossing the bar. support 30. The end extending beyond the flange of the flange supports the biaser 41 and is just downstream of the outer end 32a of the track, relative to the direction of rotation of. the clock hands of arrow 16, as seen in Figure 5. The long end storage track 32 is secured, by means of the support bar 30, to the circular plate 22, by means of an annular ring 26, which is secured to the support bar 30, by means of screws 28. The spiral track 32 can be secured to the bar of support 30 in any other conventional manner, such as by welding. It will be appreciated that the long end storage assembly 32 is secured to the arrow 16, and remains in the position shown, ie, in the storage area or area SZ, as shown in Figure 3. When a coil is mounted on an arrow 16, it is rotated in relation to the support bar 30 and the storage track 32, to place the slot RS of the respective flange within the space S, to be configured just downstream of the biaser 41. With the aim of Prevent relative rotation between the spool R and the long end storage assembly 32, conveniently providing a holding device or guard pin 33 mounted on the support bar 30 which rotates with the arrow 16. The guard pin 33 is shows to include a cylindrical housing 33a with a cylindrical pin 33b slidably mounted inside the housing 33a, with a spring 33c extending therebetween, to apply an inclining force on the cylindrical pin 33b towards the flange R2. The flange is provided with an aperture suitably dimensioned therein, radially spaced from the arrow 16 to correspond to the position of the cylindrical pin 33b, such that once the spool is angularly aligned with the long end storage assembly, the cylindrical bolt is forced into the appropriate opening or hole in the flange to secure the flange and prevent relative rotation between the flange and the long end storage assembly. Any other suitable or appropriate element can be used to secure the spool against rotation relative to the arrow 16. A control element CM (Figure 4) is provided to accelerate the rotation speed of the empty spool from a first speed when it is deposited initially the filament on the track 32 (at the outer end 32a) to a second higher speed, when the filament is removed from the track 32b and is applied to the drum Rl, in order to compensate at least partially the differences in the diameters on the flange or periphery R4 of the flange, and on the surface of the drum. For relatively low winding speeds (eg, 300 meters per minute), it is feasible to accelerate the empty reel from about 96 rpm when the filament is first applied to the outer end 32a of the track, up to about 192 rpm when the end filament comes out. inner.32b of the track and applied to the surface of the drum. This acceleration, which roughly doubles the rotation speed of the coil or spool, is possible when the relative radii at the entry and exit points on the spiral track are at a ratio of approximately 2 to 1. This acceleration, which roughly doubles the Speed, is feasible with conventional plastic reels, at relatively low revolutions per minute, as mentioned above, without the use of excessively powerful motors. However, as the rotating speed increases, it may not be possible to properly accelerate the empty reel without using extremely powerful motors, which could not always be justified. Accordingly, for high speed applications (eg, 2,400 meters per minute), it would be impractical to accelerate the empty reel from about 1,214 revolutions per minute to about 2,426 revolutions per minute in one turn of the reel. In these applications, it may be necessary to use an accumulator upstream of the reel, in such a way that any deficiencies in the acceleration can be compensated for by the accumulation of the cable before entering the winder, without altering the substantially constant linear velocity of the cable from the line. Of course, where an accumulator is used, the motor controlling the empty reel must initially be accelerated in a suitable manner to remove the accumulated cable inside the accumulator, until said accumulation has been exhausted. At that time, the motor can be adjusted to maintain the desired speed of the wire spool at the speed that is compatible with the line. With reference to Figures 3 and 4, it will be noted that the spacing S between the winding and cutting reference planes WP and CP substantially corresponds to the axial thickness of the spool flange R2. However, this separation is not critical, and may vary slightly from this thickness without substantially departing from the spirit of the invention. During normal winding operations, the feed pulley lli, in conjunction with the feed motor llm and feed screw llk, reciprocate along the axial width of the reel being wound to uniformly deposit the filament through all the width of the reel, while the reel is being wound. The feed pulley lli can be moved to the transfer position to place the feed filament in the winding reference plane WP, as mentioned above, only when the winding transfer is to be made from a rolled or full spool to an empty reel In connection with this, although the guide system for the filament has been described as a pulley system, it will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art that one or more of these pulleys can be replaced by other equivalent components, such as as ceramic bars or eyelets. The function of most of these pulleys is simply to deflect the cable, and any deflection system with different degrees of advantage can be used. This is particularly true for high-speed winding applications, where significant acceleration of the empty spool must take place, since the inertia of the pulleys can have an adverse effect on the operation of the system. In this case, bars or low friction deflection members can be used instead of pulleys. In the embodiment disclosed, as is evident in Figures 4 and 5, the spiral track 32 has an L-shaped cross-section to form a retaining lip L to retain the filament between the retaining lip and the flange R2 of the latch. Empty reel during the formation of the long end, when the reel makes a revolution between the moment the filament is cut, and the moment when it is applied to the reel drum Rl. Conveniently, the flange of the flange R2 is provided with a smooth entry surface ES (Figure 7), which leads into the radial groove RS, and guides the filament through the radial groove from the plane of CP cut reference back to the winding reference plane WP. Optionally, and in a convenient manner, a protector is further provided to protect the downstream end E2 of the cut filament as it rotates with the full spool, from where the continuous winding has ended. With reference to Figures 2 and 6, the protector consists of a generally cylindrical guard or cover 44, having a diameter substantially corresponding to the ex-ternal diameter of the spools of the spool R2, R3, to receive at least partially an associated reel with a narrow tolerance, and selectively covering at least the flange R2 of the spool and a portion of the barrel of the spool proximate the spool flange, which includes the winding reference plane WP. In this manner, the downstream end E2 of the cut filament only engages the cylindrical shield 44 when the filament is cut to minimize damage to the outer end E2 of the filament wound on the full spool. In Figure 6, an activation element for moving guard 44 from a normal unprotected position, axially spaced from an associated reel R, along the direction of the spool axis, and a protective position only during the period between the moment is illustrated. in which the filament is cut and the rolled reel comes to a halt, from which the transfer of the winding has taken place. These movements of the protector 44 are achieved, in the preferred embodiment, by means of an upper pivot arrow 46 fixedly mounted on the upright support member 12d, and a larger lower pivot arrow 48, both arrows 46 and 48 being fixedly mounted on the erect support member 12d. The shield 44 engages with the pivot arrows 46, 48 by means of articulated upper arms 50 and lower arms 52 pivotally connected with the attached attachment lugs 60, on the shield, as best shown in Figure 1. As indicated in Figure 2, the pivoted or pivoted arms 50 and 52 can move forward or backward, while guard 44 is maintained essentially in a condition coaxial with arrow 16.; In Figure 6 there is illustrated a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, which is used to advance or retract the protector 44 on the reel, and includes an ear 72 that forms part of the frame 12, to which a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 74 is pivotally mounted, which includes a piston arrow or rod 76, the free end of which is pivotally connected at 78 to the ears 80 of the shield 44. It is clear that, when a suitable hydraulic or pneumatic pressure is applied to the cylinder 74, the rod 76 is retracted inwardly. of the cylinder, and the protector 44 is pulled towards the rear part 12R of the housing or frame of the machine 12. As soon as the filament has been cut, and the free end E2 is allowed to collect on the full spool shown, For example, to the right of the apparatus of Figure 1, the protector is advanced from the right forward to cover at least the portion of the reel or reel that covers the winding plane WP, where it has just been The rear free end E2 of the filament is supported and allowed to rotate until the spool 11 on the right side stops rotating. This protector protects the outer free end E2 of the filament to prevent damage to it, and at the same time, prevents the free end E2 from being propelled and injuring personnel in the vicinity of the machine. However, the use of guards or guards for this purpose is well known, and the apparatus and method of the present invention can be used without these guards. Now the method of the invention and the operation of the apparatus will be described. When the filament F enters the machine at 12 ', it can be fed directly to the machine from a source of a continuous filament, or from an accumulator. As indicated, an accumulator may need to be used if the size and weight of the reels and the power of the motor that drives the reels are such that it would be impossible to sufficiently accelerate the empty reel to compensate for the difference in the speeds that would be required during a single turn in which the long end forms along the storage track 32. Once the filament enters the machine 10, it is deflected by a system of guide pulleys lia, llb, lie and lli to direct the filament even a reel that is rolling. Conveniently, the forward pulley lli is controlled by the forward motor llm to distribute the cable evenly over the width of the reel. For the. For purposes of this description, it is assumed that the reel on the right, as seen in Figure 1, has been completely rolled up, and the time has come to transfer the winding to the empty reel on the left. The following sequence of events takes place. The feed pulley lli moves first, from any position on the feed screw 'llk, to the rightmost position D, as seen in Figure 2, to carry the filament F that leaves the feed pulley. to the winding reference plane WP, essentially just inside the inner surface of the flange, R2. Once the filament is in the rewind reference flat WP, the carriage 36 starts to move to the left, as seen in Figure 1, to move the transfer pulley 34b to engage with the filament that is still advancing, to assume the trajectory P7, wherein at least a portion of the filament is substantially tangential to the periphery of the flange R2 of the empty reel (in T), and passes close to the cutter assembly 38.

During this time, the filament continues to advance and coiling on the right spool, although the winding takes place in the winding reference plane WP. As soon as the filament is oriented along the path P7, as indicated in Figure 1, the bias pin 42g is pivoted downwardly around its pivot pin 42i, as is suggested in Figure 3. , and engages with the filament in the winding reference plane WP, and deflects it towards the trajectory of the biaser 41. This places the filament directly in contact with the cutter or cutting edge of the cutter assembly 38, and the bias force to the filament against this cutter to cut the filament while continuing to hold or holding the upstream end of the filament in the biasing assembly. The other end E2 continues to advance, with the full spool still rotating on the right, as seen in Fig. 1, and this free end is preferably protected by the protector or guard 44, which has been pushed for the moment (Fig. full spool by means of the actuator assembly shown in Figure 6, which includes the actuator cylinder 74. As soon as the transfer has been made, a brake is conveniently activated to stop rotation of the full spool as quickly as possible. biased end of the filament on the periphery of the empty reel, it is clear that the rotation of the empty reel, together with the rotation of the spiral storage track 32, causes the filament to wind up around, and accumulate on, the track spiral, during a revolution of the reel As indicated, during this moment, the motor that drives the empty reel is accelerated to compensate for the radial differences in the points and application of the filament from the initial point in the biaser, at the outer end 32a of the spiral track, to the point where the filament is applied to the drum Rl, when it leaves the inner end 32b of the spiral track, it passes through the the RS slot of the reel flange, and is deposited on the surface of the drum. It should be clear that, as soon as the filament is cut, the filament of the bolt 42g is released, and the filament seeks to return from the cutting reference plane CP to the winding reference plane WP, towards which it still continues to guide the filament. filament the advance pulley lli. It is this tendency of the filament to 'go back again from the CP reference plane of reference to the winding reference plane WP, which causes the filament to engage the input surface ES, and to be guided smoothly through the groove RS on the tab, and deposited on the surface of the drum Rl. As soon as the empty reel has made a revolution, and the filament has been deposited on the surface of the drum, again the. { transfer pulleys return to the central position, so that the filament can assume orientations between path 5 (where the reel is still empty), and trajectory 6, when the reel is filled, without interference from the transfer pulleys 34a, 34b. At the same time, the feed motor llm is driven to reciprocate the feed pulley Ili, to reciprocate between the extreme positions, in order to uniformly apply the wire across the full width of the spool. However, since the long end is not introduced radially along the inner surface of the flange, but through the bottom end (BE) of the radial groove RS, all the turns wound on the spool hit the surface Smooth internal of the flange, thus avoiding deformation or compression of the filament, as was common with the long-end winding machinery. It is clear that once the reel on the left has been filled, a similar procedure is applied to transfer the winding from the left reel to the right reel. As it is suggested in Figure 1, the machine 10 can also be used to rewind a filament from one reel to another. In this application, the filament, instead of entering the machine 'along the trajectory Pl, is removed from the spool of the pit (as seen in Figure 1), and is directed towards the pulley at along the path P9. The advancing pulley III subsequently applies the filament uniformly across the width of the spool mounted on the left of the machine. It will be appreciated that the apparatus and method of the present invention allows a continuous winding between a full spool and an empty spool, with minimal alteration of the line. However, it is important that the method and apparatus of the invention also allow the cable to be wound with a minimum of bending, strain and tensile stress or other stresses applied to the cable or filament. This is particularly important in relation to optical fibers or filaments, since the optical properties of these filaments or cables are extremely sensitive to stresses or deformations. Although this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications will be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein, and as defined in the claims. Attached

Claims (22)

1. A furling apparatus for continuously winding a continuously advancing filament on reels, each having a cylindrical drum and circular end flanges at each axial end of the drum, which comprises a supporting element for supporting two separate reels for rotating around axes substantially parallel, and to substantially align a set of corresponding tabs of the reels within a region between separate, substantially parallel, reeling and cutting reference planes, which are substantially normal to said axes; a guiding element for alternately guiding the filament towards one of the reels for winding, this guiding element including a positioning element for selectively guiding the filament towards the reference plane of winding during the transfer of the winding to an empty spool, and for placing at least a portion of the filament in a substantially tangential direction with the periphery of the empty spool flange, just before transferring the spool to the empty spool, while allowing a continuous winding of the filament on the other spool wound; a deflection element located between the spools to momentarily deflect the filament advancing from the reference plane of winding to the reference plane of cut, just before biasing and cutting the filament, while maintaining the filament advancing in said orientation substantially tangential; a cutting element in the cutting reference plane, for cutting the filament in said substantially tangential portion; a sensing element for biasing the filament and cutting the filament on the cutting element, and for retaining an upstream end of the filament, cut substantially at the periphery of the flange of the empty spool, in an external radial position, while allowing that the downstream end be wound on the rolled spool; a long end storage element for storing a long end of the filament before winding the empty spool, the long end storage element comprising an element for defining an elongated generally spiral path, configured in the cut reference plane, and which extends gradually from the biasing element at the periphery of the flange, to an intermediate radial position substantially coextensive with the surface of the empty spool drum, the flange of the spool drum being empty which is formed between the reference planes of winding and provided with a generally radial groove extending substantially from a point at the periphery of the flange just before the position of the biasing element, to the intermediate radial position of the elongated path, whereby the placing element causes the filament deposits a long section along the extended path a and entering the radial groove to provide a smooth transition of movement of the filament from the elongated path of the cutting reference plane, to the empty reel drum in the winding reference plane; an impulse element for driving the reels at selected speeds, and for initially driving the empty reel at a first speed when the filament is pulled. inward from the cut reference plane; and a control element for accelerating the rotation speed of the empty spool from the first speed when the filament is initially deposited along the elongated path, to a second higher speed when the filament is removed from the elongated path and applied to the drum of the empty reel, to compensate at least partially the radial distances varying from the moment in which the filament is cut and stopped at the edge of the empty reel, until the moment in which the filament is initially wound on the empty reel drum, and by means of which the filament is subjected to a minimum of tensions by bending and tensile during the transfer of the winding of one reel to the other.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the spacing between the reference planes of winding and cutting substantially corresponds to the axial thickness of the flanges of the spool.

A furling apparatus, as defined in claim 1, wherein the laying element ines a feed element for reciprocally advancing the axial width of the empty carret being rolled, and for uniformly depositing the filament across the width of the spool while the same is being wound, the advance pulley being able to move to a position to place the advance filament in the reel reference plane, when the transfer of the reel from a rolled reel to an empty reel is going to take place.

4. A furling apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the placing element further comprises two transfer pulleys for deflecting the filament advancing within said plane and for providing the portion of the filament. filament advancing in the substantially tangential orientation with the porilery of the empty spool flange, just before changing or transferring the reel winding, each transfer pole being configured to deflect the advancing filament to the tangential orientation relative to another of the reels that are going to roll.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the two transfer pulleys are mounted on a carriage to have movements within a path within said winding reference plane, the path being generally parallel to a plane that contains the rotation axes of the reels.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the transfer pulleys are rotatably mounted on the carriage, and are separated from one another to normally prevent contact with the advancing filament, when the filament is being wound on a reel in the reel reference plane, this carriage being mounted for movements to the positions for coupling the filament in the reel reference plane by means of one of the transfer pulleys to deflect the filament to the tangential configuration in relation to a reel associated during the transfer of the winding between the reels.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the biasing element comprises a pivotally mounted bolt having a filament diverting end that can be moved along a circular path advancing the reference planes of winding and cutting, and engages with the filament when in said tangential orientation to deflect the filament away from the reference plane of winding and into the cutting reference plane.

A winder apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the diverter ines an element for selectively pivoting the pin just before cutting the filament by the cutting element.

A winder as defined in claim 1, wherein the cutting element comprises a stationary cutting member associated with each spool, and having a cutting edge disposed proximate the periphery of an associated spool flange configured between the reference planes of winding and cutting.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the biasing element is configured to stop the filament to be cut, in a position to engage with the cutting edge, to thereby cut the filament while continuing stopping the end upstream of the filament.

11. A winder as defined in claim 1, wherein the spools of the reels have diameters of approximately twice the diameters of the drums., the control element accelerating the rotation of the empty spool to substantially double the rotating speed of the empty spool during one revolution of the empty spool from the moment the filament is cut and is stopped by the clamping element in the external radial position of the periphery of the flange, until the moment in which the filament is first deposited on the drum of the empty reel in the intermediate radial position.

12. A furling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the storage element comprises a spiral track defining the elongated path.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the spiral track has an L-shaped cross-section to form a retention lip, to retain the filament between the retention lip and the flange of the empty reel during the Long end formation.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the flange of the flange is configured with a smooth entry surface leading into the radial groove guiding the filament through the radial groove, when disposed the filament in the reference plane of cutting, and is forced by said arranger element to move to the reference plane of winding.

A furling apparatus as defined in claim 1, which further comprises a protective element for protecting the downstream end of the cut filament, as it rotates with the reel from where the continuous winding has ended.

16. A furling apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the protective element comprises a cylindrical shield having a diameter substantially corresponding to the diameter of the flanges of the spool to receive at least partially a reel associated with a narrow tolerance, and selectively covering at least one flange of the spool and a portion of an associated spool barrel proximate to the spool flange, and including the winding reference plane, whereby, the downstream end of the filament. cut only engages the cylindrical shield, when the filament is cut, to minimize damage to the outer end of the filament wound on the reel from where the transfer of winding takes place.

17. A winder apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the guard further comprises an actuator for moving the cylindrical guard from an unprotected normal position axially spaced from an associated reel along the axis direction. of the reel, and a protective position only during the period between the moment when the filament is cut and the rolled reel comes to a halt, from which the transfer of the winding has taken place.

18. A winding method for continuously winding a continuous filament on reels, each having a cylindrical drum and circular end tabs at each axial end of the drum, which comprises the steps of supporting two separate reels for pivoting about substantially parallel, and to substantially align a set of corresponding tabs of the reels within a region between the substantially parallel, substantially separate, coil and cutting reference planes, which are substantially normal to said axes; guiding the filament towards one of the spools for winding, while the other of the spools is empty, including selectively guiding the filament towards the winding reference plane during the transfer of the winding to an empty spool, and placing at least a portion of the winding. filament in a substantially tangential direction with the periphery of the empty spool flange, just before changing the winding to the empty spool, while allowing a continuous winding of the filament on the other spool rolled; momentarily deflecting the filament advancing from the winding reference plane to the cutting reference plane, just before biasing and cutting the filament, while maintaining the filament advancing in the substantially tangential direction; cutting the filament in the cut reference plane in said substantially tangential portion; bias the filament and move the filament towards the cutting element to cut and retain an upstream end of the filament cut substantially on the periphery of the flange of the empty spool, in an external radial position, while allowing the downstream end to be Roll over the rolled spool. Storing a long end before winding the empty spool along an elongated path configured in the cutting reference plane, which extends gradually from the bending point at the periphery of the flange, to an intermediate radial position substantially coextensive with the surface of the empty reel drum, the empty spool drum flange being configured between the reel and cut reference planes, and being provided with a generally radial groove extending substantially from a point on the periphery of the flange just before the bias point, to the intermediate radial position on the elongated path, whereby a long section is deposited along the elongated path, and enters the radial groove to provide a smooth movement transition of the filament from the elongated path in the reference plane of cut, until the empty reel drum in the reference plane Rolling; driving the reels at selected speeds, and initially driving the empty reel at a first speed when the filament is pulled into the cutting reference plane; and accelerating the rotation speed of the empty spool from the first speed, when the filament is initially deposited along the elongated path to a second higher speed, when the filament is removed from the elongated path and applied to the reel drum vacuum to at least partially compensate the varying radial distances from the moment the filament is cut and stopped at the edge of the empty reel, until the moment when it is wound, initially the filament on the drum of the empty reel, and whereby, the filament is subjected to a minimum of bending and tensile stresses during the transfer of winding from one reel to the other.

19. A winding method as defined in claim 18, which further comprises the step of protecting the downstream end of the cut filament as it rotates with the spool, from which the continuous winding has ended.

20. A reel for use with a winder for continuously winding a continuous filament on the reel, which comprises a cylindrical drum; circular end tabs at each axial end of the drum, at least one of the end tabs being provided with a substantially radial slot, to allow a filament to be inserted from the outside of the spool on one side of the at least one of the tabs , to the inside of the reel, to wind on the cylindrical drum.

21. A reel as defined in claim 20, wherein each end flange is provided with a radial groove.

22. A spool as defined in claim 20, wherein the at least one of the flanges is provided with a smooth entry surface leading into the radial groove guiding the filament through said radial groove.