US1969906A - Tensioning mechanism for winding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 14, 1934. c. SHELDON TENSIONING MECHANISM FOR WINDING APPARATUS Filed July 50, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Affarrzfy Aug. 14, 1934.

| c. SHELDON 1,969,906

TENSIONING MECHANISM FOR WINDING APPARATUS Filed July 30. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @wezzfor 11 ffaryzy Patented Aug. 14, 1934 TENSIONING DIECHANISM FOR WINDING I APPARATUS Leonard Sheldon, Hillsgrove, R. I.

Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,596

8 Claims.

My present invention relates to the winding of elastic threads, and has particular reference to the winding of elastic threads in the manufacture of golf balls and the like.

In the manufacture of golf balls the ball core is positioned between rollers, one of the rollers being positively driven, and another of the rollers being resiliently pressed. against the core, whereby the rotation of the positively driven roller causes the 39 ball core'to .roll and pullelastic thread from a source of supply, thus winding the'elastic thread upon itself to build up the ball.

It has been found difficult to control the tension of the elastic thread during winding, as the speed of rotation of the ball surface changes as the ball builds up, and the speed of feed of the elastic thread changes in a corresponding manner. It is the principal object of my invention to provide a tensioning apparatus for the elastic thread that will maintain a constant tension on the thread regardless of its speed of feed. It has been found desirable to form golf balls with a core of threads wound under one tension, and an outer layer of threads wound under a different tension; 7 this procedure has heretofore required difierent winding machines, and resultant loss of time in changing over. It is therefore a further object of my invention to provide a tensioning apparatus which may be regulated to change the tension on the thread, the change beinggradual or abrupt, as desired, regardless of the speed of feed of the thread. I,

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in View, the invention consists of a novel method of winding, and a novel apparatus for winding, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in. conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly broken away,of a' golf ball winding apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lower portion thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan View, partly insection, of the tensioning mechanism;

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view showing the thread travel through the tensioning device; Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of-a clutch mechanism for a modified construction of tensioning device;

Fig. 6 is an elevation, and Fig. 7 is a section thereof on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6, of a further modified. form of tensioning device; and.

' Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a plan and an iii elevation of a still further modified. form of tensioning device. I Referring to the drawings, theball winding' machine 10 includes a base 11, on which a support standard 12 is mounted to rotatably support a reel 13 of elastic thread orthe like, the reelbeing provided with a central boreor the like to receive a fixed conical bearing 14 and a movable conical bearing 15, in the usual manner. The thread, indicated at 16, is carried through a tensioning mechanism, hereinafter described, and. is wound on a ball core 17, which is rotatably seated on two spaced rollers 18, 19, having arcuate ball re-. ceiving recesses, one of said rollers being positively driven; a third roller 20 of similar formation is rotatably mounted in a support arm 21 which is pivoted to the machine base and is resiliently urged downward by a spring or the'like 22 to bring the roller 20 into contacting engagement with the rotating ball core.

The tensioning mechanism includes spaced grooved pulleys 23, 24 "which are rotatably, mounted on shafts 25, 26, ball bearings being] utilized to reduce friction, the pulleys having hubs 2'7, 28 to'which gears 29, 3O aresecured, these gears being of different diameter, and in mesh.

As will be noted in Fig. 4, the thread 16 is wound 7 around pulley 24,. is led to pulley 23 to wind around in the reverse direction, an veyed to the ball core 17.

It is therefore clear thatjtherotating d is then conball core .pulls the thread as it rolls, thus winding the ferent rotative speed because of their positive gearing, andthe thread is therefore fedjto -the ball core under a constant tension, the, amount of the' tension dependingon the proportionate of gears 29 and 28 are in the proportion of 5to" 1,. the thread will be stretched 1 in 5, and this tension will, be maintained regardless of the changing pull of the ball core as its diameter increases and its speed of rotation changes. I It has been found desirable, in certain constructions, to change the tension so as to obtain a very hard center and a more resilient surface covering. This construction has heretofore necessitated winding the center on one machine, and the outer covering on another; the described tensioning arrangement, however, permits a modification that enables the winding tobe com-j pleted on one machine. 5

5" speeds 'of the gears "I'hus, ifv the,,.per ipheries Thus, see Fig. 5, the tensioning mechanism may be mounted in supports 30 having spaced arms, each pulley shaft 25a being elongated to have two gears 31, 32 rotatably mounted thereon, these gears having clutch members orthe like 33, ,34 to selectively receive a clutch collar 35 which .is keyed to the pulley shaftand which is manually movable by means of a linkage 36 of'standard type to obtain the desired gear. engagement. Since the gears 31, 32 which are operatively con nected to pulley 24a and their corresponding meshing gears which are operatively connected to the other pulley, are of different diameters, the relative speeds of the two 'pulleysmay thus be selectively changed and the tension of the elastic thread made different. a

If it is preferred to run the elastic thread over the pulleys in the same direction, a construction a such as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 maybe used, the pulleys 23b and 2 b having their gears 3'7, 38 operatively connected by an idler gear 39. This construction permits the winding of the elastic thread'in the same direction in the two pulleys.

If a gradual change of tension is desired, a

construction such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 may be used, in which thepulleys 23c and 24c have cone pulleys 40,, 41 mounted on their respective shafts42, 43, a slidable double bevel contact disk 44 being mounted between the cone pulleys to change the tension to any desired value. The contact disk support 45 has a rack bar 47 mounted thereon, which meshes with a gear 48 that is preferably manually rotated by means of a' suitable handle secured to the gear shaft.

1 It is therefore evident that the novel method and the novel construction are simple, are effective, and function regardless of the speed of movement or 'pull .of the elastic threads. More- I over, the tension may be readily changed, as

myinvention, it is'clear that desired changes in.

-. size, in proportion, and in arrangement of the parts, maybe made to suit therequirements or needs of different'installations, within the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. I I I claim i l. A method of winding "speeds at spaced points, and changing the relative speed during the winding.

2. A method of winding golf balls and the like with elastic thread, comprising the steps of rotating the golf ball core to pull the thread and wind the thread thereon, maintaining a desired tension bycausing the thread to move at different speeds atspaced points, and abruptly changing the relative speed during the winding.

3. In a tensioning device for winding machines, spaced pulleys. having, thread receiving grooves, shafts for said pulleys, a plurality of gears on each shaft, and means for selectively meshing the. gears on said shafts to obtain predetermined relative speeds of rotation of said pulleys.

4'. In a tensioning device for winding machines, spaced pulleys having thread receiving grooves,

shafts for said pulleys, and gearing connecting said shafts including spaced friction cones and a movable intermediate roller.

5. In a machine for utilizing elastic threads, meansfor conveying elastic thread from a source of supply to a point of use, means for maintaining theconveyedthread at a uniform tension,

comprising means for regulating the speed of advance of the thread at spaced points so as to obtain different speeds of advance at said points, and means for changingthe ratio of said speeds.

6. In a machine for utilizing elastic threads, means for conveying elastic thread from a source of supply to a point of use, means for maintaining the conveyed thread at a uniform ten'sion, comprising means for regulating the speed of advance of the thread at spaced points so as to obtain different speeds of advance at said points,

and the like, means for rotating a ball core to pull an elastic thread and wind the thread thereon, altensioning device for establishing a definite tension on the thread, said thread passing therethrough, means responsive to the pull of the thread for actuating the tensioning device to apply the definite tension to the thread, and means for varying the tension which is set up j in the thread by the tensioning device, during the winding of the thread. 8; In a machine for manufacturing golf balls and the like, means for rotating a ball core to pull an'elastic thread and wind the thread thereon, a tensioning device for establishing a definite tension on the thread, said thread passingthere through, means responsive to the pull of the H thread for actuating the tensioning device to apply the' definite tension to the thread, and golf balls and 'theflike with elastic'thread, comprising the steps of rotat-j meansfor abruptly varying the tension which isset upin the thread by the tensioning devic during the winding of the thread. I

LEONARD C. SHELDON.

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