US20120273602A1 - Winding Device - Google Patents
Winding Device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20120273602A1 US20120273602A1 US13/096,257 US201113096257A US2012273602A1 US 20120273602 A1 US20120273602 A1 US 20120273602A1 US 201113096257 A US201113096257 A US 201113096257A US 2012273602 A1 US2012273602 A1 US 2012273602A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- shaft
- web
- core
- sleeve
- gripping members
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H75/00—Storing webs, tapes, or filamentary material, e.g. on reels
- B65H75/02—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks
- B65H75/18—Constructional details
- B65H75/24—Constructional details adjustable in configuration, e.g. expansible
- B65H75/242—Expansible spindles, mandrels or chucks, e.g. for securing or releasing cores, holders or packages
- B65H75/246—Expansible spindles, mandrels or chucks, e.g. for securing or releasing cores, holders or packages expansion caused by relative rotation around the supporting spindle or core axis
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H18/00—Winding webs
- B65H18/08—Web-winding mechanisms
- B65H18/10—Mechanisms in which power is applied to web-roll spindle
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H19/00—Changing the web roll
- B65H19/22—Changing the web roll in winding mechanisms or in connection with winding operations
- B65H19/2207—Changing the web roll in winding mechanisms or in connection with winding operations the web roll being driven by a winding mechanism of the centre or core drive type
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2403/00—Power transmission; Driving means
- B65H2403/70—Clutches; Couplings
- B65H2403/72—Clutches, brakes, e.g. one-way clutch +F204
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a winding device for winding a web of material onto a core and, more particularly, to an improved winding device for webs comprising inflated cushioning material.
- inflated cushioning material Various machines for forming inflated cushioning material are known, which produce inflated cushioning from a web of un-inflated material by inflating and sealing closed gas-containing chambers within the material.
- Such cushioning is used to package items, by wrapping the items in the cushions and placing the wrapped items in a shipping carton, or simply placing one or more inflated cushions inside of a shipping carton along with an item to be shipped.
- the cushions protect the packaged item by absorbing impacts that may otherwise be fully transmitted to the packaged item during transit, and also restrict movement of the packaged item within the carton to further reduce the likelihood of damage to the item.
- the end-user can inflate and use as desired, without having to store large volumes of pre-inflated cushioning material.
- a winding device comprising a spool, the spool comprising:
- a sleeve rotatably coupled to the shaft such that the sleeve and the shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another, the sleeve enclosing at least a portion of the shaft and adapted to receive thereon a core, onto which a web of material may be wound;
- one or more gripping members which are adapted to engage the core upon relative rotation of the shaft in a first direction, whereby the core rotates with the shaft to allow the web to be wound onto the core, the gripping members being further adapted to disengage the core upon relative rotation of the shaft in a second direction, whereby the core may be removed from the sleeve.
- a further aspect of the invention is directed to a winding device comprising a spool, said spool comprising:
- a sleeve rotatably coupled to the shaft such that the sleeve and the shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another, the sleeve enclosing at least a portion of the shaft and adapted to receive thereon a web of material such that the web may be wound onto the sleeve;
- one or more gripping members which are adapted to engage the web upon relative rotation of the shaft in a first direction, whereby the web rotates with the shaft and is thereby wound into a roll on the sleeve, the gripping members being further adapted to disengage the web upon relative rotation of the shaft in a second direction, whereby the roll may be removed from the sleeve.
- Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to a winding device, comprising:
- a spool adapted to receive thereon a core, onto which a web of material may be wound, the web being supplied to the spool at a predetermined speed;
- a drive mechanism coupled to the spool to drive the rotation thereof at a predetermined rotational speed
- a sensor which monitors the rotational speed of the spool and generates a signal indicative of the rotational speed
- a controller in communication with the sensor to receive the signal as a first input, the controller also receiving, as a second input, an indication of the speed at which the web is supplied to the spool, wherein, the controller calculates a diameter of the web as it is wound onto the core.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system having an inflation/sealing apparatus that produces a web of inflated cushioning material, and a winding device in accordance with the present invention for winding the web onto a core;
- FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the winding device shown in FIG. 1 , featuring a spool and a core that may be received on the spool;
- FIG. 3 is a partially-exploded perspective view of the spool shown in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the spool shown in FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 5 is a frontal, elevational view of the spool, showing the gripping members of the spool moving from a disengagement position to an engagement position;
- FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 , except taken along lines 6 - 6 in FIG. 4 to show the gripping members in the engagement position;
- FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6 , except showing the gripping members moving from the engagement position to the disengagement position;
- FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a control system for the winding device.
- FIG. 9 is a plan view of the inflated cushioning material as shown in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for inflating, sealing, and winding a web 12 of material into a roll 14 .
- Roll 14 is shown in phantom for clarity.
- System 10 generally includes an inflation and sealing apparatus 16 and a winding device 18 .
- the inflation/sealing apparatus 16 may be any suitable device for producing a web, e.g., of inflated cushioning material, as described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,476 or in U.S. Publication No. US 2010-0251665 A1, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference thereto.
- the web 12 produced by apparatus 16 may be an inflated cushioning material 20 .
- Inflated cushioning material 20 may be formed from two superposed film sheets 19 , and may include rows of inflated chambers 22 , wherein each of the chambers 22 has at least one change in width over their length, e.g., with two inflatable sections of relatively large width 24 connected by relatively narrow inflatable passageways 26 . As shown, the large sections 24 may be substantially spherical or hemispherical in shape, e.g., resembling bubbles or the like. Cushioning material 20 may further include inflation ports 28 located at a proximal end of each chamber 22 , with the inflation ports being formed by intermittent seals 30 between the sheets 19 .
- apparatus 16 continuously forms a seal line 31 at the corresponding inflation port 28 to enclose the inflation gas within each chamber.
- un-inflated web 32 may be supplied to the inflation/sealing apparatus 16 in the form of a roll 34 , which is then conveyed through the apparatus via suitable drive rollers or the like, wherein the chambers 22 are sequentially and continuously inflated and sealed closed, to produce the inflated cushioning material 20 as shown in FIG. 9 .
- the present invention is not limited to inflatable webs of the type as described above, but may be used with any web that can be wound onto a core, e.g., thermoplastic film, paper, etc.
- Winding device 18 may include a base 36 , a stanchion 38 , and a spool 40 , extending in cantilevered fashion from stanchion 38 .
- a drive mechanism e.g., a motor (not shown)
- suitable mechanical linkage not shown
- an on/off switch 42 for the motor may be provided, e.g., on stanchion 38 (see FIG. 2 ).
- spool 40 may include a shaft 44 , a sleeve 46 , and one or more gripping members 48 .
- gripping members 48 are included in spool 40 .
- sleeve 46 is rotatably coupled to shaft 44 , such that the sleeve and shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another.
- sleeve 46 encloses at least a portion of the shaft 44 , and is adapted to receive thereon a core 50 , onto which web 12 , e.g., comprising inflated cushioning material 20 , may be wound (see also FIG. 1 ).
- shaft 44 may be coupled to sleeve 46 via a rotary mounting bracket 52 .
- a sleeve extension member 53 may be affixed to spool 40 , e.g., at rotary mounting bracket 52 .
- Such extension member 53 may be included as necessary to accommodate the length of core 50 , e.g., such that the resultant sleeve-length of the spool 40 may approximate that of the core 50 .
- cores of various lengths, corresponding to webs 12 of various widths may be accommodated by winding device 18 .
- the extension member 53 may further include an end-cap 55 , which may have a rounded outer surface in order to facilitate the placement of a core 50 on sleeve 46 , as extended by member 53 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
- sleeve 46 is rotatably coupled to shaft 44 , such that the sleeve and shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another.
- gripping members 48 are adapted to engage a core 50 received on sleeve 46 , upon relative rotation of shaft 44 in a first direction.
- FIGS. 5-6 illustrate these features.
- a core 50 shown in phantom
- FIGS. 5-6 illustrate these features.
- a core 50 shown in phantom
- FIG. 5-6 illustrate a sequence of events by which the gripping members 48 engage the core upon relative rotation of shaft 44 in first direction 54 , whereby the core 50 rotates with shaft 44 , i.e., also in first direction 54 , to allow the web 12 to be wound onto the core, e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 .
- gripping members 48 are further adapted to disengage the core 50 upon relative rotation of shaft 44 in a second direction 56 , whereby the core 50 may be removed from sleeve 46 , e.g., when roll 14 of web 12 has reached a desired size.
- Gripping members 48 are adapted, i.e., structured and arranged, to both engage and disengage the core, based on the coupled relationship between the shaft 44 and sleeve 46 , wherein the shaft and sleeve are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another. In some embodiments, this may be achieved when shaft 44 is rotatably mounted in rotary mounting bracket 52 , and the bracket 52 is affixed to sleeve 46 , e.g., via fasteners 58 ( FIGS. 3-4 ). Fasteners 58 may be in the form of screws (as illustrated), welded joints, etc.
- Shaft 44 may include a bushing 60 or the like to facilitate rotational movement of the shaft against the bracket 52 , e.g., against an inner surface of the bracket as illustrated.
- the gripping members 48 may be attached to shaft 44 , e.g., at the distal end 62 thereof.
- distal end 62 of shaft 44 is relatively wide to accommodate four (4) gripping members 48 , and is in the form of a platform, which is affixed to an end region 64 of shaft 44 .
- Other arrangements are, of course, also possible, such as a widened distal end 62 being integral with shaft 44 ; the distal end 62 not being widened, e.g., the same diameter as the rest of shaft 44 ; a greater or lesser number of gripping members 48 ; etc.
- the gripping members 48 may have a proximal end 67 and a distal end 68 , wherein the proximal end 67 is attached to shaft 44 , e.g., at the distal end 62 thereof.
- the attachment of the gripping members 48 to shaft 44 may be a pivotal attachment, i.e., such that the gripping members 48 are pivotally attached at proximal end 67 to the shaft, e.g., via pivotal fasteners 69 .
- a part, e.g., distal end 68 , of each gripping member 48 may move in the direction of arrow 66 ( FIG. 5 ) away from shaft 44 and into an engagement position ( FIG. 6 ), in which the gripping members engage the core 50 , when shaft 44 rotates in first direction 54 .
- Such movement 66 may generally be a rotation-to-translation type of movement, as will be described in further detail below, as produced by the rotation of shaft 44 in first direction 54 , and facilitated by the pivotal attachment of gripping members 48 to shaft 44 .
- the part, e.g., distal end 68 , of the gripping members 48 that are in the engagement position of FIG. 6 may also move in the direction of arrow 70 towards the shaft 44 and into a disengagement position, in which the gripping members disengage the core 50 , when the shaft 44 rotates in second direction 56 .
- rotary mounting bracket 52 may include one or more guide slots 72 .
- each of the gripping members 48 may include a guide pin 74 , which is movable within a corresponding one of the guide slots 72 .
- the guide slots and guide pins cooperate to facilitate movement of the gripping members 48 into the engagement position shown in FIG. 6 , and also the return movement of the gripping members into the disengagement position shown in FIG. 7 .
- slots 72 provide a substantially linear path, and are positioned at an angle relative to a radial direction extending from the center of shaft 44 and outwards towards sleeve 46 .
- the gripping members 48 are pivotally attached at their proximal end 67 to shaft 44 , with guide pins 74 being spaced from pivotal fasteners 69 and moving within a corresponding one the guide slots 72 .
- FIGS. 5-7 it may be seen from FIGS. 5-7 that the rotational movement of shaft 44 is converted into translational movement by the distal ends 68 of the gripping members 48 .
- distal ends 68 of the gripping members move away from shaft 44 in direction 66 , and into the engagement position shown in FIG.
- sleeve 46 is rotatably coupled to shaft 44 , such that the sleeve and shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another.
- the partial nature of such relative rotation is perhaps best shown in FIG. 6 , wherein the guide pins 74 have reached the outer ends 80 of the guide slots 72 .
- the outer ends 80 serve to prevent further outward travel of the pins 74 in slots 72 , and thus also further outward movement of the distal ends 68 of gripping members 48 . Because the gripping members are attached to shaft 44 (at proximal ends 67 ), at the point where the pins 74 reach the outer ends 80 of the slots 72 , shaft 44 can no longer rotate in first direction 54 independently of sleeve 46 .
- gripping members 48 the extension of gripping members 48 into the engagement position shown in FIG. 6 enables them to engage the core 50 and cause the core to rotate with shaft 44 , thereby allowing web 12 to be wound onto the core.
- the gripping members 48 will need to extend fully to engage the core 50 , i.e., with pins 74 reaching the ends 80 of slots 72 .
- the gripping members 48 will not extend fully when engaged with core 50 .
- the pins 74 will not reach the ends 80 of slots 72 ; rotation of sleeve 46 will then be caused by the force of the pins 74 against the side walls of the slots 72 .
- the distal ends 68 of the gripping members 48 may have a roughened or knurled surface, and/or be made to have acute edges as shown, in order to facilitate the ability of the distal ends 68 to engage, i.e., grip, the inner diameter of the roll 50 .
- the distal ends 68 of the gripping members 48 will be within the diameter of sleeve 46 when the gripping members are in the disengagement position ( FIG. 5 ), and will extend beyond the diameter of sleeve 46 when the gripping members are in the engagement position ( FIG. 6 ).
- the diameter of sleeve 46 is indicated as “D 1 .”
- the distal ends 68 of gripping members 48 together form a diameter, which is indicated as D 2 .
- the gripping members 48 are in the disengagement position—in this configuration, it may be seen that D 2 is less than D 1 .
- the gripping members 48 are in the engagement position, wherein D 2 is greater than D 1 , such that the distal ends 68 extend beyond D 1 to engage the core 50 .
- the gripping members 48 are in the process of returning to the disengagement position (D 2 ⁇ D 1 ) via relative rotation of shaft 44 in second direction 56 , whereby core 50 may be removed from sleeve 46 , e.g., when web roll 14 has reached a desired size.
- the operator of system 10 may cause this to occur, for example, by simply pressing on/off switch 42 , which cuts drive power to shaft 44 .
- the rotational inertia of roll 14 will cause it to continue to rotate in direction 54 as shown.
- web 12 may be wound onto sleeve 46 without a core 50 , thereby forming a ‘core-less’ roll 14 .
- sleeve 46 may be adapted to receive thereon web 12 such that the web may be wound directly onto the sleeve.
- the sleeve may be adapted in this regard, e.g., by being constructed of a material that provides sufficient friction with the web to allow at least the initial process of winding to begin, in some cases with some assistance by the operator, e.g., by holding the leading edge of the web against the sleeve with a flat piece of wood or the like until the first few overlapped windings of the web have been created.
- the gripping members 48 will have moved into the engagement position to engage the web directly, i.e., upon relative rotation of shaft 44 in first direction 54 , whereby the web 12 rotates with the shaft and is thereby wound into a roll on sleeve 46 .
- the gripping members 48 subsequently disengage the web, i.e., move into the disengagement position, upon relative rotation of shaft 44 in second direction 56 , e.g., when the thusly-formed roll has reached a desired size, whereby the roll may be removed from the sleeve.
- Winding device 18 may further include a drive mechanism 84 , which is schematically indicated as “D” in FIG. 8 .
- Drive mechanism 84 is coupled to shaft 44 , schematically indicated at 85 , e.g., a mechanical coupling, in order to drive the rotation of the shaft at a predetermined rotational speed.
- such speed is selected by the operator of system 10 such that the wind-up rate of winding device 18 approximates the rate at which the inflated web 12 is supplied by inflation/sealing apparatus 16 , e.g., such that the web remains relatively taut during its transit from apparatus 16 to winding device 18 .
- the rotational speed of the shaft 44 will, of necessity, decrease, for a given web feed-rate from apparatus 16 .
- the drive mechanism 84 can be any conventional device capable of producing rotational power, such as a pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric motor, e.g., an AC or DC motor.
- the drive mechanism may be an electric motor contained in base 36 , and supplied with power via power cord 86 , which supplies electric power to both the inflation/sealing apparatus 16 and winding device 18 .
- Winding device 18 may further include a controller 88 and a sensor 90 , as represented schematically in FIG. 8 as “C” and “S,” respectively.
- the sensor 90 monitors the rotational speed of shaft 44 , and generates and sends a corresponding signal 92 to controller 88 , which is indicative of such rotational speed. Based, at least in part, on signal 92 , controller 88 calculates a diameter of the web 12 as it is wound into roll 14 on core 50 .
- controller 88 may calculate the diameter of roll 14 (Dia 14 ) by dividing the web speed “W” by the rotational speed “R” of shaft 44 , as determined by sensor 90 , and dividing the result by pi ( ⁇ ), so that:
- controller 88 may be in communication with sensor 90 to receive signal 92 as a first input.
- System 10 may be configured such that controller 88 also receives, as a second input, an indication of the speed at which web 12 is supplied to spool 40 .
- Such indication may be in the form of a signal 98 , which may be transmitted to controller 88 by a web speed indicator 100 , schematically shown as “W” in FIG. 8 .
- Web speed indicator 100 may be a web speed sensor, which physically measures the speed of web 12 as it moves from apparatus 16 to winding device 18 .
- web speed indicator 100 may be supplied by the operator of system 10 , e.g., via a key pad or other operator interface device; may be a fixed, e.g., pre-programmed, value; or may be communicated in real time by apparatus 16 , e.g., via suitable wiring so that apparatus 16 communicates with controller 88 to supply signal 98 as an indication of the speed at which web 12 is being produced and supplied to spool 40 . In this manner, controller 88 calculates a diameter of web 12 as it is wound onto core 50 to form roll 14 .
- Controller 88 may be in the form of a printed circuit assembly, and include a control unit, e.g., an electronic control unit, such as a microcontroller, which stores pre-programmed operating codes; a programmable logic controller (PLC); a programmable automation controller (PAC); a personal computer (PC); or other such control device. Commands may be supplied to the controller 88 via an operator interface or the like, or may be supplied remotely or substantially completely via pre-programming, i.e., to operate system 10 in a substantially fully-automated fashion.
- a control unit e.g., an electronic control unit, such as a microcontroller, which stores pre-programmed operating codes; a programmable logic controller (PLC); a programmable automation controller (PAC); a personal computer (PC); or other such control device.
- PLC programmable logic controller
- PAC programmable automation controller
- PC personal computer
- Sensor 90 may be any conventional device for detecting and counting the rotations of an object, such as shaft 44 , and generating a corresponding electronic signal 92 .
- the detection of the rotation of shaft 44 is represented by arrow 96 .
- a suitable device for sensor 90 is one that uses mechanical contact to detect rotation, such as an encoder or tachometer, or one that uses non-mechanical detection means, such as an optical sensor, e.g., a laser-based optical sensor.
- controller 88 to continuously determine the diameter of roll 14 as the roll is being produced allows winding device 18 to provide a number of beneficial features in a system, such as system 10 .
- controller 88 may be made operative, e.g., via suitable programming, to stop the rotation of shaft 44 , e.g., via signal 94 to drive mechanism 84 , when the diameter of the web 12 as roll 14 on core 50 reaches a predetermined value. This frees the operator of system 10 to perform other tasks, i.e., instead of idly monitoring system 10 to press on/off switch 42 when the diameter reaches the predetermined value.
- the controller will send signal 94 to drive mechanism 84 , causing the drive mechanism to cease driving the rotation of shaft 44 , e.g., via a suitable electronic switch (transistor or the like), which acts as an on/off switch for the supply of power to the drive mechanism.
- a suitable electronic switch transistor or the like
- Such signal 94 would preferably also cause apparatus 16 to cease operation, e.g., via the same electronic switch as for drive mechanism 84 , through which power supplied by power cord 86 may flow to both the apparatus 16 and winding device 18 .
- the operator can then remove the roll 14 , insert another core 50 on spool 40 , attach the end of a web 12 to the core, and then cause power to once again be supplied to apparatus 16 and winding device 18 to begin the production of a new roll 14 .
- the controller 88 may be operative to vary the output of drive mechanism 84 in order to maintain a substantially constant tensional force on the web 12 as it is wound onto core 50 . That is, in order to wind web 12 onto spool 40 /core 50 , the drive mechanism 84 applies torque to the spool 40 , thereby producing a tensional force 102 on web 12 as it is wound onto the core 50 .
- controller 88 may be operative to cause the drive mechanism 84 to increase the torque applied to spool 40 in proportion to the increase in the diameter of web 12 on core 50 as roll 14 is being formed. This allows the tensional force 102 of web 12 to be controlled, even as the diameter of roll 14 continuously increases.
- the initial rotational speed R of shaft 44 may be 20 revolutions/minute.
- the diameter of the roll 14 at that time will be 0.95 feet.
- Torque(“ T ”) Force(“ F ”) ⁇ Length(“ L ”),
- sensor 90 may detect a rotational speed R of shaft 44 of 2.5 revolutions/minute.
- R rotational speed
- apparatus 16 continuing to supply web 12 at a rate of 60 feet/minute
- this rotational speed corresponds to a roll diameter of 7.6 feet, or a radius of 3.8 feet.
- the tensional force 102 of web 12 may be controlled at a desired value, even as the diameter of roll 14 continuously increases.
- controller 88 may be adapted, e.g., programmed, to cause the drive mechanism 84 to stop the rotation of shaft 44 , e.g., via signal 94 to drive mechanism 84 , when the detected rotational speed “R” of shaft 44 /spool 40 exceeds, or decreases below, a predetermined value.
- a sudden increase in R could result from the breakage of web 12 .
- a sudden decrease in R could result from a web jam or other malfunction, in either the inflation/sealing apparatus 16 or in winding device 18 .
- the predetermined value to be programmed into controller 88 could be, e.g., a change in R of 20% or more, which occurs over a period of, e.g, 5 seconds or less.
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- Winding Of Webs (AREA)
- Replacement Of Web Rolls (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a winding device for winding a web of material onto a core and, more particularly, to an improved winding device for webs comprising inflated cushioning material.
- Various machines for forming inflated cushioning material are known, which produce inflated cushioning from a web of un-inflated material by inflating and sealing closed gas-containing chambers within the material. Such cushioning is used to package items, by wrapping the items in the cushions and placing the wrapped items in a shipping carton, or simply placing one or more inflated cushions inside of a shipping carton along with an item to be shipped. The cushions protect the packaged item by absorbing impacts that may otherwise be fully transmitted to the packaged item during transit, and also restrict movement of the packaged item within the carton to further reduce the likelihood of damage to the item. At the same time, the end-user can inflate and use as desired, without having to store large volumes of pre-inflated cushioning material.
- In many instances, it is desired to inflate cushioning material, and store small quantities of the material for subsequent use, typically by winding the inflated material into a roll. Existing winding devices for this purpose are not as efficient or convenient as would otherwise be desired.
- Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for improved web-winding devices, which are more effective and easier for operators to use.
- Those needs are met by the present invention, which, in one aspect, provides a winding device comprising a spool, the spool comprising:
- a. a shaft;
- b. a sleeve rotatably coupled to the shaft such that the sleeve and the shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another, the sleeve enclosing at least a portion of the shaft and adapted to receive thereon a core, onto which a web of material may be wound; and
- c. one or more gripping members, which are adapted to engage the core upon relative rotation of the shaft in a first direction, whereby the core rotates with the shaft to allow the web to be wound onto the core, the gripping members being further adapted to disengage the core upon relative rotation of the shaft in a second direction, whereby the core may be removed from the sleeve.
- A further aspect of the invention is directed to a winding device comprising a spool, said spool comprising:
- a. a shaft;
- b. a sleeve rotatably coupled to the shaft such that the sleeve and the shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another, the sleeve enclosing at least a portion of the shaft and adapted to receive thereon a web of material such that the web may be wound onto the sleeve; and
- c. one or more gripping members, which are adapted to engage the web upon relative rotation of the shaft in a first direction, whereby the web rotates with the shaft and is thereby wound into a roll on the sleeve, the gripping members being further adapted to disengage the web upon relative rotation of the shaft in a second direction, whereby the roll may be removed from the sleeve.
- Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to a winding device, comprising:
- a. a spool adapted to receive thereon a core, onto which a web of material may be wound, the web being supplied to the spool at a predetermined speed;
- b. a drive mechanism coupled to the spool to drive the rotation thereof at a predetermined rotational speed;
- c. a sensor, which monitors the rotational speed of the spool and generates a signal indicative of the rotational speed; and
- d. a controller in communication with the sensor to receive the signal as a first input, the controller also receiving, as a second input, an indication of the speed at which the web is supplied to the spool, wherein, the controller calculates a diameter of the web as it is wound onto the core.
- These and other aspects and features of the invention may be better understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system having an inflation/sealing apparatus that produces a web of inflated cushioning material, and a winding device in accordance with the present invention for winding the web onto a core; -
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the winding device shown inFIG. 1 , featuring a spool and a core that may be received on the spool; -
FIG. 3 is a partially-exploded perspective view of the spool shown inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the spool shown inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 5 is a frontal, elevational view of the spool, showing the gripping members of the spool moving from a disengagement position to an engagement position; -
FIG. 6 is similar toFIG. 5 , except taken along lines 6-6 inFIG. 4 to show the gripping members in the engagement position; -
FIG. 7 is similar toFIG. 6 , except showing the gripping members moving from the engagement position to the disengagement position; -
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a control system for the winding device; and -
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the inflated cushioning material as shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 1 illustrates asystem 10 for inflating, sealing, and winding aweb 12 of material into aroll 14.Roll 14 is shown in phantom for clarity.System 10 generally includes an inflation andsealing apparatus 16 and awinding device 18. The inflation/sealing apparatus 16 may be any suitable device for producing a web, e.g., of inflated cushioning material, as described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,476 or in U.S. Publication No. US 2010-0251665 A1, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference thereto. As further described in the foregoing references and illustrated inFIG. 9 , theweb 12 produced byapparatus 16 may be an inflatedcushioning material 20. Inflatedcushioning material 20 may be formed from two superposedfilm sheets 19, and may include rows of inflatedchambers 22, wherein each of thechambers 22 has at least one change in width over their length, e.g., with two inflatable sections of relativelylarge width 24 connected by relatively narrowinflatable passageways 26. As shown, thelarge sections 24 may be substantially spherical or hemispherical in shape, e.g., resembling bubbles or the like.Cushioning material 20 may further includeinflation ports 28 located at a proximal end of eachchamber 22, with the inflation ports being formed byintermittent seals 30 between thesheets 19. As eachchamber 22 is inflated,apparatus 16 continuously forms aseal line 31 at thecorresponding inflation port 28 to enclose the inflation gas within each chamber. As shown inFIG. 1 , un-inflatedweb 32 may be supplied to the inflation/sealing apparatus 16 in the form of aroll 34, which is then conveyed through the apparatus via suitable drive rollers or the like, wherein thechambers 22 are sequentially and continuously inflated and sealed closed, to produce the inflatedcushioning material 20 as shown inFIG. 9 . - It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to inflatable webs of the type as described above, but may be used with any web that can be wound onto a core, e.g., thermoplastic film, paper, etc.
-
Winding device 18 may include abase 36, astanchion 38, and aspool 40, extending in cantilevered fashion fromstanchion 38. In some embodiments, a drive mechanism, e.g., a motor (not shown), may be housed inbase 36, with suitable mechanical linkage (not shown) instanchion 38 to join the drive mechanism to thespool 40, e.g., a belt, chain, gear train, etc. In such embodiments, an on/off switch 42 for the motor may be provided, e.g., on stanchion 38 (seeFIG. 2 ). - As shown in
FIGS. 2-4 ,spool 40 may include ashaft 44, asleeve 46, and one or moregripping members 48. In the illustrated embodiment, four (4) such grippingmembers 48 are included inspool 40. As will be explained in further detail below,sleeve 46 is rotatably coupled toshaft 44, such that the sleeve and shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another. Further,sleeve 46 encloses at least a portion of theshaft 44, and is adapted to receive thereon acore 50, onto whichweb 12, e.g., comprising inflatedcushioning material 20, may be wound (see alsoFIG. 1 ). As shown,shaft 44 may be coupled to sleeve 46 via arotary mounting bracket 52. As also shown, asleeve extension member 53 may be affixed tospool 40, e.g., atrotary mounting bracket 52.Such extension member 53 may be included as necessary to accommodate the length ofcore 50, e.g., such that the resultant sleeve-length of thespool 40 may approximate that of thecore 50. In this manner, cores of various lengths, corresponding towebs 12 of various widths, may be accommodated bywinding device 18. Theextension member 53 may further include an end-cap 55, which may have a rounded outer surface in order to facilitate the placement of a core 50 onsleeve 46, as extended bymember 53, as shown inFIG. 2 . - Referring now to
FIGS. 5-7 , the operation ofspool 40 will be described in further detail. As noted above,sleeve 46 is rotatably coupled toshaft 44, such that the sleeve and shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another. Moreover, grippingmembers 48 are adapted to engage a core 50 received onsleeve 46, upon relative rotation ofshaft 44 in a first direction.FIGS. 5-6 illustrate these features. InFIG. 5 , a core 50 (shown in phantom) has been placed oversleeve 46 as shown inFIG. 2 .FIGS. 5-6 illustrate a sequence of events by which the grippingmembers 48 engage the core upon relative rotation ofshaft 44 infirst direction 54, whereby thecore 50 rotates withshaft 44, i.e., also infirst direction 54, to allow theweb 12 to be wound onto the core, e.g., as shown inFIG. 1 . As shown inFIG. 7 , grippingmembers 48 are further adapted to disengage the core 50 upon relative rotation ofshaft 44 in asecond direction 56, whereby the core 50 may be removed fromsleeve 46, e.g., whenroll 14 ofweb 12 has reached a desired size. - Gripping
members 48 are adapted, i.e., structured and arranged, to both engage and disengage the core, based on the coupled relationship between theshaft 44 andsleeve 46, wherein the shaft and sleeve are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another. In some embodiments, this may be achieved whenshaft 44 is rotatably mounted inrotary mounting bracket 52, and thebracket 52 is affixed tosleeve 46, e.g., via fasteners 58 (FIGS. 3-4 ).Fasteners 58 may be in the form of screws (as illustrated), welded joints, etc.Shaft 44 may include abushing 60 or the like to facilitate rotational movement of the shaft against thebracket 52, e.g., against an inner surface of the bracket as illustrated. - The gripping
members 48 may be attached toshaft 44, e.g., at thedistal end 62 thereof. In the illustrated embodiment,distal end 62 ofshaft 44 is relatively wide to accommodate four (4) grippingmembers 48, and is in the form of a platform, which is affixed to anend region 64 ofshaft 44. Other arrangements are, of course, also possible, such as a wideneddistal end 62 being integral withshaft 44; thedistal end 62 not being widened, e.g., the same diameter as the rest ofshaft 44; a greater or lesser number ofgripping members 48; etc. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , the grippingmembers 48 may have aproximal end 67 and adistal end 68, wherein theproximal end 67 is attached toshaft 44, e.g., at thedistal end 62 thereof. The attachment of the grippingmembers 48 toshaft 44 may be a pivotal attachment, i.e., such that the grippingmembers 48 are pivotally attached atproximal end 67 to the shaft, e.g., viapivotal fasteners 69. - Accordingly, a part, e.g.,
distal end 68, of each grippingmember 48 may move in the direction of arrow 66 (FIG. 5 ) away fromshaft 44 and into an engagement position (FIG. 6 ), in which the gripping members engage thecore 50, whenshaft 44 rotates infirst direction 54.Such movement 66 may generally be a rotation-to-translation type of movement, as will be described in further detail below, as produced by the rotation ofshaft 44 infirst direction 54, and facilitated by the pivotal attachment of grippingmembers 48 toshaft 44. Similarly, as shown inFIG. 7 , the part, e.g.,distal end 68, of the grippingmembers 48 that are in the engagement position ofFIG. 6 , may also move in the direction ofarrow 70 towards theshaft 44 and into a disengagement position, in which the gripping members disengage thecore 50, when theshaft 44 rotates insecond direction 56. - As shown in
FIGS. 3-7 ,rotary mounting bracket 52 may include one ormore guide slots 72. Further, each of the grippingmembers 48 may include aguide pin 74, which is movable within a corresponding one of theguide slots 72. As will be explained in further detail below, the guide slots and guide pins cooperate to facilitate movement of the grippingmembers 48 into the engagement position shown inFIG. 6 , and also the return movement of the gripping members into the disengagement position shown inFIG. 7 . - In the illustrated embodiment,
slots 72 provide a substantially linear path, and are positioned at an angle relative to a radial direction extending from the center ofshaft 44 and outwards towardssleeve 46. Further, the grippingmembers 48 are pivotally attached at theirproximal end 67 toshaft 44, with guide pins 74 being spaced frompivotal fasteners 69 and moving within a corresponding one theguide slots 72. With such an arrangement, it may be seen fromFIGS. 5-7 that the rotational movement ofshaft 44 is converted into translational movement by the distal ends 68 of the grippingmembers 48. Thus, distal ends 68 of the gripping members move away fromshaft 44 indirection 66, and into the engagement position shown inFIG. 6 , when the shaft rotates infirst direction 54, as guide pins 74 move translationally inguide slots 72 in the direction of arrow 76 (FIG. 5 ). In the reverse situation, i.e., when it is desired to removeroll 14 fromspool 40, distal ends 68 of the gripping members move towardsshaft 44 in thereturn direction 70, and into the disengagement position shown inFIG. 7 , when the shaft rotates in opposingsecond direction 56, as guide pins 74 move translationally inguide slots 72 in the direction of arrow 78 (FIG. 7 ), which is the reverse of direction 76 (FIG. 5 ). - As noted above,
sleeve 46 is rotatably coupled toshaft 44, such that the sleeve and shaft are capable of partial independent rotation relative to one another. The partial nature of such relative rotation is perhaps best shown inFIG. 6 , wherein the guide pins 74 have reached the outer ends 80 of theguide slots 72. As shown, the outer ends 80 serve to prevent further outward travel of thepins 74 inslots 72, and thus also further outward movement of the distal ends 68 of grippingmembers 48. Because the gripping members are attached to shaft 44 (at proximal ends 67), at the point where thepins 74 reach the outer ends 80 of theslots 72,shaft 44 can no longer rotate infirst direction 54 independently ofsleeve 46. Instead, if/when pins 74 reach ends 80 ofslots 72 as shown inFIG. 6 , thesleeve 46 is forced to rotate withshaft 44 indirection 54, such that theshaft 44 andsleeve 46 thereafter rotate together indirection 54 for the remainder of the winding operation for theroll 14 then being made. Similarly, the inner ends 82 ofguide slots 72 delimit the extent to whichshaft 44 can rotate insecond direction 56 independently of sleeve 46 (FIG. 7 ). - More significantly, the extension of gripping
members 48 into the engagement position shown inFIG. 6 enables them to engage thecore 50 and cause the core to rotate withshaft 44, thereby allowingweb 12 to be wound onto the core. In some instances, the grippingmembers 48 will need to extend fully to engage thecore 50, i.e., withpins 74 reaching theends 80 ofslots 72. In other instances, e.g., when the inner diameter ofcore 50 is just larger than the outer diameter ofsleeve 46, the grippingmembers 48 will not extend fully when engaged withcore 50. In such instances thepins 74 will not reach theends 80 ofslots 72; rotation ofsleeve 46 will then be caused by the force of thepins 74 against the side walls of theslots 72. - In some embodiments, the distal ends 68 of the gripping
members 48 may have a roughened or knurled surface, and/or be made to have acute edges as shown, in order to facilitate the ability of the distal ends 68 to engage, i.e., grip, the inner diameter of theroll 50. - In various embodiments of the invention, the distal ends 68 of the gripping
members 48 will be within the diameter ofsleeve 46 when the gripping members are in the disengagement position (FIG. 5 ), and will extend beyond the diameter ofsleeve 46 when the gripping members are in the engagement position (FIG. 6 ). InFIGS. 5-7 , the diameter ofsleeve 46 is indicated as “D1.” As also shown, the distal ends 68 of grippingmembers 48 together form a diameter, which is indicated as D2. InFIG. 5 , the grippingmembers 48 are in the disengagement position—in this configuration, it may be seen that D2 is less than D1. InFIG. 6 , on the other hand, the grippingmembers 48 are in the engagement position, wherein D2 is greater than D1, such that the distal ends 68 extend beyond D1 to engage thecore 50. - In
FIG. 7 , the grippingmembers 48 are in the process of returning to the disengagement position (D2<D1) via relative rotation ofshaft 44 insecond direction 56, wherebycore 50 may be removed fromsleeve 46, e.g., whenweb roll 14 has reached a desired size. The operator ofsystem 10 may cause this to occur, for example, by simply pressing on/offswitch 42, which cuts drive power toshaft 44. The rotational inertia ofroll 14 will cause it to continue to rotate indirection 54 as shown. Becauseshaft 44 will then no longer be driven, the inertial rotation ofroll 14 will cause its rotational speed to exceed that of the shaft, such that independent rotation of theshaft 44, relative tosleeve 46, insecond direction 56 will occur, thereby causing the grippingmembers 48 to retract to the disengagement position as shown inFIG. 7 . - In some embodiments of the invention,
web 12 may be wound ontosleeve 46 without a core 50, thereby forming a ‘core-less’roll 14. In such embodiments,sleeve 46 may be adapted to receive thereonweb 12 such that the web may be wound directly onto the sleeve. The sleeve may be adapted in this regard, e.g., by being constructed of a material that provides sufficient friction with the web to allow at least the initial process of winding to begin, in some cases with some assistance by the operator, e.g., by holding the leading edge of the web against the sleeve with a flat piece of wood or the like until the first few overlapped windings of the web have been created. At that point, the grippingmembers 48 will have moved into the engagement position to engage the web directly, i.e., upon relative rotation ofshaft 44 infirst direction 54, whereby theweb 12 rotates with the shaft and is thereby wound into a roll onsleeve 46. As with the previously-described embodiments, the grippingmembers 48 subsequently disengage the web, i.e., move into the disengagement position, upon relative rotation ofshaft 44 insecond direction 56, e.g., when the thusly-formed roll has reached a desired size, whereby the roll may be removed from the sleeve. - Referring now to
FIG. 8 , additional features of the present invention will be described. Windingdevice 18 may further include adrive mechanism 84, which is schematically indicated as “D” inFIG. 8 .Drive mechanism 84 is coupled toshaft 44, schematically indicated at 85, e.g., a mechanical coupling, in order to drive the rotation of the shaft at a predetermined rotational speed. In many embodiments, such speed is selected by the operator ofsystem 10 such that the wind-up rate of windingdevice 18 approximates the rate at which theinflated web 12 is supplied by inflation/sealingapparatus 16, e.g., such that the web remains relatively taut during its transit fromapparatus 16 to windingdevice 18. As the size ofroll 14 increases onspool 40/core 50, the rotational speed of theshaft 44 will, of necessity, decrease, for a given web feed-rate fromapparatus 16. - The
drive mechanism 84 can be any conventional device capable of producing rotational power, such as a pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric motor, e.g., an AC or DC motor. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism may be an electric motor contained inbase 36, and supplied with power viapower cord 86, which supplies electric power to both the inflation/sealingapparatus 16 and windingdevice 18. - Winding
device 18 may further include acontroller 88 and asensor 90, as represented schematically inFIG. 8 as “C” and “S,” respectively. Thesensor 90 monitors the rotational speed ofshaft 44, and generates and sends acorresponding signal 92 tocontroller 88, which is indicative of such rotational speed. Based, at least in part, onsignal 92,controller 88 calculates a diameter of theweb 12 as it is wound intoroll 14 oncore 50. For example, whenweb 12 is supplied to spool 40 fromapparatus 16 at a predetermined web speed “W”,controller 88 may calculate the diameter of roll 14 (Dia14) by dividing the web speed “W” by the rotational speed “R” ofshaft 44, as determined bysensor 90, and dividing the result by pi (π), so that: -
Dia14 =W/R·π - For example, if the web speed W of
web 12 fromapparatus 16 is 60 feet/minute, and the detected rotational speed “R” ofshaft 44 is 2.5 revolutions/minute, 24 feet ofweb 12 is added to roll 14 for every revolution of shaft 44 (W/R=60/2.5=24), which means that the circumference ofroll 14 at that instant is 24 feet. When this number is divided by pi (π), the diameter ofroll 14 may be determined bycontroller 88 to be 7.6 feet (diameter=circumference/π). - Thus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
controller 88 may be in communication withsensor 90 to receivesignal 92 as a first input.System 10 may be configured such thatcontroller 88 also receives, as a second input, an indication of the speed at whichweb 12 is supplied tospool 40. Such indication may be in the form of asignal 98, which may be transmitted tocontroller 88 by aweb speed indicator 100, schematically shown as “W” inFIG. 8 .Web speed indicator 100 may be a web speed sensor, which physically measures the speed ofweb 12 as it moves fromapparatus 16 to windingdevice 18. Alternatively,web speed indicator 100 may be supplied by the operator ofsystem 10, e.g., via a key pad or other operator interface device; may be a fixed, e.g., pre-programmed, value; or may be communicated in real time byapparatus 16, e.g., via suitable wiring so thatapparatus 16 communicates withcontroller 88 to supplysignal 98 as an indication of the speed at whichweb 12 is being produced and supplied tospool 40. In this manner,controller 88 calculates a diameter ofweb 12 as it is wound ontocore 50 to formroll 14. -
Controller 88 may be in the form of a printed circuit assembly, and include a control unit, e.g., an electronic control unit, such as a microcontroller, which stores pre-programmed operating codes; a programmable logic controller (PLC); a programmable automation controller (PAC); a personal computer (PC); or other such control device. Commands may be supplied to thecontroller 88 via an operator interface or the like, or may be supplied remotely or substantially completely via pre-programming, i.e., to operatesystem 10 in a substantially fully-automated fashion. -
Sensor 90 may be any conventional device for detecting and counting the rotations of an object, such asshaft 44, and generating a correspondingelectronic signal 92. The detection of the rotation ofshaft 44 is represented byarrow 96. A suitable device forsensor 90 is one that uses mechanical contact to detect rotation, such as an encoder or tachometer, or one that uses non-mechanical detection means, such as an optical sensor, e.g., a laser-based optical sensor. - The foregoing ability of
controller 88 to continuously determine the diameter ofroll 14 as the roll is being produced allows windingdevice 18 to provide a number of beneficial features in a system, such assystem 10. - For example, the
controller 88 may be made operative, e.g., via suitable programming, to stop the rotation ofshaft 44, e.g., viasignal 94 to drivemechanism 84, when the diameter of theweb 12 asroll 14 oncore 50 reaches a predetermined value. This frees the operator ofsystem 10 to perform other tasks, i.e., instead of idly monitoringsystem 10 to press on/offswitch 42 when the diameter reaches the predetermined value. For instance, if a roll diameter of 8 feet is desired, the controller will send signal 94 to drivemechanism 84, causing the drive mechanism to cease driving the rotation ofshaft 44, e.g., via a suitable electronic switch (transistor or the like), which acts as an on/off switch for the supply of power to the drive mechanism.Such signal 94 would preferably also causeapparatus 16 to cease operation, e.g., via the same electronic switch as fordrive mechanism 84, through which power supplied bypower cord 86 may flow to both theapparatus 16 and windingdevice 18. When convenient, the operator can then remove theroll 14, insert another core 50 onspool 40, attach the end of aweb 12 to the core, and then cause power to once again be supplied toapparatus 16 and windingdevice 18 to begin the production of anew roll 14. - As another example, the
controller 88 may be operative to vary the output ofdrive mechanism 84 in order to maintain a substantially constant tensional force on theweb 12 as it is wound ontocore 50. That is, in order to windweb 12 ontospool 40/core 50, thedrive mechanism 84 applies torque to thespool 40, thereby producing atensional force 102 onweb 12 as it is wound onto thecore 50. One of the challenges of makinglarge rolls 14, e.g., having diameters in excess of about four feet, e.g., 6 or even 8 feet, frominflated cushioning material 20, is that such rolls tend to be uneven and/or loosen, which leads to difficulty in handling the rolls for storage and subsequent use, e.g., often resulting in thematerial 20 falling off of the roll. The inventors have found thatlarge rolls 14 ofinflated cushioning material 20 can be can be successfully made when theweb 12 remains under a substantially constant tensional force. This results in a uniform, tightly-wound roll 14. - However, the torque required of
drive mechanism 84 to provide a constant tensional force onweb 12 changes continuously as the diameter of theroll 14 increases. In order to solve this problem in accordance with another embodiment of the invention,controller 88 may be operative to cause thedrive mechanism 84 to increase the torque applied tospool 40 in proportion to the increase in the diameter ofweb 12 oncore 50 asroll 14 is being formed. This allows thetensional force 102 ofweb 12 to be controlled, even as the diameter ofroll 14 continuously increases. - As an example, if an operator of
system 10 determines that atensional force 102 of 3 pounds produces aroll 14 of desired tightness and uniformity, andapparatus 16 producesweb 12 at a web speed W of 60 feet/minute, the initial rotational speed R ofshaft 44, as determined bysensor 90, may be 20 revolutions/minute. Applying the formula Dia14=W/R·π, the diameter of theroll 14 at that time will be 0.95 feet. Given that: -
Torque(“T”)=Force(“F”)·Length(“L”), - and that “L” in this case is the radius of the
roll 14, which is found by dividing Dia14 by 2, resulting in a radius (L) of 0.47 feet. Thus, in order to achieve a tensional force (F) of 3 pounds when the roll diameter is 0.95 feet, the above formula, T=F·L, is applied to result in a torque (T) of 1.4 foot-pounds (T=3 pounds·0.47 feet=1.4 foot-pounds). Accordingly,controller 88, which has made the foregoing calculation, will command drivemechanism 84 to apply a torque of 1.4 foot-pounds during the instant that the calculated diameter ofroll 14 is 0.95 feet, thereby achieving atensional force 102 onweb 12 of 3 pounds. - Later, as
roll 14 has grown,sensor 90 may detect a rotational speed R ofshaft 44 of 2.5 revolutions/minute. Withapparatus 16 continuing to supplyweb 12 at a rate of 60 feet/minute, according to the formula, Dia14=W/R·π, this rotational speed corresponds to a roll diameter of 7.6 feet, or a radius of 3.8 feet. Applying the formula, T=F·L, the torque required ofdrive mechanism 84 to achieve a tensional force in the web of 3 pounds is 14.25 foot-pounds, whichcontroller 88 will command the drive mechanism to provide. - Accordingly, the
tensional force 102 ofweb 12 may be controlled at a desired value, even as the diameter ofroll 14 continuously increases. - A further feature of the invention is that the
controller 88 may be adapted, e.g., programmed, to cause thedrive mechanism 84 to stop the rotation ofshaft 44, e.g., viasignal 94 to drivemechanism 84, when the detected rotational speed “R” ofshaft 44/spool 40 exceeds, or decreases below, a predetermined value. For example, a sudden increase in R could result from the breakage ofweb 12. As another example, a sudden decrease in R could result from a web jam or other malfunction, in either the inflation/sealingapparatus 16 or in windingdevice 18. Thus, the predetermined value to be programmed intocontroller 88 could be, e.g., a change in R of 20% or more, which occurs over a period of, e.g, 5 seconds or less. - The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention.
Claims (17)
Priority Applications (2)
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US13/096,257 US20120273602A1 (en) | 2011-04-28 | 2011-04-28 | Winding Device |
PCT/US2012/034920 WO2012148971A1 (en) | 2011-04-28 | 2012-04-25 | Winding device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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US13/096,257 US20120273602A1 (en) | 2011-04-28 | 2011-04-28 | Winding Device |
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WO2018085610A1 (en) | 2016-11-04 | 2018-05-11 | Sealed Air Corporation (Us) | Inflatable pouches |
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