US2575476A - Twisting and winding machine drive system - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1951 J. A. TRUITT TWISTING AND WINDING MACHINE DRIVE SYSTEM Filed Dec. 22, 1950 INVENTOR. JOSEPH A. TRU/TT 44 TTORNE Patented Nov. 20, 1951 2.575.410 I I TWISTING AND WINDING MACHINE naive SYSTEM Joseph A. Truitt, West Chester, Pa., assignmto American Viscose Corporation, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation Delaware Application December 22, 1950, Serial No. 202,169

1 This invention relates to strand take-up devices and particularly to improvements in slipdrive power transmission system for driving strand-winding machines.

The present invention is applicable to winding equipment wherein the strand is positively engaged and delivered at a predetermined rate to a take-up system having a slip-drive connection with asource of rotative power. The takeup system will generally take the form of a package-holder supported in coaxial relationship with a driving spindle. Power is transmitted 7 Claims. (CI. 5758) from the spindle to the holder through a slipdrive system such as a magnetic clutch. The package holder is adapted to receive a bobbin, package core, or other carrier onto which the strand may be collected, and to prevent such carrier from rotating relatively to the holder during application of a force tangentially to the package resulting from the tension in the strand being wound thereonto. As examples of the slip-drive connections that may be used in such a winding machine the connection may take the form of a magnetic clutch, fluid couplings, such as well known fluid drive and hydraulic torque convertor transmissions, in which a driving rotor and a driven rotor are adjustably axially separable, ora friction type clutch wherein the pressure between the driving and driven members is regulated by axial movement of a package holder and a resilient member interposed between the holder and the driven member of the clutch secured thereto.

When, in such winding equipment, the strand delivery device and the source of power such as a driving spindle are-in positive drive relationship, the take-up system. because of the inertia load it imposes on the slip-drive transmission is apt to lag the strand delivery device in accelerating to normal operating speeds during starting periods. At such times, instead of sufficient tension being present in the strand, slack may be produced between the strand delivery device and the take-up system to cause the strand to become tangled, the equipment fouled, or its operating efllciency otherwise impaired. Substantial uniformity is preferred in :the tension imposed on the strand so that packages thereof will have uniform quality and be uniformly responsive to subsequent processing treatments.

It isan object of the present invention to provide a strand take-up means for a winding machine adapted for producing substantially uniform tension in the strand at normal operating speeds and to produce at least some tension in the strand during a period such as when the machine is accelerated from a state of restlto normal operating speed. It is also an object to provide a winding machine having a package holder connected with a driving means by a slipdrive torque transmission which may be regulated to provide substantial tension in the strand at practically all speeds of the machine and particularly when the machine is starting from rest and accelerating to an operating speed. It is another object to provide an easily operated systern within a winding machine for temporarily obtaining close spacing resiliently separable torque-transmitting members'of a tron such as a magnetic clutch so as to increase the torque capacity of the transmission at lower rotative speeds than employed in normal operation. Other objects. features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the invention and the drawing relating thereto in which Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section. of a twister; and

Fig. 2 is a section view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1 taken along line IIII.

The present invention comprises the combination of a winding machine having a strand package holder connected with a power source by a slip-drive torque transmission responsive to the weight of the package supported on the holder. and latching mechanism for temporarily maintaining ,an adjustment of the torque sion to obtain high torque capacity until a predetermined rotative speed of the holder is reached whereupon the latch mechanism is operated centrifugally to restore the adjustment of the transmission to that corresponding to the weight of the package. The latch mechanism is resiliently urged to latching position- When the holder is forced in a direction parallel to its axis of rotation to such a position-as to bring the transmission into an adjustment corresponding to a desired torque capacity of the transmission, the

latching mechanism snaps into latched position. At a predetermined speed of rotation of the hold- 'er, the mechanism is" actuated by centrifugal constituting the present invention. The twister comprises three separate assemblies which are rotatably independent of each other. One of a these assemblies comprises a main driving spindle I. a spindle extension 8, a pulley I, a flyer 8, a dish-shaped guard l I, a belt pulley 8 and a magnetic clutch member l8. Another assembly which is rotatably supported on the spindle 8 may be identified generally as the package holder assembly and comprises a base member ll of the package holder, an inner sleeve member I! supported on the spindle by bearings 11 and II, a magnetic clutch element 28 and a spring 21 resting on a shoulder 23 of the sleeve l5 and engaging a shoulder 24 within the tube portion 22 of the base ll. The third assembly of the twister comprises a cage rotatably supported on the spindle 5 by bearings 28 and 21, a reciprocable strand guide 28, a cam-operated traversing mechanism 29 for the guide responsive to a cam Ha on the base ll of the package holder. a top plate 30 for the cage, a pair of capstan rolls 3| rotatably supported on the top-plate, said top-plate having a tubular portion 32 in bearing relationship with the tubular portion 22 of the package holder, and a weight 33.

As shown in Figure 1, the hollow driving spindle 5 and the hollow spindle extension 8 are joined in a tongue-and-groove joint 35. However, as perfect coaxial alignment of the spindle extension 6 with the spindle 5 is dimcult to obtain, any coupling permitting some misalignment may be used, if desired, to join the extension 6 and the spindle 5, such as an Oldham coupling, a jaw coupling, or the various conventional flexible couplings, provided they are apertured or hollow through the center to permit passage of strand longitudinally through the spindle 5 and the extension 5.

i The twisting machine illustrated in the drawing is of the down-twister type and suitable for receiving a single strand or a group of strands passed to the twister from a gathering device or thread guide 38 supported centrally over the twister. The strand or group of strands 38 passes downwardly through a balloon formed in the strand between the stationary guide 39 and the fiyer I which revolves the strand about the twisters. The strand 33 then passes into the flyer and upwardly through the spindle 5 into the hollow spindle extension 6, over a pulley l8, and around the rolls 3| which positively forward the strand to the guide 28 over a pulley II. The strand 38 then passes onto a bobbin 42. The roll 3la is supported on a shaft 44 which also supports a pulley. A belt 41 extending around the pulleys I and 45 connects the roll 3la in drive relationship with the spindle extension 6. w

The twister is ordinarily supported with the axis of its spindle inclined at a small angle from the vertical so that the weight 33 will hold the cage 25 and portions of the twister mounted thereon from revolving about the axis. When the twister is supported with this axis in vertical alignment, a magnetic system (not shown) such as commonly used in multiple-twist types of twisters, may be used to hold the cage assembly from turning.

The package holding assembly, however, is Dermitted to turn and is, in fact, deliberately driven, preferably in a manner to maintain uniform tension in the portion of the strand 38 extending between the bobbin l2 and the rolls 3|. Slack is tn..- kept out of this portion of the strand to prevent fouling and to produce a package in which all the yarn is impressed with uniform tension and/or stretching. The guide 28 is traversed in a direction parallel to the axis of the mechanism 29 comprising the reverse-threaded shaft 50, a ratchet wheel 5|, a pawl 52 for engaging the ratchet wheel, lever 53 for working the pawl, a bracket 54 for pivotably supporting the lever at 55. The lever 53 is reciprocated on its pivot by engagement of the end portion 53a thereof with the cam surface Ila projecting radi-' ally outwardly from the perimeter of the holder base M; a spring 58 acts on the lever 53 to return the pawl after each engagement of the lever by the cam surface.

The holder member I4 is free to move in a direction parallel to the axis of the spindle with its tubular portion 22 in sliding contact with the sleeve member l5 supported directly on the spindle 5. However, downward movement of the member ll relative to the member I! is resisted by the spring 2| resting on a shoulder 24 of the member 15 and engaged by a shoulder of tube portion 22. The spring 21 is so constructed that it is readily deflected or compressed by increases in weight of the strand material accumulated on the package holder. The strength of the spring i such that its deflection in response to increases in the weight of the package is approximately proportional to the torque needed to maintain the tension substantially constant in the strand 38 passing onto the bobbin 42. The increase in the torque required is also proportional to the radius of the peripheral surface of the growing package because of the increased moment arm applied to the package by tension in the strand 38.

When the twister starts from rest in the beginning of the packaging operation, the bobbin is normally empty and the holder member I positionedat its highest level during the winding operation. Because of the rapid acceleration of the spindle 5 as power is applied to the twister, and the considerable inertia of the package holder assembly in accelerating to operating speed (this operating speed, measured in revolutions per minute, being determined by, and in inverse proportion to, the amount of strand collected on the bobbin), the strand 38 is forwarded by the rolls 3| at a faster rate than the bobbin can take up ,the strand, the Spacing between the clutch elements ill and 20 being that normally corresponding to the weight of the package and package holder. Sufficient torque, however, can be exerted through the magnetic clutch if the clutch member 20 is forced below its normal position corresponding to the weight of the package, to a position wherein the magnetic forces between the clutch members are stronger than that necessary to maintain suitable tension in the strand at operating speed.

For this purpose, a plurality of latch members 60 are suspended from the lower surface of the holder member H. The members 68 are pivotable and portions thereof swing radially inwardly under .the lower end surface of the member l5 ahen the holder member II is suiliciently depressed. The latch members 50 are each suspended on pins 61 which extend upwardly into the holder member I in threaded relationship as shown or by other suitable means of securement. A coil spring 52 surrounds each pin with one end thereof secured to the bottom of the member I4 and the other end secured to the latch member 60 so as to urge the latch member into engagement into a position in which an extension 53 thereof is radially inwardly of the peripheral edge 64 of the flanged end-portion 55 of the holder member l5 when the holder member M is slimabout pins ii is restricted to a range-limited by the spacing of a pair of fingers 68 and 01 which I engage a pin 88 secured to the lower surface of the holder member ll. The members may be provided with weighted portions III of any mass required to produce a desired response of the latch members to centrifugal force. If desired, they may be made in a form permitting ready detachment from the rest of the latch member and provided in a variety of weights so that the latch members may be weighted to respond to difierent speeds of rotation of the holder. I1 desired, the members 60 may be adjustably mounted with respect to the lower surface of the member [4 so that they may be moved toward or away from the surface such asby providing lock nuts and extended threads on the portions of pins 8 I in threaded relationship with the member It. By this expedient, the members 60 may be positioned toward or away from the member I so that the spacing of the magnetic clutch members may be varied in accordance with the variation in the inertia load applied to the clutch as imposed by bobbins and package cores of difierent weights.

Such a latching system may be employed on winding devices of any type in which movement of a package holder in a direction parallel to the axis or a spindle for supporting it is utilized to vary the torque capacity of a slip-drive transmission in response to the weight of the package supported on the holder thereon. The magnetic clutch described hereinabove is merely illustrative of other torque transmission devices which may be used in winding machines and to which the invention is applicable.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be underholder being axially movable with respect to the I spindle, a slip-drive magnetic clutch comprising two spaced rotatable members, one member being 7 attached to the spindle and one being operatively connected to the holder, said members having said spindle axis as their axis of rotation, resilient means for supporting the holder at a predetermined level, the resilient means being.

yieldable to permit descent of the holder to a progressively lower level in accordance with the weight of a package supported on the holder whereby the space between the rotatable members is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity of the transmission is varied inversely .speed of the holder.

3. In a winding device having an upwardly extending driving spindle having an axis of rotation,

a strand package holder mounted on the spindle and rotatable with respect thereto, the holder being axially movable with respect to the spindle, -a slipdrive torque transmission comprising spaced rostood thatchanges and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a winding device having an upwardlyextending driving spindle rotatable with respect to an axis; a strand-package holder rotatably mounted on the spindle, the holder being axially movable with respect to the spindle, a slip-drive torque transmission comprising spaced rotatable members, one member being attached to the spindle and one being operatively connected to the holder, said members having the spindle axis as their axis of rotation, resilient means .ior supporting the holder when empty at a predetermined starting level, the resilient means being yieldable to permit descent of the holder to a progressively lower level in accordance with the diameter of a package supported on the holder whereby the space between the rotatable members is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity of the. transmission is varied in- I tatable members, one member being attached to the spindle and one being attached to.the holder, said members having the spindle, axis as their axis of rotation, resilient means for supporting the holder at a predetermined level, the resilient means being yieldableto permit descent of the holder to a progressively lower level in accordance with the weight of a package supported on the holder whereby the space between the rotatable members is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity of the transmission is varied inversely to the magnitude of the spacing, latch means for securing the holder in a predetermined lower position with respect to the spindle in opposition to the resilient means urging the holder upwardly, and a centrifugally operated means for releasing said latch means at a predetermined speed 01 the holder. g

4. In a winding device having an upwardly extending driving spindle having an axis of rotation, a strand package holder mounted on the spindle and rotatable with respect thereto, said .hc'ider comprising two concentric sections of which one is axially movable with respect to the other section, a slip-drive torque transmission comprising spaced rotatable members, one mem-' her being attached to the spindle and one being operatively connected with the axially movable section, said members having said spindle axis their axis of rotation, resilient means for supporting the axially movable section at a predetermined level with respect to the spindle and the other section, the resilient means being yieldable to permit descent of the axially movable section to a progressively lower level in. accordance with the weight of the package supported on the holder whereby the space between the rotatable memhers is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity of the transmission is varied inversely J 7 a strand package holder being axially movable with respect to the spindle, said holder compris ing two sections of which one section is in'bearing relationship with the spindle and the other is axially movable with respect to the first-named section, a slip-drive magnetic clutch comprising spaced rotatable members of which one member is attached to the spindle and one is attached to the weight in a package being collected thereon.

whereby the space between the rotatable memhers is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity of the clutch is varied inversely to the' magnitude'oi the spacing, latch means moun ed,

on. one o! the sections for securing the movable section in a predetermined lower position with respect to the first-named section and the spindle in oppositiomto the resilient means urging the the movable section, said members having said spindle and passing it to the reciprocable guide means, and means rotatably mounted on the spindle for supporting the reciprocable guide means and the strand-receiving means.

'I .In. a down twister having an upwardly extending hollow driving spindle, a flyer mountedon the spindle and having a strand passageway in communication with the interior of the spindle, a strand package holder rotatably mounted on the-spindle, said holder comprising a section in bearingrelationship with the spindle and a section ior engaging the end of a strand package. the latter section being axially movable with respect to the other section, a slip-drive magnetic clutch com rising spaced rotatable members, one member ing attached to the axially movable sec.- tion and the other being attached to the spindle, said: members having said spindle axis as their axis of rotation, one of said members comprising magnetized elements spaced along a circle ,centered with respect to the spindle with adjacent elements having opposite polarity, the other memmaterial spaced in an axial direction from the axially movable section upwardly, andcentrii'u magnetized elements, resilient means mounted galiy operated means for releasing sin-id latch.v

means at a predetermined speed of theholders 6. In a down twister having an upwardly ex-. tending hollow driving spindle, a nyercseeuredto the spindle with a thread passageway thereof in communication with the interior of the spindle, a package-holder mounted on-the spindle-and rotatable with respect thereto. said package-holder: comprising two concentric sections of which one is in bearing relationship with the spindle and ,the

other section is axially movable with respect to the first-named section, a slip-drive torque transmission comprising spaced rotatable members, one

member being attached to the spindle and one being attached to the axially movable section, said members having said spindle axis as their axis oi rotation, resilient means mounted on the matnamed section for supporting the movable section at a predetermined level, the resilient means being. yieldable to permit descent oi. the axially movable section to progressively lower levels in accordance with the weight of the package being built thereon whereby the space between the rotatable members is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity to the transmission is varied inversely to the magnitude of the spacing, latch means mounted on one of the sections for securing the axially movable section in a predetermined lower position with respect to the other section and the spindle in opposition to the resilient means urging the axially movable section upwardly. centrii'ugally operated means for releasing said latch means at a predetermined .speedoi'the holder, means reciprocating lengthwise or the holder for guiding the strand toward the holder, means for receiving the stand from the hollow on the first-named section, for supporting the axially movable section at a predetermined level, 1

tile -resilient means being yieldable to permit descent of the axially movable section to a progresslvely lower level in accordance with the weight oi a package supported on the holder whereby the space between the clutch members is correspondingly reduced and the torque capacity of the transmission is varied inversely to the magnitude .oif the. spacing, latch means for securing the axially movable section at a predetermined lower positive relative to the other section in opposition to the resilient means urging the holder inwardly, spring means urging the latch means into latched position, centriiugally operated means for releasing said latch means at a predetermined speed of the holder, means for guiding the strand toward the holder, means for reciprocating the guide lengthwise of the holder, means for receiving the strand from the hollow spindle and positlvelyiorwarding it to the reciprocable guide means, and means rotatably mounted on the spindle for supporting the reciprocable guide means and the forwarding means.

JOSEPH A. TRUI'I'I.

REFERENCES CITED The iollowlng references are oi record in the file 0! this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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