US2952417A - Hank winding machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. i3, 1960 H. "r. O'NEILL, JR 2,952,417

HANK WINDING MACHINE Filed May 11, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet l L L & Q O

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1 S1 8w & O INVENTOR Lg HARRY TO E/u. Jre.

P 1950 H. T. O'NEILL, JR 2,952,417

HANK WINDING MACHINE Filed May 11, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR V OMS/LL J/ BY ATTORNEY5 Sept. 13, 1960 H. "r. O'NEILL, JR

HANK WINDING MACHINE 4 SheetsSheet 3 Filed May 11, 1954 H Rm m m N N R w 0 m7 m M UM AB Sept. 13, 1960 H. T. O'NEILL, JR 2,952,417

HANK-WINDING MACHINE Filed May 11. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVNTOR RRY 0/1/4744, J/.

ATT RNE s United States Patent HANK WINDING MACHINE Harry T. ONeill, Jr., New Bedford, Mass., assignor to The Continental Elastic Corporation, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 11, 1954, Ser. No. 428,978

4 Claims. 01. 242-56) The present invention relates to automatic machines for winding hanks of tape.

Unless a predetermined length of tape can be wound and formed into an elongated flattened hank, banded and the band sealed at a relatively high rate of speed and with a minimum of handling, the cost of packaging tape is often greater than the cost of the tape itself and unless the finished package is neat and uniform, it is likely to be unsaleable except as a second.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide automatic winding equipment for forming hanks of tape of predetermined length, which equipment includes winding means which dependably grips the free end of a length of tape without the need for clamps, hooks or other mechanical connections, which equipment is compact and rugged in construction and functions with a minimum number of operating parts, none of which is delicate or likely to become deranged and is capable of continuous operation with high output for long periods without attention and the working parts of which are readily accessible for maintenance and repair and the cost of upkeep of which is low.

According to the invention, the winding of the tape is performed by a winding head into which tape is fed from a source of supply, said winding head having a rotatable mandrel against which the free end of the length of tape is retained, solely by pneumatic means, so that successive convolutions may be wound around the mandrel and associated means are also provided, dependably to sever the desired length of such tape, after the convolutions have been wound.

In a specific embodiment herein chosen to illustrate the invention, the winding head has a substantially circular, preferably annular cavity therein closed by a cover plate and into which a continuous length of tape may be fed. The winding mandrel is preferably a hollow drum having a plurality of openings in its periphery and suction means are provided so that the end of the tape fed into the cavity will be retained against the periphery of the mandrel.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic front elevational view of the machine,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale, taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 oftion, the winding machine of said patent will be briefly described.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings, the wind ing machine comprises a conventional frame 21 supporting a bed 22 having near the back edge 23 thereof an upstanding rear wall 24 on which are mounted substantially all of the major operating parts of the machine.

Extending longitudinally of the bed 22 in front of the rear wall 24 is a main shaft 25 rotatably mounted in a plurality of upstanding bearing brackets 26 affixed to the bed 22 and spaced along the length thereof.

Suitable means are provided to rotate shaft 25. Such means may comprise a motor M, desirably mounted upon bed 22 and connected by a shaft 27 to .a reduction gear box 28 which, as it is conventional and forms per se no part of this invention, will not be further described. Through the reduction gearing in gear box 28, is driven a bevel gear 29 which meshes with a corresponding bevel gear 31, affixed on one end of shaft 25 to rotate the latter.

A barrel cam 32 is desirably aflixed on shaft 25 near the other end thereof, preferably between two bearing brackets 26, to minimize vibration. Cam 32 through suitable linkage 30 reciprocates a horizontal drive rod 33, slidably mounted in outstanding bearing brackets 34 afiixed to the rear wall near the upper edge 35 thereof.

Along the length of the machine is a sequence of operating stations at which the tape is successively wound, formed into a hank, handed and the bands sealed, stepping means being provided to move the material from station to station.

As shown in Fig. 2, the Winding station desirably includes a hollow shaft 41 which extends through and is journalled in a boss or bearing block 42 formed integral with the rear wall 24 of the machine. The rear end 43 of the shaft 41 is journalled in and extends through a sleeve 44 which has a flange 45 rigid therewith and securely retained against the block 42 by means of bolts 46 screwed into wall 24. The rear end 43 of the shaft 41 is plugged as at 48 and the plug has a cylin drical threaded extension 49 which extends beyond the sleeve 44 and to which a drive gear 52 is; aflixed as by nut 53.

The sleeve 44 desirably has an opening 55 therein with an associated threaded nipple 56 to which a conventional vacuum pump (not shown) is connected. The portion of the shaft 42 in alignment with the opening 55, desirably has a plurality of openings 58 therethrough so that when suction is applied to the opening 55, it will also be applied to the bore 59 of the shaft 41.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the winding head 64 desirably comprises a back plate 66, positioned parallel to and spaced from the rear wall 24 of the frame by a plurality of rods 67. A front plate in the form of a block 68 is aflixed to back plate 66 by screws 69 and has a circular opening 72 therethrough, concentric with a circular opening 73 in back plate 66 and through which extends the front end 65 of shaft: 41 which is closed as at 78. Mounted on the end 65 of shaft 41 is a winding mandrel 63 which illustratively is a substantially hollow drum having axial openings 74, 75 through its rear and front walls 76 and 77 through which end 65 extends. The shaft end 65 is aflixed in any suitable manner to the front wall 77, such as by being screwed into the opening 75. i

The wall 77 of mandrel 63 as well as end 65 of shaft 41 are substantially flush with the outer surface of front plate 68 and the outer diameter of the mandrel is substantially less than the inner diameter of the circular opening 72 in the front plate 68 to define a circular annular cavity 81 between the periphery 8 2 of the mandrel and the inner surface of opening 72. 3

The portion of shaft 41 in mandrel 63 has a plurality of openings 84 and the periphery of the mandrel 63 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 85 so that when suctionis applied to nipple 56 a corresponding suction will be exerted in annular cavity 81.

Means, desirably a coverplate 86, rests against front plate 68 to close annular cavity 81. Cover plate 86 which may beof transparent material such as plastic, has a horizontal slot 87 therethrough extending from near one edge of cover plate 86 across the diameter thereof to and through the diametrically opposed edge thereof as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Although any suitable means could be used to mount the cover plate, in the embodiment herein shown, a pusher plate 91 is provided extending parallel to back plate 66 to the rear thereof and rigid with a collar 92 slidably mounted on the hollow shaft 41. A tensed coil spring 93 encompasses hollow shaft 41 and is positioned between pusher plate 9 1 and the floor 94 of a cup-shaped washer 95 encompassing the shaft 41 and extending through the opening 73 in back plate 66, thereby normally retaining the pusher plate 91 and collar 92 in their rearmost position on shaft 41 adjacent rear wall 24.

As shown in Fig. 3, the washer 95 has an annular flange 96 which rests on the periphery of opening 73 to restrain inward movement of the washer, the rear wall 76 of mandrel 63 being retained against the washer as shown.

The pusher plate 91 has extensions 98 that protrude beyond the edges of the back and front plates 66- and 68 respectively. Each of said extensions 98 has a horizontal threaded screw 97 affixed thereto at one end, which screws 97 extend beyond the front plate 68 and are rigidly affixed to cover plate 86.

In order to provide a passageway for the tape to be wound, into annular cavity 81, as shown in Fig. 3, an obliquely extending slot 101 is provided at the lower end of front plate 68 at the left side thereof. The slot 101 desirably extends upwardly from its inlet 102 and has an outlet 103 leading into annular cavity 8 1.

Tape cutting mechanism is provided to cut the tape after it has been wound. Such mechanism desirably comprises an anvil 100 positioned above slot 101 and above a vertical guideway or slot 105 defined by a block 106 mounted on the lower end of front plate 68 by bolts 107 and spaced therefrom.

Slidably mounted in slot 105 is an elongated rectangular cutting blade 108 which has a wedge-shaped cutting edge 109 designed to abut against the anvil 100 to sever the tape therebetween.

The blade 108 has a plurality of vertically aligned slots 111 through which the bolts 107 extend to limit the movement of such blade.

Suitable means are provided to reciprocate the movable blade 108 so that its cutting edge 109 may pass through the oblique slot 101 to abut against the anvil 100 thereby severing the tape therebetween.

To this end, the lower end 1112 of the blade 108 extends into a vertical slot 113 in a block 114 to which it is pinned as at 115. Aflixed to the bottom of the block 114 is a vertical rod 116 normally urged downwardly by means of a coil spring 117 (Fig. 4), one end of which is afiixed to the lower end of the vertical rod as at 118 and the other end of which is aflixed as at 121 to a laterally extending arm 122 mounted on a bracket 123, aflixed to the rear wall 24 and extending forwardly of the latter.

The rod 116 extends freely through a vertical bore 124 in an actuating block 125, the latter having two vertical slots 126 straddling the vertical bore 124 and open at their lower ends as at 127. The lowermost position of the block .125 on the rod 116 is limited by means of a nut 128 screwed on the threaded portion 129 of the rod beneath the block and retained in position by a lock nut v131. The block 125 is normally retained against the nut 128, which limits its movement, by means of a strong coil spring 132, compressed between the upper surface of the block and a washer 133, the position of which on rod 116 is determined by means of a nut 134 also screwed on the rod.

To reciprocate the rod 1116, a lever assembly is provided which comprises a pair of lever arms 135 positioned in the respective slots 126 in the block 125. One end of each of the lever arms is pivotally mounted as at 136 to a mounting bracket 137 afiixed to the rear wall 24 as is clearly shown in Fig. 4 and extending forwardly of the latter. The free ends of the lever arms rotatably mount a roller 138 therebetween, which rides on a cam 139 affixed to the main shaft 25, said cam having a high portion 141 to actuate the tape severing mechanism at the desired position in the cycle of operation.

In order to feed the tape to be wound into the cavity 81 of the winding head, a roller 151 is provided driven by'a suitable transmission from the main drive motor M. The gears 152 and 52 for the feed roller 151 and the mandrel 63 respectively are preferably so designed that the surface speeds of the feed roller and the mandrel are substantially the same at the beginning of the winding cycle. Thus, as the surface speed of the elastic on the mandrel builds up, as one layer is wound on top of the other, the surface speed of the tape riding on the feed roll 151 will increase beyond the surface speed of the feed roll itself.

Means are provided to aflford a positive feed of the tape by the feed roll at the beginning of the winding cycle, but to permit subsequent slippage of the tape once it has been fed far enough into the cavity in the winding head for the tape to be retained against the mandrel for winding.

According to the invention, such means is provided by forming the feed roll 151 as a brush having a plurality of bristles 153 preferably of wire, extending radially outward and bent at their outer ends in the direction of the feed, so that such wires will securely grip the tape when the feed roll is rotated in a clockwise direction and permit slippage of the tape when the latter is pulled-into the winding head at a rate of speed greater than the surface speed of the feed roll.

It is of course within the scope of the invention to use other means to provide for such type of feed, such as a intermittent clutch and de-clutching device.

The measuring of the amount of tape in the cavity is performed by regulating the number of revolutions of the mandrel 63 and the feed roll which are preferably designed so that their surface speeds are substantially the same at the beginning of each winding cycle.

The machine thus far described is set up for operation by positioning the free end of a length of tape which is desirably on a large roll or spool (not shown) so that it passes over the feed roll 151 and extends through the inclined slot 101, past the vertical slot 105 into the cavity in the winding head.

The main drive motor M is then energized and through the drive imparted from shaft 25, 'to gears 52 and 152, the mandrel 63 and feed roller 151 are rotated. At the same time, through any suitable switch means, also actuated by the shaft 25, suction is applied to the nipple 56 of sleeve 44 and through the shaft 41, openings 84, drum 63 and openings 85 in the periphery of the drum to tthe cavity 81 in the winding head. As the result of such suction, the free end of the tape will be securely retained against the periphery of the drum 63.

As the surface speed of the tape on the'drum builds up as one layer is wound on the other, the surface speed of the tape over the feed roll will also increase. However, by reason of the radially extending wires of the feed roller, such wires will bend as tension is applied thereagainst as previously described, so that no tension will be applied to the tape itself.

Based upon any predetermined setting of control mechanism associated with the drive shaft 25, which may be similar to that shown in the patent, above identified, the drum .63 will make a desired number of revolutions depending upon the length of the tape desired in the individual hank. When the desired length of tape has been wound on the mandrel, the latter will cease its rotation and through suitable control mechanism, the suction applied to the shaft 41 will be cut off.

fiibstantially simultaneously with the actuation of the mechanism to stop rotation of the mandrel and to cut off the suction, the main shaft 25 will have been rotated to the position in which the high portion 141 of cam 139, shown in Fig. 4, will engage the roller end 138 of lever arms 135.

As a result, the levers 135 will pivot upwardly about pivot 136, raising the block 125. By reason of the rigid coil spring 132 compressed between the top surface of the block and collar 133, the vertical rod 116 will also be raised rapidly against the tension of coil spring 117 to lift the cutting blade 108 so that the cutting edge 109 thereof will be forced against the anvil 100 dependably severing the tape therebetween. After such severing operation has been completed and the high point of cam 141 moves away from the roller end of the levers 135, the coil spring 117 will then move the vertical rod 116 downwardly to restore the cutting blade to its neutral or normal position, The spring 132 serves as a safety precaution so that when the cutting edge of the blade 188 engages the anvil, any additional upward movement of the block 125 will compress the spring 132 to prevent jamming of the roller end of levers 135 against cam 139.

Suitable mechanism is provided to form a hank from the wound convolutions of tape in the winding head and to move such hank away from the winding head in order that the finished package may be formed.

As such mechanism is substantially identical to that shown in the patent above-identified, it will be described but briefly, sufiicient for a clear understanding of the invention.

This mechanism may comprise a pair of L-shaped brackets 161 and 162 each having a transverse bore 163 in the upper end thereof through which drive rod 33 extends. Bracket 162 is rigidly afiixed to drive rod 33 by set screw 164 and bracket 161 is slidably mounted on drive rod 33 and keyed thereon by a cross pin 165 which extends through a longitudinal slot 166 in said drive rod 33. A coil spring 167 encompasses that portion of drive rod 33 between the upper ends of brackets 161 and 162 and normally urges slidable brackets 161 away from fixed bracket 163, the horizontal movement of slidable bracket 162 being limited by a stop member 168. The latter is afiixed to the upper end of front plate 68 by screws 169 and extends laterally outward therefrom with the free end 170 of stop member 168 in the path of movement of the upper end of bracket 161 and normally engaged thereby.

A collar 171 is aifixed by set screw 172 to rod 33 at the left end of the slot 166 therein and is of such diameter that it may pass beneath the end 170 of stop member 168 when drive rod 33 is moved to the right by the transmission 30 from the main shaft 25 and cam 32 heretofore described.

The vertical legs of brackets 161 and 162 each has a rearwardly extending horizontal transfer finger 174 to transport the wound tape. Fingers 174 are aligned with and normally extending into transverse slot 87 in cover plate 86.

In order to position the convolutions of tape on fingers 174, it is necessary that the convolutions be pushed out of the cavity 81 and that such cavity be opened to permit such removal. To this end, as shown in Fig. 2, a pusher ring 181 is desirably positioned in said cavity normally seated on the floor thereof.

A plurality of horizontal pins 182, illustratively three in number, are afiixed at one end respectively to the pusher ring 181, desirably at equal intervals, and extend rearwardly therefrom through openings 183 in back plate 6 66, the free ends of the pins 182 being aifixed to pusher plate 91.

Each of the pins 182 is desirably encompassed by a coil spring 184 positioned between pusher plate 91 and the back plates 66 and they aid coil spring 93 in urging the pusher plate 91 toward rear wall 24, thereby normally retaining pusher ring 181 on the floor of the cavity 81.

It is to be noted that the lengths of pin 97 for the cover plate and pin 182 for the pusher ring are so related that when pusher ring 181 is seated on the bottom of annular cavity 81, cover plate 86 will rest against front plate 68.

Although any suitable means could be used to reciprocate the pusher plate 91 which controls the pusher ring 181 and cover plate 86, in a preferred construction, as shown in Fig. 2, a lever 185 is operatively connected at its upper end as at 186 to collar 92 and pivoted near its mid point as at 187 on spacer 67. The free end (not shown) of the lever 185 is actuated by suitable cam means on the shaft 25 to reciprocate the lever in timed relation with the operation of the equipment as is described in the patent above-identified, so that after the desired number of convolutions have been wound, the suction stopped and the tape severed, the pusher plate 91 will be actuated to move the pusher ring 181 toward the right to move the convolutions of tape from the cavity and simultaneously to move the cover plate 86 away from the cavity to permit removal of the wound convolutions.

Thus, as the pusher ring moves forward and slides the wound tape out of cavity 81, such tape will slide over the ends of transfer fingers 174 to encompass the latter.

Thereupon, due to the rotation of the cam shaft 25 and through suitable mechanism, also clearly described in the above-identified patent, the drive rod 33 will be moved to the right.

As bracket 162 is rigidly afiixed to drive rod 33 and as bracket 161 is slidably mounted thereon and forced away from bracket 162 and retained against stop 168 by coil spring 167, the movement of drive rod 33 will initially impart relative transverse movement to and spread apart the fingers 174 of the brackets by moving the finger 174 of bracket 162 longitudinally through slot 87 in cover plate 86. This spreading will continue until the collar 171 on drive rod 33 abuts against slidable bracket 161 at which time the convolutions of tape will have been elongated and flattened and formed into a hank. Thereafter, as collar 171 will pass beneath stop 168, both brackets 161 and 162 and their associated fingers 174 will be moved to the right longitudinally of slot 87.

Such movement of the tape will position the hank between guide members 191 and 192, shown in Fig. 5, and by means of appropriate pusher mechanism 196 actuated from the shaft 25, through lever 197, the hank will be forced off the fingers 174 and pushed against a band 198 into spaced runs of a conveyer system 1199. Thereafter the band will be sealed and the package completed by mechanism shown and described in the above-identified patent.

With the winding head herein described, the free end of the tape will be dependably retained against the mandrel so that it may be wound thereon to form a hank of the desired length.

As the feed roller will provide dependable feed of the tape into the winding head, yet will permit slippage of the tape with respect thereto as the number of convolutions on the mandrel increases, there will be no stretching of the tape which, in the case of elastic, would cause the resultant package to be unsightly in appearance.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A winding head comprising a block having a cavity therein with a tape inlet leading into said cavity, a mandrel in said cavity and rotatably mounted therein for winding of a plurality of convolutions of tape thereon, said mandrel being hollow and having an opening leading into the interior thereof and having its periphery spaced from the Wall of said cavity, whereby when suction is created in said mandrel, the free end of a length of tape will be retained thereagainst, means to feed tape through said tape inlet into said cavity, said tape feeding means including a driven roller comprising a brush having a plurality of radiating flexible bristles adapted to engage the length of tape riding thereon, means for severing the tape after a predetermined length thereof has been Wound by said mandrel and means associated with said cavity for moving the convolutions of tape wound on said mandrel off the latter and out of said cavity.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said tape severing means comprises an anvil, a slidably mounted cutting blade, said anvil and cutting blade being positioned respectively on opposed sides of said tape inlet so that the tape may pass therebetween, and means to effect movement of the knife blade against the anvil to sever the tape therebetween when a predetermined length of tape has been wound around said mandrel.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which tlie outer ends of said bristles are bent in the direction of rotation of the feed roller.

4. A machine of the character described comprising tape winding means, means to feed tape to said winding means, said tape feeding means including a rotatably mounted roller comprising a brush having a plurality of radiating flexible bristles adapted to engage the length of tape riding thereon, the outer ends of said bristles being bent in the direction of rotation of said feed roller, means for severing the tape after a predetermined lengththereof has been wound by said winding means, and means for removing the tape from said winding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 383,686 Bansen May 29, 1888 936,610 Daniels Oct. 12, 1 909 1,601,784 Wanders Oct. 5, 192.6 1,762,289 Dahlstrom June 10, 1930 2,019,857 Hoover Nov. 5, 1935 2,155,578 Anderson Apr. 25, 1939 2,318,056 Christman May 4, 1943 2,340,340 Nordberg Feb. 1, 1944 2,446,400 Woolley Aug. 3, 1948 2,483,511 Vickers Oct. 4, 1949 2,492,900 Swenson Dec. 27, 1949 2,654,980 Dexter Oct. 13, 1954

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