US3316698A

US3316698A - Method of and apparatus for controlling bobbin change in double-twist machines

Info

Publication number: US3316698A
Application number: US382830A
Authority: US
Inventors: Franzen Gustav
Original assignee: Palitex Project Co GmbH
Current assignee: Palitex Project Co GmbH
Priority date: 1963-07-15
Filing date: 1964-07-15
Publication date: 1967-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-02
Also published as: NL140300B; GB1063827A; NL6408033A; DE1510789A1; ES302093A1; BE650475A; CH428513A

Description

G. FRANZEN 3,316,698 PAR IN 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 2, 1967 METHOD OF AND AP ATUS FOR CONTROLLING BOBB CHANGE IN DOUBLE-TWIST MACHINES Filed July 15, 1964 Lil May 2, 1967 (5. FR METHOD OF AND APPARATU ANZEN 3,316,698 5 FOR CONTROLLING BOBBIN CHANGE IN DOUBLETWIST MACHINES 3 SheetsSheet 2 Filed July 15, 1964 Inrenlar: M 654.,

' May 2, 1967 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING BOBBIN CHANGE IN DOUBLE-TWIST MACHINES Filed July 15, 1964 G. FRANZEN 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent Ofifice 3,3lh,698 Patented May 2, 1967 N Claims. (Cl. 57--53) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for the automatic bobbin change in double-twist machines.

Previously, machines of this kind have had to be supervised by one or more female operatives who can act whenever required to change exhausted bobbins or to repair yarn breaks. Failure to take appropriate action leads to long stoppages and therefore poor utilisation of this intensively capitalised machine. There are often difiiculties therefore in running such machines on a threeshift basis since twisting and winding and the associated jobs are done by female labour, and female labour on night shifts is generally not available.

The supervisory work on a double-twist machine should therefore be so automated that the machine can run completely unsupervised at least for some long period of time, yet the complete system must not become overcomplicated; indeed, construction should be kept as simple as possible, with a view to keeping first costs low and to reducing the likelihood of disturbances and breakdown. Also, a system of this kind, as well as considerably reducing the human labour required, should work more rapidly and more uniformly than with unaided human labour, with the likelihood of increasing output per manhour and machine utilisation.

One of the operatives jobs which takes up most time is threading the yarn through the hollow tube of the spindle. According to one suggestion-which is not, however, prior artto endeavour to reduce the associated handling times, a preparation station is provided in the form of a pneumatic threader. This step reduces handling times but provides only partial automation.

One great difliculty is knotting the broken yarn and, as the experts in the pure winding-frame art are well aware, the automatic control gear for knotting is very complicated, easily upset and expensive.

An important realisation behind our invention is that, in contrast to pure winding, it is relatively seldom that any yarn knotting is required in two-for-one twisting. The yarn is not rewound from small units on to large units, nor is there any cleaning of the yarn, a job which causes a high percentage of yarn breakages, and so the idea behind the invention is to combine a large amount of automation with the absence of any automatic knotting -i.e., no complicated knotting apparatus need be provided.

In the method according to the invention, therefore, the creel bobbin and the twisted or doubled yarn bobbin (hereinafter called the doubler bobbin) or the core therefor are changed together and form a unitary group throughout until unwinding is completed.

The term creel bobbin as used in this context and hereinafter is intended to denote any kind of creel bobbin --i.e., including creel bobbins in a double-row arrangement.

To perform the method according to the invention, with the group comprising the creel bobbin and doubler bobbin or doubler bobbin core remaining unitary throughout, such group moves for changing substantially around the spindle bank, very conveniently in rectangular course. Conveniently, therefore, a creel bobbin support whose bobbin has unwound or whose yarn has broken, and the associated doubler bobbin, are replaced by a bobbin support already fitted with a threaded creel bobbin and with an associated doubler bobbin core. In the event of a yarn breakage the doubler bobbin and the creel bobbin are brought conveniently close to one another and the yarn ends are knotted at a given time, and the group comprising the doubler bobbin and the creel bobbin is kept ready for automatic insertion at the twisting or doubling station.

As will be apparent, the operations of threading and knotting are transferred to somewhere outside the twisting or doubling station. The machine operative, therefore tas enough time to perform these various jobsi.e., more particularly knotting-without reducing the running time of the machine. The main reason for this is that the creel bobbin and the doubler bobbin or doubler bobbin core (tube) stay together as a unitary group until the completion of unwinding, however often there may be disturbances due to yarn breakages.

A bobbin carrier fitted with a creel bobbin can be provided with a doubler bobbin or a core therefor outside the twisting or doubling station, and the yarn which has been drawn off the creel bobbin and threaded into the twist spindle tube can there be placed on the doubler bobbin tube or knotted between the creel bobbin and the doubler bobbin to repair a yarn reak.

In one very effective way of performing the method according to the invention, the bobbin carriers are exchanged in one direction of movement without reversal of direction from one side of the machine to the other, and during the exchange movement the fresh doubler bobbin or doubler bobbin core is removed from its carrier and, after ejection of the bobbin from the bobbin frame, is inserted into said frame. The doubler bobbin ejected from the bobbin frame is placed on the ejected creel bobbin carrier. The creel bobbin carrier and the doubler bobbin forming the group therefore stay together. The creel bobbin carrier combined with the doubler bobbin is moved away from the preparation station adjacent the doubling station stepwise downwards, then forwards to the stand-by station, and thence to the insertion station.

For satisfactory performance of the method according to the invention, the machine operative must see to it that there is at least one group comprising a creel bobbin and doubler bobbin or doubler bobbin core available for each twisting station. If allowance is made for likely yarn breakages, a tWo-for-one twister can at the end of a shift be brought into a state enabling it to run through the next shift without any supervision, since a group is exchanged not only upon exhaustion of the creel bobbin but also at every yarn breakage, but the machine continues to run undisturbed whether the operative sees to the particular spindles concerned immediately or at some later time.

In an apparatus for performing the method according to the invention, a changer apparatus movable along the machine is provided for automatic changing of the group comprising the creel bobbin carrier with the bobbin and the doubler bobbin or doubler bobbin core. Conveniently, therefore, a gripper, preferably in the form of a fork and adapted to move transversely of the longitudinal axis of the machine and vertically, is provided on the changer apparatus, and the fork prongs engage in guides of the bobbin carrier to raise the same to the level of the operative position and, in a non-reversing movement to initiate the ejection of the creel bobbin carrier which has been operative and its replacement by another. The changer comprises two other grippers, preferably in the form of expanding mandrels, movable transversely of the machine axis and vertically, to engage the cores of the double bobbins and insert them into the bobbin frames which are ready to receive them or remove them. These devices permit changing the groups.

A description of the invention, with further particulars thereof, will be given hereinafter in greater detail with reference to the drawings which show a preferred embodiment and in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a double-twist machine taken in the region of one twisting station;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bobbin carrier change fork;

FIG. 3 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 2',

FIG. 4 is a side view of the yarn detector, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 4.

A machine frame 1 has mounted in it, in known and conventional manner, a spindle bank 3 receiving double twist spindles 5 mounted by means of their wharves 4. The wharves are in known manner driven tangentially by a belt 6 associated with a conventional pressing roller 7. Yarn 9 paid off from a creel bobbin 8 runs conventionally through a hollow tube 1% issues radially from revolvable plate or bowl 11 at 12 and runs via a yarn detector 13 and lead roller 14 to a traversing yarn carrier 15, to be wound by means of a friction roller 16 on to a tube 17. In the case of a double-row arrangementi.e., of two creel bobbins 8 disposed one above another-the t'wo yarns travel along the path just described.

A special spindle must be provided if the steps according to the invention for automating the various operations are to be carried into effect. A carrier 13 of the bobbin 8 is kept stationary by magnets 19, 26 in a manner known per se. The carrier 18 isin accordance with an earlier suggestion which is not, however, prior artprovided with a double bearing 21 having a conical outside surface engageable in a matching conical socket part 22 of the rotating plate or dish 11. The plate or dish is formed near the aperture 12 with a radial slot 23 which extends into the socket part 22. According to another suggestion which is not, however, prior art--the spindle can be stopped in an arbitrary position which, in the present case, is such that the aperture 12 and slot 23 in the turntable 11 always point to the same place. In order not to overload the drawings, the means therefor are not shown.

The carrier 18 has guides 24 whereby it can be engaged (as hereinafter described) and raised together with its bearing 21 and moved from one side of the machine to the other. Disposed in the machine frame 1 is a V-bar 25 which can, conveniently, be mounted near one foot 26 of the frame 1. The bar 25 forms, as it were, a single track which extends along the length of the machine and on which wheels 27 of a U-shaped frame 28 of a bobbinchanging apparatus 29 run. The frame 28 also bears via a roller 30 in a U-bar 31 secured to the bank 3. The changer apparatus 29 is driven by an electric motor 32 which picks up its current from busbars 34 via a pick-up bow 33. A compressor for operating the pressing cylinder is supplied with electricity in the same way. The compressor is mounted in the changer apparatus 29 but is not shown. Very advantageously, the compressor is of a pistonless kind known per se.

On a bar 35 and through the agency of pressing cylinder 36 and piston rod 37, a lifting device 38 can be moved transversely of the longitudinal axis of the machine, and roll mountings 39 are provided for this purpose. Secured thereto, by means of a support member 141 for guiding the cylinder 40, is a piston rod 41. Secured to the bottom end 142 of the cylinder is a fork 42 which can engage in the guides 24 in the bobbin carrier 18, as can be seen more particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The prongs of the fork 42 are long enough to receive two bobbin carriers 18 and transport the same horizontally and vertically. The fork 42 can move as far as a preparation station which will be described hereinafter.

Disposed on the carrier 141 in a second plane above the fork 42 are two expanding mandrels 43, 44 which are adapted to engage tubes 45 of doubler bobbins 46 and to insert them into carriers 47 which are ready to receive them or to remove them from carriers. No elaborate means for turning up the bobbin tube and its carrier part from the horizontal position to the vertical are needed. The crucial action as can be seen from FIGURE 1 is that the carrier part for the tube of the bobbin is swung around on an arm along the dotted radial lines between the two shown positions. In particular, by way of example, the carrier 47 includes a hinged part carrying the bottom tube 1'7. The carrier comprises an arm 70 which can be swung to the full line position from the dotted line positions indicated by the radial lines. At the full line position the hinged part is swung upwards (to the said raised position) to align the bottom core with the mandrel 44, and any suitable means such as an electromagnet may be provided for this purpose. The mandrels 43, 44 are each in the form of a rubber member which can be expanded by compressed air supplied through a hollow piston rod 48, to clamp the tube 45. Through the agency of pistons 49, the mandrels 43, 44 can be moved up and down pneumatically by means of pistons 49 in cylinders 50.

The cylinders 40, 50 have their supplies controlled by a distributing valve 51 in the form of a known electric valve for pneumatic programme control. The various movement phases for the bobbin-changing system will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The bobbins 46 are taken from the raisable carrier 47 and travel, in the direction indicated by the diagrams in chain-dotted lines, to a preparation station 52 where they are placed on the associated bobbin carrier 18. The bobbin 46 is guided by a shaft 53 which continues to below the station 52 and which has an open part 54 so that the bobbin carrier 18 can be lifted off its spindle and moved into the preparation station in a single movement transversely of the machine longitudinal axis from the front to the back. The shaft 53 is so formed that the machine operator has access into it from the right and from the left with both hands. Conveniently, the station 52 has a carrier 55 and is additionally secured by a spring-biased flap 62 rotatable around a spindle 63. The carrier 18 and its associated bobbin 46 on the carrier 55 stay at the station 52. The carrier 55 has a manually releasable locking device 56. The carrier moves downwards along guide 57 and is braked by a piston, with rod 59, moving in a cylinder 58. The carrier 55, together with the group comprising the carrier 18 and bobbin 46, moves into a position 162 which is shown in chain lines and in which the carrier 18 is transferred to a roller track 60 over which the group passes to a chain line position 61 where it moves into the range of the fork 42, which is also shown in chain-dotted lines.

The machine is controlled by means of the yarn detector 13. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the yarn detector system comprises a known self-threading yarn carrier 113 with an entry hoop 114. A spring-biased detector lever 116 is pivoted near the point 115 where the yarn passes through.

If the yarn breaks or if the yarn end runs off the bobbin 8, the detector lever 116 pivots into the position 116' to close the control circuit and thus initiate the stopping of the spindle, raising the carrier 47, moving the changer 29 to the location of the disturbance and locking the changer 29 at such location. When the changer 29 has reached the location of the disturbance, a programme control 51 in the changer 29 is started and changes a group comprising a carrier 18 and tube 45 or bobbin 46. The last item on the programme of this control is the release of the changer 29 so that the same is then free for further changing operations and can readily be called automatically to the location of the next disturbance. After release the changer can either remain at the place of release until it is required for a fresh disturbance, or move into a central position-and thus be able to travel the shortest distance to any fresh disturbanceor patrol along the length of the machine.

The machine operates as follows.

It will be assumed that the yarn 9 breaks when the state of operations at the twisting station is as shown in solid lines for the spindle 5 and in chain-dotted lines for the bobbin at a place 46'. The detector 13 therefore drops and initiates events programmed as follows:

The spindle 5 stops with the slot 23 pointing to the front. The changer 29 is called to the disturbance and locked near the disturbed spindle. A fork 42 with the prongs long enough to receive two bobbin carriers consecutively is at this time in the chain-line position A, but moves immediately to position B and picks up the

group

18, 46 at the position 61. The lifting cylinder 40 then rises until the fork reaches position C at the level of the operative position of the spindle 5. The mandrel 43 then descends, engages with the tube 45 of the bobbin 46 and moves it into the top solid-line position 46. Simultaneously, the carrier 47 being in the raised position, the mandrel 44 has engaged with the tube 45 of the bobbin 46 which, together with the carrier 18 and bobbin 8, is associated with the spindle 5 actually in operation at that particular time. The mandrel draws the bobbin 46 off the carrier 47. The lifting device now moves from front to rear transversely of the machine longitudinal axis so that the fork 42 moves from position C to position D, the mandrels 43, 44 moving to the left (with respect to FIGURE 1 orientation) by corresponding amounts. The lifting device 40 then rises to bring the fork 42 into position E. The carrier 18 has therefore come into the position 18 in which the bearing 21 has been removed from its matching socket 22. The next phase of the movement-into position Fcan now be performed. In position F the

fresh group

18, 46 is right at the twisting station, the carrier 18 and bobbin 8 being above the re volvable plate or dish 11 and the wharve and the bobbin 46 being above the carrier 47. All that remains is the lowering movement. During lowering the fork moves into position G. The fresh carrier is lowered into its matching member 22. The carrier 18 which was previously in operation is deposited at the preparation station 52. The mandrels 43, 44 are lowered until they engage with the associated bobbin, the corresponding bobbin 46 which forms part of a new group being released, while the mandrel 44 releases the bobbin 46 of the group previously in use so that such bobbin can be combined with the ejected carrier 18. The complete lifting device 38, and therefore the fork 42 and mandrels 43, 44, are returned to the original position. The original position for the fork 42 is the position H. The programme control then releases the changer 29 so that the same can be moved to the place of any fresh disturbance.

Since the yarn 9 which is required to unwind from the bobbin 8 through the tube is knotted to the bobbin 46, the upwards movement of the bobbin 46 produced by the mandrel 43 pulls the yarn 9 upwards, and upon the mandrel 43 and therefore the bobbin 46 moving transversely, this is therefore introduced automatically into the detector 13 and carrier so that twisting can be resumed immediately after the carrier 47 has been lowered. The yarn 9 has also come near the detector 13 and is introduced by the pivoting yarn inserter 117 into the passage 115. The pivoting of the inserter 117 is produced by a cylinder 118 controlled by the programme control.

At the preparation station 52, the machine operative, whatever the fault-a yarn breakage or exhaustion of the bobbin 8-removes the group comprising the ejected carrier 18 and bobbin 46 and inserts a fresh group. The latter can be either a group which has still not fully unwound and which merely requires the yarn break to be repaired, or a fresh group in which the unwinding from the bobbin 3 has not startedi.e., the tube of the bobbin 46 is still empty. Assembly, threading-up and knotting are all performed outside the machine, and the machine operative can, for instance, push round a trolley containing appropriately assembled groups. Upon the completion of exchanging, the machine operative releases the carrier 55 so that the group can be deposited on the roller track 60. If required, the group need not be replaced if the yarn breaks; instead, the yarn can be knotted while the group is at the preparation station.

What I claim is:

1. A method of servicing a double twist machine having a plurality of stations comprising: associating a threaded creel bobbin to doubler bobbin means at a preparation station including operatively securing yarn from the creel bobbin to the doubler bobbin means; cycling the associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means to a standby station and from there to an insertion station; sensing an interruption of the passage of yarn from an in place creel bobbin to an in place doubler bobbin means at a doubling station, moving said associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means toward said doubling station and withdrawing said in place creel bobbin and in place doubler bobbin means from said doubling station; then installing said associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means in place at said doubling station and depositing the formerly in place creel bobbin and formerly in place doubler bobbin means at said preparation station.

2, The method of claim 1 further including the steps of securing broken yarn ends to one another; and reassociating the formerly in place creel bobbin and the formerly in place doubler bobbin means to constitute an associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means at said preparation station.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of: replacing an empty formerly in place creel bobbin with another creel bobbin having yarn thereon; associating said other creel bobbin with doubler bobbin means to constitute an associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means at said preparation station.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the formerly in place doubler bobbin means is removed from said preparation station with the empty formerly in place creel bobbin and said other creel bobbin is left at said preparation station associated with another doubler bobbin means than said formerly in place doubler bobbin means.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the creel bobbin includes a twist spindle tube and the doubler bobbin means includes a core, wherein the creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means are associated by drawing yarn oif the creel bobbin and threading it through the twist spindle tube and onto the doubler bobbin core.

6. A double twist machine having: means defining at least one preparation station, means defining at least one standby station, means defining at least one insertion station and means defining at least one doubling station at Which yarn is wound from a creel bobbin onto doubler bobbin means all of said one stations being generally disposed in a common plane; means for sensing an interruption in the passage of yarn from the creel bobbin to the doubler bobbin at said doubling station; a changer apparatus disposed at said insertion station at least upon the sensation by said sensing means of a yarn interruption and comprising:

(a) means for withdrawing an associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means having yarn operatively threaded therebetween from said stand-by station;

(b) means for disengaging from the doubling station the creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means between which yarn passage has been interrupted;

(0) means for depositing the disengaged creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means at the preparation station; and

(d) means for installing the associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means withdrawn from the stand-by station at the doubling station.

7. The double twist machine of claim 6 having a plurality of each of said stations in planes spaced from one another along the longitudinal axis of the machine; the stations in each plane defining a group and a sensing means for each group; said changer apparatus being mounted for movement along said axis to each of said groups in response to sensing of a yarn interruption by the respective sensing means for removal and replacement of the creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means thereat.

8. The double twist machine of claim 6 wherein changer includes horizontally opening fork member mounted for movement transversely and vertically of the machine said fork member being removably engageable with guide means operatively secured to each respective creel bobbin for effecting movement of the creel bobbin between stations and elevation of the creel bobbin associated doubler bobbin means with the respective creel bobbin from the stand-by station to the insertion station.

9. The double twist machine of claim 8 wherein the changer also includes a doubler bobbin core engaging means, separate from said fork member, and mounted for movement vertically and transversely of the machine; said core engaging means being constructed and arranged to accept the creel bobbin associated doubler bobbin means from the support of said fork member at said insertion station and to emplace the accepted doubler bobbin means at the doubling station, said core engaging means also being constructed and arranged to deposit the disengaged doubler bobbin means at the preparation station.

10. The double twist machine of claim 9 wherein the bobbin-core engaging means comprise two expansiblecontractile mandrels.

11. The double twist machine of claim 7 in which the changer apparatus comprises a U-shaped frame; a longitudinal track on said machine externally thereof; said frame being mounted on said track; said machine having means thereon for supporting and guiding the U-shaped frame.

12. The double twist machine of claim 11 wherein the changer apparatus includes fluid cylinder means thereon for elevating and transversely moving the means (a) through (d).

13. The double twist machine of claim 6 further including a generally vertical track extending between said preparation station and said stand-by station; a manually lockable carrier on said vertical track; said lockable carrier being lowerable along said track to move associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means from said preparation station to said stand-by station.

14. The double twist machine of claim 13 including a roller track extending throughout said stand-by station and being so oriented as to dispose associated creel bobbin and doubler bobbin means supported thereon in said stand-by station toward a position for access by said changer apparatus.

15. The double twist machine of claim 6 further comprising program control means for cycling operation of means (a) through (d).

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,076,434 4/1937 Anderson 57-52 2,407,366 9/ 1946 Cotchett et al 242- 2,408,135 9/ 1946 Cotchett 24235 2,432,722 12/ 1947 Campbell 242-35 2,584,096 1/1952 Thomas 57-80 FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

6. A DOUBLE TWIST MACHINE HAVING: MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE PREPARATION STATION, MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE STANDBY STATION, MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE INSERTION STATION AND MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE DOUBLING STATION AT WHICH YARN IS WOUND FROM A CREEL BOBBIN ONTO DOUBLER BOBBIN MEANS ALL OF SAID ONE STATIONS BEING GENERALLY DISPOSED IN A COMMON PLANE; MEANS FOR SENSING AN INTERRUPTION IN THE PASSAGE OF YARN FROM THE CREEL BOBBIN TO THE DOUBLER BOBBIN AT SAID DOUBLING STATION; A CHANGER APPARATUS DISPOSED AT SAID INSERTION STATION AT LEAST UPON THE SENSATION BY SAID SENSING MEANS OF A YARN INTERRUPTION AND COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING AN ASSOCIATED CREEL BOBBIN AND DOUBLER BOBBIN MEANS HAVING YARN OPERATIVELY THREADED THEREBETWEEN FROM SAID STAND-BY STATION; (B) MEANS FOR DISENGAGING FROM THE DOUBLING STATION THE CREEL BOBBIN AND DOUBLER BOBBIN MEANS BETWEEN WHICH YARN PASSAGE HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED; (C) MEANS FOR DEPOSITING THE DISENGAGED CREEL BOBBIN AND DOUBLER BOBBIN MEANS AT THE PREPARATION STATION; AND (D) MEANS FOR INSTALLING THE ASSOCIATED CREEL BOBBIN AND DOUBLER BOBBIN MEANS WITHDRAWN FROM THE STAND-BY STATION AT THE DOUBLING STATION.