US3626680A

US3626680A - Strand handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3626680A
Application number: US884960A
Authority: US
Inventors: William R Whitney
Original assignee: Leesona Corp
Current assignee: Leesona Corp
Priority date: 1969-12-15
Filing date: 1969-12-15
Publication date: 1971-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 1988-12-14
Also published as: FR2070857B1; BE759950A; CA931245A; JPS4828375B1; DE2061196A1; CH528436A; FR2070857A1

Abstract

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS INCLUDING A SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A CYCLING TENDER WHICH SCANS AND SERVICES BOBBIN WINDING STATIONS ON A SPINNING OR TWISTING MACHINE, OR THE LIKE. THE CONTROL SYSTEM PROVIDES A SIGNAL INDICATING WHEN A STATION BEING SCANNED IS OPERATIONAL AND A SERVICE SIGNAL WHEN THE STATION REQUIRES SERVICING UPON RECEIPT OF BOTH OF THESE SIGNALS THE CONTROL SYSTEM INITIATES A WORK CYCLE OF THE TENDER TO SERVICE THE STATION. THE SERVICE SIGNAL IS PROVIDED EITHER WHEN THE BOBBIN AT THE SCANNED STATION IS READY TO BE DOFFED OR WHEN THERE IS AN INTERRUPTION IN THE ADVANCING STRAND TO THE BOBBIN. IF THERE ARE MORE THAN A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF SUCH INTERRUPTION SIGNALS DURING A CYCLE, THIS SIGNAL IS RENDERED INEFFECTIVE BY THE CONTROL SYSTEM TO CAUSE SERVICING OF THE STATION. IF A ROLL-WRAP OCCURS ON A DRAFTING ROLL, AN INDICATOR WHICH COOPERATES IN PROVIDING THE OPERATIONAL SIGNAL IS MOVED TO A NON-OPERATIONAL POSITION SO THAT THIS SIGNAL IS NOT PROVIDED AND THEREAFTER THE TENDER BY-PASSES ONLY THE PARTICULAR STATION UNTIL THE STATION IS AGAIN PLACED IN OPERATIONAL CONDITION, AS BY AN ATTENDANT. WHEN THE INDICATOR IS MOVED TO ITS NON-OPERATIONAL POSITION IT CAUSES THE STRAND TO BE BROKEN PRIOR TO ENTERING DRAFTING ROLLS OF THE STATION.

Description

Dec. 14, 1971 w. R. WHITNEY 3,626,680

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed D60. 15, 1969 INVENTOR WILLIAM R. WHITNEY United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Strand handling apparatus including a system for controlling a cycling tender which scans and services bobbin winding stations on a spinning or twisting machine, or the like. The control system provides a signal indicating when a station being scanned is operational and a service signal when the station requires servicing. Upon receipt of both of these signals the control system initiates a work cycle of the tender to service the station. The service signal is provided either when the bobbin at the scanned station is ready to be dotted or when there is an interruption in the advancing strand to the bobbin. If there are more than a predetermined number of such interruption signals during a cycle, this signal is rendered ineffective by the control system to cause servicing of the station. If a roll-wrap occurs on a drafting roll, an indicator which cooperates in providing the operational signal is moved to a non-operational position so that this signal is not provided and thereafter the tender by-passes only the particular station until the station is again placed in operational condition, as by an attendant. When the indicator is moved to its non-operational position it causes the strand to be broken prior to entering drafting rolls of the station.

This invention relates to winding apparatus and, more particularly, to such apparatus for servicing a winding, spinning or twisting machine, or the like.

As used herein the terms bobbin and package means the product of a winder, spinner or twister or other strand handling machine, wound so that it may be moved from place to place. The term yarn is employed in a general sense to apply to all kinds of strand material, either textile or otherwise.

Automatic operation of a spinning or twisting machine is disclosed in a Leesona Corporation patent U.S. 3,403,866 which, in part, is directed to a servicing tender for patrolling and scanning a series of bobbin winding stations of the machine. The tender includes a control system for initiating servicing any station requiring attention. More particularly, the tender stops at a station to doff a full bobbin and to don an empty bobbin core and initiate Winding on the core, or in the event of disruption of the advancing strand of yarn to the bobbin, the tender removes the partially filled bobbin and dons an empty core and then initiates winding of the strand. In the event that the tender is unable to adequately service the station, the station is rendered non-operational and thereafter the tender lay-passes the station until an attendant manually services the station and again places it in operational condition. Other related features are disclosed in a co-pending Leesona Corporation U.S. patent application, S.N.1748,412, filed July 29, 1968, now Pat. No. 3,498,039.

The invention, in brief, is directed to apparatus for servicing a winding, spinning, or twisting machine, or the like. A control system initiates a work cycle of a tender responsive to a signal at any of a plurality of stations for indicating that the station is operational, and another signal for indicating the station requires servicing. If the tender is unable to adequately service 3,526,680 Patented Dec. 14, 1971 the station, as in the event of a roll-wrap, for example, it automatically renders the station inoperative, as by operating a roving breaker upstream of drafting rolls of the station, for example. In its normal position the roving breaker serves as the indicator for the operational signal and when in its roving breaking position the operational signal is not provided. The servicing signal may be either a signal indicating interruption of the yarn advancing to the bobbin, or a signal indicating a full bobbin, for example. If too many interruption signals occur during a cycle of the tender, the control system renders this signal ineffective for controlling the tender.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved strand handling apparatus.

A further object is provision of apparatus for detecting a roll wrap.

Another object is provision of a new and improved strand handling apparatus including a control system for a patrolling tender of a winding, spinning or twisting machine, or the like, and, more particularly, provision forby-passing a station which is not operational, and for by-passing any stations which cause a signal indicating an interruption in their strands when more than a predetermined member of such signals are received from any of the stations during a given period. A related object is provision for assuring discontinuance of advance of the strand if the tender is unable to adequately service the station. Still another related object is provision for detecting a roll-Wrap.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, schematic plan view of a spinning machine incorporating a preferred embodiment of control and servicing apparatus, with parts removed and broken away for clearer illustration;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, schematic elevational view taken generally along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG..3 is a fragmentary schematic elevational view of a modification of a portion of FIG. 2; and

FIG.:4 is an electrical diagram of a control system for the apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, a spinning frame 10 includes a base 12 on which a series of spindles 14 are suitably journalled and rotated, one at each of a plurality of stations 16. Each spindle 14 removably mounts a bobbin core telescoped on the spindle and on which a strand of yarn is wound to form a package such as a bobbin 18.

As is more fully discussed in the aforementioned patent U.S. 3,403,866, in order to scan the bobbins 1'8 and to service stations 16 requiring attention, a pair of parallel tracks 20 are mounted on the base 12 and receive wheels 22 of a tender in the form of a carriage 24 mounted to traverse back and forth on the tracks past the stations 16. The carriage Wheels 22 are suitably journalled on a carriage body 26 and, more particularly, a pair of these wheels 22 at the right end of the carriage body 26 are fixedly mounted on a shaft 28 received in journals 30 on the carriage body. This shaft 2 8- has fixed thereto a driven pulley wheel 32 connected by a timing belt 34 with a drive pulley wheel 36 of a suitable reversible air motor 38 mounted on the carriage body 26. As the carriage 24 moves toward the right end of its tracks 20, a pivoted actuator 40 of a switch 42 mounted on the carriage body 26 engages an abutment 44 on the base 12 to reverse the position of the switch actuator 40 and thereby the direction of the carriage 24, and at the left end of the tracks 20 the actuator 40 engages another abutment 46 to again reverse the carriage. The switch 42 has a contact 421 (FIG. 4) connected in circuit with a four-way solenoid valve 48 so that when the switch actuator engages one of the abutments, the solenoid valve is energized to reverse operation of the motor 3 8, and when the switch actuator engages the other of the abutments, the solenoid valve is taken out of the electric circuit to again reverse the direction of operation of the air motor, thus causing the carriage 24 to traverse to and fro past the bobbins 18 being wound at the stations 16.

During normal operation of the machine, roving Y (FIG. 2) advances downwardly through a trumpet guide 50 and a set of drafting rolls 52, then past an inlet in a vacuum duct 54 for receiving and removing yarn in the event of yarn breakage downstream of the drafting rolls, and then through a lower yarn guide 56 centered above the bobbin 18 and the rotating spindle 14, and from the lower guide 56 through a traveller '58 on a ring 60 encircling the bob-bin 18 and mounted on a ring rail 62 (not shown in FIG. 1) which moves up and down as the yarn advances from the traveller and is wound onto the bobbin. The parts 50-62 are all suitably mounted on the base 12.

If the station 16 is in operation condition, an indicator in the form of a roving breaker 64 is in an operational position as indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 2. The roving breaker 64 is pivoted at its lower end to a suitable fixed support '66 of the machine and carries suitable means, such as a plurality of pins 68, for engaging the roving Y above the trumpet guide 50 when the roving breaker 64 is pivoted to a position against a frame member 70 as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2. Movement of the roving breaker 64- from its operational to its non-operational position may be effected in any suitable manner, and as illustrated in FIG. 2 is effected by opening a solenoid shut-off valve 72 (FIGS. 2 and 4) to project a jet of air from a tube 74 fixed on the carriage body 26 and aligned with the roving breaker in its operational position, with the carriage in its servicing position at a station. Opening of the valve 72 may be controlled in any desired manner, for example by a suitable signal as disclosed in the aforementioned patent U.S. 3,403,866, or as described with reference to the control system of FIG. 4.

As the carriage 24 is moving past a station 16, an operational signal is provided by a suitable photo-electric cell 76 fixedly mounted on the carriage body 26 and energized by a ray of light 7 8 originating from a suitable lamp 80 fixed on the carriage body and reflected off of the roving breaker 64 when the roving breaker is in its operational position as shown by solid lines in FIG. 2. This signal, combined with a servicing signal starts the work cycle of the carriage 24. The servicing signal may be provided by energization of a second photo cell 82 fixed on the carriage body 26 and receiving a ray of light 84 from a lamp 86 fixed on the carriage body and reflected off of the yarn Y at a point between the drafting rolls 52 and the lower yarn guide -6 to provide a strand interruption signal, or by a full bobbin signal from a pair of photo-electric cells 88 (FIGS. 1 and 2) fixed to the carriage body 26 and each receiving through a lens 90 different rays 92, one reflected off opposite sides of the yarn on a full bobbin 18. The rays 92 are provided one by each of two lamps 94 fixed to the carriage body. The foregoing is more fully described in a co-pending Leesona Corporation patent application by William R. Whitney, Ser. No. 671,918, filed Sept. 15, 1967, for a Full Package Signalling Device," and all of the photo cells and lamps herein disclosed may be of the type referred to therein.

If during a cycle of .the carriage 24 in one direction past the stations, an excess number of interruption signals occur, this signal is temporarily eliminated from the control circuit so that the canriage 2-4 will not stop to service stations under this circumstance, as will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

In the event that the yarn is broken it may wrap around a bottom roll 96 of the drafting rolls 52 to form a rollwrap which if permitted to build to a large diameter could damage or jam the equipment. It is therefore desirable to break the roving by operating the roving breaker 64 from its operational position to its non-operational position (phantom lines, FIG. 2). In order to detect a roll-wrap, a photo-electric cell 98 receives a ray of light 100 projected from a lamp 102 and reflected from the roll 96 to the photoelectric cell 98. The cell 98 and the lamp 102 are mounted on the carriage. The roll 96 preferably has a dark surface color to contrast with relatively light yarn Y so that should the yarn wrap about the roll the intensity of the light reflected from the yarn to the photo-electric cell 98 will be increased to activate the cell and thereby initiate a roll-wrap signal for operating the solenoid valve 72 and thereby the roving breaker 64, as will be further described with reference to the control circuit (FIG. 4).

Referring to FIG. 3, the roll wrap signal may be provided by a photo electric cell 98 receiving a ray of light 100' from a lamp 102 and reflected to the photo cell only from a roll-wrap. To this end, the photo electric cell 98' and the lamp 102' are aimed generally tangentially adjacent the cylindrical periphery of the roll 96 so that the rays 100 are reflected from the lamp to the photo electric cell only as the diameter of a roll-wrap increases.

Referring to FIG. 4, the operational signal photo cell 76 is connected through an amplifier 1A with a relay IR and upon energization of this photo cell a normally open contact 1R1 of this relay closes. If the roving breaker 64 is in its non-operational position, as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2, the operational signal photo cell 76 is not energized and the relay contact 1R1 remains open. In the event that the yarn Y is advancing properly to the bobbin 18, the photo cell 82 for providing the interrupted or broken yarn servicing signal is energized and through an amplifier 2A and energizes a relay 2R which thereupon opens its normally closed contact 2R1, which is in series with the contact 1R1. In the event that the bobbin 18 is full, the pair of photo cells 88 are simultaneously energized and through an amplifier 3A energize a relay 3R which thereupon closes its normally open contact 3R1 which is in series with the contact 1R1 and in parallel with the contact 2R1. Upon the occurrence of a roll-Wrap, the photo electric cell 98 (or 98) is activated and its signal is amplified by an amplifier 4A and actuates a relay 4R to close its contact 4R1 series with the contact 1R1 and in parallel with the contacts 2R1 and 3R1. Now, if the contact 1R1 is closed and one or more of the contacts 2R1, 3R1 or 4R1 are also closed, a starting signal is provided to a control unit 104 of the carriage 24 causing the carriage to stop at the station 16 requiring service and to proceed with servicing of the station, as described in the previously mentioned patent U.S. 3,403,866. Otherwise, the carriage continues its patrolling operation and by-passes the station. Also, upon actuation of the relay 4R its normally open contact 4R2 also closes to actuate a terminal delay relay 5TR which closes its normally open contact 5TR1 to provide a holding circuit for the relay STR, and to actuate the normally closed solenoid valve 72 whereupon the jet of air is projected from the tube 74 to pivot the roving breaker 64 from its operational position (solid lines FIG. 2) to its non-operational position (phantom lines), to break the roving Y.

As previously mentioned, the control circuit functions to take the interruption signal from the photoelectric cell 82 out of circuit in the event that more than a predetermined number of such signals are provided during a given period, herein a cycle of the carriage 24 in one direction past the stations 16. To this end, a counter C (FIG. 4) is provided in series with the normally closed contact 2R1. The counter may be of any suitable type, for example a Guardian stepping relay MER-12 VBC, manufactured by Guardian Manufacturing Company, 1550 W. Carol Ave, Chicago, 111. Such a stepping relay is also provided with a reset. As indicated in FIG. 4, when the strand is broken so that the photoelectric cell 82 is not activated, the normally closed contact 2R1 remains closed and if the station is operational the contact l-Rl will close, thereby stopping the carriage by actuating the control unit 104 and also providing a pulse to the counter. :If the predetermined number of strand interruption signals are provided during a cycle, the counter closes its normally open contact C1 in series with the strand interruption relay 2R, thus keeping this relay in circuit so that its normally closed contact 2R1 remains open and the strand interruption signal from the photo cell 82 does not operate to stop the carriage 24. 'By adjusting the counter, the predetermined number of pulses which will cause its contact C1 to close may be set at any given number. Once the counter C has closed its contact C1, the contact remains closed until the counter is reset. If the predetermined number of interruption signals are not received during a cycle, upon engagement of the actuator 40 of the switch 42 to reverse the direction of the carriage by operating the switch contact 42-1, an instant opening contact 42-2 of the switch 42 closes momentarily to provide a reset pulse to the counter C thereby resetting the counter back to zero for again counting the number of interruption signals during the next cycle. However, the counter is not necessarily automatically reset if its contact C1 has closed. Optionally, a relay 6R may be provided in series With the contact C1 to be actuated by closing of the contact C1 to open its normally closed contact 6R1 in series with the instant opening contact 42-2, so that a reset pulse is not provided to the counter C.

While this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments in a particular environment, various changes may be apparent to one skilled in the art and the invention is therefore not to be limited to such embodiments or environment except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Strand handling apparatus comprising, means including a roll for advancing a strand, said roll and said strand having different light reflecting characteristics, and photoresponsive means for receiving reflected light from said roll and from said strand when wrapped about said roll, said photoresponsive means being operable to produce a signal when light reflected from said strand wrapped about said roll is received.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means operable in response to said signal to terminate wrapping of the strand about the roll.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the photoresponsive means is directed generally tangentially to the roll periphery.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means terminating wrapping of the strand on the roll includes means operable to sever the strand, and means responsive to said signal for operating the severing means.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a plurality of stations each having one said roll, means for producing a second signal when any of said stations require servicing, and means for rendering said second signal producing means inoperative when a given number of said second signals occur within a given period.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second signal producing means includes means for sequentially scanning each said stations.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said scanning means includes a movable unit, and means for moving said unit past said stations.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 including separate strand severing means for each of said stations, each strand severing means being operable in response to said signal to terminate wrapping of the strand about the roll associated with said station.

9. Strand handling apparatus comprising a plurality of strand handling stations, means including a roll for advancing a separate strand at each station, each said roll having different light reflective characteristics from the strand being advanced thereby, movable photoresponsive means for patrolling past each said roll and strand and being operable to receive reflected light from each said roll and from the strand associated therewith when the strand is wrapped about the roll, said photoresponsive means being operable to produce a signal When light reflected from any said strand wrapped about its associated roll is received.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 including means operable in response to said signal to terminate wrapping of any strand about its associated roll.

.11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for terminating wrapping of said strand on said roll including means for severing said advancing strand.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 803,062 10/1905 King 57-86 1,635,693 7/1927 Scott l9.26 2,734,335 2/1956 Saunders et al 5786 2,813,309 11/1957- West et a1. l9.26 3,099,829 7/1963 Namenyi-Katz 57-81 X 3,128,590 4/1964 Escursell-Prat 5734 3,158,852 11/1964 Schacher 5781 X 3,169,716 2/1965 Furst 24236 3,430,426 3/1969 Bryan, Jr. et al 5734 3,498,039 3/1970 Kent et al. 5786X STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.