US3757992A

US3757992A - Supply bobbin delivery mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3757992A
Application number: US00274745A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Cruickshank; R Tata
Original assignee: Leesona Corp
Current assignee: Leesona Corp
Priority date: 1972-07-24
Filing date: 1972-07-24
Publication date: 1973-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1990-09-11
Also published as: IT991269B; FR2193892A1; DE2331234A1; FR2193892B3; JPS4950245A

Abstract

Supply bobbin delivery mechanism including a rotatable divider mounted on an axis within a tub-like bobbin container is described. The divider includes a plurality of separators, the space between each adjoining pair of separators forming a bobbin receiving compartment. The divider is driven by an indexing mechanism having at least as many positions as there are separators thereon. The container is mounted in an inclined plane and has an opening at the high point along its periphery. The container is charged with bobbins by automatically or manually filling each space or compartment. On demand from the user mechanism the divider is indexed one position at a time. Consequently, bobbins in each compartment are moved sequentially into alignment with the opening in the container whereupon these bobbins slide downwardly under the force of gravity to the user mechanism. Indexing of the divider to thereby deliver a fresh quantity of bobbins from the next succeeding compartment to the user mechanism is repeated on each occasion when a demand signal for supply bobbins is received.

Description

States Patent [191 Qruickshank et a1.

[451 Sept. 11, 1973 SUPPLY BOBBIN DELIVERY MECHANISM [75] Inventors: David G. Cruickshank, North Kingstown; Raymond V. Tata, Warwick, both of R1.

[73] Assignee: Leesona Corporation, Warwick, R1.

[22] Filed: July 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 274,745

[52] U.S. Cl. 221/13, 221/263 [51] B65h 43/02 [58] Field of Search 221/13, 10, 113,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,538,990 l1/l970 Brouwer 221/10 2,620,091 12/1952 Thompson 221/263 X 1,701,869 2/1929 Woods 221/263 X 1,562,152 11/1925 Grenier 221/263 Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg AttorneyAlbert P. Davis et a1;

" 1, IIIII TIII 1 111 [57] ABSTRACT Supply bobbin delivery mechanism including a rotatable divider mounted on an axis within a tub-like bobbin container is described. The divider includes a plurality of separators, the space between each adjoining pair of separators forming a bobbin receiving compartment. The divider is driven by an indexing mechanism having at least as many positions as there are separators thereon. The container is mounted in an inclined plane and has an opening at the high point along its periphery. The container is charged with bobbins by automatically or manually filling each space or compartment. On demand from the user mechanism the divider is indexed one position at a time. Consequently, bobbins in each compartment are moved sequentially into alignment with the opening in the container whereupon these bobbins slide downwardly under the force of gravity to the user mechanism. Indexing of the divider to thereby deliver a fresh quantity of bobbins from the next succeeding compartment to the user mechanism is repeated on each occasion when a demand signal for supply bobbins is received.

10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Patented Sept. '11, 1973 3,757,992

SUPPLY BOBBIN DELIVERY MECHANISM The present invention relates to supply bobbin delivery mechanism and, more particularly, relates to new and improved mechanism for holding discrete quantities of disoriented supply bobbins in separate compartments and metering the individual quantities of bobbins to user mechanism upon a demand signal while maintaining the bobbins, when in the supply mechanism, in a condition where they are not subject to significant relative motion to each other prior to their delivery to the user mechanism. I

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Supply bobbin delivery mechanisms which are capable of holding a quantity of bobbins in a condition of readiness for delivery to user mechanism, such as an orienting device which arranges the bobbins in a particular condition for subsequent transfer to a position for readying and unwinding, are wellknown in the art. While such prior art mechanisms are quite adequate for their intended purposes in most respects, nevertheless it has been found that these prior art mechanisms subject the yarn supply on each bobbin to a certain amount of rotation relative to adjacent bobbins and, further, cause longitudinal shifting of the bobbins relative to each other. While in the operation of conventional spinning and twisting machines the outer yarn end on each bobbin wound thereon is coiled around the bobbin, such turbulance and agitation of the bobbins by tion at which they are intended to be automatically readied, i.e., the outer strand end located and automatically fixed at a position on the bobbin where it is readily retrievable by suitable apparatus on an automatic winding machine, such readying is often precluded. This generally arises from the fact that the readying operation contemplates the rotation of each bobbin in some predetennined sequence with a view to finding the outer end and repositioning it. Irregularly disposed ends on a supply bobbin are difficult if not impossible to find in practice with present day readiers. Consequently, with the endeavor toautomatically ready such supply bobbins thwarted, expenditure of valuable time is required in laboriously retrieving each bobbin and manually readying its outer end.

To the end that the foregoing disadvantages may be obviated, the present invention provides for supporting a plurality of bobbins, either in oriented or disoriented fashion, in a plurality of compartments within a circular bobbin container. The compartments are defined by a rotatable divider which is indexed on signal, as from.

user mechanism such as a bobbin orientor to deliver to such user source the supply of bobbins contained in a compartment. Delivery of the bobbins to the user mechanism is accomplished by indexing the rotatable divider one position at a time so that the quantity of bobbins contained in each compartment can be moved under the force of gravity through an opening in the container to the user mechanism. on a next demand signal the supply of bobbins in the next succeeding compartment is delivered to the user mechanism as the divider is indexed one more step to align the group of bobbins in said next compartment with the opening in the container. During such indexing of the rotatable divider the bobbins in each compartment are moved along without significant agitation relative to each other. Consequently, any tendency of the outer strand ends of the wound supplies on the bobbins to disengage from the bobbins is precluded.

In keeping with the foregoing one object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved supply bobbin delivery mechanism which is capable of moving supplies of bobbins from a storage position for delivery to a user source while precluding significant relative motion among the stored bobbins.

Another object of the present invention is to provide supply bobbin delivery mechanism which is constituted as a relatively compact, modular unit capable of use with a wide variety of modern textile mechanisms.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a supply bobbin delivery mechanism which is capable of storing a supply of disoriented bobbins and for delivering these stored bobbins in predetermined quantities to user mechanism while precluding substantial relative movement between the stored supply bobbins.

Yet, a further object of the present invention is to provide supply bobbin delivery mechanism which is inexpensive to manufacture and durable and reliable in use.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus for possessing the construction combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines IlII of 7 FIG. 2 with parts broken away for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference initially to FIG. 1 of the drawing the supply bobbin delivery mechanism of the present invention includes a base 10 having a front wall 12 and a rear wall 14 which are joined together by

opposing side walls

16 and 18. As is most apparent in FIG. 2 the rear wall 14 of base 10 extends higher than said front wall 12. Additionally, the rear wall 14 is cut away at 22 to provide an opening which confrontsa downwardly inclined chute 24 leading to user mechanism such as a bobbin orienter 26. Bobbins carried by the delivery mechanism are. discharged through the opening 22 and move downwardly under the force of gravity along chute 24 to orienter 26.

Base provides a support fora well which is formed by a wall 32 of frusto-conical shape welded to a top panel 34 which, in turn, is secured to the top of base 10. Wall 32 and panel 34 are not continuous but, rather, are interrupted to provide clearances coterminous with opening 22 as best seen in FIGS. 1 and'2. The lower end of well 30 is formed as a circular, inclined floor 36 welded to the lower edge of wall 32 and to wall 14 along the margin formed by the base of opening 22. The interior surface of wall 32 desirably is highly polished or coated with a suitable material to render it substantially friction free with respect to the bobbins B carried within well 30.

Viewing FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be readily apparent that well 30 opens upwardly for ready delivery of bobbins thereto. Further, it will be observed that a compartmentalizing member or, more simply, a divider 40 is situated within well 30. Divider 40 includes a plurality of equally spaced separators 42 radiating out from a common hub 44 to divide well 30 in a number of compartments 46 of substantially equal volume. As depicted, divider 40 is provided with six separators which, of course, separate well 30 into six individual compartments. It will be apparent that this number of compartments is quite arbitrary and that the well could be divided into any number of compartments within obvious limits to provide the desired quantity of bobbins to orienter 26. As seen in FIG. 2 a gusset 48 is welded between each of the adjoining sets of separators 42. These gussets form a floor for each of the compartments 46 and are arranged in inclined planes generally coincident with the angle of incline of chute 24. Thus, these gussets, which are polished on their bobbin-engaging surfaces, provide a convenient means for directing the bobbins from each compartment 46 into chute 24.

Divider 40 is keyed on a rotatable shaft which projects downwardly through an aperture formed centrally through floor 36. As best seen in FIG. 2 shaft 60 is supported for rotation in an inclined plane in suitable bearings carried in spaced

bearing mounts

62 and 64 supported on an integrally formed yoke 66 which is secured to a beam 68. In turn, beam 68 is fastened securely to a rigid floor plate 70 forming the lower panel of base 10. Suitable spaced legs 72 are attached to plate 70 for supporting the base from the floor. Shaft 60, by virtue of its being inclined in a plane at a right angle to floor 36, permits divider 40 to be rotated so that its several compartments 46 move from a relatively low position proximate to front wall 12 where easy manual loading of the compartments can be achieved to a relatively high position proximateopening 22 where the bobbins in any compartment aligned with chute 24 can be readily discharged thereto.

Indexing of divider 40 is achieved by means of an indexing mechanism depicted in its operative location in FIG. 2 and shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. Indexing mechanism 80 includes a circular plate 82 which is secured fast on shaft 60 for rotation therewith. Plate 82 has a plurality of studs 84 embedded therein and protruding therefrom at equidistant locations around the periphery thereof, the location of each stud having correspondence to an associated one of the compartments 46 formed by divider 40. Fastened on the upper face of bearing mount 64 is a carrier plate 86. A conventional spring-return air cylinder is affixed to the outer end of carrier plate 86 by stud 92. The piston 94 of cylinder 90 is connected to a rockable crank 96 by a stud 98.

One arm 100 of crank 96 has a bearing 102 on its end remote from piston 94. This bearing loosely engages a sleeve 104 extending upwardly from bearing mount 64. Thus, as piston 94 is slid in its cylinder 90 crank 96 is rocked about shaft 60.

Mounted on the outer end of piston 94 for cooperative movement with crank 96 is a block which acts as a support for an anvil 112. This anvil 112 is springloaded to be biased in a clockwise sense (FIG. 3) about its mounting pin 114 and is yieldable in the opposite sense. Further, anvil 112 has a channel in its forward end which engages on the periphery of plate 82. Consequently, as piston 94 is extended out of cylinder 90 anvil 112 is aligned to engage a stud 84 and index shaft 60 through an arc of 60 whereupon all of the compartments 46 are similarly indexed 60 as a result of which a compartment having a fresh quantity of bobbins is aligned with chute 24, the bobbins therein being free to fall through opening 22 and down chute 24 to orienter 26. Upon retraction of piston 94 anvil 112 is freely rockable to be withdrawn past the next stud and thereupon rock into line with this next stud preparatory to the next indexing stroke of piston 94.

A second leg 118 of crank 96 is cooperative with a pawl 120 to afford motion of plate 82 and shaft 60 in a clockwise sense (FIG. 3) but to preclude motion of these elements in the opposite sense. Thus, pawl 120 includes a bar 122 which has a pair of locking

dogs

124, 126 rockably mounted thereon by

studs

128, 130, respectively. Suitable springs are employed to bias dog 124 in a counterclockwise sense (FIG. 3) and bias dog 126 in a clockwise sense. The

dogs

124, 126 are slotted so that when they are biased under the force of their springsthey bear on the periphery of plate 82 and reside in alignment with the path of studs 84. Consequently, when piston 94 is is retracted a pin 134 on the outer end of arm 118 cams dog 124 inwardly toward bar 122. Arm 118 is configured so that its pin 134 will be released from engagement with dog 124 after anvil 112 has indexed plate 82 a few degrees, the amount of motion being sufficient to permit stud 84 proximate to pin 134 to be moved therepast. Upon release of dog 124 by pin 134 the dog is free to move into an extended position as shown in FIG. 3 to act as a stop against which the on-coming stud 84 bears. Dog 126, of course, is free to move inwardly toward bar 122 under the force of the on-coming stud, but snaps clockwise under the force of its spring to engage on the periphery of plate 82 after the stud has rode thereon. Thus, the cooperative action of

dogs

124 and 126 act to seize the on-coming stud 84 and control the degree of index motion for each stroke of piston 94.

Said piston 94 is actuated to its-extended position by air, the air being controlled by any suitable signalling means such as a weight sensitive actuator switch connected with the orienter in a known manner such as -is disclosed in commonly assigned U. S. Pat. No.

anvil 112 to bear on a stud 84, thus pushing plate 82 and shaft 60 through an arc to align a compartment 46 with opening 22. As a result the bobbins in said compartment 46 fall freely down chute 24 and into orienter 26. The weight of the fresh supply of bobbin deactivates weight-sensitive actuator switch 140 in consequence of which piston 94 retracts, drawing anvil 112 rearwardly and aligning this anvil for ultimate engagement with the next succeeding stud 84. Thereafter, when the next signal is received from the orienter 26 piston 94 is once again thrust forward to engage the next stud and index plate 82 and shaft 60 to align the next succeeding bobbincharged compartment with opening 22. The operation of the supply bobbin delivery mechanism continues in the afore-mentioned manner, the empty compartments 46 being either automatically filled with bobbins B as by a suitable conveyor or chute, or manually filling the compartments.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a highly efficient and inexpensive. modular unit for moving disoriented supply bobbins from a storage position to a user source while precluding significant relative motion among the stored bobbins.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for handling supply bobbins comprising, a receptacle having a stationary interior surface, said surface providing a substantially friction-free path along which a plurality of bobbins are simultaneously moved while substantial agitation of the bobbins is precluded, an opening formed in said surface, support means projecting into said receptacle divi'der means connected with said support means and extending radially therefrom toward said surface to divide said receptacle into a plurality of bobbin-receiving compartments, said surface cooperating with said receptacle for storing a pluralityof bobbins in each said compartment, actuating means for operating said support means to index each said compartment into a discharge position in alignment with said opening, at least a por tion of the bobbins in each said compartment moving along said surface during said indexing, the bobbins in a compartment situated in said delivery position being movable through said opening for delivery to a bobbin receiving means, and signal means operable in response to the condition of said bobbin receiving means for operating said actuating means.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said actuating means includes fluid operated means, said fluid operated means being operable to sequentially move each of said compartments to said discharge position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said signal means is connected with said bobbin receiving means and is operable in response to the amount of the bobbins in said receiving means for producing a signal to operate said actuating means.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said compartment includes an inclined floor for directing the bobbins contained therein outwardly toward said opening when said compartment is in said discharge position.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface includes a frusto-conical sidewall. 6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said divider means includes a plurality of separators to define said plurality of compartments, each of said separators projecting from said support means and terminating in close proximity to said sidewall and extending substantially the full width of said sidewall, said separators operating to isolate the bobbins in each compartment from those in adjoining compartments.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said support means includes a shaft mounted for rotation, and said actuating means includes indexing mechanism for rotating said shaft to sequentially move each said compartment to said discharge position.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said receptacle andsaid divider means are mounted on an inclined axis, and said opening is in the highest zone of said receptacle.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said indexing mechanism including a plate having a plurality of studs therein corresponding to the number of compartments formed by said divider means, and a movable element operable to engage each said stud in sequence to effect sequential movement of said compartments to said discharge position, said movable element being operated by said fluid operated means.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 including means for precluding movement of said compartments in .a sense opposite -to the sense of movement imparted thereto by said movable element.

Claims

1. Apparatus for handling supply bobbins comprising, a receptacle having a stationary interior surface, said surface providing a substantially friction-free path along which a plurality of bobbins are simultaneously moved while substantial agitation of the bobbins is precluded, an opening formed in said surface, support means projecting into said receptacle, divider means connected with said support means and extending radially therefrom toward said surface to divide said receptacle into a plurality of bobbin-receiving compartments, said surface cooperating with said receptacle for storing a plurality of bobbins in each said compartment, actuating means for operating said support means to index each said compartment into a discharge position in alignment with said opening, at least a portion of the bobbins in each said compartment moving along said surface during said indexing, the bobbins in a compartment situated in said delivery position being movable through said opening for delivery to a bobbin receiving means, and signal means operable in response to the condition of said bobbin receiving means for operating said actuating means.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface includes a frusto-conical sidewall.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said divider means includes a plurality of separators to define said plurality of compartments, each of said separators projecting from said support means and terminating in close proximity to said sidewall and extending substantially the full width of said sidewall, said separators operating to isolate the bobbins in each compartment from those in adjoining compartments.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said receptacle and said divider means are mounted on an inclined axis, and said opening is in the highest zone of said receptacle.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 including means for precluding movement of said compartments in a sense opposite to the sense of movement imparted thereto by said movable element.