US3774859A

US3774859A - Bobbin handling system

Info

Publication number: US3774859A
Application number: US00268759A
Authority: US
Inventors: C Brouwer; J Nelson
Original assignee: Leesona Corp
Current assignee: Leesona Corp
Priority date: 1972-07-03
Filing date: 1972-07-03
Publication date: 1973-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1990-11-27

Abstract

A system is disclosed for automatically supplying filled bobbins to winding stations of a winder which is serviced by a patrolling tender. The tender carries apparatus for delivering filled supply bobbins to the winding stations, and has a knotter for uniting the unwinding end of a supply bobbin with the yarn end of a package being formed at the station. Responsive to the demand of the delivery apparatus for bobbins, a distributing conveyor provides it with readied supply bobbins from a source of supply. Either in timed succession, or responsive to a sensed demand of any winding station for a bobbin, or both, the delivery apparatus delivers a bobbin to a reserve bobbin position at the station, with the unwinding end of the bobbin positioned for retrieval by the knotter. After a bobbin is unwound at a station it is ejected from the station and the reserve bobbin is moved into the unwinding or active position as its unwinding end is united with the package end. The ejected bobbin is conveyed to a sorter system and if it still carries sufficient yarn, it may be returned to a winding station, as previously described. If the bobbin is substantially emptied of yarn, it is ejected from the system. The system can concurrently handle various types of bobbins and sort and deliver the bobbins to winding stations designated for handling a particular type of bobbin.

Description

United States Patent 1 Brouwer et al.

NOV. 27, 1973 BOBBIN HANDLING SYSTEM [73] Assignee: Leesona Corporation, Warwick, R.I.

[22] Filed: July 3, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 268,759

[52] US. Cl. 242/355 R, 242/355 A [51] Int. Cl B65h 54/26 [58] Field of Search 242/355 R, 35.5 A,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Furst Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Attorney-Burnett W. Norton et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A system is disclosed for automatically supplying filled Abbott 242/356 R bobbins to winding stations of a .winder which is serviced by a patrolling tender. The tender carries apparatus for delivering filled supply bobbins to the winding stations, and has a knotter for uniting the unwinding end of a supply bobbin with the yarn end of a package being formed at the station. Responsive to the demand of the delivery apparatus for bobbins, a distributing conveyor provides it with readied supply bobbins from a source of supply. Either in timed succession, or responsive to a sens-ed demand of any winding station for a bobbin, or both, the delivery apparatus delivers a bobbin to a reserve bobbin position at the station, with the unwinding end of the bobbin positioned for retrieval by the knotter. After a bobbin is unwound at a station it is ejected from the station and the reserve bobbin is moved into the unwinding or active position as its unwinding end is united with the package end. The ejected bobbin is conveyed to a sorter system and if it still carries sufficient yarn, it may be returned to a winding station, as previously described. If the bobbin is substantially emptied of yarn, it is ejected from the system. The system can concurrently handle various types of bobbins and sort and deliver the bobbins to winding stations designated for handling a particular type of bobbin.

22 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEDNUYZ? 191s 3.774.859

SHEET 3 BF 3 FIG 8 INVENTORS Charles W Brouwer John Nel s on FIG. 9

llmlllt.

4/. 7 M ATTORNEY 1 BOBBIN HANDLING SYSTEM This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 96,382 filed Dec. 9, 1970.

This invention relates to winding and, more particularly, to an automatic bobbin handling winding system.

As used herein the terms bobbin" and package" mean any core or other member on which yarn is wound so that it may be readily moved from place to place, or to yarn which is so wound; the term filled bobbin means a bobbin having a winding of yarn thereon, whether full or partially full; phrases such as various types of bobbins" and different types of bobbins" mean bobbins having different cores, or different yarns, or both different cores and yarns; the term system means a system to the extent set forth in a particular appended claim, and such a claimed system may or may not be part of a more comprehensive system such as may automatically returnbobbins to a spinning room, for example; and the term yarn is employed in a general sense to apply to all kinds of strand material, either textile or otherwise.

Winding machines equipped with tenders for patrolling and servicing winding stations of the winder have been provided with automatic bobbin supply mechanism for delivering bobbins to the stations which are generally at a bottom portion of the winder. However, the location of the patrolling tender generally requires positioning of the bobbin supply mechanism so that it is likely to interfere with convenient servicing of the equipment by a winder attendant. For example, the bobbin supply mechanism may be positioned proximate the bottom of the winder with the tender moving thereabove, so that the attendant must stretch across the bobbin supply mechanism in order to provide personal attention, such as doffing at the winding stations. Also, bobbin delivery sensing mechanism must be associated with each winding station. Overhead bobbin supanism on the tender which unites the unwinding end with an end on the package being wound at the station;

1 and-provision for delivering particular ones of various ply mechanism has previously been impractical in such systems because as the tender moves from station to station it would interfere with passage of the supply bobbins to the stations. Additionally, most attempts at sorting bobbins ejected from the winding stations have met with little success in the field.

It is. therefore, an object of this invention to provide a new and useful bobbin handling system.

Another object is provision of a new and useful bobbin handling system for a winder having a plurality of winding stations and delivering apparatus movable for vpartrolling the stations and delivering bobbins thereto. More specifically, a related object is provision of such a system including a source of supply of filled bobbins, provision for conveying the filled bobbins from the source of supply to the delivering apparatus with the delivery apparatus mounted for movement with a tender for servicing the stations. Another related object is provision of delivery apparatus to deliver bobbins to the stations either in timed succession or responsive to a sensed demand of the stations for bobbins, or in both such timed succession and responsive to such sensed demand. Other related objects include: provision for ejecting emptied bobbins from the stations, sorting the ejected bobbins, and returning to the delivery apparatypes of filled bobbins from the source of supply to stations designated for receiving the particular type. The invention is, in' brief, directed to a winding system for automatically supplying filled bobbins to winding stations of a winder having a patrolling tender for servicing the stations. The bobbins are delivered from a source of supply to a distributing conveyor which in turn delivers the bobbins to delivery apparatus on the tender for subsequent delivery to the winding stations. The delivery apparatus delivers bobbins to the stations in timed succession or responsive to a sensed demand of the stations for bobbins, or both. Theunwinding end of the yarn on the bobbin delivered to a station is positioned for retrieval by a knotter on the tender which unites this end with an end on a package being wound at .the station. Provision is made for sorting the emptied bobbins which are ejected from the stations and for returning. partially filled bobbins to the stations, and for ejecting substantially emptied bobbins from the system.

The bobbin handling system provides for concurrently handling various types of bobbins.

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

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, schematic plan layout of a textile mill installation including a handling system for various types of bobbins supplied to a winder;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a bobbin sorting portion of the handling system;

- FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, schematic vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 3--3 in FIG. 1, with parts broken away and removed for clearer illustration;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, schematic plan view taken generally along the line 4 -4 in FIG. 3, to a reduced scale, and with parts omitted for clearer illustration;

tional plan view, taken generally along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, schematic, vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 6--6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, schematic, sectional plan view taken generally along the line 7--7 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, schematic elevational view of a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 3, with portions modified and with parts broken away and removed for clearer illustration;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a control circuit for a portion of the apparatus; and

FIG. 10 is a modification of apparatus shown in FIG.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, and as is more fully described in U. S. Pat. No. 3,480,128, various types 10 of filled bobbins 12 are maintained separated from other types 10 within bins 14 in a spinning room 16 and each of the types is transported by an associated one of separate conveyors 18 to orienting ap- FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, schematic sec- 7 As supplied to the bobbin holders, the bobbins have preferably been prepared for subsequent use, for example, by readier apparatus 26 (FIG. 2) such as is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,544,018 and U. S. Pat. application Ser. No. 859,150, and also US. Pat. No. 3,606,0l 2 which operates to The above noted readiers form the unwinding end 28 (FIG. 3) of a body of yarn 30, on a hollow bobbin core 32 of the bobbin 12, into a bunch 34 and insert the bunch into the hollow core 32 for subsequent retrieval.

From each bobbin holder 24 the filled and readied bobbin 12 passes to a distributing system 36 and is deposited in one of a plurality of buckets 38 of a distributing conveyor 40 which travels about a winder 42. From the buckets 38 the bobbins are dropped into delivery apparatus 44 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 8) which may be independently movable, or mounted on a tender 46 which patrols and services winding stations48 of the winder 42, for delivering the bobbins to the stations. Each bobbin 12 is dropped from the delivery apparatus 44 into a reserve position 50 (FIG. 3) in a magazine 52 (FIGS. 3 and 4) at one of the winding stations 48 designated to handle a particular type of bobbin 12. At the winding stations 48 the bobbins 12 are unwound and ejected I to conveyors 54 (FIGS. 2 and 3), one for each of the types of bobbins, and thereafter the ejected bobbins may pass through a sorting system 56 (FIG. 2) and be returned to the winding stations, if desired, as will be discussed later.

As is more fully described in the previously noted patent, U. S. Pat. No. 3,480,128, and with reference to FIG. 8, a bobbin 12 is retained in a generally upright tube 58 (FIG. I) of the bobbin holder 24 by'means of a gate 60 fixed to the lower end of a vertical shaft 62 mounted in journals 64 (only one shown) suitable fixed to the tube 58. The gate 60 has an arm 66 connected with the plunger of a double acting actuating cylinder 68 which opens the gate to release the bobbin to a distributing conveyor bucket 38 when a solenoid valve 70 is energized, as will be described later. Upon deenergizing the valve 70 the cylinder closes the gate.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 8, the distributing system 36 has a fixed frame 72 (FIG. 3) atop the winder and the'frame is supported by legs 74 (only one shown in FIG. 3). The distributing conveyor 40 is in the form of a continuous belt 76 mounted in a track 78 (shown only in FIG. 8) on the frame 72 and suitably driven for movement in one direction (as indicated by the arrow 79, FIG. 1) about suitable pulleys 80 (FIGS. 1 and 3) on either end'of the frame. The belt carries sets of the bobbin receiving buckets 38, one set for each type 10 of bobbin 12 being handled. The buckets 38 of each set may be grouped together or they may be alternated with buckets of the other sets.

With reference to FIG. 8, each bucket 38 has a generally upright body 82 and a bobbin retaining gate 84 which pivots about a horizontal stud 86 mounted on the body 82 for movement of the gate 84 from an upper, closed position for retaining a bobbin 12 in the body 82, to a lower, open position for discharging the bobbin to the bobbin delivery apparatus 44. Qvercenter spring mechanism 88 releasably retains the bucket gate 84 in either position. An opening cam 90 on each bucket gate 84 is engaged by a retractable, extended pin 92 on the delivery apparatus 44 to open the gate, as will be discussed later.

When a bucket 38 is empty its gate 84 remains open and engages a switch actuator (not shown) on the frame 72 just upstream of the associated bobbin holder 24 from which the empty bucket 38 is to receive an appropriate one of the types 10 of bobbins 12. Operation of this switch actuates the solenoid valve and thereby the actuating cylinder 68 to open the holder gate 60 and discharge a bobbin ]2 into the bucket 38. After operating the solenoid switch and before receiving the bobbin the bucket gate 84 is closed by closing cams (not shown) on the frame 72 downstream of the switch. I

The bucket 38 carries its bobbin 12 about the winder 42 to the delivery apparatus 44 mounted on tender 46. The tender 46 may be of any suitable type, and several such tenders are commercially available and known in the field. One type of commercially available tender 46 is schematically shown in the drawings and is selfpropelled on a continuous track 94 (FIGS. 1 and 3) below the distributing conveyor 40 and above the winder 42, and moves in one direction (as indicated by the arrow 96, FIGS. 1, 4 and 5) about the winder 42 for patrolling the winding stations 48. The tender preferably moves in a direction opposite that of the distributing conveyor and continues its movement while uniting the unwinding end 28 of a reserve filled supply bobbin 12 (previously deposited at a station 48) with the end of a package (not shown) being wound at the station. Other types of tenders may move back and forth while patrolling the stations, and may or may not stop while servicing a station. The subject bobbin handling system is equally applicable to any type of patrolling tender.

The delivery apparatus 44 includes a plurality of bobbin delivery tubes 98 (FIGS. 3-6) and 8), one for each of the different types 10 of bobbins 12, and these tubes may be mounted in sets front and rear of the tender, as on arms 99 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 8) fixed to the tender, so that the front tubes provide a storage facility for bobbins in the event of a malfunction temporarily discontinuing the supply of bobbins to the tubes.

With reference to FIG. 8, as a bobbin 12 passes from a bucket 38 into a delivery tube 98 it engages a gate 100 which is fixed to a shaft 102 suitably journaled on the tube 98. The gate 100 is held in a waiting position (phantom lines in FIG. 8) by an overcenter spring 104 secured at opposite ends to a cam 106 fixed to an end of the shaft 102 and to a lug 108 on the tube 98. In the waiting position the gate 100 is'inclined from the shaft 102 and moves overcenter to a bobbin holding position (solid lines) when the bobbin 12 seats on the gate. In moving to the bobbin holding position the cam 102 is rotated and moves a pivoted lever 110 which is connected to one end of a cable 112 having its opposite end connected to the bucket gate opening pin 92 to retract the pin so that subsequent buckets 38 not be opened to discharge a bobbin 12 into the now full delivery tube 98.

When various types of bobbins are being handled by the system the actuating switches of the bobbin holding tube solenoid valves 70 and the cams 90 on the bucket gates 84 are selectively positioned to coact, and the pins 92 of the delivery tubes 98 are selectively positioned to engage only the cams 90 of appropriate bucket gates, so that the various types 10 of bobbins 12 are maintained separated from each other, as is more fully discussed in the previously noted patent, U. S. Pat. No. 3,480,128.

The delivery tube gates 100 may beopened in various suitable manners to deliver their bobbins to the moved passed a station 48 and has started a previously delivered reserve bobbin unwinding, as will be discussed later. ln one commercially known tender system allstations 48 which handle a particular type of bobbin are ganged together. A shelf 114 (FIGS. 36) is suitably fixed to the winder 42 and extends along the winding stations 48. As the delivery apparatus 44 moves about the winder 42 actuators in the form of spring fingers 116, one for each of thestations 48, and mounted on the shelf 114 engage selectively positioned actuating lugs 118 on latches 1211 (FIGS. and 6) one pivoted by a pin 121 to each of the reardelivery tubes 98, to release the associated gate 100 from its bobbin holding position for movement to an open position responsive to the associated overcenter spring 104 and the weight of the bobbin 12, thus discharging a bobbin into the re serve position 511 in the magazine 52 at the winding station. Each actuating lug 118 extends downwardly from one end of a bar 122 telescoped in a slide 124 (FIG. 6) fixed on its latch 120, the opposite end of the bar 122 carrying a positioning lug 126. The positioning lugs 126 are staggered transversely (not shown) of the path of the tender 46 for engagement by an associated one of positioning cams 128 (FIGS. 4 and 5), one for each of the gangs of station. These cams 128 are similarly staggered and are suitably fixedly mounted on the shelf 114 at locations about the winder, each just before the associated gang of stations. As a positioning cam 128 moves its positioning lugs 126, and thereby the associated actuating lugs 118, to an active position for engagement by the fingers 116 an adjacent cam 130 moves the positioning lugs 126 of the previously active latches 120 out of the path of the fingers 116. Thus, the bobbins may be delivered to the winding stations without modification of the winding stations. As the open tube gate moves with the tender a cam 131 on the gate engages a closing cam 131A mounted along anedge of the shelf 114 and the gate-is thereby moved overcenter so that the overcenter spring 104 moves the tube gate to its waiting position to await another bobbin. Alternatively, bobbins may be delivered responsive to a timing mechanism to be described.

With reference to FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, the bobbins are preferably dropped from the front or leading delivery tubes 98 to the winding stations 48 responsive to a sense demand of any particular winding station for a bobbin. To this end the delivery apparatus 44 is provided with a sensing system in the form of a phototransducer 132 (FIGS. 3 and 9) and a light source 134 suitably fixedly mounted for movement with the delivery apparatus 44 by means of an arm 136, and positioned on the same side of a bobbin 12 in the reserve position 50 of the station 48 so that a signal is provided when the beam from the light source 134 is reflected off of the bobbin to the phototransducer 132. This signal is connected through an amplifier circuit 138 (FIG. 9) with groups 140 each of .two normally

open switches

142 and 144, and a solenoid valve 146 (FIGS. 8 and 9), one of the groups for each of the delivery tubes 98. One of the switches 142 of each group 140 determines which tube 98 is to drop a bobbin and is closed by the appropriatepositioning cam 128 and opened by the associated cam 130, as described with reference to the rear delivery tube latches 120. The other switch 144 of each group 140 is operated by a timing mechanism 147 (FIGS. 3 and 7) for opening the tube gate 100 (FIG. 8) when the tube 98 is properly positioned to drop its bobbin 12 into the station magazine 52. The timing mechanism includes a fixed rack 148 extending along the tender track 94 vand about the winder 42.'A gear150 is mated with this rack and through a shaft 152 journaled at 154 on the tender rotates a sprocket 156 (FIG. 7) which drives a chain 158 mounted on this sprocket and on a cooperating idler sprocket (not shown). The chain 158 is driven in the direction of the arrow 159 (FIG. 7) and carries a plurality of actuating cams 160 which close the switches 144 and maintain these switches closed a predetermined period of time. When both switches 142 and 144 of a group 140 are closed thenormally closed solenoid valve 146 of the group, is open. As is more fully described in. the previously noted patent U. S. Pat. No. 3,480,128, the opened valve 146 provides operating air to adouble acting pneumatic cylinder 162 (FIG. 8) having its piston rod pivoted to the associated delivery tube gate 100 for opening the gate to drop a bobbin into the empty reserve position 50 of the associated station magazine 52. When the actuating cam 160 releases the switch 144, after the bobbin has been dropped, the solenoid valve 146 shutsoff and vents the operating air from the cylinder 162, thereby closing the gate 100.

Another mode of opening the delivery tube gates 100 responsive to sensing demand of the stations 48 for bobbins is applicable to at least one type of commercially known winder. With reference to FIGS. 3 or 10 in such a winder the supply bobbin 12 is held in an active or unwinding position 164 on an end of a peg 166 telescoped into the hollow core 32 of the bobbin. The other end of the peg 166 is pivoted, as at 168, to an end of a lever 170 fixed to a shaft 172 which is automatically rotated in a known manner to withdraw the peg 166 from the bobbin core 32 when the yarn being unwound breaks or is exhausted. As the peg 166 is withdrawn the bobbin 12 is seated on a base 174, and the peg moves through a slot in this base. When the peg 166 is withdrawn from the core the bobbin is ejected and falls onto the ejected bobbin conveyor 54 (FIG. 3). Continued rotation of the shaft 172 causes the peg to swing through the slot in the base 174 and under, and then into the hollow core of the bobbin in the reserve position 50 of the magazine 52, and the peg moves this bobbin into the active or unwinding position 164. Thus, the winding station 48 requires another bobbin 12 from the delivery apparatus 44. To this end, and with reference to FIG. 10, a platform 176 is positioned abovethe base 174 at the reverse position 50 and is fixed to a generally horizontal shaft 178 suitably journaled on the magazine 52. An end of an arm 180 is fixed on an end of the platform shaft 178 and is connected with an end of a cable 182 having its other end connected to a spring finger 184 suitably slidably mounted in the shelf 114 to elevate the finger into the path of an actuating lug 118 on a tube gate latch 120, as previously describechto open the tube gate and. drop a bobbin into the magazine 52, thus depressing the platform 176 and retracting the finger 184 out of the path of following actuating lugs. A tension spring 186 secured to the magazine 52 and the arm 180 movesthe arm and finger upwardly when the bobbin is moved from the reverse position 50 to the active position 164 and off of the platform 176.

As a bobbin 12 drops into a delivery tube 98- the unwinding end bunch 34 is removed from the hollow core 32 of the bobbin and the unwinding end 28 is retained in the tube as the bobbin drops from the tube into the reserve position 50 ofa winding station. The unwinding end 28 is positioned in a retaining clip 190 (FIG. 3) on a side of the magazine 52. Such end retrieving and positioning may be accomplished in various ways. For example, a nozzle 192 is mounted on the underside of and opens through the delivery tube gate 100 and is connected by a flexible tube 194 with a valve 196 (FIG. 8),

. the lever 110 on the tube upon movement of the gate from the waiting position to the bobbin holding position and is timed to close after a predetermined period sufficient to dislodge thebunch 34 from the core 32. As the unwinding end bunch 34 is ejected from the hollow core 32 by the jet of air it is entrained by a flow of air into a vacuum line 200 (FIG. 3) opening into the side of the tube 98 and is thereby retained. When the gate 100 opens and the bobbin 12 drops into the reserve position 50, continued movement of the tender 46 engages the unwinding end 28 with the clip 190 and the unwinding end is thereupon broken between the clip and the vacuum line 200 and withdrawn into the vacuum line.

Ejected bobbin conveyors are well known in the industry and one is provided for each type bobbin being handled. These conveyors 54 (FIGS. 2 and 3) carry the bobbin l2 ejected from the winding stations 48 to a sorting system, as 56. A plurality of sorting systems 56 are provided, one for each of the types 10 of bobbins 12 being handled, and each receives its ejected bobbins from the asociated ejected bobbin conveyor. One such system is shown in FIG. 2 and is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,012. In brief, the ejected bobbin conveyor 54 deposits its bobbins in any suitable type of sorter 202 as noted'in the last mentioned patent. Substantially emptied bobbins are delivered to any suitable conveying means 204 and are discharged from the system and filled bobbins are returned by a suitable conveyor 206 to the orienting apparatus and then to the readier 26. If the bobbins pass inspection they are returned to the distributing system 36 for return to the winder '42.

To summarize the operation of the system handling various types 10 of bobbins 12, the source of supply of each type of bobbin includes a bobbin holder 24 (FIG. 8). The distributing conveyor buckets 38 are designated for receiving but one type of bobbin and when a bucket is empty it causes the gate 60 of the bobbin holder 24 containing the proper type of bobbin to open, depositing the filled bobbin in the bucket. Similarly, when one of the delivery tubes 98 on the patrolling tender 46 requires a bobbin it causes the gate 84 of a bucket containing an appropraite type of bobbin to open thereby depositing the bobbin in the delivery tube. As the tender is moving about the winder and comes upon a winding station 48 (FIGS. 1 and 3) requiring a fresh supply bobbin the appropriate delivery tube 98 drops a bobbin into the stations magazine 52 and positions the unwinding end 28 for retrieval by the knotter on the tender 46. The winder 42 is equipped with a plurality of empty bobbin'conveyors 54, one for each of the various types of bobbins. Each of these conveyors 54 discharges its bobbins into separate sorters 202 from which the bobbins are either ejected from the system or are returned to the associated bobbin holder 24 and are then returned to a winding station, as previously described.

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. Apparatus for servicing a plurality of winding stations each of which is operable to unwind strandular material from a bobbin comprising, tender means operable to patrol said winding stations and service each said station to reinitiate strand processing thereat, bobbin conveyor means disposed proximate to said tender means, means on said tender means for removing a bobbin from said conveyor means, and means on said tender means to conduct said removed bobbin to a locus proximate one of said stations where said bobbin is positioned preparatory to unwinding of the strandular material therefrom.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said locus includes a first position for supporting an active unwinding bobbin and a second position for supporting a reserve bobbin, and including means on said tender means for displacing said active bobbin from said first position and transferring said reserve bobbin to said first position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including means for sorting bobbins displaced from said active position, and delivering said displaced bobbins having strandular material thereon to said conveyor means.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including processing means on said tender for arranging the outer end of strandular material on said removed bobbin for ready withdrawal at one of said winding stations. v

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means for moving said conveyor means in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of said tender means.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means for providing a signal indicating a requirement for a bobbin at said locus from said conveyor means.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conveyor means is operable to handle different types of bobbins, and including means regulating the removal of said bobbins from said conveyor means to effect removal of a bobbin from said conveyor means appropriate to the type of strandular material being processed at the station at which said bobbin will be unwound.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means on said tender for storing at least one reserve bobbin for delivery to said locus.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said signal means includes timing means.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said signal means includes means on said tender means operable in response to said tender means moving away from said locus.

11. Apparatus for servicing a plurality of strand processing stations comprising, means for receiving disoriented bobbins and orienting said bobbins, means for delivering said oriented bobbins to bobbin conveyor means, tender means movable along said plurality of processing stations, said tender means being proximate said bobbin conveyor means and operable to service said stations, and means for transferring bobbins from said conveyor means to said tender means for utilization at said stations.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein each said processing station includes a supply bobbin position, and including guide means on said tender means for directing each said bobbin from said tender means toward a supply bobbin position. i

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said supply bobbin position is a reserve bobbin position, and including means for moving each said bobbin from said reserve position to an active unwinding position.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim' 13 including means for displacing a bobbin from said active unwinding position and moving said bobbin in said reverse position to said active unwinding position.

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 including I means for sorting bobbins displaced from said active unwinding position, and delivering said displaced bobbins having strandular material thereon to said conveyor means.

16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including means for readying the outer strand end of each of said bobbin for ready finding of said end.

17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including means for freeing the outer strand end of each bobbin for ready withdrawal at a one of said stations.

18. Apparatus as set forth in claim '11 including means .for providing a signal to said transferring means indicating a requirement for a bobbin at a station.

19. Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said signalling means includes timing means.

20. Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said signalling means includes photoelectric means.

21. Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said signalling means includes means operable in response to said tender means moving away from a station.

22. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including means for storing at least one bobbin from said conveyor means on said tender means.

Claims

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including processing means on said tender for arranging the outer end of strandular material on said removed bobbin for ready withdrawal at one of said winding stations.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein each said processing station includes a supply bobbin position, and including guide means on said tender means for directing each said bobbin from said tender means toward a supply bobbin position.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 including means for displacing a bobbin from said active unwinding position and moving said bobbin in said reverse position to said active unwinding position.

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 including means for sorting bobbins displaced from said active unwinding position, and delivering said displaced bobbins having strandular material thereon to said conveyor means.

18. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including means for providing a signal to said transferring means indicating a requirement for a bobbin at a station.