WINDING APPARATUS FOR THIN BAND PLATES Inventors: Kyutaro Nis hlyori; Junichiro Tatelshi, both of Fukuoka, Japan Assignee: Kabushild Kaisha Watanabe Tekkosho, Fukuoka, Japan Filed: July 11, 1972 Appl. No.: 270,716

US. Cl. 242/67.1 R, 242/78.l Int. Cl.... B65h 17/00, B2lc 47/02 Field of Search 242/78.l, 82, 56 A, 67.1 R

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/I940 Yoder 242/67.l R 6/ l 95 l Talbot 9/1941 Matthews..... 3/l934 Peet...; 242/78.l X

Primary Examiner-John W. Huckert Assistant Examiner-Edward J. McCarthy Attorney, Agent, or F irm--McGlew and Tuttle Mar. 12, 1974 5 7 ABSTRACT An apparatus for winding at least one strip of thin band plate arranged in the slitting line comprises a support fixed to a floor, a vertical shaft rotatably mounted on the support, winding means including a pair of driven shafts horizontally supported on opposite sides of the vertical shaft in symmetric relation with respect to an rotational axis of the vertical shaft so as to extend in opposite directions, and means for selectively driving one of the paired driven shafts.

The strips are wound into the form of a coil on one of winding mandrels of the winding means disposed in a winding position in which the driving means is in engagement with one of the paired driven shafts. Upon a 180 turn of the vertical shaft after the completion of one cycle of the winding on one of the winding mandrels, the mandrel carried coils of the band plate strips thereon is turned also by the same angle into a transfer position in which the coils can be released therefrom while at the same time the other of the winding mandrels is moved from the transfer position into the winding position to commence next cycle of the winding operation.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 WINDING APPARATUS FOR TIIIN BAND PLATES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for winding a plurality of strips of thin band plate slitted in a slitting line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal object of the invention is to provide a winding apparatus wherein the band plate winding operation can be accomplished effectively without much stopping thereof, and wherein the binding-up of each of wound coils of band plate and the taking-off of the bound coils from the apparatus are both accomplished duringthe winding operation.

In accordance with the invention, a winding apparatus comprises a support, a vertical shaft carried for rotation by the support, a pair of driven shafts tumable as a whole by rotating the vertical shaft and substantially horizontally bearing supported on opposite sides of the vertical shaft in symmetric relation with respect to a rotational axis of the vertical shaft so as to extend in opposite directions, means for selectively driving one of the driven shafts including a power transmitting out put shaft to transmit a rotation of the driving means to selected one of the driven shafts, and a clutch means capable of bringing the power transmitting output shaft into and out of engagement with the said one of the driven shafts. When the strips of the band plates are being wound by one of the driven shafts, which is in driving engagement with the driving means, the other of the driven shafts is held stationary, that is, comes out of engagement with the driving means so that the coils therearound, if any, can be bound up with a suitable strap and thereafter separated therefrom during the winding of the band plates by one of the driven shafts. After the completion of the winding by one of the driven shafts, the vertical shaft is turned by a 180 angle to bring the other unloaded driven shaft into engagement with the driving means and to bring the fully loaded driven shaft out of engagement. Thus, the necessary operations can be accomplished effectively.

According to the invention, the horizontal driven shaft when in engagement with the driving means is supported at the opposite ends by a bearing(s) and the power transmitting output member of the driving means, with the attendant advantage that a safety winding operation is expected and a lesser diameter winding mandrel is employed. The employment of the lesser diameter winding mandrel allows the production of a relatively smaller inner diameter coil of band plate. That is, if the outer diameter of the coil is constant, the smaller the inner diameter of the coil is, the longer the length of the band plate can be wound on the winding mandrel.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the winding apparatus of FIG. 1, with parts broken away for the purpose of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the winding apparatus as viewed on the line A A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the winding apparatus as viewed on the line B B of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the winding mandrel as viewed on the line C C of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a winder for the use of winding a plurality of strips of band plates simultaneously, which winder is mounted on a floor 1 in a conventional manner.

The winder includes a bed or support 2 fixed to the floor 1 with supporting for rotation a vertical shaft 3. The support 2 also supports for rotation 21 pair of sleeves 4 and 4 arranged in parallel on opposite sides of the shaft 3 in symmetric relation with respect to a plane perpendicular to the sleeves 4 and 4 and involving a rotational axis of the shaft 3 thereon. The sleeves 4 and 4' support for rotation, in turn, a pair of driven shafts 5 and 5 respectively. The driven shafts 5 and 5 extend in opposite directions as the sleeves. As best shown in FIG. 2, a free end and a substantially mid portion of each of the shafts 5 and 5' are carried by bearings disposed at the opposite ends of the associated sleeve. An extension of each of the driven shafts 5 and 5 disposed out of the associated sleeve is provided therearound with several members forming parts of a winding mandrel 6 or 6' extensible and contractible radially outwardly and inwardly of the diameter thereof. The driven shaft forms also part of the winding mandrel.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the other end of each of the driven shafts 5 and 5' is provided with a substantially cylindrical driven member 7 which has an end face 8 forming part of a hereinafter described clutch means 15. The member 7 may be an integral part of the driven shaft.

Furthermore, on a bed 9 fixed to the floor 1, means for selectively driving one of the driven shafts 5 and 5' are mounted comprising a suitable prime mover l0, and a reduction gear 11 connected in driving engagement with the prime mover 10. The reduction gear 11 includes a power tramsmitting output shaft 12 extending in the direction of the member 7 out of a housing of the gear 11. The power transmitting output shaft 12 is formed at the free end thereof with a spline portion 13 which engages a slidable member 14 to allow the latter to slide along the splines provided in the spline portion 13 and to rotate in unison with the output shaft 12. At the stepped portion of the slidable member 14 is mounted the above mentioned clutch means 15 through which the slidable member 14 is brought into and out of engagement with the driven member 7 in a manner as hereinafter described.

The power transmitting output member 12 is formed with a center bore 16 through which an elongate spindle 17 passes with its one end being fixed to the end wall of the slidable member 14 as by a screw and nut assembly 18 and with the other end being operatively connected to a movable member of a conventional fluid operated actuator 19(FIGS. 1 and 2) disposed on the reduction gear 1 1. Therefore, by operating the fluid operated actuator 19, the slidable member 14 can be selectively moved through the spindle 17 in either of opposite directions shown by an arrow 20, thus being brought into and out of engagement with the driven member 7 of one of the winding shafts.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the winding mandrel 6 is shown in detail, which comprises the aforementioned driven shaft provided at one end with the aforementioned cylindrical member 7 through which the same is rotated by the power transmitting member 12, and a spindle 21 inserted into the bore of the associated driven nected at one end through a plate member 25 to a cam cylinder 43 such as by bolts as shown and at the other end to a movable member(not shown) of a fluid operated actuator 27. Between the plate member 25 and a stepped portion 21 of the spindle 21, a. cylindrical member 24 with an arm 24 is disposed to encirle a part of the spindle 21, the arm 24 extending radially outwardly through an opening 43' provided in the end portion of the cam cylinder 43 and being connected to a cam 48 such as by bolts as shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the cam cylinder 43 is formed with a guide groove 43" into which the cam 48 is slidably fitted. A spring 26 is disposed between the outer wall of the spindle 21 and the inner. wall of the cylindrical member 24 and the spring 26 is normally biased in such a direction as allowing the leading ends of the strips of band plates to be held firmly. A pair of legs 43a and 43b of the cam cylinder 43 forming the aforementioned guide groove 43" for the cam 48 are engaged in an inner segmental member 6a formed with a space for receiving a cam follower 47 which has tapcrred surfaces 23 to contact with the cam 48. The space in the inner segmental member 6a is provided with a surface 6 c oblique relative to the diameter of the winding mandrel 6 and the cam follower 47 is also provided with a surface 47a parallel to the surface 60 of the aforesaid space. Thus, an oblique slit 46, of which width is variable, can be provided between the surface 60 of the inner segmental member 6a and the surface 47a of the cam follower 47. An outer segmental member 6b of the winding mandrel 6 is provided in contact with the outer surface of the inner segmental member 6a, the outer segmental member 6b being formed in an oblique slit 46 in alignment I with the slit 46. It is, therefore, understood that by operating the fluid operated actuator 27 the spindle 21 and the cam 48 are allowed to slide along the longitudinal axis of the driven shaft 5, moving the cam follower 47 outwardly or inwardly of the winding mandrel 6. In

case the cam follower 47 moves outwardly of the winding mandrel 6, i.e., upwardly in F16. 5, the slit 46 is made narrow and the leading ends of the strips(not shown) inserted in the slits 46 and 46 can be securely gripped between the surface 60 of the inner segmental member 6a and the surface 47a of the cam follower 47. On the contrary, in case the cam follower 47 moves inwardly of the winding mandrel, the slit 46 is widened and the leading ends of the strips therein are allowed to be released therefrom. Furthermore, a plurality of cams in the embodiment, three cams integrally provided on the outer surface of the cam cylinder 43 are adapted to associate with a plurality of corresponding separate segmental cam followers in the embodiment, three segmental cam followers each having a tapered surface 22 at which the cams 44 contact the cam followers 45. To each of the three cam followers 45, an outer segmental member 28 is fixedly secured in a conventional manner, the three outer segmental members 28 and the outer stationary segmental member 6b forming substantially a circle. As the cam follower 47, the three cam followers 45 and the outer movable segmental members 28 fixed thereto are moved inwardly and outwardly of the winding mandrel 6 by sliding the spindle 21. While winding the strips of band plates on the winding mandrel, the three movable outer segmental members 28 are adapted to be held in an outwardly moved position as shown in FIG. 5 by a chain line, and when it is desired to remove the coils of band plates(- not shown) from the winding mandrel 6 the three segmental members 28 are moved inwardly toward the driven shaft 5 into a position shown in FIG. 5.

In F168. 1 to 3, 29 is a device for compressing the coil 37 of band plate comprising a gum roll 30, a fluid operated actuator 31 for actuating the compressing device 29, 32 a device for receiving and transferring the coil 37 of band plate, 33 a fluid operated means for holding the bearings or sleeves 4 and 4 stationary, 34 a prime mover for driving the vertical shaft 3 through a worm gearing 35, and 36 a fluid operated actuator for moving the coil receiving and transferring device 32.

In operation, the leading ends of the parallel strips of the band plates fed from a slitting machine (not shown) are inserted into the slits 46 and 46' in the winding mandrel and pressed against the surface 60 of the stationary inner segmental member 6a by the cam follower 47 and thereafter the winding operation is commenced to wind the band plates on the winding mandrel 6 into the form of a coil 37 as shown by a dotted line in MG. 2 by rotating the driven shaft 5 through the reduction gear 11, the output shaft 12, and the clutch means 15 by the prime mover 10.

After the completion of one cycle of the winding operation, the fluid operated actuator 19 operates to cause the slidable member 14 to be released from engagement with the driven member 7 while substantially at the same time the prime mover 34 operates to turn the vertical shaft 3 by an angle of in a direction a. The vertical shaft 3 can be maintained in the 180 turned position by operating the fluid operated actuator 33. It will be readily understood that the 180 turn of the vertical shaft 3 makes the other winding mandrel 6' brought into a winding position in replacement of the winding mandrel 6. Then, the fluid operated actuator 19 is re-operated to bring the clutch means 15 into engagement to thereby connect the slidable member 14 with the driven member 7. The next cycle of the winding of the band plates on the mandrel 6' starts.

In the meantime, each of the coils 37 wound on the mandrel 6, which is in the transfer position already, is bound up with a suitable strap(not shown). Then, a coil receiving table 32' of the device 32 is raised until its upper surface reaches the coils 37. In order to release the coils 37 from the mandrel 6, the fluid operated actuator 27 is operated so that the spindle 21 causes the cam follower 47 and the three segmental members 28 to be contracted. Thereafter, the coils 37 are delivered onto the coil receiving table 32. Then, the whole device 32 is moved rightwards by the fluid operated actuator 36' to transfer the cells 37 onto the table 38.. The coil receiving and transferring operation can be thusly completed.

Although a single prederred embodiment has been described above, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various rearrangements of parts and modifications of parts may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for winding at least one strip of thin band plate comprising a support, a vertical shaft supported for rotation by said support, winding means including a pair of driven shafts substantially horizontally supported on opposite sides of said vertical shaft in symmetric relation with respect to a rotational axis of said vertical shaft, said driven shafts extending in opposite directions and being so mounted as to turn about said vertical shaft by rotating said vertical shaft, means for selectively driving one of said driven shafts including a power transmitting output member to transmit a rotation of the driving means to the selected one of said driving shafts, and a clutch means for bringing said output member into and out of engagement with said selected one of winding shafts, said clutch means comprising a slidable member disposed around the free end portion of said output member so as to be slidable therealong and rotatable integral therewith, said clutch means being brought into engagement when said slidable member is forced against the end of said selected one of said driven shafts, means for moving said slidable member along said output member, said moving means including an elongated spindle passing through a central through hole of said output member and connected at one end to said slidable member and at the other end to a movable part of said moving means so that when said moving means is operated said slidable member slides along said output member to bring said clutch means into and out of engagement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said elongate spindle being coaxial with said central through hole.