US3863751A

US3863751A - Feeding devices for textile machines

Info

Publication number: US3863751A
Application number: US333472A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis Vignon
Original assignee: Heberlein Hispano SA
Current assignee: Heberlein Hispano SA
Priority date: 1972-02-25
Filing date: 1973-02-20
Publication date: 1975-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-04
Also published as: JPS5540489B2; DE2302272A1; GB1374061A; DE2302272B2; CH554949A; JPS4896847A; FR2172952A1; IT977492B; FR2172952B1; LU64841A1

Abstract

A device for feeding empty bobbins to a conveyor carrying hooks for gripping the bobbins, has means for orienting the empty bobbins for gripping by the conveyor hooks and an element tiltable between a position to receive an oriented bobbin and a position to present same to a hook.

Description

0 United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,863,751 Vignon Feb. 4, 1975 FEEDING DEVICES FOR TEXTILE 3,001,632 9/l96l Bell 198/33 AA I 3223:; i122? AA e [75] Inventor: Louis Vignon, Geneva, Switzerland [73] Assignee: l-leberlein Hispano S.A.,

Primary Exammer--Evon C. Blunk vernler Gen eva Swltzerland Assistant ExaminerJeffrey V. Nase [22] Filed: Feb.'20, 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper 211 App]. No.: 333,472 &

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 25, 1972 Luxembourg 6484i [57] ABSTRACT A device for feeding empty bobbins to a conveyor car- [52] rying hooks for gripping the bobbins, has means for 51 I Cl 6 47 52 orienting the empty bobbins for gripping by the conq 5 57/53 veyor hooks and an element tiltable between a posi- 1 0 l tion to receive an oriented bobbin and a position to References Cited present same to a hook.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 2,853,108 9/1958 Hait 198/27 PATENTED'FEB 191s SHEET 2 [1F 4 1 FEEDING DEVICES FOR TEXTILE MACHINES The present invention relates to feeding devices for empty bobbins; and, more'particularly, to such devices useful in automatic bobbin changing apparatus for replacing the bobbins in textile machines with spindle ranges, such as continuous spinning frames.

Automatic bobbin changing apparatus of the class described comprise an endless conveyor belt supported by means arranged along each spindle range, the conveyor carrying gripping hooks spaced atregular distances corresponding to the distances between the spindles of the spindle range, each gripping hook being equipped for cooperating with a gripping head provided at the upper end of each bobbin; and a loading station is equipped so that the gripping head of an empty bobbin is presented to each gripping hook pass-' ing at its level. In such apparatus, the loading station must be supplied with empty bobbins during the entire duration of the operation of loading one section of the endless conveyor with empty bobbins.

Particular attention is drawn to the fact that, during the operation of feeding the section of the conveyor with empty bobbins, the endless conveyor is generally in continuous movement, and the empty bobbins are presented to the gripping hooks carried by the conveyor and passing on the level of the loading station while they are immobile.

The position in which these empty bobbins are presented to the hooks is very important for if improperly presented, after gripping of anempty bobbin, the same begins to swing which can cause unhooking and falling of the bobbin Furthermore, the relative position between the gripping hooks and the gripping head of each empty bobbin presented must be relatively precise for, if the gripping hooks pass under the gripping heads, the empty bobbin is submitted to a shock which could easily induce swinging of the same.

As far as this relative position between the gripping hooks and the grippinghead of each empty bobbin presented is concerned, attention is also drawn to the fact that the support of the endless conveyor may shift vertically between its feeding position at the level of the loading station and various other positions which occur during the automatic bobbin changing operation. In view of the dimensions which the bobbin changing apparatus can reach, its inertia makes it difficult always to achieve immobilization of the conveyor at the same level in the feeding position, and variations of this level of the order of several millimeters may be noted. Under these conditions, the feeding device must be able to compensate for these variations in the level of the support of the endless conveyor when the same is brought into its feeding position.

Thus, the present invention is concerned with a feeding device .especially adapted to an automatic bobbin changing apparatus with an endless conveyor and bobbin gripping hooks, and contributes a feeding device which reduces to a minimum the swinging tendency of the empty bobbins after gripping.

I also intend, by the present invention, to provide a feeding device in which the relative position between the gripping hooks and the gripping head of each'empty bobbin is always the same, regardless of the variations in the level of the support of the endless conveyor about its feeding position.

Thus, the feeding device according to the present invention comprises means for setting'the bobbins upright so that the empty bobbins are fed with their gripping heads directed upwardly, and is characterized in that a tiltable element mounted on a swivelling shaft is provided which, under the effect of a drive mechanism, can take a receiving position in which an empty bobbin is delivered by the means for setting the bobbins upright, as well as a presenting position in which the empty bobbin is presented sothat its gripping head is in the path of the gripping hooks.

According to an advantageous form of the invention, I arrange the pivoting shaft of the tiltable element so that it is urged upwardly by elastic traction means, and the tiltable element comprises a stop element cooperating with a fixed ramp oriented to oppose the action of these elastic traction means until the tiltable element has nearly reached its presenting'position and is liberated from the fixed ramp after this position has been exceeded so that the tiltable element rises under the action of the elastic traction means which urge the pivoting axis upwards. Under these conditions, and when the tiltable element reaches its presenting position, it feeds the empty bobbin to a position in which it is stopped by the support of the endless conveyor.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Specific embodiments of the invention have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and are shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the feeding device; and

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are views illustrating three different positions of the tiltable element shown in H6. 1.

In FIG. 1 part of the automatic bobbin changing apparatus l is shown, and this apparatus comprises an endless conveyor 2 which is carried by a support and is placed along each spindle range (not shown), the endless conveyor 2 carrying gripping hooks 4 at regular distances corresponding to-the distances between the spindles of the spindle range. Each gripping hook 4 is able to cooperate with a gripping head 5 provided at the upper end of each empty bobbin 6.

Furthermore, there is provided a loading station equipped so that a gripping head 5 of an empty bobbin 6 is presented to each gripping hook 4 passing on its level.

This loading station is fed with empty bobbins 6 by a feeding device comprising a reserve container 7 in which the empty bobbins 6 are stored in horizontal position, without any discrimination of the side on which the gripping head 5 is situated, and means 8 for setting the bobbins upright so that their gripping heads 5 are situated upwardly of the bobbins. The means 8 for setting the bobbins upright may comprise two

stop elements

9 and 10 by which an empty bobbin 6 is temporarily retained by its gripping head 5.

Each empty bobbin 6 arriving at the level of the means 8 for setting the bobbins upright is temporarily retained by its gripping head 5 cooperating with one or the other of the

stop elements

9 or 10, depending on the way in which the empty bobbin 6 is presented, and this bobbin then effects, under the influence of gravity, a pivoting movement about its gripping head, and, finally, all bobbins leave the means 8 for setting the bobbins upright in oriented condition so that their gripping heads 5 are directed upwardly.

The means 8 for setting the bobbins upright are advantageously provided in the upper part of the reserve container 7, and the empty bobbins 6 are fed to the said means 8 by a cup elevator 11, the rising section of which constitutes a lateral part of the reserve container 7, the cup elevator 11 being driven by motor 12, as will later be explained in more detail. At the output end of the means 8, the bobbins fall into an inclined channel 13 in which they are transported by gravity.

According to the invention, the feeding device comprises bobbin carrying means in the form of a tiltable element 14 which is mounted on a pivot shaft 15 and which can take, under the action of a moving mechanism, a receiving position in which the tiltable element 14 can receive an empty bobbin 6 delivered by the means 8 for setting the bobbins upright, the receiving position being such that the tiltable element 14 forms then an extension of the channel 13 (FIGS. 1 and 2); and a presenting position in which the tiltable element 14 presents the empty bobbin 6 so that its gripping head is in the path of the gripping hooks 4 (FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the pivoting shaft 15 of the tiltable element 14 is urged upwardly by means of elastic traction means 17, and the tiltable element 14 comprises a stop element 18 cooperating with a fixed ramp l9 oriented to oppose the action of these elastic traction means 17 until a position of the tiltable element 14 very near to its presenting position is reached. The topping element 18 is thereupon liberated from the fixed ramp 19 beyond this position so that the tiltable element 14 rises again under the action of the elastic traction means 17 which urge the pivoting shaft 15 upwardly. Under these conditions, and when the tiltable element 14 reaches its presenting position, it leads the empty bobbin 6 towards the stop formed by the support 3 of the endless conveyor 2 which, at this location, presents a support surface 3a.

For this purpose, the pivoting shaft 15 can be carried by one link or arm 20a of a bellcrank lever 20 having two links or arms, the lever being mounted in its center on a fixed pivot 21 and the other arm 20b of which is urged downwardly by the elastic traction means 17, which are advantageously constituted by a blade spring fixed at one end on this arm 20b, and abutting at its other end against a pin 22.

The driving mechanism 16, which actuates the tiltable element 14, can be constituted by a pneumatic double-action ram the body 23 of which is pivotally connected to a fixed part of the device and the piston rod 24 of which is pivoted to the tiltable element 14 by means of a cap 25. It is this cap which carries the stop element 18 which in turn may comprise a roller mounted free for rotation on the said cap.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in order to retain the empty bobbin 6 which lies in the channel 13, this channel is equipped, towards its lower end, with a retaining pin 27 carried by a pivoting lever 28 and normally urged by a spring 29 to protrude into the channel 13 to retain the empty bobbin 6. To permit passage of the empty bobbin 6 which is retained in the channel 13 by the retaining pin 27, the tiltable element 14 is equipped with a projection 14a to exert pressure on the pivoting lever 28 when the element 14 is in receiving position so that the retaining pin 27 is retracted.

It is important that the empty bobbin 6, which has just been seized by a hook, is sufficiently removed when a new empty bobbin is presented. Thus, I equip the feeding device so that, when the tiltable element is in presenting position, the empty bobbin 6 is slightly inclined, the gripping head 5 being directed forwardly. There must therefore be provided maintaining means for preventing the empty bobbin 6 from leaving the tiltable element 14 in forward direction under the effects of gravity and inertia. Although elastic retaining means can be used, it is preferable to use, as maintaining means, a device 30 disposed in the tiltable element 14. This device 30 may advantageously consist of a pneumatic double-action ram, the body 31 of which is fixed on the tiltable element 14 and the intermediate shaft 32 of which constitutes the member which retains the empty bobbin 6 within the tiltable element 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the device 30 is mounted on the tiltable element 14 with a blade spring 26 which elastically maintains the empty bobbin within the said tiltable element.

The endless conveyor 2 is driven by a drive motor (not shown) carried by the bobbin changing apparatus 1, the output shaft of the motor driving the endless conveyor via a cog-wheel transmission 33. This driving may be effected at a speed of the order of 13 meters per minute, for example, and is adapted to the various operatory phases of the automatic bobbin changing apparatus 1; however, this speed is too high for the operatory phase consisting in loading the section of the endless conveyor 2 with empty bobbins 6. Indeed. the speed of the endless conveyor 2 should be approximately l meter per minute, i.e. 13 times slower than its normal speed, for loading. it is preferable, rather than using a drive motor with variable speed or a speed varying device, to equip the feeding device with a fixed auxiliary motor 34 which is adapted for driving the endless conveyor 2 at the appropriate speed for loading the empty bobbins 6.

The cog-wheel transmission 33 of the bobbin changing apparatus 1 furthermore comprises a coupling ferrule 35 for cooperating with a coupling ferrule 36 supported by the output shaft of the auxiliary motor 34. One and/or the other of these two

coupling ferrules

35, 36 is flexible for compensating the height variations of the bobbin changing apparatus 1 around its feeding position. These two

coupling ferrules

35 and 36 are connected by relative displacement, for example by displacing the coupling ferrule 35 under the action of a pneumatic screwjack or ram coaxial with the coupling of ferrule 36.

The function of the described feeding device is then effected by a pneumatic distributor 37 (H6. 1) which is fed by a compressed air source 38, and controlled by a detector 39, for example, of the electromagnetic type which delivers a signal during the passage of a gripping hook 4 at its level. Thus, if it is desired to trigger the operatory phase consisting in providing the sectionof the endless conveyor 2 with empty bobbins, the bobbin changing apparatus 1 is passed into'feed position, and an empty bobbin 6 lies in the tiltable element 14 of the feeding device (FIGS. 1 and 2).

The pneumatic distributor 37 is then acted upon to feed the ram of the motor mechanism 16 so that the tiltable element 14 ismoved from its receiving position into its presenting position, and to feed the ram of the device so that it maintains the empty bobbin 6 within the element 14.

Simultaneously, the pneumatic distributor 37 on one hand feeds the screw-jack or ram of the coupling ferrule 36 and, on the other hand, controls the activation of the motor 12 of the cup elevator 11 so that the said motor drives the cup elevator by one step," i.e.-by a distance separating two successive cups. For this purpose, the motor 12 may be constituted by a doubleaction pneumatic ram 39 actuating a ratchet-wheel 40.

This action of the pneumatic distributor 37 thus causes, on one hand, the coupling of the two coupling ferrules and 36, and the driving of the endless conveyor 2 at its loading speed and, on the other hand, the arrival of an empty bobbin 6 in the channel 13 where it is stopped by the retaining pin 27 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

When a gripping hook 4 passes on the level of the detector 39, the same delivers a signal which inverts the pneumatic distributor which simultaneously causes the feeding of the ram of the motor mechanism 16 so that the tiltable element 14 is moved from its presenting position in to receiving position, the feeding of the screwjack or ram ofthe device 30 which frees the empty bobbin 6 and', finally, the feeding the ram of motor 12 which reloads the ratchet-wheel 40. During this operative phase, the

coupling ferrules

35 and 36 remain in coupled position.

The tiltable element 14, after regaining its receiving position, depresses the retaining pin 27 which frees the empty bobbin next ready for delivery in the channel 13, that empty bobbin being thereby placed in the tiltable element 14.

As soon as the gripping hook 4 has passed by the detector 39 and, therefore, has seized the empty bobbin which was presented to it, the pneumatic distributor 37 simultaneously causes the feeding of the ram of the motor mechanism 16 so that the tiltable element 14 is moved from its receiving position into its presenting position, the feeding of the screw-jack or ram of device 30 which maintains the empty bobbin 6 in the tiltable element 14 and, finally, the feeding of the ram of motor 12 which advances the ratchet-wheel 40 by one step and thus feeds a new empty bobbin 6 to the channel 13 where it is stopped by the retaining pin 27.

These operations are continued until the section of the endless conveyor 2 is loaded with a pre-determined number of empty bobbins 6. At this moment, the pneumatic distributor 37 is acted upon so that it is blocked in a position which corresponds to the receiving position ofthe tiltable element 14. The coupling ferrules 35 and 36 are detached from each other, for example by rotating the drive motor of the endless conveyor 2 in reverse direction for a short time.

In order to control the function of such a feeding device, detection means 41 can be provided which are equipped so that, on one hand, they assure that an empty bobbin 6 is ready in the channel 13 and, on the 6 other hand, that there is only one empty bobbin in the said channel. For this purpose, two sensitive elements with photoelectric cells can be disposed on either side of the-channel l3, i.e. a lower sensitive element for detecting the presence of an empty bobbin 6 ready for delivery and an upper sensitive element 43 for detecting the absence ofa second empty bobbin above the empty bobbin 6 ready for delivery.

The mounting of the tiltable element 14 on the lever 20, urged by the elastic traction means 17, permits the empty bobbin 6 to pass under the support 3 ofthe endless conveyor 2. In FIG. 3, the chain line shows the trajectory of the gripping head 5 of an empty bobbin 6, this trajectory being obtained by appropriate shape of the fixed ramp 19. i

From the foregoing description it will be seen that, because of the structure of the feeding device, and especially because of the mounting of its tiltable element 14, a very safe transfer of the empty bobbins 6 between their entry into the tiltable element 14 and their gripping by the gripping hooks 4 is obtained. it will also be seen that the empty bobbins are softly gripped by the gripping hooks 4 and are subject to practically no swinging, and that the conditionsof gripping of the empty bobbins 6 do not depend on the height variations of the support 3 of the endless conveyor 2 about its feeding position.

i believe that the construction and operation of my novel bobbin feeding device will now be understood, and that its several advantages will be fully appreciated by those persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for feeding empty bobbins each hav ing a head at one end, to a bobbin changing device including spaced bobbin gripping means and means for advancing same, means for orienting bobbins for engagement of the heads by the gripping means, bobbin carrying means mounted for pivotal movement between first and second positions and'adapted to receive oriented bobbins from said orienting means when in said first position, drive means pivoting said carrying means to said second position to effect presentation of said bobbin heads to the advancing gripping means, means for urging the pivot axis of said carrying means in a direction to complete presentation of the bobbins to the gripping means at the end of the excursion of said carrying means from said first to second position, and retaining means rendering said urging means ineffective until said carrying means approaches its second position.

2. Apparatus according to claim I, wherein said urging means is a spring and said retaining means comprises a ramp and means mounted for movement with said carrying means and engaging said ramp until said carrying means approaches its second position.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said carrying means pivots about a shaft journalled in a link of a bellcrank, and said urging means is a spring arranged to bear against the other link of said bellcrank to rock same about a bellcrank axis to shift said shaft about which said carrying means pivots same approaches its second position.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein pneumatically controlled means are mounted on said carrying means for maintaining bobbins in said carrying means during their excursions and presentation to the gripping means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said pneumatically controlled means comprises a doubleacting pneumatic ram, the body of which is fixed on said carrying means and the piston rod of which constitutes the means for maintaining the empty bobbin in said carrying means.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said drive means includes a double-acting pneumatic ram, the body of which is pivoted to a fixed part of the device and the piston rod of which is pivoted to the carrying means, there being also provided a distributor connected with a compressed air source which supplies the pneumatic ram of the drive mechanism and said pneumatically controlled means, and a detector for control; ling the distributor and adapted to sense each passage of a gripping means and to actuate said distributor in turn to operate said ram.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said compressed air source also operates said bolt controlling ram to retain a bobbin in said carrying means until same reaches its second position and then to release the bobbin.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said orienting means include a holding channel for supporting oriented bobbins, said carrying means adapted to receive oriented bobbins from said channel of which it is an extension when in its first position, and means are provided to block passage ofa bobbin from said channel when said carrying means is out of its first position.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said blocking means comprise a pin mounted for pivotal movement, spring means normally urging said pin into bobbin blocking position, and means pivoting said pin out of blocking position against the force of said spring when said carrying means is in its first position.

Claims

1. In apparatus for feeding empty bobbins each having a head at one end, to a bobbin changing device including spaced bobbin gripping means and means for advancing same, means for orienting bobbins for engagement of the heads by the gripping means, bobbin cArrying means mounted for pivotal movement between first and second positions and adapted to receive oriented bobbins from said orienting means when in said first position, drive means pivoting said carrying means to said second position to effect presentation of said bobbin heads to the advancing gripping means, means for urging the pivot axis of said carrying means in a direction to complete presentation of the bobbins to the gripping means at the end of the excursion of said carrying means from said first to second position, and retaining means rendering said urging means ineffective until said carrying means approaches its second position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said urging means is a spring and said retaining means comprises a ramp and means mounted for movement with said carrying means and engaging said ramp until said carrying means approaches its second position.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said carrying means pivots about a shaft journalled in a link of a bellcrank, and said urging means is a spring arranged to bear against the other link of said bellcrank to rock same about a bellcrank axis to shift said shaft about which said carrying means pivots as same approaches its second position.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said pneumatically controlled means comprises a double-acting pneumatic ram, the body of which is fixed on said carrying means and the piston rod of which constitutes the means for maintaining the empty bobbin in said carrying means.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said drive means includes a double-acting pneumatic ram, the body of which is pivoted to a fixed part of the device and the piston rod of which is pivoted to the carrying means, there being also provided a distributor connected with a compressed air source which supplies the pneumatic ram of the drive mechanism and said pneumatically controlled means, and a detector for controlling the distributor and adapted to sense each passage of a gripping means and to actuate said distributor in turn to operate said ram.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said orienting means include a holding channel for supporting oriented bobbins, said carrying means adapted to receive oriented bobbins from said channel of which it is an extension when in its first position, and means are provided to block passage of a bobbin from said channel when said carrying means is out of its first position.