" SPOOL FOR WINDING OR UNWINDING ΥARNS "
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention concerns a metal spool for winding or unwinding yarns, particularly thin or extra thin yarns, with a count of about 20-30 denier, of the type able to be used, for example, to make women's stockings. The spool comprises a central core, substantially cylindrical and hollow inside, and at least a flange attached at one end of the central core. The spool allows to make very consistent bobbins, weighing about 3.5-4 Kg or more, and to work at very high winding/unwinding speeds, in the region of about 2,000 metres per minute. A device is associated with the spool able to detect the presence or absence of yarn around its central core.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known that a yarn, due to the effect of its greater or lesser degree of elasticity, when it is wound onto the central core of a spool, discharges very high forces onto said spool as it settles; these forces directly depend on the number of coils wound and can generate pressure on the core itself in the range of several hundred bar.
To prevent the central core from being deformed due to this pressure, it is therefore necessary for the spools to be very strong and resistant. At the same time, however, the spools have to be quite light, so that they can be easily handled by the workers who have to move the full spools, usually manually, for example from a winding/unwinding machine of the bobbins to another machine for weaving or making up.
It is known that a metal spool consisting of a central cylindrical core, hollow inside, and a single flange welded to one end of the central core. This conventional spool
weighs about 700 g, has a standardized length of 280 mm and a size such as to allow to form bobbins of yarn with a weight of about 600-700 g, so that the ratio between the weight of the wound yarn and the weight of the empty spool is about 1:1.
Considering that the winding time of a yarn with a count of 20-30 denier, at a winding/unwinding speed of about 2,000 metres per minute, is in the region of 10-15 minutes, this means that the worker has to handle each cop (bobbin wound on the spool) moving it from one machine to another, after a relatively short time.
This is a limit which considerably reduces productivity, since the time needed to handle each cop by the worker has a negative affect on the whole working cycle. The present Applicant has devised and embodied this invention to overcome this shortcoming and to obtain further advantages as will be explained hereafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The spool for winding/unwinding yarns according to the invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other innovative characteristics of the invention.
One purpose of the invention is to achieve a spool which, also with a standardized length, a limited weight and easy to handle, allows to wind or unwind a large quantity of yarn, in the region of about 3,500-4,000 g, particularly of fine or super-fine yarn, that is to say, with a count of about 20-30 denier.
In this way, although the weight of the spool is contained to a value scarcely above the weight of conventional spools, the ratio between the weight of the yarn wound onto the bobbins and the weight of the empty spool increases by about three times compared with the state of the art.
In accordance with this purpose, the spool according to the invention comprises a substantially cylindrical central core, hollow inside, and a flange at one end thereof, both made of aluminium and zinc alloy or similar alloys with very high resistance.
Advantageously this aluminium alloy is the one known internationally under the registration number 7075 or similar.
The central core has an outer diameter of between about 49 and 53 mm and an inner diameter of between about 41 and 45 mm, while the flange has a thickness of between about 11 and 13 mm and an outer diameter of between about 166 and 170 mm.
The overall weight of the spool is between about 1,200 and 1,300 g. Another purpose of the invention is to achieve a spool which allows to detect, easily and automatically, when the yarn has finished unwinding around its central core.
In accordance with this purpose, at least part of the central core of the spool is light absorbent. To be more exact, the central core comprises a dark surface, made for example by anodizing the aluminium alloy of which the central core is made, which otherwise would reflect the light.
In accordance with another form of embodiment of the spool according to the invention, the central core of the spool is provided with a radial aperture, which is able to cooperate with means to detect the presence of the yarn around the central core. The detection means can be either of the mechanical type, or of the optical type (photodetectors) , or of the magnetic type, infra-red or suchlike.
In the radial aperture of the central core it is possible to insert, for example, the end of a feeler pin connected to a switch of an electric circuit. In this way, when the yarn
is present around the core, the feeler pin is maintained in a first position, to which a corresponding first condition of the switch, for example open, corresponds; vice versa, when the yarn is not present around the core, the feeler pin is elastically taken to a second position, to which a corresponding second condition of the switch, for example closed, corresponds .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other characteristics of the invention will be clear from the following description of two preferential embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:
Fig. 1 is a side view, partly sectioned, of a spool according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a side view, partly sectioned, of a variant of the spool shown in Fig. 1 in a first working condition, with the yarn wound on the central core; Fig. 3 is the spool shown in Fig. 2 in a second working condition, without any yarn wound on the central core.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TWO PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Fig. 1, a spool 10 according to the invention comprises a central core 11, substantially cylindrical in shape, to the first end 12 of which a flange 13 is friction welded, arranged substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 15 of the central core 11.
The central core 11 is provided inside with a cylindrical cavity 16, coaxial with the longitudinal axis 15 and through, and is shaped in such a manner as to have, at a second end 17 thereof, an annular ribbing 18 and an annular seating 19 to house a conventional count marker, not shown in the drawings, for example of the type described in the Italian patent n° . 1.299.748 granted to this Applicant on 4
April 2000 .
Both the central core 11 and the flange 13 are advantageously made of aluminium alloy 7075 or similar.
The central core 11 has a length L of about 268 mm, an outer diameter Di of about 51 mm and an inner diameter D2 of about 43 mm, while the flange 13 has a thickness S of about 12 mm and an outer diameter D3 of about 168 mm.
The overall weight of the spool 10 is about 1,250 g.
On the spool 10 as described above, up to 3,500-4,000 g of yarn 25 can be wound, with a count of about 30 denier, without the central core 11 deforming under the considerable pressure, about 350 bar, exerted by the wound yarn.
The time needed to completely wind or unwind the yarn, at a winding or unwinding speed of about 2,000 metres per minute, is about 60-65 mins .
The outer surface 20 of the central core 11 is anodized and black, or in any case a very dark color, so that it is light absorbent, unlike the yarn wound onto the spool 10 which is usually light in color and hence reflects the light. In this way, any conventional photocell, not shown in the drawings, is able to recognize when the yarn has finished unwinding from the spool 10, and send a corresponding electric signal able to stop the machine on which the spool 10 is mounted. According to another form of embodiment of the spool 10, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the central core 11 is provided with a radial aperture 30 into which the end 31 of a feeler pin 32 is permanently inserted, with play; the feeler pin 32 is connected to a switch 33 of an electric circuit of a conventional type. In this way, when the yarn 25 is present around the central core 11 (Fig. 2) , the feeler pin 32 is maintained in an inclined position, so that the switch 33 is open. On the contrary, when the yarn 25 has been completely
unwound and is no longer present around the central core 11 (Fig. 3), the feeler pin 32 is elastically taken parallel to the longitudinal axis 15 and closes the switch 33, thus causing, in any conventional manner, a corresponding electric signal to be generated.
In this second embodiment, the spool 10 remains stationary during the winding/unwinding step of the yarn 25.
It is obvious however that modifications or additions of parts can be made to the spool 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, conventional type optical means, not shown in the drawings, may cooperate with the radial aperture 30 and cross it when there is no yarn around the central core 11. It is also obvious that, although the invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a skilled person shall be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of spool, all of which shall come within the field and scope of this invention.