The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously winding up a thread.
In the production of synthetic threads it is common that at the end of the process the threads are wound up to form a bobbin. To prevent process interruptions in melt spinning, the threads are continuously wound up to form a bobbin, without significant interruptions. The devices provided for a continuous winding operation comprise two winding spindles which are held in a projecting manner on a rotary table. When turning the rotary table, the winding spindles are guided alternately to a winding region and a changing region. For example, such an apparatus has been described in DE 197 43 278.
The apparatus described in DE 197 43 278 includes a movable changing device, which can be guided in the area between the two winding spindles in order to transfer the thread between the winding spindles. In this context, it is important that the thread can be received by a catching device which is arranged at the winding spindle receiving the thread. For this purpose, the changing device comprises at least a deflecting thread guide and a feeding thread guide. After exchanging the winding spindles, the changing device is moved in the thread running direction between the winding spindle dispensing the thread and the winding spindle receiving the thread. In the process, the thread is still wound onto the bobbin held on the winding spindle dispensing the thread. In a deflecting position of the changing device, the deflecting thread guide catches the thread and holds it at a distance from the winding spindle, which receives the thread and which has on its circumference an empty tube. Then, via the feeding thread guide, the thread is positioned after it has been released in a changing device, and through a backward movement of the changing device, the thread is guided into the catching device of the receiving winding spindle. To this end, the thread is caught by a curved hook of the feeding thread guide and pulled into the catching device.
However, this device has the disadvantage that the entire changing device has to be swiveled out of the deflecting position to be able to feed the thread into the catching device. Because of the fact that the device as a whole has to be activated and moved, long changing times for transferring the thread are inevitable. In addition, the pulling process exposes the thread to considerable mechanical stress, resulting in filament strands that are unraveled and damaged. Especially with so-called BCF yarns, the unraveling of the thread poses a problem because at some places the crimping is defective. In this respect, the thread segments wound onto a full bobbin as so-called wrapper fibers during the process of transferring the thread cannot be used for further processing.
EP 0 521 816 discloses another apparatus for continuously winding up a thread. In this apparatus, the changing device is held laterally to the winding spindles and interacts with a movable deflection rod, which can be pivoted from an opposite side in the thread running direction between the two winding spindles, thus deflecting the thread in the direction of the changing device. The changing device comprises a changing plate and a feeding thread guide, which is designed as a catch wing and which guides a thread running at the changing plate parallel to the winding spindle. To transfer the thread to a catching device of the winding spindle receiving the thread, the changing device is pivoted in the direction of the winding spindles in such a way that the thread is guided in contact to an empty tube of the receiving winding spindle and, through movement of the feeding thread guide, it is guided into an axially offset thread-catching slit. In this device, the contact with the empty tube exposes the thread to considerable mechanical stress, which inevitably results in damage. As a result, the wrapper fibers wound onto the full bobbin during the process of transferring the thread cannot be used for further processing.
It is an object of the invention to develop an apparatus for continuously winding up a generic thread in such a way that it is possible during relatively brief changing periods to change the thread in a stress-free manner after exchanging the winding spindles.
According to the invention, the above problems are solved by providing a deflecting thread guide formed as a guide plate with a sliding edge, which has at least one deflecting section and one feeding section, which is transverse with respect thereto, and where the feeding section of the sliding edge forms a catching plane with the catching device of the winding spindle, which receives the thread.
The invention is characterized by providing the thread with limited guidance control, which is basically designed as a sliding edge of a guide plate, for transferring the thread between the winding spindles. When positioning the changing device in the deflecting position, the thread can be held merely by a deflecting section of the sliding edge of the guide plate at a distance from the winding spindle, which receives the thread. In order to transfer the thread with respective positioning to the catching device, the guide plate has a feeding section, which is transverse with respect to the deflecting section and by means of which the thread can be guided in a sliding manner directly into the catching device of the winding spindle. As a result, no further movements of the changing device are required. By designing the guide plate accordingly, the thread can be guided via the feeding section of the sliding edge directly into the catching device of the winding spindle. The mechanical stress generated through the deflection and guidance of the thread is reduced to a minimum so that the thread wound up as wrapper fiber during the changing phase does not show any significant quality changes on the winding spindle dispensing the thread.
For transferring the thread to the catching device of the winding spindle, a further embodiment of the invention is especially advantageous. In this further embodiment of the invention, the feeding thread guide with a free end portion is designed in a movable fashion in such a way that the thread for transfer to the catching device can be guided on the feeding section of the sliding edge. In this way, it is possible to further improve the process of quickly and specifically inserting the thread into the catching device.
During the process of transferring the thread, it is important to prevent the thread from slipping too early off the still thread-containing winding spindle dispensing the thread. To this end, the invention provides a further advantageous embodiment in which the guide plate is provided with a thread stopper, which limits axial movement of the thread on the winding spindle, which dispenses the thread. As a result, it is possible to guide the thread also in axial direction parallel to the winding spindles in a thread segment extending between the thread stopper and the winding spindle which receives the thread, without risking that the thread is slipping off the thread-containing winding spindle.
A further embodiment of the invention involves arranging the guide plate and the movable feeding thread guide on a retaining plate such that the retaining plate can be guided in parallel in translator fashion between a rest position lateral to the winding spindles and a deflecting position between the winding spindles. This further embodiment of the invention has the special advantage that the changing device requires only a small space within the device as a whole. In addition, it is possible to bring the changing device into deflecting position during the period of moving the rotary table, in a relatively small time frame, thus allowing for a quick changing process.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the retaining plate comprises a guide slot that is located transverse to the direction of the winding spindle and laterally to the guide plate to allow the thread to be freely guided along the sliding edge of the guide plate, as well as to support the insertion of the thread into the catching device. For the purpose of feeding the thread into the catching device, the guide slot interacts with the sliding edge of the guide plate. As a result, the retaining plate can be extended up to the sliding edge of the guide plate in order to support the process of moving the thread through the guide plate.
For guiding the thread along the sliding edge of the guide plate, an embodiment of the invention has proved to be of value in which the feeding thread guide is formed by a pivoting catch wing which has been arranged in sandwich fashion between the retaining plate and the guide plate. In this way, it is possible to perform thread changes with low thread tension without the thread being jammed in the feeding thread guide. Furthermore, the catch wing is designed in such a way that it allows for quick movement, which results in further improvement of the changing times.
Preferably, the free end portion of the catch wing protrudes over the sliding edge of the guide plate and is held with an opposite drive end at a rotation axis, wherein during periods of movement the free end portion of the catch wing moves over the sliding edge of the guide plate.
Preferably, the drive end of the catch wing is connected with an actuator, thus allowing for quick and precise movements for transferring the thread into the catching device.
Preferably, the apparatus according to the present invention is used for winding up a plurality of threads. For this purpose, several winding points have been designed in the apparatus, wherein each of the winding spindles supports several empty tubes or several bobbins. To be able to perform a synchronous change within the winding points, it is especially advantageous to use the further embodiment of the invention in which several winding points are provided in parallel fashion next to each other and in which the retaining plate supports several guide plates and several feeding thread guides, wherein between adjacent winding points one of several guide slots is designed in the retaining plate.
In particular, the apparatus according to the present invention is used for winding up BCF yarns which include crimping and which immediately following the melt spinning process are used for further processing in manufacturing carpets. Such yarns are extremely sensitive to mechanical stress so that by means of the apparatus of the present invention even thread segments of wrapper fibers wound onto a full bobbin can be used for further processing.
The device according to the invention shall be explained in greater detail below based on a few embodiments, with reference to the attached figures.
Figures I, 2 and 3 show different views of a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention for continuously winding up a thread. Figure I shows a front view of the embodiment and
One embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention provides a pivoted rotary table 2 in a machine frame 1. On one side of the rotary table 2, two winding spindles 3.1 and 3.2 have been arranged in a projecting manner. The winding spindles 3.1 and 3.2 are held offset by 180° at the rotary table 2. On the opposite side of the rotary table 2, two spindle drives 4.1 and 4.2 have been arranged and are associated with the winding spindles 3.1 and 3.2. As a result, the winding spindle 3.1 is powered by the spindle drive 4.1 and the winding spindle 3.2 by the spindle drive 4.2.
On the drive side of the apparatus, a rotary table drive 5 is provided and is connected to the rotary table 2 by means of a drive system (not shown). By actuating the rotary table drive 5, the rotary table 2 can be driven counter-clockwise in the machine frame I so that after finishing a winding process, the winding spindles 3.1 and 3.2 can be guided between an upper winding region and a lower changing region.
The winding spindle 3.1 or 3.2 held in the winding region interacts with a pressure roller 6 that is pivoted in the machine frame I and a traversing device 7. In this embodiment, the traversing device 7 is shown only schematically and is preferably designed as a rotary blade. For this purpose, two rotating pairs of wings are used to move back and forth within a traverse stroke to drop the thread onto a bobbin.
A yarn guide 8 has been arranged above the machine frame in order to control the feeding of a thread 9.
The representation in
Additional explanations of the changing device 10 are provided in
The representations in
The guide plate 16 and the catch wing 21 are arranged on the upper surface of a retaining plate 18. At the same time, the guide plate 16, the catch wing 21 and the retaining plate 18 are assembled in sandwich fashion in such a way that the catch wing 21 can be freely moved between the guide plate 16 and the retaining plate 18. For this purpose, the rotation axis is attached to the retaining plate 18.
The guide slot 26 in the retaining plate 18 extends underneath the guide plate 16 up to a thread stopper 27. The thread stopper 27 has been arranged on the bottom of the retaining plate 18 and protrudes with a free end opposite the sliding edge 17 of the guide plate 16. The thread stopper 27 also comprises a guide nose 31.2, which is directly opposite of the guide nose 31.1 formed on the catch wing 21.
The retaining plate 18 is designed in the form of a parallel guidance system 19 and can be lineally moved back and forth in the parallel guide system 19 via a piston-cylinder device 20.
For guiding the thread between the winding spindles 3.1 and 3.2, as well as transferring the thread to the catching device 11.2 in the winding spindle 3.2, the changing device 10 is moved into the deflecting position. At the same time, the thread 9 is caught by the deflecting section 17.1 of the sliding edge 17 of the guide plate 16. Through the traverse motion of the thread 9, the thread 9 reaches a guiding section on the guide plate 16 which is restricted by the catch wing 21 and the thread stopper 27. In this phase, the thread 9 is still wound up on the bobbin 13 of the winding spindle 3.1 dispensing the thread.
To guide the thread into the catching device 11.2 of the winding spindle 3.2 receiving the thread, the thread 9 is moved out of the traversing device 7 by means of an auxiliary device 28 (not described) and positioned in a catching position. The auxiliary device 28 is schematically indicated in
When the thread 9 is released from the traversing device 7, the actuator 25 on the changing device 10 is activated to guide the catch wing 21 in rapid movement out of its catching position and into a feeding position. With this movement of the catch wing 21, the thread 9 is caught in the thread segment between the winding spindle 3.2 and 3.1 and grazed along the sliding edge 17. In the process, the thread 9 first slides along the deflecting section 17.1 and then enters the catching plane 30 via the feeding section 17.2 of the sliding edge 17. By means of the catch wing 21, which moves with its free end portion 23 completely over the sliding edge 17, the thread is guided in a targeted manner into the catching device 11.2 of the winding spindle 3.2.
When the thread is caught and cut in the catching device 11.2, the changing device 10 is swiveled out of its deflecting position and back to the rest position. The winding spindle 3.1 is decelerated to exchange the completed bobbin 13. At the same time, a new bobbin is wound up on the winding spindle 3.2.
Alternatively, the changing device 10 could remain in the deflecting position until the completed bobbin is decelerated. In this case, the changing device 10 can be used as a screen which prevents lint and the loose thread end from passing over to the region where the new bobbin is being wound up.
The embodiment of the device shown in
On the bottom side of the retaining plate 18, three thread stoppers 27.1, 27.2 and 27.3 have been provided with a distance between each other and positioned upstream of the sliding edges 17 of the guide plates 16.1, 16.2 and 16.3.
On the retaining plate 18, between the adjacent guide plates 16.1 and 16.2, as well as 16.2 and 16.3, a respective guide slot 26.1 and 26.2 has been provided to allow the sliding edge 17 of the guide plates 16.1 and 16.2 to guide the threads into the catching devices. On the right side, in the region of the last guide plate 16.3, the retaining plate 18 has been provided with a recess 32, which allows the thread to freely move along the sliding edge 17 of the guide plate 16.3.
The parallel guidance system 19 of the retaining plate 18 is designed in a partitioned manner and is moved back and forth between the rest position and the deflecting position via a piston-cylinder device 20.
The function of transferring the threads between the winding spindles has an identical design at the respective winding points and is performed in accordance with the above-mentioned embodiment. It is therefore not required to provide an additional description of an apparatus with several winding points.
The embodiment of the changing device shown in
In particular, the apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by the fact that the thread is transferred by quick movements after exchanging the winding spindles. Thus, it is possible to reduce the periods for deflecting the thread. Furthermore, it is possible to guide the thread reliably even with low thread tension, allowing for particularly stress-free thread guidance without mechanically damaging individual filaments. The special design of the thread guiding means on the changing device comprising a sandwich structure prevents jamming and shearing of the thread when it is transferred to the catching device. In each phase of the changing process, the thread can be securely guided along the sliding edge of the guide plate. The design of the guide plate determines the guidance path of the thread, thus avoiding any contact between the thread and the winding spindle receiving the thread. It is possible to force-feed the thread into the catching device.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2011 008 970.5 | Jan 2011 | DE | national |
This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims the benefit of priority from PCT application PCT/EP2012/050263 filed 9 Jan. 2012; and German Patent Application 10 2011 008 970.5 filed 20 Jan. 2011, the disclosure of each is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP2012/050263 | Jan 2012 | US |
Child | 13937637 | US |