Claims
- 1. An apparatus for winding or unwinding continuously arriving, particularly imbricated flexible flat structures, preferably printed products, into a package or from such package, comprising:
- a substantially ring-shaped winding core intended to support thereon the wound package;
- said winding core having oppositely situated ends and a substantially cylindrical inner surface;
- driven support wheels upon which there is frictionally mountable at the substantially cylindrical inner surface the winding core from which there can be de-mounted such winding core;
- a substantially freely rotatable guide wheel arranged beneath said support wheels and capable of being brought into operative association with the substantially cylindrical inner surface of the mounted winding core and being raisable away from the substantially cylindrical inner surface of said mounted winding core;
- means defining a deflection axis which is substantially radially directed with respect to the mounted winding core and cooperating with said guide wheel;
- said guide wheel being deflectable about said substantially radially directed deflection axis in an operative position of said guide wheel; and
- impact means cooperating with one end of the oppositely situated ends of the winding core.
- 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- said guide wheel has a central plane; and
- said deflection axis being arranged externally of said central plane of said guide wheel.
- 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, further including:
- a shaft having an end;
- said guide wheel being secured to said end of said shaft;
- a bearing housing provided for said shaft and radially displaceable in a predeterminate direction of movement with respect to the mounted winding core;
- said means defining said deflection axis including pendulum bearing means for mounting said shaft in said radially displaceable bearing housing;
- said pendulum bearing means having a central plane; and
- said deflection axis being arranged at the region of the central plane of said pendulum bearing means.
- 4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:
- said shaft at which there is secured the guide wheel is prolonged at a side of the pendulum bearing means located opposite said guide wheel;
- said shaft having a further end;
- an adjustable bearing block displaceable with said bearing housing and additionally movable transversely to the direction of movement of the bearing housing; and
- a further bearing means for mounting said further end of the shaft in said adjustable bearing block.
- 5. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, further including:
- a displaceable carriage which is guided in radial direction with respect to the mounted winding core;
- said bearing housing being secured to said displaceable carriage; and
- displacement means hingedly connected with said displaceable carriage.
- 6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein:
- said shaft at which there is secured the guide wheel is prolonged at a side of the pendulum bearing means located opposite said guide wheel;
- said shaft having a further end;
- an adjustable bearing block displaceable with said bearing housing and additionally movable transversely to the direction of movement of the bearing housing;
- a further bearing means for mounting said further end of the shaft in said bearing block;
- an actuation element hingedly connected with the displaceable carriage; and
- said adjustable bearing block being displaceably guided by means of said actuation element transversely with respect to the displacement direction of the displaceable carriage.
- 7. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:
- said shaft at which there is secured the guide wheel is prolonged at the side of the pendulum roller bearing located opposite to the guide wheel;
- said shaft having a further end;
- actuatable brake means provided for the further end of said shaft; and
- the guide wheel placed into rotation by the substantially cylindrical inner surface of the mounted winding core automatically being caused to perform a deflection about the deflection axis as a function of actuation of the actuatable brake means.
- 8. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:
- said impact means comprises an impact rail.
- 9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein:
- said impact rail possesses a substantially arcuate-shaped configuration and is arranged substantially concentrically with respect to the mounted winding core.
- 10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein:
- said guide wheel has an axis of rotation;
- said impact rail has a vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation of the non-deflected guide wheel; and
- said impact rail extending to both sides of said vertical plane through essentially equal length arcuate sections.
- 11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein:
- said impact rail is secured to the bearing housing of the shaft of the guide wheel.
- 12. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- said impact means comprises at least three freely rotatable rolls possessing axes of rotation extending radially with respect to the mounted winding core; and
- said three freely rotatable rolls having travel surfaces which define a plane.
- 13. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
- said impact means is adjustable and positionally fixable in axial direction of the substantially ring-shaped winding core.
Priority Claims (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
| 1475/86 |
Apr 1986 |
CHX |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to the commonly assigned, copending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/005,693, filed Jan. 22, 1987, and entitled "APPARATUS FOR WINDING A CONTINUOUSLY ARRIVING IMBRICATED FORMATION OF FLEXIBLE FLAT STRUCTURES INTO A WOUND PRODUCT PACKAGE".
The present invention broadly relates to a new and improved construction of an apparatus for selectively winding-up or unwinding continuously arriving flexible flat structures, especially substantially flat products arriving in an imbricated formation, particularly substantially flat printed products.
In its more particular aspects, the present invention relates to a new and improved construction of an apparatus for winding-up and unwinding or winding-off continuously arriving flexible flat structures, especially flexible flat structures arriving in an imbricated formation, and in particular printed products into a wound product package or unwinding such flexible flat structures from a previously wound product package. The winding apparatus of the present development is of the type comprising a substantially ring-shaped or annular winding core intended for taking-up or receiving thereon the products wound into a product package. The substantially ring-shaped winding core can be frictionally placed into contact at its substantially cylindrical inner surface with drivable support wheels and can be raised away from such drivable support wheels. Furthermore, there is provided an essentially freely rotatable guide wheel which can be operatively engaged with the substantially cylindrical inner surface of the mounted winding core beneath the support wheels and can again be raised away from such substantially cylindrical inner surface of the mounted winding core.
At this point it is noted that in the context of this disclosure the term "winding apparatus" or equivalent expressions are to be construed in their broader sense as not only encompassing an apparatus for winding-up substantially flat structures or the like but also for unwinding or winding-off such substantially flat structures or the like which previously have been wound-up into a package.
Such type of winding apparatus is disclosed in the European Published Patent Application No. 0,061,569, published on Nov. 21, 1985 and the substantially corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,436, granted July 22, 1986, and entitled "APPARATUS FOR WINDING AND UNWINDING FLEXIBLE FLAT PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY PRINTED PRODUCTS, ARRIVING CONTINUOUSLY, ESPECIALLY IN IMBRICATED FORMATION".
With this heretofore known apparatus the substantially ring-shaped winding core in the event that it is driven, constitutes the driven part of a friction wheel drive and the support wheels serving as the mounting structure, upon which bears the winding core at its inner surface or side, simultaneously constitute the driving part of the friction wheel drive.
So that the winding core during its rotation does not migrate or drift in axial direction, or also is not able to alter its axial position--something which can lead to the formation of a conical package--, the winding core of the prior art apparatus possesses inwardly protruding side flanges which coact to a certain extent as guide or track rims with the end surfaces of the support wheels, but also in conjunction with the guide wheel.
This is associated with a number of different drawbacks. Firstly, the winding core and particularly the spacing of its side flanges from one another must be accommodated to the thickness of the support wheels and the guide wheel, which, in turn, cannot be constructed as rolls. The thickness of the support wheels and that of the guide wheel must correspond to one another, and furthermore, the end surfaces of all wheels must lie in a respective plane if the side flanges of the winding core are to fulfill their function as guide or track rims.
Additionally, with the heretofore known apparatus, in the event it is desired to lift-off the winding core from the support wheels, the winding core initially must be vertically raised at least by the amount of the radial dimension of the side flanges before the winding core can then be removed in axial direction. This vertical lifting of the winding core, particularly in the case of a winding core upon which there has been fully wound a product package, requires an appreciable expenditure of force.
Finally, with the prior art apparatus there always must be reached a compromise as concerns the dimensioning of the winding core. On the one hand, as previously mentioned, the side flanges of the winding core must be accommodated to the thickness of the wheels, and, on the other hand, the outer surface of the winding core should be accommodated to a certain degree to the format of the flat surface structures or products which are to be wound upon such winding core so that such wound products are supported as much as possible over the major part of their width directly or indirectly upon the outer jacket surface of the winding core.
Therefore, with the foregoing in mind it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved construction of a winding apparatus of the previously mentioned type which is not afflicted with the aforementioned drawbacks and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another and more specific object of the present invention aims at the provision of a new and improved construction of a winding apparatus for the winding-up or unwinding of substantially flat structures, especially although not exclusively printed products, wherein the winding core can possess a purely hollow cylindrical configuration, in other words approximately the shape of a flangeless tubular section or tube, which facilitates the removal of the winding core and its improved accommodation thereof to the width of the flat structures or products being processed.
In keeping with the aforementioned object it is still a further noteworthy object of the present invention to provide an improved winding apparatus of the character described wherein the support wheels and the guide wheel--apart from their coaction with the inner surface of the winding core--can be dimensioned independently of the construction of the winding core, and there is nonetheless still ensured for a relatively constant axial position of the winding core during its rotational movement.
Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the winding apparatus, as such term is herein defined, of the present development is manifested by the features that the guide wheel can be deflected or shifted about a deflection axis which is radially directed with respect to the mounted winding core, and additionally, there is provided an impact or stop arrangement which coacts with an end side or surface of the winding core.
Now if there is imparted to the guide wheel a deflection or steering deflection, in other words when its rotational axis no longer is disposed exactly parallel to the rotational axis of the support wheels, the winding core during its rotation additionally has imparted thereto an axial movement component which, depending upon the direction of rotation of the winding core and depending upon the side of the deflection, forces the winding core to migrate or drift either towards the impact or stop arrangement, whereby its axial position is fixed, or, however, causes the winding core to migrate or wander away from the impact or stop arrangement which, in turn, appreciably simplifies the removal of the winding core. For the deflection of the guide wheel there is sufficient only a few angular degrees motion.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Patent Grant
4705227
