Patent Application
20080185472
The invention relates to a feeding device. In this case the invention deals, in particular, with a feeding device for knitting machines, although the concept of the invention also may be implemented in feeding devices for weaving machines or other textile machines.
Very many feeding devices have to be mounted at a holding device of a knitting machine in most cases closely adjacent to each other and with the help of the mounting devices. In the case that a disturbance occurs at a feeding device, the warning light source is activated via the control system of the feeding device in order to signal the disturbance to the operating personnel. During or after mending the disturbance the warning light source again is switched off by means of the switch, or the control system of the feeding device is reset. With feeding devices known in practice, the light permeable cover and the switch almost always are placed so that the cover can hardly be seen and/or that the switch is complicated to manipulate, especially when the yarn feeding devices are arranged very close to one another.
It is an object of the invention to provide a feeding device of the type as mentioned above which can be handled very comfortably.
This object is achieved by providing a feeding device for yarn material, comprising a housing including a mounting device, a substantially drum-shaped storage body, a housing bracket extending with distance along the storage body, a front part cantilevering from the housing bracket at a free end of the housing bracket, the front part being situated with axial distance in front of the front end of the storage body, a withdrawal eyelet placed in the front part defining a withdrawal axis, a light permeable cover, behind which at least one warning light source is provided, and a switch. The switch is connected with the light source and is placed such that it is accessible from the exterior of the feeding device, wherein the switch is placed in the front part at the side of the withdrawal axis which is remote from the mounting device.
The placement of the switch in the front part and at the side of the withdrawal axis, which is remote from the mounting device, results in several advantages which improve the handling comfort. Namely, in this position, the switch, especially when several feeding devices are arranged close to one another, is very easily accessible, i.e., is exactly and ergonomically positioned for the operator where the operator in most cases anyhow has to have access to mend the disturbance. Furthermore, the switch can be seen from many different viewing directions, because it is not covered either by the yarn or by other peripheral accessory devices of this feeding device or of other feeding devices. The reason for this advantage is that, in particular, in this location the switch is exposed best when the feeding device is mounted. So to speak, the switch directly offers itself to the seeking eye or the hand of the operator.
This area of the front part which is clearly exposed when the feeding device is mounted, expediently is also used to arrange the cover there such that the seeking eye of the operator immediately sees the cover which is illuminated in the case of a disturbance, and even when the feeding devices are arranged very close to one another, such that the operator immediately knows that the disturbance has happened here. By this placement of the switch and/or of the cover time can be saved for troubleshooting and when repairing the disturbance which is a positive factor for the production rate of the textile machine.
Expediently, the cover at the same time also includes the withdrawal eyelet such that the illuminated cover may offer a relatively large and eye-catching illuminated surface.
Furthermore, expediently the additional task to hold the withdrawal eyelet is associated to the cover. This results in advantages for the assembly of the feeding device.
Furthermore, it is of advantage for mounting reasons when the switch and the cover are integrated into each other, preferably when at least one actuating member of the switch is integrated into the cover.
The actuating member or acting part may be a push button which can be manipulated comfortably.
The push button is arranged in protected and guided fashion, if it is located within a shaft of the cover which extends substantially perpendicular to the withdrawal axis.
In order to position and expose the push button as optimally as possible, the shaft in the cover should extend in a direction which is opposite to the free end of the housing bracket and in relation to the withdrawal axis, e.g. is substantially parallel to the main plane of the front part.
Usually, such feeding devices comprise a main switch which is positioned at a random position at the housing separated from the switch for resetting the warning light source. According to the invention, however, expediently, the additional task of the main switch is associated to the switch which is arranged in an ergonomically favourable position. For example, by a short actuation of the switch the warning light source is reset (and the control system belonging thereto), while a longer actuation of the switch may activate the main switch function.
Alternatively, the switch, being provided for both tasks, may include a reset switch part and a main switch part, which can be actuated separately, however, both are placed optimally with a view to comfortable handling.
The switch, expediently, may have its own illumination field signalling the switching condition of the switch.
The illumination field of the switch may extend, in order to be visible from different viewing directions, over at least two surfaces of the switch or the push button which surfaces form an angle with one another.
In order to assure that the illuminated cover immediately will be seen from different viewing directions, it is expedient, when the cover is a hood having a primary illumination side substantially parallel to the front side of the front part and several secondary illumination sides which are oriented angled in relation to the primary illumination side. In combination with the optimal positioning of the cover at the front part the differently oriented primary and secondary illumination sides immediately can be detected visually from the most different viewing directions.
Expediently, a secondary illumination side is provided at the holding system of the withdrawal eyelet which secondary illumination side protrudes like a cone from the primary illumination side. This arrangement results in an optically attractive illumination pattern including the darker circular withdrawal eyelet in the cover of the illumination.
In an expedient embodiment a structural component is detachably provided at the front part. Control components or mechanical structural parts are hidden behind the structural component. The component has the additional function also to secure the cover. This is advantageous with a view to maintenance and mounting steps.
The respective light source expediently is an LED. The LED may have a characteristic colour in order to illuminate the cover e.g. orange or red. The LED for the switch, however, may have another warning colour, e.g. green. The respective LED either is activated permanently or pulsatingly in order to e.g. optically signal the importance of a disturbance or even different disturbances solely by the fashion of the illumination.
An embodiment of the invention is described with the help of the drawing, which is a perspective view of a feeding device for yarn material.
A feeding device F comprises a housing 1 containing a not shown motor driving a winding disc 2 and a winding eyelet 3. The winding disc 2 surrounds a generic drum-shaped storage body 4 for intermittently storing yarn windings. A mounting device 5 is provided at the housing 1 by which mounting device 5 the feeding device F e.g. can be securely clamped at a holding profile. Furthermore, a housing bracket 6 is provided at the housing 1 which housing bracket 6 extends substantially parallel and with distance at one side of the storage body 4. In this embodiment a holder 7 for a yarn controlling element is provided at the housing bracket 5. The holder 7 is slidably adjustable along the housing bracket 5. A fine adjustment is possible by using an adjustment device 8. A quick adjustment device 9 may be used for a rough adjustment of the holder. The adjustment devices 8, 9 are arranged at the free end of the housing bracket 6 and such that they are accessible from the outer side. Furthermore, at the free end of the housing 6 a front part 10 is secured which extends at least substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the housing bracket 6 laterally over the storage body 4 and with axial distance from the front end of the storage body 4. In the shown embodiment the front part 10 ends at a rounded free end 20.
In the front side of the front part 10 remote from the storage body 4 a structural component 11 is detachably secured (threaded bores 12) behind which control components and/or mechanical components are hidden, e.g. useful for maintenance work or tuning work. Furthermore, a withdrawal eyelet 13 is placed in the front part 10. The withdrawal eyelet 13 defines a withdrawal axis Y along which the yarn runs off from the storage body 4. The withdrawal axis Y is coaxial with the axis of the storage body 4 and the rotation axis of the winding disc 2.
Furthermore, a light permeable (transparent or opaque) cover 14 is secured in the front part 10. Behind the cover 14 at least one warning light source Q (e.g. one or several coloured or non-coloured LEDs) is or are placed and are connected with an electronic control system. The cover is arranged in this area of the front side of the front part 10 which extends at the side of the withdrawal axis Y remote from the mounting device 5 in the direction towards the free end 20. In the shown embodiment the cover 14 even includes the withdrawal eyelet 13. Finally, the cover 14 has a primary illumination side which is substantially parallel to the front side of the front part 10, and several secondary illumination sides which extend under angles in relation to the primary illumination side. Such secondary illumination sides e.g. extend around the side edges of the front side of the front part 10. For example, a conical protruding secondary illumination side 17 is formed around the withdrawal eyelet 13. Incidentally, the cover 14 is also used to position the withdrawal eyelet 13 which e.g. may be glued into the part of the cover 14 which defines the conical secondary illumination side 17.
Furthermore, a switch 15 is provided at the front part 10 at the side of the withdrawal axis Y remote from the mounting device 5. In this embodiment the switch 15 has a push button 18 as an actuation member and an illumination field 16 which e.g. is integrated into the push button 18. The illumination field 16 extends over surfaces of the push button 18 which extends at an angle in relation to one another. The illumination field 16 can be illuminated by a not shown light source, in this case e.g. also an LED (a coloured or a non-coloured LED). The switch 15 or the push button, respectively, is integrated into the cover 14 and e.g. is guided slidably in a shaft 19 of the cover 14. However, the switch 15, as well, could be arranged in the front part separated from the cover 14. Furthermore, the push button 18 could consist of two push button parts which are separately actuatable relative to one another. In the shown embodiment the switch 15 has the function of a reset switch for the warning light source, but also the function of a main switch for the feeding device F.
The switch 15 is placed very close to the free end 20 of the front part 10 at the side of the withdrawal axis Y remote from the mounting device 5. The push button 18 e.g. may be pressed in a direction which is substantially parallel to the front side of the front part 10 and substantially in the direction which is defined by the adjustment knob of the mechanism 8 and the withdrawal eyelet 13. In a not shown alternative, however, the push button 18 could be actuatable in a direction which is oriented parallel to the withdrawal axis Y.
In the shown embodiment the cover 14 and the withdrawal eyelet 13 and the push button 18 of the switch are a structural unit which can be pre-positioned at suitable sockets, e.g. of a control board, when the component 11 is removed, and which finally can be secured in place by assembling the component 11. The illumination field 16 of the switch 14 e.g. is green in order to achieve a clear difference to the orange light of the illuminated cover 14. In order to actuate the main switch function the push button 18 e.g. is held pressed longer than two seconds while for the reset function the push button 18 only needs to be pressed once for a short while. The cover 14 expediently is a moulded plastic material having a scratch-proof surface and good light distributing properties. The push button 18 is positioned between the free end 20 and the step of the cover 14 so that it can be gripped easily, expediently so that its contour steps back in relation to the contour of the free end 20.
In an alternative embodiment the cover 14 may have a boundary line extending substantially at the height of the withdrawal axis Y. In this case the cover 14 does not surround the withdrawal eyelet 13. Furthermore, the withdrawal eyelet 13 need not necessarily be integrated into the cover 14.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2004 043 024.1 | Sep 2004 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2005/009103 | 8/23/2005 | WO | 00 | 2/26/2008 |
