Patent Application
20080029638
The technical characteristics of the invention, according to the above object, are clearly set forth in the appended claims, and the advantages thereof will result more evident from the detailed description that follows, with reference to the attached drawings, of an embodiment to be considered a non-limiting example thereof. In the drawings:
With reference to the attached drawings, a winder 1 for reeling continuous web material from a feeding unit comprises a winding cylinder 13 having a motor-driven axis “X” fixed to the bedplate 27 which makes up the surface onto which the incoming web material slides.
The winder 1 according to the present invention further comprises supports 23, 3 for a first 31 and second 2 winding rods bringing a reel 30 in the course of formation into contact with the cylinder 13, and controlled actuator means 6, 20 for the adjustment on command of the distance of supports 3, 23 from the cylinder 13 during the winding of the reel 30.
In the described example, the winder 1 comprises also at least one sensor 17 for detecting a contact pressure “P”, preferably a load cell located between the reel 30 and the cylinder 13, and a processing unit connected to the actuator means 6, 20 and to the sensor 17 to control the movement thereof in response to the value of pressure “P” detected by the same sensor 17 during the winding stage of reel 30.
Preferably, the actuator means 6, 20 are respectively made up of electromechanical jacks driven by brushless motors 4 via chains, belts or screws, driven by brushless motors 18.
Advantageously, the supports 3, 23 consist respectively of a primary arm 3 hinged to the axis “X” of cylinder 13 and connected to an oscillating arm 11 carrying the second winding rod 2, and of winding carriage 23 sliding relative to the cylinder 13 along straight guides 32 and carrying the first winding rod 31. It is understood that in place of the carriage 23 it is possible to provide a “secondary arm” of a type known in the art and, therefore, not to be described herein in greater detail.
In this configuration, the primary arm 3 and the oscillating arm 11 are connected to each other by an electromechanical jack 6 engaged to an equalizer 26 and a hinge “c”.
Advantageously, the oscillating arm 11 comprises also a locking clamp 12 operable by a cylinder-piston means 28 fixed to the same arm 11 to retain the second winding rod 2.
The primary arm 3 is moved by an electro-mechanical jack 8 driven by one or more brushless motors 10 connected to at least one reducer 9.
In a preferred embodiment, the sensor 17 which detects the pressure “P” may be in the form either of a toroidal load cell, disposed on the axis “X” of the winding cylinder 13, or of a plate-like load cell disposed on the bedplate 27 or simply on the supports 3, 23.
Advantageously, the supports 3 also comprise a protective elastic element 7, preferably disposed between one end of the equalizer 26 and an abutment 25 formed directly on a predetermined region of the primary arm 3.
Advantageously, the elastic element 7 is an air spring, the use of this type of elastic element allowing the user to exactly establish the rigidity thereof by increasing or reducing the internal pressure of the same spring 7.
The winding carriage 23 further exhibits driving means consisting of a drive chain 20 and a plurality of sprockets 29—preferably connected to a brushless motor 18 and its relevant reducer 19—to move the carriage 23 from the position of reel 30 formation by winding to the position in which the transfer of the reel 30 to a subsequent operating station, such as a stocking unit, takes place.
In particular, the carriage 23 is divided into three reciprocating parts, ensuring the locking and unlocking of the winding rod on which the reel 30 is formed: a front peg 14, a rear peg 16 and a braking peg 15.
In operation, the front peg 14 engages the rod during the changeover of reel's loading/unloading, while the peg 16 engages the rod during the winding.
With reference to
To this end, provision is preferably made for two torsion springs, the first of which for the arms 3 and the second for the carriages 23.
Alternatively, the synchronization function may be achieved by means of suitably brusheless motors associated with each jack 8, and a brushless motor 18 associated with carriage 23.
Shown with reference to
In particular,
At the same time, the oscillating arm 11, on which the second rod is mounted, moves close to the winding cylinder 13 to “launch” the rod at the appropriate winding speed.
Concurrently to the beginning of the winding on rod 2, there is occurs also the return in place of carriage 23 which has just released the full reel—the latter to be delivered, for example, to a storage unit located downstream of the same winder 1.
Between the step shown in
This handover step takes place as a consequence of the approach of second winding rod 2, carrying the fresh reel 30 in the course of formation, to the winding carriage 23.
The primary arms 3, as they are driven into rotation by the actuators 8, transfer the reel 30, being wound around rod 2, onto the same horizontal plane of carriage 23. Once the rod is engaged by the carriage 23, the clamp 12 for the handover of reel 30 to the same carriage 23 is actuated.
Subsequent to the step of engagement of rod 2 onto the carriage 23, the clamp 12 opens up and the arms 3 return to the vertical position again by the action of jacks 8.
Shown with reference to
Also taking place during this final step is the return of the oscillating arm 11 to the raised position above the cylinder 13, ready to move again close to cylinder 13 after the second rod 2 has been driven into rotation or “launched” at the winding speed.
Taking place concurrently to the beginning of winding on rod 2, is the unloading of the full reel by the carriages 23 which, upon completion of unloading, go back to the rod 2 to take over the latter which has thereon the new reel 30 in the course of formation.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for controlling the winding of a reel 30 of web material comprises the steps of:
Advantageously, in the above described method, the detection step is performed by one or more load cells 17 responsive to the contact pressure “P” between the reel 30 and the winding cylinder 13.
The present invention obtains important advantages.
A first advantage lies in the fact that the high rigidity of the rod-holder supports 3, 23 for the movement of the winding rod 2, 31, makes it possible to accurately control, by means of the load cells 17 and data-processing unit, some parameters of basic importance for a successful winding, such as the pressure of contact between the winding cylinder 13 and the reel 30 in the course of formation, and the rate of increase of diameter of reel 30 in the course of formation, for example.
The winder 1 according to the present invention, therefore, makes it possible to control the above parameters during all the main steps of the winding operation.
In fact, the load cells 17 allows controlling the pressure “P” between the winding cylinder 13 and the reel 30 in the course of formation when the latter is at the beginning of winding, that is, when the web material begins to be wound up around the second rod 2, as well as when the winding is about to be completed on the rod 31 located on the carriage 23 which moves away from the cylinder 13 to allow the tearing of same material.
By a continuous control of these parameters it is possible to obtain the said main object, that is, causing the contact pressure “P” between the reel 30 in the course of formation and the cylinder 13 to follow a preset pattern, thereby obtaining a web material having the desired softness.
It will be appreciated that the thus conceived invention is suited for industrial application, numerous modifications and variants being possible within the scope of the inventive idea, and all the parts being possibly replaced with technically equivalent elements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FI2006A000200 | Aug 2006 | IT | national |
