Patent ID: 7878440
Filing Date: 2011-02-01
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A computer-controlled winding machine comprising: an arbor rotatable about an axis to support a form for winding a material over the form; an arbor drive system rotating the arbor and providing an arbor rotation position signal; a transverse carriage movable along the axis with respect to the arbor, the carriage moving to change a point of winding of the material on the form over a range of transverse locations along the axis of the arbor; a transverse carriage drive system moving the transverse carriage according to a transverse carriage signal and providing at least one position signal indicating transverse locations at either axial end of the form; and a controller communicating with the arbor drive system and the transverse carriage drive system and executing a stored program to: (a) at positions of the point of winding between axial ends of the form, electronically lock movement of the transverse carriage to the arbor rotation position signal according to a user determined pitch variable and defining a winding pitch of the material to provide a substantially constant magnitude of pitch of winding; (b) at positions of the point of winding at the axial ends of the form, reverse the sign of the pitch variable to reverse direction of the carriage; and (c) at predetermined distances to the axial ends of the form, modulate the pitch variable changing the magnitude of the pitch of winding to reduce accelerative forces, wherein the modulation decreases a magnitude of the pitch variable as the carriage is moving toward a closest given axial end of the form and increases the magnitude of the pitch variable as the carriage is moving away from the closest given axial end of the form, the increases and decreases adding to zero; while continuing to electronically lock movement of the transverse carriage to the arbor rotation position signal according to the modified pitch variable.