Patent ID: 6443386
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A system for winding fiber onto a spool, the system comprising:a spindle assembly for receiving the spool and rotating it around its longitudinal axis; a fiber source for providing a continuous supply of fiber to the spool, the fiber source being positioned relative to the spindle assembly such that rotation of the spool by the spindle assembly causes fiber to be wound onto the spool around its longitudinal axis, a tension sensing device for sensing and providing feedback related to the amount of tension in the fiber, wherein the tension sensing device comprises a dancer assembly, said dancer assembly having a dancer arm against which the fiber is urged such that the position of the dancer arm is a function of the tension of the fiber as it is being wound onto the spool, the fiber source comprising a position sensor for detecting and providing as the feedback the position of the dancer arm; traverse means for causing the fiber to wind onto the spool back and forth between a front spool flange and a rear spool flange, the traverse means including a front turnaround position at the front spool flange and a rear turnaround position at the rear spool flange; a controller for receiving the fiber tension feedback and using said feedback to determine what adjustment, if any, is to be made to the front and rear turnaround positions, wherein the controller captures the dancer arm position during a turnaround sequence at a flange and compares the captured turnaround position with a setpoint dancer position to determine what adjustment, if any, is to be made to the front and rear turnaround positions.