Apparatus for delivering carrier-mounted cops to the winding heads of a bobbin winding machine

An apparatus for delivering cops mounted upright on caddies to the winding heads of an automatic bobbin winding machine assures a sufficient supply of cops to all winding heads along the entire winding machine, even in the case of relatively short cop times, by locating infeed positions for the caddies at spacings along a distributing conveyor common to all winding heads such that a first plurality n.sub.1 of operating winding heads are located to a front side of a first infeed position, a second plurality n.sub.2 of operating winding heads are located to the opposite rear side of the last infeed position, and a third plurality k of operating winding heads are located between such infeed positions, with n.sub.1 .gtoreq.4, n.sub.2 .gtoreq.4 and k.ltoreq.n.sub.1 +n.sub.2 +3. The distributing conveyor belt is driven alternatingly in opposite directions to distribute the cop-mounted caddies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to bobbin winding machines and more 
particularly to apparatus for conveying cops mounted upstanding on 
carriers such as caddies or peg trays to multiple winding heads of a 
bobbin winding machine. 
Japanese Parent Document JP-AS 49-12128 teaches an automatic bobbin winding 
machine wherein a plurality of winding heads are permanently arranged 
adjacent to each other and a conveyor belt extends along the bobbin 
winding machine along a guide track for transporting peg trays or like 
carriers to the winding heads. Cops are inserted onto the peg trays in 
upstanding disposition and remain on the peg trays during transportation 
to the winding heads, the unwinding operation thereat, and also as empty 
tubes during return conveyance away from the winding heads. Storage 
stretches for the peg trays are located in front of the winding heads. The 
conveyor belt extending along the bobbin winding machine has the function 
of delivering the peg trays to all winding heads. The delivery of the peg 
trays to the storage stretches of the winding heads takes place by means 
of controllable loading devices. The peg trays are delivered to the 
conveyor belt only as needed. 
German Published Patent Application DE-OS 33 08 172 also teaches a bobbin 
winding machine which exhibits the essential features of the bobbin 
winding machine already described. However, no separately controllable 
loading devices are present but rather fixed guide plates deflect all 
individual carriers arriving on the cop carrier conveyor belt in the 
direction of magazines associated with the winding heads of the machine. 
These guide plates, in conjunction with the shaping of delivery stretches 
extending to the winding heads, permit a deflection of caddies or peg 
trays only in one direction of travel along the cop carrier conveyor belt. 
For this reason, in view of the fact that caddies or peg trays are 
regularly delivered to the conveyor belt, not merely when there is a 
particular determined requirement of the winding heads, care must be taken 
that peg trays or caddies arriving at the end of the conveyor belt and not 
received by the delivery stretches to the winding heads do not accumulate 
or back up, which could ultimately result in a blocking of the entire 
delivery of cops to the winding heads. To this end, an additional return 
track parallel to the cop carrier conveyor belt is provided in the 
apparatus disclosed in German Patent Application DE-OS 33 08 172 for 
returning the excess caddies or peg trays to the entrance of the carrier 
conveyor belt. 
German Patent DE 38 43 554 A1 teaches an apparatus for delivering caddies 
or peg trays to the winding heads of a bobbin winding machine wherein a 
distributing stretch is formed by a reversibly drivable conveyor belt. It 
is also possible with this apparatus to effect a distribution of the 
caddies or peg trays mounted with cops to the winding heads without 
additional switchable means. The reversing operation of the conveyor belt 
of the distributing stretch assures a distribution of the caddies or peg 
trays without a problematic accumulation and eliminates a return track. 
In the distribution of caddies or peg trays to the winding heads in the 
apparatus described in German Patent Application DE-OS 33 08 172, an 
undersupplying of the winding heads located at one end of the distributing 
stretch can occur, especially if short rewinding times of the cops 
necessitate a frequent cop replacement. Cops arriving at the entrance end 
of this distributing stretch ar therefore taken up relatively rapidly by 
the closer winding heads, so that fewer or no caddies or peg trays arrive 
at the more distant winding heads. This also results from the fact that 
the specific track guide imposes limits on the transport speed of the 
caddies or peg trays on the distributing stretch. 
German Patent DE 38 43 554 A1 discloses a cop delivery apparatus for a 
winding machine which provides relatively short distributing sections for 
different yarn batches, each of which sections has its own infeed position 
for the caddies, peg trays or other cop carriers. The problem of an 
undersupply in the case of short cop running times does not occur with 
these short distributing sections. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus 
for delivery of cops mounted upstanding on peg trays or other carriers to 
the multiple winding heads of an automatic bobbin winding machine which 
assures a sufficient supply for the entire bobbin winding machine even in 
the case of short cop running times at the winding heads. 
Basically, the present invention provides an improvement in apparatus of 
the type adapted for delivering textile cops mounted in upstanding 
disposition on carriers, such as peg trays or caddies, to a plurality of 
winding heads permanently arranged adjacent to one another on an automatic 
bobbin winding machine, wherein a cop carrier distributing conveyor 
defines a cop distributing path extending alongside the winding heads, 
infeed positions are spaced along the distributing path for feeding 
cop-mounted carriers thereto, a drive arrangement for the cop carrier 
conveyor is alternatingly switchable between opposite driving directions, 
and supply paths extend from the cop carrier conveyor to the winding heads 
and are symmetrically oriented to the cop carrier conveyor to be capable 
of receiving cop carriers therefrom independently of their direction of 
travel on the distributing path. 
Briefly summarized, according to the present invention, the distributing 
path forms a transport section common to all of the winding heads with the 
infeed positions being spaced such that a first plurality n.sub.1 of the 
winding heads in operation are located to one side of a first one of the 
infeed positions, a second plurality n.sub.2 of the winding heads in 
operation are located to the opposite side of a second one of the infeed 
positions, and a third plurality k of the winding heads are located 
between the first and second infeed positions, with the number of winding 
heads n.sub.1 being greater than or equal to 4, the number of winding 
heads n.sub.2 also being greater than or equal to 4, and the number of 
winding heads k being less than or equal to the sum of n.sub.1 +n.sub.2 
+3. 
The arrangement of several infeed positions along the distributing path, 
which is continuous and thus common to all winding heads, assures that a 
sufficient supplying of cops is available to the entire bobbin winding 
machine at all times, including the start of the winding process. Thus, 
with the infeed positions arranged in accordance with the invention along 
the distributing path, peg trays, caddies or other carriers arrive at the 
infeed positions at the same time for transfer onto the transport section 
of the distributing path which is common to all winding heads. As a result 
thereof, the paths which the carriers must traverse on this distributing 
path to reach the winding heads are considerably shortened. It therefore 
causes no problems to use a low traveling speed for transporting the 
carriers on the distributing path which promotes a smooth delivery of the 
carriers to the winding heads. 
Moreover, the arrangement of the infeed positions according to this 
invention assures a sufficiently uniform distribution of the carriers onto 
the entire distributing path that the number of carriers present on this 
path on the average can also be minimized while still adequately supplying 
the winding heads. This effect is also aided by utilizing a higher 
transport speed in the delivery means by which carriers are fed to the 
infeed positions in comparison to the cop carrier conveyor belt of the 
distributing path. In this manner, an unnecessary storage of carriers in 
the transport system is avoided and the number of carriers circulating 
altogether in the bobbin winding machine is limited to a minimum. 
The control of the direction of travel of the cop carrier conveyor belt is 
especially effective with the aid of sensors located at the ends of the 
conveyor belt. Specifically, the drive to the cop carrier conveyor belt 
preferably utilizes a frequency converter for purposes of switching its 
drive directions, the sensors being connected to the frequency converter 
and operable to emit a signal for switching the driving direction of the 
drive and, in turn, reversing the direction of travel of the cop carrier 
conveyor belt upon a backup of a plurality of cop carriers. A circuit is 
additionally provided for actuating the frequency converter after a 
predetermined time period independently of the signals of the sensors. 
Thus, an optimum adaptation of the direction of travel of the cop carrier 
conveyor belt to the distribution of carriers on the cop carrier conveyor 
belt is achieved in this manner. Also, the winding heads can thereby be 
fully supplied by a relatively low number of caddies. The time-controlled 
circuit serves as a safety measure which is intended to prevent an 
unnecessary displacement or shifting of the carriers to one end of the 
transport section. 
In the preferred embodiment, a main delivery conveyor and secondary 
delivery conveyors branching therefrom are provided for delivery of the 
cop carriers to the cop carrier distributing conveyor belt, with the 
infeed positions being located at the ends of the secondary delivery 
conveyors. A sensor and a shunt are located at at least one of the 
secondary delivery conveyors for controlling uniform distribution of the 
cop carriers to the infeed positions. 
It is considered especially advantageous for a high delivery capacity of 
cop-mounted carriers to the infeed positions and to the distributing path 
to provide cop preparation devices at the secondary branch delivery 
conveyors located between the common main delivery conveyor and the infeed 
positions. This arrangement eliminates any bottleneck in the cop delivery 
capacity which can be produced by the provision of only one cop 
preparation device for the entire bobbin winding machine. 
The preferred embodiments of the present invention contemplate relatively 
specific arrangements of the infeed positions in accordance with the 
number of winding heads of the bobbin winding machine. The winding machine 
should preferably comprise two to six winding sections each having the 
same number of winding heads, e.g., ten winding heads per section in a 
preferred embodiment. In bobbin winding machines wherein the winding heads 
comprise two winding sections, one infeed position is located centrally 
within a first one of the winding sections. Where the winding machine 
comprises three sections of winding heads, an infeed position is located 
centrally within each of first and second ones of the winding sections. 
Winding machines comprising four winding head sections preferably have 
infeed positions located centrally within each of first and third ones of 
the winding sections. In winding machines having five winding sections of 
winding heads, infeed positions are located centrally within first, second 
and fourth ones of the winding sections. Winding machines having six 
sections of winding heads preferably have infeed positions located 
centrally within each of first, third and fifth ones of the winding 
sections. In embodiments wherein each winding section comprises ten 
winding heads, each infeed position is located between two winding heads 
in the area between a fifth and an eighth one of the winding heads within 
its respective winding section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings, a bobbin winding 
machine is shown generally at 1 and comprises a closed conveyor circuit 
for transporting cop caddies 2 on which cops 3 are mountable in upstanding 
disposition. The cop transport paths located at the head end of the bobbin 
winding machine 1 are not shown since they have no significance with 
respect to the present invention. Their design is well known from German 
Patent DE 39 19 542 A1. For reasons of clarity, only a representative few 
of the caddies or peg trays 2 are illustrated. The bobbin winding machine 
1 is itself of a substantially conventional construction, having a 
plurality of winding stations or heads 19 arranged permanently on a 
machine frame in spaced alignment adjacent one another lengthwise along 
the machine, as representatively indicated in the drawing. In the 
illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, the winding machine 1 is provided with a 
total of forty winding stations or heads 19 arranged in four winding 
sections I,II,III,IV, each comprised of ten successive winding heads, 
winding section I including winding head numbers 1 through 10, winding 
section II including winding head numbers 11 through 20, winding section 
III including winding head numbers 21 through 30, and winding section IV 
including winding head numbers 31 through 40. 
A common delivery conveyor 5 for all caddies or peg trays 2 carrying cops 3 
extends over a large lengthwise portion of bobbin winding machine 1. 
Secondary conveyor paths 7 and 8 branch from the common conveyor 5. The 
branch secondary conveyor paths 7 and 8 discharge at infeed positions 7' 
and 8' into a distributing path 13 which extends lengthwise along the 
winding machine. 
A shunt 6, indicated only representatively by an arrow, is provided at the 
beginning of the branch conveyor 7. This shunt 6 is connected in front of 
a sensor (not shown) which detects the passage of a caddy 2 and signals 
this passage to a central control unit 21 which includes a control 
connection to the shunt 6. This sensor/shunt combination assures that 
arriving caddies 2 are shunted off in a predeterminable number to the 
branch conveyor 7 or are permitted to continue travel on the delivery 
conveyor 5 to the other branch secondary conveyor 8. The branch secondary 
conveyor paths 7 and 8 discharge at infeed positions 7' and 8' into a 
distributing path 13 which extends lengthwise along the winding machine. 
In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 utilizing two infeed positions 7' 
and 8', it will be understood that the caddies 2 transported along the 
delivery conveyor 5 must be divided in equal number between these two 
infeed positions 7',8'. Consequently, the shunt 6 can be controlled by the 
central control unit 21 in such a manner that it permits every second 
cop-mounted caddy 2 to pass the shunt 6 to travel to the branch conveyor 8 
while diverting every intervening caddy 2 to the branch conveyor 7. It is 
of course equally possible to shunt a large group of successive caddies 2 
to the branch conveyor 7 and then alternately to permit a succeeding group 
of a corresponding number of successive caddies 2 to pass to the branch 
conveyor 8. This procedure reduces the necessity of having to repetitively 
switch the shunt 6. 
If more than two infeed positions are utilized, the corresponding division 
of caddies must be adapted to the number of infeed positions. For example, 
in the case of three infeed positions, sensor/shunt combinations would be 
required at the junction of the main delivery conveyor 5 with two of the 
branch conveyors. The shunt located first in the direction of transport on 
the delivery conveyor 5 would direct every third caddy 2 or every third 
group of a predetermined number of successive caddies 2 into the 
corresponding branch conveyor and permit all other caddies to pass 
downstream along the delivery conveyor 5. Of such caddies 2 passing the 
first shunt, an equal division would be carried out at the second 
sensor/shunt combination. 
Cop preparation units 9,10,11,12 are located in pairs along the branch 
conveyor paths 7 and 8. Each two cop preparation units 9,10 and 11,12 
perform different preparation steps, as is described e.g. in German Patent 
DE 39 19 526 A1. 
Distributing path 13 comprises a cop carrier conveyor belt (not shown 
separately) which, as is indicated by directional arrows, can be driven in 
alternating fashion in opposite directions. To this end, a drive motor 16 
is connected to a frequency converter 17 which is regulated by the central 
control unit 21. Barriers 14 and 14' are located at the opposite ends of 
the distributing path 13 of the conveyor belt to define therebetween a 
transport section along which the caddies 2 travel. Sensors 15 and 15' are 
respectively located at a spacing from the barriers 14,14' which 
corresponds to the space occupied along the belt by a backup of a 
predetermined number of caddies, e.g. three caddies. 
If either of these sensors 15 and 15' recognize that an adjacent caddy on 
the distributing path 13 is no longer being transported by the conveyor 
belt, thereby indicating that at least three caddies 2 are backed up at 
the particular barrier 14,14' a corresponding signal is transmitted to the 
central control unit 21. The central control unit 21 then actuates the 
frequency converter 17 to cause a reversal of the direction of drive 
rotation of the motor 16 and therewith a reversal of the direction of 
travel of the cop carrier conveyor belt along the distributing path 13. 
The directional changes in travel of the cop carrier conveyor belt which 
thereby result, in conjunction with the described arrangement of the 
infeed positions 7',8' for the caddies 2, assure a sufficient uniform 
supply of cops 3 to all the winding heads 19 of the winding machine 1. 
Each winding head 19 of the winding machine 1 is equipped with a supply 
path 18 extending transversely between the winding head 19 and the 
distributing path 13, each supply path providing two or three reserve 
positions for cop-mounted caddies 2 awaiting delivery to the winding head 
19. Supply paths 18 from the distributing path 13 are symmetrically 
designed in a known manner in order to be able to receive caddies 2 from 
the distributing path conveyor belt independently of their direction of 
travel along the distributing path 13. 
A return conveyor belt 20 extends lengthwise along the winding machine 1 at 
the ends of the transverse supply paths 18 at the opposite side of the 
machine from the distributing path 13 to transport caddies 2 discharged 
from the winding heads 19 with unwound tubes 4 to a tube removal device 
(not shown). 
A timing circuit is provided in the central control unit to control 
switching actuation of the frequency converter 17 at predetermined time 
intervals independently of the signals of the sensors 15,15'. The set time 
span is selected to be sufficiently great that in the normal instance the 
switching of the frequency converter 17 due to the signals of sensors 
15,15' occurs before this time span has elapsed. This circuit is basically 
intended only as a safety circuit so that in the exceptional case of a 
backup or accumulation of caddies 2 at one end of the distributing path 
13, the caddies can be redistributed along the distributing path 13 and an 
undersupplying of the winding heads located at the other end of the 
transport section of the distributing path is avoided. 
The following spacings and arrangements of infeed positions in differing 
embodiments of differing numbers of winding sections, including by way of 
example the four winding sections I,II,III,IV illustrated in FIG. 3 are 
considered especially advantageous according to the present invention: 
______________________________________ 
FIG. 1: Two winding sections 
One infeed position 7' in the first 
I and II: section (I); 
FIG. 2: Three winding sections 
One infeed position 7', 8' in each 
I, II, and III: of the first and second sections 
(I, II); 
FIG. 3: Four winding 
One infeed position 7', 8' in each 
sections I-IV: of the first and third sections 
(I, III); 
FIG. 4: Five winding 
One infeed position 7', 8', 21' in 
sections I-V: each of the first, second and 
fourth sections (I, II, IV); and 
FIG. 5: Six winding 
One infeed position 7', 8', 21' in 
sections I-VI: each of the first, third and fifth 
sections (I, III, V). 
______________________________________ 
In each embodiment, each of the infeed positions is located in the middle 
area of its respective section, i.e., centrally along the lengthwise 
extend of the section, and in each case, each infeed position is disposed 
between two adjacent winding heads. Within the sections, the particular 
infeed positions 7', 8' and 21' are directly in the lengthwise center of 
middle of each section, i.e., between the fifth and the sixth winding head 
of the ten winding heads of the section. 
The transport of caddies 2 mounted with cops 3 to the winding heads of the 
bobbin winding machine which are located furthest from the position at 
which the caddies are delivered to the bobbin winding machine takes place 
at a considerably faster traveling speed on the delivery conveyor 5 than 
is possible on the distributing path 13. For example, the transport speed 
of the cop carrier conveyor belt at 5 m/min. is only one third as great as 
on delivery conveyor 5 whose relative speed would be 15 m/min. A rapid 
supply of cops 3 is assured in this manner without a high speed of the cop 
carrier conveyor belt being necessary along its distributing path 13. 
Rather, the cop carrier conveyor belt can run at a speed which constantly 
assures a reliable delivery of the caddies 2 into transverse supply paths 
18. Moreover, due to its higher transport speed, the delivery conveyor 5 
functions only to a slight extent as a cop storage stretch. As a result, 
the number of the caddies 2 necessary at any given time to maintain a 
sufficient supplying of cops to the winding heads can be kept low. 
The above described disposition of the infeed positions 7' and 8' in 
conjunction with the cyclical reversing of the cop carrier conveyor belt 
achieves a sufficient supply of cops 3 to the winding heads both at the 
opposite ends of the winding machine 1 and in the central area of the 
winding machine 1 without requiring a substantial number of cop-mounted 
caddies 2 to be maintained on the distributing path 13. This arrangement 
also reduces the number of caddies 2 required in relation to the number of 
winding heads. 
The advantages of the present invention are especially apparent when the 
winding machine is processing relatively small-sized cops which require 
relatively short rewinding times. Such small cops are increasingly 
utilized under current practices in the textile industry with the purpose 
of raising the output of ring spinning machines. The rewinding times 
required for such cops may typically be between one and two minutes. 
The present invention has the distinct advantage over known cop delivery 
apparatus that, at the start of a batch winding operation, all of the 
winding heads of the machine can begin operation within a very short time. 
It is therefore basically unimportant if all of the storage positions on 
the supply paths 18 between the distributing path 13 and the winding heads 
19 are not initially filled. 
In the case of known apparatus whose cop distributing paths have an infeed 
location at one end, the winding heads located at such infeed end all 
become completely supplied with cops at first before it becomes possible 
for cops to reach the winding heads located further downstream along the 
distributing path. The winding heads located nearest the infeed end of the 
distributing path continually take cop-mounted caddies from the 
distributing path as the winding operation progresses, as soon as a cop 
replacement has taken place. In contrast thereto, in the case of the 
delivery apparatus of the present invention all of the winding heads of 
the entire bobbin winding machine are in operation relatively shortly 
after the start of a batch since a uniform distribution of the caddies 
takes place. In addition, on account of preparation stations 9,10,11,12 on 
the branch delivery conveyors 7,8, the supply of the distributing path 13 
with caddies can occur twice as fast and in the case of three infeed 
positions up to three times as fast by virtue of the fact that these 
preparation units can operate simultaneously. On the other hand, the 
delivery of cop-mounted caddies 2 to the preparation stations can take 
place considerably more rapidly than the preparation operation itself. 
Even the delivery of cops to the bobbin winding machine can be 
accomplished with a very high capacity, as is described e.g. in German 
Patent Application No. P 41 12 435.9. The cop placing performance achieved 
in the apparatus of this publication considerably exceeds the operating 
capacity of a single cop preparation device. 
It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art 
that the present invention is susceptible of a broad utility and 
application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention 
other than those herein described, as well as many variations, 
modifications and equivalent arrangements will be apparent from or 
reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing 
description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the 
present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been 
described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is 
to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary 
of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a 
full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is 
not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or 
otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, 
modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being 
limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.