Device for a roll spindle

A device for a roll spindle for unwinding or winding up a web material comprises a brake mechanism, a clutch between the spindle and the brake mechanism for axial connection of said parts, and means provided to perform two operations in the axial direction, namely a first operation for causing the mechanism to be moved towards or from the roll spindle in the axial direction for the engagement and disengagement, respectively, of the mechanism with and from the spindle, respectively, and a second operation causing the mechanism when connected with the spindle to be moved in the axial direction for lateral adjustment of the web material. The device is characterized by an articulated joint (15) with a link (16) between a first (17) and a second (18) hinge joint, whereby said first hinge joint is connected to said mechanism (2) and whereby said means for providing said first operation comprise means (24, 20) for displacing said second hinge joint relative to said first hinge joint and means (12, 3) provided at the same time to prevent the mechanism from significantly rotating about its center axis, whereby the mechanism is forced to move in its axial direction, while said means for performing the second operation comprise means (24, 26, 27, 20) for locking said second hinge joint (18) such that said second hinge joint during said operation remains essentially stationary, and means (12, 3) provided at the same time to rotate the mechanism about its center axis such that the articulated joint also in this case will force the mechanism to perform a movement in the axial direction.

FIELD OF INVENTION 
This invention relates to a device for a roll spindle for unwinding or 
winding up a web material. More particularly the invention relates to a 
device comprising a mechanism, for example a brake mechanism or a driving 
mechanism, a clutch between the spindle and said mechanism for axial 
connection of said parts, and means provided to perform two operations in 
the axial direction, namely a first operation for causing the mechanism to 
be moved towards or from the roll spindle in the axial direction for the 
engagement and disengagement, respectively, of the mechanism and the 
spindle, and a second operation causing the mechanism when connected with 
the spindle to be moved in the axial direction, for instance for lateral 
adjustment of the web material. 
BACKGROUND ART 
For the lateral adjustment of the web material by devices of the above 
referred type there have up to now mostly been used conventional screw 
mechanisms, which are troublesome to handle. It is also known in the art 
to use ball screw actuators, which can be provided to perform the axial 
movement for the lateral adjustment via articulated joints. According to 
prior art these devices, however, have only been able to be used for said 
second operation, while said first operation has been performed manually, 
which has required great hand-power. This heavy work has for long been 
looked upon as a serious drawback of these devices, which in other 
respects often can be very efficient. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
The first object of the invention is to eliminate the above mentioned 
problem by offering an integrated apparatus, which will make it possible 
in a rational way to perform both said operations. This object according 
to the invention can be satisfied wherein the integrated apparatus 
comprises an articulated joint with a link between a first and a second 
hinge joint, whereby the first hinge joint is connected to said mechanism 
and whereby said means for providing the first operation comprise means 
for displacing the second hinge joint, and means provided at the same time 
to prevent the mechanism from significantly rotating about its axis, 
whereby the mechanism is forced to move in its axial direction, while said 
means performing the second operation comprise means for locking the 
second hinge joint such that said second hinge joint during said operation 
remains essentially stationary, and means provided at the same time to 
rotate the mechanism about its axis such that the articulated joint also 
in this case will force the mechanism to perform a movement in the axial 
direction. 
Further characteristic features, aspects and advantages of the invention 
will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment 
and from the appending claims.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The printing unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 contains a roll spindle for the roll of 
web material which shall be unwound during the printing. The roll spindle 
is not shown in the drawing. A brake mechanism 2 is connected to one end 
of the roll spindle via a bayonet clutch. The centre axis of the brake 
mechanism 2 is coaxial with the centre axis of the roll spindle. FIG. 1 
also shows an actuator device 3 of the ball screw type. A machine frame 
has been designated 4. 
In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 one end of the roll spindle is shown, which is 
designated 5. The roll spindle 5 is connected to a shaft 7 via a bayonet 
clutch 6, the shaft 7 being connected with a brake unit 9 in the brake 
housing 10 via a sleeve 8. The brake 9 is a conventional 
electromechanically operated brake and it will not be more closely 
explained here. The shaft 7 is mounted in a roller bearing 11, which is 
clamped up between the sleeve 8 and the upper portion of an actuator 
operated lever 12. 
The brake mechanism 2 is supported by an angular bracket 13. One leg of the 
bracket 13 is mounted on the machine frame 4 and the other end of the 
bracket 13 is welded to a collar 14 around the sleeve 8. 
An articulated joint is generally designated 15 in FIG. 2. The joint 
consists of a link 16 made from a flat bar with a first hinge joint 17 
connected to the actuator operated lever 12 and therewith also to the 
brake mechanism via the sleeve 8, and with a second hinge joint designated 
18. This second hinge joint 18 is connected to one branch 19 of a 
fork-shaped support 20 for a hand operated lever 24. The second branch of 
the lever support 20 is designated 21. The design of these members is more 
closely shown in FIG. 4. In this figure the branch 19 is partially 
sectioned. The branches 19 and 21 in their left hand parts are provided 
with projecting ears. The lever support 20 can be rotated about an axle 
spindle 22 mounted in the bracket 13. 
The space between the branches 19 and 21 in the lever support 20 defines a 
guiding groove 23 for the rear part of the hand operated lever 24, which 
in its rear part is mounted in the lever support 20 by a hinge joint 25 
extending between the two branches 19 and 21. Approximately in the centre 
part of the hand operated lever 24 there is a second lever support 26 with 
a locking groove 27. The second lever support 26 is mounted on the collar 
14. The hand operated lever 24 can be lifted from the locking groove 27 
and be turned forwards or backwards as is indicated by arrows 28 when the 
lever 24 has left the groove 27. Therefore, by means of the hand operated 
lever 24 the fork-shaped first lever support 20 can be rotated about its 
axle spindle 22. On the other hand, when the hand operated lever 24 is 
engaged in the locking groove 27, the fork-shaped first lever support 20 
is locked in the position as shown in FIG. 2. 
The lower end of the actuator operated lever 12 is connected to the 
actuator device 3, the rear end of which is connected to a bracket 30 on 
the machine frame 4. The actuator device 3, which in FIG. 2 is indicated 
only by a dash-and-dot line, is of a conventional type and comprises an 
actuator motor 31 with a worm gear 32. The output ball screw 33 of the 
worm gear 32 is provided during operation to cause an actuator rod 34 to 
make an axial movement which is transferred to the lever 12 for rotating 
the sleeve 8 and therewith also rotating the brake mechanism 2 about its 
centre axis 35, which is the centre axis of the spindle 5. 
The apparatus described above may be used in the following manner for the 
performance of the two operations mentioned in the preamble. The first 
operation is performed by means of the hand operated lever 24 for 
connecting or disconnecting the brake mechanism 2 with or from the spindle 
5, provided the bayonet clutch 6 is in position for connection or 
disconnection, respectively. The hand operated lever 24 is lifted so that 
it is disengaged from the locking groove 27, whereafter the operator may 
pull the lever 24 in the direction towards or from the brake mechanism 2; 
arrows 28 in FIG. 2. Then the first lever support 20 will be rotated about 
the axle shaft 22. If for example the operator will pull the lever 24 in a 
direction towards the brake mechanism in order to disengage the mechanism 
from the spindle 5, the first lever support 20 and hence the second hinge 
joint 18 of the articulated joint 15 will be turned downwards with 
reference to FIG. 2. This will cause the link 16 to pull the sleeve 8 and 
hence the brake mechanism 2 outwards via the first hinge joint 17, i.e. in 
a downward direction with reference to FIG. 2. This result is achieved 
therein that the actuator device 3 essentially prevents the actuator 
operated lever 12 from rotating about the centre axis 35. Only a 
negligible change of angle of the lever 12 will take place because of the 
axial displacement which also will turn the actuator device 3 slightly 
sidewards. When the mechanism 2 thus has been disconnected from this 
spindle 5, it is possible to remove the spindle in the perpendicular 
direction, for example for loading a new web material roll in the printing 
unit 1. When the brake mechanism 2 shall be connected again with the new 
spindle 5, this is performed in an analogous mode of operation by pulling 
the hand operated lever 24 in the opposite direction, i.e. inwards towards 
the printing unit 1, i.e. upwards with reference to FIG. 2. 
If the web material roll in the printing unit 1 needs to be adjusted in the 
lateral direction, e.g. for adjusting the print, the hand operated lever 
24 is lowered in the locking groove 27 in the second lever support 26. The 
lever 24 and the first lever support 20 then are locked in a defined 
position. The lateral displacement of the spindle 5 with the hand operated 
lever 24 in the locked position can be performed by remote control by 
means of the actuator device 3, which will rotate the actuator operated 
lever 12 about the centre axis 35. This means that the first hinge joint 
17 will be turned together with the actuator operated lever 12 in one 
direction or the other. As the second hinge joint 18 in this moment is 
fixed in a defined position, the link 16 will force the actuator operated 
lever 12 to be displaced in an axial direction towards or from the 
printing unit 1. The axial displacement of the lever 12 will be 
transferred via the sleeve 8, the brake mechanism 2 and the clutch 6 to 
the spindle 5 bringing about the desired axial adjustment. 
The preceding relates to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, 
it being understood that variants thereof are possible within the spirit 
and scope of the invention. For example the principles of the invention 
may be applied also for other mechanisms than brake mechanisms, as for 
instance a driving motor.