ROVING FRAME APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY REMOVING BOBBINS AND REPLACING THEM WITH EMPTY TUBES THEREON ROVING IS TO BE WOUND

Abstract: The present invention relates to an appa­ ratus for removing bobbins and replacing them with empty tubes, on roving frames, which is able to auto­ matically carry out in sequence the mentioned opera­ tions. The apparatus essentially comprises a first conveyor belt (1) extending along the perimetrical sides of a roving frame (2) therewith a second con­ veyor belt (6), a doffing carriage (13) and an opera­ ting board (7) cooperate. The mentioned second conveyor belt (16) is mounted on a horizontal frame which can be displaced upwardly and downwardly with a parallel relationship to itself. That same second conveyor belt is able to supply, by means of suitably timed movements, empty tubes (4) to the operating board and, then, the form­ ed bobbin taken up from the board to the first con­ veyor belt (1).

Description: The present invention relates to a roving frame apparatus for automatically removing bobbins and replacing them with empty tubes thereon roving is to be wound, according to the preamble of claim 1. The document DE-A-3702265 discloses a roving frame apparatus having substantially the features of the pre-characterizing portion of the main claim; in this document, however, the apparatus provides for the conveyance of bobbins filled with roving or empty bobbins respectively a railborne carriage (see column 8, lines 43 to 57 of this reference) which does not provide a fully automatic type of operation. Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to avoid the conveyance of bobbins filled with roving or empty bobbins by a railborne transport carriage like that disclosed in the above mentioned prior art document and to replace it by an apparatus working automatically. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an apparatus for removing bobbins from roving frames and replacing them with empty tubes, having the features of the characterizing part of the main claim. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the automatic apparatus for removing bobbins from roving frames and replacing them with empty tubes according to the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example, in the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 shows an operating diagram of the apparatus according to the present invention; Figures 2 to 5 show a possible method for removing or doffing the formed roving bobbins and loading the empty tubes; Figure 6 shows a partial perspective view of a bobbin rail; Figure 7 shows a partial view of an operating board associated with the roving frame and of a second transporting rail supplying said operating board; Figure 8 is a schematic partial perspective view of the apparatus according to the present invention, with the formed roving bobbins arranged on the roving frame and the empty tubes arranged on said operating board; Figure 9 shows a possible method for supplying the formed roving bobbins from said roving frame to the operating board; and Figure 10 shows a possible method for supplying the empty tubes from said operating board to said roving frame. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the above mentioned figures, the apparatus for automatically removing bobbins from roving frames and replacing them with empty tubes according to the present invention comprises a first transporting rail 1 which is fed from an operating machine or vessel (not shown) and extends along the end sides of the roving frame, indicated at the reference number 2, and feeds or supplies a further operating machine or vessel. The first transporting rail 1 is provided, at even spacings, with bobbin supporting members 3, having downwardly extending axes and able of engaging corresponding empty tubes 4 provided with a respective bottom flange 5. A second transporting rail 6 cooperates with said first transporting rail 1, said second transporting rail substantially extending along two parallel legs having ends coupled by semicircular portions. This second transporting rail 6 is mounted on a respective transferring bridge 7 able of downwardly or upwardly sliding on suitable vertically extending guides 20. The mentioned bridge 7 also supports, at even spacings, a plurality of bobbin supporting members 3 having their axes downwardly directed and identical to the above mentioned members 3. As is shown, said bridge 7 is arranged on the vertical line of an operating board 21 which is arranged at the front of the roving frame and thereon operators can walk for carrying out maintenance operations. This operating board 21 encloses two rows of pins 8 arranged at a distance which is a half of the distance separating the supporting members 3 of the mentioned second transporting rail 6. The apparatus further comprises a changeover arm 9 adapted to transfer the empty tubes 4 from the first rail 1 to the second rail 6 and the bobbins 22, formed on the roving frame, from the second rail 6 to the first rail. More specifically, this arm 9 is designed for movement along its longitudinal axis by means of a horizontal driving cylinder 10 and for upwardly and downwardly parallel movements by means of a vertical cylinder 11. The mentioned arm 9, moreover, is able of rotatively swinging, in the two directions, about a vertical axis 23 so as to displace its end portion 24, provided with a peg for restraining the empty tubes 4 at the bottom, from the first rail 1 to the second rail 6 and vice versa. In this connection it should be pointed out that said arm 9 is able, as it is rotated, to cause the rail 1 to advance for a distance corresponding to that between two of the mentioned bobbin supporting members 3 supported by said first rail 1. More specifically, as the axle 23 is rotated a small carriage 26 will be displaced along horizontal sliding guides 25, through a rack-pignon assembly or other operatively equivalent means. The carriage 26 supports a double acting cylinder (not shown) on the rod of which there is mounted a fork member 27 the legs of which are so designed and arranged as to be able of encompassing one of said bobbin supporting members 3 of the first rail 1. In particular, as the mentioned arm 9 is rotated, the carriage 26, with the withdrawn fork member 27 will be displaced to the right end of the guides 25, as shown in Figure 2. Then the mentioned cylinder will cause said fork member 27 to engage with the front gripping device while a rotation in the opposite direction of said arm will cause said fork member to return to the left end portions of said guides 25. The bobbin rail 2 of the roving frame further comprises bobbin driving shafts 12 arranged on two rows and evenly offset from one another, the number of said bobbin driving shafts 12 being a half of the number of the pins or pegs of said operating board 21. The same bobbin rail 2, moreover, can be displaced from a horizontal position, for winding the roving on the tubes and forming the full roving bobbins 22, to a slanted position for doffing said full bobbins by means of a suitable doffing or removing carriage indicated at the reference number 13. In this connection it should be pointed out that the means for swinging the mentioned bobbin rail 2 may be those disclosed in the Italian Patent 1,015,157 granted on May 10,1977 in the name of the same Applicant. Said doffing or removing carriage comprises one or more pneumatic cylinders (not specifically shown) and embedded in the body 14 for causing the cross-member 15 supporting a plurality of engaging grippers 16 to be lowered and raised. The grippers 16 are evenly spaced and the number thereof corresponds to a submultiple of the bobbin driving shafts 12 of the bobbin rail 2, said grippers being arranged with the same relative arrangement. More specifically, the doffing carriage 13 is provided with a swinging movement about an outer horizontal axis and with a translation movement along horizontal guides. The mentioned swinging movement, in particular, will cause said carriage 13 to assume a horizontal position and inclined attitude for doffing the formed bobbins onto said operating board pins 8. In this connection it should be apparent that the different positions of the carriage can be obtained by a simple rotation of said carriage. During the operation of the apparatus, the empty tubes 4, conveyed by the rail 1, are supplied, by the arm 9, to the second rail 6. After having formed the roving bobbins 22 on the roving frame, a top closure panel (not shown) of the operating board 21 will be upwardly tilted to provide access to the pins or pegs 8. Then the second rail 6 will be lowered so as to release empty tubes 4 onto corresponding pins or pegs 8 of said operating board 21. During the following operating step, the doffing carriage 13 will take up, by sets, the full bobbins 22 from the bobbin rail 2, in a sequential way, and will arrange them on the free pegs 8 of the operating board 21 (as shown in Figure 9). During a subsequent step, on the other hand, the doffing carriage 13 will take up empty tubes 4 from the operating board 21 after a displacement of said operating board 21, along its longitudinal axis, for a distance equal to the distance of two pins or pegs, thereby arranging said empty tubes on said bobbin rail 2 for forming other roving bobbins. Then the second rail 6 will be lowered again to take up the formed bobbins and transfer them, by means of said arm 9, to the first transporting rail 1. From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the present invention fully achieves the intended objects. While the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiment is susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which will come within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims: An apparatus for removing full bobbins from the bobbin rail (2) of a roving frame and replacing them with empty tubes (4), said bobbin rail (2) including bobbin driving shafts (12) arranged on two rows and evenly spaced from one another, said bobbin rail (2) being adapted to be displaced from a horizontal position for filling the empty tubes (4) with roving to an inclined position for doffing full bobbins (22) by means of a doffing carriage (13), said doffing carriage (13) comprising at least a pneumatic cylinder for lowering and raising a cross-member (15) supporting a plurality of grippers (16) evenly spaced and the number of said grippers (16) corresponding to a submultiple of the number of said bobbin driving shafts (12) of said bobbin rail (2), said doffing carriage (13) being able of swinging about an outer horizontal axis and sliding along horizontal guides, the swinging movement causing said carriage to assume an inclined position aligned with the axes of the full bobbins (22) and a horizontal position aligned with two rows of pegs (8) being arranged in front of the roving frame and parallel to the bobbin rail (6) and having a distance which corresponds to half the distance separating the bobbin driving shafts (12), the apparatus further having a device for displacing pegs (8) by a distance equal to the distance of two pegs (8) and for aligning empty tubes (4) with the grippers 16 of the doffing carriage (13), means for transporting the empty tubes (4) from a spinning machine to the roving frame and from the roving frame back to the spinning machine, and means for transferring the empty tubes from said transporting device onto the pegs (8) and the full bobbins (22) from the pegs back to the transporting device, characterized in that said transporting device is a first transporting rail (1) being arranged above the end side of said roving frame, that there is provided a change over mechanism (9) for transferring empty tubes (4) from said first rail (1) to a second transporting rail (6) back to the first transporting rail (1), said second transporting rail (6) being mounted on a transferring bridge (7) and being movable such that the empty tubes can be vertically aligned with the pegs (8), that the transferring bridge is vertically movable for putting the empty tubes (4) onto the pegs (8) and for picking up full bobbins (22) from the related pegs (8), and that the pegs (8) are arranged on an operating board (21). An apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that said first rail (1) is provided, at even spacings, with bobbin supporting members (3) the axes of which are downwardly turned and able of gripping, from the inside, corresponding empty bobbins (4) provided with a respective bottom flange (5). An apparatus according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said second rail (6) comprises two parallel legs having end portions coupled by semicircular portions, and is mounted so as to slide downward and upward along vertically extending guides (20), said second rail (6) also bearing, at even spacings, a plurality of bobbin supporting members having their axes downward turned and identical to said bobbin supporting members (3) of said first rail, and being arranged on the vertical line of said transferring bridge (7). An apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance separating two of said bobbin supporting members of said second rail (6) is twice as long as the distance of the pegs (8). An apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the changeover mechanism is provided with an arm member (9) adapted to transfer said empty bobbins (4) from said first rail (1) to said second rail (6) and said full bobbins (22), formed on said roving frame (2), from said second rail (6) to said first rail (1), said arm member (9) being able of moving along its longitudinal axis driven by a horizontal cylinder (10) and being upward and downward driven by a vertical cylinder (11), said arm member (9) being moreover able of rotating, with a reciprocating movement about a vertical axis, in its horizontal plane, so as to displace its end (24), provided with a pin member adapted to restrain said empty bobbins (4) at the bottom, from said first rail (1) to said second rail and vice versa. An apparatus according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said arm member (9) is adapted, as it is rotated, to cause said first rail (1) to be displaced for a distance equal to the distance of two bobbin supporting members (3) supported by said first rail (1), the rotation of the pivot axis of said arm member (9) causing, through a rack-pignon assembly, a carriage (26) to be displaced on horizontal guides (25), said carriage (26) supporting a double acting cylinder on the rod of which there is mounted a fork member the legs of which encompass one of said bobbin supporting members (3) of said first rail (1).

Inventors: BIANCHI MARZOLI, PIETRO
Applicants: FRATELLI MARZOLI & C. S.P.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: D01H9
IPC codes: D01H9