Abstract:
A guard is mounted for rotation about the downstream drum of a winder having two spaced apart winder drums which support a paper roll. The guard has a D-shaped leading-edge which approaches the paper roll. The leading-edge is articulated so that if an operator&#39;s hand becomes wedged between the leading-edge and the paper roll, articulation on the leading-edge closes a switch which brings the winder to a stop. A hydraulic actuator extends between a lowermost radial edge of each sector shaped extension and a fixed support. Operation of the hydraulic actuator causes the guard to rotate about the axis of the downstream winder drum so as to be between an operator and the downstream side of the winder drum. The leading edge of the the guard is positioned to limit operator access to the nip formed between the paper roll and the downstream winder drum.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Not applicable.  
         STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not applicable.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention relates to winders in general and to guards to increase the safety of threading or splicing a broken web in particular.  
           [0004]    Papermaking is a continuous process which can be stopped and started only at considerable expense in time and material which must be recycled. Paper on the other hand is used in rolls often referred to as offsets. As paper is manufactured, it is wound onto a single large roll, sometimes referred to as a jumbo roll. The jumbo roll extends the full width of the papermaking machine, which can be 300 or 400 inches, and can be six to ten or more feet in diameter. These larger rolls are broken down into the smaller rolls used by the printing industry, on a machine referred to as a winder. Large moving rolls of any type have certain inherent dangers, particularly where one roll rides against another to form a nip. An operator&#39;s hand can be caught in such a nip drawing the operator into the nip with highly undesirable consequences.  
           [0005]    To avoid such hazards, the winding of paper into offset rolls is typically effected automatically or semiautomatically by machinery which usually does not require the operator&#39;s presence immediately adjacent to the moving rolls which form the winder. However, if a paper break occurs during the winding process, an operator is necessary to remedy the break. Repairing an offset reel of paper involves cutting or slabbing off the outer layers of loosely wound paper, taping a new start to a clean tail formed by the slabbing off process, and restarting the winding process. During the repair of a paper break the operator is working on the paper roll itself and is thus in a position near where the forming paper roll and a winder drum of the winder form a nip. The nip is rendered more hazardous by the fact that the winder drum has an aggressive high friction surface to better engage and cause the paper roll to rotate. This aggressive surface can make it difficult to withdraw an extremity once it enters the nip formed between the winder drum and the offset roll.  
           [0006]    What is needed is a system which creates a physical barrier between the nip and the operator to provide an additional margin of safety.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The winder of this invention has two spaced apart winder drums which support a paper roll. A paper web from a parent roll partially wraps the upstream winder drum and then wraps a roll core to form the paper roll. Both winder drums are driven to cause the paper roll to rotate. The downstream winder drum rotates about a drum axis on drum bearings. A guard is mounted for rotation about the downstream winder drum axis. The guard has two radially extending sector shaped flanges which are spaced inwardly of the drum bearings and to which is mounted a substantially cylindrical shell which forms the body of the guard. Each radially extending flange has a bearing ring, and extends beyond the cylindrical shell. The cylindrical shell has a D-shaped leading edge which approaches the paper roll, the leading edge is articulated so that if the operator&#39;s hand becomes wedged between the leading edge and the paper roll articulation on the leading-edge closes the switch which brings the winder to a stop. A hydraulic actuator extends between a lowermost radial edge of each sector shaped extension, and a fixed support. Operation of the hydraulic actuator causes the guard to rotate about the axis of the downstream winder drum so as to be between an operator and the downstream side of the winder drum. The leading edge of the the guard is positioned to limit operator access to the nip formed between the paper roll and the downstream winder drum.  
           [0008]    Spring loaded disk brakes are positioned to brake upon lower portions of the sector shaped extensions. The brakes can be opened by a hydraulic mechanism but are failsafe in the spring loaded braking configuration. Movement of the guard is controlled from the operator&#39;s control booth, or from dual switches positioned on either side of the winder and spaced sufficiently far from the winder so that the operator cannot come in contact with the winder while controlling the position of the guard. A light curtain is positioned so that the operator&#39;s hands passes through the light curtain to contact the paper roll. So long as the operator&#39;s hands are passing through the light curtain movement of the guard is inhibited. A long linear switch is positioned on the long leg of the a sector shaped member adjacent the blunt leading edge. Actuation of the linear switch causes all motion of the downstream winder drum and the paper roll to stop. The guard&#39;s leading edge is positioned approximately 12 to 14 inches from the nip formed between the driven downstream winder drum and the paper roll, after the paper roll reaches a selected diameter.  
           [0009]    It is a feature of the present invention to provide a winder with a movable guard to increase operator safety while performing a splice.  
           [0010]    It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a winder with a movable guard which prevents the operator from coming in contact with a nip formed between the downstream winder drum and the paper roll.  
           [0011]    It is another feature of the present invention to provide a winder with a movable guard which supports a work area for preparing a paper splice.  
           [0012]    It is a yet further feature of the present invention to provide a winder with a movable guard capable of incorporating a core loader.  
           [0013]    It is a still further feature of the present invention to provide a winder with a movable guard which can support a bridge for the removal of a wound paper roll.  
           [0014]    Further objects, features and advantages ofthe invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the winder and winder guard of this invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the winder and winder guard of FIG. 1 with the guard in the full raised position.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the winder and winder guard of FIG. 1 with the guard in the fully lowered position.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the winder of FIG. 1 together with associated control panels.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the winder guard and downstream winder drum of FIG. 1.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is a enlarge partial side elevational view of the winder and winder guard of FIG. 1. with the flange extension shown in phantom. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    Referring more particularly to FIGS.  1 - 5 , wherein like numbers refer to similar parts, a winder  20  of the double drum type is shown in FIG. 1. The winder has a first upstream winder drum  22 , and a second downstream winder drum  24  which support a paper roll  26 . The paper roll  26  forms a first nip  28  with the upstream winder drum  22  and a second downstream nip  30  with the downstream winder drum  24 . A paper web  32  from a jumbo roll or the like (not shown) wraps around the upstream winder drum  22  and onto a roll core  34  about which is formed the paper roll  26 . The downstream winder drum  24  is mounted between drum bearings  36  and is driven through a drive, not shown, about a drum axis  37 . The winder drum  24  has an aggressive surface  38  in order to grip and turn the paper roll  26 . The winder drum  24  may be divided by an imaginary vertical plane  40  passing through the drum axis  37  to define an upstream sector  42  encompassing the upstream half of the drum  24 , and a downstream sector  44  encompassing the downstream half of the drum  24 .  
         [0022]    When it is necessary to gain access to the forming paper roll  26  for the purpose of repairing a paper break an operator  46  stands downstream of the downstream sector  44  of the downstream winder drum  24 . As indicated by the arrow  48 , the downstream winder drum  24  rotates towards the nip  30  and, because of its aggressive surface  38 , has the potential of drawing the operator&#39;s hand  95  into the nip  30 . In order to prevent the operator&#39;s hand  95  from being drawn into the nip  30 , the winder  20  employees a guard  50 .  
         [0023]    As best shown in FIG. 5, the guard  50  comprises a first radially extending sector shaped flange  52  and a second radially extending sector shaped flange  54  which are connected by a substantially semicylindrical shell  56  which blocks operator access to the surface  38  of the downstream winder drum  24 . The first sector shaped flange  52  is mounted to a split ring bearing  58  comprised of a guard side  60  and a mounting side  62  which are joined by bolts  64 . The radially extending sector shaped flange  52  is bolted to the guard side  60  of the split ring bearing  58 . The second radially extending sector shaped flange  54  similarity is mounted to a split ring bearing (not shown).  
         [0024]    The cylindrical shell  56  extends around approximately one hundred twenty-six degrees of the circumference of the downstream winder drum  24 , the shell  56  is not perfectly cylindrical but spirals inwardly towards the axis  37  about one inch in the lowermost fifty degrees of the semicylindrical shell. The semicylindrical shell  56  is spaced inwardly of the outer edge  70  of the flanges  52 ,  54  about 3½ inches, and spaced two to three inches outwardly from the surface  38  of the downstream winder drum  24 . A hinged guard extension  71  constructed of heavy rubber is attached to the trailing edge of the shell  56 .  
         [0025]    A second outer shell  72  extends from the radially outwardly extending plate  74  and is mounted between and perpendicular to the flanges  52 ,  54 . The outer shell  72  wraps approximately eighty degrees of the drum circumference gradually spiraling inwardly to join the shell  56  as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, a blunt leading edge  76  of about four inches in radial extent, is hingedly mounted to the upper edge  73  of the outer shell  72  by a hinge  75 . The blunt leading edge  76  is semi-cylindrical in shape, and has a backplate  77  which is positioned substantially parallel to the radially outwardly extending plate  74 . The blunt leading edge  76  is arranged to hinge inwardly toward the backplate  77  if the operator&#39;s hand  95  or other object gets caught in the gap  92  between the guard  50  and the surface  81  of the paper roll  26 . The articulated motion of the leading edge  76  closes a switch  83  which causes the winder to come to a abrupt stop wherein the guard  50  can be retracted to release the operator&#39;s hand  95 . The leading edge  76  is biased and away from the plates  74  by a spring  85  which extends between the backplate  77  through an aperture in the plates  74  to a stop  87 . A bolt  89  is mounted to the backplate  77  through the aperture in the plate  74  and extends through an aperture in the stop  87 . The head  91  of the bolt  89  is held against the stop by the biasing spring  85 . If the leading edge  76  is caused to hinge inwardly, the bolt head  91  moves towards the switch  83 . The switch  83  is mounted to a bracket  93  which is spaced from the stop  87 . The switch  83  is of the magnetic field sensing type and detects the approach of the bolt head  91  and stops all the motion of the winder.  
         [0026]    The guard  50  is rotated about the drum axis  37  by hydraulic actuators  78  which extend from attachment points  79  on the trailing edges  80  of the flanges  52 ,  54  to two fixed supports  82  positioned upstream of the winder drum  24  and below the attachment points  79 . The hydraulic actuators  78  move the guard over a travel range of seventy-five degrees as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and  3 , while at all times the guard  50  substantially occupies the downstream sector  44  which presents the possible hazard to the operator  46 . In other words more than half of the downstream sector  44  is always occupied by the guard  50 , and at the same time this means at least 90 degrees of the guard&#39;s circumferential extent always remains within the downstream sector  44 .  
         [0027]    The guard  50  is used when a paper break occurs. While the winder  20  is operating normally, the operator  46  is positioned in front of a control panel  86  which is located a distance from the winder  20 . Upon the detection of a paper break, the operator raises the guard  50  by pressing a switch  88  on the control panel  86 . The blunt leading edge  76  is positioned by the hydraulic actuators  78  one to one-half inches from the paper roll  26  when an operator is present. The position of the guard  50  may be controlled by the controller  84 , which may be contained within the control panel  86 . The controller  84  receives input from a paper roll height measuring instrument (not shown), which allows proper positioning of the guard  50 . The operator may now approach the winder  20  where the process of effecting a splice is performed. This process normally involves cutting away, or slabbing off, the outermost layers of the paper roll  26  and rotating the paper roll to remove the cutaway layers.  
         [0028]    A splice is prepared typically by taping the free end of the web  32  to the paper roll  26 . These operations require the operator to place his hands near the roll, and possibly to engage the paper roll  26 . The safety of this operation is enhanced by the presence of the guard  50  which is positioned to be closely spaced from the surface  81  of the paper roll  26 . The upper surface of the shell  72  is spaced radially outwardly of the surface  38  of this downstream winder drum  24  which causes the blunt leading edge  76  of the guard  50  to be distant approximately 10 to 14 inches from the nip  30  between the paper roll  26  and the downstream winder drum  24 . The narrow width of the gap  92  prevents the operator from extending a hand more than about five or six inches inward in the gap  92 . In addition, the guard  50  completely prevents a hand from engaging the aggressive surfaces  38  of the winder drum  24 .  
         [0029]    Motion of the guard  50  while the operator  46  is present is prevented by spring loaded brakes  94  which are similar to disc brakes and which grip the flange extensions  52 ,  54  as shown in FIGS.  1 - 3 , and  5 . The brakes  94  are of a type known in the art where spring force is used to apply the braking force and a hydraulic mechanism is used to release the brakes, such that the brakes fail in the engaged position.  
         [0030]    The guard  50  can be raised and lowered from the control panel  86 , and can also be controlled from switches  96  on either side of the winder  20 . To prevent the guard from being moved while an operator  46  is positioned near the guard, the switches  96  are positioned sufficiently far from the winder  20  so that the person operating the switches  96  cannot come into contact with the winder. Further, the switches are wired so that the guard can be raised and lower only by the simultaneous operation of both switches  96  so that two operators are required. When the guard  50  is lowered to gain access to the drum  24 , the winder is not driven. When the guard  50  is in the up position closely spaced from the paper roll  26  the winder may be jogged.  
         [0031]    A light curtain  98 , which extends the width of the paper roll  26 , projects light  100  between an upper member  102  and a lower member  104  so that the operator&#39;s arm  106  passes through the light curtain  98  in order to access the paper roll  26  or the guard  50 . Movement of the guard  50  is interlocked with the light curtain  98  so that the guard  50  cannot be moved when the light curtain detects the operator&#39;s arm  106 . Because it may be necessary to jog, i.e. operate the winder at slow speed, while the operator is present, a tape switch  108  which is one continuous switch is positioned along the top of the guard shells  72  adjacent to the blunt leading-edge  76 . The safety tape  108  is connected to the winder drives so the operation of the switch  108  by pressing or leaning against the switch stops all motion of the winder  20 . The light curtain  98  and tape switch  108  are available from Tapeswitch Corporation (www.tapeswitch.com). After the splicing operation is completed the operator  46  returns to the control panel  86  and operates a switch  110  which lowers the guard  50  to the position shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0032]    It should be understood that the guard  50  may be positioned based on the size of the roll  26 , or a contact switch could be mounted on the portion of the leading edge  76  and spaced one to one-half inches outwardly from the leading edge to contact the roll and thus positioned the guard  50 .  
         [0033]    It should be understood that the hydraulic actuators  78  could be replaced by a chain drive driven by a hydraulic motor and brake system, or other comparable mechanical systems for positioning the guard  50 .  
         [0034]    It should be understood that hydraulic system used with the hydraulic actuators  78  includes design features to prevent rapid movement of the actuator due to a break in the hydraulic supply lines.  
         [0035]    It should further be understood that the guard could incorporate a core loader, or a core loader could be rebuilt to incorporate a guard  50 . The guard  50  could also function with a bridge to assist the removal of the completed paper roll  26  with or without an additional support positioned to engage the cylindrical shell  56  between the sector shaped flanges  54 ,  56  to increase the load bearing capabilities of the guard  50 .  
         [0036]    It is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.