Patent GB-957045-A (GB)
Title: Creeling apparatus
Inventor: AXSON MICHAEL
IPC: B65H67/02
Filed: 1960-05-28
Abstract: 957,045. Creeling devices. COTTON,SILK & MAN-MADE FIBRES RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. May 25, 1961 [May 28,1960; Sept. 9, 19601, Nos. 18962/60 and 31068/60. Heading D1J. A creeling device comprises means for supporting unwinding and feeding a first lap &c, means to support a second lap &c. and for locating and suitably disposing the outer end of the material of the lap while the first lap is being unwound, and means whereby, after or as the unwinding of the first lap comes to an end, is begun automatically or otherwise the unwinding of the second lap and fiding of the material thereof as it is unwound, for further processing, in like manner as the material of said first lap. In Fig. 5, a lap L1 nearing exhaustion is supported and rotated by rollers 32, 34 and its end L is being carried away for processing by a conveyer belt 31. In unwinding to the extent shown the lap has ceased to interrupt a beam 40 thus allowing it to strike a photo-cell 39 bringing into action a roller 37 and blower 38, so that a second lap L2 supported by a gate 36 is unwound until its loose end has been "found" by the air stream from blower 38. The loose end thereupon hangs down to interrupt the light beam and cut out the blower and roller 37 so that lap L2 becomes stationary in the position shown. Eventually, lap L1 becomes exhausted and its shell falls between rollers 32,34 on to a detector 42 which opens gate 36 to release lap L2 to be supported by guide-rails 41 as it is unwound; as unwinding proceeds, the lap descends to be supported by rollers 32, 34, whereupon the process is repeated with a new lap placed at 36. Any desired interval may elapse between the operation of detector 42 and gate 36 to provide overlap or abutment of the two laps. Manual means may replace the detector 42 for operating gate 36. In another form, Fig.3,lap material from guide members 15,18 is fed successively around rollers 13,16 and between continuously driven rollers 11, 12 to be carried away by a conveyer A. Rollers 13,16 each have a pair of contactrollers 14, 14a or 17, 17a, a clutch, a brake and a fan 19 or 20 by which suction may be applied through perforations in the roller surface. The clutches,brakes and fans are governed by an electric circuit conditioned by solenoids one for each roller 13,16. A solenoid is energized when there is contact between the corresponding roller and either of its two contact rollers; it is only deenergized however when both contact rollers are separated from the corresponding roller. To start the device, a lap is placed at, say, 21 and the electric current switched on. Each pair of contact rollers is now in contact with its roller, so circuits are completed to clutch-in and de-brake both rollers and drive both fans. The lap at 21 is thus fed forward until it reaches 14; with contact broken between roller 13 and its contact rollers, the circuit is modified to switch off fan 19, but roller 13 remains, clutched-in and unbraked. If a lap is now placed at 22, its end is "found" by fan 20 and fed forward to lift of roller 17a. This has no effect once 17 is still in contact. As 22 continues to be fed, 17 is also raised, whereupon fan 20 is stopped and roller 16 declutched and braked to a stop with lap 22 in the position shown. Meanwhile, roller 13 continues to run until the lap, beginning to run out, allows 14a to make contact bringing fan 19 into operation, and clutching in and unbraking roller 16 which consequently starts to rotate to feed lap 22. With a further lap at 21, fan 19 "finds" the end which then fed forward until it reaches 14 where it modifies the circuit to stop fan 19 and declutch and brake roller 13, for the latter to stop with the lap in a simular position to that shown on the right. Meanwhile lap 22 continues to unwind and a sequence of operations follows as already described. By changing the positions the rollers 14, 14a and of 17,17a the laps may be made to abut or overlap. Specification 859,514 is referred to.