Patent GB-886399-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to automatic reel-winding machines
Inventor: EATON TIMOTHY ALFRED REID
IPC: B65H67/048
Filed: 1958-05-07
Abstract: 886,399. Winding wire. EATON Ltd., TIMOTHY, and GENERAL ENGINEERING CO. (RADCLIFFE) Ltd. Aug. 7, 1959 [May 7, 1958], No. 14568/58. Class 120(2) [Also in Groups XIX and XXXVI] The invention relates to electronic control apparatus for use with a reel-winding machine in which the material is fed continuously and in which as the winding of a first reel nears completion a second empty reel is set in motion, the material being transferred to the empty reel on completion of the first reel, and in which the material extending between the two reels is cut after the winding of the material on the second reel has commenced. The apparatus comprises electronic counting tubes and associated coincidence circuits responsive to the setting of selector switches and set to control (a) the total length of material on each reel, (b) the instant in each reeling operation at which the next reel to be filled is set in motion, and (c) the instant in the subsequent reeling operation at which the material extending between the two reels is cut. In Fig. 1, the material to be wound on reels, for example cable, passes through a mechanical measuring device A adapted to rotate a shaft B of a pulse generator C. Each pulse, representing a measure of length, passes through amplifiers D and E to a first series of 10-way glow discharge type, counting tubes F<SP>1</SP>, F<SP>2</SP>, F<SP>3</SP>, F<SP>4</SP>, F<SP>5</SP>, successive tubes of the series being coupled through amplifier circuits G<SP>1</SP>, G<SP>2</SP>, G<SP>3</SP>, G<SP>4</SP>, incorporating indirectly-heated triode or cold-cathode trigger valves so that every 10 pulses received by one tube results in a single pulse being transmitted to the next tube. The cathodes of the first two tubes F<SP>1</SP>, F<SP>2</SP>, are connected to cathode selector switches H<SP>1</SP> ,  K<SP>1</SP>, L<SP>1</SP>, and H<SP>2</SP>, K<SP>2</SP>, L<SP>2</SP>, the cathodes of the remaining three tubes F<SP>3</SP>, F<SP>4</SP>, F<SP>5</SP> being each connected to two cathode selector switches only, namely H<SP>3</SP>, K<SP>3</SP>, and H<SP>4</SP>, K<SP>4</SP> and H<SP>5</SP>, K<SP>5</SP>. In operation, the first bank of switches H H<SP>2</SP>, &c. (each having its alternative positions number 0 to 9) is set to indicate the total yardage of cable which is to be wound upon each reel, the second bank K<SP>1</SP>, K<SP>2</SP>, &c. being set to a lower value corresponding to the length of cable which can be wound on one reel before the second reel is set in motion. When the counting tubes have received this lower number of pulses, a relay in a coincidence-detector circuit Q closes and actuates a contactor T, after which the two reels rotate in unison. When the counting tubes have received a number of pulses equivalent to the amount of cable to be wound on the first reel, a relay in a coincidence-detector circuit P closes to actuate a contactor S. At this point the relays fall out and a reset device V restores the counting tubes to zero, a traverse head of the reeling machine automatically moving over so that a plurality of "starting turns" corresponding to the setting of the third bank of switches L<SP>1</SP>, L<SP>2</SP>, is laid upon the second reel. On operation of a relay in a detector circuit R, a contactor U is actuated to cause severance of the cable between the two rotating reels. The full reel is then automatically delivered and the sequence of operation is repeated in respect of the second reel. Testing of cable. The apparatus described above with reference to Fig. 1, and indicated generally at 6 in Fig. 3, may operate in conjunction with fault testing means 7 through which the cable passes after leaving the measuring device A, the reel of cable being automatically passed to a reject shoot if the number of faults in any given measured length exceeds a predetermined number. The fault-detector 7 may be an elongated chamber through which the cable is passed in contact with a series of electrodes in the form of dependent chains which represent the negative side of a high-tension circuit whose positive electrode is the cable core itself. Should any insulation fault be encountered a relay 8 is momentarily energized to operate an electronic fault counter 9. The fault-counter 9 contains a single 10-way counting tube, nine of whose ten cathodes are connected to the contacts of a selector switch in a circuit Fig. 4 (not shown) that is arranged to automatically re-set the counting tube to zero at the end of each winding operation. A twin triode valve triggered off by the selector switch when the relevant cathode of the counting tube is energized ensures that the reel will be rejected on completion of the winding operation. Manual control. The fault-counting circuit may include a warning light to indicate when a reel being wound contains more than the permissible number of faults, such light being extinguished by a push button which also causes immediate rejection of the reel being wound to avoid winding sound cable on top of a faulty length. Specification 875,916 is referred to.