Patent GB-1401228-A (GB)
Title: Toroidal winding machine
IPC: B65H81/02
Filed: 1972-08-04
Abstract: 1401228 Winding toroidal helices K P GORMAN 4 Aug 1972 36444/72 Heading B3E A machine for winding toroids has an annular shuttle 13, Fig. 5, that can extend through a toroidal core 96, Fig. 3, there being a flexible belt 60 that engages the outer periphery of the shuttle 13, and means for separately driving the belt and the shuttle at substantially the same speed. The shuttle 13 is supported on its inner periphery by two upper rollers 12A, 12B and two lower rollers 12C, 12D, Fig. 5. The upper rollers 12A, 12B are carried by an arm that can be displaced to move the rollers 12A, 12B out of engagement with or into engagement with the inner surface of the shuttle 13. A further shuttle support roller 14 is mounted eccentrically on a shaft 15 so that it can be adjustably pressed against the inner surface of the shuttle. A drive belt 60 passes partly around the outer periphery of the shuttle 13, this belt passing over a drive pulley 62 and idle pulleys 64, 65, 66. The rollers 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D are driven by a separate belt (19), Fig. 1 (not shown) so as to rotate the shuttle 13 synchronously with the belt 60. The shuttle 13 is of the slit kind that can be opened up, when empty, to permit it to be passed through the core 96 to be wound. When the shuttle 13 is in its operative position passing through the core 96, the shuttle 13 is wound with wire 13D, Fig. 8. When sufficient wire has been wound on to the shuttle 13, the wire is displaced to one side of the shuttle 13 so that it passes between two stationary plates 80 and 101. The shuttle continues to rotate in the same direction and the drawn off wire becomes wound around the core 96. The use of a separately driven belt 60 engaging a part of the periphery of the shuttle 13 assists in ensuring that, as the wire is being wound on to the toroidal core 96, the wire dropping off from the side of the shuttle 13 is restrained sufficiently to give it a hard tug upon each cycle of deposition. The plate 80, see Figs. 3 and 8, guides the wire off the shuttle 13 and has an arcuate rear edge that extends from point 90 to point 91 over an arc conforming to the arcuate curve of the shuttle 13. The forward edge of the plate 80 is cut away at 95 to permit positioning of the core 96. The upper edge of the plate 80 has a cordal cut 97 that permits removal of the shuttle 13 without removal of plate 80. The plate 101 is of electrically insulating material and is provided for maintaining the wire close to the plate 80 as it. is being drawn from the shuttle 13 and so avoid kinking. A counter is provided on the plate 101. This counter includes a wire contact 102 secured at one end to post 103 and extending at its other end through a small aperture 105 in plate 101. When no wire is being drawn from the shuttle contact 107 is in direct contact with metal plate 80 through aperture 105. When wire is being drawn from the shuttle, contact 102 is lifted as the wire passes between the plate 101 and the plate 80 and thus generates a count indication to monitoring means (not shown). The apparatus includes a hook (115), Fig. 9 (not shown), that can be temporarily swung to a setting in which it causes a loop to be formed in the wire as it is wound about the core 96. Such a loop can be used to form a tapping point.