Patent GB-1476158-A (GB)
Title: Traverse mechanism
IPC: F16H19/02
Filed: 1974-10-24
Abstract: 1476158 Traverse mechanism G L BAUER 24 Oct 1974 [29 Nov 1973] 46118/74 Heading DIJ The housing 41, Fig. 5, is traversed along the rotating shaft 28 by means of at least one roller 42 that engages a limited area of the surface of the shaft 28, on one side only, in a skewed manner, there being means for instantaneously swivelling the roller 42 from one skewed setting to another to reverse the direction of movement of the housing 41. In Fig. 5 the skewed roller 42 is a bearing  race contacting the undersurface of the shaft 28. Two further skewed bearing races 40, 44 contact the upper surface of the shaft 28, the races 40, 44 being skewed oppositely to that of the race 42. The three races swivel on pins 64, 66; 72, 74; and 80, 82; and are mechanically linked together by gear wheels (292, 294, 296) Fig. 11 (not shown); or by pins 118, 119, 120, Figs. 3 and 4, mounted on blocks 58, 60, 62 that carry the races 40, 44, 42 and extending into apertures in a common slide plate 116. The extreme skewed settings of the three races are determined by the engagement of block 60 with either of two fixed abutments 94, 96 carried by the housing 41. The apparatus includes a snap-over mechanism for instantaneously causing the block 60 to change its engagement from one fixed abutment 94, 96 to the other. This snap-over mechanism includes an arm 98 rigidly connected to the shaft 74 of the race 42, and torsion springs 100, 102 each having one end acting on the arm 98. The other end of each spring 100, 102, is connected to a second arm 104 carried on a bearing 106, Fig. 5, on the shaft 74. The arm 104 can undergo limited swivelling movement between two extreme positions as illustrated, Figs. 3 and 4, and defined by the engagement of flattened portions 108, 110 on the arm 104 with a stop plate 112 carried by the housing 41. The springs are such that when the angle between their ends is less than 90‹ the force exerted by the springs tends to increase the angle up to the point of 90‹. Thus, in Fig. 3 the apparatus is a setting in which the spring 100 has the smallest angle and therefore the greatest force causing the arm 94 to rotate clockwise such that the block 60 engages abutment 94; and causing arm 104 to rotate anticlockwise until the flat 110 thereon engages the stop 112. Fig. 4 shows the apparatus in the other setting in which the spring 102 now has the smallest included angle and therefore the greatest force thus causing the arm 94 to rotate anti-clockwise such that the block 60 engages abutment 96; and such that arm 104 rotates clockwise until the flat 108 thereon engages the stop 112. The apparatus includes abutment means 134, 136 against which the traverse means may abut to cause the snap-over means to change from one setting to the other. In Fig. 1 the abutment means 134, 136 are carried on a threaded shaft 138 rotation of which causes the abutment means to move apart or move towards each other. A counter 177 controls a motor 162 driving the shaft 138, the arrangement being such that as the package increases in diameter the traverse is increased in length to accommodate the conical end surfaces 184, 186 of the tape-up bobbin. Additional circuitry is included to reduce the rate of rotation of the shaft 28 and the take-up spool 12 on the package increases in diameter, the change being such as to maintain a constant wind-up speed. In Figs. 10 to 13 (not shown) there is provided means responsive to the traversing mechanism and operable throughout a substantial portion of the path of travel thereof for effecting gradual swivelling movement of the races to thereby alter the speed of the traverse along its path of travel in accordance with a predetermined pattern.