Patent GB-1536939-A (GB)
Title: Method and device for forming a bunch winding on a fresh bobbin at the time of a doffing and donning operation
IPC: B65H67/04
Filed: 1976-04-12
Abstract: 1536939 Bunch winding; doffing and donning TEIJIN Ltd 12 April 1976 [17 April 1975 6 May 1975 (2) 17 June 1975] 14829/76 Heading D1J The invention relates to a method of forming a bunch winding on an empty bobbin at the time of carrying out a doffing and donning operation. The method is concerned with the already known process, Fig. 1A, in which when a package 3a is fully wound:- (a) the thread Y extending between a fixed thread guide 7 and the fully wound package is introduced into an aspirator 14 disposed to one side of the package; (b) thereafter the threaded portion between the package and the aspirator 14 is cut; (c) the fully wound package is removed and an empty bobbin is positioned on the bobbin holder 1; the yarn supply Y and the empty bobbin 3 being then as shown in Fig. 2A. According to the invention the following steps then take place:-(1) causing the thread Y that extends between the guide 7 and the aspirator 14 to be pushed by means 15, 16, Fig. 3A, to a setting in which the thread Y is capable of contacting a free end of the bobbin holder 1; (2) catching the thread Y on the free end of the bobbin holder 1, for example by a notch 2 therein; (3) causing the thread supplied to the empty bobbin to move helically along the bobbin as at Yb, Fig. 4A, to a setting such that the length of the thread Y between the guide 7 and the bobbin 3 is a minimum; (4) eliminating the helical winding Yb after an initial portion B of the bunch winding has been firmly formed, Fig. 6A; and (5) causing, Fig. 7A, a normal traverse motion of the thread Y to take place on completion of the bunch winding. Removal of helical winding Yb. The helical winding Yb may be removed by:-(1) releasing the caught part of the thread from the free end of the bobbin holder; (2) allowing the rotation of the bobbin to unwind the helical winding Yb and sucking the unwound thread into the aspirator 14; (3) when the helical winding has been completely unwound allowing the continued rotation of the bobbin holder 1 to break the sucked off thread where it joins the bunch winding B, and; (4) continuing the formation of the bunch winding B such that it holds the broken thread end in position. A modified method of removing the helical winding Yb is performed by:-(1) causing the thread to break between the free end of the bobbin holder 1 and the yarn aspirator 14, for example by means of a knife edge in the thread catching notch 2 in the bobbin holder 1; (2) sucking the broken thread into the aspirator 14 while loosening the helical winding by displacing it towards the bunch winding B; and (3) holding the displaced loosened helical winding in place by winding additional bunch turns thereon. Apparatus of Figs. 1A to 7A. Before a bunch winding is commenced on the new bobbin a thread guide 10, Fig. 2A, is advanced out of the cylinder 8 to ensure that the thread Y, when it moves towards the centre of the bobbin 3, is held away from the traverse guide (6), Fig. 3B (not shown). The guide 10 may have a cut-out portion 11 which serves to hold the yarn at the position where the bunch winding is to be formed. When the bunch winding B has been wound, the guide 10 is retracted and the yarn Y moves back into the yarn traverse means. The normal winding of the package by the traverse means then commences. The apparatus includes a thread cutting guide 12 with a hook 13 at its end by which the thread Y in Fig. 1A can be pulled towards the aspirator 14 and cut. Forming bunch windings on two coaxial bobbins. Figs. 11 A to 20A (of which only Fig. 17A is shown in the abridgment) illustrate means very similar to that described with reference to Figs. 1A to 7A but modified to allow two packages, in coaxial alignment on the same bobbin holder, to be wound from two separate yarn sources. At the start of a winding operation, when both bobbins are empty, a process described with reference to Fig. 1A to 7A is first carried out with respect to the empty bobbin furthest from the free end of the bobbin support and when a bunch winding has been formed on said bobbin, a bunch winding is then formed on the bobbin nearest the free end of the support. Fig. 17A shows the stage at which yarn Y1 has been snagged by notch 2, has travelled helically as at Y1a over the bobbin 3b onto bobbin 3a and in which the bunch turns B1 are being formed. The helical turns Y1a will then be removed by a method such as described above and when this has been done the yarn Y2 will be snagged by the notch 2 and the process will then be repeated for bobbin 3b. The stage will then be reached at which yarn Y1 is guided by notch 29 onto the bunch winding on bobbin 3a and yarn Y2 is guided by notch 30 onto the bunch winding on bobbin 3b. Thereafter the guide 28 is retracted and the two yarns Y1, Y2 fall back into their traverse guides and the build up of the two separate packages then commences. Modified embodiment. Figs. 23A to 34A (not shown) show an apparatus very similar to that described with reference to Figs. 11A to 20A except that the sequence of operations is such that when the bunch Bl on bobbin 3a is complete the apparatus functions to permit the build up of package on bobbin 3a to commence immediately without waiting for the bunch winding on bobbin 3b to be formed. Doffing and Donning. A doffing and donning apparatus Fig. 10B, can be moved along rails to a take-up unit where a package has been fully wound, the apparatus carrying with it the means described above for forming a bunch winding on each new bobbin. For this purpose the doffing and donning apparatus includes means 25 that carries two cylinders 31, 32. Cylinder 31 can be actuated to extend a piston rod 31a parallel to the package axis. Cylinder 32 can extend a thread take-off guide 28 parallel to the package axis. The piston rod 31a performs the function of items 12, 13 in Fig. 2A and the thread take-off guide 28 performs the function of item 10 in Fig. 2A. When pistons 28 and 31a are fully extended a cylinder 24 is actuated to move the means 25 and thus the thread take-off guide 28 to a setting in which the thread take-off guide 28 lifts the threads 7a, 7b out of their traverse means 6a, 6b. Thereafter the piston rods 28 and 31a, and an aspirator 14 function as already described above to terminate the flow of threads to the yarn packages on the bobbin support 1. A piston 60 then pushes the wound packages off the bobbin support I and onto a peg 50. The peg 50 is then moved downwardly and tilted so that the wound packages slide off the peg 50 and onto package receiving pegs of movable trucks. Next a supply member 51 holding a pair of fresh bobbins 3a, 3b is displaced to a position facing the empty bobbin holder 1. A pneumatic cylinder 52 then pushes the empty bobbins off the supply member 51 and onto the bobbin holder 1. The apparatus then functions as already described to wind the yarns 7a, 7b onto the empty bobbins. Instead of there being a movable doffing and donning device servicing all of the winding units there may be a doffing and donning device for each unit.