Patent GB-1083191-A (GB)
Title: Device for loading and unloading spindles on spinning or doubling machines
IPC: D01H9/10
Filed: 1964-09-04
Abstract: 1,083,191. Donning and doffing apparatus. M. GILLONO and P. ALBERTO. Sept. 4, 1964 [Sept. 4, 1963; Aug. 18, 1964], No. 36407/64. Heading DID. In a carriage-type apparatus for donning and doffing spinning and doubling frames, the full and empty bobbins are gripped by pincers, which move, after an empty bobbin has been released on to a spindle, and a full bobbin has been gripped on a spindle, along a path which is upwardly curved away from the vertical plane of the row of spindles, and which move, during the return of the pincers to place an empty bobbin, and to prepare to grip a full bobbin, along a corresponding downwardly curved path. A carriage 1, Fig. 1 runs on upper and lower wheels e.g. 2, on rails 3 along the frame. The carriage has secured to it a cylinder 7 with a piston 9 operated hydraulically or pneumatically for moving the carriage along the frame, the piston carrying a cylinder 8 of which the plunger 10 can engage one of a series of recesses in rail 3 spaced apart according to the spacing of the spindles. The carriage also has a support 20 which can be raised and lowered on columns 5 by a piston-and-cylinder assembly 19. The support has arms 21, 22 on a shaft 23 which can be rocked first one way and then the other by a sprocket driven by a chain 25 connected at its ends to the pistons of cylinders 26, 27. The arms 21, 22 each carry a pair of pincers operated by piston- and-cylinder assemblies 32, 33 so that one pair opens as the other pair closes as the shaft rotates. As one cylinder of the pair 26, 27 is charged to rotate the arms in one direction, the other cylinder acts to brake the rotation. At the start of an operation, the carriage is situated to the left of the first spindle to be doffed. Cylinder 7 is charged to project piston 9 to the right until a microswitch 15 engages a contact 13 to cause the plunger 10 to project into the first recess 14. As the piston 9 starts its reverse stroke, because it is locked by the engagement of plunger 10, the cylinder moves to the right, taking the carriage with it. During this movement, a microswitch 16 is actuated by a contact 14 to operate the assembly 26 to cause the arms 21, 22 to rotate through about 120‹ towards the frame until they engage a contact for actuating the assembly 19. This lowers the support 20 together with the arms 21, 22 and the pincers. The stroke of piston 9 is by this time completed so that the pincers 29 which are open, descend around the first bobbin 35 (pincers 28 are not used in the initial stage of the operation) until a contact operates the assemblies 32, 33 to reverse the condition of the pincers so that the bobbin 35 is gripped. At the same time, the plunger is withdrawn from the first recess 4 and the assembly 7 moves forward until the microswitch 15 is operated by the next contact 13. The carriage now moves one step forward, and the assembly 19 is operated to raise the support 20; at the end of this movement, the second cylinder 27 of the pair 26, 27 is operated to rotate arms 21, 22 away from the machine, the pincers 29 gripping the full bobbin 35. When the arms have completed 180‹ movement, they engage a contact to operate assemblies 32, 33 to reverse the condition of the pincers, 29 being opened to release the filled bobbin into a collector, and 28 being closed around an empty bobbin in a supply. The shaft 23 is again rotated to transfer this bobbin to the first spindle, which is now empty, and to bring the pincers 29 over the next spindle ready to doff it. When the carriage reaches the end of the frame after a series of such stepped operations, a switch is actuated to stop the device. In another form, Fig. 5, pincers 147, 148 adjustable for packages of different diameters, are carried on a support 142. To raise and lower the pincers, the support moves up and down on rods 143 under the control of an assembly 144. To move the pincers towards and away from the frame, they are mounted on a shaft 145 rotatable as a lever 148 works in a cam-guide as the support 142 moves. To open and close the pincers, cones 155 and 156 are raised and lowered by assemblies 151, 152. The stepped advance of the carriage is effected by an assembly 128 Fig. 4, the piston of which has a jaw 129 bearing successively against stops 105 on rail 102, which are spaced apart according to the spindle spacings, and the cylinder of which assembly is secured to the carriage. When the assembly 128 is charged, the jaw 129 is forced against a stop 125 so that the cylinder and the carriage are moved forward. When the carriage reaches the end of the frame, it is necessary to lower the jaw 129 out of the way of the stops 105. To this end, at the end of the stepped movement of the carriage, a hook 134 engages a stop and is moved to the left against the force of a spring to engage a hooked lever 137. At the start of the return stroke, the hook 134 leaves the stop, and the spring moves the hook to the right, rocking the lever 137 to pull a cable 136 which causes the jaw 129 to drop. At the end of the return stroke, the lever 137 engages a pawl to release the hook 134 allowing lever 137 to slacken the cable. During the stepped forward movement of carriage, the jaw is lowered as the cable is pulled by the engagement of the bar 135 with a cam 139 on the cylinder of the assembly 128. As the carriage moves, it is stopped as each successive spindle is engaged by a lever 130, Fig. 5 on a subsidiary carriage 168. To enable the pincers to be provided with a fresh bobbin for the first spindle, spaced stops (131 Fig. 8 not shown) are provided in advance of the spindle row. The carriage 168 is pivoted on a horizontal pin 169; when the support returns upwards, a spring causes the carriage and lever 130 to resume their original positions. The assembly 144 actuating the support 142 is controlled by a valve 133 which is operated by the movement of the lever 130. The various piston-and-cylinder assemblies are supplied with pressure-fluid from a reservoir 120, Fig. 4, through a line 121. The reservoir is charged by valves 113, 114 on the carriage which successively engage valves 106, 106<1>, 106<11> rearranged on a main conduit 103 at spacings corresponding to those of the spindles. The valves 113, 14 each have a pushrod 115 adapted to be projected by the pistons 116 of assemblies 117, 118 which are charged alternately. Valve 113, with its assembly is fixed relatively to the carriage and is connected to the reservoir by a fixed tube 123; valve 114 and its assembly 118 is slidable on guides 125, a flexible connecting-tube 126 being provided. At the start of an operation, cylinder 118 is charged, piston 116 is projected and plunger 115 raised to open valve 106. These parts remain in this position while the carriage advances one step to bring valve 113, which is inoperative, under valve 106<11>; during this movement, reservoir 120 is fed through valve 114. At this point, the condition of the assemblies 117, 118 is reversed; as 118 is exhausted, plunger 115 is withdrawn so that a spring 127 can pull the valve 114 and its assembly beneath valve 106<1>, while the reservoir is supplied by valve 113.