[1]3 @ 5 3 2 2 2 8 0 Ujiited States Pateiit Office Patented Oct. 6, 1970 3,532,280 TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES John Kay Pringle Mackie, Belfast, Ireland, assignor to James Mackie & Sons Limited, Belfast, Northem Ireland, a British company 5 Filed Feb. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 706,036 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 23, 1967, 8,801/67 Int. Cl. B65h 59102 U.S. Cl. 242-45 26 Claims 10 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A textile yarn winding machine having a package drive which is variable by a control device which is actuated 15 by deviations in the speed of the yarn being wound from a predetermined desired winding speed. This invention relates to textile yarn winding machines 20 (the term textile yarn being intended to encompass both conventional natural yarns and yarn of artificial or synthetic material including multi-filament or mono-filament tape etc.). It is especially but not exclusively concerned with beamin- machines i.e. machines for winding 25 a number of separate threads in a parallel formation along the length of a loom warp beam. It is clearly desirable for yarn to be wound onto a package at a speed equal to the fastest safe speed at which the yarn can be withdrawn from its supply which de- 30 pends on certain characteristics of the yarn e.g. its tensile strength and also of course on the nature of the supply. However, this desideratum is difficult to achieve in practice since as the diameter of the package increases during winding so does the surface speed of the package 35 and hence the rate of take-up assuming a constant drive for the package. Attempts have hitherto been made to solve this problem by, for example, varying the package drive in accordance with the changes in diameter of the package 40 being wound. However difficulties arise as this does not allow for variation in the torque of the package drive produced for example by the use of differing package widths and different yarn material. If a variable package drive is employed, the drive being varied in accordance 45 with changes in yarn tension, complicated gearing and control equipment has to be used and further this solution has not proved wholly satisfactory especially for use with beaming machines as the desirable tension varies according to the number of yam ends being wound. 50 A yam winding machine in accordance with the invention has a package drive which is variable by a control device which is actuated by deviations in the speed of the yarn being wound from a predetermined desired winding speed. Thus as the package diameter increases 55 during winding the tendency for the speed of the yam between the supply source and the package to increase, causes the control device to decrease the speed of rotation of the package so as to maintain the yarn speed substantially constant. 60 Such an arrangement not only can be produced very simply and inexpensively but also can be set to correspond to the desired yarn speed so that the optimum rate of winding is maintained. Further the increase in tension due to increasing package diameter is substar- 65 tially eliminated. The control device is preferably adjustable to vary the desired yarn speed so that.for example the package can either be driven at any desired optimum yarn speed or at a "creep speed" (namely the speed at which an OP- 70 erator can conveniently arrange the yarn ends on a beam - at the beginning of a winding or beaming or can work 2 on the yam to repair a fault), or can be stopped altogether. It is desirable for means to be provided to control the rate of acceleration and/or deceleration of the package drive when either is signalled by the control device and this means preferably also comes into effect when the package drive is stopped, to ensure that the package drive can only be reassumed with controlled acceleration. The drive for the package preferably comprises a hydraulic motor driven by a variable output (preferably a variable displacement) hydraulic pump. Such a transmission enables the package drive to have the desired wide speed range variation (and the desired gradual acceleration from zero to full operating speed) without the expense and limitation of a comparable mechanical drive although the invention in its broadest aspects can operate with mechanical or electrical package drives. With the preferred arrangement the control device may vary the package drive by varying the displacement of the hydraulic pump throtigh a standard hydraulic positioner. While the drive for the package is conveniently applied to the package support spindle it may also, for example in the case of a pre-beaming machine, drive the package through a roller enga.- ing the periphery of the package. The speed of the yarn may be sensed by a roller in the yarn path and means may be provided to apply a drag to the roller to provide an increase in the tension of the yarn. Alternatively the roller may be driven to assist the rotation of the roller the drive not being sufficient by itself to cause an increase in the speed of the yarn but acting to decrease the tension of the yarn. The control device may be of any known form which transmits signals corresponding to yarn speed changes from a normal speed, to the package drive. However one very important and hitherto unknown device, comprises a tachometer driven by a yarn speed sensing member, movement of the tachometer output member in one direction from an adjustable normal position corresponding to the desired yarn winding speed, being effective to accelerate and movement in the other direction from the normal position, to decelerate, the package drive to restore the yarn speed to the desired speed. The output member could have various forms but it has been found that one very effective arrangement is to provide the OutPut member with two separate signal tracks one being effective to transmit a signal to sensing means to cause the package drive to acceleiate and the other to cause the drive to decelerate, one track coming into operation on movement of the output mernber in one direction from the "normal position" and the other becoming operative on movement of the member in the other direction. In this case the normal desired winding speed can be adjusted by movement of the signal sensing means for the tracks, or the output member, relative to the yarn speed sensing elements of the tachometer and in which case the set normal position corresponding to the desired yarn speed may be determined by the position of the gap between the tracks or the position of an overlap of the tracks, relatively to the sensing means. Alternatively the desired winding speed could be adjusted by adjustment of the speed at wbich the tachometer drives its. output member. Such a device is very simple to manufacture and has b@-en found to be very effective in use. The tracks may be of various forms, for example magnetic strips, and the signals can be sensed and transmitted by an convenient equipment e.g. electrically or mechanically. Preferably however the signals are transmitted pneumatically or hydraulically in which case the tracks are preferably constituted by a slot in a plate secured to or forming the tachometer output member, the plate being moveable past a head carrying two jets which comprise the sensing
[2]3 means and which are connected to a source of gas normally air or of hydraulic fluid, each jet bein- ali.-ned on one side of the plate with one of the two tracks respectively, the head also including two flow passa,-es located on the other side of the plate and aligned with the two jets so that when one of the tracks is aligned with one of the jets a flow of the air or hydraulic fluid is passed through the corresponding flow passa.-e and when the other track is ali,-ned with the other jet air flows only through the other flow path, the flow paths being connected to means to alter the drive for the package, The slots may be arcuate and be formed in a disc rotated by the tachometer when the speed being sensed exceeds or drops below the speed to which the tachometer is set. It will be appreciated that other arrangements of slots could be used. For example the tachometer output member may be connected to a source of a gas or hydraulic fluid to provide one or two jets movement of the output member in one direction from the normal non-operative position causing the, or one of the jets, to become aligned with one flow passa.-e to cause the package drive to be accelerated or decelerated and movement in the other direction causin,a a j.-t to be ali.-ned with another flow passage to cause the drive to be decelerated or accelerated respectively. Further instead on a slotted plate the tachometer output member could comprise a nozzle or a cam, movement of which causes a flexibly mounted nozzle, or other sensin,@ means, to move in accordane with the diretion of movement of the output member, to cause the packa.-e drive either to be accelerated or decelerated. The use of a pneumatic or hydraulic control system in conjunction with a hydraulic drive enables a positioner very simply to adjust the displacement of the hydraulic pump. However si.-nals for the control device could be transmitted throtigh suitable relays to operate mechanical or electrical positioners or directly to control any variable sp--cd transmission arrangements. Loom beams, which have to extend across the width of any particular piece of cloth being woven on a loom, have a length which is considerable and which varies according to the desired cloth width. When fully wound the beams are very heavy. As a consequence of these factors it is difficult to provide an effective way of carrying and driving the beams which, as explained, may be of different widths, and subsequently doffing the -%vound beam from the machine. The yarn windin.- machine in accordance with the invention is preferably provided with package carrying means comprisin.- two heads to en.-age the ends of the centre or support for the package, the heads runnin.- on a track or tracks and means being provided to drive the heads into engagement with a packa,@e centre or support and to withdraw the heads from the centre to allow the wolind package to be doffed. Such an arrangement avoids the use of spi,@ots or the like extending from fixed heads into the package support which due to the heavy weight of the beam can be bent. As the heads can be driven along the tracks to any desired extent, it is very easy for packa.-e supports of varying len.-ths to be supported. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawin.-s in which: FIG. I is a perspective view of a beaming machine in accordance with the invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the variable drive for the beam; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the control mechanism drive; FIG. 4 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 3; FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams illustratin.- the way in which the control device operates to transmit a signal to the variable drive for the beam; 3@532)280 4 FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a portion of the connection between the control device and the variable drive; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating some of the control valves of the air supply system; FIG. 10 is a sketch showing the means to enable the beam to be rotated by hand and means for controlling the sp.-ed of stopping; and FIG. 11 is a section illustrating the device for lockin.the heads of the machine onto the tracks. ]o The machine comprises essentially a base frame aenerally indicated at 2 including two Ion.-itudinally disposed sid-. rails 4 on which a head stock 6 and a tail stock 8 are motinted through wheels 10 for movement therealong. The beam (not shown) is mounted between a freely 15 rotataljle member 12 on the tail stock and a driven head 14 on the head stock. Two pressure rollers 16 are rotatably mounted across the ends of two curved arms 18 the ai-ms 18 being mounted through rollers 20 on a support 22 forming part of the frame. The pressure rollers 16 2o are actuated by a hydraulic liftin,@ ram 24 which engages a bar 26 wbich is connected across the top of the two arms 18 and liflin.@ of which lifts th.- arms so as to force the two pressure rollers 16 into contact with the periphery of the beam being wound so that the bands of warp threads 25 bein- wound opto the beam are maintained taut and closely packed. The hydraulic ram 24 is actuated by a separate hydraulic system and maintains re,-tilated pressure on the beam during windin,-, the arm moving down as the beam diameter increases. The pressure can be set by a' 0 rotation of a knob on'the control panel. The head 14 is driven throu.-h @earin.- 27 by a hydraulic motor 28 which receives its presstire fluid through tubes 30 frorii a variable displacement hydraulic pump 32 (see FIG. 2) which is driven by an electric motor 34. @1,5 The displacement of the pump 32 is altered in a manner known per se through a lever 36 which is pivoted to the pump casing and arranged so that movement in one direction (to the right as seen in the drawing) causes a -reater supply of hydraulic fluid to be supplied to-the motor 28 40 to accelerate the motor and so that movement in the other direction (to the left) results in a decrease in the volume of hydraulic fluid supplied to the motor 28 causing the motor and hence the beam drive, todecelerate. The upper end of the lever 36 is connected to a screwed 4i@ rod 38 which is enizaged by a standard screw positioner 40 driven through a cbain 42 by an air motor 44, the air mo.or being driven through high pressure signal tubes 46, 47. Operation of the air motor in one direction due to pressure transmitted through the tube 46 causes the air 5o motor to drive the positioner in the direction to move the lever 36 to the left i.e. to slow down the drive. On the air inotor receivin.- a signal throtigh the other tube 47 it transmits a drive in the opposite direction to cause the positioner 40 to move the lever 36 in the other direction to ac55 celerate the drive. The means whereby a si.-nal is transmitted throu.-Ii either one or the other of the signal tubes 46, 47 comprises a control device which is actuated by deviations in the speed of the yams being woutid on the beam from a 60 predetermined desired windin.- speed corresr@onding for example to the maximum speed at whicb the warp threads can be withdrawn from the supply source (not shown). The speed of the band of warp threads is sensed during passa.@e throu-ah two delivery or nip rollers 48 located in 6;-) the path of the yarn between the supply source and the beam. One of the driven rollers 48 provides a drive throu.-h gearin.- generally indicated at 50 (see FIG. 3 not shown in FIG. 1) to a tachometer 52 which may be of any standard type. The output shaft 54 of the tachorneter 70 carries a disc 56 formed with two tracks in the form of arcuate slots 58, 60 the radii of which differ. It will be seen f.-om examination of FIGS. 5 to 7 that the slots do not overlap and that consequently a small band indicated by the lines 62 exists between the adjoining ends of the i' @-) slots.
[3]3@532)280 5 The disc 56 is mounted for arcuate movement between the arnis of a pivotally moiinted U-shaped sensing head 64, the pivotal axis 66 of which is aligned with the axis of the disc 56. A supply of low pressure air is fed to a passage 68 in the head 64 the passage 68 branching into two outlet nozzles 70, 72 in one a-rm of the head facing the disc 56. The two outlets 70, 72 are aligned with the arcuate slots 59, 60 in the disc 56 respectively and with two passages 74, 76 in the other arm of the head which are connected to signal tubes 78, 80. The signal transmitted through tube 78 causes, as is explained hereafter, a high pressure flow through tube 46 to decelerate the drive and a signal through tube 80 causes high pressure air to flow through tube 47 to accelerate the drive. If the disc 56 is in a position in which the slot 58 is in alignment with the outlet nozzle 70 air is transmitted froin the inlet passage 68 to the signal tube 78, no air being able to pass through the disc to reach the tube 80. If on the other hand the slot 60 is in alignment with the nozzle 72 then air is transmitted through the signal tube 80 and not throu.-h the tube 78,. If the disc is so aligned that the band 62 between the two slots is in alignment with the nozzles 70, 72 then no si.-nal is transmitted and consequently the drive will remain constant. lt will be appreciated that the relative position of the head 64 and the disc 56 determines the normal speed of the drive for the beam. If the relative position is altered for example by turning the head on its axis 66 thtn the normal speed of the beam drive would also be altered. lf the head is moved in one arcuate direction from the previous normal position of the disc e.g. towards the slot 60 then the standard speed will, for example, be faster. If the head is moved towards the slot 58 then the norinal speed will, for example, be slower. It will be appreciated that the axis 66 of the head 64 can be connected to a pointer 81 (see FIG. 1) which can be moved over a scale 82 on a control box giving a visual indication of the normal speed to which the control device is set. The two signal tubes 78, 80 are each connected to separate relays 84 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 8) positioned in high pressure air tubes 86. As a signal is received through the tube 78 the relay 84 connected thereto will be operated to allow a restricted flow of high pres sure air from a supply tube 86 to be transmitted to the tube 46 (or 47) connected to the positioner for the hydraulic pump. The flow rate of air through the relay is determined by a control screw 87 which determines the speed at which the positioner 40 alters the disp] acement of the pump 32 and hence controls the rate of acceleration or deceleration of the motor 28,. Thus it can be assured that the acceleration or deceleration of the beam drive is not stifficiently fierce to damage the yarn being wound. The high pressure air supply is received from a source (not shown) throu.-h a tube 88 which is connectcd to a solenoid operated valve 90 (see FIG. 9). When the solenoid is in its normal operating position air can flow throti-h it from the tube 88 to the tube 86. A bleed is taken from the tube 86 and transmitted tiirough a pressure reducing unit 92 to the low pressure inlet tube 68 connected to the sensing head 64. When the circuit to the electric motor 34 is broken either by means of an on-off switch or by a yarn path stOP motion the solenoid of the valve 90 is operated to close the connection between the tubes 86 and 68 and to make a connection between the tube 88 and an outlet tube 94 which is connected throu.-h a valve generally indicated at 96 (see FIG. 2) to a further tube 98 which is connected to the tiibe 46. Air flowing through the tubes 94 and 98, thus causes the air motor 44 to rotate the positioner in a direction to cause the fluid displacement lever 36 to move to the position of minimum acceleration. When the lever 36 reaches the position of zero acceleration it trips 6 an electrical limit switch generally indicated at 100 which acts to close the valve 96 so that air can no longer flow from the tube 94 to the tube 46. Further the operation of the "off" switch isolates the "on" switch until such time as the limit switch 100 on being tripped by the lever 36 has re-energised the "on" switch circuit. As a conseqtience of this arrangement the motor drive cannot be re-started until the lever 36 is at the position of minimum acceleration which ensures that a drive for the beam cannot be re-established with an acceleration which 10 would be sufficiently great to damage the yam. When the machine is started up the yarn speed through the nip or measuring rollers 48 is extremely slow which causes the tachometer 52 to rotate the disc 56 to the posi15 tion in which the slot 60 is opposite the nozzle 72 enabling air to be transmitted through he acceleration signal tube' 80. The relay 84 of that tube, then operates to allow a controlled supply of high pressure air to be transmitted through the tube 47 to cause the air motor 44 to be 20 driven in the direction to cause the screwed rod 38 to move to the right as seen in FIG. 2 moving the lever 36 to the position in which an increased volume of hydraulic fluid is transmitted through the tubes 30 to the hydraulic motor 28 causing that motor and hence the beam, to accelerate. 25 When the speed of the yarn through the delivery rollers 48 reaches that to which the head 64 has been set then the portion 62 of the disc 56 will lie opposite the two nozzles 70, 72 so that no signal will be transmitted through either of the outlet tubes 78, 80 and the machine will con3( tinue to run at that speed. In practice it has been found that following a period of acceleration the speed usually increases beyond that to which the head has been set. Consequently the deceleration slot 58 is moved opposite to the nozzle 70 causing a signal to be transmitted through 35 the ttibe 78, through the relay connected to that tube to the signal tube 46 which drives the air motor 44 in the direction to cause the screwed positioner 40 to move the screwed rod 38 and hence the displacement lever 36 to the left as seen in FIG. 2 to cause a decrease in the supply 40 of hydraulic fluid transmitted to the motor 28. After a period of acceleration a period of deceleration and a short period of acceleration the control device then settles down and the machine runs at a standard set speed until the diameter of the beam increases to an extent 45 whereupon the disc 56 will again be rotated by the tachomwherein the yarn spaed increases beyond that desired, eter 52 to cause the beam drive motor to be decelerated until it is running at a slower speed corresponding to the desired yarn speed. It will be appreciated that the desired yarn speed can 50 be changed merely by moving the pointer 81 i.e. moving the head 64 angularly with respect to the disc 56 and this can be done in a single movement. Thus the yarn speed can be increased or can be reduced to a creep speed to allow an operator to carry out repairs during winding. 55 When the electric motor 34 is switcbed off it is desirable to control the rate of deceleration of the beam. This can be achieved by fitting a one-way bleed vaive 102 in the pipe 104 between the pipes 30. In the "drive" position no fluid can bypass through the valve, but on overrun when the 60 valve is open and with the pump stationary, bleed can take place according to the valve setting. This provides controlled braking and also permits manual rotation in the "wind on" direction. When the empty beam is to be mounted in the beaming 65 machine it is rolled into a position between the heads 6 and 8 over the rollers 16 which are then raised to centre the beam by means of ram 24 on operation of the lever 105 on the panel. The heads 6 and 8 are then driven towards each other along the tracks by means of hydraulic rams 70 106 and 108 until the members 12 and 14 are engaged within the flanges of the beam centre. The position of each of the heads 6 and 8 along the tracks is set independently on operation of the respective lever 110 on each head movement of a lever in one direc75 tion causing the respective ram 106 or 108 to move the
[4]3,532,280 7 head in the direction correspondin- to the movement of the lever from the rest or mid position. When the heads are in the correct position and the lever 110 returned to its mid position, each heqd is clamped in that position by the clamping device illustrated in FIG. I I and comprising a clamp bar 112 pivoted to the upper end of the piston of a hydraulic ram 114 and located within a strap 116 depending from the bottom of the head. The ends 118 of the clamp bar 112 are tapered to correspond with the under surface of the top flange of the rails 4. On lifting of the piston 114 of the hydraulic ram caused by the return movement of the lever 110 the ends 118 of the bar 112 are forced into enagement with the rails thus preventing movement Of the head carrying the clamp bar, along the rails. Further movement of the lever 110 causes the ram 114 to be retracted to release the clamp 112 prior to the respective head being moved along the track. When the package is fully wound and it is desired that this be doffed the ram 24 is lowered until the flanges of the beam rest on cross members 119 which can be slid along the rails 4 at floor level, the clamp bars 112 are released from en.-aging the rails and the heads 6 and 8 are driven apart along the tracks by means of rams 106, 108 and on operation of the lever 110, so that the package centre engaging members 12 and 14 are disen.aaged from the end flanges of the centre whereupon the wound beam can be rolled out from between the heads. Due to the driven movement of the heads, the packa.-e engaging members can be made more rigid then would be the case were these members to move otit from and towards fixed heads to engage the support. Further the direct drive to the meniber 4 which in tui-n directly engages the package centre, has been found to give excellent results and provides a fine control over the speed of rotation of the package without slippage. I
