Abstract
A winding device for winding a yarn onto a package tube has a spindle that holds and rotationally drives the package tube. A support roller abuts against a peripheral surface of the yarn winding package during winding of the yarn. The spindle is supported by a pivotably mounted swivel arm so as to swivel relative to the support roller. A contact-force control device is provided and includes an actuator disposed to actuate the swivel arm, and a control device configured with the actuator. A bending beam load cell is configured on the swivel arm to determine an actual value of a contact force between the yarn package and the support roller. The contact force is regulated to a predetermined target value via control of the actuator by the control device.
Claims
1. A winding device for winding a yarn onto a package tube to form a yarn winding package, comprising: a spindle configured to hold and rotationally driving the package tube about a longitudinal axis of the package tube; a support roller configured to abut against a peripheral surface of the yarn winding package during winding of the yarn; the spindle supported by at least one pivotably mounted swivel arm, wherein the spindle can swivel relative to the support roller; a contact-force control device, comprising: an actuator disposed to actuate the swivel arm; a control device configured with the actuator; a bending beam load cell configured on the swivel arm to determine an actual value of a contact force (FA) by which the yarn package and the support roller are pressed against one another; and wherein the contact force (FA) is regulated to a predetermined target value via control of the actuator by the control device.
2. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bending beam load cell comprises a dual bending beam load cell.
3. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bending beam load cell is integrated into the swivel arm so as not to extend laterally over an outer contour of the swivel arm at any point along the bending beam load cell.
4. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spindle is supported by two of the pivotably mounted swivel arms.
5. The winding device as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of the swivel arms is configured with one of the bending beam load cells.
6. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises an electric motor.
7. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the actuator is coupled with the swivel arm by a planar spiral gear.
8. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, comprising a spindle drive for the spindle, the spindle drive mounted on the swivel arm so as to be swiveled therewith.
9. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising one or both of a damping element or a biasing element configured the spindle.
10. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is programmed a package weight during the winding process and to account for the package weight in the regulation of the contact force FA.
11. The winding device as set forth in claim 10, the control device calculates the package weight based on measured data for a length of the yarn wound onto the package tube and a fineness of the yarn.
12. The winding device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control device is programmed to detect undesired mechanical oscillations of the spindle based on measured data of the bending beam load cell and to counteract the oscillations.
13. A yarn processing machine, comprising at least one winding device as set forth in claim 1.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) In the drawing:
(2) FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective view of a yarn processing machine with a plurality of winding heads for winding a yarn on a package tube, each winding head having a winding device with a pivotably mounted spindle that can be pressed by means of a contact-force controller with a predetermined contact force against a support roller;
(3) FIG. 2 shows the winding device according to FIG. 1 in a cutaway side view;
(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a winding device in which a drive motor for the spindle is mounted on a swivel arm that carries the spindle;
(5) FIG. 4 shows a planar spiral gear used in the winding devices according to FIGS. 1 to 3 in a side view (FIG. 4A) and in a perspective view (FIG. 4B);
(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a winding device with damping element for a yarn processing machine according to FIG. 1; and
(7) FIG. 6 shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of a winding device for a yarn processing machine according to FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(8) Reference will now be made to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are shown in the drawings. Each embodiment is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For example features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be combined with another embodiment to yield still another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations to the embodiments described herein.
(9) FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective view of a yarn processing machine 10. The yarn processing machine 10 has a machine frame 12 on which a plurality of winding heads 14 are arranged side by side. The winding heads 14 each have a winding device 16 for winding a yarn 20 that is provided on a supply package 18 on a package tube 22 to form a yarn winding package 24 (=wound package). The yarn 20 traveling to the package tube 22 can be fed reciprocally via a yarn-guiding mechanism 26 of a traversing unit 28 positioned on the machine frame 12 and through the traversing unit 28 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 30 of the package tube 22 relative to the package tube 22 over a fixed predetermined or variably predeterminable angular range.
(10) Here, by way of example, the traversing unit 28 has a traction-guided yarn guide 32. According to an exemplary embodiment that is not shown in detail in the drawing, the traversing unit 28 can also be embodied as an impeller-type traversing unit 28 or comprise a so-called finger or pendulum yarn guide.
(11) The package tube 22 to be wound with the yarn 20 is detachably mounted on a motor-driven spindle 34 and can be rotated in the direction of rotation 36 about its longitudinal axis 30. The longitudinal axis 30 of the package tube 22 coincides with the spindle longitudinal axis 38 of the spindle.
(12) A support roller 40 whose axis of rotation 42 is arranged so as to extend parallel to the spindle longitudinal axis 38 of the spindle 34 (and hence to the longitudinal axis 30 of the package tube 22) is rotatably mounted on the machine frame 12 (in the vertical direction) below the spindle 34. According to FIG. 1, the support roller 40 rests directly against the yarn winding package 24 produced on the package tube 22. The yarn 20 is guided over a partial peripheral angle about the support roller 40 and can be placed against the lateral surface of the yarn winding package 24 in the area of contact of the support roller 40 and yarn winding package 24.
(13) The spindle 34 is attached to the machine frame 12 by means of a creel 44. Here, the creel 44 comprises two pendulum or swivel arms 46, only one of which is shown in FIG. 1 for purposes of illustration. The swivel arms 46 can be swiveled relative to the support roller 40 about a swivel axis denoted by 50 by means of a shaft (not shown) supported on support parts 48. The yarn winding package 24 and the support roller 40 are pressed against one another by a contact force, which can be varied by means of a swiveling movement of the spindle 34 relative to the support roller 40. The winding device 16 comprises a contact-pressure control device 54 for this purpose which includes an actuator 56 for actuating the swivel arms 46. The actuator 56 may be an electric motor. A control device 58 is used to control the electric motor. The control device 58 comprises a bending beam load cell 60, here in the form of a dual bending beam load cell 60, for determining the actual value of the contact force of the yarn package 24 against the support roller 40. The spindle 34 is fixed at one end via the dual bending beam load cell 60 to one of the swivel arms 46 of the creel 44. The control device 58 can be set up, e.g., particularly programmed, to detect undesired mechanical oscillations of the spindle 34 on the basis of measured data of the bending beam load cell 60 during the winding process and to counteract such oscillations by means of control technology, for example by reducing a rotational speed of the spindle 34.
(14) FIG. 2 shows the winding device 16 of the yarn processing machine 10 according to FIG. 1 in a partially cutaway side view. The dual bending beam load cell 60 is attached at one end to a swivel arm 46 of the creel 44 and at the other end to the rotatably driven spindle 34, secured here by a screw connection, for example.
(15) The support roller 40 abuts against the yarn package along a contact region A. Here, due to the dual bearing of the spindle 34, only half of the contact force F.sub.A of the yarn package 24 against the support roller 40 is introduced into the two swivel arms 46 of the creel 44. The contact force F.sub.A is oriented so as to extend orthogonally to the spindle longitudinal axis 38 and the axis of rotation 42 of the pressure roller 40 in the direction of an axis denoted by 61. FIG. 2 shows the halved contact force F.sub.A with its two mutually orthogonal force vectors F.sub.A1, F.sub.A2. The dual bending beam load cell 60 can only absorb a force orthogonal to its mounting or measuring plane, in this case the force vector F.sub.A1 of the halved contact force F.sub.A. The control device 58 is programmed to determine the actual value of the (total) contact force F.sub.A on the basis of the respective swivel position of the spindle 34 about its swivel axis 50 relative to the support roller 40 and of the measured values obtained by the dual bending beam load cell 60 of the vector F.sub.A1 of contact force F.sub.A directed orthogonally to the measuring or mounting plane of the bending beam load cell 60. As will readily be understood, the bending beam load cell must have a sufficiently large sampling rate for this purpose. A position sensor denoted 62 can be used to detect the respective swivel position of the spindle 34. The control device 58 actuates the electric motor 56 on the basis of the measured values obtained from the bending beam load cell in such a way that the contact force F.sub.A of the yarn winding package 24 against the support roller 40 is regulated to a respectively predetermined target value of the contact force F.sub.A. This target value is stored in the control device 58, particularly in a storage means (not shown) of the control device 58, and can be variably adapted to different winding processes if required. In determining the actual value of the contact force F.sub.A, the control device 58 is set up to take into account the respective weight of the package tube 22 that is wound with the yarn—i.e., the respective package weight. The package weight can be determined in a simple manner by the control device itself on the basis of the fineness of the respective yarn and the respective length of yarn on the package tube. Information on the fineness of the yarn to be wound is preferably kept (stored) in the control device 58. The respective yarn length of the yarn 20 that has already been wound onto the package tube 22 can be determined in an inherently known manner on the control side by means of a suitable sensor arrangement (not shown), for example of the yarn-guiding mechanism 26 (FIG. 1).
(16) FIG. 3 shows detail of another exemplary embodiment of a winding device 16. The winding device 16 differs from the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 substantially in that a spindle drive 64 for the spindle 34 is mounted on the creel 44, more precisely on one of the swivel arms 46 of the creel 44. The spindle drive 64 can be coupled with the spindle 34 via a drive belt (not shown in FIG. 3), for example in the form of a toothed belt. It should be noted that the spindle drive 64 is fixed to the swivel arm 46 by means of a mounting element 66 in such a way that the weight force of the drive motor 64 relative to the swivel axis 50 causes a torque that is directed counter to the spindle 34 and to the package tube 22 (with yarn winding package) arranged thereon. The shaft 68 of the swivel arms 46 mentioned above in connection with FIG. 1 can be seen clearly in FIG. 3.
(17) In the winding devices 16 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the actuator 56 of the swivel arms 46 is respectively coupled by means of a planar spiral gear with the rotating shaft 68 of the two swivel arms 46. In the exemplary embodiments that are shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the planar spiral gear is partially concealed in each case by a gearbox 70. Here, the planar spiral gear has a spur gear 72 that is arranged in a torque-proof manner against rotation of the shaft 68.
(18) FIGS. 4A and 4B, each in a cutaway view, show the actuator 56, which is embodied as an electric motor, with the planar spiral gear 74. The spur gear 72 has a curved toothing 76 that engages in a planar spiral gear 78 with a spiral-shaped tooth profile 80. With its extremely compact design, the planar spiral gear 74 enables high translation and minimal friction losses to be achieved. As a result, it is possible to ensure a sufficiently dynamic regulation of the contact force F.sub.A (FIG. 2) for winding processes with which the support roller 40 and the yarn winding package 24 are pressed against one another. By virtue of the special toothing, the contact surface of the two gear parts is enlarged and the material stresses to which they are exposed are substantially reduced. As a result, the planar spiral gear 74 is low-maintenance and has the longevity that is desired for a yarn processing machine 10. It should be noted that the backlash of the gear mechanism can be adjusted through axial displacement of the planar spiral wheel 78 along its axis of rotation 82, which coincides here with the motor shaft axis (not labeled), or even eliminated altogether. An extremely precise control of the contact force F.sub.A (FIG. 2) can thus be realized. In order to impart—limited—elasticity to the planar spiral gear 74, the spur gear 72 with curved toothing can be made of a viscoelastic material, for example, particularly a plastic material. Smaller or high-frequency oscillations of the spindle 34, which cannot be avoided during the winding operation, can be absorbed harmlessly by the planar spiral gear 74.
(19) The winding devices 16 shown above in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3 can have an additional biasing element 84. This enables maximum clearance in to be achieved in the planar spiral gear. In the simplest of cases, the biasing element 84 can be embodied as a tension spring as shown in FIG. 5. Here, the tension spring engages at one end on a radial arm 86 of the shaft 68 and at the other end on the machine frame 12. Additionally or alternatively, the winding devices 16 can have a damping element (not shown in detail in the drawing) to counteract undesirable oscillations of the spindle 34 during the winding process. The damping element can, in particular, be variably adjustable, and it can be advantageously controlled by the control device of the winding device 16.
(20) FIG. 6 shows another exemplary embodiment of a winding device 16 such as can be used in a yarn processing machine 10 according to FIG. 1. The winding device 16 differs from the winding devices 16 that are shown above in connection with FIGS. 1 to 5 substantially in that a swivel arm 46 of the creel 44 can be actuated by means of a threaded spindle 88 that can be driven rotationally by the electric motor 56. The threaded spindle 88 engages in an unspecified threaded bore of the swivel arm 46.
(21) In an exemplary embodiment that is not shown in further detail in the drawing, the creel 44 of the winding devices 16 can also have only one swivel arm 46. In this design, the dual bending beam load cell 60 thus absorbs the orthogonal force vector F.sub.A1 of the total contact force F.sub.A of the support roller 40 against the yarn winding package 24.
(22) Modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments illustrated or described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
