Drive for a bobbin-winding machine

Abstract

A drive unit is provided for powering a turret winding head for winding roving onto bobbin tubes. The drive unit comprises a closed housing, a first and a second spindle disposed in a turret base plate, wherein the turret base plate is formed as part of the housing and the spindles are disposed outside of the housing. A first drive is provided for the first spindle and a second drive is provided for the second spindle. The drives are disposed inside the housing, and the first and second drives are each provided with a fan wheel. An intake duct, through which air is drawn in by the fan wheel from outside of the housing, is in each case provided on the intake side of the fan wheel of the first and second drives.

Claims

1. A turret winding head for winding a roving onto bobbin tubes in a roving frame, comprising: a closed housing; a rotatable turret base plate that forms part of the closed housing; a first and a second spindle disposed on the turret base plate outside of the closed housing; a first drive for the first spindle, and a second drive for the second spindle, the first and second drives disposed within the closed housing; and the first and second drives each comprising a fan wheel and a respective intake duct on an intake side of the fan wheel through which a suction air flow is drawn by the fan wheel directly from outside of the closed housing through the intake duct.

2. The turret winding head as in claim 1, further comprising a filter within each of the intake ducts.

3. The turret winding head as in claim 1, wherein the closed housing comprises intentional leak points for escape of drawn in air when either of the first or second spindles is in an operational winding state.

4. The turret winding head as in claim 3, wherein an excess pressure is established within the closed housing in an operational winding state of either of the first or second spindles.

5. The turret winding head as in claim 1, wherein the turret base plate is horizontally disposed, and the first and second spindles are vertically disposed on the turret base plate.

6. The turret winding head as in claim 1, wherein the first and second drives each comprise an electric motor and a belt drive system.

7. The turret winding head as in claim 6, wherein the first and second drives are stationary mounted within the closed housing.

8. A method for operating a turret winding head for winding a roving onto bobbin tubes in a roving frame, the turret winding head including: a closed housing, a first spindle powered by a first drive; a second spindle powered by a second drive; the first and second drives disposed within the closed housing and each provided with a fan wheel, the method comprising: alternating an operating winding state of the first and second drives; and drawing outside air into the closed housing by the fan wheel of the operational one of the first or second drives through a filter and individual respective intake duct associated with the operational drive and connected directly between the operational drive and outside air through the closed housing.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising drawing sufficient air through the intake duct and filter so as to create an excess pressure conditions within the closed housing.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising controlling escape of the drawn-in air from the closed housing via intentional leak points from the closed housing, including a reverse flow through the intake duct associated with the non-operational drive.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising cleaning the filter in intake duct of the non-operational drive with the reverse flow.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(1) 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.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a turret winding head. A turret base plate 2 is held inside a housing 20 and rotatably supported therein. The turret base plate 2 is disposed horizontally and has a vertical axis of rotation 3. The turret base plate 2 is rotated by a drive about the axis of rotation 3, particularly in steps of 180, corresponding to the arrow 8. A first spindle 4 and a second spindle 6 are held and rotatably supported in the turret base plate 2. The first spindle 4 is connected to a drive means via the axis of rotation 5. The second spindle 6 is connected to a drive means via the axis of rotation 7. The first and second spindles 4, 6 are powered independently of each other. Advantageously, the drive means of the first and second spindles 4, 6 are provided with a frequency control.

(3) In the representation in FIG. 1, the first spindle 4 is in the winding position. An empty bobbin tube 10 has been placed onto the spindle 4. A roving 1 is wound onto the bobbin tube 10. The roving 1 is wound onto the bobbin tube via the traversing means 11. The traversing means 11 are connected to the housing 20 and held by said housing. The traversing means 11 comprise a movable element that moves up and down along the bobbin tube 10, whereby the bobbin tube 10 is evenly wound with the roving while rotating around the axis of rotation 5.

(4) In the representation in FIG. 1, the second spindle 6 is in the duffer position. The full bobbin tube has already been removed from the second spindle 6. The removal of full bobbin tubes and the placement of empty bobbin tubes 10 can be effected automatically by the use of the corresponding manipulating means or robots. The spindle 6 is provided with a fastening element 9 in the upper region thereof. The fastening element 9 stabilizes the bobbin tube 10 on the spindle 6. An empty bobbin tube 10 is placed from above downward and onto the spindle 6 and subsequently held in place in a torque-proof manner by the fastening element 9. The fastening element 9 can be, for example, a pneumatic clamping device that is rendered pressureless after the bobbin tube has been placed, whereby it is caused to undergo a radial expansion resulting in the bobbin tube being clamped on the spindle 6.

(5) When the bobbin tube 10 has been provided with a full winding, the turret base plate 2 is rotated by one half of a revolution (180) around the axis 3 in the direction of the arrow 8. This causes the first and the second spindles 4, 6 to switch positions. The traversing means 11 are not taken along by the rotation of the turret base plate 2. The rotation of the turret base plate 2 causes the empty bobbin tube 10, which is disposed on the second spindle 6, to be rotated into the winding position and thereby rotated into the course of the roving 1. This causes the roving 1 to be taken over by the empty bobbin tube 10 and separated from the full bobbin tube. For the take-over of the roving 1 by the empty bobbin tube, the same is provided with a catch device at a certain location. The traversing means 11 guide the roving 1 to the point of the catch device. As soon as the roving 1 has been caught and taken over by the empty bobbin tube, the traversing means 11 begin with the even winding action of the roving 1 onto the empty bobbin tube by performing a controlled upward and downward motion.

(6) Openings for connecting intake ducts are provided in the walls of the housing 20, which are each closed by a filter 21, 22.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a schematic depiction of a partial cross-section through a turret winding head according to FIG. 1. The turret base plate 2 represents a part of the housing 20. An amount of play 31 is present between the turret base plate 2 and the housing 20. The turret base plate 2 is supported inside the housing 20 by the axis of rotation 3 and able to rotate powered by a drive (not shown) in the direction of the arrow 8. The first spindle 4 is held and supported in the turret base plate 2. The electric motor 25 for driving the spindle 4 is fastened in a stationary manner inside the housing 20. The electric motor 25 is provided with a fan wheel 24. The motor shaft of the electric motor 25 transitions into a transmission 26, followed by a belt drive 28. The belt drive 28 causes the spindle 4 to rotate. The belt drive 28 is designed in two stages and guided via a hollow shaft 27, which is disposed in the axis of rotation 3 of the turret base plate 2. With this arrangement, it is possible, when changing bobbin tubes from the first spindle 4 to the second spindle, to rotate the turret base plate 2 by 180 without having to change the position of the drive of the spindle 4.

(8) An intake duct 23 is connected to the intake side of the fan wheel 24. The intake duct 23 creates a connection from the fan wheel 24 to an opening inside the housing 20. A filter 21 is installed in the opening of the housing 20. When operating the electric motor 25, the fan wheel 24 is also powered and draws in air via the filter 21 from outside of the housing 20, thereby creating an intake flow 29. The electric motor 25 is in the operating state, when the spindle 4 is in the winding position. The intake flow 29 is directed from the fan wheel 24 over the cooling fins of the electric motor 25 to the inside of the housing 20 resulting in an incoming air flow 30. The air that the fan wheel 24 previously blew into the housing 20 escapes again through intentionally created leaks inside the housing 20. Leaks are formed, for example, by the intake duct of the non-operating drive of the spindle that is in the duffer position or the play 31 that exists between the housing 20 and the turret base plate 2. Further leaks can be provided, for example, at points along the seams of the housing walls. The excess pressure that is created inside the housing 20 due to the incoming air flow 30 ensures that there is always a flow of aft at the leak points from the inside of the housing 20 to the outside. This prevents dust and dirt from penetrating the inside of the housing 20 and improves the operational reliability of the drive unit overall.

(9) Modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments illustrated or described herein without departing from the scope and sprit of the invention as set forth in the amended claims.

LEGEND

(10) 1 Roving 2 Turret base plate 3 Axis of rotation of the turret base plate 4 First spindle 5 Axis of rotation of the first spindle 6 Second spindle 7 Direction of rotation of the second spindle 8 Direction of rotation of the turret base plate 9 Fastening element 10 Bobbin tube 11 Traversing means 20 Housing 21, 22 Filter 23 Intake duct, drive of the first spindle 24 Fan wheel 25 Electric motor 26 Transmission 27 Belt drive 28 Hollow shaft 29 Intake flow 30 Incoming air flow 31 Play between housing and turret base plate