WINDING DEVICE FOR STRAND-LIKE MATERIAL TO BE WOUND

Abstract

The invention relates to a winding device for winding strand-like material to be wound onto a rotating reel (2), which winding device has a laying apparatus (9) by means of which the material to be wound is guided to the run-on point on the winding. The laying apparatus (9) is substantially movable in the direction of the axis of rotation (3) of the reel (2). Furthermore the winding device (1) has at least one sensor for determining the run-on angle of the material to be wound onto the winding. The winding device (1) is designed in such a way that the movement of the laying apparatus (9) during the winding process is regulated as a function of the run-on angle determined by means of the at least one sensor. According to the invention the distance between the run-off point at which the material to be wound leaves the laying apparatus (9) and the run-on point during the winding process at least at times is at most four times, preferably at most twice, more preferably at most equal to the diameter of the material to be wound. Due to this small distance, a good winding of the reel is achieved, in which the individual turns rest against one another. In particular the crossing over of individual turns is avoided and the material to be wound is treated carefully.

Claims

1. A winding device for winding strand-like coilable material onto a rotating spool, comprising a traverse mechanism by means of which the coilable material is guided to the run-on point at which the coilable material enters the spooling on the spool and which is substantially movable in the direction of the rotational axis of the spool, further comprising at least one sensor for determining the run-on angle of the coilable material between a perpendicular on the rotational axis of the spool and the run-on axis along which the coilable material enters onto the spooling on the spool, wherein the winding device is designed such that the displacement of the traverse mechanism during the winding process is regulated as a function of the run-on angle determined by the at least one sensor, wherein the distance between the run-off point, at which the coilable material leaves the traverse mechanism, and the run-on point amounts, at least intermittently, to no more than quadruple, preferably no more than double, further preferably is at most equal to the diameter of the coilable material during the winding process.

2. The winding device according to claim 1, wherein in the traverse mechanism comprises a traverse lance along which the coilable material is guided to the run-on point on the spooling.

3. The winding device according to claim 2, wherein the traverse lance is displaceably affixed to the traverse mechanism such that the distance from the run-off point to the rotational axis of the spool can be changed during the winding process.

4. The winding device according to claim 2, wherein the traverse lance is in itself movable in a plane which comprises the run-on axis and which is parallel to the rotational axis of the spool.

5. The winding device according to claim 4, wherein the traverse lance is flexible.

6. The winding device according to claim 4, wherein the traverse lance is of multi-part configuration, wherein at least two of its parts are movably connected together, particularly by a joint or a hinge.

7. The winding device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is affixed to the traverse lance.

8. The winding device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to measure the movements of the traverse lance in itself.

9. The winding device according to claim 2, wherein the traverse lance comprises at least one deflection roller over which the coilable material is guided.

10. The winding device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is an optical or mechanical sensor or a combination of the two.

11. The winding device according to claims 1, wherein the spool comprises at least one flange and that the winding device is designed such that the distance from the run-off point to the rotational axis of the spool during the winding process is, at least intermittently, shorter than the diameter of the flange.

12. A method for winding strand-like coilable material onto a rotating spool by means of a winding device in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance between the run-off point and the run-on point amounts, at least intermittently, to no more than quadruple, preferably no more than double, further preferably is at most equal to the diameter of the coilable material during the winding process.

Description

[0035] Further developments and advantages of the invention are set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying, partly schematic figures. Shown are:

[0036] FIG. 1 a cross section through an inventive winding device with a partially wound spool;

[0037] FIG. 2 a perspective diagonal view of part of an inventive winding device with an empty spool;

[0038] FIG. 3 a magnified detail representation of the traverse mechanism of the FIG. 2 winding device.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section of an inventive winding device 1 with a partially wound spool 2 which is pivotably mounted about a rotational axis 3. The spool 2 comprises a spool body 4 having flanges 5 attached at both its ends.

[0040] The winding device 1 has already partially formed a spooling of coilable material having a round cross section between the flanges 5 of the spool 2. The coilable material is preferably wire and preferably has a diameter between 8 and 30 mm.

[0041] The spooling consists of a plurality of layers 7 of individual coilings 6 which form a hexagonal arrangement in cross section (depicted in an idealized form in FIG. 1).

[0042] Coiling 8 represents an example of an overskip coiling which skipped over the previously formed coiling when the outermost layer 7 was being wound and came to rest further radially outward at that point. After coiling 8, three further coilings then formed properly in the last wound layer 7. Such overskip coilings 8 are to be prevented wherever possible during spooling since the distortions they cause to a uniform spool winding are further intensified in subsequent layers, which can result in an overall irregular poor spooling of the spool with a correspondingly poor degree of spool filling.

[0043] The winding device 1 comprises a traverse mechanism 9 which is displaceable along a spindle 11 arranged parallel to the rotational axis 3 of the spool 2. To that end, the spindle 11 is rotated by a motor 10, whereby a traverse carriage 12 displaceably mounted on the external-thread spindle 11 and having a corresponding internal thread (not shown) is set into linear motion along the spindle 11.

[0044] The traverse carriage 12 is connected to a traverse lance 13 aligned perpendicular to the rotational axis 3 and to the spindle 11. The traverse lance 13 consists of a rear part 13b rigidly connected to the traverse carriage 12 and a front part 13a rotatably mounted to the rear part 13b by means of a swivel joint 14, wherein rotation is possible in that plane which extends through the traverse lance 13 and the rotational axis 3, i.e. the projection plane in FIG. 1 (indicated by the semicircular double arrow on joint 14).

[0045] The coilable material is fed along the traverse lance 13 to the spooling via two deflection rollers 15 (in the interest of clarity, the coilable material itself is not depicted in FIG. 1). One notes that the distance between the outermost position of the left deflection roller 15 and the last wound coiling, i.e. the distance between the run-off point and the run-on point is less than one time the diameter of the coilable material. A (not shown) mechanism can be employed to adjust this distance, for example by the traverse lance 13 being pivotable about the spindle 11 by a predefined angle.

[0046] The traverse lance 13 thus plunges between the two flanges 5 of the spool 2 during the winding process, but can however also be pivoted into the region between the flanges 5 at the beginning of the winding process or pivoted back out of same again at the end of the winding process respectively. Thus, changing spools without the spool 2 being able to collide with the traverse lance 13 presents no difficulty.

[0047] The angle between the front part 13a and the rear part 13b of the traverse lance 13 can be measured by a sensor (not shown) affixed to the joint 14 on the traverse lance 13. As the rear part 13b is always perpendicular to the rotational axis 3 and the front part 13a extends in the direction of the run-on axis of the coilable material, said angle corresponds to the run-on angle of the coilable material.

[0048] By appropriately regulating the traversing speed, i.e. the displacement speed of the traverse carriage 12 along the spindle 11, which results from the rotational speed of the spindle 11, as a function of the measured run-on angle, the traversing can be controlled such that the coilings lie against each other without any gaps forming or the coilings skipping as described above.

[0049] The desired line speed, i.e. the feed rate of the coilable material, and the traversing speed resulting therefrom at a specific point in time, is preferably provided to the control as the target value.

[0050] The traversing speed is preferably regulated in real-time, i.e. the sensor data is processed so rapidly that the control procedure has no impact on the traversing speed.

[0051] The control procedure is hereby designed such that there is no attempt to direct the coilable material into exact trajectories. Instead, only the traverse mechanism 9 is adjusted on the basis of the measured run-on angle such that the traverse lance 13 is always in the best possible position for spooling. Only the winding of the coiling being wound at that present moment is readjusted, not however previously wound coilings or layers.

[0052] The first, i.e. innermost layer can be formed on an unwound spool without any control, only by a controlled displacing of the traverse mechanism 9.

[0053] Furthermore, one or more suitable, preferably optical sensors (not shown) can detect the flanges 5 of the spool 2 so that the traversing direction, i.e. the direction of displacement of the traverse mechanism 9 along the rotational axis 3, automatically reverses upon reaching a flange 5 in order to form the next layer in the reverse direction. This change in direction can however also occur at fixed predefined switching points which correspond to the positions of the flanges 5 along the path of movement of the traverse mechanism 9.

[0054] The sensor data can be captured in digital or analog form. Furthermore, open interfaces to external controllers can be provided in the winding device 1 in order to enable a flexible and modular design of the winding device 1.

[0055] FIG. 2 shows a perspective diagonal view of part of the inventive winding device 1 with an empty spool only depicted schematically in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a magnified detail representation of the traverse mechanism 9 from FIG. 2. The reference numerals thereby correspond to those of FIG. 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0056] 1 winding device [0057] 2 spool [0058] 3 rotational axis [0059] 4 spool body [0060] 5 flange [0061] 6 coiling [0062] 7 layer [0063] 8 overskip coiling [0064] 9 traverse mechanism [0065] 10 motor [0066] 11 spindle [0067] 12 traverse carriage [0068] 13 traverse lance [0069] 13a front part of traverse lance [0070] 13b rear part of traverse lance [0071] 14 joint [0072] 15 deflection roller