Device for winding a strand-shaped winding material and method for doing so

Abstract

Device for winding a strand-shaped material, such as a continuously extruded tube (3), preferably made of plastic, onto a rotating winding drum (5), comprising: a carrier (23), a laying arm (27) movably mounted on the carrier (23) with a receptacle for receiving the material, in particular from an extrusion station, and a winding drum-side end at which the material can be wound onto the rotating winding drum (5) during a particularly linear back-and-forth laying movement of the laying arm (27), which is mounted on the carrier (23) such that, at least during part of the back-and-forth laying movement, the winding drum-side end (33) follows the axially expanding winding layer (15) of a winding loop (17) of the material last wound on the winding drum (5), forming a constant axial lateral contact (K) with a free lateral side (18).wherein the winding drum-side end (33) has an engagement wheel (43) freely rotatably mounted on the laying arm (27), which projects at least sectionally from the winding drum-side end (33) in such a way that an unoccupied, freely accessible, lateral side area is formed, against which the engagement wheel (43) bears against the free lateral side (18) of the last laid winding loop (17) and / or which is dimensioned such that the lateral side (18) of the wound material comes into engagement exclusively with the side area, forming lateral contact (K).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for a method of winding a strand-shaped material, such as a continuously extruded tube, preferably made of plastic, onto a rotating winding drum. With regard to the material being wound, such as an extruded plastic tube, for example, a cable protection tube in which a fiber optic cable can be laid protected, it is important, among other things, to keep the material in stock in lengths of several hundred meters in limited space. It is known to wind the material onto a winding drum or spool and unwind it on-site as needed. For reasons of production efficiency, the winding process follows directly after the manufacturing process, in particular the extrusion, of the material being wound, so that the freshly extruded plastic material leaves a cooling station without being cut to length and is fed to the winding device.The winding process itself is then usually controlled by an operator and, if necessary, manually manipulated.

[0002] When using cable protection conduit as winding material, a standard wooden winding drum is typically employed. The cable protection conduit wound onto the wooden drum is delivered to construction sites for installation as needed. Such inexpensive, standardized wooden winding drums, or other types of winding drums, have proven particularly useful on construction sites due to their relatively low price and potential for reuse. However, these winding drums exhibit rotationally asymmetrical axial and radial runout due to imbalances in the side flanges and the drum core. Because of the geometric irregularity of the winding drum, current technology requires operator monitoring and manipulation of the winding material.Automation has not yet been achieved, not only due to unpredictable geometric variations in low-priced drums, but also because the material properties of plastic pipes only stabilize after a longer curing period. This makes the winding characteristics of the plastic pipe difficult to predict both during and after winding due to changes in material properties following extrusion. Such individual winding parameters require operators with many years of experience in monitoring and manipulating the material being wound. To date, even a near-fully automated winding process without manual operator assistance has not been possible, especially at winding speeds exceeding 100 meters per minute.

[0003] In automation technology, winding methods and winding devices are known in which electrical cables are wound onto geometrically precise reels. EP 0203046 B1, for example, discloses a cable winder in which a guide arm, directed towards the winding reel, has several arm segments connected to each other by means of multiple joints. However, it has been shown that in the known winding automation processes, ideal conditions exist for both the cable and the winding reel, particularly with regard to the geometry of the winding reel and the material properties of the material being wound. Wire winders, in particular, are products of high material quality and uniform material properties, which is why higher costs are incurred to use ideally geometric, unbalanced winding reels.It was found that the known automated winding techniques cannot be successfully used when the material being wound and the winding drum have unpredictable material and geometric properties.

[0004] A winding device for yarn is known from US 2,243,624 A. Cable winding devices with a roller for guiding the cable at the winding-current-side end of a laying arm are known from DE 19 75 560 U and DE 24 41 090 A1. The object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, in particular to provide a device and a method for winding a strand-like material, such as a continuously extruded tube, preferably made of plastic, onto a winding drum, whereby automation is achieved in which manual intervention by an operator can be avoided as far as possible.

[0005] This problem is solved by the features of independent claims 1 or 7.

[0006] The invention provides a device for winding a strand-shaped material, such as a continuously extruded tube, preferably made of plastic, onto a rotating winding drum. According to the invention, the winding device comprises a carrier to which various functional parts of the winding device can be attached. Furthermore, the winding device according to the invention has a laying arm movably mounted on the carrier, with a receptacle for receiving the material, particularly as it exits an extrusion station, and a winding drum-side end at which the material is to be wound onto the rotating winding drum during a linear back-and-forth movement of the laying arm along a rotational axis of the winding drum. The carrier receives the material at the receptacle, which can, for example, be formed by a cross-shaped roller arrangement.The back-and-forth movement of the laying arm is preferably purely translational for each winding layer in a horizontal plane. Since the winding layers are stacked on top of each other, a separate linear back-and-forth movement path can be realized for each winding layer, offset vertically by one winding thickness. In particular, the back-and-forth movement path is not rigidly predetermined according to a fixed control routine, but rather adjusts flexibly depending on the individual winding path. For this purpose, the laying arm is mounted on the support such that, at least during part of the linear back-and-forth movement, the winding drum-side end of the laying arm follows the axially expanding winding layer, forming lateral contact with a free lateral side of the winding of the material wound on the winding drum.According to the invention, the winding device does not position the winding drum-side end according to a predefined control routine, but rather provides the laying arm with a degree of freedom of movement that accommodates the winding growth, thereby compensating for geometric imbalances and changes in geometry during the winding process. In contrast to the prior art, in which rigid control systems implicitly require an ideally geometric winding drum, the winding device according to the invention achieves automation even when unforeseen geometric changes and properties must be taken into account.The winding drum-side end of the laying arm constantly contacts the last laid winding loop and is carried along by it according to the invention, wherein preferably an elastic actuating force from the laying arm acts at the winding drum-side end against the last laid winding loop, so that even in the case of imbalances and axial or radial impacts the lateral contact between the last laid winding loop and the winding drum-side end is not lost, particularly due to inertia.

[0007] It is clear that the winding drum-side end can also maintain radial contact with a drum core of the winding drum or with the already completed winding layer. The radial contact forces required for this are preferably achieved by means of a suitable pivot bearing for the laying arm on the support, based on the influence of the laying arm's own weight.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the laying arm is mounted on the support such that the winding drum-side end temporarily loses contact with the winding during a change of direction of the back-and-forth laying movement, particularly when forming the next winding layer, and remains contactless until the winding drum-side end is carried along in the axial laying direction by the free lateral side of the newly forming first winding loop, thereby re-establishing lateral contact. Only at the two axial ends of the laying movement path is the constant contact between the winding drum-side end and the winding layer and / or the drum core broken.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the winding drum-side end yields to the axial expansion of the winding layer, particularly continuously, by means of an elastic restoring or pre-tensioning force of a restoring or pre-tensioning device pressing the winding drum-side end against the lateral side of the last winding loop laid. The elastic restoring force is directed substantially in the axial direction, particularly parallel to the axis of rotation of the winding drum, such that the essentially exclusively lateral forces are introduced from the winding drum-side end into the last winding loop laid, so that the last winding loop laid is laterally and axially pre-tensioned against its adjacent winding loop.The elastic restoring force or axial preload against the last laid winding loop is preferably realized by the restoring device, which may, for example, comprise a pneumatic actuator or another spring system. The restoring device can act between the support and the laying arm, which is movably mounted relative to the support.

[0010] In a further development of the invention, the winding drum-side end has an engagement wheel freely rotatable on the laying arm. The bearing of the engagement wheel is intended to be free of any other driving forces, but is only set into rotation when it comes into contact with the winding drum or laterally with an already laid winding layer. The engagement wheel can have a fixed axis of rotation relative to the laying arm, which can be arranged essentially parallel or slightly inclined to the axis of rotation of the winding drum. To avoid sliding contact between the laying arm and a side flange of the winding drum, the laying arm can be inclined at an angle to the radially extending inner surface of the side flange. In this case, the axis of rotation of the engagement wheel does not coincide with the axis of rotation of the winding drum, but is inclined by a few degrees.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the engagement wheel has a circumferential cylindrical rolling surface that runs against the cylindrical drum core of the winding drum or against a winding layer already laid on the winding drum. The rolling surface of the engagement wheel presses against the drum core or the winding layer under the influence of the weight of the laying arm, which is pivotably mounted vertically on the support.

[0012] Preferably, the engagement wheel projects section by section beyond the winding drum end such that an unoccupied, freely accessible lateral side region is formed, which, preferably in the case of a disc-shaped engagement wheel, is a smooth, flat surface lying in a vertical plane. Under the influence of the axial restoring force, the engagement wheel is pressed against the free radial lateral side of the last winding loop laid at this side region. The freely accessible side region of the engagement wheel can be dimensioned such that the lateral side of the material being wound engages exclusively with this side region, forming lateral contact. The running surface of the engagement wheel engages with the radially underlying winding layer or the drum core.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the laying arm is mounted on the support such that the winding drum-side end moves stepwise along a linear engagement path on the outer circumference of the winding drum core or on a winding layer most recently laid on the winding drum, corresponding to the gradually increasing axial extent of the winding layer to be laid by the thickness of the material being wound. The engagement path can preferably be located essentially at a 12 o'clock position on the circumference in order to utilize the weight of the laying arm's own weight most effectively. Preferably, the laying arm rests tangentially on the engagement path under the influence of its own weight.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the laying arm has the shape of a sword. The shaft of the sword lies on the support side, while the tip of the sword projects towards the winding drum. The tip of the sword is in constant contact with the winding drum or the already laid layer of winding, at least during the back-and-forth laying movement.

[0015] The laying arm can be formed by two essentially parallel plates whose longitudinal direction extends towards the winding drum and whose lateral direction is oriented vertically. The parallel plates can form a guide space or gap between them, in which the material being wound is guided within the laying arm towards the end facing the winding drum. The guidance of the material being wound within the laying arm can preferably be provided by at least one, in particular freely rotating, roller and / or by at least one, in particular freely rotating, pair of rollers. The roller and / or the pair of rollers can be rotatably mounted on the plates.

[0016] Preferably, a pair of discharge rollers is mounted at the winding drum-side end, preferably freely rotatable, over which the winding material leaves the laying arm in order to be wound towards the winding drum without influencing any further mechanical structure such as the engagement wheel.

[0017] In a further development of the invention, the support-laying arm bearing has a slide-rail arrangement by which the laying arm is guided, in particular essentially parallel to an axis of rotation of the winding drum relative to the support. Preferably, the rails are attached to the support and the slide to the laying arm, with the return mechanism acting, in particular, between the slide and the rail. The return mechanism serves to generate an elastic spring force to pre-tension the winding drum-side end against the last wound loop.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the winding device according to the invention comprises a laying arm bearing that guides the laying arm in a laying direction relative to the support, particularly in a linear direction, which is rotatable along the laying path depending on its axial position, and a restoring or pretensioning device that, when the laying arm is deflected in the laying direction relative to the support, imparts a restoring or pretensioning force to the laying arm in order to press the laying arm laterally, essentially axially, against a winding loop that was last placed on the winding drum. The laying arm bearing can have a slide-rail arrangement according to which the laying arm is guided linearly in the laying direction relative to the support. The axial direction is defined by the axis of rotation of the winding drum.The rotatable laying direction can be parallel to and / or inclined relative to the axial direction, depending particularly on the position of the laying arm along the laying path, in order to generate a clearance angle of the laying arm, particularly of less than 20°, with respect to the horizontal radial extent of the side flange of the winding drum. The carriage is formed on the laying arm side, with the rail being implemented on the carrier side. A handling device, such as a positioning robot, advances the carrier following the laying arm and serves to reduce the increasing deflection of the laying arm, which is caused by the axial growth of the winding layer and always occurs ahead of the advancing carrier.The restoring force serves to constantly press the laying arm against the last laid winding loop and, in particular, to maintain a preload against the winding loop and thus the winding loop contact when the handling device follows the laying arm and guides the carrier. The carrier may only be guided to the extent that a sufficient preload force remains on the laying arm against the last laid winding loop. The greater the deflection of the laying arm relative to the carrier, the stronger the restoring force of the restoring device. This aspect of the invention achieves an optimally compact, dense arrangement of winding loops.

[0019] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment of the invention relates to an positioning or release device that, at least during the laying movement, positions the laying arm near the side flange of the winding drum at a "positive" angle of inclination away from that side flange relative to its horizontal radial extent, and pivots the laying arm towards the opposite side flange at a "negative" angle of inclination away from the other side flange during the back-and-forth laying movement. The positioning device is preferably formed by the handling device, such as the positioning robot, which positions the support to perform the desired pivoting movement around the winding loop contact. The pivot axis of the pivoting movement is preferably located in the region of the winding drum-side end of the laying arm. The pivot point can move along the back-and-forth laying path. It is sufficient to set a release angle of 1° to 20°.Corresponding to the clearance angle, the rotatable laying direction of the laying arm, defined by the laying arm bearing, is also inclined relative to the axial direction, with the inclination angle being greatest at the axial ends of the back-and-forth laying movement and decreasing during the back-and-forth laying movement, just like the clearance angle, disappearing approximately halfway through the laying path and subsequently increasing again, particularly gradually.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a positioning device for the laying arm is provided for operational positioning, particularly during a change of direction in the back-and-forth laying process. This device is used to position the laying arm vertically relative to the winding drum. The positioning device cooperates with a displacement sensor to detect at least one predetermined position of the laying arm along the laying path. Optionally, upon reaching the at least one predefined position, the displacement sensor causes the positioning device to raise the laying arm away from the winding drum or from the layer of winding already placed on it by at least approximately half the thickness of the material being wound, preferably by approximately one thickness or more than one thickness, and at most by twice the thickness of the material.The positioning device for the laying arm can have a pivot bearing, particularly a vertical one, for the laying arm, with a pivot axis of the laying arm located on the support side. The pivot bearing can be implemented, for example, by allowing a laying arm blade on the winding drum side to pivot vertically relative to the base of the laying arm on the support side. Furthermore, the positioning device for the laying arm can have a lifter for raising the pivot axis vertically, particularly linearly. The lifter is formed, for example, by the handling device, such as the positioning robot, which engages the support to raise the support, including the pivot axis of the laying arm, vertically and linearly. To ensure that the pivotable winding drum-side end is included in the lifting action, the pivot bearing has a stop that limits the lowering of the winding drum-side end of the laying arm.The pivot bearing allows, on the one hand, a flexible contact sequence of the winding drum-side end on the already laid winding layer and thus free contour following of the already laid winding layer and its radial imbalances; on the other hand, the contact stop limits a lowering of the winding drum-side end from the support onto the winding layer by a maximum of half the winding material thickness, should the winding drum-side end get between two laid adjacent winding loops.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a winding material brake is arranged on the laying arm, which applies a braking force to the winding material before it reaches the winding drum, in order to pre-tension the winding material. The braking force can be adjusted operationally, in particular by a control and / or regulation system.

[0022] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method according to claim 7. According to this method, a strand-shaped winding material, such as a continuously extruded tube, preferably made of plastic, is wound onto a winding drum by transferring the winding material to the rotating winding drum via a laying arm mounted for a reciprocating movement. Moreover, at least during a portion of the reciprocating movement, which is particularly linear, a winding drum-side end of the laying arm is held in constant lateral contact with a free lateral side of the windings of the winding material wound on the winding drum, so that the winding drum-side end follows the axially expanding winding pattern.

[0023] It is clear that the inventive method can be designed according to the operating function of the inventive winding device.

[0024] Further preferred embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0025] Further properties, features and advantages of the invention are explained by the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a device for winding a continuously extruded plastic tube onto a winding drum in an initial operating state in which a first winding layer is deposited on the winding drum; Fig. 2a a perspective view of the winding device according to Fig. 1 shortly before the operating state of a winding direction change; Fig. 2b a perspective detail view of the engagement of a winding drum-side end of a laying arm on the winding and the winding drum according to the operating state after Fig. 2a; Fig. 3a a perspective view of the winding device during the operating state of the winding direction change; Fig. 3b a perspective detail view of the winding drum-side end of the laying arm according to the operating state after Fig. 3a; Fig. 4a a perspective view of the winding device in the operating state after the winding direction change; Fig. 4b a perspective detail view of the winding drum-side end of the laying arm according to the operating state after Fig. 4a; Fig. 5 a perspective view of the winding device with axes of movement of a support of the winding device and of the laying arm; Fig. 6. A top view of the winding device in the operating state of the winding direction change according to Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b; Fig. 7 a perspective top view of the support of the winding device according to Fig. 1; Fig. 8 a perspective side view of the carrier according to Fig. 7; Fig. 9 another perspective view of the carrier after Fig. 7 with regard to an eddy current brake for the wound material in a passive operating state; and Fig. 10 the perspective side view of the carrier according to Fig. 7 with the eddy current brake in an active operating state.

[0026] In Fig. In the invention, the winding device is generally designated by reference numeral 1. The winding device 1 serves to wind a continuously extruded plastic tube 3, such as a so-called cable protection tube, from an extrusion station (not shown in detail) onto a winding drum 5, whereby the aim is to achieve the most uniform winding possible without gaps between the individual winding loops 17 and with a substantially constant winding pitch of one plastic tube width per revolution, as is the case, for example, in the Fig. 1 to 4b is shown.

[0027] The winding drum 5 comprises a substantially cylindrical drum core 7, to each of whose two axial ends a lateral, radially extending side flange 11a, 11b is attached. Concentric to the rotational symmetry of the winding drum 5, a rotation axis 13 of the winding drum 5 is fixed in position (relative to a reference base B on which the winding device 1 stands), about which the winding drum 5 rotates to carry out the winding process. The rotation axis 13 defines an axial direction, which is also referred to below to define movements of movable components of the winding device 1.

[0028] For economic reasons, the standardized winding drum 5 is often made of wood, whereby the drum core 7 as well as the side flanges 11a, 11b may deviate slightly, but not negligibly, from an ideally symmetrical shape. The cylindrical drum core 7 may exhibit radial runout, while the side flanges 11a, 11b may exhibit axial imbalances. Winding drums 5 made of other materials, such as plastic, also frequently deviate from an ideally symmetrical rotational shape, either randomly or due to the manufacturing process.

[0029] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the extruded plastic tube 3 is already wound around the drum core 7 in an initial winding position, covering more than half the axial circumference of the winding drum 5. The winding loop most recently applied to the drum core 7 will be designated with the reference numeral 17. Until the next winding loop is completely wrapped around the drum core 7 and has formed a lateral surface, the winding loop 17 has a circumferentially free axial lateral side 18, which will be the primary reference point in the following description, particularly at approximately the 12 o'clock position (contact with the engagement wheel 43).

[0030] The plastic tube 3 is continuously extruded cylindrically along its length and can have an outer diameter of 5 mm to 30 mm or 40 mm. The thickness of the plastic tube 3 can be approximately 10% to 60% of the outer tube radius. The plastic tube 3 is continuously formed in an extrusion station (not shown) and passes through a cooling line (water bath) into the winding device 1, which may be preceded by a plastic tube (3) buffer system (not shown). This buffer system is designed to compensate for different conveying speeds of the plastic tube 3 in its longitudinal direction during the extrusion process and during winding.The buffer system (not shown) can, for example, be designed as a vertical pendulum which, through the vertical displacement of a deflection wheel, can compensate for excessively low or high speeds of the winding device 1 relative to the extrusion device by allowing the deflection wheel to assume a higher or lower vertical position. In this way, a buffer section for the extruded plastic tube (3) can be achieved for a continuous manufacturing process before it enters the winding device 1.

[0031] The winding device 1 according to the invention essentially consists of four main components, namely a carrier 23, a laying arm 27, a resetting device 61 and a [unclear text] Fig. 5 indicated positioning robots 71.

[0032] The laying arm 27 has a shape similar to a chainsaw, with a laying arm base 28 (actuator / motor base) and a laying blade 29 that extends from the laying arm base 28 essentially horizontally to the winding drum 5 and directly or indirectly contacts it. The laying arm base 28 has a receptacle 21 on its end face facing away from the winding drum 5 ( Fig. 6, Fig. 9 and Fig. 10) for receiving the plastic tube 3, which in particular exits an extrusion station continuously. The receiving unit 21 comprises star-shaped pairs of rollers 25, which define a threading opening to ensure horizontal and vertical threading of the plastic tube 3 into the laying arm 27. The laying arm base 28 is mainly formed by a profile support 57, which is composed of several joined support plates. Functional components of the winding device 1, such as a microcomputer, actuators, etc., can be attached to the support plates.

[0033] The support 23 movably holds the laying arm 27 and, in the illustrated embodiment, has a rail 51 to which a gripper arm of the positioning robot 71 is attached. The rail 51 cooperates with a carriage 53 of the laying arm base 28 such that the laying arm 27 can be moved back and forth along the linear carriage path.

[0034] The laying blade 29 extends predominantly in a horizontal direction, approximately perpendicular to the axial direction 13 from the laying arm base 28 towards the winding drum 5, wherein the laying arm 27 is dimensioned such that it projects in its longitudinal direction over the drum core 7 (to approximately its axial center) (viewed in relation to A).

[0035] The laying blade 29 has two vertical guide and retaining plates 31a, 31b arranged parallel to each other. A guide slot for the plastic pipe 3 is formed between the two retaining and guide plates 31a, 31b, which have a substantially constant vertical width in their essentially horizontal direction of extension. To ensure that the plastic pipe 3 can slide securely from the receptacle 21 along the laying arm 27 between the retaining and guide plates 31a, 31b, guide rollers can be rotatably mounted in the guide slot on the retaining and guide plates 31a, 31b and form a spatially defined guide channel through the guide slot.

[0036] At a winding drum-side end 33 of the laying arm 27, a pair of discharge rollers 35 with horizontal axes of rotation are still mounted in the guide gap, which ensure a guided discharge of the plastic pipe 3 from the winding drum-side end 33 of the laying arm 27 towards the winding drum 5.

[0037] A displacement sensor in the form of a contact element 37 is positioned on the upper side of the winding drum-side end 33. The contact element 37 comprises a freely rotatable contact wheel whose axis of rotation is vertically arranged. Other displacement sensor designs known from the prior art can also be used. The contact wheel has a passive operating state during the laying movement W of the laying arm 27 between the left side flange 11b and the opposite right side flange 11a, in which the axis of rotation lies in a guide slot of the laying blade 29.As soon as the contact wheel of the contact transmitter 37 engages with the radial inner surface 41 of the respective side flange 11a, 11b, the contact wheel, in particular its vertical axis of rotation, is deflected axially because the contact wheel projects axially in both axial directions at the winding drum-side end 33 of the laying arm 27 and is pivotably mounted on the laying arm 27 for axial deflection. During axial deflection of the contact wheel, the contact transmitter 37 sends an electrical contact signal to a control and / or regulating device (not shown), which processes the contact signal for further winding operation of the winding device 1.

[0038] On the underside of the winding drum end 33, opposite the top side, a gear 43 is mounted to the laying arm 27 so as to be freely rotatable. Its axis of rotation is essentially horizontal and parallel to the axis of rotation 13 of the winding drum 5. The running surface of the gear 43 is in direct rolling contact with the driven drum core 7 or with an already laid winding layer. During winding, a freely accessible side area of ​​the gear 43 bears against the axial lateral side 18 of the last laid winding loop 17 with a predominantly axial pressure preload contact.

[0039] The axial width of the running surface of the engagement wheel 43 is dimensioned such that it is larger than half the outer diameter of the plastic tube 3, but smaller than the outer diameter of the plastic tube 3.

[0040] The laying arm 27 is vertically pivotable via a support-side pivot bearing (23), which is not illustrated in detail. A support-side pivot axis S runs horizontally, at least depending on the laying path position, parallel to the rotation axis 13 of the winding drum 5. A damping unit 45 is provided to control the pivoting movement of the laying arm 27 in a vertical plane. This damping unit is attached on one side to the support 23 and on the other side to a projection 47 on the top of the laying blade 29. The damping unit 45 ensures a damped pivoting movement of the laying arm 27 about the support-side pivot axis S. A pivot stop (not shown) is provided to limit the downward pivoting of the laying arm 27 in the vertical plane onto the winding drum 5.The pivot stop ensures that the engagement wheel 43 does not become wedged between two already laid winding loops and is forced completely between them, thus preventing contact between the engagement wheel 43 and a complete winding layer underneath. The pivoting range of the laying arm 27 and the position of the pivot stop are fixed relative to the laying arm 27 such that, during the back-and-forth laying motion, the engagement wheel 43 is in rolling contact with the cylindrical drum core 7 or the last laid winding layer. However, the pivot stop prevents the engagement wheel 43 from lowering beyond half the thickness of the plastic pipe 3, thus preventing rolling contact with the last completely laid winding layer.

[0041] The support 23 can be moved relative to the stationary axis of rotation 13 or to the stationary reference floor B of a production hall by means of a positioning robot 71, which is stationary on the reference floor B, grasping the support 23, holding it and positioning it according to the control system in accordance with the winding process.

[0042] In Fig. Figure 5 shows some of the axes of movement of the positioning robot 71, wherein the positioning robot 71 can move the carrier 23 in the horizontal direction, which corresponds to the axial direction (rotation axis 13) and essentially to the laying direction V, and linearly in inclination A, and wherein the positioning robot 71 can pivot the carrier 23 about the lateral contact K (about the rotation axis D).

[0043] The point of engagement of the engagement wheel 43 with the drum core 7 or the already laid winding layer forms an actuation point at which the laying arm 27 is axially displaced ahead of the support 23 by the axial growth of the winding layer 15. This can be described as a flexibly reacting follow-up movement of the laying arm 27, which directly follows the continuous axial laying of the winding loops 17 and the axial growth of the winding layer 15. A vertical pivoting movement about the pivot axis S, due to the contact of the engagement wheel 43 with the winding drum 5 and a radial growth of the winding layers, achieves a follow-up adjustment of the laying arm 27, which is initially mounted on the stationary support 23. The yielding movement of the laying arm 27 and the adjusting movement of the support 23 are indicated by the double arrows V, A in Fig. 5 indicated.

[0044] The positioning robot 71 holds the carrier 23 by means of the rail 51, which cooperates with the carriage 53, formed by a base plate 55 and a profile carrier 57 extending downwards from it. The carriage 53 and the rail 51 form a translational bearing whose translational laying direction V is defined essentially or approximately parallel to the horizontal axial direction (axis of rotation 13). The carriage (53)-rail (51) arrangement grants the laying arm 27 freedom of movement relative to the carrier 23 only in the laying direction V, so that the carriage 53 can only be moved in the laying direction V relative to the positioning robot 71, in particular its gripper arm (not shown).

[0045] The rail (51)-slide (53) arrangement provides axial flexibility for the laying arm 27. This axial flexibility is created by the degree of freedom in the laying direction V. To prevent the engagement wheel 43 from losing contact with the lateral side of the last laid winding loop 17 between the two side flanges 11a, 11b during the laying process, a restoring or pretensioning device 61 acts between the slide 53 and the rail 51. This device generates an elastic restoring or pretensioning force as soon as the laying arm 27 is deflected in the laying direction V from a predefined neutral position relative to the support 23, in which no restoring forces of the restoring device 61 act between the rail 51 and the slide 53, driven by the axial expansion of the winding layer 15. The magnitude of the restoring force is greater the greater the deflection of the laying arm 27 from the neutral position.The reset device 61 is formed by a pair of pneumatic actuators 63, 65, the details of which are described in the . Fig. Figures 7 to 10 are indicated. A pneumatic actuator 65 or 63 is active for generating the restoring force only in one of the routing directions V (for example, from the side flange 11a to the side flange 11b), while the other pneumatic actuator (65 or 63) is active in the opposite routing direction V (from the side flange 11b to the side flange 11a).

[0046] If the laying arm 27 is moved in the laying direction V by the periodic, horizontal laying of the winding loop 17, the end 33 of the laying arm 27 together with the carriage 53 shifts in the linear laying direction V relative to the rail 51, which during this time remains temporarily stationary in its position unaffected, until it is readjusted, for example, by the positioning robot 71 when a deflection threshold of the carriage 53 is exceeded, which reduces the restoring force of the restoring device. Due to the relative movement between the slide 53 and the rail 51, the pneumatic actuator 63 or 65 (depending on the axial laying direction) is pneumatically tensioned, so that the pneumatically elastic restoring force is generated in the pneumatic actuator 63, 65, which is communicated to the laying arm 27 via the slide 53 and finally pre-tensions the engagement wheel 43 axially against the free lateral side 18 of the last wound winding loop 17.The axial restoring preload ensures that all winding loops 17 are placed close together in the axial direction to achieve the desired uniform winding sequence, and allows for flexible adaptation to geometric and material-specific anomalies.

[0047] It is clear that the pneumatic actuator 63, 65 can also generate an actively controlled pneumatic restoring force independently of the positioning of the laying arm 27, for example by pneumatically activating the pneumatic actuator via a control and / or regulation device (not shown in detail) depending on a predetermined operating state. To achieve the simplest possible design, the pneumatic actuator 63 is uncontrolled and (only) generates elastic restoring forces when the laying arm 27 is moved from its neutral position in the laying direction V.

[0048] To keep the axial restoring force that the engagement wheel 43 presses against the free lateral side 18 of the last winding loop 17 essentially constant, the axial deflection between the carriage 53 and the rail 51 is kept essentially constant or at least within a limit range. For this purpose, a position sensor (not shown) is used, which, with the aid of a control and / or regulation device (not shown in detail), monitors a predefined minimum and maximum target deflection amplitude. If this amplitude is exceeded or fallen below, the positioning robot 71 follows the deflection movement of the laying arm 27, whereby the retraction can correspond approximately to the thickness of the plastic pipe 3. In this way, it is ensured that the elastic restoring force is reduced by the periodic build-up of the deflection as the rail 51 follows the movement.

[0049] In order to achieve the desired winding around the drum core 7 of the winding drum 5, the plastic tube 3 is subjected to a constant tensile preload force as far as possible in its longitudinal direction when winding around the drum core 7.

[0050] According to the invention, an electromagnetic brake, in particular an eddy current brake 67, is arranged on the carrier 23, in particular on the slide 53, which consists of an active operating position, as described in Fig. 10 can be seen to enter a passive operating position (see Fig. 9) can be transferred. The eddy current brake 67, which may be set and manipulated by a control and / or regulating device (not specified in detail), serves to transmit the essentially uniform tensile preload force to the plastic tube 3. For example, the eddy current brake 67 can have two magnetic rotors that rotate in an electromagnetically generated magnetic field, with each rotor being able to be extended and retracted to adjust the electromagnetic braking force. To introduce sufficient frictional deceleration forces into the plastic tube 3, a toothed belt 72 is provided, which is tensioned around two deflection pulleys of the eddy current brake 67. The toothed belt 72 has transverse teeth to ensure the desired engagement with the plastic tube 3 and the transmission of the frictional force.In an alternative design of the belt 72, a longitudinally running mountain-valley profile can also be provided, which is shaped in a form complementary to the plastic tube 3.

[0051] The following describes how a new winding layer 15, "raised" in the radial direction of the winding drum 5, is initiated when a winding layer on the drum core 7 or on an already laid winding layer has been almost completed and a "new" layer forms on top of it. Particular attention is paid to the Fig. Reference is made to sections 2a to 4b.

[0052] In Fig. 2a and Fig. Figure 2b shows an operating state in which a first winding layer 15 on the drum core 7 is almost complete. The engagement wheel 43 runs on the cylindrical drum core 7, with the axial restoring force generated by the restoring device 61 pressing the previously laid winding loop 17 axially against the adjacent winding loop. Before the last winding loop 17 of the first winding layer 15 is completed, the contact wheel of the contactor 37 engages with the inner surface 41 of the side flange 11a. As the winding process continues, the contact wheel is deflected horizontally, thereby sending the control signal from the contactor 37 to a control and / or regulating device (not shown).Upon receiving the control signal, this causes the laying arm 27 to be raised vertically by the positioning robot 71 lifting the support 23 and its rail 51 in lifting direction A essentially by no more than the thickness of the plastic pipe 3, whereby the vertical pivot stop (not shown) carries the laying arm 27 in vertical lifting direction to raise the winding drum-side end 33 of the laying arm 27 by slightly more than the outer diameter of the plastic pipe 3 above the just completed winding layer 15. This operating state of the raised winding drum-side end 33 is described in the . Fig. 3a and Fig. Figure 3b shows the deflected contact element 37. In the axial end position of the winding drum-side end 33 of the laying arm 27, there is temporarily no contact between the engagement wheel 43 and the plastic tube 3. By continuously winding, the plastic tube 3 is placed into the remaining winding gap to the side flange 11a until the first winding loop of the "new" winding layer 15 is formed. First, the freely accessible side area of ​​the engagement wheel 43 comes into lateral contact K with the lateral side 18 of the first winding loop 17 of the winding layer 15 to be laid, whereby the rolling surface of the engagement wheel 43 is briefly raised away from the already completed winding layer 15. Only after the first winding loop 17 carries the engagement wheel 43 in the laying direction V does the engagement wheel 43 lower itself, so that its rolling surface comes into rolling contact with the fully laid winding layer 15.This operating state is in the . Fig. 4a and Fig. As can be seen in Figure 4b, the engagement wheel 43 is in rolling contact with the newly laid winding layer 15 on one side, and its uncovered side area is in lateral contact K with the lateral side 18 of the first winding loop 17, thus creating a preload. In this operating state, the laying arm 27 has already been displaced axially relative to the support 23, causing the return mechanism 61 to generate the return force that presses the engagement wheel 43 against the newly laid winding loop 17. The fact that the laying arm 27 has already been deflected away from its axial end position is also evident from the position of the contact wheel of the contact transmitter 37, which is now in its passive operating state and no longer in rolling contact with the inner side 41 of the side flange 11a.

[0053] In Fig. 6 shows that the laying arm 27 is in Fig.6 axial end position shown in relation to the horizontal radial direction H R The laying arm 27 is inclined at an angle α, such that, starting from its winding drum-side end 33, it is inclined away from the right side flange 11a towards the center of the winding drum. This ensures that the contact wheel of the contact transmitter 37 has sufficient clearance to pivot out in order to generate and transmit the control signal without the end 33 of the laying arm 27 coming into contact with the inner surface 41 of the side flange 11a, 11b.

[0054] During the axial laying movement from the right side flange 11a to the left side flange 11b, a (positive) angle of attack α decreases, so that approximately in the axial center of the winding drum 5 the longitudinal extension of the laying arm 27 aligns with the horizontal radial direction H RThe laying arm 27, in the opposite axial laying end position, is also inclined towards the center of the winding drum 5 at a (negative) angle of attack α, in particular of the same magnitude. Even in this position, the contact transmitter 37 can be reliably triggered by pivoting the contact wheel laterally.

[0055] In both axial laying end positions of the laying arm 27, the radially extending side flange 11a, 11b does not come into movement conflict with the laying arm 27 inclined to it.

[0056] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, figures and claims can be important for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments, both individually and in any combination. Reference symbol list 1 winding device 3 plastic pipes 5 winding drum 7 drum core 11a, 11b right and left side flange 13 Rotation axis 13' Axial direction 15 winding layers 17 winding loop 18 Lateral side of 3 21 recording 23 carriers 25 pairs of rollers 27 Laying arm 28 Laying arm base 29 Laying sword or lance 31a, 31b Guide and retaining plates 33 end on the winding drum 35 delivery rolls 37 contact persons 41 Inside 43. Engagement wheel 45 Spring damping unit 47 lead 51 rail 53 sleds 55 Base plate 57 profile beams 61 Reset device 63, 65 pneumatic actuators 67 Eddy current brake 71 positioning robots 72 timing belts α Angle of attack α' Angle of inclination A correction B Reference floor D axis of rotation H R horizontal radial extension K Lateral contact M Direction of rotation of 5 S swivel axis V laying direction W Back and forth laying path

Claims

[1] Device for winding a strand-shaped material, such as a continuously extruded tube (3), preferably made of plastic, onto a rotating winding drum (5), comprising: a carrier (23), a laying arm (27) movably mounted on the carrier (23) with a receptacle for receiving the material, in particular from an extrusion station, and a winding drum-side end at which the material can be wound onto the rotating winding drum (5) during a particularly linear back-and-forth laying movement of the laying arm (27), which is mounted on the carrier (23) such that, at least during part of the back-and-forth laying movement, the winding drum-side end (33) follows the axially expanding winding layer (15) of a winding loop (17) of the material last wound on the winding drum (5) by forming a constant axial lateral contact (K) with a free lateral side (18).wherein the winding drum-side end (33) has an engagement wheel (43) freely rotatably mounted on the laying arm (27), which projects at least sectionally from the winding drum-side end (33) in such a way that an unoccupied, freely accessible, lateral side area is formed, against which the engagement wheel (43) bears against the free lateral side (18) of the last laid winding loop (17) and / or which is dimensioned such that the lateral side (18) of the wound material comes into engagement exclusively with the side area, forming lateral contact (K). [2] Device according to claim 1, wherein the laying arm (27) is mounted on the support (23) such that the winding drum-side end (33) loses lateral contact (K) to the winding when the direction of the forward to the reverse laying movement changes, in particular to form a next winding layer (15), and remains contactless with the winding until the winding drum-side end (33) is carried along by the winding loop (17) in the axial laying direction (V) with the free lateral side (18) while forming lateral contact (K), and / or that the winding drum-side end follows the axial progressive expansion of the winding layer (15) yieldingly, by means of an elastic restoring force of a restoring device (61) pressing the winding drum-side end (33) against the lateral side (18). [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the freely rotatable engagement wheel (43) defines a laying arm-related fixed axis of rotation which is in particular arranged substantially parallel to the axis of rotation (13) of the winding drum (5), and / or has a circumferential rolling surface which runs on a cylindrical core (7) of the winding drum (5) or on a winding layer (15) placed on the winding drum (5). [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the laying arm (27) is mounted on the support (23) such that the winding drum-side end (33) moves linearly along an axial engagement path on the outer circumference of a winding drum core (7) or on a winding layer (15) last placed on the winding drum (5), wherein in particular the engagement path is essentially located at a 12 o'clock circumferential position of the winding drum (5) and / or along the engagement path the laying arm (27) rests tangentially to the circumference of the winding drum (5) at least under the influence of its own weight. [5] Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the laying arm (27) has the form of a sword extending from the support (23) to the winding drum-side end (33), and / or is formed by two substantially parallel plates (31a, b) which form a guide gap between them, in which the winding material is guided towards the winding drum-side end (33) in particular by means of at least one, in particular free-running, roller and / or at least one, in particular free-running, pair of rollers which are mounted on the plates, wherein in particular a discharge roller pair is arranged at the winding drum-side end, over which the winding material leaves the laying arm (27), in particular without influence of the engagement wheel (43). [6] Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a carrier-laying arm bearing has a slide-rail arrangement by which the laying arm (27) is guided, in particular substantially parallel to an axis of rotation (13) of the winding drum (5) relative to the carrier (23), wherein in particular the rail (51) is attached to the carrier (23) and the slide (53) is attached to the laying arm (27), wherein in particular a return device (61) acts between the slide (53) and the rail (51). [7] Method for winding a strand-shaped material, such as a continuously extruded tube (3), preferably made of plastic, onto a winding drum (5), wherein the material is transferred to the rotating winding drum (5) via a laying arm (27) mounted for a back-and-forth laying movement, wherein at least during part of the particularly linear back-and-forth laying movement, a winding drum-side end (33) of the laying arm (27) is held in constant lateral contact (K) with a free lateral side (18) of the last laid winding loop (17) of the material, so that the winding drum-side end is carried along by the axially expanding winding layer (15), wherein the winding drum-side end (33) has an engagement wheel (43) freely rotatably mounted on the laying arm (27), which projects at least section by section from the winding drum-side end (33) such that an unoccupied, freely accessible, lateral The side area is formedwhere the engagement wheel (43) rests against the free lateral side (18) of the last laid winding loop (17) and / or which is dimensioned such that the lateral side (18) of the winding material comes into engagement exclusively with the side area, forming lateral contact (K). [8] Method according to claim 7, which proceeds according to the functioning of the winding device designed according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images