Spooling device with a swivel drive

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a winding device for winding a thread onto a spool sleeve to form a spool, comprising at least one pivoting arm with a pivoting axis and a sleeve receptacle arranged on the pivoting arm and a support roller for supporting the spool sleeve, wherein a pivoting drive is provided for moving the pivoting arm about the pivoting axis.

[0002] Rotary drives of this type are used in various textile machines, such as end spinning machines, rewinding machines, and winding machines. The bobbin, or bobbin case, is rotatably mounted between two support arms or on a winding mandrel. The two support arms or the winding mandrel are themselves held in a common swivel arm with a pivot axis. At the beginning of a winding process (a so-called winding cycle), the bobbin case rests on a support roller and is set in rotation by a drive. This causes a thread or yarn fed between the support roller and the bobbin case to be wound onto the bobbin case, forming a bobbin. Various types of bobbins are used, in cylindrical or conical shapes, made from different materials, such as plastic or paper. The bobbins can be designed with or without side flanges.Depending on the type of bobbin used, there are also versions of the backup roller in which the roller is shifted along its axis during winding to adapt to the bobbin's shape. During winding, the yarn is moved back and forth along a longitudinal axis of the bobbin, creating various windings in terms of structure and shape. The bobbin is driven either directly by a motor that rotates at least one of the bobbin holders or the bobbin mandrel, or indirectly by a friction roller arranged parallel to the bobbin. The friction roller also serves as a backup roller. This roller can be designed as a grooved drum or a slotted drum. With a direct drive of the bobbin, the yarn's movement is achieved by a separate laying unit, and the bobbin is supported by a separate backup roller.The yarn is clamped between the support roller and the bobbin sleeve, or the yarn already on the bobbin sleeve, and thus laid down on the bobbin sleeve.

[0003] During the winding process, the diameter of the resulting bobbin steadily increases due to the thread wound onto the bobbin case. Consequently, the distance between the support roller and the longitudinal axis of the bobbin case increases. Winding devices equipped with a rotary drive for this movement are known in the prior art. It is also known that rotary drives can be equipped with an angle sensor, allowing a corresponding control system to know the position of the rotary drive and the bobbin case at all times.

[0004] CN 206 692 118 U discloses a rotary drive in which the rotary axis is indirectly driven by a motor. The motor's movement is transmitted to the rotary arm via a belt drive. In contrast, EP 3 649 069 A1, for example, discloses a rotary drive that provides a direct drive to the rotary axis. In this case, an electric motor is coupled to the rotary axis via a planetary spiral gear. A disadvantage of this design is that, to remove a full coil, the self-locking mechanism of the drive must be overcome, or the swiveling must be performed by the drive itself.

[0005] Also known are winding devices in which the swivel drive has no drive of its own; in these devices, the coil sleeve is pivoted around the pivot axis solely by an increase in the coil diameter during a winding cycle. For example, EP 1 820 764 A1 discloses such a winding device. To achieve uniform movement of the swivel arm, the coil sleeve or the coil is pressed against the slotted drum by a pneumatic cylinder. In an alternative solution, DE 198 17 363 A1 and US 6,405,968 B2, for example, disclose a regulation of the contact force between the slotted drum and the coil by applying a torque via a stepper motor to drive the swivel axis, whereby a pivoting movement of the swivel arm is caused by the coil itself as it increases in diameter. WO 2021 / 224750 A1 discloses a winding device according to the preamble of claim 1.A transmission device is known from US 2019 / 285140 A1.

[0006] A further disadvantage of the known designs of the known rotary actuators is that their construction results in limited repeatability, either in the case of direct drives due to their self-locking or in the case of belt drives due to elasticity.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a swivel drive for a spooling device for winding a thread onto a spool sleeve, which enables precise movement due to its freedom from backlash.

[0008] The problem is solved by a winding device with the features of the independent patent claim.

[0009] A rotary drive is proposed for a spooling device for winding a thread onto a bobbin case to form a spool. The rotary drive comprises a drive shaft and a swivel shaft, a motor arranged in the drive shaft, a first gear stage, and a second gear stage with a gear output in the swivel shaft. Each gear stage incorporates a crown gear. Gearboxes with crown gears are, by design, right-angle gearboxes. A high efficiency of over 90% can be achieved with crown gear gearboxes. In a crown gear gearbox, the crown gear interacts with a cylindrical gear, enabling high reduction ratios. Furthermore, a backlash-free transmission of the rotation from the crown gear to the cylindrical gear and vice versa is possible through appropriate gearing. For example, spur or helical gears are used for the cylindrical gear.In addition to being backlash-free, crown gear drives are, due to their design, insensitive to minor angular displacements. This has the advantage that vibrations which can be transmitted from the winding device to the rotary drive have no influence on the operational reliability of the gear stages.

[0010] Preferably, a connection between the motor and the first crown gear of the first gear stage is provided via a first pinion, the first pinion being connected to a rotor of the motor in a rotationally secure manner. The first pinion, together with the first crown gear, forms the first gear stage. A pinion is defined as a toothed cylindrical gear with a fixed axle. The axle and cylindrical gear can also be a single piece. The teeth of the cylindrical gear can be straight, helical, or bevel gears. By interposing the pinion, a high first reduction ratio of up to 1:10 is achieved between the motor and the first crown gear. In the second gear stage, a second crown gear and a corresponding second pinion are also provided. A reduction ratio of up to 1:10 is also achievable in the second gear stage.By connecting the first and second gear stages, the proposed rotary drive achieves a reduction ratio of up to 1:100. For example, a reduction ratio of 1:90 results in a 2-degree rotation of the motor around a swivel axis. It has been found that an overall reduction ratio in the range of 1:16 to 1:64 is preferable for operating a spooling device. This allows for very precise adjustments of the swivel axis position.

[0011] Advantageously, the crown gears of the first and second gear stages are operatively connected via a second pinion, with the first crown gear of the first gear stage and the second pinion of the second gear stage being connected by a common shaft. A first crown gear is driven by the first cylindrical gear of the first pinion. The first pinion and the first crown gear form the first gear stage. Because the first crown gear is fixed against rotation on a common shaft with a second pinion, the first crown gear and the second cylindrical gear rotate at the same speed. A common shaft results in a simple design. A clutch can be provided between the second pinion and the first crown gear. This has the advantage that the two gear stages can be built separately or replaced.For the purposes of this patent application, the axes of the first crown wheel and the second pinion, locked together by a coupling, are considered a common axis. The second crown wheel is then driven via this second pinion, or rather the second cylinder wheel. One axis of the second crown wheel constitutes an output shaft of the swivel drive. A swivel axis of a corresponding winding device can be connected to the axis of the second crown wheel.

[0012] Preferably, the motor incorporates an angle measurement function. Using this angle measurement, and after conversion via the gear stages, the precise position of the swivel axis can be determined. Based on the swivel axis position, a controller can calculate the coil diameter and, consequently, the time required to complete a coil. Alternatively, an angle measurement can be implemented directly on the swivel axis; however, this is less accurate because the swivel axis is only rotated by a few arcminutes at a time, corresponding to the increasing coil diameter.

[0013] According to the invention, a winding device for winding a thread onto a bobbin case is proposed. The winding device comprises at least one pivot arm with a pivot axis, a bobbin case holder arranged on the pivot arm, and a support roller for supporting the bobbin case. A pivot drive is provided for moving the pivot arm about the pivot axis as described above. The bobbin case holder can be designed in the form of a bobbin mandrel. Simple rotatable support rollers, driven friction rollers, or grooved drums are used as support rollers. In a preferred embodiment, a drive for the bobbin mandrel is arranged on the lever arm. The additional weight of this drive, which also affects the bearing force of the bobbin case on the support roller, can be absorbed by the corresponding movement of the pivot drive.This direct drive of the winding mandrel, instead of an indirect drive of the bobbin via the support roller, allows for slip-free control of the winding speed. It also results in fewer losses in the form of friction and mechanical transmission, leading to lower energy consumption of the bobbin drive. Advantageously, a control system is provided, which includes a yarn thickness input. If the yarn thickness is known to the control system, it can calculate the necessary movement of the pivoting arm during a winding cycle. After a turn is placed on the bobbin, the pivoting arm is moved by the yarn thickness. The control system knows when a turn is completed based on the bobbin's rotations and the resulting movement of the yarn.

[0014] Preferably, a force measurement is provided to determine the contact force acting on the swivel arm. Using this force measurement, a quantity is determined which, taking into account the machine's technical specifications, is directly proportional to the contact force of the coil sleeve or the coil on the backup roller. The contact force between the coil or coil sleeve and the backup roller is not measured directly, but rather the force acting on the swivel arm. The influence of the swivel arm's own weight, any drive mechanism for the mandrel, and the mandrel itself on the force measurement must be considered. The resulting forces acting on the force measurement change with increasing coil diameter due to the swivel arm's pivoting motion and the associated change in the horizontal distance between the mandrel and the swivel arm's stationary axis of rotation.

[0015] Force measurement can be implemented hydraulically or mechanically. Advantageously, force measurement is achieved using a load cell positioned between two parts of the swivel arm. This allows for a simple and compact design, and the load cell can also be easily connected directly to a controller. Various types of force transducers can be used in load cells. For example, force transducers are known in which the force acts on an elastic spring element, deforming it. The deformation of the spring element is converted into a change in electrical voltage via strain gauges, whose electrical resistance changes with strain. A measuring amplifier registers the electrical voltage and thus the change in strain. Due to the elastic properties of the spring element, this can be converted into a force measurement.Bending beams, ring torsion springs, or other designs are used as spring elements. Another type of load cell utilizes piezoceramic elements. In this design, the directed deformation of a piezoelectric material creates microscopic dipoles within the unit cells of the piezoelectric crystal. The summation of these dipoles across the associated electric field in all unit cells of the crystal results in a macroscopically measurable electrical voltage, which can be converted into a force measurement. Load cells are well-known in the art and are widely used today in force and weight measurement. As an alternative to arranging the force measurement within the swivel arm, force measurement can be performed directly above the axis of the swivel arm. In this case, the axis simultaneously serves as a pivoting connection between the mounting bracket and the swivel arm, acting as the force-introducing component for the force measurement.

[0016] Advantageously, the control system uses force measurement to determine the movement of the swivel arm around its pivot axis, ensuring a constant contact force between the bobbin and the support roller. This constant pressure during the winding process allows for precise calculation of the unwound yarn length. The constant contact force also results in a uniform bobbin density throughout the entire winding process, maintaining a consistent yarn thickness-to-bobbin diameter ratio.

[0017] Preferably, two swivel arms with a common pivot axis are provided, each with sleeve receptacles arranged on the swivel arm and with a support roller for the spool sleeve. This offers the advantage that larger spools can be produced, since the double-sided support of the spool sleeve distributes the force across two swivel arms and results in smoother spool operation.

[0018] Preferably, a winding machine or rewinding machine is equipped with a winding device as described above, which makes the machine itself easy to operate and inexpensive to manufacture. When a predetermined bobbin diameter is reached, the winding process is stopped and the bobbin is lifted from the support roller by the pivoting drive. The predetermined bobbin diameter can be determined in various ways. The length of the wound thread can be determined or calculated from the winding speed, and the current bobbin diameter can then be deduced. Alternatively, the deflection of the pivoting arm can be detected by a sensor, and the bobbin diameter can be derived from this. The term "reaching a predetermined bobbin diameter" can therefore also refer to a specific thread length, winding duration, or pivot angle of the pivoting arm.Once the coil is lifted, it can be removed from the coil mandrel manually or with the aid of an automatic removal system after, or rather while, the clamping device of the coil mandrel has been released manually or automatically. In the lifted position, the final weight of the finished coil can be determined by force measurement.

[0019] Further advantages of the invention are described in the following exemplary embodiment. It shows: Figure 1 a schematic top view of a first embodiment of a spooling device according to the invention; Figure 2 a schematic side view of the winding device in direction X according to Figure 1; Figure 3 a schematic representation of an embodiment of a rotary actuator and Figure 4 a schematic top view of a second embodiment of a spooling device according to the invention.

[0020] Figure 1 shows a schematic top view and Figure 2a schematic side view in the X direction of the Figure 1A first embodiment of a winding device 1 for winding a thread 2 or yarn onto a bobbin case 3 to form a bobbin 4. The winding device 1 comprises a bobbin case holder 5 which is rotatably mounted on a pivot arm 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the bobbin case holder 5 is rotated by a bobbin drive 7, which is also held on the pivot arm 6. A clamping device (not shown) holds the bobbin case 3 rotationally fixed within the bobbin case holder 5, so that the bobbin case 3, and thus the bobbin 4 located on the bobbin case holder 5, are also set into rotation 8. During a winding process, the bobbin case 3, or the bobbin 4, is supported on a support roller 9. An alternative to the drive configuration described above would be a friction drive of the bobbin case 3, or the bobbin 4, via a driven support roller 3.The swivel arm 6 is fixed in position and rotatably mounted on a machine frame 11 along a pivot axis 10 by a corresponding support 12. The spool holder 5 with the associated winding drive 7 is attached to one end of the swivel arm 6 opposite the pivot axis 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the backup roller 9 is rotatably mounted in supports 13 within the machine frame 11. The axis of the backup roller 9 is arranged parallel to an outer surface of the spool 3 or the spool 4. The swivel arm 6 is rotated about the pivot axis 10 by a pivot drive 14, which changes the distance between the spool 3 and the backup roller 9. During a winding process, the spool 3 comes into contact with the backup roller 9 due to a pivoting movement 15 of the swivel arm 6 about the pivot axis 10.By rotating the bobbin sleeve 3 in a corresponding direction, a thread 2 applied to the bobbin sleeve 3 is wound onto the bobbin sleeve 3, forming a bobbin 4. The bobbin 4 rests on the backup roller 9, causing the backup roller 9 to rotate in the corresponding direction 16. During this winding process, the so-called winding cycle, the thread 2 is moved back and forth along a bobbin axis 19 of the bobbin sleeve 3 by means of a change 17. This change 17 movement allows for the creation of different windings, or bobbins 4, on the bobbin sleeve 3. As a winding is formed on the bobbin sleeve 3, the diameter 18 of the bobbin 4 increases. This causes the bobbin holder 5, and consequently the pivot arm 6, to pivot away from the backup roller 9 about the pivot axis 10, due to the bobbin's contact with the backup roller 9.

[0021] During the winding process, the thread 2 is clamped between the bobbin sleeve 3, or rather the thread 2 already wound on the bobbin sleeve 3, and the support roller 9, resulting in a tight winding on the bobbin sleeve 3. The clamping force, or contact force 20, applied during this process increases continuously due to the weight of the growing bobbin 4. To ensure a constant contact force 20, the pivoting drive 14 moves the pivoting arm 6 about the pivot axis 10, thereby lifting the bobbin 4 from the support roller 9. This lifting, however, is only carried out to the extent necessary to maintain a predetermined contact force 20 between the bobbin 4 and the support roller 9. The pivoting drive 14 is rotationally fixed to the pivoting arm 6 along the pivot axis 10.The rotary drive 14 comprises a motor 21 and a rotary gearbox consisting of a first gear stage 22 and a second gear stage 23, provided between the motor 21 and the rotary arm.

[0022] Figure 3Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a rotary drive 14. The rotary drive 14 comprises a motor 21 and a rotary gearbox with a first gear stage 22 and a second gear stage 23. In the first gear stage 22, the motor, or rather its rotor, is connected to a first pinion 26 via a drive shaft 24. The first pinion 26 has a first toothed cylindrical gear 27 that is fixed to a shaft. The first cylindrical gear 27 can also be formed integrally with its shaft and is fixed to the drive shaft 24. The teeth of the first cylindrical gear 27 mesh with the teeth of a first crown gear 25 of the first gear stage 22. The 90-degree arrangement of the first pinion 26 to the first crown gear 25 shown is exemplary; other arrangements are possible, adapted to the specific design requirements.The first crown gear 25 of the first gear stage is connected via an axle 28 common to the second gear stage 23. The common axle 28 connects the first crown gear 25 of the first gear stage 22 to a second pinion 30 of the second gear stage 23. The second pinion 30 has a second toothed cylindrical gear 31, the teeth of which engage with a second crown gear 29. The second crown gear 29 of the second gear stage 23 is rotationally fixed to the pivot arm 6 at the pivot axis 10. The illustrated design of the pivoting gear is exemplary; for example, for design reasons or to increase the gear ratios, further gear stages can be incorporated, or the angular positions of the various axes relative to each other can be changed.

[0023] Figure 4Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of a winding device 1 for winding a thread 2 or yarn onto a bobbin case 3 to form a bobbin 4. The winding device 1 comprises two bobbin cases 5 opposite each other on a bobbin axis 19, each rotatably mounted on a pivot arm 6 and 33. In the embodiment shown, one bobbin case 5 is rotated by a bobbin drive 7, which is also held on the pivot arm 33. A bobbin case 3 is inserted between the bobbin cases 5, and a clamping device (not shown) holds the bobbin case 3 rotationally fixed between the bobbin cases 5, so that the bobbin case 3, and thus the bobbin 4 located on the bobbin case 5, also rotates via the bobbin case 5 provided on the pivot arm 33. During a winding process, the bobbin case 3, or the bobbin 4, is supported on a support roller 9.The swivel arms 6 and 33 are fixedly mounted on a machine frame by a corresponding support 12 via a pivot axis 10 and are rotatably mounted. The spool holder 5 with the associated winding drive 7 is attached to one end of the swivel arm 33 opposite the pivot axis 10. The backup roller 9 is rotatably mounted in supports 13 within the machine frame. The axis of the backup roller 9 is arranged parallel to an outer surface of the spool 3 or the spool 4. The swivel arms 6 and 33 are rotated together about the pivot axis 10 by a pivot drive 14, which changes the distance between the spool 3 and the backup roller 9. When the spool 4 rests on the backup roller 9, the backup roller 9 also rotates, and the thread 2 is wound onto the spool 3 to form a spool 2.During this winding process, the so-called winding journey, the thread 2 is moved back and forth along a spool axis 19 of the spool sleeve 3 by means of a change 17.

[0024] During the winding process, the thread 2 is clamped between the bobbin sleeve 3, or rather the thread 2 already wound on the bobbin sleeve 3, and the support roller 9, resulting in a tight winding on the bobbin sleeve 3. A clamping force or contact force 20 is applied in this process (see Figure 2The weight of the spool 4, which grows in size, increases continuously during the winding process. To ensure a constant support force 20, the swivel drive 14 moves the swivel arms 6 around the pivot axis 10, thereby lifting the spool 4 from the support roller 9. This lifting, however, is only carried out to the extent that a predetermined support force 20 is maintained between the spool 4 and the support roller 9. The swivel drive 14 is rotationally fixed to the swivel arms 6 and 33 along the pivot axis 10.

[0025] To maintain the predetermined support force 20, the swivel arm 33 is equipped with a force sensor 36. The swivel arm 33 is divided into a first sub-arm 34 and a second sub-arm 35. The force sensor 36 connects the first sub-arm 34 to the second sub-arm 35, thereby measuring the bending forces induced in the swivel arm 33 by the support force 20. In response to the support force 20 and the lifting of the coil 4 by the swivel drive 14, the force applied to the force sensor 36 changes. Both the force sensor 36 and the swivel drive 14 are connected to a control unit 32. The force measured by the force sensor 36 is directly proportional to the support force 20 between the coil 2 and the support roller 3. The control unit 32 evaluates the measured forces and compares them with the predetermined support force.Accordingly, the swivel drive 14 is controlled by the control unit 32 and the support force 20 is kept at a constant value.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described. Modifications within the scope of the claims are possible. Reference symbol list

[0027] 1 Winding device 2 Thread 3 Winding sleeve 4 Winding spool 5 Sleeve holder 6 Swivel arm 7 Winding drive 8 Rotation 9 Support roller 10 Swivel axis 11 Machine frame 12 Swivel arm support 13 Support roller 14 Swivel drive 15 Swivel movement 16 Support roller rotation direction 17 Change 18 Winding diameter 19 Winding axis 20 Support force 21 Swivel drive motor 22 First gear stage 23 Second gear stage 24 Drive shaft 25 First crown gear 26 First pinion 27 First cylindrical gear 28 Common shaft 29 Second crown gear 30 Second pinion 31 Second cylindrical gear 32 Control 33 Second swivel arm 34 First section arm 35 Second section arm 36 Force measurement

Claims

1. Winding device (1) for winding a thread (2) onto a bobbin tube (3), comprising at least one pivot arm (6) having a pivot axis (10), a tube holder (5) arranged on the pivot arm (6), and a support roller (9) for supporting the bobbin tube (3),characterized in that a pivot drive (14) is provided for moving (15) the pivot arm (6) about the pivot axis (10), the pivot drive (14) having a drive axle (24), and a pivot axis (10), and a motor (21) arranged in the drive axle (24), and a first transmission stage (22), and a second transmission stage (22) having a transmission output in the pivot axis (10), the two transmission stages (22, 23) each having a crown gear (25, 29).

2. Winding device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a connection between the motor (21) and the first crown gear (25) of the first transmission stage (22) is provided via a first pinion (26), the first pinion (26) being connected to a rotor of the motor (21) in a rotationally secured manner.

3. Winding device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims,characterized in that the crown gears (25, 29) of the first transmission stage (22) and of the second transmission stage (23) are operatively connected via a second pinion (30), the first crown gear (25) of the first transmission stage (22) and the second pinion (30) of the second transmission stage (23) being connected via a common axle (28).

4. Winding device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the motor (21) has an angle measurement.

5. Winding device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a controller (32) is provided, an input of a yarn thickness being provided in the controller (32).

6. Winding device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a force measurement (36) is provided for measuring a contact force (20) acting on the pivot arm (33).

7. Winding device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that a pivot movement (15) of the pivot arm (33) about the pivot axis (10) is determined by the controller (32) based on the contact force (20) such that a contact force (20) of the bobbin (4) on the support roller (9) is constant.

8. Winding device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two pivot arms (6, 33) are provided having a common pivot axis (10) and each having tube holders (5) arranged on the pivot arm (6, 33) and having a support roller (9) for supporting the bobbin tube (3).

9. Winding machine comprising at least one winding device (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims.