Supporting device for a reel body

Abstract

The invention relates to a supporting device (11) for supporting a reel body (1), which is intended to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis and to have a cable wound around it. The reel body (1) has a substantially conical inner cavity (4), and the supporting device (11) is intended to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1). According to the invention, the supporting device (11) has at least one supporting element (13) which, with the supporting device (11) inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1), supports the reel body (1) in the radially inward direction between the two axial end regions of the reel body (1). In this way, centrifugal forces which occur as a result of imbalances in particular at high speeds during winding onto the reel body (1), and can lead to vibrations and problems in the production process, even rupturing of the reel body (1), can be effectively supported.

Description

[0001] Support device for a coil body

[0002] Description

[0003] The entire content of priority application DE 10 2023 203 689.4 is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.

[0004] The present invention relates to a support device for supporting a coil body, which coil body has a substantially conical inner cavity whose longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the coil body, wherein the coil body is provided to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis.

[0005] The coil body is preferably provided with two flanges at both of its front ends and together with these forms a coil for receiving a winding made of a strand-like material, for example a wire or cable winding.

[0006] The invention is described below using the example of winding such a coil with a cable, wherein the rotational axis of the coil runs vertically during winding. However, this is not to be understood as limiting. Rather, the invention can be used for any type of winding of such a coil with any strand-like material. The rotational axis of the coil can also run horizontally or in another direction during winding. Coils of the type described are made, for example, of metal, plastic, or even cardboard. They can be reusable or disposable.

[0007] Spools of this type are used to wind the cable onto the reel after it has been produced in a dishwasher, thus enabling its transport and further processing. Cable production can take place at very high speeds, for example, up to 2400 m / min. Depending on the diameter of the reel body, this can also result in a very high rotational speed of the reel during winding with the cable.

[0008] The subsequent removal of the cable from the spool, however, is generally carried out “overhead”, ie with the spool stationary in the direction of the spool’s longitudinal axis, with the flange at the end of the conical spool body with the smaller diameter having been removed beforehand.

[0009] At the high speeds mentioned during coil winding, high centrifugal forces can occur due to imbalances in both the coil itself and the applied cable winding. These can lead to vibrations in the coil and the coil carrier, which can impair the quality of the cable winding and cause disruptions in the production process, and in the worst case, even coil breakage.

[0010] It is therefore necessary to mechanically support the coil during its rotation.

[0011] WO 2005 / 070802 A1, using the applicant's known NPS system as an example, shows several possible designs for support systems for such spools. The spool is held in the dishwasher by two spool support devices that center the spool flanges and support them at their ends.

[0012] As a possible way to support the coil former, WO 2005 / 070802 A1 mentions, on the one hand, placing the coil to be wound on a carrier body, in particular on a carrier coil of higher strength. An alternative carrier body is also mentioned as an elongated body with several cylindrical or conical sections, which touch, support, and carry the coil former to be wound at several points inside it, in particular in areas at the first and second ends of the coil former to be wound.

[0013] Due to the above-mentioned high production speeds of up to 2400 m / min, which have been continually increased over time, and the associated problems, which have also been mentioned, the support options for the coil body described above are no longer sufficient.

[0014] The present invention is therefore based on the object of further improving the support of a coil body during its rotation.

[0015] This object is achieved by a support device according to claim 1 or by a combination of a support device with a coil body according to claim 15, a method for supporting a coil body according to claim 16 and by an insertion device for inserting a support device into a coil body according to claim 17.

[0016] Advantageous further developments of the invention are contained in the subclaims.

[0017] The support device according to the invention for supporting a coil former is based on a coil former having a substantially conical inner cavity whose longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the coil former. The coil former is designed to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis. The support device is designed to be inserted into the cavity of the coil former.

[0018] In the context of the present invention, the term “conical” is intended to include both the geometric term “conical” and “truncated cone”.

[0019] The support device according to the invention has at least one support element which, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the coil body, supports the coil body radially inwardly between the two axial end regions of the coil body.

[0020] This makes it possible, on the one hand, to support the coil former between its axial end regions, as opposed to a support only at its axial end regions, thereby reducing the axial distance between adjacent support points and thus improving support. Support points are considered to be both the two axial end regions of the coil former and those regions of the coil former where the support elements support the coil former.

[0021] Furthermore, the coil former is supported not only along the circumferential wall surrounding the conical cavity, but also radially inward, which effectively absorbs centrifugal forces caused by imbalances. The radially inward support between the axial end regions of the coil former thus acts as additional stiffening within the cavity of the coil former, ensuring particularly good support for the coil former.

[0022] A further advantage of the support device according to the invention is that it can be inserted into the coil body without the use of tools, preferably before the coil winding begins, and can be removed from the coil body and reused without the use of tools, preferably after the coil winding has been completed.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least one support element, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the coil former, supports the coil former in the region of the center of the coil former's axial extent. In this way, the maximum axial distance between adjacent support points is only approximately half the axial length of the coil former, further improving support. If more than one support element is provided, the maximum axial distance between adjacent support points can be further reduced accordingly.

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the support device is designed to be inserted into the coil body's cavity along the coil body's longitudinal axis, from the end of the conical inner cavity of the coil body with the larger diameter. This provides a simple and intuitive way for the user to insert the support device into the coil body.

[0025] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the support device comprises a shaft, and at least one support element, preferably each of the support elements, is a disk arranged on the shaft in the form of an orthogonal flange with a substantially conical outer wall surface. This results in a mechanically very simple construction of the support device with only two parts that can move relative to one another, wherein the disk absorbs forces acting on the coil body at its outer edge and diverts them radially inward toward the shaft, wherein the shaft in turn supports the disk in the axial direction. This realizes internal stiffening of the coil body in both the radial and axial directions.

[0026] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the inclination of the conical outer wall surface of the disc substantially corresponds to the inclination of the conical inner cavity of the coil former. Furthermore, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the coil former, the longitudinal axis of the coil former and the longitudinal axis of the shaft of the support device coincide, and the disc supports the coil former by axially bracing the outer wall surface of the disc with an inner wall surface of the cavity of the coil former. Due to the identical inclination of the outer wall surface of the disc and the cavity of the coil former, the connection between the disc and the coil former corresponds to that of an outer cone inserted into an inner cone with the same inclination, resulting in very strong frictional bracing and thus a correspondingly good supporting effect.The strength of the tension can also be adjusted by the force applied when inserting the support device into the coil body.

[0027] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the disk is mounted on the shaft for axial displacement. This ensures that the axial movement of the disk, which leads to the clamping to the coil body, is at least partially decoupled from the insertion movement of the support device into the coil body, whereby the strength of the clamping of the support device to the coil body can also be adjusted independently of this insertion movement, if necessary. The disk is mounted on the shaft preferably by a linear plain bearing that is free of play or has only minimal play.

[0028] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the linear plain bearing is designed such that the disc is mounted on the shaft in an axially displaceable but rotationally fixed manner. This is preferably achieved by a, in particular continuous, longitudinally extending external toothing of the shaft, i.e. a multi-spline shape, and a corresponding internal toothing in an inner opening of the disc. Alternatively, the axially displaceable but rotationally fixed mounting of the disc on the shaft can be achieved by a, in particular continuous, longitudinally extending groove in the shaft and a corresponding key in an inner opening of the disc, wherein the key has play in the groove.

[0029] The axially movable, yet rotationally fixed mounting of the disk on the shaft provides additional stiffening for the combination of a coil and a support device located within it. This counteracts, in particular, torsion of the coil around its longitudinal axis and the resulting torsional vibrations.

[0030] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the disc is mounted on the shaft so that it can be axially displaced against a spring force. Such a non-rigid, but rather elastic, connection of the disc to the shaft in the axial direction ensures that, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the coil former, the disc is always pressed into the cavity, thus constantly maintaining the clamping force between the support device and the coil former. At the same time, the clamping force can be regulated, in particular so that it does not exceed a certain value, thus ensuring that the support device can also be easily removed from the coil former, in particular by manual extraction.

[0031] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring force acts in a direction in which the insertion of the support device into the cavity of the coil former is intended. This ensures that, when the support device is inserted into the coil former, a clamping force is automatically generated that does not exceed a certain value. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring force is generated mechanically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. Thus, depending on the application, different clamping forces can be provided with different design effort.

[0032] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring force is generated mechanically by a compression spring arranged in the axial direction of the shaft and extending around the shaft. This represents a simple way to generate the clamping force in the axial direction.

[0033] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaft has at least one end face a substantially conical recess or a substantially conical projection, which is intended to center the support device, preferably together with the coil body. In this way, not only the support but also the centering of the coil body with the support device used is improved. Centering with the aid of the conical recess is preferably achieved by a device in the coil holder of the dishwasher, which has a corresponding conical projection in the axial direction, which is intended to engage in the conical recess in the end face of the shaft of the support device.

[0034] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the coil former, the shaft is movable relative to the coil former in a direction in which the insertion of the support device into the cavity of the coil former is intended. Such further movement of the shaft in the same direction as when the support device was inserted into the coil former then occurs, if necessary, against the action of a spring force. In this way, the shaft and with it the support elements can be moved even further in the same direction as when inserted into the coil former, even after the coil with the support device inserted therein has been inserted into the dishwasher, whereby the clamping of the at least one support element against the inner wall of the cavity is reinforced. This further movement of the shaft in the dishwasher is then preferably brought about by an axial movement of one or more coil holders.

[0035] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the support device has more than one support element, in particular two, three, or four support elements. This allows the support effect to be increased in a simple manner by further reducing the maximum axial distance between adjacent support points, as already mentioned.

[0036] The invention further relates to a combination of a support device according to the invention with a coil former, which coil former has the features described above and is intended for the uses described above. For the effects and advantages of this combination, reference is made to the above description of the support device according to the invention.

[0037] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for supporting a coil body with the features described above and for the uses described above, comprising the steps:

[0038] - inserting a support device according to the invention comprising a disc and a shaft into the cavity of the coil body along the longitudinal axis of the coil body from the end of the cavity with the larger diameter;

[0039] - axial displacement of the disc of the support device on the shaft of the support device when the disc comes into contact with an inner wall surface of the cavity of the coil body;

[0040] - axial clamping of the outer wall surface of the disc of the

[0041] Support device with the inner wall surface of the cavity of the coil body between the two axial end regions of the coil body.

[0042] For the effects and advantages of the method according to the invention, reference is again made to the above description of the support device according to the invention.

[0043] Finally, the invention also relates to an insertion device for inserting a support device according to the invention with a disc and a shaft into a coil body with the features described above and for the uses described above by a method according to the invention, wherein the insertion device comprises:

[0044] - a gripping device for gripping the support device, preferably on the shaft of the support device,

[0045] - a moving device for moving the support device into a position outside the coil body in which the longitudinal axis of the coil body and the longitudinal axis of the shaft of the support device coincide,

[0046] - an insertion and clamping device for inserting the support device into the cavity of the coil body along the longitudinal axis of the coil body, whereby the disc of the support device is axially displaced on the shaft of the support device when the disc comes into contact with an inner wall surface of the cavity of the coil body, and thereby the outer wall surface of the disc of the support device is axially clamped to the inner wall surface of the cavity of the coil body between the two axial end regions of the coil body.

[0047] The insertion device allows the automated insertion of the support device according to the invention into the coil body and thus integration into a fully automated coil winding process in a dishwasher. Further advantages, features, and possible applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the figures. In the figures:

[0048] Fig.1 a dishwasher with inserted coil;

[0049] Fig. 2a a coil partially wound with a cable in the

[0050] side view;

[0051] Fig. 2b the coil from Fig. 2a seen from below;

[0052] Fig. 3 the coil from Fig. 2a and 2b without cable winding in a perspective view;

[0053] Fig. 4 shows a first embodiment of an inventive

[0054] Support device in a perspective view;

[0055] Fig. 5a-c the process of picking up a coil with inserted

[0056] Support device according to Fig. 4 in a dishwasher according to Fig. 1 at different times in cross section;

[0057] Fig. 6 shows a bobbin changing area of ​​a bobbin feed to a dishwasher for manually inserting the bobbin supports into the bobbins;

[0058] Fig. 7 shows a bobbin changing area as in Fig. 6 with an insertion device for automatically inserting the bobbin supports into the bobbins;

[0059] Fig. 8 shows a second embodiment of an inventive

[0060] Support device in a perspective view;

[0061] Fig. 9a-c the process of picking up a coil with inserted

[0062] Support device according to Fig. 8 in a dishwasher according to Fig. 1 at different times in cross section.

[0063] 1, 2a, 2b and 3 show spools 6 as used in connection with the present invention. Such a spool 6 consists of a conical spool body 1 with a likewise conical inner cavity 4, wherein an upper flange 2 and a lower flange 3 are connected to the two end faces of the spool body 1. This connection can be fixed and even one-piece or can be designed as a detachable connection, for example as a snap-in or bayonet lock connection. The spool 6 is intended to be rotated about its longitudinal axis in order to wind a cable K onto the spool body 1, as shown in Figs. 2a and 2b. The two flanges 2 and 3 prevent the windings of the cable K from slipping off the spool body 1 when the spool 6 is wound.

[0064] Fig. 1 shows a washing machine 7 of a conventional design, which is used for winding coils 6 of the type just described.

[0065] The spool 6 is picked up vertically, i.e. with a vertical longitudinal axis, by the washing machine 7. For this purpose, the spool 6 is first placed with its lower flange 3 on a lower spool holder 10 of the washing machine 7, wherein the lower spool holder 10 engages in the lower flange 3 of the spool 6. A ram 8 of the washing machine 7, to the lower end of which an upper spool holder 9 is fastened, then moves downwards so that the upper spool holder 9 engages in the upper flange 2. A motor (not shown) causes the lower spool holder 10 and thus also the spool 6 and the upper spool holder 9 to rotate in order to wind the cable K onto the spool 6.

[0066] Further details of the structure and operation of the dishwasher 7 are not relevant in the context of the present invention and are therefore not described.

[0067] At high production speeds of the cable K (for example, up to 2400 m / min), the washer 7 must also be operated at correspondingly high speeds. As shown in Figs. 2a and 2b, when the cable K is wound onto the spool 6, both a tensile force Fw of the cable K acting tangentially in the cross-section and a centrifugal force Fz caused by imbalances acting radially outward in the cross-section are exerted on the spool body 1. These forces lead to a deformation of the spool body 1 and thus to vibrations that may even lead to a breakage of the spool body 1.

[0068] For this reason, the invention provides that a support device 11 is inserted into the coil 6 before the coil 6 is placed in the dishwasher 7.

[0069] Fig. 4 shows such a support device 11 according to the invention in a first embodiment. This has a shaft 12, which, when the support device 11 is inserted into the coil 6 and the coil is accommodated in the dishwasher 7, is vertical. The terms "top" and "bottom" refer below to this vertical orientation. A closure flange 24 is arranged at the lower end of the shaft 12 and is screwed to another flange of the shaft 12.

[0070] Approximately in the middle of the vertical extent of the shaft 12 there is arranged a disk 13 which also extends in a flange-like manner in a plane orthogonal to the shaft 12. The disk 13 has an outer ring with a conical outer wall surface 14. The shaft 12 runs through an inner bore of the disk 13 so that the disk 13 is received on the shaft 12 in an axially movable manner. The axial movement of the disk 13 on the shaft 12 occurs against the action of a compression spring 15. The compression spring 15 is designed as a spiral spring and runs around the shaft 12. The compression spring 15 is connected at its lower end to an inner ring of the disk 13 and at its upper end to a spring stop 16 which is designed as a ring clamped onto the shaft 12, or is supported against it. Below the disc 13 there is a disc stop 17 (see Fig. 5a), which is also designed as a ring clamped on the shaft 12.In this way, the disc 13 is held in a position approximately in the middle of the vertical extension of the shaft 12 by the compression spring 15 in the unloaded state and can be displaced upwards on the shaft 12 against the spring force of the compression spring 15. A conical centering opening 18, 19 is provided in each of the upper and lower end faces of the shaft 12, of which only the upper centering opening 18 is visible in Fig. 4 (see also Fig. 5a-c).

[0071] The use of the support device 11 for supporting the coil body 1 during rotation of the coil 6 in the dishwasher 7 is described below.

[0072] For this purpose, the support device 11 is inserted vertically into the coil body 1 before the coil 6 is placed in the washing machine 7, specifically from the side of the coil body 1 with the larger diameter, i.e., from above in Fig. 3. Insertion occurs along the longitudinal axis of the coil body 1, so that the longitudinal axis of the shaft 12 of the support device 11 and the longitudinal axis of the coil body 1 coincide. The support device 11 is inserted into the coil body 1 until the end flange 24 of the shaft 12 rests on the inner part of the lower flange 3 of the coil 6.

[0073] The conical outer wall surface 14 of the disc 13 is designed such that it has the same inclination as the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 of the coil former 1. Furthermore, the average diameter of the outer wall surface 14 of the disc 13 approximately corresponds to the diameter of the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 in the middle of the vertical extent of the coil former 1. Thus, the support device 11 can initially be inserted into the coil former 1 so far that the disc 13 is located approximately in the middle of the vertical extent of the coil former 1, without the disc 13 touching the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 of the coil former 1.

[0074] If the support device 11 is moved further downward, the conical outer wall surface 14 of the disc 13 is pressed into the likewise conical inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 and clamped thereto. This occurs counter to the force of the compression spring 15, whereby the clamping force increases only slowly and does not exceed a certain value, which can be adjusted by the spring constant of the compression spring 15, when the end flange 24 of the shaft 12 rests on the lower flange 3 of the coil 6. This ensures that the support device 11 can later be withdrawn from the coil 6 without excessive force.

[0075] The coil 6, with the support device 11 inserted, is then placed in the dishwasher 7 as described above. This process is shown in detail in Figs. 5a-c.

[0076] In Fig. 5a, the coil 6 is already positioned between the upper coil holder 9 and the lower coil holder 10 of the dishwasher 7, but is not yet gripped by them.

[0077] In Fig. 5b, the coil 6 is placed on the lower coil holder 10. As a result, the lower coil holder 10 engages with a convex, conical projection into a corresponding concave, conical recess of the lower flange 3 of the coil 6, and the centering tip 21 of the lower coil holder 10 engages with the lower centering opening 19 of the shaft 12, so that both the coil 6 and the support device 11 are centered by the lower coil holder 10.

[0078] By placing the coil 6 onto the lower coil holder 10, a frictional connection is also created between several O-rings 25a, 25b, which are embedded in annular grooves on the upper side of the lower coil holder 10 and protrude beyond the upper side of the lower coil holder 10, and the underside of the lower flange 3 of the coil 6.

[0079] In Fig. 5c, the spool 6 is additionally gripped by the upper spool holder 9, which is lowered onto the upper flange 2 of the spool 6. Analogous to Fig. 5b, the upper spool holder 9 also engages with the upper flange 2 of the spool 6, and the centering tip 20 of the upper spool holder 9 engages with the upper centering opening 18 of the shaft 12, so that both the spool 6 and the support device 11 are centered by the upper spool holder 9. The contact pressure of the upper spool holder 9 and the lower spool holder 10 from both axial sides of the spool 6 also reinforces the frictional engagement by the O-rings 25a, 25b. Due to this frictional engagement, the spool 6 is entrained during the subsequent operation of the dishwasher 7 during the joint rotation of the spool holders 9, 10 and is thereby set in rotation itself. The rotating coil body 1 in turn carries the disc 13 clamped in its cavity 4 via a frictional engagement.

[0080] When the support device 11 is inserted into the coil 6, the disc 13 acts as additional reinforcement in the form of a circular disc-shaped rib approximately in the middle of the vertical extension of the coil body 1. The shaft 12, in turn, is connected to the centering points 20, 21 of the upper and lower coil holders 9, 10 via its centering openings 18, 19, without play. The plain bearing by which the disc 13 is mounted on the shaft 12 is preferably also free of play. This results in a rigid, play-free connection of the support device 11 relative to the washer 7 and thus very good support of the coil body 1 from the inside.

[0081] Figs. 6 and 7 show a bobbin changing area of ​​a bobbin feed to a dishwasher 7 for manual or automatic insertion of bobbin supports 11 into the bobbins 6. The views of the bobbin changing area in Figs. 6 and 7 are shown from different directions.

[0082] The spool feed, which is largely identical in both cases, comprises a first conveyor belt 104, on which empty spools 6 are fed to the dishwasher 7, and a second conveyor belt 105, on which the spools 6 wound in the dishwasher 7 are removed again. The spools 6 are positioned vertically on the conveyor belts 104, 105, with the end of the conical spool body 1 with the larger diameter facing upward, i.e., in the same orientation as the spools 6 are picked up by the dishwasher 7.

[0083] The actual feeding of the empty bobbins 6 to the dishwasher 7 and the removal of the full bobbins 6 from the dishwasher 7 is carried out by a bobbin changing device 106, which has a pivoting fork on which two bobbins 6 can be placed at two bobbin receiving positions. By pivoting, lowering, and raising the pivoting fork, the bobbins 6 are transferred between the conveyor belts 104, 105 on the one hand and the dishwasher 7 on the other. Further details on a bobbin changing device of this type can be found, for example, in the applicant's international patent application WO 2013 / 135329 A1.

[0084] Before the empty spools 6 are fed to the dishwasher 7, a support device 11 is inserted into each spool 6. This can be done either manually (Fig. 6) or automatically (Fig. 7).

[0085] During the manual insertion of a support device 11 into a spool 6, as shown in Fig. 6, an operator stands at the end of the conveyor belts 104, 105. The operator manually places an empty spool 6 onto the first conveyor belt 104 and then, in the manner described above, inserts a support device 11 into the spool body 1, which he removes from a storage rack 108 for the spool supports 11. Conversely, the operator first removes the support device 11 from each wound spool 6 arriving on the second conveyor belt 105, stows it in the storage rack 108, and then removes the wound spool 6 from the second conveyor belt 105.

[0086] In the automatic insertion of a support device 11 into a spool 6 shown in Fig. 7, the insertion process is carried out by an insertion device 100, which is not shown in all details in Fig. 7, however. The insertion device 100 has a displacement device 102 in the form of a horizontally arranged portal, on which a vertically movable insertion and clamping device 103 can move back and forth. The insertion and clamping device 103 can thus be positioned above each of the two spool receiving locations of the above-mentioned pivoting fork of the spool changing device 106, on which an empty spool 6 and a wound spool 6 stand during ongoing operation of the dishwasher 7. A gripping device 101 is arranged on a lower flange of the insertion and clamping device 103 and can encompass and grip the upper end of the shaft 12 of a support device 11.

[0087] If a wound coil 6 with inserted support device 11 and an empty coil 6 without inserted support device 11 are now located on the two coil receiving stations, the insertion and clamping device 103 on the displacement device 102 moves centrally over the wound coil 6, lowers itself to the height of the upper end of the shaft 12 of the support device 11 inserted in the wound coil 6, grips the end of the shaft 12, lifts itself up again, moves centrally over the empty coil 6, lowers itself down again and thereby inserts the gripped support device 11 into the empty coil 6 and clamps it to the coil body 1 of the empty coil 6.

[0088] In this way, the support device 11 is transferred from a wound reel 6 to an empty reel 6. The entire process of inserting and removing the support device 11 into or from a reel 6 can thus be automated in a simple and efficient manner.

[0089] Fig. 8 shows a second embodiment of a support device 11 according to the invention. Only the differences compared to the first embodiment of the support device according to Figs. 4 and 5 will be described below, with the same or corresponding reference numerals being used for identical or corresponding components. In this case, the support device 11 has two disks 13a, 13b as support elements, which are arranged one above the other on the shaft 12 of the support device 11 and are each axially movable.

[0090] Accordingly, a compression spring 15a, 15b is provided for each of the two discs 13a, 13b, which is designed as a spiral spring and extends around the shaft 12. Each compression spring 15a, 15b is connected at its lower end to an inner ring of the respective disc 13a, 13b and at its upper end to a spring stop 16a, 16b, which is designed as a ring clamped onto the shaft 12, or is supported against it. A disc stop 17a, 17b, which is also designed as a ring clamped onto the shaft 12, is arranged below the respective disc 13a, 13b.

[0091] The two discs 13a, 13b divide the shaft 12 into three sections, each of which is approximately one-third of the length of the shaft 12 when the discs 13a, 13b are unloaded. In this way, the maximum axial distance between adjacent support points is also reduced to approximately one-third of the length of the shaft 12, thereby further improving the support.

[0092] In contrast to the support device according to Figs. 4 and 5, the shaft 12 of the support device 11 does not have a smooth, cylindrical surface, but is a splined shaft with circumferential external teeth that are almost completely continuous in the axial direction. The inner rings of the disks 13a, 13b have corresponding internal teeth (not shown), through which the disks 13a, 13b are toothed with the shaft 12 in a rotationally fixed but axially movable manner. This also prevents the coil body 1 from rotating relative to the shaft 12, thereby further increasing the rigidity of the combination of coil 6 and support device 11 and thus the effectiveness of the support. Alternatively, the anti-rotation feature can also be achieved by a longitudinal groove in the shaft 12 and corresponding feather keys in the inner rings of the disks 13a, 13b, which run in the groove with some play.Furthermore, unlike the support device according to Figs. 4 and 5, the support device 11 does not have a flange at the lower end of the shaft 12, so that no direct connection can be established between the support device 11 and the spool 6 at this point. Instead, an additional rotationally fixed connection is established between the shaft 12 and the lower spool holder 10 by the external toothing of the shaft 12 and a corresponding internal toothing in a receiving opening in the convex, conical projection of the lower spool holder 10.

[0093] It should be noted that in the embodiment according to Figs. 8 and 9, an end flange can also be provided at the lower end of the shaft 12, which then corresponds in terms of its structure and function to the end flange 24 in the embodiment according to Figs. 4 and 5.

[0094] Conversely, in the embodiment according to Figs. 4 and 5, the end flange 24 can also be omitted and an additional connection can be established between the shaft 12 and the lower coil holder 10. The torsional rigidity of this connection can be achieved by a frictional engagement, for which the lower end of the shaft 12 and the receiving opening in the lower coil holder 10 are preferably both slightly conical.

[0095] The centering point 21 is spring-loaded in the axial direction in the lower coil holder 10. This makes it possible to compensate for minor deviations in the axial length of the coils within a specific range.

[0096] Finally, the centering of the shaft 12 at its upper end is carried out in the opposite way to the support device in Fig. 4, in that the shaft 12 does not have a centering opening at its upper axial end, but rather an upper centering point 22, and the upper spool holder 9 does not have a centering point, but rather a centering opening 23. Figs. 9a to 9c again describe the process of receiving the spool 6 with the support device 11 inserted in the dishwasher 7, which process is largely analogous to the first embodiment of the support device (cf. Figs. 5a-c).

[0097] In contrast to the support device according to Fig. 4, however, the shaft 12, which can move axially relative to the coil former 1 due to the lack of a lower end flange, is pressed downward by the vertical movement of the upper coil holder 9. As a result, the spring stops 16a, 16b and the disc stops 17a, 17b also move downward, and the tension discs 13 are pressed downward by the compression springs 15a, 15b and clamped at their conical outer wall surfaces 14a, 14b against the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 in the coil former 1.

[0098] List of reference symbols

[0099] 1 coil body

[0100] 2 upper flange

[0101] 3 lower flange

[0102] 4 Cavity

[0103] 5 Inner wall surface of the cavity

[0104] 6 coil

[0105] 7 Dishwasher

[0106] 8 stamps

[0107] 9 upper spool holder

[0108] 10 lower spool holder

[0109] 11 Support device

[0110] 12 Wave

[0111] 13, 13a, 13b disc

[0112] 14, 14a, 14b Outer wall surface of the pane

[0113] 15, 15a, 15b compression spring

[0114] 16, 16a, 16b spring stop

[0115] 17, 17a, 17b Disc stop

[0116] 18 upper centering hole of the shaft

[0117] 19 lower centering hole of the shaft

[0118] 20 Centering point of the upper spool holder

[0119] 21 Centering point of the lower spool holder

[0120] 22 upper centering point of the shaft

[0121] 23 Centering hole of the upper spool holder

[0122] 24 Shaft end flange

[0123] 25a, 25b O-ring

[0124] K Cable

[0125] 100 insertion device

[0126] 101 Gripping device 102 Traversing device

[0127] 103 Insertion and clamping device

[0128] 104 first conveyor belt

[0129] 105 second conveyor belt 106 spool changing device

[0130] 107 operators

[0131] 108 Storage shelf

Claims

Patent claims 1. Support device (11) for supporting a coil former (1), which coil former (1) has a substantially conical inner cavity (4) whose longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the coil former (1), wherein the coil former (1) is provided to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis and wherein the support device (11) is provided to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil former (1), characterized in that the support device (11) has at least one support element (13) which, when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil former (1), supports the coil former (1) radially inwardly between the two axial end regions of the coil former (1).

2. Support device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one support element (13) supports the coil body (1) in the region of the center of the axial extent of the coil body (1) when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1).

3. Support device (11) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support device (11) is intended to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) along the longitudinal axis of the coil body (1) from the end of the conical inner cavity (4) of the coil body (1) with the larger diameter.

4. Support device (11) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support device (11) comprises a shaft (12) and that at least one support element (13), preferably each of the support elements (13), is a disc (13) arranged on the shaft (12) in the form of an orthogonal flange with a substantially conical outer wall surface (14).

5. Support device (11) according to claim 4, characterized in that the inclination of the conical outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) substantially corresponds to the inclination of the conical inner cavity (4) of the coil former (1) and that when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil former (1), the longitudinal axis of the coil former (1) and the longitudinal axis of the shaft (12) of the support device (11) coincide and the disc (13) supports the coil former (1) by axially bracing the outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) with an inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the coil former (1).

6. Support device (11) according to one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that the disc (13) is mounted axially displaceably on the shaft (12).

7. Support device (11) according to claim 6, characterized in that the disc (13) is mounted on the shaft (12) in a rotationally fixed manner, in particular by means of an external toothing, in particular a continuous toothing, running in the longitudinal direction, of the shaft (12) and a corresponding internal toothing in an inner opening of the disc (13) or by means of a groove, in particular a continuous toothing, running in the longitudinal direction in the shaft (12) and a corresponding key in an inner opening of the disc (13), the key having a play in the groove.

8. Support device (11) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the disc (13) is mounted on the shaft (12) so as to be axially displaceable against a spring force.

9. Support device (11) according to claim 8, characterized in that the spring force acts in a direction in which the insertion of the support device (11) into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) is provided.

10. Support device (11) according to one of claims 8 to 9, characterized in that the spring force is generated mechanically, pneumatically or hydraulically.

11. Support device (11) according to claim 10, characterized in that the spring force is generated mechanically by a compression spring (15) arranged in the axial direction of the shaft (12) and extending around the shaft (12).

12. Support device (11) according to one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that the shaft (12) has at least one end face a substantially conical recess (18, 19) or a substantially conical projection (22) which is provided to center the support device (11), preferably together with the coil body (1).

13. Support device (11) according to one of claims 4 to 12, characterized in that the shaft (12) is movable relative to the coil body (1) in a direction in which the insertion of the support device (11) into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) is provided when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1).

14. Support device (11) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support device (11) has more than one support element (13), in particular two, three or four support elements (13).

15. Combination of a support device (11) according to one of the preceding claims with a coil body (1), which coil body (1) has a substantially conical inner cavity (4) whose longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the coil body (1), wherein the coil body (1) is provided to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis and wherein the support device (11) is provided to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1).

16. A method for supporting a coil former (1) having a substantially conical inner cavity (4) whose longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the coil former (1), wherein the coil former (1) is provided to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis, comprising the steps: - inserting a support device (11) according to one of claims 4 to 14 into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) along the longitudinal axis of the coil body (1) from the end of the cavity (4) with the larger diameter; - axial displacement of the disc (13) of the support device (11) on the shaft (12) of the support device (11) when the disc (13) comes into contact with an inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the coil body (1); - axially clamping the outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) of the support device (11) with the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) between the two axial end regions of the coil body (1).

17. Insertion device (100) for inserting a support device (11) according to one of claims 4 to 14 into a coil body (1) which has a substantially conical inner cavity (4) whose longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the coil body (1), wherein the coil body (1) is intended to be set in rotation about its longitudinal axis by a method according to claim 16, wherein the insertion device (100) comprises: - a gripping device (101) for gripping the support device (11), preferably on the shaft (12) of the support device (11), - a displacement device (102) for moving the support device (11) into a position outside the coil body (1) in which the longitudinal axis of the coil body (1) and the longitudinal axis of the shaft (12) of the support device (11) coincide, - an insertion and clamping device (103) for inserting the support device (11) into the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) along the longitudinal axis of the coil body (1), whereby the disc (13) of the support device (11) is axially displaced upon contact of the disc (13) with an inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) on the shaft (12) of the support device (11) and as a result the outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) of the support device (11) is axially clamped with the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the coil body (1) between the two axial end regions of the coil body (1).

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