Reel body support device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a support device (11) for supporting a reel body (1), the reel body (1) being configured to rotate around its longitudinal axis and to wind a cable around it. The coil body (1) has a substantially conical internal cavity (4), and the support device (11) is configured to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1). According to the present invention, the support device (11) has at least one support element (13) which supports the reel body (1) radially inward between the axial end regions of the reel body (1) when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1). This effectively supports the centrifugal force that can result from vibration and production process disruptions, and even damage to the reel body (1), during the winding of the coil body (1), particularly at high rotational speeds.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The entire content of the priority application DE102023203689.4 is incorporated herein by reference and made a part of the components of this application.

Background Art

[0002] The present invention relates to a support device for supporting a reel body, the reel body having a substantially conical internal cavity, the longitudinal axis of the internal cavity coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the reel body, and the reel body being configured to rotate about its longitudinal axis.

[0003] At this time, the reel body preferably has two flanges at both of its ends, and together with these flanges, forms a reel for receiving a winding of strand material, such as a wire winding or a cable winding.

[0004] In the following, the present invention will be described using the example of winding a cable around such a reel, but the rotation axis of the reel during winding extends vertically. However, this should not be understood as limiting. Rather, the present invention is applicable to any kind of winding of any strand material around such a reel. The rotation axis of the reel may extend horizontally or in other directions during winding.

[0005] Reels of the type described above are manufactured, for example, from metal, plastic, or cardboard or paperboard. There may also be reusable reels or disposable reels.

[0006] Reels of the type described above are used to wind the cable onto the reel in a winding machine after cable production to enable cable transportation and further processing. Cable production can be carried out at a very high production speed, for example, up to 2400 m / min. Depending on the diameter of the reel body, this also results in a very high rotation speed of the reel when winding the cable.

[0007] In contrast, the subsequent task of pulling the cable out of the reel is generally performed "overhead," that is, in the direction of the reel's longitudinal axis when the reel is stationary, and the smaller diameter flange located at one end of the conical reel body is removed beforehand.

[0008] At the high rotational speeds mentioned above during reel winding, imbalances can result in high centrifugal forces in both the reel itself and the wound cable. These high centrifugal forces can cause vibrations in the reel and reel support, impairing the quality of the cable winding, causing disruptions in the production process, and in the worst case, potentially leading to reel breakage.

[0009] Therefore, it is necessary to mechanically support the reel during its rotation.

[0010] Patent Document 1 illustrates several possible support systems for such reels, using the applicant's known NPS system as an example, which are used to support the reels. In this system, the reels are received within the winding machine by two reel receiving devices, which center the flanges of the reels and support their end faces.

[0011] Patent Document 1 mentions, on the one hand, a means of supporting the reel body, which involves placing the reel to be wound onto a support, particularly a high-strength support reel. On the other hand, an alternative support is given, which is an elongated body having a plurality of cylindrical or conical parts, which contact, support, and carry the reel body to be wound onto at multiple positions inside it, particularly at the regions of the first and second ends of the reel body to be wound onto.

[0012] The aforementioned high production speed of up to 2400 m / min continues to increase over time, and consequently, the aforementioned problems also arise, so the means of supporting the reel body as described above are no longer sufficient. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2005 / 070802 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0014] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to further improve the support of the reel body when the reel body rotates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] This problem is solved by the support device described in claim 1, or the combination of the support device described in claim 15 and the reel body, the method for supporting the reel body described in claim 16, and the insertion device for inserting the support device into the reel body described in claim 17.

[0016] Advantageous further developments of the present invention are included in the dependent claims.

[0017] The support device for supporting the reel body according to the present invention is based on a reel body having a substantially conical internal cavity, the longitudinal axis of which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body. The reel body is configured to rotate around its longitudinal axis. The support device is configured to be inserted into the cavity of the reel body.

[0018] In this invention, the concept of "cone" encompasses both geometric "cones" and "frustocones."

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

[0020] As a result, on the one hand, there is a possibility that the reel body is additionally supported not only in the axial end regions but also between these end regions, whereby the axial distance between adjacent support positions is shortened and the support is improved. At this time, the support positions include not only both axial end regions of the reel body but also the regions of the reel body where the support elements support the reel body.

[0021] Furthermore, the reel body is supported not only along the peripheral wall surrounding the conical cavity but also radially inward, whereby the centrifugal force caused particularly by imbalance can be effectively assisted. The radial inward support between the axial end regions of the reel body acts as additional stiffening inside the cavity of the reel body, thereby providing particularly excellent support for the reel body.

[0022] A further advantage of the support device according to the present invention is that the support device is preferably inserted into the reel body without using tools before the start of winding of the reel, and is preferably removed from the reel body without using tools again after the completion of winding of the reel, and is reusable.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the reel body, at least one support element supports the reel body in the central region of the axial extension of the reel body. As a result, the maximum axial distance between adjacent support positions becomes approximately half of the axial length of the reel body, and the support is further improved. When a plurality of support elements are provided, the maximum axial distance between adjacent support positions correspondingly further decreases.

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support device is configured to be inserted into the cavity of the reel body from the end with the larger diameter of the conical internal cavity of the reel body along the longitudinal axis of the reel body. This creates an easy and intuitive possibility for the operator to insert the support device into the reel body.

[0025] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support device has a shaft, and at least one support element, preferably each support element, is a disk arranged in the form of a flange orthogonal to the shaft and having a substantially conical outer wall surface. This results in a mechanically very simple structure of the support device with only two members movable relative to each other. The disk absorbs the force acting on the reel body at its outer edge and transmits it radially inwardly towards the shaft, and the shaft supports the disk axially. Thereby, the internal stiffening of the reel body is realized both radially and axially.

[0026] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inclination of the conical outer wall surface of the disk substantially coincides with the inclination of the conical internal cavity of the reel body. Further, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the reel body, the longitudinal axis of the shaft of the support device coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body, and the disk supports the reel body by axial fastening between the outer wall surface of the disk and the inner wall surface of the cavity of the reel body. The same inclination of the outer wall surface of the disk and the inclination of the cavity of the reel body results in a connection between the disk and the reel body corresponding to the connection of an outer cone inserted into an inner cone having the same inclination, thereby resulting in a very firm fastening by frictional connection, along with a good supporting effect. The strength of the fastening can further be adjusted by the force applied when inserting the support device into the reel body.

[0027] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disk is supported on the shaft so as to be axially displaceable. Thereby, the axial movement of the disk that effects the fastening to the reel body is at least partially separated from the insertion movement of the support device into the reel body, thereby making it possible to adjust the strength of the fastening between the support device and the reel body independently of this insertion movement as required. The disk is preferably supported on the shaft by a linear sliding bearing, and the bearing has no play or only minimal play.

[0028] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the linear sliding bearing is configured such that the disk is axially displaceable but supported non-rotatably on the shaft. Preferably, this is done by, in particular, continuous, longitudinally extending external teeth, i.e., splines, on the shaft and corresponding internal teeth in the inner opening of the disk. Alternatively, the axially displaceable but non-rotatable support of the disk on the shaft is done by, in particular, continuous, longitudinally extending grooves within the shaft and corresponding keys in the inner opening of the disk, the keys having play in the grooves.

[0029] By supporting the disc on the shaft in a way that allows for axial displacement but prevents rotation, additional stiffening is created in the combination of the reel and the support device located within the reel. This suppresses torsion, particularly around the longitudinal axis of the reel, and the resulting torsional vibrations.

[0030] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disc is supported on a shaft so as to be displaceable axially against elasticity. This elastic rather than rigid connection between the disc and the shaft in the axial direction ensures that the disc is always pressed into the cavity when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the reel body, and that tension is always maintained between the support device and the reel body. At the same time, this makes it possible to adjust the tension, and in particular by adjusting it so that the tension does not exceed a certain value, it is ensured that the support device can be removed from the reel body without any problems, especially by manual pulling.

[0031] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elasticity acts in the direction of inserting the support device into the cavity of the reel body. This can automatically generate a tension that does not exceed a certain value when inserting the support device into the reel body.

[0032] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elasticity is generated mechanically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. This makes it possible to provide tension of different strengths under different structural loads depending on the application.

[0033] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, elasticity is mechanically generated by a compression spring positioned axially on the shaft and extending around the shaft. This is an easy possibility for generating tension in the axial direction.

[0034] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shaft has a substantially conical recess or projection at at least one end, the recess or projection provided for centering the support device, preferably together with the reel body. This improves not only the support but also the centering of the reel body into which the support device is inserted. In this case, the centering using the conical recess is preferably performed by a device in the reel receiving section of the winding machine, the device having a corresponding conical projection in the axial direction, the projection being configured to engage with the conical recess at the end of the shaft of the support device.

[0035] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the support device is inserted into the cavity of the reel body, the shaft is movable relative to the reel body in the direction of inserting the support device into the cavity of the reel body. Such further movement of the shaft in the same direction as when the support device was inserted into the reel body is carried out against the action of elasticity as necessary. This allows the shaft and the support element together with the shaft to move further in the same direction as when it was inserted into the reel body, even after the reel has been inserted into the winding machine together with the support device inserted into the reel, thereby strengthening the clamp of at least one support element against the inner wall of the cavity. This further movement of the shaft within the winding machine is preferably brought about by the axial movement of one or more reel holders.

[0036] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support device has more than one support element, particularly two, three, or four support elements. This makes it easier to enhance the support function by further reducing the maximum axial distance between adjacent support positions, as already described.

[0037] The present invention further relates to a combination of the support device according to the present invention and a reel body having the above-described features and provided for the above-described use. For the operation and advantages of this combination, refer to the above-described description of the support device according to the present invention.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for supporting a reel body for the use described above, having the features described above, and comprises the following steps: - The step of inserting the support device having the disc and shaft according to the present invention into the cavity of the reel body, along the longitudinal axis of the reel body, from the end of the cavity having the larger diameter; - A step of displacing the disc of the support device axially on the shaft of the support device while the disc is in contact with the inner wall surface of the cavity of the reel body; - A step of fastening the outer wall surface of the disc of the support device to the inner wall surface of the cavity of the reel body in the axial direction between the axial end regions of the reel body.

[0039] For the operation and advantages of the method according to the present invention, please refer to the above description of the support device according to the present invention.

[0040] Finally, the present invention also relates to an insertion device for inserting a support device according to the present invention, having a disk and a shaft, into a reel body for use described above, having the features described above, by the method according to the present invention, the insertion device having the following: - A gripping device for gripping a support device, preferably a gripping device for gripping the shaft of a support device. - A moving device for moving the support device to a position outside the reel body where the longitudinal axis of the reel body and the longitudinal axis of the support device's shaft coincide. - An insertion and fastening device for inserting a support device into the cavity of a reel body along the longitudinal axis of the reel body, wherein the disc of the support device is displaced axially on the shaft of the support device while the disc is in contact with the inner wall surface of the cavity of the reel body, and the outer wall surface of the disc of the support device is fastened axially between the inner wall surface of the cavity of the reel body and the axial end regions of both of the reel body.

[0041] The insertion device automates the insertion of the support device according to the present invention into the reel body, thereby enabling integration into the fully automated winding process of the reel in the winding machine.

[0042] Further advantages, features, and applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawings. The drawings show the following: [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0043] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing a winding machine with a reel inserted. [Figure 2a] This is a side view showing a reel with a cable partially wound around it. [Figure 2b] This is a view of the reel shown in Figure 2a from below. [Figure 3] Figures 2a and 2b are perspective views showing the reel excluding the cable winding. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the support device according to the present invention. [Figure 5a] This is a cross-sectional view showing the process of receiving the reel into the winding machine shown in Figure 1, with the support device shown in Figure 4 inserted, at different points in time. [Figure 5b] This is a cross-sectional view showing the process of receiving the reel into the winding machine shown in Figure 1, with the support device shown in Figure 4 inserted, at different points in time. [Figure 5c] This is a cross-sectional view showing the process of receiving the reel into the winding machine shown in Figure 1, with the support device shown in Figure 4 inserted, at different points in time. [Figure 6]This figure shows the reel replacement area of ​​the reel supply unit to the winding machine for manually inserting the reel support device into the reel. [Figure 7] This figure shows the reel replacement area shown in Figure 6, along with an insertion device for automatically inserting a reel support device into the reel. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the support device according to the present invention. [Figure 9a] This is a cross-sectional view showing the process of receiving the reel into the winding machine shown in Figure 1, with the support device shown in Figure 8 inserted, at different points in time. [Figure 9b] This is a cross-sectional view showing the process of receiving the reel into the winding machine shown in Figure 1, with the support device shown in Figure 8 inserted, at different points in time. [Figure 9c] This is a cross-sectional view showing the process of receiving the reel into the winding machine shown in Figure 1, with the support device shown in Figure 8 inserted, at different points in time. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0044] Figures 1, 2a, 2b, and 3 show a reel 6 used in connection with the present invention. Such a reel 6 consists of a conical reel body 1 with an inner cavity 4 which is also conical, and an upper flange 2 or a lower flange 3 is connected to both end faces of the reel body 1. This connection may be fixed and integral, or it may be implemented as a releaseable connection, such as a latch or bayonet type. As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the reel 6 is configured to rotate around its longitudinal axis in order to wind the cable K onto the reel body 1. In this case, both flanges 2 and 3 prevent the winding of the cable K from slipping off the reel body 1 when winding it onto the reel 6.

[0045] Figure 1 shows a conventional winding machine 7 used for winding the type of reel 6 described above.

[0046] The reel 6 is received vertically by the winding machine 7, that is, using its vertical longitudinal axis. For this purpose, the reel 6 is first placed on the lower reel holder 10 of the winding machine 7 by its lower flange 3, and the lower reel holder 10 engages with the lower flange 3 of the reel 6. Next, the plunger 8 of the winding machine 7, to which the upper reel holder 9 is fixed at its lower end, moves downward, and the upper reel holder 9 engages with the upper flange 2. To wind the cable K onto the reel 6, the lower reel holder 10, and together with the reel 6 and the upper reel holder 9, are rotated by a motor (not shown).

[0047] Further details regarding the structure and function of the winding machine 7 are not important in the context of this invention and are therefore not described.

[0048] When the production speed of cable K is high (for example, up to 2400 m / min), the winding machine 7 also needs to operate at a correspondingly high rotational speed. As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, when winding cable K onto reel 6, the reel body 1 is subjected to both a tensile force Fw acting tangentially in the cross-section of cable K and a centrifugal force Fz acting radially outward in the cross-section, resulting from an imbalance. These forces cause deformation of the reel body 1 and can therefore lead to vibration and even breakage of the reel body 1.

[0049] For this reason, the present invention specifies that the support device 11 is inserted into the reel 6 before it is received into the winding machine 7.

[0050] Figure 4 shows a first embodiment of the support device 11 according to the present invention. The support device 11 has a shaft 12 which is vertically oriented when the support device 11 is inserted into the reel 6 and received by the winding machine 7. Hereinafter, the concepts of "up" and "down" relate to this vertical orientation. A terminal flange 24 is positioned at the lower end of the shaft 12 and is fixed to a further flange of the shaft 12 with screws.

[0051] A disk 13 is positioned approximately in the center of the vertically extending portion of the shaft 12, and the disk 13 also extends in a flange-like manner in a plane perpendicular to the shaft 12. The disk 13 has an outer ring with a conical outer wall surface 14. The shaft 12 extends through the inner opening of the disk 13, and the disk 13 is received on the shaft 12 so as to be axially movable. The axial movement of the disk 13 on the shaft 12 is performed against the action of a compression spring 15. The compression spring 15 is formed as a coil spring and extends around the shaft 12. The lower end of the compression spring 15 is connected to the inner ring of the disk 13, and the upper end is connected to or supported by a spring stopper 16, which is configured as a ring clamped to the shaft 12. Below the disk 13, a disk stopper 17 (see Figure 5a) is positioned, which is similarly configured as a ring clamped to the shaft 12. In this manner, when unloaded, the disc 13 is held by the compression spring 15 at approximately the center of the vertically extending portion of the shaft 12, and is displaceable upward on the shaft 12 against the elasticity of the compression spring 15.

[0052] The upper and lower end faces of the shaft 12 are provided with conical centering openings 18 and 19, respectively, and in Figure 4 only the upper centering opening 18 is visible (see also Figures 5a to 5c).

[0053] The following describes the use of the support device 11 for supporting the reel body 1 when the reel 6 is rotated by the winding machine 7.

[0054] For this purpose, before receiving the reel 6 into the winding machine 7, the support device 11 is inserted perpendicular to the reel body 1, specifically from the side of the reel body 1 with the larger diameter, i.e., from above in Figure 3. The insertion is performed along the longitudinal axis of the reel body 1, so that the longitudinal axis of the shaft 12 of the support device 11 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body 1. The support device 11 is inserted into the reel body 1 until the end flange 24 of the shaft 12 rests on the inner portion of the lower flange 3 of the reel 6.

[0055] The conical outer wall surface 14 of the disc 13 is formed to have the same inclination as the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 in the reel body 1. Furthermore, the central diameter of the outer wall surface 14 of the disc 13 is approximately the same as the diameter of the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 at the center of the vertically extending portion of the reel body 1. Therefore, the support device 11 is first inserted into the reel body 1 until the disc 13 is positioned approximately in the center of the vertically extending portion of the reel body 1, and at this time, the disc 13 does not come into contact with the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 in the reel body 1.

[0056] As the support device 11 is moved further downward, the conical outer wall surface 14 of the disc 13 is pressed against the equally conical inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4, and fastened to the inner wall surface 5. Since this is done against the force of the compression spring 15, the tension increases only gradually and does not exceed a specific value that can be adjusted by the spring constant of the compression spring 15 when the end flange 24 of the shaft 12 is placed on the lower flange 3 of the reel 6. This ensures that the support device 11 can be later pulled out of the reel 6 again without requiring excessive force.

[0057] Next, the reel 6 with the support device 11 inserted is received by the winding machine 7 as described above. This process is shown in detail in Figures 5a to 5c.

[0058] In Figure 5a, the reel 6 is already positioned between the upper reel holder 9 and the lower reel holder 10 of the winding machine 7, but it is not yet held in place by them.

[0059] In Figure 5b, the reel 6 is lowered onto the lower reel holder 10. As a result, the lower reel holder 10 engages with the corresponding concave conical recess on the lower flange 3 of the reel 6 with its convex conical projection, and the centering spike 21 of the lower reel holder 10 engages with the lower centering opening 19 of the shaft 12, so that both the reel 6 and the support device 11 are centered by the lower reel holder 10.

[0060] By lowering the reel 6 onto the lower reel holder 10, a frictional connection is further created between the multiple O-rings 25a and 25b, which are embedded in the annular groove on the upper surface of the lower reel holder 10 and protruding from the upper surface of the lower reel holder 10, and the lower surface of the lower flange 3 of the reel 6.

[0061] In Figure 5c, the reel 6 is additionally held by the upper reel holder 9, which is lowered onto the upper flange 2 of the reel 6. Similar to Figure 5b, this causes the upper reel holder 9 to engage with the upper flange 2 of the reel 6, and the centering spike 20 of the upper reel holder 9 to engage with the upper centering opening 18 of the shaft 12, so that both the reel 6 and the support device 11 are centered by the upper reel holder 9. The pressure from the upper reel holder 9 and the lower reel holder 10 from both sides of the reel 6 in the axial direction further reinforces the friction connection by the O-rings 25a and 25b. This friction connection causes the reel 6 to rotate along with the reel holders 9 and 10 as they rotate together during subsequent operation of the winding machine 7, thereby causing the reel 6 itself to rotate. On the rotating reel body 1, the friction connection causes the disc 13, which is clamped in its cavity 4, to rotate along with it.

[0062] In the support device 11 when inserted into the reel 6, the disc 13 acts as an additional stiffener in the form of a disc-shaped rib approximately in the center of the vertically extending portion of the reel body 1. The shaft 12 is connected without play to the centering spikes 20, 21 of the upper and lower reel holders 9, 10 through its centering openings 18, 19. The sliding bearing supporting the disc 13 on the shaft 12 preferably also has no play. Overall, this provides a fixed, play-free connection of the support device 11 to the winding machine 7 and very good support from inside the reel body 1.

[0063] Figures 6 and 7 show the reel replacement area of ​​the reel supply unit to the winding machine 7 for manually or automatically inserting the reel support device 11 onto the reel 6. The depiction of the reel replacement area in Figures 6 and 7 is shown from different directions.

[0064] In both cases, the substantially identical reel supply unit includes a first conveyor belt 104 that supplies empty reels 6 to the winding machine 7, and a second conveyor belt 105 that delivers the reels 6 wound by the winding machine 7 back out. In this case, the reels 6 are positioned vertically on the conveyor belts 104 and 105, and the ends of the conical reel bodies 1 are positioned with the larger diameter facing upward, that is, in the same orientation as when the reels 6 are received by the winding machine 7.

[0065] The actual operation of supplying empty reels 6 to the winding machine 7, or unwinding wound reels 6 from the winding machine 7, is performed by a reel exchange device 106 having a swivel fork, which can hold two reels 6 in two reel receiving positions. By swiveling, lowering, and raising the swivel fork, the reels 6 are transferred between the conveyor belts 104, 105 and the winding machine 7. Further details of such a reel exchange device are described, for example, in the applicant's International Publication No. 2013 / 135329.

[0066] Before supplying empty reels 6 to the winding machine 7, a support device 11 is inserted into each reel 6. This can be done manually (Figure 6) or automatically (Figure 7).

[0067] In the case of manually inserting the support device 11 onto the reel 6 as shown in Figure 6, the operator stands at the end of the conveyor belts 104 and 105. The operator manually places the empty reels 6 one by one onto the first conveyor belt 104, and then inserts the support device 11, which has been taken from the stock shelf 108 of the reel support device 11, onto the reel body 1 in the manner described above. Conversely, the operator first takes the support device 11 from each of the wound reels 6 that arrive on the second conveyor belt 105, loads the support devices 11 onto the stock shelf 108, and then removes the wound reels 6 from the second conveyor belt 105.

[0068] In contrast, in the case of automatic insertion of the support device 11 onto the reel 6 shown in Figure 7, the insertion process is performed by an insertion device 100, although not all of the details of the insertion device 100 are shown in Figure 7. The insertion device 100 has a horizontally positioned portal-type moving device 102, on which a vertically movable insertion and fastening device 103 is reciprocally movable. The insertion and fastening device 103 can thus be positioned on either of the two reel receiving locations of the swivel fork of the reel exchange device 106, and an empty reel 6 and a wound reel 6 are positioned in these locations during the operation of the winding machine 7. A gripping device 101 is positioned on the lower flange of the insertion and fastening device 103, which can surround and grip the upper end of the shaft 12 of the support device 11.

[0069] When a wound reel 6 with the support device 11 inserted and an empty reel 6 without the support device 11 inserted are both placed in the reel receiving locations, the insertion and fastening device 103 moves on the moving device 102 to the center of the wound reel 6, descends to the height of the upper end of the shaft 12 of the support device 11 inserted into the wound reel 6, grips the end of the shaft 12, rises again, moves to the center of the empty reel 6, descends again, thereby inserting the gripped support device 11 into the empty reel 6 and fastening the support device 11 to the reel body 1 of the empty reel 6.

[0070] In this way, the support devices 11 are transferred from the pre-wound reel 6 to the empty reel 6. Therefore, the entire process of inserting the support devices 11 into the reel 6 and removing the support devices 11 from the reel 6 can be easily and efficiently automated.

[0071] Figure 8 shows a second embodiment of the support device 11 according to the present invention. In the following description, only the differences from the first embodiment of the support device shown in Figures 4 and 5 will be described, and the same or corresponding reference numerals will be used for the same or corresponding components.

[0072] In this case, the support device 11 has two disks 13a and 13b as support elements, and these disks are arranged to be movable vertically and axially on the shaft 12 of the support device 11.

[0073] Correspondingly, compression springs 15a and 15b are provided on each of the two discs 13a and 13b, respectively. These compression springs are formed as coil springs and extend around the shaft 12. Each compression spring 15a and 15b is connected at its lower end to the inner ring of each disc 13a and 13b, and at its upper end to or supported by spring stoppers 16a and 16b, which are formed as rings clamped to the shaft 12. Disc stoppers 17a and 17b are similarly positioned on the underside of each disc 13a and 13b, and are also formed as rings clamped to the shaft 12.

[0074] Both discs 13a and 13b divide the shaft 12 into three sections, and when discs 13a and 13b are not under load, the length of each section is approximately one-third of the length of the shaft 12. In this way, the maximum axial distance between adjacent support positions is also reduced to approximately one-third of the length of the shaft 12, further improving support.

[0075] Unlike the support devices shown in Figures 4 and 5, the shaft 12 of the support device 11 does not have a smooth cylindrical surface, but is a spline shaft with external teeth on its outer circumference that are substantially continuous in the axial direction. The inner rings of the discs 13a and 13b have corresponding internal teeth (not shown), which mesh with the shaft 12 so that the discs 13a and 13b are immovable in the axial direction, but not rotatable. As a result, the reel body 1 is also unable to rotate relative to the shaft 12, further improving the rigidity of the combination of the reel 6 and the support device 11, and therefore further enhancing the support function. Alternatively, anti-rotation is achieved by longitudinal grooves on the shaft 12 and by corresponding keys that extend with play within the grooves of the inner rings of the discs 13a and 13b.

[0076] Furthermore, unlike the support devices shown in Figures 4 and 5, the support device 11 does not have a terminal flange at the lower end of the shaft 12, making it impossible to form a direct connection between the support device 11 and the reel 6 at this position. An additional non-rotatable connection is made between the shaft 12 and the lower reel holder 10 by the external teeth of the shaft 12 and the corresponding internal teeth in the receiving opening of the convex conical projection of the lower reel holder 10.

[0077] In the embodiments shown in Figures 8 and 9, a terminal flange can also be provided at the lower end of the shaft 12, and the terminal flange corresponds in terms of its structure and function to the terminal flange 24 in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0078] Conversely, in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5, the terminal flange 24 can be omitted, and an additional connection can be formed between the shaft 12 and the lower reel holder 10. This connection can be made non-rotatable by friction, and for this purpose, the lower end of the shaft 12 and the receiving opening of the lower reel holder 10 are preferably both formed in a slightly conical shape.

[0079] The centering spike 21 is supported axially by a spring in the lower reel holder 10. This makes it possible to correct for length differences resulting from slight variations in the axial length of the reel, within a specific range.

[0080] Finally, centering at the upper end of the shaft 12 is performed in the opposite manner to the support device shown in Figure 4, namely by having an upper centering spike 22 at its axial upper end instead of a centering opening, and the upper reel holder 9 having a centering opening 23 instead of a centering spike.

[0081] Figures 9a to 9c illustrate the process of receiving the reel 6 into which the support device 11 is inserted into the winding machine 7, and this process is carried out in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment of the support device (see Figures 5a to 5c).

[0082] However, unlike the support device shown in Figure 4, the shaft 12, which is axially movable relative to the reel body 1 because it does not have a lower end flange, is pushed down by the vertical movement of the upper reel holder 9. As a result, the spring stoppers 16a, 16b and the disc stoppers 17a, 17b also move down, and the spring washer 13 is pushed down by the compression springs 15a, 15b and clamped against the inner wall surface 5 of the cavity 4 of the reel body 1 with its conical outer wall surfaces 14a, 14b. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0083] 1. Reel body 2 Upper flange 3. Lower flange 4 cavities 5. Inner wall surface of the cavity 6 reels 7 Winding machine 8 plungers 9 Upper reel holder 10 Lower reel holder 11 Support device 12 shafts 13, 13a, 13b disks 14, 14a, 14b Outer surface of the disk 15, 15a, 15b Compression springs 16, 16a, 16b Spring stopper 17, 17a, 17b Disc stopper 18 Upper centering opening of the shaft 19 Lower centering opening of the shaft 20 Centering spikes on the upper reel holder 21 Centering spike on the lower reel holder 22 Upper centering spike on the shaft 23 Centering opening of the upper reel holder 24 End flange of shaft 25a, 25b O-rings K Cable 100 Insertion device 101 Gripping device 102 Mobile device 103 Insertion and fastening device 104 First conveyor belt 105 Second conveyor belt 106 Reel changing device 107 Operators 108 Inventory shelf

Claims

1. A support device (11) for supporting a reel body (1), wherein the reel body (1) has a substantially conical internal cavity (4), the longitudinal axis of the internal cavity coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1), the reel body (1) is configured to rotate around the longitudinal axis of the reel body, and the support device (11) is configured to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1), The support device (11) has at least one support element (13), wherein the support element is configured to support the reel body (1) radially inward between the axial end regions of the reel body (1) when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1).

2. The support device (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the support elements (13) supports the reel body (1) in the central region of the axially extending portion of the reel body (1) when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1).

3. The support device (11) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support device (11) is configured to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) from the end with the larger diameter of the conical internal cavity (4) of the reel body (1) along the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1).

4. The support device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support device (11) has a shaft (12), and at least one support element (13), preferably each of the support elements (13), is a disk (13) arranged on the shaft (12) in the form of a flange perpendicular to it, having a substantially conical outer wall surface (14).

5. The support device (11) according to claim 4, characterized in that the inclination of the conical outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) generally coincides with the inclination of the conical inner cavity (4) of the reel body (1), and when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1), the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1) coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shaft (12) of the support device (11), and the disc (13) supports the reel body (1) by fastening the outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) and the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) in the axial direction.

6. The support device (11) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the disk (13) is supported on the shaft (12) so as to be displaceable in the axial direction.

7. The support device (11) according to claim 6, wherein the disc (13) is non-rotatably supported on the shaft (12), and in particular by particularly continuous, longitudinally extending external teeth of the shaft (12) and corresponding internal teeth in the inner opening of the disc (13), or by particularly continuous, longitudinally extending grooves in the shaft (12) and corresponding keys in the inner opening of the disc (13), wherein the keys have play in the groove.

8. The support device (11) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the disk (13) is supported on the shaft (12) so as to be displaceable in the axial direction against elasticity.

9. The support device (11) according to claim 8, characterized in that the elasticity acts in the direction of inserting the support device (11) into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1).

10. The support device (11) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that elasticity is generated mechanically, pneumatically, or hydraulically.

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

12. The support device (11) according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that the shaft (12) has at least one end a substantially conical recess (18, 19) or a substantially conical projection (22) provided for centering the support device (11) together with the reel body (1).

13. The support device (11) according to any one of claims 4 to 12, characterized in that the shaft (12) is movable relative to the reel body (1) in the direction of inserting the support device (11) into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) when the support device (11) is inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1).

14. The support device (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the support device (11) has more than one support element (13), in particular two, three, or four support elements (13).

15. A combination of a support device (11) and a reel body (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the reel body (1) has a substantially conical internal cavity (4), the longitudinal axis of the internal cavity coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1), the reel body (1) is configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the reel body, and the support device (11) is configured to be inserted into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1).

16. A method for supporting a reel body (1), wherein the reel body has a substantially conical internal cavity (4), the longitudinal axis of the internal cavity coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1), and the reel body (1) is configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the reel body, and the following steps: - The step of inserting the support device (11) according to any one of claims 4 to 14 into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) from the end of the cavity (4) having the larger diameter, along the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1); - A step of displacing the disk (13) of the support device (11) in the axial direction on the shaft (12) of the support device (11) while the disk (13) is in contact with the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the reel body (1); - The step of fastening the outer wall surface (14) of the disk (13) of the support device (11) in the axial direction between the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) and the axial end regions of both the reel body (1), A method of having.

17. An insertion device (100) for inserting a support device (11) according to any one of claims 4 to 14 into a reel body (1), wherein the reel body has a substantially conical internal cavity (4), the longitudinal axis of the internal cavity coincides with the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1), and the reel body (1) is configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the reel body by the method described in claim 16. - A gripping device (101) for gripping the support device (11), preferably for gripping the shaft (12) of the support device (11), - A moving device (102) moves the support device (11) to a position outside the reel body (1) such that the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1) and the longitudinal axis of the shaft (12) of the support device (11) coincide. - An insertion and fastening device (103) for inserting the support device (11) into the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) along the longitudinal axis of the reel body (1), wherein the disc (13) of the support device (11) is in contact with the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the reel body (1), and the disc (13) of the support device (11) is displaced axially on the shaft (12) of the support device (11), thereby fastening the outer wall surface (14) of the disc (13) of the support device (11) axially between the inner wall surface (5) of the cavity (4) of the reel body (1) and the axial end regions of the reel body (1), An insertion device (100) having the following.

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