Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ WO~1/130~0 2 0 71~9 ~ ~ `; PCT/FI9~ 4
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A guiding device for a machine for winding wire-like
goods
The present invention relates to a device in a
machine for winding wire-like gaods, such as a cable,
on a flanged reel, comprising
- a support frame for supporting a reel
rotatably around its axis; and
- a distributor for passing the cable on the
reel to form superimposed layers of cable turns wound
adjacent to each other between the flanges of the
reel;
- the support frame and the distributor being
displaceable with respect to each other so that the
cable is wound on the reel at a backward deviation
angle with respect to adjacent cable turns and with
S-shaped transitions between the cable turns.
As used in this connection, the expression
"wire-like goods" refers to all kinds of long narrow
continuous objects which can be wound on a reel, such
as cables, conductors, threads and fibres, mostly
products used in the production of electrical cables
and data transmission conductors. For the sake of
clarity, however, the invention will be described
below with reference to a cable.
When a cable is wound on a reel or drum, it is
guided by a guiding device so that the cable is posi-
tioned between the flanges of the reel in super-
imposed layers each consisting of a number of
3Q adjacent cable turns.
In most prior art winding machines, including
U.S. Patent 3,997,128 (FURUKAWA), the winding move-
ments are effected by an axial displacement of a
cable guide which is parallel with the axis of the
reel. The cable guide guides the cable or displaces
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WO91/1~020 2 ~ 7:5 9 8 D ` ` Pcr/FI9l/ooo~
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the reel in such a way that when the reel has
accomplished one revolution, the guide or the reel
has been displaced a distance equal to the thickness
of the cable.
A drawback of such a method is that the cable
is positioned spirally wi-th air spaces between
parallel flanges, as a result of which the reel will
be filled increasingly irregularl~ during the reeling
in the vicinity of the flanges, where the cable can
slide down into the air spaces and spoil the regular
winding process, so that the reel is not filled in
the best possible way and the cable is liable to
mechanical damage. When the cable is unwound during a
subsequent production process, it is again possible
that mechanical damages occur as the cable may get
wedged or overlap in the vicinity of the flanges.
When a cable layer has been wound up to one
reel flange and the winding direction is reversed to-
wards the other flange, a spiral configuration is
formed with an angle of pitch which is opposite to
the angle of pitch of the underlying cable layer.
After the direction has been reversed at one reel
flange, the cable will partially follow the course of
the grooves in the spiral configuration of the under-
lying cable layer, as a result of which spaces are
formed in the winding layer even at a distance from
the cable flanges.
As disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Patents 3,951,355
(SUMITOMO) and 4,143,834 (FURUKAWA), an improved
winding can be obtained if the relative displacing
movement between the cable guide and the reel is
interrupted for a predetermined period of time in the
vicinity of the reel flanges, so that the first or a
few first cable turns are wound in parallel with the
reel flange, whereafter the above-mentioned rela-tive
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~ W091/1302~ 2 ~ ~ ~ 9 ~ O ` PCT/F19ltO0054
mo~ement between the cable guide and the reel is re-
started with a continuous sideward displacement
equalling to one cable diameter for each revolution
of the reel.
The cable distribution obtainecl by this winding
process is such that the cable turns are parallel
with the flange of the reel and S-shaped transitions
are formed between adjacent cable turns. The cable to
be wound forms a backward deviation angle with
respect to the axis of the reel during the winding.
A drawback is that the cable to be wound tends
to climb up on adjacent cable turns, particularly at
the S-shaped transitions, where the backward devi-
ation angle of the cable to be wound increases
temporarily. The problem is worst with objects con-
sisting of material having a high coefficient of
friction, such as electrically insulated rubber
cables or rubber hoses. The problem is even worse
with large deviation angles.
It is known from EP Patent Application
0 043 368 (ROSENDAHL) to keep the backward deviation
angle of the cable to be wound constant in all
conditions, so that variation in the deviation angle
is avoided. This reduces the climbing tendency as the
deviation angle does not increase at the S-shaped
transitions. A measuring device changes continuously
the relative displacement between the reel and the
cable guide in order to compensate for variation in
the deviation angle and to keep it as constant as
possible.
A major drawback is, however, that if the cable
to be wound some time inadvertently climbs up on
adjacent cable turns, due to irregularities in the
cable dimensions, a high coefficient of friction with
respect to the backward deviation angle, etc., the
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WO91/13020 2 0 ~ ~ 9 8 ~ PCT/Fl91/~0~
winding direction in the winding machine is reversed
as the winding machine attempts to keep the deviation
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angle constant.
Thus the deviation angle becomes forwardl~
directed and the cable begins to be wound in a spiral
configuration back towards the wrong reel flange,
where the cable strikes against the reel flange and
the regular winding process is spoiled.
At high winding speeds and heavy winding goods,
the inertia of mass of the reel with wound layers
makes it difficult for the winding machine to keep
the backward deviation angle constant by axially dis-
placing the reel. In addition, means required for
keeping the angle constant are very complicated.
If the cable guide only is displaced, too large
bending angles occur in the cable before the cable
guide if the distance between the guide and the
guiding machinery positioned before the guide is no-t
increased unreasonably.
It is known -from U.S. Patent 4,421,284
(NOR~HERN TELECOM) to exert a downward force on the
cable to be wound before the reel contacting point of
the cable, which reduces the risk of the cable climb-
ing on the adjacent cable turn. The device, however,
comprises complicated guide wheels, which have to be
turned beside the reel flanges, and the whole guiding
device has to be displaced away from the reel when
the internal diameter of the reel increases during
the winding, because the guiding device would other-
wise collide with the cable layers on the reel. This
winding machine thus has considerable disadvantages.
It is known from U.S. Patent 4,150,801 (KOBE)
to press a cable against an adjacent cable turn and
simultaneously downwards by means of T- or L-shaped
contact members. However, this winding machine has to
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~ WO91~13020 ~5S~ PCT/F191~0~g4 i~
be provided with a cable detector which synchronizes
the traversing movements so tha-t the cable runs at an
angle of 90 to the axis of the reel. In addition, it
is necessary that the contact member(s) can be lifted
with power-operated lifting means so as to prevent
them from getting stuck at the turning points beside
the reel ends. Winding machines of this type are un-
suitable and complicated and damage the cable, in
addition to which they spoil the regular winding
process if the cable layer on the reel rises more
than one cable thickness in the vicinity of the reel
flanges on account of irregularities commonly
occurring in the winding process.
The object of the present invention is to
provide a device in a winding machine which avoids
the above-mentioned drawbacks, enables cable turns to
be wound closely together while the wire-like goods
to be wound is prevented from inadvertently climbing
up on adjacent cable turns, and ensures controlled
movement in the vicinity of the reel flanges. This is
achieved by means of a device according to the inven-
tion, which is characterized in
- that the winding machine is provided with a
hold-down means positioned upon the cable at its reel
contacting point, said hold-down means exerting on
the cable a force such that the cable itself lifts up
the hold-down means in the vicinity of the reel
flanges to begin a new cable layer;
- that the distributor and the support frame
are arranged to be displaced at constant speed with
respect to each other, so that the deviation angle is
allowed to vary at the S-shaped transitions between
adjacent cable turns but is kept constantly back-
wardly directed when the cable is displaced towards a
reel flange; and
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WO~1/13020 2 ~ 8 ~ PCT/F191/00
- that the distributor is arranged to displace
-the cable a distance e~ual to one cable thickness in
ei-ther direction away from the axis of the cable in
the vicinity of the reel flanges.
The invention is based.. o'n the idea that instead
of aim.ing at keeping the..bàckward deviation angle of
the goods to be wound, such as a cable, at a cons-tant
value between the reel flanges by positive control
throughout the winding process, the deviation angle
is allowed to vary when the cable forms S-shaped
transitions while nevertheless all the time keeping
the angle backwardly directed when the cable advances
towards the reel flange. The cable to be wound is
prevented from climbing on adjacen-t cable ~urns by
means of a hold-down means which rests gently upon
the cable at the reel contacting point of the cable
and which is lifted up by the cable in -the vicinity
of the reel flange when the cable starts a new layer.
The word gently means that the cable is not forceful-
ly pressed from above and from the side by the hold-
down means in order to force it to follow the course
of the S-shaped transition of the preceding cable
turn, but the cable is allowed to form the S-shaped
transitions by itself; if the cable is rigid, the
transitions can be allowed to be evened out to some
extent. As the position of the cable is changed in
the vicinity of the reel flanges, the starting of a
regular winding process is easier, so that the gentle
pressing of the hold-down means is sufficient to
prevent the climbing of the cable even close to the
reel flanges.
In the following the inven-tion will be
described more closely with reference to -the attached
drawings, where
Figure l is a schematic vertical sectional view
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WO91i~3020 2 a ~ ~ 9 8 ~ ` PCT/Fl~1/0005
of a winding machine in which a device according to
the invention is used;
Figures 2A and 2B show the winding process
according to the present invention with the reel con-
tacting point of the cable in two different rotationpositions of the reel; and
Figures 3A to 3F illustrate the reversing of
the direction of movement of the cable in the
vicinity of the reel flanges.
The main elements of the winding machine shown
in ~igure 1 include a support frame 1 for supporting
a reel 2 and a distributor 3 for passing a cable 4 on
the reel. The support frame is provided with wheels
and is displaceable in the axial direction of the
reel by means of a machinery not shown, whereas the
distributor is mounted stationary.
The distributor is provided with an arm 5
mounted pivotally in the vertical plane. The outer
end of the arm is provided with a rotatably mounted
hold-down roll 6. A detector 7 is attached to the
roll. A hold-down cylinder 8 is positioned between
the arm and the frame of the distributor. In
addition, a guiding device 9 for the cable is mounted
upon the distributor.
The cable is wound on the reel by con-tinuously
rotating the reel while displacing it in its axial
direction with respect to the distributor. In -this
way the cable forms superimposed cable layers, each
consisting of a number of adjacent cable turns 10
having S-shaped transitions 11 between them. In the
vicinity of the flanges 12 of the reel the direction
of displacement of the reel is reversed.
The cable is guided by the guiding means 9 in
such a manner with respect to its reel contacting
point 13 that the cable forms a deviation angle A
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WO91/13020 2 ~ 7~ g ga'`~ PCT/~ 0
which is directed backwards with respec-t to the
direction of movement of the cable towards the reel
flange, as shown in Figure 2A. The :reel is displaced
axially at a constant speed with respect to the
stationary distributor, which means that the backward
deviation angle increases temporarily at the S-shaped
transitions ll, as shown with an angle A' in Figure
2B. This variation is not attempted -to be compensated
for.
The hold-down roll 6 is pressed by means of -the
cylinder 8 against the cable only with a force which
is sufficient, together with the force of gravity of
the cable and the drawing force acting on the cable,
to prevent the cable from climbing on a preceding
cable turn. The cable is thus pressed gen-tly against
the reel but the purpose of the hold-down roll is not
to force the cable to strictly follow the course of
the preceding cable turn at the S-shaped -transition.
The hold-down force is preferably smaller than the
drawing force exerted on the cable. In this way the
cable will be wound gently without forcing it in
sharp S shaped bends.
After the cable layer has been completed by
- winding the last cable turn between the preceding
cable turn and the reel flange, the cable ascends
said last cable turn and lifts up the hold-down roll.
The hold-down roll is mounted axially resiliently on
the arm 5 so that it stops automatically beside the
reel flange due to this resiliency, and a side roll
prevents friction against the reel flange.
In the vicinity of the reel flange the cable is
positioned against the reel flange in parallel with
it, whereafter its position is changed at the follow-
ing S-shaped transition by means of the guiding
' 35 device 9.
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~ WO91/~3~20 ' 2 o 7 ~ 9 ~ ~ PCT~
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The guiding device comprises ~two pulleys 1~
which are positioned in parallel with each other on
an angled arm 15 mounted pivotally in the distributor
frame. The arm is connected to a compressed air
cylinder 16 communicating with a source of compressed
air 17. The detector 7 of the hold-down roll is oper
ationally connected by means of a conductor 18 with
an actuator 19 for a valve 20 positioned between the
cylinder and the source of compressed air.
Figure 3a illustrates the position of the
guiding device when the cable is wound towards the
right-hand side flange 12 of the reel. The guide
pulleys 14 pass the cable on the reel at the above-
mentioned backward deviation angle A.
The detector measures a predetermined distance
from the reel flange and sends via a conductor 21 a
corresponding impulse to the electronics of the
machine after this distance has been achieved. The
electronics of the machine calculates that the cable
will reach the reel flange after a certain number of
cable turns has been wound on the reel, the number
depending on the diameter of the cable, and regulates
the axial displacement of the reel in such a way that
the cable will be positioned in parallel with the
flange, Figure 3B.
After still another cable turn has been wound,
the electronics causes the direction of movemen~ of
the reel to be reversed. Simultaneously the detector
sends an impulse to the actuator, which influences
the valve 20 so that it causes the cylinder to change
the position of the guide pulleys, Figure 3C. In this
position, the pulleys cause the cable to be displaced
in the sideward direction over a distance equal to
the thickness of the cable, thus forming the first S-
shaped transition.
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WO91/13020 `~ p-7 5 ~ 8 ~ PCT/F191/0~ ~
When the cable starts the second cable turn,
the detector sends an impulse to the actuator to
cause it to influence the cylinder so that it returns
the guide pulleys to the normal winding position to
wind the cable towards the left-hand side reel
flange. At the same time the electronics of the
machine receives an impulse~to regulate the axial
displacement of the reel so that the cable is again
positioned at the backward deviation angle A, as
shown in Figure 3D.
When the cable reaches the left flange of the
reel, the same process is repeated as with the riyht
flange, as shown in Figures 3E and 3F.
The figures and the description related to them
are only intended to illustrate the idea of the
invention. In its details, the device of the inven-
tion may vary within the scope of the claims.
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