GB2110728A

GB2110728A - Automatic emptying of spinning cop containers

Info

Publication number: GB2110728A
Application number: GB08234105A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Willi Krenmayr
Original assignee: Machinenfabrik Schweiter AG
Current assignee: Machinenfabrik Schweiter AG
Priority date: 1981-12-07
Filing date: 1982-11-30
Publication date: 1983-06-22
Also published as: IT8224509A0; FR2517650B1; DE3243416A1; IT8224509A1; IT1154358B; FR2517650A1; GB2110728B

Abstract

Spinning cops arranged in an irregular manner in a spinning cop container 5, when the latter assumes its emptying position and a side wall 9 is removed, slide into an antechamber 10 and are positioned on a vibrating feed plate or conveyor belt 13. Due to the directional and feeding action of said feed plate, the formation of build-up bridges, which can occur in the spinning cop container and antechamber is substantially avoided. A plate 12 is provided on the feeding side of the antechamber so that the lower cops are fed before the upper. As a result, the spinning cops can be removed by further means as a continuous flow at the end of the feed plate. Despite the limited space requirements, during the emptying of the spinning cop container, the spinning cops are transformed from their irregular arrangement into a straightened, single- layer arrangement. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method and apparatus for the automatic emptying of spinning cop containers The invention relates to a method for the automatic emptying of spinning cop containers filled with irregular arranged spinning cops and for preparing the transfer of the cops to further equipment, the spinning cop container being brought into an emptying position, as well as to an apparatus for performing this method.

In spinning mills, the spinning cops are prepared in spinning cop containers, in which the cops are collected in an irregularly arranged manner. On further processing the cops, e.g. in a bobbin winder, it is necessary to introduce the cops individually and possibly in a specific position. Methods and units for aligning and individually delivering the spinning cops are used for this purpose. It is known that this connection to automatically, i.e. without manual action, bring the spinning cops into an arrangement suitable for further processing purposes. With respect to the automatic processing of the spinning cops by the aforementioned methods and units, it is also desirable to automatically realise the transfer of the cops from the cop containers to the equipment for arranging them and aligning them.It is then merely necessary to organise the transfer of the spinning cop containers filled with spinning cops to the emptying station, which can also be carried out by means of automatic equipment.

The invention relates to part of the automatic conveying of the spinning cops located in spinning cop containers and specifically to that part in which the spinning cop container is emptied and the spinning cops are supplied to the unit for the alignment and individual delivery thereof for the purpose of further processing. In the known units, this part is generally combined with the unit for aligning and individually delivering the spinning cops.

The spinning cops need not be fed in in a special manner and instead the complete cop container can be emptied into the feed part of the unit for the alignment and individual delivery of the spinning cops. However, in the feed part, there are metering problems, because the further sliding of the cops is made difficult or even impossible through the formation of build-up bridges. Thus, it is always necessary to monitor the transfer parts and if necessary to carry out manual action.

If it is attempted to slow down the emptying of the spinning cop container in order to achieve a more favourable introduction into the feed part, as emptying always takes place over the upper container edge, the difficulty occurs that the spinning cops slide out of the container in groups and not in a uniformly distributed manner. The larger the spinning cop containers, the more difficult the metering problem.

The invention therefore seeks to provide a method of the aforementioned type, which enables the emptying of the spinning cop container to take place continuously and without bridge formation, whilst limiting the necessary technical expenditure.

According to the invention, there is provided a method of automatically emptying spinning cop containers filled with irregularly arranged spinning cops and for preparing the transfer of the cops to further devices, the spinning cop container being brought into an emptying position, wherein the spinning cops are successively brought from the spinning cop container onto a vibratory conveyor, the bottom spinning cops always being removed by the vibratory conveyor and the upper spinning cops being held back.

The invention further provides apparatus for emptying spinning cop containers comprising a spinning cop container arranged to empty spinning cops onto a vibratory conveyor via a removed side wall, an antechamber being located in front of the position of said side wall and having a frontal delivery opening for the spinning cops the antechamber at least partly covering the feed plate.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter by way of a non-limitative embodiment referring the attached drawing showing the emptying of a spinning cop container filled with spinning cops arranged in an irregular manner.

The invention is based on the consideration that the continuous sliding out of spinning cops can be ensured if in each case bottom spinning cops are removed first, whilst simultaneously reducing the pressure of the overlying cops acting on the underlying cops. The drawing illustrates how these two requirements can be fulfilled.

A base 2, on which is mounted a tilting device 3, is supported on a substrate 1, e.g. a mill floor. The tilting device 3 has a platform 4, whose shape is chosen in such a way that a spinning cop container 5 can be mounted thereon and can be moved onto the platform when the latter is lowered. Platform 4 is fixed by arms 6 (only one arm is visible) to a pivoting shaft 7, which is pivotably mounted in bearing blocks 8 (only one is visible), which are in turn fixed to base 2. Pivoting shaft 7 is connected to a not shown pivot drive, by which platform 4 can be lowered for receiving a spinning cop container 5 and can be raised into the emptying position shown in the draw ing.

The spinning cop container 5 has a frontal side wall 9, which can be completely removed for the emptying process. Side wall 9 can be removed manually or by automatic means, which can form part of the emptying plant. In front of side wall 9 is located an antechamber 10, which directly follows onto the front of spinning cop container 5 and is mounted in fixed and not shown manner. Antechamber 10 is open at the bottom, i.e. it does not have a base and is also frontally provided with an outlet port 11, whose size is adjustable. A plate-like member 1 2 displaceably arranged in front of antechamber 10 is used for adjusting the size.

At its open bottom, antechamber 10 is closed by a vibrating feed plate 12, which projects over outlet port 11. Feed plate 1 3 is supported by arms 1 4 on a foundation 1 5 resting on substrate 1. The representation of feed plate 1 3 is purely diagrammatical. It is unimportant how the feed plate 1 3 is vibrated, e.g. pneumatically, hydraulically, mechanically or electrically.

On a device 1 7 following in the feed direction from feed plate 1 3 is provided a sensor 16, e.g. a light barrier, which supplies a signal concerning the presence of spinning cops, which can e.g. be used for interrupting the feed of feed plate 1 3 to prevent an undesired sliding through of too many spinning cops.

The aforementioned emptying unit operates in the following way. After bringing a spinning cop container 5 into the emptying position on platform 4 and removing side wall 9, a number of spinning cops arranged in irregular manner in spinning cop container 5 slide into antechamber 10 under the action of gravity. This sliding into antechamber 1 0 takes place without any formation of build-up bridges. This favourable action is probably due to the fact that the pressure ofthe overlying cops acting on the bottom cop is greatly reduced in antechamber 10. In addition, as a result of its conveying action directed counter to the discharge side, feed plate 1 3 has a powerful directional action, which is gradually transferred to the overlying cops.It is advantageous for feed plate 1 3 to have an adequate width and this must be great than the cop length. The vibrations produced by the feed plate can then have a directional action on the spinning cops. This directional action also acts on the cops not in direct contact with feed plate 1 3 and which are at a certain distance to the feed plane and either perpendicular or at right angles thereto, in that on reaching feed plate 1 3 they are largely completely aligned, i.e. the longitudinal axis of the cop is in the feed direction. If a build-up bridge is still formed, which is determined by the monitoring of the flow of spinning cops sliding over feed plate 13, the latter can be operated rapidly at certain intervals during a given period of time, which helps to break up the said bridge.

The monitoring of the flow can, for example, be effected by a sensor 1 6. If sensor 16 detects the presence of spinning cops, the feed action of feed plate 1 3 is interrupted, which prevents an undesired sliding through of too many cops. If a build-up bridge forms, the sensor can detect this, because for a certain period it detects no further cops and as a result the speed of feed plate 1 3 is switched to a higher value, which breaks up the build-up bridge. Outlet port 11 can be adapted to the size of the spinning cops to be processed by adjusting plate-member 1 2.

The emptying position of the spinning cop container 5 shown in the drawing is not the only position in which the emptying can take place. For example, the tilting device 1 3 could also be constructed in such a way that the spinning cop container 5 is brought into an upside-down position, in such a way that with the frontal side wall removed, antechamber 10 follows on in the same way. Here again, the spinning cops are removed from below and as a result of the special arrangement, build-up bridges are substantially prevented.

The above-described emptying unit is followed by a device (not shown) in which the spinning cops are further aligned and brought into the desired reciprocal position, in such a way that the spinning cops are transferred for further processing in a desired form. The construction of this device is unimportant for the presently described emptying unit.

It is also possible to combine the spinning cop container with the tilting device. The incoming containers are then emptied into it, emptying and transfer preparation then taking place in the aforementioned manner.

Claims

1. A method of automatically emptying spinning cop containers filled with irregularly arranged spinning cops and for preparing the transfer of the cops to further devices, the spinning cop container being brought into an emptying position, wherein the spinning cops are successively brought from the spinning cop container onto a vibratory conveyor, the bottom spinning cops always being removed by the vibratory conveyor and the upper spinning cops being held back.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the spinning cops are brought onto the conveyor via a completely or partly removed side wall with the spinning cop container in a sloping emptying position.

3. A method according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the spinning cops are brought into an antechamber positioned in front of the spin ning cop container and which is at least partly located over the conveyor.

4. Apparatus for emptying spinning cop containers comprising a spinning cop container arranged to empty spinning cops onto a vibratory conveyor via a removed side wall, an antechamber being located in front of the position of said side wall and having a frontal delivery opening for the spinning cops the antechamber at least partly covering the feed plate.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, whereint he conveyor is adjustable with a variable and/or intermittently acting vibration.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the spinning cop container is positioned upside down in front of the antechamber when in the emptying position.

7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 4, 5 or 6 wherein a lifting device is provided for checking the spinning cop container in the emptying position.

8. A method of emptying spinning cop containers, such method being substantially as hereinbefore with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. Apparatus for emptying spinning cop containers substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.