GB2210903A

GB2210903A - Yarn stripper device

Info

Publication number: GB2210903A
Application number: GB8723831A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ernest Patchett
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-10-10
Filing date: 1987-10-10
Publication date: 1989-06-21
Also published as: GB8723831D0

Abstract

A yarn stripper device (10) comprises a housing (11), a power driven rotary saw (12), a slide (13) adapted to carry a yarn holder (14) bearing unused yarn (15) and movable to and fro with respect to the housing (11) in order to advance the yarn holder (14) to the saw (12) so that yarn stripping can take place and then to retract the stripped yarn holder, drive means (16) coupled with the slide (13), and switching means arranged to initiate operation of the drive means to cause the latter to drive the slide towards the saw, and to operate the saw as the yarn holder is advanced thereto. The yarn holders may be supplied from a magazine. In further form the saw is moved relative to the holder. In Fig 3 not shown a knife (32) is driven by cams to sever waste on a bobbin having end flanges. <IMAGE>

Description

YARN STRIPPER DEVICE This invention relates to a yarn stripper device for use in stripping unused yarn from a yarn holder of the type used with weaving looms.

Yarn holders are known as "tubes", "cones" and "cheeses", and it is usually the case that, following completion of a particular weaving operation, quite large amounts of unused yarn remain on some of the yarn holders.

This material is worth being recovered, and there is also value in the stripped yarn holders, provided that the unused yarn can be stripped-off without damage to the surface of the holder.

At present, the yarn is recovered by crude manual methods, involving the use of a sharp blade which cuts the turns of yarn on the holder. This is a potentially dangerous practice, which often gives rise to serious accident to the persons carrying out the operation, and the use of a knife can also damage, by scoring, the surface of the holder.

There is therefore a need to provide a yarn stripper device which can at least semi-automate yarn stripping operations in an efficient and reliable manner, and without doing any damage to the yarn holder.

According to one aspect the invention provides a yarn stripper device which comprises a housing, a power driven rotary saw mounted in the housing, a slide adapted to carry a yarn holder bearing unused yarn and movable to and fro with respect to the housing in order to advance the yarn holder to the saw so that yarn stripping can take place, and then to retract the stripped yarn holder, drive means coupled with the slide, and switching means arranged to initiate operation of the drive means to cause the latter to drive the slide towards the saw, and to operate the saw as the yarn holder is advanced thereto.

Preferably, the slide comprises a mandrel adapted to receive one end of a yarn holder, and a support engageable with the yarn holder at or near to its opposite end. When the yarn holder is in the form of a "cone", preferably the support is vertically adjustable so as to bring the upper edge (as seen in side view) of the holder to a substantially horizontal attitude suitable for advance to the circular saw.

The drive means for the slide preferably comprises a pneumatic ram acting between the housing and the slide, and triggered automatically into operation so as to advance the yarn holder to the saw, and then to retract the stripped yarn holder from the saw.

According to a further aspect the invention provides a yarn stripper device which comprises a frame, a power driven rotary saw mounted on the frame, a magazine mounted on the frame and arranged to receive a stack of yarn holders which require unused yarn thereon to be stripped, a yarn stripping station arranged to receive yarn holders one by one from the magazine, holding means at the station engageable with each end of a yarn holder to hold the latter steady while yarn stripping takes place, and means for causing relative movement between the saw and the yarn stripping station whereby the saw can cut through the unused yarn on a yarn holder held at the stripping station.

Preferably, the yarn stripping station is fixed-, and the saw is caused to move towards and away from the station.

Since the rotary saw will carry out linear movement to and fro over the yarn holder, in order to cut through the unused yarn thereon, it is important that the path of movement of the saw should be substantially parallel to the upper exposed surface of the yarn holder, so that the saw does not dig into the surface of the holder thereby rendering it unusable. Therefore, it is preferred that at least one of the holding means is adjustable in height to enable the attitude of the exposed surface of the holder to be adjusted.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a yarn stripper device which comprises a frame, means for supporting a yarn holder having unused yarn thereon so that the holder extends substantially horizontally, a cutter blade mounted on the frame so to extend above and lengthwise of the yarn holder, and means for applying oscillating up and down movement to the blade so that the latter can cut through the unused yarn on the holder.

Preferably, a rotary cam-type drive is coupled with the blade so as to apply oscillating movement to the blade.

Yarn strippers according to the third aspect of the invention are particularly suitable for stripping unused yarn from yarn holders in the form of bobbins having flanges at each end, since the blade can be readily presented to the bobbin at a position intermediate the flanged ends, and without interference to the operation of the blade.

Embodiments of yarn stripper device according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side illustration of an embodiment of yarn stripper device according to a first aspect of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a modified embodiment and in accordance with the second aspect of the invention; and, Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment in accordance with a third aspect of yarn stripper according to the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown a yarn stripper device which is designated generally by reference 10 and which comprises a housing 11, a power driven rotary saw 12 mounted in the housing 11, and a slide 13 adapted to carry a yarn holder 14 bearing unused yarn 15 thereon. The slide 13 is movable to and fro with respect to the housing 11 in order to advance the yarn holder 14 to the saw 12 so that yarn stripping can take place, and then to retract the stripped yarn holder 14. Drive means, in the form of a pneumatic ram 16 is coupled with the slide 13, and switching means (not shown) is arranged to initiate operation of the ram 16 to cause the latter to drive the slide 13 towards the saw 12, and to operate the saw 12 as the yarn holder 14 is advanced thereto.

The slide 13 carries a mandrel 17 adapted to receive the leading end 18 of the yarn holder 14, and a support 19 is engageable with the yarn holder 14 at or near to its opposite end. When the yarn holder 14 is in the form of a "cone", the support 19 can be vertically adjusted so as to bring the upper edge (as seen in side view) of the yarn holder to a substantially horizontal attitude suitable for advance to the circular saw.

The switching means comprises on-off switches to place the device into a state of readiness, and also includes microswitches which trigger the ram 16 into operation so as to further advance the slide, and also to cause operation of the saw 12 when yarn stripping is required. When the slide 14 has completed its advance past the saw, a further microswitch is operated, to terminate operation of the saw, and to cause the ram 16 to retract the now stripped yarn holder.

A second embodiment of yarn stripper device, in accordance with a second aspect of the invention, is shown in Figure 2, and comprises a frame (not shown), a power driven rotary saw 20 mounted on the frame, a magazine 21 also mounted on the frame and arranged to receive a stack of yarn holders 22 which require unused yarn thereon to be stripped, a yarn stripping station 23 arranged to receive yarn holders one by one from the magazine 21, and holding means at the station 23. The holding means comprises a pair of holders 24 each movable into engagement within an adjacent end of the yarn holder 22 at the station 23, so as to hold the yarn holder steady while yarn stripping takes place.

Means is provided for causing relative movement between the saw 20 and the yarn stripping station 23, whereby the saw can cut through the unused yarn on the yarn holder 22 while being held at the stripping station. In the illustrated embodiment, the saw 20 is caused to carry out linear reciprocation lengthwise of the yarn holder.

In order that the path of movement of the saw 20 should be substantially parallel to the upper exposed surface of the yarn holder 22, so that the saw does not dig into the surface of the holder and therefore render it unusable, means is provided for adjusting the height of at least one of the holders 24 to enable the attitude of the exposed surface of the holder to be adjusted.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings, a third embodiment of yarn stripper device is designated generally by reference 30 and comprises a frame (not shown), means for supporting a yarn holder 31 having unused yarn thereon so that the holder extends substantially horizontally, a cutter blade 32 mounted on the frame so as to extend above the lengthwise of the yarn holder 31, and means for applying an oscillating up and down movement to the blade so that the latter can cut through the unused yarn on the holder.

The supporting means for the yarn holder takes the form of a pair of holders 33, each of which can be moved into engagement within an adjacent open end of the yarn holder 31, and a rotary cam-type drive 34 is coupled with the blade 32 so as to apply oscillating movement to the blade.

The yarn holder 31 shown in Figure 3 is in the form of a bobbin having flanges 35 at each end, and such flanges would interfere with any attempt to strip yarn by lengthwise movement of any yarn stripping device. However, the arrangement shown in Figure 3 provides a blade 32 which can be readily presented to the bobbin at a position intermediate the flanged ends 35, by an initial lowering into position of the blade assembly, and can then carry out cutting operation on the unused yarn without interference by the flanged ends. One or both of the holders 33 also may be vertically adjustable, to enable the attitude of the yarn holder to be adjusted.

Claims

1. A yarn stripper device which comprises a housing, a power driven rotary saw mounted in the housing, a slide adapted to carry a yarn holder bearing unused yarn and movable to and fro with respect to the housing in order to advance the yarn holder to the saw so that yarn stripping can take place, and then to retract the stripped yarn holder, drive means coupled with the slide, and switching means arranged to initiate operation of the drive means to cause the latter to drive the slide towards the saw, and to operate the saw as the yarn holder is advanced thereto.

2. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 1, in which the slide comprises a mandrel adapted to receive one end of a yarn holder, and a support engagable with the yarn holder at or near to its opposite end.

3. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 2, in which the support is vertically adjustable so as to bring the upper edge (as seen in side view) of the holder to a substantially horizontal attitude suitable for advance to the circular saw, when the yarn holder is in the form of a cone.

4. A yarn stripper device according to any one of the preceding claims. in which the drive means for the slide comprises a peneumatic ram acting between the housing and the slide, and is triggered automatically into operation so as to advance the yarn holder to the saw, and then to retract the stripped yarn holder from the saw.

5. A yarn stripper device which comprises a frame, a power driven rotary saw mounted on the frame, a magazine mounted on the frame and arranged to receive a stack of yarn holders which require unused yarn thereon to be stripped, a yarn stripping station arranged to receive yarn holders one by one from the magazine, holding means at the station engageable with each end of a yarn holder to hold the latter steady while yarn stripping takes place, and means for causing relative movement between the saw and the yarn stripping station whereby the saw can cut through the unused yarn on a yarn holder held at the stripping station.

6. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 5, in which the yarn stripping station is fixed, and the saw is caused to move towards and away from the station.

7. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 5 or 6, in which at least one of the holding means is adjustable in height to enable the attitude of the exposed surface of the holder to be adjusted.

8. A yarn stripper device which comprises a frame, means for supporting a yarn holder having unused yarn thereon so that the holder extends substantially horizontally, a cutter blade mounted on the frame so to extend above and lengthwise of the yarn holder, and means for applying oscillating up and down movement to the blade so that the latter can cut through the unused yarn on the holder.

9. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 8, in which a rotary cam-type drive is coupled with the blade so as to apply oscillating movement to the blade.

10. A yarn stripper deviced according to Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

11. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 5 and substantially as hereinbefore described with referenced to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

12. A yarn stripper device according to Claim 8 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.