US2514423A - Thread cutter for bobbin winders - Google Patents

Description

y 1950 R. L. SLINKARD ETAL 2,514,423

THREAD CUTTER FOR BOBBIN WINDERS Filed NOV. 21, 1947 I X/11ml gum Inventors Raymond L. Slinkard Arthur B. Miller- Patented July 11, 1950 THREAD CUTTER FOR BOBBIN WINDERS Raymond L. Slinkard and Arthur B. Miller, Cape Girardeau, Mo., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporationof New Jersey Application November 21, 1947, Serial No. 787,410

The present invention relates to machines for winding sewing machine bobbins or other thread packages and primarily to improvements in devices for severing the thread between successively wound bobbins in such machines. As hereinafter described the invention is embodied in an automatic bobbin winding machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,343,935, granted March 14, 1944, on application of Paul W. Senfieben.

The machine of the patent above referred to is provided with a rotary winding spindle on which a series of bobbins are clamped in adjacent flange to flange relation. The spindle has cooperating with it a thread controller arranged automatically to engage the thread on each successive bobbin being wound on the spindle and to be forced outwardly of the bobbin during each winding operation. Outward movement of the vcontroller from a bobbin being filled with thread causes the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation on another bobbin to be started, the spindle being advanced relatively to the thread controller the distance between bobbins at the end of each winding operation. In the patented machine a thread severin knife is mounted directly upon the thread controller and acts as soon as thethread controller enters the flanges of a bobbin to sever the thread crossing the flanges of adjacent bobbins. In some instances, the severing action of the knife may occur when only a few turns have been wound upon a new unfilled bobbin, the thread being wound insuificiently to insure a reliable frictional grip on the new bobbin. In such instances the machine will no longer wind bobbins automatically and manual winding of the thread on the new bobbin will be required to restore automatic operations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bobbin winding machine with a thread severing knife arranged to to act in such a way that winding operations will not be terminated by reason of the thread severing knife acting before a suflicient number of turns has been wound on a bobbin or by reason of other conditions which might be detrimental to starting winding operations upon each new unfilled bobbin. Accordingly, the machine hereinafter described is provided with a thread controller and means for advancing the spindle relatively to the thread controller in preparation for each new winding operation, as in the patented machine, in which a knife on the thread controller'is actuated by an arm and other connections all carried by the 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-21) thread controller to sever the thread leading from a filled bobbin to a bobbin being wound only after the thread controller has been engaged by the thread on the bobbin and moved outwardly a definite distance from its innermost position between the flanges of the bobbin being wound. Preferably the knife is mounted on the thread controller as in the prior machine and the arm is actuated by stationary means to move the knife after each new winding operation is started.

To this end, and as hereinfater illustrated, the thread severing knife is mounted upon and actuated by an eccentric pivot carried by the thread controller and the eccentric pivot is rotated by the arm to move the knife toward and from cutting position in accordance with the movements of the thread controller. Specifically, the pivot is rotated by an arm arranged to engage stationary pins at the ends of the thread controller movement, thus shifting the knife to the desired positions so that during entry of the thread controller between the flanges of an empty bobbin there will be no danger of cutting the thread accidentally by the knife while effective severing action will be insured during the reverse movement of the thread controller.

These and other features of the invention relating to certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter claimed will be clearly understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating essential parts of a machine having a thread controller and a winding spindle with bobbins thereon, in which the thread severing knife of the present invention is embodied; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view in rear elevation on a somewhat enlarged scale illustrating the construction of the eccentric pivot mounting for the thread severing knife shown in Fig. l.

The winding machinedisclosed herein is provided with a rotating winding spindle It! to which a series of empty bobbins are attached, two of which are indicated at 12, and a thread controller, indicated at M, of the same construction and mode of operation as set forth in the patent above referred to. In the machine of the patent the thread controller swings in a fixed plane about a stationary shaft l3 and after being engaged by the thread on a bobbin being wound is forced outwardly from between the flanges of the bobbin and winding operation on the filled bobbin is terminated. The spindle is then moved lengthwise to carry the filled bobbin from beneath the thread controller the distance between successive bobbins on the spindle and to bring an empty bobbin into cooperative relationship with the thread controller. The thread controller then enters between the flanges of an empty bobbin, the thread running from the filled bobbin being carried across the adjacent flanges of the bobbins as at 15 and :being led into the empty bobbin in order to start the winding operation thereon.

In the machine of the patent a thread severing knife is mounted on the controller at the same side of the winding spindle with the controller to act on the thread along the portion l5 crossing the adjacent flanges on the filled and unfilled bobbins before the thread controller is engaged by the increasing mass of thread on the unfilled bobbin. Under certain conditions of adjustment in the machine or with extremely stiff thread the number of turns wound on the new unfilled bobbin may be insuflicient to insure proper frictional grip of the windings on that bobbin for continued winding operations, the few turns applied to the bobbin before severing the thread sliding as the bobbin rotates without continuing to draw thread from the supply. Consequently, the winding is interrupted and a manual winding operation is required before the winding may be continued automatically.

In the machine of the present invention, failure of continued automatic winding operations is avoided by insuring application of an adequate number' of turns to a bobbin being wound before the thread between bobbins is severed by the knife. For this purpose the knife, indicated at it, for severing the thread is mounted for movement on the thread controller to act at the underside of the bobbins being wound in. such a way that the thread is severed only after the thread controller is engaged by the thread on each bobbin being wound rather than before being engaged by the thread as in the machine of the prior patent. The knife I6 is so mounted on the thread controller that it acts only when the thread controller is moving outwardly from between the flanges of a bobbin and is rendered inoperative while the thread controller is entering between the flanges of an empty bobbin.

The mounting for the knife l6 comprises a C-shaped bracket 18, the upper end of which is clamped by a screw 20 to the thread controller and which is prevented from rotation about the screw by a dowel pin 22 and a pair of side lugs 24 on the controller. The lower end of the bracket has a bearing for a flanged eccentric mounting pivot 26 for the knife and a stop abutment against which the lower end of the knife is pressed by a coil spring 28 stretched between a pin on the knife and a pin on the bracket. To actuate the knife on the thread controller according to a feature of the invention,the eccentric pivot 26 is rotatable in the bracket i 8 and has a squared portion to fit a square perforation in an arm 30' projecting downwardly from the cocentric, the arm thus being mounted for rotary movement on the controller and being directly and operatively connected to the knife through connections, including the eccentric pivot, carried entirely by the controller. As the controller is moved to enter and to withdraw from between the flanges of a bobbin being wound the arm 30 is moved relatively to the controller and engages first a stationary pin 32 and then a stationary pin 34 mounted on the frame of the machine to cause the eccentric to be rotated. Rotation of the co- 4 centric in this way moves the knife up and down, toward and from operative relation with the flanges of adjacent filled and unfilled bobbins. When the arm engages the pin 32 the knife is moved away from a dot-dash path 35 tangent to the flanges on the bobbins so that during movement of the thread controller in entering between the flanges of a new bobbin the knife will be inoperative. When the arm is engaged by the pin 34 the arm is moved relatively to the thread controller and the eccentric is rotated to move the knife toward the tangent path 35, the knife thusbeing rendered operative to intersect the path of the thread when the controller is moved by the thread sufliciently. The thread, thus, is not severed until the thread controller is moved outwardly a substantial distance by engagement with the controller of the thread on a bobbin being wound by reason of the movement of the thread controller about its mounting shaft l3 and the relatively small diameter of the bobbin flanges. The thread severing position of the knife [6 illustrated in Fig. 1 is maintained by the frictional engagement of the arm 30 with the bracket l8 produced by the force of a spring washer 3T pressed against the bracket by check nuts 38 threaded on the reduced end of the eccentric pivot 26. Similarly, the knife is held in a nonsevering position out of engagement with the flanges on the bobbins by the same means.

The knife It comprises a lever pivoted on the eccentric portion of the pivot 26 and has a sickle shape at its upper end, the extremity of which severs the thread. Fulcruming the knife on the pivot 26 also prevents breakage in case of accidental contact between the knife and the flanges on a bobbin when the machine is being manually adjusted before being set in operation, the spring 25 permitting the knife to yield when accidentally engaging the bobbin flanges. To secure the knife on the pivot 26 the pivot is provided with a pair of check nuts 36 threaded on a reduced end of the pivot opposite the arm 30.

By providing a knife which acts only after the thread controller has been engaged by the thread being wound on an unfilled bobbin, the thread running to the adjacent filled bobbin is severed when several layers of thread have been wound on the unfilled bobbin. In this way a firm grip of the thread on. the unfilled bobbin is insured and interruption of continued automatic winding operations is prevented. Accordingly, the operation of the machine is rendered reliable and the effectiveness of the knife is insured.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and a particular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

l. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle movable in a lengthwise direction for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, a thread controller swingin in a fixed plane arranged for engagement with and outward movement by the thread on a bobbin being wound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation on another bobbin to be started, and a knife for severing the thread leading from a bobbin on which the winding operation is terminated to a bobbin being wound, in combination with an arm and connections between the arm and the knife carried by the controller to actuate the knife after the controller has been moved outwardly by the thread on the bobbin being'wound.

2. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle movable in a lengthwise direction for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, a thread controller arranged for swinging movement in a fixed plane and for engagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being wound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation on another bobbin to be started, and a knife mounted on the thread controller for severing the thread leading from one bobbin on which the winging operation is terminated to another bobbin on which the winding operation is being started, in combination with an arm on the thread controller, operative connections carried by the controller between the arm and the knife and stationary means for actuating the arm to move the knife after the controller is engaged by the thread on the second of said bobbins.

3. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle movable in a lengthwise direction for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, a thread controller arranged for movement in a fixed planeand for engagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being wound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the Winding operation on another bohbin to be started, and a knife mounted on the thread controller for severing the thread leading from one bobbin on which the winding operation is terminated to another bobbin on which the winding operation is being started, in combination with an arm on the thread controller, operative connections carried by the controller between the arm and the knife, stationary means for actuating the arm to move the knife after the controller is engaged by the thread on the second of said bobbins and other stationary means for rendering the knife inoperative as the thread controller enters between the flanges of an unfilled bobbin.

4. A bobbin winding machine having a rotat able spindle for supportin a plurality of flanged bobbins, and a thread controller arranged for engagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being wound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation on another bobbin to be started, in combination with a knife for severing the thread leading from one bobbin on which the winding operation is terminated to another bobbin on which the winding operation is being started after the controller is engaged by the thread on the second of said bobbins, an eccentric pivot carried by the thread controller on which the knife is mounted and means for rotating the pivot to move the knife away from a path tangent to the flanges of the bobbins while the thread controller is enterin between the flanges of an unfilled bobbin. n i

5. A bobbin winding machine having rotatable spindle for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, and a thread controller arranged for engagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being wound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation on another bobbin to be started, in combination with a knife for severing the thread leading from one bobbin on which the winding operation is terminated to another bobbin on which the winding operation is being started after the controller is engaged by the thread on the second of said bobbins, an eccentric pivot carried by the thread controller on which the knife is mounted, an arm connected to the eccentric pivot and stationary pins cooperating with the arm to cause the knife to be moved toward a path tangent to the flanges of the bobbins after the thread controller has entered between the flanges of an unfilled bobbin and to be moved away from said path after the winding operation on a bobbin is terminated.

6. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, and a thread controller arranged for engagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being wound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation on another bobbin to be path tangent to the flanges of the bobbins after the thread controller has entered between the flanges of an unfilled bobbin and to be moved away from said path after the winding operation on a bobbin is terminated, and frictional means for maintaining the knife in thread severing position.

RAYMOND L. SLINKARD.

ARTHUR B. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 282,580 Smith Aug. '7, 1883 2.343335 Senfleben Mar. 14, 1944

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