US3730447A - Apparatus for use in connection with spooling and twisting machines for placing a thread reserve onto the winding bobbin - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention concerns an apparatus for spooling and twisting machines for placing a thread reserve onto the windingup bobbin of the spooling section with separate traverse thread guide. This apparatus moves the thread stepwise in the direction toward the center of the bobbin sleeve and finally conveys the thread to the traverse thread guide. The apparatus according to the invention is characterized primarily in that a guiding plate is arranged on one of the legs of the bobbin carrier or directly on the machine frame which guiding plate is provided with toothshaped cam means while the traverse thread guide has associated therewith at least one lifter member which during the reversing phase of the traverse thread guide catches below the thread and lifts the same and during the return movement in the direction toward the bobbin center conveys the thread to the next tooth space until the thread is freed from the guiding plate and is caught by the self-threading traverse thread guide.

Description

o Unlted States Patent 1 [111 3,730,447 Franzen eta]. 1 51 May 1, 1973 APPARATUS FOR USE IN 3,237,876 3/1966 Franzen ..242/l8 PW CONNECTION WITH SPOOLING AND TWISTING MACHINES FOR PLACING FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS A THREAD RESERVE ONTO THE 914,082 12/1962 Great Britain ..242/18 PW WINDING BOBBIN G Primary Examiner-Stanley N. ilreath [75] Inventors: Gustav Franzen, Neersen near Krefield; Klaus Nimtz; Horst Attorney Samuel G. Tayton, Jr. and Lloyd A. Gibson Riefers, both of Krefield, all of Ger- [57] ABSTRACT many The present invention concerns an apparatus for [73] Asslgnee g r gmject Company Gmbfl spooling and twisting machines for placing a thread re 6 ermany reserve onto the winding-up bobbin of the spooling [22] Filed: Sept. 30, 1970 section with separate traverse thread guide. This apparatus moves the thread stepwise in the direction [211 App! 77o24 toward the center of the bobbin sleeve and finally con- Related Application Data veys the thread to the traverse thread guide. The ape I paratus according to the invention IS characterized [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 674,533, Oct 11, 1967, rimarily in that a guiding plate is arranged On one Of abandmed' the legs of the bobbin carrier or directly on the machine frame which guiding plate is provided with [52] U.S.Cl "242/18 PW, 242/43 mothshamd cam means while the traverse thread [51] III!- Cl. ..B65h 54/34 guide has associated therewith at least one lifter [58] Fleld of Search ..242/18PW,43; member which during the reversing phase of the 57/ traverse thread guide catches below the thread and lifts the same and during the return movement in the [56] References C'ted direction toward the bobbin center conveys the thread UNITED STATES PATENTS to the next tooth space until the thread is freed from the guiding plate and is caught by the self-threading 2,096,316 10/1937 Beran ..242/l8 PW traverse thread guide. 2,300,073 10/1942 Stafford... ..242/l8 PW 3,065,921 11/1962 Furst ..242/18 PW 13 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAY 13373 31m 2 OF 2 FIG. 6

IA/I/ENRJRS APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH SPOOLING AND TWISTING MACHINES FOR PLACING A THREAD RESERVE ONTO THE WINDING BOBBIN traversing thread guide.

When winding up a thread onto a yarn sleeve by means of a traversing thread guide, the thread is in most instances first clamped laterally onto the yarn sleeve and a thread reserve in the form of a few windings, is placed around the still empty sleeve prior to the thread being caught by the traversing thread guide and being moved back and forth for the winding" operation of a main portion of thread onto the medial portion of the bobbin sleeve to form a thread package.

One reason such a thread reserve is desirable is that in a bobbin creel, beaming creel, or magazine creel or on spooling machines or shuttleless weaving looms, frequently the thread end ofa yarn package is knotted to the thread start of the next following reserve yarn package. The thread end which forms the thread reserve windings is outside the main body, so that it can easily be found and withdrawn.

In case of a twisting machine, further reserve windings are required because the thread start coming from a spindle will, within the section between the thread guiding eye of the spindle and the yarn sleeve at the start of the spindle, not have a twist and will, therefore, be non-usable for further processing.

Thus, in accordance with this invention, there are two and under certain circumstances, even three separated sections of a thread reserve provided on one end of the thread package.

With heretofore known spooling or twisting machines, the placing of the thread onto the sleeve is partially effected by hand, and more specifically by clamping the thread against one side of the yarn sleeve and causing the latter to make a few revolutions. Only then is the thread inserted into the traversing thread guide.

Industry also has endeavored to automate the placing of the thread reserve. To this end, laterally of a leg of the double-arm bobbin carrier in which the yarn sleeve is journalled, there has been arranged a wire spiral which is rotated by the bobbin drive. In this instance, the thread is clamped merely laterally against the yarn sleeve and is placed transversely into one of the windings of the wire spiral. Thereupon, the yarn sleeve is brought into engagement with the driving roller, and the thread is wound up. Sincethe wire spiral in the meantime likewise rotates, the thread carried along by the windings of the spiral will move somewhat toward the center, until when coming out of the spiral it is caught by the traversing thread guide, and the creation of the winding proper starts. This solution is not always satisfactory because the length of the wire spiral which determines the number of the reserve windings is limited, above all, however, because the drive of the wire spiral required special technical means. Moreover, the wire spiral is not always automatic in its effect and is not tiltable together with the traversing creel.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for spooling and twisting machines for placing a thread reserve upon the winding-up bobbin, which will overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus as set forth in the preceding paragraph without a drive of its own for automatically placing a thread reserve upon a winding-up bobbin, which willapply a few closely adjacent windings before the back-andforth movement of the thread is started by the transversing thread guide.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a bobbin drive with a device according to the invention for applying a thread reserve;

FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment ofa device according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a modification of the device according to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows on a somewhat enlarged scale a guiding plate of the device which is displaceable in the leg of the bobbin carrier;

FIG. 5 shows a guiding plate divided into two sections tiltable relative to each other;

FIG. 6 represents a modified guiding plate according to the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a bobbin drive similar to that of FIG. 1 with a modified guiding plate connected directly to the machine frame; and

FIG. 8 illustrates the thread lifter of the bobbin drive according to FIG. 7 in the reversing position of the transversing thread guide.

The above-mentioned objects have been realized by a device according to the present invention which is characterized primarily in that on a leg of the bobbin carrier, which leg extends beyond the yarn sleeve, or directly on the machine frame there is arranged an auxiliary thread guide means in the form of guiding plate provided with tooth-shaped cams defining a series of spaced thread guides while the traversing thread guide has associated therewith thread transfer means comprising at least one-lifter provided with an inclined surface. This lifter will, when the reversing point of the main or traversing thread guide has been reached, catch below the thread, and will lift said thread above the respective cam zenith and during the return movement will place the thread into the bottom which is next to the bobbin center between two cams until it is freed from the guiding plate and is caught by the automatically threading traversing thread guide.

The guiding plate may be formed by a stamped part which, depending on the type and circumference of the desired thread reserve, is easily exchangeable.

The invention permits the thread to be clamped laterallyagainst the yarn sleeve and to be inserted into that tooth bottom between two cams which is located farthest outside hereinafter referred to as distal thread guide, whereupon the bobbin creel is immediately lowered and the bobbin sleeve is brought into engagement with the driving roller.

With each back-and-forth movement of the traversing thread guide, the inclined surface of the lifter associated therewith catches below the thread and lifts the same above the respective cam zenith or crest. As soon as the traversing thread guide again leaves its reversing point, the thread is placed into the thread guide or tooth bottom between two cams which is closest to the bobbin center. This operation is repeated with each back-and-forth movement of the traversing thread guide until the thread is freed from the guiding plate and is caught by the traversing thread guide for applying the cross-winding. In the meantime a number of closely adjacent reserve windings have been applied to the yarn sleeve which windings, after completion of the bobbin, are located outside the cross-winding proper.

More specifically, the guiding plate comprises an upper row of downwardly directed tooth-shaped cams and a lower row of upwardly directed tooth-shaped cams which respectively face a tooth space and while slightly overlapping each other form the edges ofa zigzag-shaped slot open toward the bobbin center.

The thread is lifted at the reversing point of the traversing thread guide slides along the inclined flank of the structure of the cam of the upper row facing a tooth space of the lower row and is retained by the respective next cam of the same row until at the time the traversing thread guide leaves the reversing point it is placed into that tooth space between two cams of the lower row which is the next toward the bobbin center.

With spooling machines in which, generally, few reserve windings suffice, and according to the present invention, the bar of the traversing thread guide is provided with two lifters which as to shape form an image to each other while said two lifters are spaced from each other by a distance corresponding to the length of the winding. Thus the thread will be lifted twice, viz. at the start and at the end of each back-and-forth movement of the traversing thread guide and will be advanced by one cam of the guiding plate. The windingup operation for the thread reserve will thus be effected in half the time, and the number of the reserve windings is reduced to one-half.

The insertion of the thread can thus be considerably facilitated and can be effected automatically with regard to the length of the thread reserve so that the guiding plate is adapted to be tilted out of its horizontal position by 90 downwardly.

With the present invention, the extended leg of the bobbin carrier may be formed by a bar which is rotatably journalled laterally of the bobbin carrier while the front end of said bar has connected thereto the guiding plate, whereas at the rear end of said bar, which is angled off outwardly and which rests on a stationary part of the machine, has a spring connected thereto which is adapted when the yarn sleeve is lifted off the driving roller to impart upon the rod or the guiding plate connected thereto an upward tilting movement by 90".

Thus when inserting the thread, viz. when the bobbin carrier is still in its lifted position, the guiding plate is tilted by said spring vertically upwardly so that the thread when being placed into the zigzag-shaped slot confined by the cams moves in up to the bottom. When lowering the bobbin carrier, the outwardly angled off end of the rod engages the machine frame and is tilted by against the thrust of the spring. In this way, the guiding plate moves from the vertical threading position into the horizontal working position and in the manner described above brings about the placing of the reserve windings.

When later the yarn sleeve has reached a certain lap thickness, the bobbin creel is lifted correspondingly so that the guiding plate will automatically tilt back to its vertical position and passes out of the range of the traversing thread guide.

The lateral clamping and insertion of the thread may also be facilitated by making the extended leg of the bobbin carrier tiltable outwardly whereby it will additionally be assured that after applying the thread reserve onto the yarn sleeve, the guiding plate will be outside the range of the traversing thread guide.

The guiding plate may be exchangeable, displaceable and arrestable transversely to the leg of the bobbin carrier in a headpiece in order to vary the effective length of the guiding plate and thereby the number of the reserve windings.

The guiding plate may be composed of two sections which are tiltable away from each other against the thrust of a spring. The spring will in this connection exert a clamping effect and will firmly locate the guiding plate in the desired position in the leg of the bobbin carrier. According to a modification of the invention, the cams of the slot edges of the guiding plate may be formed by pins inserted into the slot edges and inclined in opposite direction at the same angle while respectively facing a space between the pins.

Also, the guiding plate may be connected to the machine frame laterally below the winding-up bobbin and may have only one row of upwardly directed sawtooth-shaped cams the height of which increases from the side toward the bobbin center from cam to cam, while the inclined surface of the lifter arranged adjacent the traversing thread guide is, as to its inclination, adapted to the increasing height of the cams and when reaching the reversing point of the traversing thread guide is located opposite the guiding plate.

Due to the fact that the guiding plate is directly connected to the machine frame, this embodiment does not need any movable connecting members. The rigid connection is possible in view of the fact that the guiding plate has only one row of upwardly directed teeth. A tilting of the plate for facilitating the threading is thus superfluous because the thread for applying the thread reserve has to be inserted merely into the distal thread guide or that tooth bottom of the guiding plate which is located farthest toward the outside. The thread is, by the inclined surface of the lifter, which surface is located at the reversing point of the traversing thread guide at the zenith of the respective cam, lifted over the cam zenith point and since the thread is subjected to a pulling stress acting at an angle downwardly and toward the center, and since the traversing thread guide reverses in a shock-like manner, the thread is placed into the respective tooth-bottom between two cams which is nearest to the bobbin center.

When the cams of the guiding plate for purposes of a possibly long thread reserve are provided in greater number and are located closely adjacent to each other, the arrangement may be so selectedthat when the reversing point of the traversing thread guide is reached, the inclined surface of the lifter will be slightly exceeded by the cam of the guiding plate to the same extent. Thus the thread will be prevented from skipping one or more cams when the traversing thread guide is reversed.

In order further to facilitate the insertion of the thread and in order better to guide the thread, it is possible, in conformity with the present invention, to

provide the outside of the guiding plate with an inclined upwardly directed prong which as to height exceeds the remaining teeth and laterally protrudes beyond the end face of the yarn sleeve.

For purposes of simplifying the guiding plate, the latter may be formed by a wire yoke following the marginal contour of the guiding plate.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, according to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the bobbin sleeve 1 is journalled in the lateral legs 2 and 3 of the bobbin carrier generally designated 4. The lateral leg 2 is adapted to be tilted laterally in order to permit the insertion of the yarn sleeve 1. The bobbin carrier 4 is tiltable in its entirety about a pivot (not shown), in order to bring the bobbin sleeve 1 into engagement with the driving roller 5 and following the completion of the winding-up operation to lift the bobbin sleeve 1 off the driving roller 5.

The leg 3 of the bobbin carrier 4 is extended beyond the bobbin sleeve 1 and is provided with auxiliary thread guide means comprising the guiding plate 6 extending parallel to the bobbin axis. FIG. 2 shows an arrangement of the guiding plate 6 which is particularly favorable for inserting the thread. The guiding plate 6 is connected by means of the head-piece 7 to the rod 8 which is rotatably journalled laterally on the leg 3 of the bobbin carrier 4. The spring is connected to the rear end 9 of rod 8, which rear end is angled off toward the outside. Said spring 10 is adapted when the bobbin carrier 4 is lifted, i.e. when the bobbin sleeve is lifted off the driving roller 5 to turn the rod or bar 8 in such a way that the guiding plate 6 for insertion of the thread points upwardly, as is indicated in FIG. 2 by dot-dash lines.

If, however, the bobbin carrier 4 is lowered for initiating the winding-up operation, the angled off end 9 of the bar 8 will engage the machine frame or an abutment 11 provided for this purpose, which means that the bar 8 is rotated by 90 and the guiding plate 6 is tilted into its horizontal position in which the reserve windings are placed onto the bobbin sleeve 1, as will be explained further below.

FIG. 3 shows a further possibility of facilitating the insertion of the thread. According to this embodiment, the extended end of the leg 3 of the bobbin carrier is tiltable laterally. In this connection, it is expedient either to arrange the pivot 12 at an incline so that the extended end of the leg 3 with the guiding plate 6 has the tendency to tilt outwardly, or to provide a weak spring for realizing the same effect.

The operation of the device will be explained in connection with FIGS. 46. For purposes of applying a second lifter 23 is an image of the shape of the lifter 18,

thread reserve, the thread is clamped against the marginal portion of the bobbin sleeve l and is inserted into the slot of the guiding plate 6 which slot is defined by tooth-shaped cams. Thereupon the bobbin sleeve II or the winding-up bobbin is rotated by engagement with the friction roller 5. With the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2, the guiding plate 6 will move out of the dotdash line threading position into the solid-line working position.

FIG. 4 illustrates the precise design of the guiding plate 6. In this instance the guiding plate has a longitudinal shape which by means of the slot 13 and the pivot 14 is displaceably guided in the head-piece 7 of the extended leg 3 of the bobbin carrier 4 and if desired, is arrestable therein. The central slot 15 of the guiding plate 6 is defined by tooth-shaped cams 16, 17 each ofwhich faces a tooth space between the oppositely located cams, said cams extending slightly into the respective oppositely located tooth space.

When the bobbin sleeve starts rotating, i.e. when the bobbin sleeve 1 is lowered onto the drivingor friction roller 5, the thread is located in the tooth bottom between two cams 16 directly adjacent the head-piece 7. As soon as the traversing thread guide 19 according to FIG. 1 reaches its right-hand end position, the laterally arranged and upwardly arched lifter 18 catches below the thread and lifts the same. The thread will now come into contact with the inclined surface of the respective next cam 17 of the upper row and, according to FIG. 4, is moved toward the left so that at .the return of the traversing thread guide 19, it will move into the respective next tooth bottom of the lower cam row. This operation is repeated several times with the succeeding back-and forth movements of the traversing thread guide 19 until the thread is pulled into the slot 21 of the traversing thread guide 19 over the broadened end 20 of the guiding plate 6 and now starts moving. At this time the winding-up operation proper will start. At this instant, laterally on the bobbin sleeve 1 there exists already a number of tightly wound windings so that no longer will any thread be wound up which has not been twisted or has not been sufficiently twisted. The reserve winding located outside the lap may later in a bobbin creel or the like be used for connecting the thread end of a yarn body with the thread start of another yarn body. In case of twisting machines, the great length of the thread reserve obtainable with the device according to the present invention will make it possible to cut off the insufficiently twisted thread piece prior to the knotting of the thread ends.

The displaceability of the guiding plate 6 in the headpiece 7 will permit the reduction or increase in the number of the effective earns 16 and 17. With the number of the cams becoming effective, also the number of the reserve windings will change which are present on the yarn sleeve 1 before the thread is caught by the slot 21 of the traversing thread guide 19 and before the winding-up operation starts.

One possibility of reducing the number of the reserve windings to half the number, which is expedient with some machine types, consists in mounting a second lifter 23 on the bar 22 of the traversing thread guide as indicated by dot-dash lines in FIG. 1. The shape of the and the distance of lifter 23 from lifter 18 equals the length of the lap. In this way the thread is always lifted twice, viz. at the start and at the end of each back-andforth movement of the traversing thread guide 19 and is inserted into the respective next tooth bottom between two cams 16.

FIG. shows a modified embodiment of a guiding plate according to the invention. According to FIG. 5, the guiding plate is composed of two superimposed sections 24 and 25 which are tiltable relative to each other about a pivot 26 in order to facilitate the insertion of the thread. For purposes of longitudinally displacing the guiding plate, there are, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1 provided the slot 13 and the pivot 14. A leaf spring 27 holds the two sections 24 and 25 of the guiding plate in closing position and locates the plate in the adjusted position of the head-piece 7.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment according to which the cams l6 and 17 of FIG. 4 have been replaced by pins 28 which are uniformly but oppositely inclined inserted into the edges of the slot which in this instance is somewhat wider. The pins 28 serve the same purpose as the cams I6, 17 and extend into each other while facing a space between the pins of the respective other row.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a simplified embodiment according to which a guiding plate 29 with its shank 31 is directly connected to a rail 30 of the machine frame. In contrast to the guiding plate 6, the guiding plate 29 has only one row of upwardly directed tooth-shaped cams the height of which increases from the outside toward the bobbin center from cam to cam. The traversing thread guide 19 which is fastened to the traversing rod 22 has associated therewith a lifter 32 with the inclined surface 33 the operation of which will presently be explained. When the bobbin sleeve 1 is lowered onto the friction roller 5, simultaneously the thread laterally clamped against the bobbin sleeve is from above inserted into that tooth bottom of the guiding plate 29 which is located farthest outwardly. In order better to guide the thread during the inserting operation, the guiding plate 29 is outwardly provided with the prong 34 which is inclined upwardly and which protrudes laterally beyond the yarn sleeve 1 and also protrudes in height beyond the remaining teeth of the guiding plate 29. FIG. 8 shows the lifter 32 moved with the traversing thread guide at its reversing point at which the inclined surface 33 is located opposite the cams of the guiding plate 29. The inclined surface 33 is adapted to the height of the cams of the guiding plate 29 which height increases toward the bobbin center, and at the instant of reversing the traversing thread guide, all cams extend beyond the inclined surface 33 to the same extent.

The thread indicated in cross-section which is subjected to a pull acting at an incline downwardly and toward the center is lifted out of the farthest rightwardly located tooth bottom with regard to FIG. 8 above the zenith ofthe cam. Inasmuch as the traversing thread guide changes its direction in a shocklike manner, the thread has no opportunity of continuing its upward movement on the inclined surface 33 but instead immediately moves into the tooth bottom which is the next one toward the bobbin center. During the next and the following back-and-forth movements of the traversing thread guide 19 or of the lifter 32, the

same cycle is repeated until the thread following the lifting out of the last tooth bottom of the guiding plate 29 will by itself move into the slot 21 of the traversing thread guide 19 so that now the winding-up operation proper will start.

According to the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, the guiding plate 29 has three tooth-shaped cams. The number of the cams may, of course, be varied and the distance may be widened and stepped at will. This depends on the number of the reserve windings to be deposited.

The guiding plate 6 according to FIGS. 1-6 as well as the guiding plate 29 according to FIGS. 7 and 8 may in a manner not shown be formed by a wire yoke bent in conformity with the marginal contour of the respective guiding plate. Furthermore, with the guiding plate 29, analogously to the embodiment of FIG. 6, the cams may be replaced by pins. The device according to the present invention brings about an automatic deposit of a thread reserve on a yarn sleeve and does not require any additional driving elements.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular embodiments referred to above, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a thread spooling and twisting machine including holding means for rotatably receiving a bobbin sleeve, a main thread guide for guiding a thread from a thread supply to said bobbin sleeve, and traversing means mounting said main thread guide for reciprocal movement longitudinally of a medial portion of said bobbin sleeve for the winding of a main portion of thread onto said medial portion of said bobbin sleeve to form a thread package, the combination therewith of means for forming a thread reserve on one end of said bobbin sleeve outwardly of said medial portion of said bobbin sleeve, and comprising auxiliary thread guide means positioned adjacent said one end of said bobbin sleeve and outwardly of said main thread guide for guiding a predetermined length of thread directly from the thread supply onto said one end of said bobbin sleeve, said auxiliary thread guide means comprising a series of spaced thread guides positioned longitudinally along said one end of said bobbin sleeve, and

thread transfer means carried by said traversing means in outwardly spaced relation to said main thread guide and in operative association with said auxiliary thread guide means and engageable with the thread in said auxiliary thread guide in timed relation to the reciprocation of said main thread guide for successively transferring the thread from the thread guide ofsaid series distal from said main thread guide to the remaining thread guides in said series and finally to said main thread guide during a predetermined number of reciprocations of said main thread guide,

whereby a predetermined length of thread is wound on said one end of said bobbin sleeve in a multiplicity of juxtaposed convolutions to form the thread reserve outwardly of the main portion of the thread package for easy unwinding of the thread reserve during subsequent use of the thread package.

2. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary thread guide means comprises an elongate plate extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said bobbin sleeve and having a plurality of vertically extending projections defining a plurality of thread guide slots therebetween which comprise said series of thread guides.

3. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 2, wherein said projections on said thread guide plate extend upwardly and said guide slots open upwardly.

4. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 3, wherein said thread guide plate also includes downwardly extending projections which are out of alignment with said upwardly extending projections, said downwardly extending projections being disposed above the upwardly opening guide slots and defining therebetween a plurality of spaced thread receiving slots which are adapted to receive the thread when it is lifted out of the upwardly opening guide slots and to direct the thread downwardly into the next adjacent thread guide slot.

5. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 4, wherein said upwardly and downwardly extending projections overlap a substantially straight line with the ends of the projections being disposed in the corresponding opposite slots to insure that the thread being transferred between the thread guides will be controlled by the projections.

6. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 3, wherein said projections on said thread guide plate are of increasing height from said distal thread guide toward said main thread guide.

7. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 2, wherein said thread transfer means comprises at least one cam member carried by said traversing means and engageable with the thread passing through said auxiliary thread guide means for vertically moving the thread out of successive ones of said guide slots and depositing the thread in the next adjacent thread guide.

8. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 7, wherein said thread transfer means comprises a pair of cam members carried by said traversing means and spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the length of reciprocation of said main thread guide.

9 For use in connection with spooling and twisting machines having holding means adapted to rotatably receive a bobbin sleeve, and also including traverse thread guiding means movable back and forth alongside a bobbin sleeve supported by said holding means, an apparatus for placing a thread reserve onto a bobbin sleeve on said holding means, which comprises: guiding glate means and to lift a thread out of the space etween two ad acent teeth of said guiding plate means and to convey it in the direction toward said traverse thread guiding means to the next tooth space and eventually from said guiding plate means automatically to said traverse thread guiding means, and a reciprocable shaft supporting said traverse thread guiding means, said lifter means comprising two lifter members mounted on said shaft and spaced from each other by a distance substantially equalling the distance over which the thread is wound onto the bobbin sleeve to form a bobbin, said lifter members forming an image to each other.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said holding means is U-shaped and in which said guiding plate means is provided directly at the free end of one of the legs of said U-shaped holding means.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said guiding plate means comprises an upper row of downwardly directed saw tooth-shaped cam means and also comprises a lower row of upwardly directed saw tooth-shaped cam means, the cam means of one row facing the tooth spaces of the other row while said cam means slightly extend complementary into the respective oppositely located row of cam means, the edges of said rows of saw tooth-shaped cam means defining with each other zigzag-shaped slots.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said guiding plate means is composed of two sections, and which includes spring means continuously urging said two sections toward each other so as to define a zigzag slot, at least one of said sections being adapted to be tilted away from the other section against the thrust of said spring means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said protrusions are formed by two rows of pins with the pins of one row extending at substantially the same first angle in one direction and the pins of the other row extending in the other direction at the same angle but complementary to said first angle, the pins of each row extending complementary slightly into space between the respective pins of the other row.

Claims (13)

1. In a thread spooling and twisting machine including holding means for rotatably receiving a bobbin sleeve, a main thread guide for guiding a thread from a thread supply to said bobbin sleeve, and traversing means mounting said main thread guide for reciprocal movement longitudinally of a medial portion of said bobbin sleeve for the winding of a main portion of thread onto said medial portion of said bobbin sleeve to form a thread package, the combination therewith of means for forming a thread reserve on one end of said bobbin sleeve outwardly of said medial portion of said bobbin sleeve, and comprising auxiliary thread guide means positioned adjacent said one end of said bobbin sleeve and outwardly of said main thread guide for guiding a predetermined length of thread directly from the thread supply onto said one end of said bobbin sleeve, said auxiliary thread guide means comprising a series of spaced thread guides positioned longitudinally along said one end of said bobbin sleeve, and thread transfer means carried by said traversing means in outwardly spaced relation to said main thread guide and in operative association with said auxiliary thread guide means and engageable with the thread in said auxiliary thread guide in timed relation to the reciprocation of said main thread guide for successively transferring the thread from the thread guide of said series distal from said main thread guide to the remaining thread guides in said series and finally to said main thread guide during a predetermined number of reciprocations of said main thread guide, whereby a predetermined length of thread is wound on said one end of said bobbin sleeve in a multiplicity of juxtaposed convolutions to form the thread reserve outwardly of the main portion of the thread package for easy unwinding of the thread reserve during subsequent use of the thread package.

2. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary thread guide means comprises an elongate plate extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said bobbin sleeve and having a plurality of vertically extending projections defining a plurality of thread guide slots therebetween which comprise said series of thread guides.

3. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 2, wherein said projections on said thread guide plate extend upwardly and said guide slots open upwardly.

4. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 3, wherein said thread guide plate also includes downwardly extending projections which are out of alignment with said upwardly extending projections, said downwardly extending projections being disposed above the upwardly opening guide slots and defining therebetween a plurality of spaced thread receiving slots which are adapted to receive the thread when it is lifted out of the upwardly opening guide slots and to direct the thread downwardly into the next adjacent thread guide slot.

5. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 4, wherein said upwardly and downwardly extending projections overlap a substantially straight line with the ends of the projections being disposed in the corresponding opposite slots to insure that the thread being transferred between the thread guides will be controlled by the projections.

6. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 3, wherein said projections on said thread guide plate are of increasing height from said distal thread guide toward said main thread guide.

7. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 2, wherein said thread transfer means comprises at least one cam member carried by said traversing means and engageable with the thread passing through said auxiliary thread guide means for vertically moving the thread out of successive ones of said guide slots and depositing the thread in the next adjacent thread guide.

8. In a thread spooling and twisting machine according to claim 7, wherein said thread transfer means comprises a pair of cam members carried by said traversing means and spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the length of reciprocation of said main thread guide.

9. For use in connection with spooling and twisting machines having holding means adapted to rotatably receive a bobbin sleeve, and also including traverse thread guiding means movable back and forth alongside a bobbin sleeve supported by said holding means, an apparatus for placing a thread reserve onto a bobbin sleeve on said holding means, which comprises: guiding plate means provided with a plurality of protrusions and recessions to form teeth and tooth spaces and arranged adjacent one end of said holding means for receiving a portion of a thread passing from a thread supply to a bobbin sleeve supported by said holding means, thread lifter means operatively connected to said traverse thread guiding means and reciprocable therewith within the range of said guiding plate means, said lifter means being operable during each of its two reversing movements during each reciprocating cycle to occupy a position within the range of said guiding plate means and to lift a thread out of the space between two adjacent teeth of said guiding plate means and to convey it in the direction toward said traverse thread guiding means to the next tooth space and eventually from said guiding plate means automatically to said traverse thread guiding means, and a reciprocable shaft supporting said traverse thread guiding means, said lifter means comprising two lifter members mounted on said shaft and spaced from each other by a distance substantially equalling the distance over which the thread is wound onto the bObbin sleeve to form a bobbin, said lifter members forming an image to each other.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said holding means is U-shaped and in which said guiding plate means is provided directly at the free end of one of the legs of said U-shaped holding means.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said guiding plate means comprises an upper row of downwardly directed saw tooth-shaped cam means and also comprises a lower row of upwardly directed saw tooth-shaped cam means, the cam means of one row facing the tooth spaces of the other row while said cam means slightly extend complementary into the respective oppositely located row of cam means, the edges of said rows of saw tooth-shaped cam means defining with each other zigzag-shaped slots.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said guiding plate means is composed of two sections, and which includes spring means continuously urging said two sections toward each other so as to define a zigzag slot, at least one of said sections being adapted to be tilted away from the other section against the thrust of said spring means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, in which said protrusions are formed by two rows of pins with the pins of one row extending at substantially the same first angle in one direction and the pins of the other row extending in the other direction at the same angle but complementary to said first angle, the pins of each row extending complementary slightly into space between the respective pins of the other row.

Images