Method and apparatus for continuously winding filamentary material

Claim 2

In the method for continuously winding elongated filamentary material, such as wire or the like, onto one of a pair of parallel spools which are situated beside each other while a traverse carriage distributes the elongated material along the axis of a rotary spool on which it is wound with deflector components situated beneath the traverse carriage for deflecting the elongated filamentary material, the steps of shifting the traverse carriage from a spool which is almost filled to the other spool which is empty and which is about to be filled, while guiding the filamentary material to continue the winding thereof onto the one spool which is almost filled, shifting a deflecting roller in the path of the filamentary material while simultaneously swinging the filamentary material around the shifted roller beneath the empty spool and across an end flange thereof to an auxiliary spool, cutting the filamentary material, shifting the deflecting roller back to its starting position away from the path of movement of the filamentary material, and continuing the winding of the filamentary material onto the auxiliary spool until the deflecting roller is shifted back to its starting position, so that the filamentary material will then again pass over the end flange of the empty spool to become wound thereon.

Claim 3

In an apparatus for winding filamentary material such as wire, during continuous movement thereof, first onto one spool and then onto another spool with the latter spools being situated beside each other and having stationary parallel axes, a traverse means for distributing the filamentary material along one spool which is being filled, said traverse means being shiftable to the region of the other of said spools when said one spool has almost been completely filled, a guide means for guiding the filamentary material to the one spool to complete the filling thereof while the traverse means situates the filamentary material moving to said one spool in the region of the empty spool, said empty spool having beyond an end thereof an auxiliary spool coaxial with said empty spool, a deflecting roller means for engaging the filamentary material at the region of the empty spool, and swingable roller means swingable around the deflecting roller means to engage the filamentary material and directed it around said end Flange of the main spool to the auxiliary spool, cutting means carried by said auxiliary spool for cutting the filamentary material to terminate the length of filamentary material which is wound on said one spool while the filamentary material now starts to wind onto the auxiliary spool, means for displacing said deflecting roller means into the path of the filamentary material and for returning said deflecting roller means back to its starting position to release the loop of filamentary material which extends around said deflecting roller means for movement back around the end flange of the empty spool onto the latter to be wound thereon, and said swingable roller means also returning to its starting position so that the winding operations will now continue with said traverse means at the empty spool while the latter becomes gradually filled so that the operations can then be repeated with respect to another empty spool which replaces the spool which has just been filled.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for winding filamentary material such as wire, during continuous movement thereof, first onto one spool and then onto another spool with the latter spools being situated beside each other and having stationary parallel axes, a traverse means for distributing the filamentary material along one spool which is being filled, said traverse means being shiftable to the region of the other of said spools when said one spool has almost been completely filled, a guide means for guiding the filamentary material to the one spool to complete the filling thereof while the traverse means situates the filamentary material moving to said one spool in the region of the empty spool, said empty spool having beyond an end thereof an auxiliary spool coaxial with said empty spool, a deflecting roller means for engaging the filamentary material at the region of the empty spool, and swingable roller means swingable around the deflecting roller means to engage the filamentary material and directed it around said end Flange of the main spool to the auxiliary spool, cutting means carried by said auxiliary spool for cutting the filamentary material to terminate the length of filamentary material which is wound on said one spool while the filamentary material now starts to wind onto the auxiliary spool, means for displacing said deflecting roller means into the path of the filamentary material and for returning said deflecting roller means back to its starting position to release the loop of filamentary material which extends around said deflecting roller means for movement back around the end flange of the empty spool onto the latter to be wound thereon, and said swingable roller means also returning to its starting position so that the winding operations will now continue with said traverse means at the empty spool while the latter becomes gradually filled so that the operations can then be repeated with respect to another empty spool which replaces the spool which has just been filled.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 2 and wherein a swingable arm carries said swingable roller means to swing the latter between starting and end positions.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 3 and wherein a limit switch means limits the extent of turning of said arm which carries said swingable roller means.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 and wherein said swingable arm has an axis of rotation which is parallel to but displaced from the axis of the empty spool which is about to be filled so that the swingable arm turns eccentrically with respect to the empty spool.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 5 and wherein said auxiliary spool has one end flange in common with the empty spool and distant from the latter another end flange, and said other end flange carrying said cutting means for cutting the filamentary material which is directed onto the empty spool.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 6 and wherein said flange of said auxiliary spool has a smaller diameter than the end flange of said empty spool which is common to the latter and said auxiliary spool.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 7 and wherein an adjusting means coacts with said cutting means for adjusting the latter radially with respect to said auxiliary spool along the flange of the latter which is distant from the common flange.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 and wherein said auxiliary and empty spools both have cores of the same diameter.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 9 and wherein the spool which has just been filled is identical with the empty spool which is about to be filled and also has an auxiliary spool extending from an end thereof, and all of the structure of said empty spool and the controls coacting therewith being duplicated for the other spool so that when the empty spool has almost been filled all of the operations can be repeated in the reverse direction with a new spool which replaces the filled spool.