Monitoring apparatus for a textile winding machine

Claim 1

In a textile winding machine having a yarn carrier mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and adapted to support at least two yarn holders at circumferentially spaced points therearound, means operable from time to time for revolving said carrier through an arc equal to the circumferential spacing of said yarn holders on said carriers to successively bring said holders from and to a reserve position to and from an active unwinding position, a lifting member provided for raising an empty yarn holder after such has been unwound so that said empty yarn holder can be ejected from said carrier, said lifting member being mounted for movement between a raised position when a fullyarn holder is absent therefrom and a depressed position when a full-yarn holder is placed thereon, the improvement comprising: electrical switch means activated each time a full-yarn holder is rotated to the unwinding position for generating a signal indicative thereof, said electrical switch means being positioned adjacent the path travelled by said carrier as such is rotated so that when said lifting member is depressed with a full-yarn holder said switch means is activated by said lifting member as said full-yarn holder is rotated to the unwinding position, said lifting member bypassing said switch means when in a raised position as said carrier is rotated to the unwinding position without a full-yarn holder thereon, and totalizing means coupled to said switch means for computing the number of full-yarn holders unwound on said winding machine.