Thread storage and delivery device for textile machines

Claim 2

A thread storage and delivery device for conveying a thread from a spool to a working point on a textile machine, said thread storage and delivery device comprising storage drum means mounted for rotation and drive means drivingly connected to said drum means for rotatably driving same, said drum means being adapted to be disposed intermediate said spool and said working point and including a slide cone portion to which the thread is delivered in a substantially tangential direction and from which the thread is drawable in an axial direction, said drum means also including an annular friction driving surface positioned adjacent the larger diameter end of said slide cone portion and having one thread looped at least once therearound for drawing the thread from the spool, said drum means further including an annular storage section disposed adjacent the small diameter end of said slide cone, said storage section having a diameter less than the diameter of the annular friction driving surface, whereby the thread windings are conveyed along the slide cone portion in an axial direction toward the storage section and form in the storage section a multiple layer coil from which the thread can then be withdrawn, and retaining means coacting with said drum means for retaining the multiple layer coil within said storage section.

Claim 3

A device according to claim 1, wherein said retaining means includes an annular collecting surface formed on said drum means and disposed axially on the opposite side of said storage section from said slide cone portion, said collecting surface having a diameter larger than the minimum diameter of said storage section for retaining said multiple layer coil within said storage section.

Claim 4

A device according to claim 2, wherein said annular collecting surface is formed by a collecting cone which diverges in the axial direction extending away from said storage section.

Claim 5

A device according to claim 3, wherein said slide cone portion and said collecting cone form the sidewalls of a V-shaped groove whose base diameter is smaller than the diameter of the annular friction drive surface, the base portion of said V-shaped groove forming said storage section.

Claim 6

A device according to claim 3, wherein said storage section comprises a substantially cylindrical portion disposed and extending between the smaller diameter ends of the slide cone portion and the collecting cone.

Claim 7

A device according to claim 5, wherein said drum means includes a cylindrical section disposed axially between said storage section and the smaller diameter end of said slide cone portion, said cylindrical section having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the annular friction drive surface and a width suitable for accomodating approximately 12 to 16 thread turns, said cylindrical section merging into said storage section.

Claim 8

A device according to claim 3, wherein said friction drive surface, said slide cone portion, said storage section and said collecting cone are constructed upon a common drum-like body which is rotatably driven.

Claim 9

A device according to claim 1, wherein the friction drive surface comprises a V-shaped groove formed in said storage drum means.

Claim 10

A device according to claim 1, wherein said slide cone portion is defined by a conical angle as defined relative to the axis of said storage drum means of between approximately 15* to 25*.

Claim 11

A device according to claim 1, further including deflector means positioned adjacent said storage drum means for guiding the thread in the form of an open loop as it is delivered from said friction driving surface to said slide cone portion, means mounting said deflector means for movement in a direction substantially radially relative to said storage drum means, biasing means coacting with said deflector means for normally urging same radially outwardly relative to said drum means, and control means coaCting with said deflector means and responsive to the position thereof for controlling the rotation and of thread on said storage drum means whereby the quantity of thread on said storage drum means is maintained between predetermined maximum and minimum limits.

Claim 12

A device according to claim 1, wherein the large diameter end of said slide cone portion has a diameter greater than the diameter of said annular friction drive surface.

Claim 13

A thread storage and delivery device for conveying a thread from a spool to a working point of a textile machine, comprising rotatable storage drum means for temporarily storing the thread as it is delivered from the spool to the textile machine and drive means drivingly connected to said drum means for rotatably driving same, said storage drum means including first and second axially spaced portions, said first portion of said storage drum means having an annular friction driving surface adapted to have said thread looped at least once therearound for drawing the thread from the spool, said second portion of said storage drum means being tapered in the drawing direction of the thread and forming a slide cone having maximum and minimum diameters adjacent the opposite axial ends thereof, the maximum diameter end of said slide cone being disposed more closely adjacent the friction driving surface and having a diameter greater than the diameter of the friction driving surface, the small diameter end of the slide cone being disposed remote from the friction driving surface and having a diameter no greater than the diameter of the friction driving surface, deflector means positioned adjacent said storage drum means for guiding the thread in the form of an open loop as it is transferred from the friction driving surface onto the slide cone, means mounting the deflector means for movement in a direction substantially transverse to the path of movement of thread as it passes over the deflector means, biasing means coacting with said deflector means and urging same in a direction opposite to the force imposed on said deflector means by the loop of thread passing thereover, and control means controlling the rotation of said drum means by said drive means for restricting the winding of thread on the storage drum means when the quantity of thread on the drum means reaches a predetermined maximum and for initiating winding of thread on the storage drum means when the quantity of thread on the drum means falls below a predetermined minimum, said control means being interconnected to and actuated by movement of said deflector means.

Claim 14

A thread storage and delivery device for conveying a thread from a spool to a working point of a textile machine, comprising rotatable storage drum means for temporarily storing the thread as it is delivered from the spool to the textile machine and drive means drivingly connected to said drum means for rotatably driving same, said storage drum means including first and second axially spaced portions, said first portion of said storage drum means having an annular friction driving surface adapted to have said thread looped at least once therearound for drawing the thread from the spool, said second portion of said storage drum means being tapered in the drawing direction of the thread and forming a slide cone having maximum and minimum diameters adjacent the opposite axial ends thereof, the maximum diameter end of said slide cone being disposed more closely adjacent the friction driving surface and having a diameter greater than the diameter of the friction driving surface, the small diameter end of the slide cone being disposed remote from the friction driving surface and having a diameter no greater than the diameter of the friction driving surface, deflector means positioned adjacent said storage drum means for guiding the thread in the form of an open loop as it is transferred from the friction driving surface onto the slide cone, means mounting the deflector means for movement in a direction substantially transverse to the path of movement of thread as it passes over the deflector means, biasing means coacting with said deflector means and urging same in a direction opposite to the force imposed on said deflector means by the loop of thread passing thereover, and control means controlling the rotation of said drum means by said drive means for restricting the winding of thread on the storage drum means when the quantity of thread on the drum means reaches a predetermined maximum and for initiating winding of thread on the storage drum means when the quantity of thread on the drum means falls below a predetermined minimum, said control means being interconnected to and actuated by movement of said deflector means.

Claim 15

A device according to claim 12, wherein said deflector means includes a deflector element mounted for movement in a direction substantially radially relative to said drum means, and said biasing means including spring means coacting with said deflector element for normally resiliently urging same in a radially outward direction.

Claim 16

A device according to claim 13, wherein said drive means includes motor means drivingly connected to said drum means for rotatably driving same, and said control means including switch means electrically interconnected to said motor means and coacting with said deflector element for causing energization of said motor means and rotation of said drum means in response to actuation of said switch means by radial movement of said deflector element.

Claim 17

A device according to claim 12, wherein the small diameter end of said slide cone has a diameter smaller than the diameter of said friction driving surface whereby the small diameter end of said slide cone forms an annular storage section wherein the thread windings form a multiple layer coil, and retaining means coacting with said drum means for retaining the multiple layer coil within said storage section.

Claim 18

A device according to claim 12, wherein the conical surface of the slide cone defines an angle relative to the axis of said drum means of between about 15* to 25*.

Claim 19

A device aCcording to claim 15, wherein said retaining means comprises a substantially conical retaining surface coaxially aligned with and fixedly connected to the small diameter end of said slide cone, said conical retaining surface extending radially outwardly and having a diameter greater than the small diameter end of the slide cone.