Automatic machine for forming rolls of piece-fabrics having a pre-established length and discarding of defective fabric

Claim 2

An automatic machine for forming rolls of piece-fabrics having a pre-established length around tubes provided with sheets of paper wound thereon, which comprises means for pressing the fabric therebetween along the width thereof and for feeding it to a winding up device; means for cutting the fabric transversely; means for feeding the tubes, which are the cores of the rolls to be formed, and adapted to bring each tube first in an intermediate position and subsequently in a winding up position; means for causing each tube to rotate in said intermediate position in a sense opposite to the winding up sense and cooperating with pneumatic means sending tangential jets of compressed air onto said tube in order to partially unwind therefrom the sheet of paper wound up precedingly; and means for winding up the fabric onto said tube and for discharging the complete roll; actuating means being provided for controlling said pressing means and said cutting means, which are responsive to signals applied on the fabric and to a counting device for measuring the length of the fabric.

Claim 3

A machine according to claim 1, wherein said means for pressing and feeding the fabric consists of a pair of gripper elements extending over the entire width of the fabric and adapted to be brought close to each other while pressing the fabric between them, and to move forward to the winding up position, while drawing the grasped piece of fabric.

Claim 4

A machine according to claim 2, wherein one of said gripper elements is integral with a carriage sliding in a guide parallel to the path of the fabric, under the action of a reciprocating cylinder and the other gripper element is movable with respect to said first gripper element under the action of a cylinder-piston system.

Claim 5

A machine according to claim 3, wherein said gripper element which is integral with said carriage has a cam adapted to contact a corresponding fixed projection close to the winding up position, which stops the travel of said pair of grippers and causes the pair of grippers to rotate until their front part is introduced between the tube in the winding up position and an auxiliary tightening means provided on said winding up means.

Claim 6

A machine according to claim 2, wherein one of said gripper elements is integral with a lever sliding parallel to the path of the fabric and rotatably mounted around an axis which is parallel to the length of said gripper elements and perpendicular to said path and the other gripper element is slidably mounted on said lever for a reciprocating movement to and from said one gripper element, said gripper element which is integral with said lever having a cam adapted to contact a corresponding fixed projection close to the winding up position, whereby said pair of grippers are rotated in a position close to the winding up position, until their front part is introduced between the tube in the winding up position and an auxiliary tightening means provided on said winding up means.

Claim 7

A machine according to claim 2, wherein said cutting means consists at least of one rotating blade mounted onto a carriage provided with a reciprocating transversal movement with respect to the fabric and adapted to move within corresponding pairs of grooves provided on a tiltable cutting plane which is co-planar with the surface determined by said two gripper elements in their pressing position.

Claim 8

A machine according to claim 6, wherein said cutting plane is tiltable around a pivot which is external with respect to the above said pair of grippers, whereby when said plane is rotated after the cutting of the fabric and before the forward movement of the grippers, towards the winding up position, clear room is given for the subsequent operations.

Claim 9

A machine according to claim 1, wherein said means for feeding the tubes comprises a magazine for the storage of empty tubes, an underlying charging carriage actuated by a cylinder for feeding one tube at each actuation of said carriage to a position where the tube is grasped by hooking elements for being brought into said intermediate position.

Claim 10

A machine according to claim 8, wherein said hooking elements comprise two parallel arms having at one end a conical mandrel, said arms being slidably mounted at the other end for movement along a bar under the action of two driving cylinders, said bar being connecteD to a third cylinder for movement perpendicular with respect to that of the above two arms on the bar.

Claim 11

A machine according to claim 9, wherein said means in said intermediate position causes the rotation of the mandrels of said hooking means and comprises a device adapted to sense that said sheet of paper unwound from the tube and fallen by gravity has reached a certain position, causing contemporarily the rotation of the tube to stop and the lowering of said means for hooking the tube to continue.

Claim 12

A machine according to claim 1, wherein said winding up means comprises a pair of lever arms provided with conical mandrels one of which at least has a longitudinal translatory movement for introducing itself into the tube in the winding up position and a rotatory movement given by a motor mounted on one of said arms for winding up the fabric, between said pair of arms there being mounted means adapted to support the tube before it is grasped by said pair of mandrels and after it has been left by said hooking means, said pair of arms being inclinable under the action of a driving cylinder until they stand over a container of complete rolls.

Claim 13

A machine according to claim 11, wherein said supporting means of the tube comprises an elongated element having a concave supporting surface adapted to receive said tube when it is released by the above said hooking means and provided with a vertical translatory movement under the action of two cylinders integral with said pair of lever arms, which cause said supporting element to be lowered when the tube is grasped by said pair of mandrels of the above said winding up means, and an auxiliary tightening means integral with said elongated element.

Claim 14

A machine according to claim 1, wherein said winding up means comprises a pair of lever arms having mounted therebetween a roll, and actuating means for the rotation of said roll which is capable of frictionally driving said tube to be wound up.

Claim 15

A machine for forming rolls of piece-fabrics around tubes provided with sheets of paper wound thereon, comprising: means for pressing the fabric therebetween along the width thereof and for feeding it to a winding up device; means for cutting the fabric transversely; means for feeding the tubes, which are the cores of the rolls to be formed, and adapted to bring each tube first in an intermediate position and subsequently in a winding up position; means for causing each tube to rotate in said intermediate position in a sense opposite to the winding up sense and cooperating with pneumatic means sending tangential jets of compressed air onto said tube in order to partially unwind therefrom the sheet of paper wound up precedingly; and means for winding up the fabric onto said tube and for discharging the complete roll; actuating means being provided for controlling said pressing means and said cutting means, which are responsive to signals applied on the fabric and to a counting device for measuring the length of the fabric; means responsive to signals provided on the fabric at the beginning and at the end of each portion of defective fabric, for controlling the stopping of said winding up means and the operation of said cutting means; means for driving the fabric after the first cutting operation at the beginning of the defective portion up to the signal indicating the end of the defective portion and for actuating the second cutting operation; means adapted to co-operate with said driving means for pushing the defective fabric into an underlying container before and during said second cutting operation; suction means sliding longitudinally along the fabric for carrying, after the second cutting operation, the piece of fabric following the defective portion in overlapping relationship with the free end of the fabric already wound up before the first cutting operation; and means for re-starting the winding up operation, once said overlapping is completed.

Claim 16

A machine for forming rolls of piece-fabrics around tubes provided with sheets of paper wound thereon, comprising: means for pressing the fabric therebetween along the width thereof and for feeding it to a winding up device; means for cutting the fabric transversely; means for feeding the tubes, which are the cores of the rolls to be formed, and adapted to bring each tube first in an intermediate position and subsequently in a winding up position; means for causing each tube to rotate in said intermediate position in a sense opposite to the winding up sense and cooperating with pneumatic means sending tangential jets of compressed air onto said tube in order to partially unwind therefrom the sheet of paper wound up precedingly; and means for winding up the fabric onto said tube and for discharging the complete roll; actuating means being provided for controlling said pressing means and said cutting means, which are responsive to signals applied on the fabric and to a counting device for measuring the length of the fabric; means responsive to signals provided on the fabric at the beginning and at the end of each portion of defective fabric, for controlling the stopping of said winding up means and the operation of said cutting means; means for driving the fabric after the first cutting operation at the beginning of the defective portion up to the signal indicating the end of the defective portion and for actuating the second cutting operation; means adapted to co-operate with said driving means for pushing the defective fabric into an underlying container before and during said second cutting operation; suction means sliding longitudinally along the fabric for carrying, after the second cutting operation, the piece of fabric following the defective portion in overlapping relationship with the free end of the fabric already wound up before the first cutting operation; and means for re-starting the winding up operation, once said overlapping is completed.

Claim 17

A machine according to claim 14 further comprising a roll element Parallel to the shaft of the winding up roll and situated preceding the latter in the fabric feeding forward sense and at the level of the advancement plane of the fabric, said roll element being adapted to retain around it, during the falling into said container, the end of the already wound up fabric after said first cutting operation.

Claim 18

A machine according to claim 15 wherein said suction means comprises a plurality of parallel apertured members provided each with a pair of lateral rollers for rolling over the fabric and connected through a valve, controlled by external operating means, to a suction source, means being provided for moving said plurality of suction members to a position where said pairs of rollers are caused to correspond with said roll element thus overlapping therebetween the two portions of fabric separated by the two cutting operations, and for bringing said suction members back to the initial position.

Claim 19

A machine according to claim 16, wherein said external operating means of the connecting valve with said suction source are responsive to the position of said plurality of suction members during the above said movement, causing the opening of said valve at a position of the suction members close to the front portion of the fabric after said second cutting operation and the closing of the valve when said rollers of the suction members are on said roll element, pressing between them and the latter the two pieces of fabric before the backward stroke of the suction members.

Claim 20

A machine according to claim 14, further including means for measuring the piece of discarded fabric, comprised between the first and second cutting operation, means adapted to memorize said measurement and to feed this information into said counting means for measuring the length of the wound up piece-fabric, for cutting the fabric at each pre-established length.