Automatic reel exchanging device for a winding apparatus

Claim 1

An automatic reel changing apparatus for a winding machine for spooling threadlike products, comprising a reel conveying device, operative means for moving said device in a horizontal direction, said device including reel supporting means, first operative means for moving said reel supporting means in a vertical direction and separate operative means for moving said reel supporting means in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction of movement of the device, means for localizing the position of said reel supporting means in said vertical and horizontal directions, and a programming unit being operatively connected to each of said operative means, localizing means and the winding machine, said programming unit including means for actuating each of said operative means in dependence of the winding operation of the winding machine and the positions of stationary reels in a storage so as to cause the conveying device and the supporting means to grip an empty stationary reel from said storage, to transfer said empty reel to the winding machine substantially in winding position, to receive the reel from the winding machine after completed winding, to transfer said completed reel to said storage in a stationary position and to repeat said reel transferring operations with a next reel located in said storage in a different position with respect to the preceding transfered reel.