Method and apparatus for coiling and packaging electrical cable

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1 wherein said monitoring step includes monitoring any one of the parameters of electrical continuity, cable size and insulation resistance.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 1, wherein said sealer unit comprises a glue sealing unit and said disabling step includes disabling the gluing cycle of said glue sealing unit.

Claim 5

Apparatus for coiling and packaging a predetermined length of electrical cable from a running indeterminate length of said cable comprising: means for continuously feeding a running length of electrical cable along a cable feed path; means for continuously monitoring a selected parameter of said running length of cable and for generating a fault signal indicative of a predetermined deviation from a standard value of said parameter; means for measuring predetermined lengths of said cable; means for continually coiling successive ones of a plurality of individual coils of said predetermined length; means arranged downstream of and spaced from said monitoring means for continually severing said individual coils from said running length of cable; means for ejecting said individual coils from said coiling means; means for packaging the individual coil ejected from said coiling means, said packaging means including means for positioning a package receptacle for receiving the ejected coil therein and means for sealing said package receptacle; and means transmitting said fault signal to said sealing means, said transmitting means including means for discriminating between a fault signal generated by reason of a fault in an individual coil severed from said cable and a fault signal generated by reason of a fault in said cable upstream of said severing means said transmitting means disabling the sealing cycle of said sealing means to prevent sealing of said package receptacle only when the fault exists in the individual coil contained in said receptacle.

Claim 6

Apparatus for coiling and packaging a predetermined length of electrical cable from a running indeterminate length of said cable comprising: means for continuously feeding a running length of electrical cable along a cable feed path; means for continuously monitoring a selected parameter of said running length of cable and for generating a fault signal indicative of a predetermined deviation from a standard value of said parameter; means for measuring predetermined lengths of said cable; means for continually coiling successive ones of a plurality of individual coils of said predetermined length; means arranged downstream of and spaced from said monitoring means for continually severing said individual coils from said running length of cable; means for ejecting said individual coils from said coiling means; means for packaging the individual coil ejected from said coiling means, said packaging means including means for positioning a package receptacle for receiving the ejected coil therein and means for sealing said package receptacle; and means transmitting said fault signal to said sealing means, said transmitting means including means for discriminating between a fault signal generated by reason of a fault in an individual coil severed from said cable and a fault signal generated by reason of a fault in said cable upstream of said severing means said transmitting means disabling the sealing cycle of said sealing means to prevent sealing of said package receptacle only when the fault exists in the individual coil contained in said receptacle.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the selected parameter includes any one of the parameters of electrical continuity, cable size and insulation resistance.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said sealing means comprises a glue sealing unit, said transmitting means being connected to said glue sealing unit to disable the gluing cycle thereof.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said measuring means has an output indicative of the incremental length of said predetermined length of cable, said discriminating means being connected to said responsive to the output of said measuring means, said discriminating means enabling transmission of said fault signal to said sealing means prior to the measurement by said measuring means of a preset incremental length of said predetermined length of cable and inhibiting transmission of said fault signal to said sealing means subsequent to the measurement by said measuring means of said present incremental length to thereby discriminate between a coil being wound by said coiling means and a next successive coil to be wound by said coiling means.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined length of said cable is substantially equal to the sum of said present incremental length and the spacing between said severing means and said monitoring means.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said monitoring means includes a continuity tester, a cable size tester and a spark tester arranged in spaced relation to one another and upstream of said severing means, said discriminating means including logic circuit means connected to each of said testers and to said measuring means for enabling and disabling transmission of said fault signal to said sealing means in a predetermined sequence dependent on the spacing between said severing means and a respective one of said testers.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said logic circuit means includes means for storing said fault signal generated by reason of a fault in said cable upstream of said severing means.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said coiling means includes a coiling drum movable between extended and retracted positions and including cable positioner means arranged above said coiling drum for engaging said cable adjacent an upstream severed end thereof and for aligning said upstream severed end with coiling drum when said coiling drum is moved from its retracted position to its extended position.