Textiles: spinning – twisting – and twining – Apparatus and processes – Splicing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-10
2001-10-09
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3741)
Textiles: spinning, twisting, and twining
Apparatus and processes
Splicing
C057S261000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298647
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of German Application DE P19938432.0 filed Aug. 13, 1999, herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a yarn-connecting device for a cheese-producing textile machine having a splicing device located outside of the normal path of yarn travel and operable for the pneumatic connection of yarn ends, a gripper tube through which is applied for manipulating the yarn ends to be spliced, and a pivotably seated gripper tube flap for closing the mouth of the gripper tube.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Yarn-connecting devices of the afore-described type are known, for example, from German Patent Publication DE 195 10 171 A1.
With these devices, an automatic yarn-connecting and/or cop-changing device is activated via the winding station computer of the respective winding station of the cheese-producing machine in case of a yarn break or a change of the delivery bobbin. More specifically, a suction nozzle is first placed against the surface of the take-up bobbin which is caused to slowly rotate in a direction opposite the winding direction. After the suction nozzle has grasped the yarn end trailing from the take-up bobbin (often referred to as the “upper yam end”), the suction nozzle is pivoted back into its initial position, in which the aspirating nozzle opening is positioned below a splicing device.
A gripper tube positioned in a lower initial position is pivoted almost simultaneously with the suction nozzle into an upper work position and in the process carries along a leading yarn end drawn off the delivery bobbin (often referred to as the “lower yarn end”) which had been held in a fixed position up to that time, for example, in a yarn tenser.
On its end, the gripper tube has a pivotably seated gripper tube flap, which is biased into a closed position for example by a spring force, and has a yarn placement hook. In the course of upward pivoting, the gripper tube intersects the path of the trailing upper yarn end from the take-up bobbin with the yarn placement hook in order to also engage and carry this yarn, and the gripper tube then positions both yarn ends in the splicing device in a functionally correct manner to be pneumatically spliced together. More specifically, the gripper tube flap, which mechanically fixes the bottom yarn in place via its gripper tube flap and takes along the top yarn via its yarn placement hook during the upward pivoting of the gripper tube, is slightly opened by means of an appropriately curved element when the gripper tube enters its terminal position, so that the two ends of yarn are placed into the splicer in a tensioned manner.
Following the cutting of excess portions of the two yarn ends by appropriate cutter devices of the splicer, the cut excess portion of the bottom yarn is aspirated off by the gripper tube. Thereafter, the gripper tube is pivoted back into its initial position. In the course of downward pivoting of the gripper tube, the gripper tube flap, which is still guided on the curved element, initially remains in a position in which the mouth of the gripper tube is at least partially open. Only after the gripper tube has disengaged from the curved element does the gripper tube flap close the mouth of the gripper tube either under the influence of the prevailing suction acting through the gripper tube or of via the aforementioned spring biasing element.
A disadvantage of this embodiment of the gripper tube is the danger that, in case of a yarn break or an intentional yarn cut by a cleaning device at the winding station which occurs while the gripper tube flap is still held open by the curved element, the gripper tube could aspirate the yarn during the downward movement. If the yarn is then again aspirated underneath the yarn tenser during the ensuing yarn break or cleaning operation which will be immediately initiated, winding of the yarn around the flap of the gripper tube can occur, which results in considerable trouble at the yarn-connecting device.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to improve the known yarn-connecting devices of the type described above and, more particularly, to provide an improved gripper tube arrangement.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained by a yarn-connecting device wherein the gripper tube flap of the gripper tube is controlled by a control device which acts upon the gripper tube flap differently when it is being pivoted upwardly or pivoted downwardly into and out of the position in which it inserts the yarn ends to be spliced into the splicing device. More specifically, this arrangement of the present invention advantageously provides that, when pivoting the gripper tube upwardly into the splicer in the initial operational phase of inserting the yarn ends into the splicer, it is possible to control the gripper tube flap such that the flap is lifted off the gripper tube mouth. In the process, the ends of yarn are well tensioned. After the ends of yarn have been inserted into the splicer, the gripper tube flap is closed and the gripper tube flap remains closed during the downward pivoting of the gripper tube back to its starting position, so that the yarn ends cannot be aspirated by the gripper tube in case of another yarn break or cleaning cut.
An advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides for the closing movement of the gripper tube flap to be achieved not only by means of the prevailing suction within the gripper tube, but also by contact of a control element of the gripper tube flap, preferably in the form of a cam follower, against a sliding cam track of a spring-biased guide element of the control device.
Preferably, the guide element has two separate sliding cam tracks, which work together to act sequentially upon the control cam follower of the gripper tube flap. More specifically, a first upper sliding cam track, in accordance with the representation in
FIGS. 3
a
to
3
c
, assures that the gripper tube flap is lifted off the gripper tube mouth by engagement with the control cam follower of the gripper tube flap when the gripper tube is pivoted into the vicinity of the control device, while the second, lower sliding cam track assures that the gripper tube flap is always closed when the gripper tube is pivoted out of the vicinity of the control device.
In a preferred embodiment, the control device basically comprises a base body stationarily fixed in place on the winding station housing by means of a holder, and a curved guide element seated for limited movability on the base body and acted upon by the force of a biasing spring. The curved element is urged into a preselected base position by the spring element.
The curved element has a strip which extends into the pivot path of the gripper tube and comprises the two sliding cam tracks. The curved element is seated in such a way that the control cam follower of the gripper tube flap is deflected outward in the course of upward pivoting of the gripper tube, and as a result, the gripper tube flap is slightly lift ed off the gripper tube mouth. In the course of pivoting the gripper tube downwardly, the control cam follower of the gripper tube flap is guided along the second sliding track and the curved element of the control device evades the control cam follower of the gripper tube flap. As a result, the gripper tube flap is acted upon, in addition to the prevailing underpressure within the gripper tube, by the curved element and, in turn, by the spring biasing force acting on the curved element. In this manner, the gripper tube flap is always dependably maintained in the closed position except when entering the position in which the gripper tube delivers yarn ends for spicing into the splicing device.
The gripper tube also preferably has a notch in the area of the gripper tube mouth, by means of which the excess portion of the lower yarn end is removed after being cut by the splicing cutters. Thus, the removal of excess lengths of
Kusters Gerard
Neubig Ottmar
Ruh Wolf-Michael
Ruskens Herbert
Schatton Siegfried
Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman LLP
W. Schlafhorst AG & Co.
Worrell Danny
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