Fiber unwinding system and methods of unwinding a fiber from a bobbin
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsTheodore Robert Grossman, Roger Antonio Aparicio, Martin Peter Gill, Steven Robert Hayashi, Andrew William Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Unwinding systems and methods are provided for unwinding a fiber from a bobbin. The unwinding system can include an axle defining a first axis extending an axial direction, a bobbin rotatably mounted around the axle, a pulley positioned to receive the fiber from the bobbin, wherein the pulley is rotatable around a second axis, and a sensor positioned between the bobbin and the pulley. The bobbin is moveable along the axial direction, and wherein the fiber extends tangentially from a surface of the bobbin.
Claims19
A unwinding system for unwinding a fiber from a bobbin, the unwinding system comprising:
- an axle defining a first axis extending an axial direction;
- a bobbin rotatably mounted around the axle, wherein the bobbin is moveable along the axial direction, and wherein the fiber extends tangentially from a surface of the bobbin to a pulley positioned to receive the fiber from the bobbin, wherein the pulley is rotatable around a second axis, and wherein the bobbin defines a length along the first axis in the axial direction, and wherein the length of the fiber from the bobbin to the pulley is about 50% to about 1000% of the length of the bobbin along the first axis;
- and
- a fiber sensor positioned between the bobbin and the pulley,
- wherein the fiber sensor comprises a light sensor having a light emitting diode (LED) array.
A method for unwinding a fiber from a bobbin, the method comprising:
- unwinding a fiber from a bobbin, wherein the bobbin rotates around a first axis extending an axial direction;
- receiving the fiber into a pulley rotatable around a second axis, wherein the fiber extends a length from the bobbin to the pulley, and wherein the fiber length defines a first angle with the first axis, and further wherein the fiber length defines a second angle with the second axis, and wherein the bobbin defines a width along the first axis, and wherein the length of the fiber from the bobbin to the pulley is about 50% to about 1000% of the width of the bobbin along the first axis;
- sensing a location of the fiber along at least one point of the length of the fiber between the bobbin and the pulley, the sensing a location further comprising a light sensor having a light emitting diode (LED) array;
- and
- moving the bobbin laterally along the axial direction such that the first angle is maintained between about 80° to about 100°.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.