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US 12,742,264 B2Granted
Automated yarn package handling system and method
AssigneeBelmont Textile Machinery Co., Inc.
InventorsJeffrey Todd Rhyne, Donald Alan Pubentz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of robotically tying a knot that includes the steps of removing the package from the elevator tray to a knotting head apparatus at the knot-tying location where a knot is tied in a yarn tail of the package to secure the package tail from unraveling in subsequent package handling steps. Correct application of the knot to the yarn tail is either validated, or in the alternative, if the knot is not validated, the package is forwarded to a location for manual reworking to apply a correct knot to the yarn tail.
Claims20
An apparatus for robotically tying a knot, comprising:
- a knotting head apparatus at a knot-tying location for tying a knot to a yarn tail of a yarn package to secure the yarn tail from unraveling in subsequent yarn package handling;
- a digitally-controlled knot-validating apparatus for validating correct application of the knot to the yarn tail;
- and
- a yarn package indexer, wherein if the knot is validated as correctly applied, the yarn package indexer forwards the package to a case building location or, if the knot is not validated, the yarn package indexer forwards the package to a location for applying a correct knot to the yarn tail.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.