Strand winding apparatus

In an apparatus for winding a textile strand onto a bobbin to form a strand package, said apparatus including a frame, a generally horizontally-extending spindle assembly adapted to mount said bobbin for rotation about a central axis during operation of said apparatus, strand-guiding means for guiding the strand onto the bobbin during operation of said apparatus, said strand-guiding means including a pressure roll extending generally parallel to said spindle assembly and engageable with the periphery of the strand package formed upon said bobbin carried by said spindle assembly during operation of said apparatus, and movable support means carried by said frame and mounting said spindle assembly for translatory movement toward and away from said pressure roll, the improvement comprising:

• said spindle assembly including inner and outer elongate spindle members extending in substantially concentric relationship to each other and to said central axis of said spindle assembly throughout substantially the entire length of said assembly, said inner member being of massive rigid construction and being fixedly secured at one end thereof to said support means for movement in unison therewith, first and second bearing means disposed between said inner and outer spindle members adjacent opposite ends of said members, said bearing means mounting said outer member for translatory movement in unison with said inner member relative to said pressure roll and mounting said outer member for rotative movement relative to said inner member about said central axis of said spindle assembly;
• bobbin-gripping means carried by said spindle assembly for when actuated releasably securing said bobbin upon said outer member of said assembly during operation of said apparatus;
• said bobbin-gripping means including first means for when actuated frictionally gripping the interior surface of said bobbin and thereby securing said bobbin for rotation in unison with said outer member of said spindle assembly, and second means engageable when actuated with the terminal end of said bobbin adjacent the free end of said spindle assembly for restricting longitudinal movement of said bobbin in the direction of said free end of said spindle assembly;
• manually-operable actuating means disposed at said free end of said spindle assembly for simultaneously actuating said first and said second bobbin-gripping means, said actuating means including an operating knob mounted at said free end of said spindle assembly for rotative movement about said axis thereof relative to said inner member of said spindle assembly;
• and said second bobbin-gripping means comprising latch means operatively connected to said knob and pivotably movable by said rotative movement of said knob toward and away from said end of said bobbin.

In an apparatus for winding a strand onto a bobbin to form a strand package, said apparatus including a spindle assembly adapted to mount said bobbin thereon for strand-winding rotation about its axis, a roll assembly extending generally parallel to said spindle assembly and adapted to engage the circumferential surface of said strand package during formation thereof upon the bobbin carried by said spindle assembly, and means mounting one of said assemblies for translatory lateral movement toward and away from the other of said assemblies, improved fluid-pressure means operatively connected to said one assembly for controlling said translatory movement thereof toward and away from said other assembly, comprising:

• pneumatic circuit means for biasing said one assembly toward said other assembly while permitting gradual movement of said one assembly away from said other assembly to accommodate increases in the diameter of said package during normal operation of said apparatus and while also permitting relatively rapid temporary displacement of said one assembly away from said other assembly upon engagement between said roll assembly and a protuberance upon said circumferential surface of said package being formed;
• and
• combination pneumatic and hydraulic circuit means for permitting and for cushioning and retarding return movement of said one assembly back toward said other assembly following said temporary displacement of said one assembly away from said other assembly.