Wire spooler

An apparatus for winding wire onto spools of the type having two end flanges at least one of which is tapered, a cylindrical portion of uniform diameter between said two end flanges, and a circumferential groove located at the outboard end of said at least one tapered end flange, said apparatus comprising:

• means for rotating a spool such as aforesaid about its central axis, a traversing guide for guiding wire onto the spool rotated by said rotating means, means supporting said traversing guide for traversing movement relative to said spool back and forth along a path parallel to said central spool axis, means for aligning said traversing guide with said circumferential groove at the start of winding wire onto said spool so as to initially wind a starting length of wire onto said groove, means for thereafter moving said traversing guide into alignment with that end of said cylindrical portion of said spool which is adjacent said groove, means for thereafter moving said traversing guide along said path at a speed directly related to the rotational speed of said spool and initially in the direction toward the opposite end of said cylindrical portion of said spool, means for reversing the direction of said traversing guide along said path when said traversing guide reaches either one of two end limits spaced from one another along said path and between which said traversing guide moves, and means connected with said spool rotating means for increasing the spacing between said two end limits in response to increases in the total rotation of said spool during the winding of wire onto it.

An apparatus for winding wire onto spools, said apparatus comprising:

• means for rotating a spool such as aforesaid about its central axis, a traversing guide for guiding wire onto the spool rotated by said rotating means, a screw shaft extending parallel to said central axis of said spool, a nut means carried by said screw shaft and connected with said traversing guide for moving said traversing guide parallel to said central axis of said spool in response to rotation of said screw shaft, said means for rotating said spool including a spool drive shaft drivingly connected with said spool, a drive motor drivingly connected with said spool drive shaft, a drive train between said spool drive shaft and said screw shaft, said drive train including a clutch mechanism having an engaged condition in which motion is transmitted therethrough from said spool drive shaft to said screw shaft to cause said traversing guide to be moved at a speed directly related to the rotational speed of said spool and also having a disengaged condition in which no motion is transmitted from said spool drive shaft to said screw shaft, said drive train also including a reversing mechanism operable to cause rotation of said screw shaft in one or the other direction in response respectively to a forward or a reverse signal supplied thereto, a pulse generator associated with said screw shaft for generating electrical pulses each of which represents a given amount of rotational movement of said screw shaft, a device for storing a first reference number, a first counter for counting said pulses, switching means coupled with said first counter and with said reversing mechanism and for switching to the other of such signals each time said count of said first counter reaches said first reference number and for simultaneously resetting said first counter to a given initial value, a second counter for counting the resettings of said counter, a device for storing a second reference number, and means for augmenting said first reference number by a given number (N.sub.A) each time the count of said second counter reaches said second reference number and for simultaneously resetting said second counter to a given initial value.

An apparatus for winding wire onto spools, said apparatus comprising:

• means for rotating a spool such as aforesaid about its central axis, said means including a spool drive shaft drivingly connectable with said spool, a drive motor drivingly connected with said spool drive shaft, a traversing guide for guiding wire onto said spool, a screw shaft arranged parallel with said central axis of said spool, a nut fixed to said traversing guide, said nut being carried by said screw shaft and threadably connected therewith so as to move said traversing guide parallel to said central axis of said spool in response to rotation of said screw shaft, a drive train including a clutch having engaged and disengaged conditions connected between said spool drive shaft and said screw shaft for rotating said screw shaft at a speed directly related to the speed of rotation of said spool drive shaft when said clutch is in its engaged condition, said drive train also including a reversing mechanism operable in either a forward or a reverse mode to reverse the direction of rotation of said screw shaft, means associated with said screw shaft for producing in response to rotation of said screw shaft a series of time-spaced signals each representing a given amount of rotation of said screw shaft, means for switching the mode of said reversing mechanism at the end of each occurrence of a controlling number (N.sub.X) of said signals, and means for increasing said controlling number (N.sub.X) in response to increases in the number of reversals of said reversing means during the winding wire onto said spool.