# US 4,398,677 A · Winding apparatus for strand type materials

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- Number: US 4,398,677 A
- Document ID: US4398677A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/263,298
- Filed: 1981-05-13
- Granted: 1983-08-16
- Earliest claimed: 1978-05-31
- Inventors: Werner Henrich
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4398677A

## CPC

- B21C 49/00: Devices for temporarily accumulating material
- B65H 51/20: Devices for temporarily storing filamentary material during forwarding, e.g. for buffer storage
- B65H 67/04: Arrangements for removing completed take-up packages and {or} replacing by cores, formers, or empty receptacles at winding or depositing stations; Transferring material between adjacent full and empty take-up elements {(arrangement of the service carriage B65H54/26)}
- D07B 3/085: {in which a guide member rotates about the axis of the rope or cable to guide the rope or cable on the take-up reel in fixed position}
- B21C: MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES, PROFILES OR LIKE SEMI-MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- D07B: ROPES OR CABLES IN GENERAL (joining ropes or cables to one another or to other objects B65H69/00, F16G11/00; {mountaineering ropes A63B29/02}; mechanical finishing or dressing of ropes D02J; {braiding D04C}; decorative ropes or cords D04D; suspension cables for bridges E01D19/16; specially adapted for driving, or for being driven by, pulleys or other gearing elements F16G9/00; electric cables or joints insofar as electrical aspects are essential H01B, H01R)

## Abstract

The present winding apparatus for strand type materials such as wire, rope, strings or the like, facilitates the exchange of the reel or drum in the winding machine including a flyer so that a continuous operation, for example of a wire drawing machine, does no need to be interrupted. This continuous wire take-up is accomplished by a wire storing magazine and a so-called dancer arranged between the wire drawing machine and the winding apparatus. The magazine has a variable capacity for storing a quantity of the elongated material during the time when the reel or drum in the winding machine is exchanged. The so-called dancer is arranged between the variable capacity magazine and the winding machine for controlling the winding speed of the flyer. The magazine may comprise a plurality of block and tackle rollers arranged in sets one of which is movable to vary the storage capacity. The dancer also has a movable pulley for controlling the speed of the drive motor of the flyer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for continuously winding elongated material onto winding carrier means, comprising support means for exchangeably supporting said winding carrier means, winding means including flyer means and drive means (105) for said flyer means operatively supported by said support means, first magazine means (101) comprising block and tackle means (101) having a variable storing capacity and being operatively arranged upstream of said winding means as viewed in the travel direction of said elongated material for storing said elongated material at least during a time when a full winding carrier means is being exchanged for an empty winding carrier means, while said elongated material is continuously moving in said travel direction toward said winding means, second magazine means (102) comprising elongated material storing means of the dancer type (102, 132) operatively arranged downstream of said first magazine means and between said first magazine means (101) and said winding means, said first and second magazine means being arranged in series, said second dancer type magazine means (102) comprising movably supported pulley means (128) for sensing the instantaneous tension of the elongated material running from said first magazine means over said movable pulley means (128) of said dancer type magazine means (102), and speed control means (106) operatively connected to said movable pulley means of said dancer type second magazine means (102) for positively varying the speed of said flyer drive means (105), said dancer type second magazine means (102) having a smaller storage capacity than said first magazine means so that the dancer type second magazine means flexibly respond to the instantaneous operating condition of the apparatus to keep the tension of said elongated material substantially constant during an exchange of a winding carrier means and during a winding operation, and wherein said variable storage capacity of said first magazine means is not limited by the second magazine means.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said block and tackle first magazine means comprise a stationary set of pulleys and a movable set of pulleys, piston cylinder means and cable pull means operatively connecting said piston cylinder means to said movable set of pulleys for varying the storage capacity of said block and tackle first magazine means.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said dancer type second magazine means comprise first stationary pulley means (124), second stationary pulley means (125) arranged below said first stationary pulley means for receiving elongated material from said first pulley means, movable pulley means (128), pivoting lever means (107) having a journal axis intermediate its ends, said movable pulley means being secured to one end of said pivoting lever means, said speed control means being operatively connected to said journal axis of said pivoting lever means, and tension adjustment means adjustably connected to the other end of said pivoting lever means for adjusting the tension of elongated material to a normal winding value, said speed control means being responsive to deviations from said normal value for returning said tension to said normal value.

### Claim 4

An apparatus for continuously winding elongated material onto winding carrier means, comprising support means for exchangeably supporting said winding carrier means, winding means including flyer means (104) and drive means (105) for said flyer means operatively supported by said support means, magazine means having a variable storage capacity, said magazine means being operatively arranged upstream of said winding means as viewed in the travel direction of said elongated material for storing said elongated material at least during a time when a full winding carrier means is being exchanged for an empty winding carrier means, while said elongated material is continuously moving in said travel direction toward said winding means, dancer type sensor means (136) integrated into said magazine means, said magazine means comprising first movable pulley means (133), carriage means (134) for movably supporting said first pulley means, and second movable pulley means (136) operatively arranged to form simultaneously part of said dancer type sensor means and part of said magazine means, said dancer type sensor means comprising speed control means (140) including pivot lever means (137) for movably supporting said second movable pulley means (136), said speed control means (140) being operatively connected to said pivot lever means (137) carrying said second movable pulley means (136) for adjusting said speed control means (140), said apparatus further comprising means (143) for maintaining a normal predetermined feed advance speed during normal operating conditions, said normal feed advance speed maintaining means (143) being operatively connected to said pivot lever means for normally maintaining said pivot lever means in a central position whereby said dancer type sensor means flexibly respond to the instantaneous position of said second pulley means (136) and thus indirectly to the instantaneous filling status of said magazine means, to keep the tension of said elongated material substantially constant during an exchange of a winding carrier means and during a winding operation, and whereby the variable storage capacity of the magazine means is not limited by the adjustment of speed control means.