Ribbon free wound yarn package and method and apparatus for producing the same

An apparatus for winding a textile yarn into a core supported package and including means for rotating the core to wind the yarn thereabout at a substantially constant rate, yarn guide means movable axially of the core for guiding the yarn onto the core, and means for traversing said yarn guide means and including a drive shaft and a grooved drum mounted for rotation about the axis of said drive shaft, and wherein the winding ratio (F), which is defined as the ratio of the rotational speed of the package (NS) to the double stroke rate of the yarn guide (NC), gradually decreases as the package builds, the improvement therein comprising

• means for storing a plurality of predetermined critical winding ratios (FSP) at which undesirable pattern formations would normally occur,
• means for storing a predetermined safety distance (S) from each of said critical winding ratios,
• means for continuously comparing the actual winding ratio with the stored critical winding ratios, and
• drive control means for selectively operating said traversing means at one of either an initial double stroke rate (NCA), or a second difficult double stroke rate (NCS), and including a transmission shaft disposed parallel to said drive shaft, means for rotating at least said transmission shaft, first coupling means operatively connected between said grooved drum and said transmission shaft for rotating the drum at a first speed, and second coupling means operatively connected between said grooved drum and one of said shafts for rotating the drum at a second different speed, and such that the double stroke rate may be rapidly changed from said one rate to the other rate upon the distance between the actual winding ratio and an approaching critical winding ratio being the same as said predetermined safety distance, and so that the actual winding ratio moves rapidly through such critical winding ratio.