Method and apparatus for laying stranded rope-like material on a reel

An apparatus for automatically laying stranded rope-type material on a reel having a sleeve with a longitudinal axis and a pair of flanges at opposite ends of said sleeve, comprising:

• carrier means for holding the reel to enable rotation thereof about the longitudinal axis of the reel;
• loading means for automatically conveying the reel to said carrier means prior to a winding operation and for automatically removing the reel from said carrier means upon the completion of said winding operation;
• first drive means operatively coupled to said carrier means for rotating said reel about said longitudinal axis during said winding operation;
• laying means including a shiftable laying roller for guiding a strand of material to the sleeve of said reel between the flanges thereof, said laying means further including a rotor yoke rotatable about said reel for feeding said strand to said laying roller during said winding operation;
• second drive means operatively connected to said laying roller for reciprocating same along a path parallel to said longitudinal axis during said winding operation;
• first sensor means for monitoring the amount of material wound on said reel;
• second sensor means for detecting whether said laying roller is located at a preselected position along said path;
• third sensor means for detecting whether said reel has a preselected angular orientation with respect to a throwover point at which an end portion of said strand passes over a flange of said reel;
• fourth sensor means for detecting whether said rotor yoke has a predetermined angular orientation;
• unwinding means mounted to said loading means for automatically unwinding a predetermined length of said strand from said reel during removal of said reel from said carrier means by said loading means;
• severing means, engageable with a section of said strand extending between said reel and said laying means upon a removal of said reel from said carrier means at a termination of said winding operation, for gripping said section and cutting said strand at a point along said section;
• clamping means, disposable at an outer side of one of the flanges of said reel upon a loading of said reel into said carrier means, for clamping a free end of said strand prior to and during said winding operation;
• guiding means disposable at a rim of said one of said flanges for guiding said strand over said rim at the beginning of said winding operation;
• and
• control means operatively connected to said first and said second drive means and to said first, said second, said third and said fourth sensor means for terminating said winding operation upon (a) the winding of a predetermined length of said strand on said reel, (b) the attainment of said preselected position by said laying roller, (c) the attainment of said preselected angular orientation of said reel with respect to said throw-over point and (d) the attainment of said predetermined angular orientation by said rotor yoke, said control means being operatively coupled to said loading means, said severing means and said clamping means for coordinating the operations thereof.