Takeup machine

An apparatus for continuously winding an advancing yarn onto bobbin tubes serially delivered to a winding position, and comprising

• a revolver rotatably mounting at least two spindles having parallel rotational axes, with each spindle being adapted to mount at least one bobbin tube coaxially thereon, and such that each spindle and associated bobbin tube may be selectively moved between a winding position and a doffing position upon rotation of said revolver,
• means for winding an advancing yarn onto a bobbin tube at the winding position and including means for rotating the spindle and associated bobbin tube at the winding position, and traversing means mounted at a location upstream of a winding position for traversing an advancing yarn to form a cross wound package,
• rotary drive means for selectively rotating said revolver to move each spindle between said winding position and said doffing position, and
• means for automatically transferring the advancing yarn from the rotating full package which has been moved to the doffing position, to a rotating empty bobbin tube on a spindle which has been moved to the winding position, and comprising
• (a) yarn lifting means for selectively removing the advancing yarn from the traversing means and then conveying the advancing yarn laterally to a yarn catching plane which is perpendicular to the axes of said spindles and which is located beyond the normal traverse stroke, and
• (b) yarn shifting means which is selectively movable into an operative position extending into the yarn path between the empty bobbin tube and the full package, and which includes slot means for engaging the advancing yarn and retaining the same in a bead plane which is parallel to said catching plane and is within the normal traverse stroke and so that the yarn advances to the rotating full package in said bead plane, and yarn displacing means positioned upstream of said slot means for conveying the advancing yarn laterally from said slot means to said yarn catching plane, and such that the advancing yarn runs in said yarn catching plane from said yarn lifting means to said shifting means and so as to be adapted to engage a yarn catching slot in the rotating empty bobbin tube at said winding position and which is located in said yarn catching plane, and the advancing yarn is then deflected laterally from said yarn catching plane to said bead plane by said yarn shifting means.