Title of Invention

A DEVICE FOR GUIDING A RUNNING THREAD AND A WINDING MACHINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for guiding a running thread and to a winding machine for winding up threads continuously running to it to form packages, with a driven winding spindle, the winding machine comprising a device for guiding a running thread in the form of a driven pressing roll. According to the invention, the roll with its guiding casing, on the circumference of which the thread is guided, at the same time represents the rotor of the electric motor that drives the roll. A stator lying on the outside and interacting with the rotor generates outside the guiding casing a travelling magnetic field, which the rotor follows.

Full Text

Device for gruiding a thread and winding machine The invention relates to a device for guiding a running thread according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a winding machine according to the preamble of claim 9. Devices for guiding a running thread serve in thread-processing plants for guiding and conveying the threads by means of rotatably mounted rollers, in particular these devices implement functional features, such as the deflection of a thread run, action upon the thread with a thread tension having a conveying or a braking action or the laying of a thread onto a rotating bobbin. For this purpose, the thread loops around the roller partially or even multiply, so that a force can be transmitted to the thread by virtue of Eytelwein's ■relation. It is likewise known that a force is transmitted to a thread by the thread being nipped between the roller and a mating roller. Particularly in rollers in which deflection, as a functional feature, is mainly to be implemented, it is not necessary for the roller to be driven for the purpose of stationary operation. The roller, mounted with ease of movement, is driven by the running thread. For nonstationary operations, for example, for the run¬up after an operational interruption or when the running thread is briefly absent, however, an additional drive is to be provided in order, after the conclusion of these nonstationary operations, to keep the speed difference between the thread and the roller casing surface low and therefore to protect the thread. This applies both to a partially or multiply looped thread and to a thread which is nipped between the roller and a mating roller. An exemplary device fox guiding a running thread is the pressure roller of a winding machine for winding continuously arriving threads into bobbins. For this purpose, the threads are first traversed by a traversing means transversely with respect to the thread running direction and guided via a rotating pressure roller. The pressure roller deflects the threads and in each case lays them onto the likewise rotating bobbins to be wound. In this case, mostly, a plurality of bobbins are arranged in alignment one behind the other on a common winding spindle. It is thereby possible to wind a plurality of threads simultaneously. In a winding machine, such as is known from patent application EP 0 861 800 A2, the bobbin is set, by a directly driven winding spindle, into the rotation necessary for winding. In addition, the pressure roller is driven electromotively with low torque. The advantage of this is that the pressure roller does not have to be driven solely by means of circumferential frictional force by the thread lying on the bobbin, with the result that damage to the uppermost thread plies on account of the slip is avoided. Furthermore, the electromotive drive of the pressure roller has the effect that the rotational speed of the pressure roller does not fall during the bobbin change. The disadvantage of this solution, however, is that the pressure roller has to be connected to an additional electric motor. Apart from the construction space which this electric motor occupies, complicated measures are necessary in order to connect this electric motor to the pressure roller in a way which is compatible with the high rotational speed. Admittedly, it is known from patent specification EP 0 362 836 Bl to drive the pressure roller by means of a compact compressed air turbine. This, however, requires an additional compressed air supply and also a complicated regulation of the rotational speed of the pressure roller via the air pressure. The object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a simple space-saving and cost-effective means for driving a device for guiding a running thread. In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a winding machine having a simple, space-saving and cost-effective means for driving the pressure roller. This object is achieved, according to the invention, in that the roller rotatable together with a guide casing constitutes at the same time the rotor of the electric motor which drives the roller. The roller has, on its outer circumference, the guide casing which guides the thread within a guide region. Outside the rotor, the stator of the electric motor surrounds the latter. The advantage of this is that no externally arranged electric motor has to be provided. At the same time, the complicated coupling, suitable for high rotational speeds, between the roller and the externally arranged electric motor is also dispensed with. This solution is suitable both for the pressure roller mentioned by way of example and for other devices for guiding a running thread by means of driven rollers having a low drive power. Mention may be made here, as a representative example, of runover rollers which are used, for example, in conjunction with godets. In a development of the invention, the guide casing consists inside and/or outside the guide region of an electrically conductive material. As a result, the electromagnetic rotating field generated by the stator surrounding the rotor gives rise in the rotor to eddy 1 currents which, in turn, generate magnetic fields which interact with the rotating magnetic field of the stator in such a way that the rotor is driven in rotation. The advantage of this is that precisely the material from which the pressure roller is in any case produced can be used for the rotor. This version is therefore highly cost-effective. In an advantageous variant, the rotor has a plurality of rings or segments consisting of an electrically conductive material. A higher torque can thereby be achieved, as compared with the abovementioned variant. = In another advantageous variant of the invention, the rotor consists of a composite material, at least one component of the composite material consisting of a highly electrically conductive material. In a particularly advantageous variant, the rotor has embedded in it a plurality of conductor tracks which are connected to one another in such a way that they form coils. The set-up of the rotor consequently corresponds to the rotor of a three-phase asynchronous motor. In an advantageous development of the invention, the stator of the electric motor with the integrated coils extends tangentially over one or more subsegments of the rotor circumference. This is necessary particularly when the rotor extends axially over the guide region. In this case, the stator cannot extend tangentially over the entire rotor circumference, but only over a segment. ) In a development, the coils of the stator are arranged in the segments such that the magnetic forces acting in the radial direction between the rotor and stator cancel one another at least partially. This is the case when the coils, for exam.ple, lie at least partially opposite one another. In one embodiment, the roller is the pressure roller of a winding machine. The invention is particularly advantageous precisely in the case of the pressure roller, since, as regards a bobbin driven by the winding spindle, a drive of the pressure roller is required only during starting and during the bobbin change. A drive optimized in terms of high efficiency is therefore not required here. In the independent claim, the object of providing a winding machine with a simple, space-saving and cost-effective means for driving the pressure roller is achieved, according to the invention, in that the rotatable pressure roller extending over the region between its bearings constitutes at the same time the rotor of the electric motor which drives the roller._ Outside the rotor, the stator of the electric motor surrounds the latter. Here, too, there is the advantage that no externally arranged electric motor has to be provided. At the same time, the complicated coupling, suitable for high rotational speeds, between the roller and the externally arranged electric motor is also dispensed with. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the casing surface of the pressure roller constitutes at the same time the rotor of the electric motor. This is particularly advantageous because the casing surface of the pressure roller causes the pressing function. There is therefore no need for any additional elements which cause the functioning of the rotor of the electric motor. Instead, the existing electromagnetic properties of the casing surface are utilized, or the casing surface is equipped with additional electromagnetic properties. In an advantageous development of the invention, the region which causes the functioning of the rotor of the electric motor extends at least partially over that region of the longitudinal axis of the pressure roller in which the pressure roller is in contact with the bobbin. This twofold utilization does not cause the length of the pressure roller to be greater than is necessary for the pressing function. In a variant of the invention, the rotor consists of an electrically conductive material. As a result, the electromagnetic rotating field generated by the stator surrounding the rotor gives rise in the rotor to eddy currents which, in turn, generate magnetic fields which interact with the rotating magnetic field of the stator in such a way that the rotor is driven in rotation. The advantage of this variant is that precisely the material from which the pressure roller is in any case produced can be used for the rotor. This version is therefore highly cost-effective. In another variant of the invention, the rotor consists of a composite material, at least one component of the composite material consisting of a highly electrically conductive material. Thus, it is known from the laid-open publication DE 44 16 184 Al to construct a pressure roller from a fiber-reinforced plastic tube and a thin metal sleeve as an outer casing. A comparable set-up is also possible in the winding machine according to the invention, in that a first component possessing high electrical conductivity is used. The object of the second component is to ensure the breaking strength necessary at the high rotational speeds. This is the case, for example, with fiber-reinforced plastic. In an advantageous variant, the rotor has a plurality of segments consisting of an electrically conductive material. A higher torque can thereby be achieved, as compared with the abovementioned variant. In a particularly advantageous variant, the rotor has embedded in it a plurality of conductor tracks which are constructed in the form of coils. The set-up of the rotor consequently corresponds to the rotor of a three-phase asynchronous motor. In an advantageous development of the invention, the stator of the electric motor with the integrated coils extends tangentially over one or more subsegments of the rotor circumference. This is necessary particularly when the rotor extends axially over that region of the pressure roller which is in contact with the bobbin or bobbins. In this case, the stator cannot extend ; tangentially over the entire rotor circumference, but only over a segment. In a particularly advantageous development, the coils of the stator are arranged in the segments such that the magnetic forces acting in the radial direction between the rotor and stator cancel one another at least partially. This is the case when the coils, for example, lie at least partially opposite one another. An exemplary embodiment is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: figure 1 shows in section a side view with a symbolic illustration of the winding machine according to the invention having a device according to the invention for guiding a running thread, figure 2 shows in section a front view of the winding machine according to the invention, figure 3 shows another embodiment of the winding machine illustrated in figure 2, figure 4 shows a section through a design variant of the device for guiding a running thread, figure 5 shows a section through another design variant of the device for guiding a running thread, figure 6 shows a section through a further design variant of the device for guiding a running thread, figure 7 shows a section through a device for guiding a running thread with a rotatably mounted roller, figure 8 shows a section through a variant of the device for guiding a running thread with a rotatably mounted roller. i Figure 1 shows in section, as a symbolic illustration, the winding machine according to the invention with a device according to the invention for guiding a running thread. Figure 2 shows the winding machine in a front view. A winding machine for the simultaneous winding of two thread bobbins is illustrated. This illustration is representative of winding machines with one or with a higher number of thread bobbins. The following description refers to one thread run. The winding of ] the further thread runs takes place synchronously. The thread 1 runs from a plant, not illustrated, for the production and treatment of threads continuously to the head thread guide 2. A traversing means 3 traverses 5 the thread 1 in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the thread bobbin 8. Subsequently, the thread 1 runs via the device 4 for guiding a running thread, which contains a pressure roller 4.3 which V guides the thread 1 inside a guide region 4.5 via a guide casing 4.4 onto the rotating thread bobbin 8. The thread bobbin 8 is formed on a tube 7 which is tensioned on the 'winding spindle 6.1. The. winding spindle 6.1 is driven by the winding spindle drive 12 such that the pull of the thread 1 is applied essentially as a result of the action of the winding ; spindle drive 12. To compensate the increasing bobbin diameter, in this [ winding machine the winding spindle 6.1 is moved away from the axis of the pressure roller 4.3 by means of the turntable 11. Other means for compensating the growth in diameter are also known. The invention is not restricted only to the means illustrated here. As soon as the thread bobbin 8 has reached its final diameter, the turntable 11 is rotated further until the winding spindle 6.2, likewise equipped with tubes, is located in the region of the pressure roller 4.3. The pressure roller 4.3 is mounted between two bearings 4.1 and 4.2 and extends at least over a part region between the bearings 4.1 and 4.2 where it has a guide casing 4.4. The pressure roller 4.3 is driven electromotively. This is necessary in order to overcome the bearing friction, without frictional forces having to be transmitted between the bobbin surface and pressure roller. Furthermore, during the change of the winding spindles 5.1 and 6.2 as a result of the rotation of the turntable 11, the rotational speed of the pressure roller 4.3 must be kept constant. For this purpose, the pressure roller 4.3 is at the same time the rotor 5.1 of an electric motor 5 formed from the rotor and the stator 5.2. The stator 5.2, for reasons of space, extends only over a segment of the circumference around the rotor 5.1 and has a plurality of electromagnetic coils 5.5. A rotational speed sensor 5.3 detects the rotational speed of the rotor 5.1 and transfers this to a control unit 5.4 which processes the signal from the sensor in such a way that rhe rotational speed of the rotor 5.1 corresponds to a desired value. The coils 5.5 of the stator 5.2 generate electromagnetic fields which generate eddy currents in the rotor 5.1. The control unit 5.4 in this case controls the electromagnetic coils 5.5 in such a way that an electromagnetic field traveling in the circumferential direction is formed. By virtue of the induced eddy currents, the rotor 5.1 follows the traveling field by rotation. The electromagnetic coils 5.5 may, as seen in the tangential direction, be distributed equally in the stator 5.2 or, as illustrated in figure 1, be allocated such that the electromagnetic tensile forces acting between the rotor 5.1 and stator 5.2 compensate one another at least partially. The rotor 5.1 is restricted to a length region of the guide casing of the pressure roller 4.3. In this length region, the rotor 5.1 has an electrically conductive material which is incorporated in the guide casing of the pressure roller 4.3. The design of the rotor 5.1 on the guide casing of the pressure roller 4.3 is described in more detail below. Figure 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the winding machine according to the invention. The pressure roller 4.3 is extended on one side, so that the stator 5.1 is located outside the guide region 4.5 in which the pressure roller 4 is in contact with the thread bobbins 8. It is thereby possible that the stator 5.2 is thus arranged laterally and surrounds the rotor 5.1 over its entire circumference. On the other hand, the construction length is thereby increased and therefore the embodiment illustrated in figure 2 is preferred. In figures 4 to 6, various design variants of the rotor 5.1 illustrate in section, how the latter could be formed, for example, in the guide casing 4.4 of the pressure roller 4.3. Figure 4 shows a rotor 5.1 consisting of a composite material. In this case, the rotor 5.1 is constructed from a carrier component 14, for example a fiber-reinforced plastic, which absorbs the centrifugal forces at high rotational speed, and of an electrical conductor 15 having an electrically conductive material 5.6, for example aluminum. Aluminum has, along with a low mass, good conductivity,' but has insufficient strength for the required rotational speeds. In figure 5, the electrical conductor 15 is subdivided into a plurality of circumferential segments. The rotor 5.1 can thereby follow the traveling field of the stator 5.2 more closely. In figure 6, the electrical conductors 15 are connected to one another by means of connections 16 such that they form short-circuited electromagnetic coils. This set-up corresponds to that of a three-phase asynchronous motor. In this case, the currents induced by the traveling field of the stator 5.1 can build up I better-directed magnetic fields so that the torque is increased. Figures 7 and 8 show two variants of a device 4 according to the invention for guiding a running thread. It has a rotatably mounted roller in the form of a godet casing 17 which guides the thread with contact in a guide region 4.5 of the guide casing 4.4. In this example, the godet casing 17 is connected by means of a conical fit secured by a screw, not illustrated here, to the shaft 2 0 which is mounted rotatably in the carrying tube 18 by means of bearings 19. This form of mounting is selected here merely by way of example, and a mounting of the roller on a stationary axle or any other form of mounting is likewise within the scope of the invention. The guide casing 4.4 has outside the guide region 4.5, as illustrated in figure 7, or inside the guide region 4.5, as illustrated in figure 8, a rotor 5.1 which cooperates with a stator' 5.2, arranged outside and at a distance from the guide casing 4.4, as an electric motor 5. Thus, particularly in the region at the free end of the godet casing 17 of pot-shaped design, the guide casing 4.4 constitutes the rotor 5.1. The term "rotor 5.1" is used herebelow for the region, the term "rotor" referring at the same time to the guide casing 4.4. In precise terms, the region 5.1 of the guide casing 4.4 gives the latter the properties of a rotor. The rotor 5.1 may consist of an electrically conductive material 5.6, ideally from the same material as the remaining guide casing 4.4. Alternatively, however, the rotor 5.1 may also contain, distributed in ring form or segment form, electrically conductive material or consist of a composite material having an electrically conductive component. This electrically conductive component may also consist of conductor tracks connected together to form coils. The stator 5.2, arranged outside and at a distance, contains electromagnetic coils 5.5 which generate a rotating electromagnetic field which drives the rotor. In this case, the stator 5.2 may surround the rotor 5.1 completely, as illustrated in figure 7, or only partially in the form of a segment, as illustrated in figure 8. The last-mentioned variant has the advantage that the thread running over the guide region 4.5 can run onto and off the guide casing 4.4, without brushing against the stator 5.2. Furthermore, it is possible for the stator to have a fold-away configuration, so that the thread can be laid onto the guide casing 4.4 during starting. The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments shown in figures 1 to 8 . Basically, all ^ rollers for guiding and treating individual or several threads are suitable for forming on the guide casing a rotor which cooperates with a stator, held at a distance from the roller, as an electric motor. The invention thus makes it possible to have entirely novel designs of such rollers which, in particular, allow a highly compact mechanical set-up. In this case, it is possible to drive the rollers continuously or in specific time segments. Especially the structural separation between the rotor and stator of the electric motor makes it possible to have high flexibility for driving the roller. Thus, the stator can be designed to be movable, so that, on the one hand, the distance between the rotor and stator can be set and, on the other hand, a complete interruption of the drive can be carried out, of order to allow thread-piecing operations or maintenance work on the roller. List, of reference symbols 1 Thread 2 Head thread guide 3 Traversing means 4 Device for guiding a running thread 4 .1 Bearing 4 .2 Bearing 4.3 Pressure roller 4 . 4 Guide casing 4.5 Guide region 5 Electric motor 5.1 Rotor 5.2 Stator 5.3 Rotational speed sensor 5.4 Control unit 5.5 Electromagnetic coil 5.5 Electrically conductive material 6.1 Winding spindle 6.2 Winding spindle 7 Tube 8 Thread bobbin 9 Holder 10 Bearing 11 Turntable 12 Winding spindle drive 13 Housing 14 Carrier component 15 Electrical conductor 16 Connection 17 Godet casing 18 Carrying tube 19 Bearing 2 0 Shaft Patent Claims 1. A device for guiding a running thread with a rotatably mounted roller (4.3, 17) which guides the thread with contact in a guide region (4.5) of a guide casing (4.4), the guide casing (4.4) being drivable by means of an electric motor (5) consisting of a rotor (5.1) and of a stator (5.2), characterized in that the guide casing (4.4) at the same time forms the rotor (5.1) of the electric motor (5), the stator (5.2) of the electric motor (5) being held outside and at a distance from the roller (4.3, 17). 2. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the guide casing (4.4) for forming the rotor (5.1) has an electrically conductive material (5.6) at least on a length portion outside or inside the guide region (4.5). 3. The device as claimed in claimi 2, characterized in that the electrically conductive material (5.6) is arranged, distributed uniformly in ring form or segment form over the circumference of the guide casing (4.4) . 4. The device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the guide casing (4.4) consists of a composite material having at least one electrically conductive component (15). 5. The device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the guide casing (4.4) has coil-shaped conductor tracks (15) which are connected together by means of connections (16) to form coils. 6. The device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stator (5,2) extends, opposite to the rotor portion of the guide casing (4.4) with electrical coils (5.5), over one or more subsegments of the casing circumference. 7. The device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the coils (5.5) are constructed and can be operated such that the magnetic forces acting in th radial direction between the rotor (5.1) and stator (5.2) cancel one another at least partially. 8. The device as claimed in one of the abovementioned claims, characterized in that the roller is designed as a pressure roller (4.3) in a winding machine. 9. A winding machine for winding continuously arriving threads (1) into thread bobbins (8), with a rotatably mounted driven winding spindle (6.1) for receiving the bobbins (8), with a traversing means (3) for traversing in the bobbin axial direction the threads (1) to be wound, and with a pressure roller (4.3), mounted rotatably by means of two bearings (4.1, 4.2), for laying the traversed threads (1) onto the bobbins (8), the pressure roller (4.3) being drivable by means of an electric motor (5) consisting of a rotor (5.1) and of a stator (5.2), characterized in that the pressure roller (4.3), between the bearings (4.1, 4.2), constitutes at the same time the rotor (5.1) of the electric motor (5), the stator (5.2) being held outside and at a distance from the pressure roller (4.3). 10. The winding machine as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the guide casing (4.4) of the pressure roller (4.3) constitutes at the same time the rotor (5.1) of the electric motor (5). 11. The winding machine as claimed in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the- rotor (5.1) extends at least partially over a length portion of the pressure roller (4.3) in which the pressure roller (4.3) is in contact with the thread bobbin (8). 12. The winding machine as claimed in one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the rotor (5.1) consists of an electrically conductive material (5.6) . 13. The winding machine as claimed in one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the rotor (5.1) consists of a composite material having at least one electrically conductive component (15). 14. The winding machine as claimed in one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the rotor (5.1) has, distributed on the circumference, segments consisting of the electrically conductive material (5.6). 15. The winding machine as claimed in one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the rotor (5.1) has coil-shaped conductor tracks (15) which are connected together by means of connections (15) to form coils. 16. The winding machine as claimed in one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that the stator (5.2) with electrical coils (5.5) extends over one or more subsegments of the rotor circumference. 17. The winding machine as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that the electrical coils (5.5) are constructed and can be operated such that the magnetic forces acting in the radial direction between the rotor (5.1) and stator (5.2) cancel one another at least

Documents:

5023-CHENP-2008 POWER OF ATTORNEY 19-07-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 AMENDED CLAIMS 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 19-07-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 DECLARATION 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 FORM-13 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 05-11-2014.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 11-03-2014.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 12-11-2014.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 FORM-1 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 FORM-1 11-03-2014.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 FORM-1 12-11-2014.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 FORM-3 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 11-03-2014.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 1 05-12-2013.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 abstract.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 claims.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 correspondence-others.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 description (complete).pdf

5023-chenp-2008 drawings.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 form-1.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 form-18.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 form-3.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 form-5.pdf

5023-chenp-2008 pct.pdf

5023-CHENP-2008-Petition for POR.pdf