US3022098A - Spooling mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 20, 1962 F. WAHL SPOOLING MECHANISM Filed May 8, 1959 United States Patent 3,022,098 SPOOLING MECHANISM Frank Wahl, North Bergen, NJ., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 8, 1959, Ser. No. 811,991 5 Claims. (Cl. 28752.07)

This invention relates to spooling devices and particularly to an improved clamping mechanism for securing sleeves of devices such as cops or reels on spindles.

An object of this invention is a simple clamping mechanism which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to maintain, and insures continuous locking of the sleeve on its spindle to permit a uniform payofl of strands therefrom.

According to the features of the invention, one end of a spindle is provided with a fixed flange against which one end of a sleeve is secured by means of a plurality of members exerting longitudinal forces against the other end. The members are movable within angularly disposed slots provided in the spindle and are advanced outwardly from the spindle and toward the end of the sleeve by a captive ring rotatably mounted at the end of the spindle. Retracted, the members are positioned below the outer surface of the spindle to provide clearance for slipping the sleeve on and ofi and the spindle.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross sectional view illustrating the invention; and,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary isometric cross sectional View of the invention as shown in FIG. 1.

With reference to the drawing the invention is incorporated in a core serving head 10, such as the type utilized in the binding of wire conductors into cables, and includes a driven spindle 11 having a hollow shaft 12 for the longitudinal passage of conductors therethrough which are subsequently bound together by suitable strands 13 on a sleeve 14. In this embodiment the sleeve 14 is the central arbor of a cop, however, it is understood that the sleeve can be the central arbor of a spool, reel, or the like. Pressure means (not shown) are applied to a movable brake shoe 15 for advancing the shoe inwardly against the strands being unwound during the binding operation so as to maintain a constant tension thereon.

A rotating element 16, concentrically disposed about the spindle 11, is secured on a bearing unit 17 by lock screw 18 to support the sleeve thereon. The bearing unit 17 is retained on the shaft 12 by the interengagement of a threaded collar 19 with the shaft threaded portion 20 forcing the unit against a fixed annular ring 21.

A frusto conical or tapered portion of the rotating element 16, intermediate the bearing unit 17 and threaded end portion 22, has an inclined surface 23 in which a plurality of radially spaced inclined slots 24 provide ways for the angular movement of threaded members 25 thereon. The slots 24 each have a longitudinal cavity 26 on their bottom surface to receive a pin 27, projecting from the inner surface of the members 25, so as to restrict their freedom of movement in the slots 24.

The members 25 have threads 28 on their outer surface for engagement with internal tapered threads 29 of a col- "ice lar or captive ring 30 disposed concentrically about the shaft 12 which may be turned to simultaneously advance or retract the members 25 along their Ways. The threaded members 25 have notches 31 at their ends, preferably L-shaped, and upon the clockwise rotation of the ring 30, the members are advanced and the notches engage the sleeve end 32 and its inner surface 33 so as to force the sleeve against the fixed flange 34 and seat it concentrically about the spindle 11. The outer diameter of the ring 30 is either equal to or less than the inner diameter of the sleeve 14, but in any event, due to the inclination of the slots 24 and the tapered threads in ring 39, when the ring is rotated counterclockwise the members retract and recede into the element 16 so as to provide clearance for replacing an empty sleeve with a full one. A locking collar 35 retains the ring 30 in a predetermined rotatable position about the central axis of the rotating element 16.

When the members 25 are in their retracted position and the sleeve has been removed from the rotating element 16, the clamping mechanism and rotating element may be readily removed from the spindle 11 merely by screwing downwardly on lock screw 18 until it clears the upper surface of the bearing unit 17. The clamping mechanism is then removed by grasping the captive ring 30 and pulling the element 16 outwardly from the brake shoe 15 over the spindle. The bearing unit is removed simply by turning and removing the threaded collar 19 from the threaded portion of the spindle 11. In this manner a new mechanism having either the same or a different diameter size rotating element 16, depending on the sleeve size of the stranding material utilized, may be easily positioned on the spindle in a minimum consumption of time.

While a particular type of spindle shown is preferred for certain type binding operations, it will be apparent that it may assume other desired forms. For example, the spindle may be of solid material having an annular flange mounted at one end and radially spaced slots having clamping members of the type hereinbefore described movable on an inclined surface at or near the other end to secure a sleeve type cop or reel therebetween.

Thus, although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A spooling mechanism for a sleeve which comprises a rotatable element having an intermediate sleeve receiving portion and end portions, a flange extending from one end portion for engaging one end of a sleeve positioned on the intermediate portion, a plurality of radially spaced inclined ways in the other end portion of the rotatable element, members having sleeve engaging end portions normally retracted within the rotatable elements and movable on the ways for engaging the other end of the sleeve, and means for advancing the members along the ways out from the rotatable element and against the other end of the sleeve to force the sleeve against the flange.

2. A mechanism according to claim l in which the ways are angul-arly disposed slots spaced equally about the retatable element, the slots forming similar angles with the central axis of the rotatable element and extending along 7 lines generated from a common point thereon.

3. A mechanism for clamping a sleeve on a rotatable element WhlCh'COITlPIlSS a flange extendingfrom the element for engaging one end of the sleevepositioned thereon, a plurality of radially spaced inclining Ways recessed in the element and spaced apart from the flange adja cent the other end of the sleeve, members angularly movable on the Ways and'having threaded outer surfaces and sleeve engaging end portions retractable on the recessed ways to a. position Within the element, and an internally I threaded rotatable collar on the end of the element for engaging the threaded surfaces of the members for advancing the members and forcing the end portions against the sleeve so as to seat and lock the sleeve on the element.

4. A clamping mechanism according to claim 3 in which the members have a pin mounted on the inner surface thereof, and the Ways have recessed cavities therein for receiving the pins to provide a restricted area of movement for the members. 7

5. A mechanism according to claim 3 in which the diameter of the collar is no greater than the inner diameter of the sleeve and the members are retractable in the Ways to permit sliding a sleeve thereover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stoner July 27, 1954

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