Standby chuck operating mechanism

Abstract

The mechanism provides for winding much larger yarn packages of each of a pair of vertically spaced chucks on one side of a common drive roll and displaceable alternately horizontally into engagement with the drive roll for winding of yarn packages on bobbins on the chucks. A belt is trained around the drive roll and around an adjustably mounted small diameter pulley located between the two chucks. When a package has begun to be wound on a bobbin on one chuck by rotation by the common drive roll, the other chuck is moved inwardly, from a retracted position, past the partially wound package to a standby position in which it is adjacent but out of contact with the belt. As the package nears completion, the standby chuck is engaged with the 'soft' part of the belt, between the drive roll and the pulley, and accelerated to bring its peripheral velocity into substantial synchronism with that of the drive roll. When the package has been substantially completely wound, the standby chuck is engaged directly with the part of the belt in contact with the drive roll, and the yarn is transferred from the package to the bobbin on the standby chuck for winding of a new yarn package. As no clearance is required for the standby chuck to be brought past the fully wound package, the package can be wound to a much larger diameter. The mechanism is applicable to a high speed winder including two pairs of chucks, each with a common drive roll, with the pairs of chucks disposed on opposite sides of a traverse mechanism support.