Title: Method of and apparatus for serving helical coils with a protective band

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Claims: What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A method of serving helical induction coils of large diameters and including a multitude of axially adjacent convolutions with at least one protective band using a serving device of the type including a housing having an advancement axis, a serving ring mounted on the housing for rotation about the advancement axis, and at least one payout reel for the protective band mounted on the serving ring for shared rotation therewith about the advancement axis and also for individual rotation about a support axis radially offset from the advancement axis, the method comprising the steps of mounting the induction coil for rotation about a coil axis so that the latter extends substantially horizontally; supporting the housing on an inner surface of a respective convolution to be served and at a lowermost region of the induction coil so that the advancement axis coincides with the elongation of the respective convolution; setting the induction coil in rotation about the coil axis so that the respective convolution advances at a predetermined speed in a predetermined longitudinal direction; rotating the serving ring about the advancement axis so that the protective tape is paid out from the payout reel and served onto the respective convolution; and advancing the housing in the direction of the advancement axis at substantially the same speed as but in an opposite direction than those of the respective convolution.

2. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising the step of spreading the convolutions which are immediately axially adjacent to the respective convolutions away from the latter to an extent necessary for the advancement of the housing along the respective convolution.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said spreading step includes contacting spreading portions of the housing with the adjacent convolutions.

4. A method as defined in claim 1; and further comprising the step of additionally supporting the housing on the convolutions of the induction coil which are axially adjacent to the respective convolution to thereby avoid angular displacement of the housing about the respective convolution.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said setting step includes suspending the coil from a substantially horizontal driving roller; and driving the driving roller into rotation to thereby frictionally entrain the induction coil and set the same into rotation about the coil axis.

6. A method as defined in claim 5; and further comprising the step of coordinating the speed of rotation of the driving roller with the speed of advancement of the housing to thereby maintain the housing substantially diametrally opposite to the driving roller during the serving operation.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the convolutions have radially extending projections; wherein both the housing and the serving ring have radially extending slots; and further comprising the step of temporarily stopping the rotation of the serving ring in a coextensive position of the slots at the region of the respective radially extending projection to let the latter pass through the slots during the advancement of the housing past the same.

8. An apparatus for serving helical induction coils of large diameters and including a multitude of axially adjacent convolutions with at least one protective band, comprising a support; a driving roller mounted on said support for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and operative for suspending the induction coil therefrom with the coil axis of the latter being substantially parallel to said axis of said driving roller, and in contact of the circumferential surface of the driving roller with the inner surfaces of the convolutions of the induction coil; and a serving device including a housing supported on the inner surface of at least a respective one of the convolutions at a region substantially diametrally opposite of the induction coil to the driving roller, for advancement in the longitudinal direction of the respective convolution.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said housing has a dimension in the direction of the coil axis; and wherein said driving roller has an axial dimension which at least equals the axial dimension of the induction coil augmented by said dimension of said housing.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said circumferential surface of said driving roller has such properties that the convolutions of the induction coil can slide thereover in the axial direction of the driving roller with minimum friction, while the convolutions are frictionally entrained by the circumferential surface of the driving roller for movement herewith with minimum slippage.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said driving roller includes a roller body, and a layer of friction-enhancing material at the external surface of the roller body and having said circumferential surface.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said friction-enhancing material is rubber.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said friction-enhancing material has a Shore hardness of approximately 60.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said driving roller is of a cylindrical configuration.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said axis of said driving roller is exactly horizontal.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said driving roller has a first end mounted on said support, and a second end remote from said support; and wherein said driving roller further includes an abutment portion at said second end extending radially outwardly beyond said circumferential surface and preventing the induction coil from slipping off the driving roller.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said serving device further includes an advancing carriage connected to said housing, an advancing roller in contact with the respective convolution on which said housing is supported behind the latter when considered in the direction of advancement of said serving device relative to said respective convolution, and means for driving said advancing roller in rotation, including a motor mounted on said carriage.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said advancing roller has a layer of friction-enhancing material at least at the outer circumferential surface thereof.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said serving device further includes a counterroller, and means for mounting said counterroller opposite to said advancing roller across said respective convolution.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein said driving means also drives said counterroller.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein said serving device further includes a support lever and means for supporting said support lever on said housing for displacement between an extended and a retracted position; and wherein said mounting means so mounts said counterroller on said support lever for displacement therewith that said counterroller is opposite to said advancing roller in said extended position, and remote from said respective convolution in said retracted position.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said serving device further includes at least one spring urging said lever toward said extended position thereof.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein said supporting means mounts said lever on said serving device for pivoting about a substantially vertical axis.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein said housing has a downwardly open elongated slot; and wherein said lever has a portion which closes the open end of said slot in said extended position, and opens the same in said retracted position.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said serving device further includes a pair of guiding rollers mounted on said advancing carriage and contacting said respective convolution at axially spaced lateral surfaces thereof.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said serving device further includes a guiding carriage located before said housing when considered in the direction of advancement of said serving device relative to said respective convolution, and a pair of additional guiding rollers mounted on said guiding carriage and contacting said respective convolution at axially spaced lateral surfaces thereof.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said serving device further includes a serving ring, means for mounting said serving ring on said housing for rotation about an advancement axis of the housing and about said respective convolution, and means for preventing angular displacement of said housing about said respective convolution, including auxiliary support rollers, and means for mounting said auxiliary support rollers on said housing for rotation in contact with the convolutions of the induction coil which are immediately axially adjacent to said respective convolution.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein said auxiliary support rollers are arranged in a plane normal to said advancement axis.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein said serving device further includes a pair of spreading rollers mounted on said housing next to said auxiliary support rollers and having vertically extending roller axes, which spreading rollers contact the axial lateral surfaces of the convolutions of the induction coil which are immediately adjacent to said respective convolution and urge such convolutions away from said respective convolution.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 29, wherein said auxiliary support rollers and said spreading rollers are arranged approximately in a plane which is normal to said advancement axis and passes through said serving ring.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said serving device further includes a serving ring, means for mounting said serving ring on said housing for rotation about an advancing axis of said housing and about said respective convolution, and means for driving said serving ring into rotation about said advancement axis.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein said driving means includes an endless belt trained about the outer periphery of said serving ring.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein said serving device further includes at least one payout reel accommodating a supply of the protective band and means for mounting said payout reel on said serving ring for shared rotation therewith about said advancement axis and also for individual rotation about a support axis radially offset from said advancement axis.

34. An apparatus as defined in claim 33, wherein said serving device further includes at least one auxiliary guiding roller mounted on said serving ring for shared rotation therewith about said advancement axis and cooperating with said payout reel to guide the protective band onto said respective convolution.

35. An apparatus as defined in claim 34, wherein said serving device further includes an additional payout reel and at least one additional auxiliary guiding roller similar to said payout reel and to said auxiliary guiding roller, respectively, and mounted on said serving ring in a similar manner at the same axial side thereof but circumferentially offset from said payout reel and auxiliary guiding roller through 180.degree. about said advancement axis.

36. An apparatus as defined in claim 35, wherein said additional payout reel accommodates a supply of an additional protective band of the same material as the protective band.

37. An apparatus as defined in claim 35, wherein said additional payout reel accommodates a supply of an additional protective band of a different material from that of the protective band.

38. An apparatus as defined in claim 33, wherein said serving device includes an additional housing similar to said housing, an additional serving ring similar to said serving ring, means for so mounting said housing and additional housing coaxially as considered in the direction of the advancement of said serving device relative to said respective convolution that said payout reel is arranged at an axial side of said serving ring which faces away from said additional serving ring, an additional payout reel similar to said payout reel and accommodating an additional supply of a protective band, and means for mounting said additional payout reel at a side of said additional serving ring which faces away from said serving ring.

39. An apparatus as defined in claim 38, wherein said bands are of the same material.

40. An apparatus as defined in claim 38, wherein said bands are of different materials.

41. An apparatus as defined in claim 38, wherein said serving device further includes an advancing roller, an endless belt trained about the periphery of said serving ring, and a motor which synchronously drives said advancing roller and said endless belt.

42. An apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein said serving device further includes a transmission interposed between said motor and said advancing roller.

43. An apparatus as defined in claim 41, wherein said transmission includes meshing gear pairs which can be easily replaced by other meshing gear pairs to thereby vary the advancement speed of said serving device.

Other info:

Inventors: Ortmanns, Theodor (Simmerath, DE, US)
Apelt, Heinz (Roetgen, DE, US)
Packes, Helmut (Kettenis, BE)

Application Number: 704781
Filing Date: 1976-07-13
Publication_date: 1978-08-15
Assignee: Otto Junker GmbH (Simmerath, DE)
Primary Class(es): 242/441.3 29/33E, 29/605, 156/187, 156/188, 156/428, 156/443, 242/434.5, 242/437.3, 242/439.5
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

2923486	Feb, 1960	Betze, Sr.	57/10.
3616061	Oct, 1971	Carter	156/431.
3789594	Feb, 1974	Rees	57/10.
3851831	Dec, 1974	Steiner	57/10.
3940073	Feb, 1976	Haeusler	242/7.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Taylor, Billy S.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Striker; Michael J.