Apparatus and method employing an annular device for intermediating between a winding mandrel and core

Abstract

Cores can be engaged and disengaged with a plurality of annular devices fitted over a mandrel. The mandrel has fluid passage communicating with a spaced plurality of radially disposed channels. Pistons in the channels can, in response to fluid pressure, extend outwardly in order to bear on the annular devices. Changes in the volume of fluid inside the fluid passage and the channels are substantially equal to the total displacement of the pistons. Each annular device has an inner ring with at least one camming track rotatably mounted inside an outer ring. The inner ring has an inside portion including a material different from material of said outer ring. The outer ring is fitted inside the core and the inner ring is fitted over the mandrel. A gripping member is fitted in an aperture of the outer ring to move along the camming track. This gripping member is outwardly thrustable through the aperture in accordance with the position of the gripping member in the camming track.

1 . An annular device for intermediating force transfer between a winding mandrel and a core onto which a web is to be wound, comprising: 
 an outer ring having at least one aperture and adapted to be fitted inside said core;    an inner ring rotatably mounted inside said outer ring and being adapted to be fitted over said mandrel, said inner ring having at least one camming track, said inner ring having an inside portion comprising a material different from material of said outer ring; and    a gripping member fitted in said aperture of said outer ring to move along said camming track, said gripping member being outwardly thrustable through said aperture in accordance with the position of said gripping member in said camming track.    
     
     
         2 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said inner ring has an inside surface impregnated with a friction moderating substance.  
     
     
         3 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said inner ring has an inside portion comprising a sintered material impregnated with a friction moderating substance.  
     
     
         4 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said gripping member has a surface roughened to enhance its gripping ability.  
     
     
         5 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said gripping member is shaped to roll in said camming track.  
     
     
         6 . An annular device according to  claim 5  wherein said gripping member is spherical.  
     
     
         7 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said camming track has a central position and is shaped to increasingly thrust said gripping member outwardly as it moves away from said central position.  
     
     
         8 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said camming track has a depth that varies over its length.  
     
     
         9 . An annular device according to  claim 8  wherein said camming track substantially extends circumferentially.  
     
     
         10 . An annular device according to  claim 8  wherein said camming track is deepest substantially at its center.  
     
     
         11 . An annular device according to  claim 8  wherein said camming track has a pair of ends and is deepest substantially at one of its ends.  
     
     
         12 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one camming track comprises a spaced plurality of camming tracks, circumferentially successive ones of said camming tracks being spaced axially.  
     
     
         13 . An annular device according to  claim 12  wherein said plurality of camming tracks are grouped into a plurality of axially spaced bands.  
     
     
         14 . An annular device according to  claim 13  wherein camming tracks within each band are equiangularly spaced by a predetermined angle, camming tracks in adjacent bands having a minimum angular separation of half said predetermined angle.  
     
     
         15 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said aperture in said outer ring is tapered.  
     
     
         16 . An annular device according to  claim 15  wherein said gripping member is spherical and said aperture is conically tapered.  
     
     
         17 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said camming track has a circumferentially disposed, main groove and an egress groove transversely intersecting said main groove, said egress groove being sized to permit escape of said gripping member in order to disengage said inner and said outer ring.  
     
     
         18 . An annular device according to  claim 1  wherein said inner ring comprises: 
 a spacer ring having said camming track and adapted to be fitted inside said outer ring;  
 a cage ring rotatably mounted inside said spacer ring and being adapted to be fitted over said mandrel, said cage ring having at least one ramping track;  
 and  
 a rolling member fitted between said spacer ring and said cage ring to move along said ramping track, said rolling member being outwardly thrustable against said spacer ring in accordance with the position of said rolling member in said ramping track.  
 
     
     
         19 . An annular device according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a thrust washer mounted coaxially to one side of said outer and said inner ring.  
 
     
     
         20 . A web winding assembly for engaging and disengaging cores with a plurality of annular devices mounted thereon, comprising: 
 a mandrel having a spaced plurality of radially disposed channels, said mandrel having a fluid passage communicating with said channels; and    a plurality of pistons mounted to reciprocate in different corresponding ones of said channels, said pistons being operable in response to fluid pressure in said channels to extend out of said mandrel in order to bear on said annular devices, changes in the volume of fluid inside said fluid passage and said channels being substantially equal to the total displacement of the pistons.    
     
     
         21 . A web winding assembly according to  claim 20  wherein some of said channels are axially spaced.  
     
     
         22 . A web winding assembly according to  claim 20  wherein said plurality of channels are grouped into a plurality of axially equidistant bands, channels within each band being equiangularly spaced by a predetermined angle, channels in adjacent bands having a minimum, band-to-band, angular separation of half said predetermined angle.  
     
     
         23 . A web winding assembly according to  claim 20  wherein said fluid passage is centrally disposed to extend longitudinally within said mandrel.  
     
     
         24 . A web winding assembly according to  claim 20  wherein said pistons each comprise an encircling annular seal.  
     
     
         25 . A web winding assembly according to  claim 20  comprising a plurality of annular devices mounted side by side around said mandrel for intermediating force transfer between the mandrel and a core onto which a web is to be wound.  
     
     
         26 . A web winding assembly according to  claim 25  wherein said annular devices each comprise: 
 an outer ring having at least one aperture and adapted to be fitted inside said core;  
 an inner ring rotatably mounted inside said outer ring and being adapted to be fitted over said mandrel, said inner ring having at least one camming track; and  
 a gripping member fitted in said aperture of said outer ring to move along said camming track, said gripping member being outwardly thrustable through said aperture in accordance with the position of said gripping member in said camming track.  
 
     
     
         27 . An annular device according to  claim 26  wherein said inner ring has an inside portion comprising a material different from material of said outer ring.  
     
     
         28 . An annular device according to  claim 26  wherein said inner ring has an inside surface impregnated with a friction moderating substance.  
     
     
         29 . An annular device according to  claim 26  wherein said gripping member is shaped to roll in said camming track.  
     
     
         30 . An annular device according to  claim 26  wherein said gripping member has a surface roughened to enhance its gripping ability.  
     
     
         31 . An annular device according to  claim 26  wherein said camming track has a central position and is shaped to increasingly thrust said gripping member outwardly as it moves away from said central position.  
     
     
         32 . An annular device according to  claim 31  wherein said camming track is deepest substantially at its center.  
     
     
         33 . An annular device according to  claim 26  wherein said aperture in said outer ring is tapered.  
     
     
         34 . An annular device according to  claim 25  further comprising: 
 a plurality of spaced thrust washers mounted coaxially between said annular devices.  
 
     
     
         35 . A web winding method employing annular devices located on a mandrel fitted with core engaging pistons, comprising the steps of: 
 loading said cores over said annular devices;    outwardly driving said pistons with directly applied fluid pressure in order to frictionally engage said annular devices with said pistons, changes in the volume of fluid inside said mandrel being substantially equal to the total displacement of the pistons;    locking said cores onto said annular devices;    rotating said mandrel to wind the web while allowing slippage predominantly between said annular device and said mandrel, in order to avoid slippage predominantly influenced by interface attributes between said cores and said annular devices; and    unlocking and removing said cores from said annular devices.    
     
     
         36 . A method according to  claim 35  wherein said annular devices are operable to lock onto said cores in response to relative rotation between said mandrel and said cores in a first direction, the step of locking the cores to the annular devices comprising the step of: 
 causing relative rotation between the mandrel and the cores in a first direction.  
 
     
     
         37 . A method according to  claim 36  wherein said annular devices are operable to unlock from said cores in response to relative rotation between said mandrel and said cores in a direction opposite to said first direction, the step of unlocking the cores from the annular devices comprising the step of: 
 causing relative rotation between the mandrel and the cores in a direction opposite to said first direction.  
 
     
     
         38 . A method according to  claim 35  comprising the steps of: 
 replacing the annular devices with differently sized annular devices after removing the cores; and  
 loading differently sized, fresh cores onto the differently sized annular devices.  
 
     
     
         39 . A method according to  claim 35  wherein said annular devices each have an inner and an outer ring that can be relatively rotated to lock onto and unlock from said cores, the step of locking the cores to the annular devices comprising the step of: 
 causing relative rotation between the inner and the outer ring in a first direction.  
 
     
     
         40 . A method according to  claim 39  wherein the step of unlocking the cores from the annular devices comprise the step of: 
 causing relative rotation between the inner and the outer ring in a direction opposite said first direction.  
 
     
     
         41 . A method according to  claim 35  wherein said annular devices each have an inner and an outer ring that can be relatively rotated from a neutral unlocked position in either direction to lock onto said cores, the step of locking the cores to the annular devices comprising the step of: 
 causing relative rotation between the inner and the outer ring in a first direction from said neutral position.  
 
     
     
         42 . A method according to claim  41  wherein the step of unlocking the cores to the annular devices comprising the step of: 
 causing relative rotation between the inner and the outer ring in a direction opposite the first direction toward said neutral position.  
 
     
     
         43 . An annular device for intermediating force transfer between a winding mandrel and a core onto which a web is to be wound, comprising: 
 an outer ring having at least one aperture and adapted to be fitted inside said core;    a gripping member fitted in said aperture of said outer ring, an inner ring rotatably mounted inside said outer ring and being adapted to be fitted over said mandrel, said inner ring having at least one camming track for receiving and allowing movement of said gripping member therealong, said gripping member being outwardly thrustable through said aperture in accordance with the position of said gripping member in said camming track, said inner ring including:    (a) a spacer ring having said camming track and adapted to be fitted inside said outer ring;    (b) a cage ring rotatably mounted inside said spacer ring and being adapted to be fitted over said mandrel, said cage ring having at least one ramping track; and    (c) a rolling member fitted between said spacer ring and said cage ring to move along said ramping track, said rolling member being outwardly thrustable against said spacer ring in accordance with the position of said rolling member in said ramping track.