In current practice containers filled with roving, delivered by carding machine coilers, are unloaded and replaced with empty containers by means of manual handling, if necessary with the aid of trolleys, or automatic handling. In these systems the containers are generally moved on the floor on which the carding machines are positioned, to move them to a tying-press suitable to compact them and to package them to keep them in a compact condition. Therefore, in the unloading zone of the carding machines, considerable space is required for the tying-press and for the means to handle the containers.

In order to substantially reduce said requirement, according to the present invention, each carding machine is provided with a device to lift (or lower) and compress the bump suitable to transport it vertically (generally upwards, although alternatively also downwards) from the floor on which the carding machine is positioned and to at least partially compress the bump vertically to reduce the bulk; this leaves said floor free for people and means of transport to circulate.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said lifting device positioned at each carding machine comprises a vertically extending rod-if necessary in several segments-moved by an actuator suitable to lift the moving base of the container containing the bump and said bump above said floor, through a vertical duct with a minimum internal dimension approximately the same as the internal diameter of the container. The rod will also vertically compress the bump against an upper stop wall. Said actuator may be a fluid- operated jack, for example, using compressed air or oil, or another known linear actuator.

In an improved embodiment of the invention, positioned downstream of the lifting device, a device is provided to load the transferred and compressed bump into a tying machine suitable to package the bump to maintain it in a compact condition.

In the case in which the carding system comprises a plurality of carding machines, for example placed side by side with one another, the system may comprise a device to load the compressed bump into a conveyor suitable to collect and transport the bumps produced by the various carding machines, maintaining them compressed; this conveyor feeds one bump at a time to a tying-press which further compresses the bumps and packages them to maintain them in a compact condition.

Said conveyor may comprise a duct suitable to contain the compressed bumps vertically and laterally and a pusher-operated by an actuator-to transport each bump received along the duct. Otherwise, said conveyor may comprise a duct with a pair of overlapping conveyor belts respectively forming the top-with the lower side of the upper belt-and the bottom-with the upper side of the lower belt-of the duct, said belts being motorized to make said sides slide in the same direction and-at the same speed. Preferably, each of said belt sides, under the pressure of the compressed bump transported, rests against a series of idle rollers.

The invention shall be better understood by following the description and attached drawing, whSch-shows non-limiting examples of the finding. In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows an elevation of an automatic system for handling and packaging bumps of roving produced by a carding machine, according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 shows a partial plan view according to tt-tt in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows an analogous view to the one in Fig. 1 of the same system, in another processing phase; Figs. 4 and 5 respectively show a plan view and a sectional and elevated view according to V-V of an automatic system for handling and packaging bumps of roving produced by an assembly of carding machines

positioned side by side, according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 6 and 7 respectively show a plan view and a sectional and elevated view according to VII-VII of an automatic system for handling and packaging bumps of roving produced by an assembly of carding machines positioned side by side, according to another embodiment of the invention.

With reference to Figs. 1 to 3, roving 1 is deposited by a coiler 3 of a carding machine in a container 5 of the conventional type. The container is placed on the floor 6 and is provided with a moving base 5A and with a spring 5B suitable to offset the weight of the base 5A and of the material as it is deposited in the container, in order to allow orderly coiled positioning of the roving to form a homogeneous bump.

The system for handling and packaging according to the invention comprises a disc 7 integral with a lifting rod 7A extending according to a vertical axis Z-Z, the disc being positioned at the side of the container 5 which is in the filling phase under the coiler 3. The rod 7A is formed of various sections 7A, 7B, 7C (see Fig. 3) suitable to slide telescopically inside one another driven by a linear actuator not shown in the drawing, for example a jack positioned under the floor 6, between the position retracted under the floor 6 shown in Fig. 1 and the position extended upwards shown in Fig. 3. On the other side of the container 5 from the rod 7A a pusher 9 is positioned, operated by means of a-jack 11 suitable to horizontally transport in the direction of the arrow F1 an empty container 5', positioned at the side of the container 5 during the filling phase, and said container 5. In this horizontal movement, the containers 5,5'are guided laterally by rectilinear sides 13.

When the container 5 has been filled with the desired quantity of roving and the rod 7 has been retracted under the floor 6 as shown in Fig. 2, the empty container 5'is moved under the coiler by means of the pusher 9 to receive the roving, and simultaneously the full container 5 is moved to the position shown with an indicative line in Fig. 1, aligned with the disc 7.

The system according to the invention also comprises a box structure 15 applied to a horizontal beam 16 positioned at the top above the disc 7. The

box structure 15 comprises a pair of overlapping horizontal plates 15A, 15B connected to each other by side walls 15C suitable to define a passage according to a horizontal axis X-X. The lower plate 15B has a circular aperture 15D, under which a tubular guide element 15E is fixed with an internal diameter approximately the same as the diameter of the container 5, the aperture 15D and the element 15E being coaxial with the axis Z-Z. The passage with the axis X-X is closed at one end by a plate 15F, fixed to which is a jack 17 with a horizontal axis, with a pusher 19 applied to its rod 17A. The plane of this pusher is curved to partially encircle-without deforming it-a bump of roving compressed inside the box structure 15 and move it in the direction F2. At the other end of the passage with the axis X-X, a wrapping head 21 is applied suspended on the beam 16 and the planes of the plates 15A and 15B of the box structure 15 are tapered in a plan view, to allow'the head 21 to tie up, in a known manner, a bump of roving 23 held between the plates 15A and 15B. Positioned in proximity to the bump 23 in the tying position are an inclined surface 25 and a conveyor belt 27 suitable to convey the bumps of roving produced to a collection point. In Fig. 2 the wrapping head 21, which rotates around a vertical axis W-W together with a guide 21 A for a tying strap, is shown with a solid line in a withdrawn position to allow unloading of the bump 23 and with broken line in the positions 21 B, 21 C of cross-tying of said bump.

The box structure 45 with the pusher 19 and the jack 17, the tying machine 21 and the inclined surface 25 are supported by the beam 16 at a level which leaves the floor 6 free for personnel to transit and for the containers to be handled.

With the automatic handling and packaging system described above, once the container 5 with the base 5A and full of roving has been transported above the disc 7, this-by means of the rod 7A and respective actuator-lifts the base 5A of the container and the bump of roving placed on top of it causing them to transit inside the guiding tube 15E, and pressing the bump against the upper plate 15A, so as to reduce it from the height it had in the container (for example about 1400 mm) to the height of said passage with

axis X-X (for example about 450 mm). The jack 17 is then operated which, by means of the pusher 19, moves the bump of compressed roving in the direction F2, from a position coaxial with the axis Z-Z to the position 23 in Fig. 1, in which the bump is tied in the compressed position by the wrapping machine 21. The jack 17 then ejects the bump from the position 23 onto the inclined surface 25 which conveys it to the conveyor belt 27.

According to another embodiment of the invention, an automatic handling and packaging system which serves several carding machines, for example three carding machines 101,102, 103 (see Figs. 4 and 5) positioned side by side, comprises for each carding machine, analogously to the previous case, a disc 107, a respective lifting rod 107A extending according to a vertical axis Z1-Z1, Z2-Z2, Z3-Z3 and provided with a respective lifting jack.

Moreover, analogously to the case in Fig. 1, for each carding machine a box structure 115,116, 117 is provided suspended over the respective disc 107 and provided with a pusher 119,120, 121. This pusher is operated by a jack 123,124, 125 suitable to horizontally move according to the axis X1-X1, X2- X2, X3-X3 of the box structure-in the direction of the arrows F3-a bump of roving which has been lifted and partially compressed by the disc 107 vertically against an upper plate such as 127 (Fig. 5) forming the top of the respective box structure 115,116, 117. The movement of each pusher 119, 120,121 ejects the bump from each respective box structure 115,116, 117 and deposits it in a duct : r29 (Fig. 4) through a corresponding opening in its side, the duct 129 extending horizontally at the level of said box structures orthogonally to their axes X1-X1, X2-X2, X3-X3. The duct 129 is formed of upper 129A (Fig. 4), lower 129B (Fig. 5) and side 129C running rods uniformly distributed around the axial section of the bumps 131 in their partially compressed position, said rods being reciprocally fixed by means of crosspieces 129D. In this way sliding friction of the bumps against the walls of the duct 129 is reduced, as the contact surface of the bump is limited to the contact zones with said running rods, to avoid excessive loss of fiber during transport.

As soon as a bump 131 has been deposited in the duct 129, a pusher

133 (Fig. 4) sliding along a guide 133A at the side of the duct 129 and motorized along said guide 133A by a specific actuator-runner 133B (for example provided with electric motor with gear and rack) transports the bump 131 inside the duct 129 according to the arrow F4 to the outlet end of the duct, at the initial end of a second duct 135 shaped analogously to the first duct 129 and positioned horizontally and orthogonally to it. The second duct 135 is also provided with a pusher 138 motorized and sliding along a guide 137A by means of an actuator-runner 137B. Said pushers 133 and 138 are formed of at least a curved arm to partially encircle the cylindrical surface of the bump 131 passing through the gap between two adjacent running rods of the respective duct 129,137, said gap being kept free from crosspieces connecting the running rods. Said arms are hinged according to a vertical axis to the respective actuator-runner 133B, 137B and controlled by this to position themselves transversely to the respective duct 129,135, in the position shown with an indicative line during the pushed travel in the direction F4, F5. During the return travel, a respective spring-operated device, not shown in the drawing, rotates the arms 133,138 by 90° to the withdrawn position shown with the solid line, to prevent the arm interfering with any bump positioned in the duct 129,137, waiting to be transported.

In this way the bumps which have been partially compressed (for example from a height of 1400 mm, corresponding to the height they had in the container 5, to a height of 650 mm corresponding to the height of the passage in the box structure 115,116, 117) are transported under a tying press 139, of known type, to be further compacted (for example to a height of 450 mm) and tied in said compacted position. A further pusher 141, sliding along a guide with axis Y-Y (Fig. 5) by means of a respective linear actuator 141 A, ejects the bumps from the press and positions them in a bay 143, until they are picked up and ultimately removed.

Alternatively, in a system such as the one described above, axial compression of the bumps could be entrusted to the sole action of the discs 107 and respective lifting jacks, at the outlet of each carding machine. In this case the unit 139 would only comprise a tying head for the compressed

bumps transported by means of the conveyors 129,135.

According to another embodiment of the invention, an automatic handling and packaging system which serves three carding machines positioned side by side 201,202, 203 (see Figs. 6 and 7) is structured analogously to the one in Figs. 4 and 5, although the lower and upper surfaces of the transporting ducts 229 and 235 which come into contact with the partially compressed bumps to be transported are made to move in the respective direction of advance F4, F5 being formed of the side, upper 229A, 235A and lower 229B, 235B respectively, of two motorized conveyor belts positioned respectively at the bottom and at the top of the duct.

As the bumps of roving which are transported in the ducts 229,235 are partially compressed, they exert pressure on the belts, to offset which each conveyor belt is provided with a series of supporting idle rollers positioned side by side, such as those 229C, 235C shown in Fig. 7. Obviously, in this case, as the conveyor belts transport the bumps directly, the ducts 229,235 are not provided with pushers, for example of the type 133,137 shown in Fig. 4.

It is understood that the drawing only shows an example provided purely as a practical illustration of the invention, as the invention may vary in form and layout without however departing from the scope of the concept underlying the invention. Any reference numbers in the attached claims are provided to facilitate reading of the claims with reference to the description and do not limit the scope of protection represented by the claims.