[0001] The present invention relates to a single-reel winding device, and to a solution for replacing a full first reel in a single-reel winding device. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Previously, manual labour is needed, when a new empty reel is intro duced to a single-reel winding device.

[0003] One of the disadvantages associated with the above arrangement is that manually changing the reel is time consuming. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] lt is thus an object of the present invention to provide a single-reel winding device which simplifies introduction of a new empty reel. The objects of the invention are achieved by a device which is characterized by what is stated in the independent claim 1. The preferred embodiments of the invention are dis- closed in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] ln the following the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the attached accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of a single-reel winding device and a method for replacing a full reel in such a winding device, in which

[0006] Figure 1 is an overall drawing of a single-reel winding device;

[0007] Figure 2 is a drawing showing an example of a winder;

[0008] Figure 3a and 3b are drawings showing an example of an attachment device and a gripper, respectively;

[0009] Figure 4 is a block-diagram of a method for replacing a full first reel in a single-reel winding device;

[0010] Figures 5a and 5b are front-view drawings illustrating the attachment and cutting of the optical fiber;

[0011] Figures 6a and 6b are side-view drawings illustrating the extraction of a full first reel from the single-reel winding device;

[0012] Figure 7a, 7b and 7c are side-view drawings illustrating the insertion of an empty second reel to the single-reel winding device; and

[0013] Figures 8a and 8b are front-view drawings illustrating the attachment of the optical fiber to an empty reel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Figure 1 is an overall drawing of a single-reel winding device compris ing a distributor wheel 1 for distributing an optical fiber 2 to a first reel 3 for wind ing the optical fiber 2 and a winder 4. ln addition the single-reel winding device comprises an attachment device 5 for attaching the optical fiber 2 to the first reel 3 when the first reel 3 is in the exchange area 6, a cutter 7 for cutting the optical fiber 2 when the first reel 3 is full and a gripper 8 for gripping onto the optical fiber 2, provided by the distributor wheel 1, and keeping the optical fiber 2 stationary dur ing attaching and cutting of the optical fiber 2. The gripper 8 also keeps the optical fiber stationary while the first, full reel 3 is removed from the exchange area 6 and a second, empty reel 9 is provided to the exchange area 6 in order to continue wind ing of the optical fiber 2.

[0015] As illustrated in Figure 1, the single-reel winding device is provided with a first storage 31 for empty reels 9, and a second storage 32 for full reels. The first storage 31 and the second storage 32 both have upper surfaces slightly in clined in order to utilize gravity for moving reels within the first and second stor age. ln praxis, the right end of the first storage 31 is located higher than the left end to ensure that empty reels 9 rotate due to gravity towards (the left) and onto the extension arm 23. The second storage 32 is inclined in the opposite direction such that the left end is higher located than the right end, which ensures that full reels 3 removed from the winding device rotate as far away (to the right) from the winding device as possible.

[0016] Figure 2 is a drawing showing an example of a winder 4. The winder 4 comprises a first rotatable pin 10 and a second rotatable pin 11, which pins 10, 11 are arranged to attach to the first reel 3 for winding the optical fiber 2 on said reel. The winder 4 is arranged movably on guide tracks 12, for revolving the first reel 3 around a center axis 3-1 of the first reel 3 and for moving the first reel 3 along the center axis 3-1 between different positions in order to wind the optical fiber 2 onto the first reel 3, and for moving the first reel 3 to an exchange area 6 when the first reel 3 is full.

[0017] Figure 3a and 3b are drawings showing an example of the attachment device 5 and the gripper 8, respectively. Figure 3a is a drawing showing an example of an attachment device 5. Said attachment device 5 comprises a spring-biased frame 14 and a collector 15 for collecting a piece of tape. The spring biased frame 14 may be implemented with a "telescopic" design having two coaxially arranged parts generally tubular parts that are pushed away from each other by a spring in the frame, for instance. The attachment device 5 may be configured to collect a piece of tape from a tape supply station, for instance, in order to attach the optical fiber 2 to a reel with said piece of tape. The attachment device 5 may also comprise a cutter 7. According to one embodiment, the cutter 7 is a blade, arranged alongside the spring-biased frame 14 of the attachment device 5.

[0018] Figure 3b illustrates that the gripper 8 comprises movable jaws 13 ar ranged to open and to close for gripping on to the optical fibre 2. ln addition, the gripper 8 may comprise an actuator for moving the gripper 8 towards the reel and away from the reel.

[0019] Figure 4 shows a block-diagram of a method for replacing a full first reel 3 in a single-reel winding device comprising a distributor wheel 1 for distributing an optical fiber 2 to the first reel 3. Said method comprises (A) moving the first reel 3 away from the distributor wheel 1 when the first reel 3 is full until the optical fiber 2 runs over a flange of the first reel 3, (B) gripping the optical fiber 2 at a position between the distributor wheel 1 and the flange of the first reel 3, (C) at taching the optical fiber 2 to the flange of the first reel 3, (D) cutting the optical fiber 2 at a position between the gripper 8 and the flange, (E) removing the first reel 3, (F) moving a second empty reel to a position where the optical fiber 2 runs over a flange of the second reel 9, (G) attaching the optical fiber 2 to the flange of the sec ond reel 9, (H) releasing the optical fiber from the gripper 8, and (1) initiating reel ing of the optical fiber 2 to the second reel 9.

[0020] Figures 5-8 further illustrate the method described in Figure 4. Figures 5a and 5b are front-view drawings illustrating the attachment and cutting of the optical fiber 2. ln Figure 5a, the winder 4 is arranged to move the first reel 3 away from the distributor wheel 1 when the first reel 3 is full, such that the gripper 8 can grip the optical fiber 2 at a position between the distributor wheel 1 and a flange of the first reel 3 which is closest to the distributor wheel 1. ln other words, when the first reel 3 is full and has been moved to the exchange area 6, the gripper 8, which is situated between a flange of the first reel 3 and the distributor wheel 1, moves towards the optical fiber for gripping onto the optical fiber by closing the movable jaws for keeping the optical fiber stationary. Holding the optical fiber stationary with the gripper 8 is advantageous as the optical fiber cannot escape during a reel exchange and it may be precisely positioned for attaching.

[0021] After the gripper 8 has gripped onto the optical fiber 2, the attachment device 5 collects a piece of tape from the tape supply station 16 with the collector 15. ln order to attach the optical fiber 2 to the reel and cut the optical fiber 2 with a single motion, the collector 15 of the attachment device 5 is then pressed against the optical fiber 2 and a larger first flange 17 of the first reel 3. ln other words, the attachment device 5 presses the collector 15, having the piece of tape, against the optical fiber 2 and the larger first flange 17 of the full first reel 3 with such a force that the telescopic (for instance) spring-biased frame 14 of the attachment device 5 compresses sufficiently to move the cutter 7 past the collector 15 thus cutting the optical fiber 2. The attachment device 5 and may comprise an actuator 5-1 for mov ing the attachment device 5 and for pressing the collector 15 against the optical fiber 2 and the reel. The gripper 8 may also comprise an actuator 8-1 for moving the gripper 8 towards and away from the optical fiber 2. Said actuators 5-1, 8-1 may be, for instance, pneumatic cylinders arranged movably on a rail 25, as illus trated in Figures 5a and 5b.

[0022] When the optical fiber 2 has been attached to the full first reel 3 and cut, the gripper 8, still holding the free-end of the optical fiber 2, moves away from the full first reel 3, so as to allow the full first reel 3 to be moved away from the ex change area 6 for moving the full first reel 3 on to the next processing sequence. One possible way to move the full first reel 3 the next processing sequence is illus trated in Figures 6a and 6b.

[0023] Figures 6a and 6b are side-view drawings illustrating the extraction of a full first reel 3 from the single-reel winding device ln Figure 6a, a first extension arm 18, having an extracting end 19, extends from a downstream side of the pro duction line 20 towards the full first reel 3 in such a way that the extracting end 19 is arranged under the full first reel 3. The extracting end 19 may shaped to have a front part with a relatively flat bottom from where side walls 33 extend upwards ln this way, the front end of the extracting end 19 may linearly move forward and pass under the full reel 3 already when the full reel 3 is still engaged by the first pin 10 and second pin 11, as illustrated in Figure 6a (and Figure 2). The winder 4 (not shown in Figures 6a and 6b) then detaches itself from the full first reel 3 by moving the two rotatable pins 10, 11 away from each other thus releasing the full first reel 3 onto the extracting end 19 of the first extension arm 18 which then retracts back to the downstream side of the production line 20 with the first full reel 3, as illus trated in Figure 6b. At this stage the side surfaces 33 ensure that the roll 3 remains steady on the extracting end 19.

[0024] A protrusion 34 extending downwards from the outside of the bottom of the extracting end 19 is utilized for transferring the full roll away from the ex tracting end 19 by tilting the extraction end 19. When the first extension arm 18 has been retracted back to the production line as illustrated in Figure 6b, the ex tracting end 19 tilts towards the downstream side of the production line 20 due to contact between the protrusion 34 and a roller 35 or wheel arranged in a fixed po sition below the extension arm 18. Due to this tilting around the rotation axis 36 the full first reel 3 is transferred to the production line 20, and due to gravity and the inclined upper surface of the second storage 32, further into the second storage 32 for full reels, as is illustrated in Fig 6b.

[0025] Figure 7a and 7b are side-view drawings illustrating the insertion of an empty second reel 9 to the single-reel winding device. The winder 4 (not shown in Figures 7a and 7b) is arranged to, after removal of the full first reel 3, move the second empty reel 9 to a position where a flange of the second empty reel 9, which flange is located closest to the distributor wheel 1, is located between the distribu tor wheel 1 and the gripper 8, such that the attachment device 5 can attach the optical fiber 2 to the flange ln other words, after extracting the full first reel 3, the winder 4 is moved back to the exchange area 6 and an empty second reel 9 is ro tated to a suitable position for winding in an upstream side of the processing line 21, as shown in Figure 7a. ln the position illustrated in Figure 7a the empty second reel 9 is rotated, for instance, by using a first roller 26 and a second roller 30 ar ranged in a second extension arm 23 in order to obtain a position where holes in at least one of the flanges of the second reel 9 are rotated to a correct position to en gage the corresponding pin 10 or 11 of the winder. To facilitate this, the second roller 30 (for instance) may be connected to an electric motor, for instance. Addi tionally, a detector 22 is provided to determine the position of the second reel 9. The second extension arm 23, having the empty second reel 9 at the extending end, then extends by a linear movement from the upstream side of the production line 21 towards the exchange area 6, as shown in Figure 7b. ln this position the pins 10 and 11 engage with the flanges in the opposite ends of the reel, as illustrated pre viously in Figure 2. Once the new empty second reel 9 is firmly held by the pins 10 and 11, the extension arm 23 is retracted from the position shown in Figure 7b to the position shown in Figure 7a.

[0026] Figure 7c illustrates an enlarged view of the outer end of the extension arm 23. From this figure one can observe that a first roll 26, which in this example is the outermost roll on the outer end of the extension arm 23 is carried by a shaft 27 such that it can rotate around a pivot point 28. While the empty second reel 9 is carried by the extension arm 23, a spring force of a spring 29 keeps the first roll 26 on a same height as the second roll 30, which in this case is the innermost roll. However, once the pins 10 and 11 are engaged to the flanges of the reel 9, as illus trated in Figure 7b, retraction of the extension arm 23 causes the reel 9 to press the first roll 26 downwards by rotation around the pivot point 28 against the spring force of the spring 29. Due to this the extension arm 23 is able to move away from the roll 9 that remains attached to the pins 10 and 11.

[0027] Figures 8a and 8b are front-view drawings illustrating the attachment of the optical fiber 2 to the empty second reel 9. Once the empty second reel 9 is in the exchange area 6, the two pins 10, 11 of the winder 4 move towards each other in order to attach onto the empty second reel 9, as shown in Figure 8a. The gripper 8, still holding the free-end of the optical fiber 2, is then lowered towards a smaller second flange 24 of the empty second reel 9 in order to position the free-end of the optical fiber against the smaller second flange 24 of the second reel 9, as shown in Figure 8b. The attachment device 5 then collects a piece of tape from the tape sup ply station 16 with the collector 15, moves back to the empty second reel 9, and presses the collector 15, with said piece of tape, against the optical fiber and the second smaller flange 24 of the empty second reel 9 in order to attach said optical fiber to said flange. The collector 15 is pressed against the optical fiber 2 and the second smaller flange 24 preferably with such a force that the spring-biased frame 14 is not compressed to an extent where the cutter 7 moves past the collector 15 and cuts the optical fiber 2. The optical fiber 2 is then first wound onto the second smaller flange 24 for a predetermined amount of rounds before the reel is moved sideways in order to move the optical fiber 2 to a surface between the two larger first flanges 17 of the reel to continue winding the optical fiber 2 on said surface. The first larger flange 17 of the reel may comprise an opening for allowing the op tical fiber 2 to run past said flange.

[0028] ln Figures 5a, 5b and 8a, 8b, the attachment device 5, comprising the cutter 7, comprises only one actuator 5-1 for controlling the movement of both the attachment device and the cutter. Another possibility is to provide one actuator for the attachment device 5 and another actuator for the cutter 7 in order to control the movement of said attachment device and said cutter separately.

[0029] lt will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as the technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The inven tion and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.