Adjustable filamentary material guide

Abstract

An adjustable guide apparatus for guiding filamentary material from a reciprocating traverse onto a mandrel of a winding machine to form a coil. The adjustable guide apparatus includes a housing having a collar defining an inlet opening configured to receive filamentary material, and adjustable guides coupled to the housing defining a guide opening between the adjustable guides for passage of the filamentary material from the inlet opening. The apparatus also includes an adjuster configured to adjust relative spacing between the adjustable guides that defines the size of the guide opening.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An adjustable guide apparatus for guiding filamentary material from a reciprocating traverse onto a mandrel of a winding machine to form a coil, the guide comprising:
 a housing having a collar defining an inlet opening configured to receive filamentary material;   adjustable guides coupled to the housing defining a guide opening between the adjustable guides for passage of the filamentary material from the inlet opening; and   an adjuster configured to adjust relative spacing between the adjustable guides.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the inlet opening axially aligns in a vertical direction with the guide opening.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the adjustable guides are configured to simultaneously move toward or away from one another by operation of the adjuster.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the adjustable guides include rollers.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein:
 the rollers extend along parallel axes that lie in a horizontal plane.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 the adjustable guides include two rollers.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the adjuster includes a threaded adjuster screw extending through aligned threaded bores formed in the adjustable guides, wherein the threaded adjuster screw extends along a screw axis and wherein the adjustable guides are configured to translate either toward or away from one another along the screw axis depending on a direction of rotation of the screw.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 non-adjustable guides extending along axes perpendicular to the axes of the adjustable guides, wherein the adjustable guides are disposed vertically between the non-adjustable guides and the collar.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the collar is configured for coupling to the reciprocating traverse operable to reciprocate the apparatus as filamentary material is drawn through the guide opening onto the mandrel of the winding machine.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an adjustment ring having a neck threadably coupled to the collar of the housing, the neck having an annular bearing surface on a bottom side of the neck,   wherein the adjuster includes a pair of opposed arms pivotally coupled to the housing at an intermediate location along the length of each arm, each arm having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion extending to a cam surface configured to bear against the annular bearing surface, the lower portion pivotally coupled to one of the adjustable guides at or near a lower end of the arm, wherein threading the adjustment ring into or out of the collar causes the spacing between the adjustable guides to change.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 biasing members, each biasing member coupled between the housing and respective lower portion, the biasing member configured to urge the opposed arms and the adjustable guides in a direction towards one another.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein:
 the biasing members are springs.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 interference between the cam surfaces and the annular bearing surface inhibit movement of the adjustable guides towards each other.   
     
     
         14 . A method of setting the adjustable guide apparatus according to  claim 1  for guiding filamentary material from a reciprocating traverse onto a mandrel of a winding machine to form a coil of a filamentary material, the method comprising:
 ensuring that the relative spacing between the adjustable guides causes the guide opening to be larger than a thickness of the filamentary material; introducing the filamentary material through the guide opening; 
 with the filamentary material disposed in the guide opening, reducing the relative spacing between the adjustable guides until the adjustable guides contact the filamentary material; and 
 after the adjustable guides contact the filamentary material, increasing the relative spacing between the adjustable guides until the filamentary material contacts only one of the adjustable guides. 
 
     
     
         15 . A method of setting the adjustable guide apparatus according to  claim 7  for guiding filamentary material from a reciprocating traverse onto a mandrel of a winding machine to form a coil of a filamentary material, the method comprising:
 ensuring that the relative spacing between the adjustable guides is such that the guide opening is larger than a thickness of the filamentary material; 
 introducing the filamentary material through the guide opening; 
 with the filamentary material disposed in the guide opening, rotating the screw about the screw axis in a first direction to reduce the relative spacing between the adjustable guides until the adjustable guides contact the filamentary material; and 
 after the adjustable guides contact the filamentary material, rotating the screw about the screw axis in a second direction opposite the first direction to increase the relative spacing between the adjustable guides until the filamentary material contacts only one of the adjustable guides. 
 
     
     
         16 . A method of setting the adjustable guide apparatus according to  claim 11  for guiding filamentary material from a reciprocating traverse onto a mandrel of a winding machine to form a coil of a filamentary material, the method comprising:
 ensuring that the relative spacing between the adjustable guides is such that the guide opening is larger than a thickness of the filamentary material; 
 introducing the filamentary material through the guide opening; 
 with the filamentary material disposed in the guide opening, threading the adjustment ring out of the collar to reduce the relative spacing between the adjustable guides until the adjustable guides contact the filamentary material; and 
 after the adjustable guides contact the filamentary material, threading the adjustment ring into the collar to increase the relative spacing between the adjustable guides until the filamentary material contacts only one of the adjustable guides.