Abstract: A pallet transport system for a textile cheese winding machine includes a cop delivery and storage track for supplying cops to be rewound, an empty tube return track, and a plurality of transport tracks each extending through one winding head of the bobbin winder transversely between the supply and return tracks. The entrance region of each transverse transport track is closable by selectively operable blocking mechanism disposed in operation to permit empty pallets to enter the transverse transport track while pallets equipped with cops are shunted. In this manner, the transverse transport tracks serve as a storage device for empty pallets which provides the advantage that, at the completion of a batch, the time needed by the bobbin winder to properly end the batch is shortened, and hence the machine's efficiency is increased.

Abstract: A method of handling the tube and cop supporting pallets in a textile winder during batch changing operations, by which, at the end of a batch, the pallets are maintained in the transport system of the winder and are conveyed from the tube return path to the cop supply path. First, the winding operation is stopped, a selected winding station at one end of the distribution segment is evacuated to facilitate clearing therethrough of the distribution segment and, subsequently, the other winding stations are successively evacuated to release the pallets held in their respective unwinding and backup positions. Downstream along the tube return path, the cops or tubes are removed from all approaching pallets, regardless of whether they still carry any yarn.