Lay Head Patents (Class 57/361)
  • Patent number: 6237316
    Abstract: In order to superimpose and store optical fiber ribbons in a corresponding one of spiral grooves provided in the outer circumferential surface of a spacer, an optical fiber ribbon stranding device includes: a device for advancing the spacer straight while rotating the spacer around the center axis of the spacer, the advancing device being constituted by, for example, a tension giving device and a take-up device; a device for feeding a plurality of optical fiber ribbons; a guide die for guiding the optical fiber ribbons into the corresponding one of the spiral grooves; and an alignment keeping guide disposed upstream of the guide die. A rectangular hole is provided to extend through the alignment keeping guide, and the optical fiber ribbons are passed through and superimposed by the hole. The optical fiber ribbons kept in a superimposed state by the alignment keeping guide is introduced and accommodated into the corresponding one of the grooves of the spacer through the guide die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Saito, Masakazu Watanabe, Masatoshi Yasui, Ken Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6058692
    Abstract: An apparatus for feeding a set of threads (25) to a feeding head at a robot arm (10) which is freely movable in the room. The apparatus comprises a first arm segment (11) which protrudes at an angle from the robot arm (10), and which is pivotally connected with an inner end to the robot arm and constitutes a carrier for a first set of thread guide loops (13). The apparatus also comprises a second arm segment (16) which is pivotally connected to a pivot point (15) at the outer end of the first arm segment (11) and which second arm segment forms a carrier for a second set of thread guide loops (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Aplicator System AB
    Inventor: Kjell Sand
  • Patent number: 5546741
    Abstract: The reverse stranding apparatus and method provides elongated elements drawn from supply reels through a divider device, torsion tubes surrounding a central element peripherally and rotatable periodically in opposite directions about the central element and a twisting head rotatable in opposite directions into a nozzle. To achieve a constant pitch and to adjust the tension, the elements are guided to pass about an input capstan before the dividing device and a stranded cable is passed about an output capstan immediately after the nozzle. The input and output capstans are rotated so that the peripheral speeds thereof are constantly higher than the speed of the cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Nokia-Maillefer Oy
    Inventor: Raimo Karhu
  • Patent number: 5533327
    Abstract: A preforming head for making ropes and cable armor including an axle with a front preforming disk fixedly mounted thereon. A middle preforming disk and a rear preforming disk are displaceably mounted on the axle. The middle disk has a diameter larger than the front disk and smaller than the rear disk. A drive moves the disks so that the distance between front disk and middle disk remains approximately equal to the distance between middle disk and rear disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: Witels Apparate-Maschinen Albert GmbH & Co KG
    Inventor: Eckehard Albert
  • Patent number: 5400584
    Abstract: A cable manufacturing method comprising the steps of arranging a closing die and a plurality of panel plates in this order, on a pass-line having a curved zone and a linear zone, from the side of a front end of the pass-line, inserting all wires, to be stranded, through an opening of the closing die, and inserting each wire through a hole formed in a corresponding one of the panel plates, guiding the wires such that the wires are substantially parallel with one another and each wire is loose of the panel plates, rotatably supporting the panel plates, respectively, and passing each wire through the curved zone and the linear zone while rotating the panel plates in the same direction, thereby stranding the wires with a large pitch so as not to plastically deform the wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Tokyo Roe Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Ito, Kouki Kusakai
  • Patent number: 5325659
    Abstract: A cabling machine for laying optofibers, cables or the like in an oscillating, wavy path around a smooth pull-reliever, or into grooves having an oscillating, wavy shape which are extruded around a pull-reliever, i.e., so-called S/Z-cabling. The machine includes a pull-reliever pulling-off device, a braking capstan, a fiber reeling-off device, and an S/Z-bench (6) for laying the fibers around the pull-reliever. When used with a grooved pull-reliever (2), a laying-on tube (11) of the S/Z bench (6) is connected to a transmission (14), and a sensor (17) is connected to the transmission and functions to detect rotation of the laying-on tube (11) caused by the oscillating waveshape of the grooves. The reeling-off device (1) and the braking capstan (3) are controlled to cause the pull-reliever (2) to rotate to perform a corrective function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson
    Inventor: Bengt A. Nortenius
  • Patent number: 5259180
    Abstract: A cabling machine is disclosed for laying optofibers, cables or the like in an oscillating, wavy path around a smooth pull-reliever, or into grooves having an oscillating, wavy shape which are extruded around a pull-reliever, i.e., so-called S/Z-cabling. The machine includes an S/Z-bench (6) which includes an aligning mechanism (13) which grips and guides the pull-reliever (2), and a motor (15) which imparts an oscillating, rotational movement to the aligning mechanism via a transmission (14). When used with a grooved pull-reliever (2), a laying-on tube (11) of the S/Z bench (6) is connected to the transmission (14) and a sensor (17) is connected to the transmission and functions to detect rotation of the laying-on tube (11) caused by the oscillating waveshape of the grooves. A reeling-off device (1) and a braking capstan (3) of the machine then cause the pull-reliever (2) to rotate to perform a corrective function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson
    Inventor: Bengt A. Nortenius
  • Patent number: 4411130
    Abstract: A head for the simultaneous laying of optical fibers within a grooved cylindrical support rod comprises a hollow tube through which the support rod is capable of passing longitudinally, a draw-ring rigidly fixed to and in axial alignment with the tube. A central opening of the draw-ring has an internal flange provided with radial projecting portions each adapted to rest on the bottom of one groove of the support rod. A member for inserting the optical fibers within the grooves of the support rod has a central opening which is in alignment with the central opening of the draw-ring and through which the support rod is displaceable in continuous translational motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1983
    Assignee: Lignes Telegraphiques et Telephoniques
    Inventors: Gilles Dubois, Jean P. Hulin
  • Patent number: 4388799
    Abstract: Apparatus for tracking the paths of helical grooves at the periphery of a longitudinal core driven in translation. The apparatus comprises two disks (11, 12) fitted onto said core, said disks being connected together by metal wires (13) forming a spring which presses on the grooves (21, 22) to track their apparent rotation when said core (2) moves in translation.Application to laying optical fibres on a grooved carrier core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1983
    Assignee: Les Cables de Lyon
    Inventor: Jean-Patrick Vives
  • Patent number: 4384446
    Abstract: Laying optical waveguides into sinuous grooves of a support filament while holding the grooves in the same position as the filament passes through a waveguide laying station by causing the filament to twist in oscillatory fashion during passage through the station. The grooves are held in the same positions by positionally fixed guide projections located in the grooves. By this laying method, the waveguides themselves are not oscillated around the support filament as they are fed into the laying station. Also, guide elements to feed the waveguides into the grooves extend downstream to a wrapping station whereby tape wrapped around the support filament also is wrapped around the guide elements. The waveguides exit from the guide elements after the tape has been wrapped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1983
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Tomasz S. Hope, Robert J. Williams
  • Patent number: 4237687
    Abstract: A head for laying optical fibres in a helically grooved cable core consists of a freely rotating mount assembly carrying fibre guides inclined on the axis of travel of the core with an angle smaller than 45.degree.. The fibre guides are elastic hollow tubes ended by a bevel maintained on the bottom of the associated groove. An optical control unit is provided for correct positioning of the mount when starting to lay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1980
    Assignee: Societe Lignes Telegraphiques et Telephoniques
    Inventors: Michel de Vecchis, Jean-Pierre Hulin
  • Patent number: 4151704
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for laying-up hoses and electrical cable cores in which the hoses and cores are initially laid out horizontally and threaded through tubes extending between a plurality of lay plates. The hoses and cores are pulled from the tubes while the lay plates are rotated synchronously to form a laid-up unit. The tubes are freely rotatable with respect to the lay plates, so that the hoses and cores are themselves twist free in the laid-up unit. The horizontal arrangement avoids the need for the hoses to be wound on enormous bobbins and laid up using conventional laying-up techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1978
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1979
    Assignee: International Standard Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Lyndon R. Spicer, Bernard C. Warren