Method for operating a spinning machine, and spinning machine

Abstract

A method for operating a spinning machine that has a plurality of adjacently arranged workstations and at least one trash conveying unit that transports trash accumulating at the workstations to at least one receiving unit includes discontinuously driving the trash conveying unit during operation of the spinning machine.

Claims

1. A method for operating a spinning machine that has a plurality of adjacently arranged workstations and at least one trash conveying unit that transports trash accumulating at the workstations to at least one receiving unit, the method comprising: discontinuously driving the at least one trash conveying unit during operation of the spinning machine; maintaining the at least one trash conveying unit at a standstill during one or more downtimes and driving the at least one trash conveying unit during one or more operating times; and adjusting one or both of a duration of the one or more downtimes or a duration of the one or more operating times based on one or both of amount of trash accumulating or particular production application of the spinning machine.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more downtimes and the one or more operating times follow one another in an alternating manner.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the at least one trash conveying unit is driven during the one or more operating times according to a speed profile.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one receiving unit is a suction unit and the trash transported by the at least one trash conveying unit is sucked up by the suction unit.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one trash conveying unit is driven during the one or more operating times according to a speed profile, and the at least one receiving unit is brought to a standstill during the one or more downtimes of the at least one trash conveying unit.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit is also adjustable based on one or both of the amount of trash accumulating or the particular production application of the spinning machine.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the duration of the one or more operating times, the duration of the one or more downtimes, or the speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit are established by a control system of the spinning machine.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein a receiving capacity of the at least one receiving unit is established depending on one or both of amount of accumulating trash and a speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein a distribution of the accumulating trash is determined and one or both of a running direction and a speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit during the one or more operating times is determined based on the distribution.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one receiving unit is brought to a standstill or is operated depending on a running direction of the at least one trash conveying unit.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one trash conveying unit is moved during the one or more operating times by an extent corresponding to the length of an entire machine longitudinal side of the spinning machine.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more downtimes are between 10 seconds and 240 minutes and the one or more operating times are at least 10 seconds.

13. A spinning machine, comprising: a control system configured to control the trash conveying unit in accordance with claim 1.

14. A method for operating a spinning machine that has a plurality of adjacently arranged workstations and at least one trash conveying unit that transports trash accumulating at the workstations to at least one receiving unit, the method comprising: discontinuously driving the at least one trash conveying unit during operation of the spinning machine; maintaining the at least one trash conveying unit at a standstill during one or more downtimes and driving the at least one trash conveying unit during one or more operating times; adjusting a duration of the one or more operating times, a duration of the one or more downtimes, or the speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit; establishing the duration of the one or more operating times, the duration of the one or more downtimes, or the speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit with a control system of the spinning machine; and wherein the duration of the one or more operating times, the duration of the one or more downtimes, or the speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit are stored in and retrieved from the control system of the spinning machine.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein the duration of the one or more operating times, the duration of the one or more downtimes, or the speed profile of the at least one trash conveying unit are established depending on energy consumption of one or both of the at least one trash conveying unit and the at least one receiving unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages of the invention are described in the following exemplary embodiments. Wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a side view of a spinning machine, and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a speed profile of a trash conveying unit and of a receiving unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) Reference will now be made to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are shown in the drawings. Each embodiment is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For example features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be combined with another embodiment to yield still another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations to the embodiments described herein.

(5) In the following description of the figures, the same reference signs are utilized for features, which are identical and/or at least comparable in each of the various figures. The individual features, their embodiment and/or mode of operation are explained in detail usually only upon the first mention thereof. If individual features are not explained in detail once more, their embodiment and/or mode of operation correspond/corresponds to the embodiment and mode of operation of the features, which act in the same way or have the same name and have already been described.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a spinning machine comprising a plurality of adjacently arranged workstations 1, wherein these workstations 1 are controlled by a control system 2 of the spinning machine. In this example, a trash conveying unit 3 extends below the individual workstations 1, wherein this trash conveying unit 3 comprises a conveyor belt 4. The conveyor belt 4 is discontinuously driven by a drive 5, wherein the conveyor belt 4 can be moved, during an operating time, toward the left or the right, for example, in an oscillating or uniform manner, or according to a certain speed profile. A separately controllable receiving unit 7 in the form of a suction unit 8 is located on each of the two outer ends, i.e., at the reversal point 6 of the conveyor belt. A sensor system for detecting the amount of trash and the position of the trash on the trash conveying unit 3 is not represented.

(7) A certain amount of trash results due to the operation of the workstations 1, in particular due to the opening of the sliver into individual fibers. The amount of trash is determined by the sliver cleanliness, i.e., the basic soiling of the sliver, as well as by the utilized technology and the set parameters thereof. In addition, the base material itself has a great effect on the amount of trash that arises during the spinning process.

(8) The trash accumulating in the particular workstations 1 gradually drops in the direction of the floor during the spinning process, where it is received by the trash conveying unit 3, directly by the conveyor belt 4 in this case. Depending on the position and amount of the trash accumulated on the trash conveying unit 3, the control system 2 of the spinning machine determines at least the operating time(s) 9 (see FIG. 2) (or downtime(s) 12) of the trash conveying unit 3. If necessary, a running direction and/or a speed profile of the trash conveying unit 3 can also be determined. The control system 2 can therefore determine the most effective possibility for removing the trash. For example, the trash on the conveyor belt 4 is transported either to the left or the right in the direction of the suction units 8. The suction units 8 are also preferably automatically activated by the control system 2 of the spinning machine. If the trash, with the aid of the conveyor belt 4, then gets close to the suction unit 8, the trash is finally removed by the air flow of the suction unit 8.

(9) FIG. 2 shows, by way of example, a speed profile and the (duration of the) operating time(s) and downtime(s) of a device according to FIG. 1 comprising a trash conveying unit 3 as well as two oppositely positioned receiving units 7 in the form of suction units 8. FIG. 2 shows an exemplary sequence of a trash removal operation based on two operating times 9 and a downtime 12 of the trash conveying unit 3, as well as an operating time 10, 11 of the receiving units 7, respectively. In the first operating time of the trash conveying unit 3, the drive 5 moves at a relative speed level of “3” in a first direction; this direction of rotation could result, for example, in a movement direction of the trash toward the right. Thereupon, the control system 2 of the spinning machine activates the first receiving unit 7 at the same time as the activation of the trash conveying unit 3 in the present case. In the present case, the receiving unit 7 is activated having a receiving capacity (in the example, a receiving capacity corresponding to the speed level “4”) depending on the amount of transported trash, i.e., the greater the amount of trash, the greater the receiving capacity of the receiving unit 7 is. The suction intensity of the receiving unit 7 could also always be constant, of course, i.e., without the specification of a certain level.

(10) After the trash has been largely removed from the trash conveying unit 3, the trash conveying unit 3 is gradually decelerated. In order to prevent trash from falling off the trash conveying unit 3, the receiving unit 7 is decelerated with delay and, therefore, continues to operate for a slightly longer period of time than the trash conveying unit 3. It is also conceivable, however, that the deceleration of the receiving unit 7 takes place at the same time as the deceleration of the trash conveying unit 3. After the deceleration of the two components, the two components are in a downtime 12.

(11) After further trash has accumulated on the trash conveying unit 3, the trash conveying unit 3 and the second receiving unit 7 are activated by the control system 2 of the spinning machine, wherein the movement direction of the trash conveying unit 3 takes place counter to the first movement direction. This is represented by a negative speed level. In the present case, the second receiving unit 7 is still activated with delay with respect to the trash conveying unit 3, specifically before the trash conveying unit 3 in this case. Once a sufficient amount of trash has been removed from the trash conveying unit 3 by the second receiving unit 7, both components are brought to a standstill again, which also takes place with delay.

(12) The described speed profile and the described downtimes and operating times are represented merely as examples. Of course, the downtimes and operating times of the trash conveying unit 3 can also remain the same upon every new activation and can be newly set only in connection with another application. The trash conveying unit 3 can also always be operated only at a single speed level, which incidentally also applies for the receiving unit(s) 7.

(13) It is also conceivable that two or more consecutive operating times 9 have the same movement direction. A periodically fluctuating movement direction regardless of the position of the trash is also conceivable.

(14) The extents traveled by the trash conveying unit 3 can also be different. According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, for example, the trash conveying unit 3 is moved once, during the operating time, completely from the first end of a machine longitudinal side to the second end. In this way, it can be ensured that the trash removed from all workstations 1 also actually reaches the first receiving unit 7 and can be disposed of there. The receiving unit 7 associated with the first end of the machine longitudinal side is active during the operating time.

(15) A longer downtime 12 of the trash conveying unit 3 follows. This can be, for example, 10 minutes. Advantageously, both receiving units 7 are also brought to a standstill during the downtime. In this case, it can be advantageous when the duration of the downtime is adjustable, in order to be able to implement adaptations to various circumstances. Thereafter, the trash conveying unit 3 is reactivated and is moved in the other direction by an extent which, in turn, corresponds to the length of the entire machine longitudinal side, although at least corresponding to the length of all adjacently arranged workstations 1. At the same time, the receiving unit 7 positioned opposite the first receiving unit 7 is now set in operation. The first receiving unit 7 advantageously remains at a standstill and is reactivated only if—after a further, possibly adjustable downtime, during which preferably both receiving units 7 are brought to a standstill—the trash conveying unit 3 is reactivated and is moved in the first direction again.

(16) The present invention is not limited to the represented and described exemplary embodiments. Modifications within the scope of the claims are also possible, as is any combination of the features, even if they are represented and described in different exemplary embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(17) 1 workstation 2 control system 3 trash conveying unit 4 conveyor belt 5 drive 6 reversal point 7 receiving unit 8 suction unit 9 operating time of the trash conveying unit 10 operating time of the first receiving unit 11 operating time of the second receiving unit 12 downtime