Abstract
A method is provided for operating a semi-automatic or fully automatic cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine that has a plurality of identical, adjacently arranged, and at least partially autonomous workstations. Each of the workstations has a spinning device for manufacturing a thread and a winding device including a package holder for winding the thread onto a cross-wound package. Once an end of a lot being processed at one of the workstations has been reached, the workstation is stopped. A requirement that at least one manual service action must be carried out at the workstation before a lot change at the workstation is displayed at the workstation.
Claims
1-15: (canceled)
16. A method for operating a semi-automatic or fully automatic cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine that has a plurality of identical, adjacently arranged, and at least partially autonomous workstations, wherein each of the workstations has a spinning device for manufacturing a thread and a winding device including a package holder for winding the thread onto a cross-wound package, the method comprising: once an end of a lot of one of the workstations has been reached, stopping the workstation; and displaying at the workstation a requirement that at least one manual service action must be carried out at the workstation.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying at the workstation an indication of a current lot being processed at the workstation.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by an occupancy condition of the package holder or by an occupancy condition of a supply position for empty tubes at the workstation.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the cross-wound package of a current lot processed at the workstation is automatically withdrawn and the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by the package holder at the work station being empty.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the cross-wound package of a current lot processed at the workstation is automatically withdrawn and the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by an empty tube at the workstation.
21. The method of claim 16, wherein the cross-wound package of a current lot processed at the workstation is automatically withdrawn and the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by incorrectly loading the package holder at the work station.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by an optical display element at the workstation that generates any combination of a graphical, coded, lighted signal.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by an icon presented on the optical display element.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated by the optical display element after actuation of an input device associated with the optical display element.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein an operator confirms that the manual service action has been carried out by actuation of a button associated with the optical display element, and a further manual service action to be carried out is then indicated by the optical display element.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the manual service action and the further manual service action are displayed as a text display or as an icon on the optical display element.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein after the operator confirms that the manual service action and the further manual service action have been carried out, a new lot is started at the workstation.
28. The method of claim 16, wherein the manual service action to be carried out is one or both of: a replacement of spinning components; and a replacement of fiber material.
29. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying at the workstation an indication of a current lot being processed at the workstation and a different indication of a new lot to be processed after a lot change at the workstation.
30. A semi-automatic or fully automatic cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine, comprising: a plurality of identical, adjacently arranged, and at least partially autonomous workstations; each of the workstations comprising a spinning device and a winding device, the winding device comprising a package holder for winding a thread onto a cross-wound package; a control device and a display element; and wherein the control device and the display element are configured to carry out the method according to claim 16.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] Further advantages of the invention are described in the following exemplary embodiments. Wherein:
[0031] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine in the form of an overview representation,
[0032] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a workstation of a cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine,
[0033] FIG. 3 shows a face representation of an optical display element comprising a first display,
[0034] FIGS. 4 through 8 show a face representation of an optical display element comprising various further displays,
[0035] FIG. 9 shows a schematic side view of a workstation of a cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine comprising a package holder having a first occupancy condition,
[0036] FIG. 10 shows a schematic side view of a workstation of a cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine comprising a package holder having a second occupancy condition, and
[0037] FIG. 11 shows a schematic side view of a workstation of a cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine comprising a storage position for empty tubes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] 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.
[0039] In the following description of the figures, the same reference numbers are utilized for features that are identical or at least comparable in each of the individual embodiments or the individual figures. Some of the features are therefore explained only upon the first mention thereof or only once with reference to a suitable figure. Provided these features are not explained once more separately in connection with the further features, their design and/or mode of operation correspond(s) to the design and mode of operation of the identical or comparable, described features. For the sake of clarity, in the case of multiple identical features or components in a figure, only one feature or only a few of these identical features is/are labeled.
[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a cross-wound package-manufacturing spinning machine 1 in an overview representation. The spinning machine 1 is designed as an automatic or at least semi-automatic spinning machine 1 and comprises a plurality of identical, adjacently arranged workstations 2, which are arranged between two end stocks (not described in greater detail here). Each of the workstations 2 comprises a feed device for a fiber material 7, which, in the case of an open-end rotor spinning machine, is designed as an opening roller 8 (see FIG. 1). Moreover, each of the workstations 2 comprises a spinning device 3 for manufacturing a thread 6, a take-off device 9 for withdrawing the produced thread 6, and a winding device 4 for winding the produced thread 6 onto a cross-wound package 10. The workstations 2 are designed as at least partially autonomous workstations. This means, the individual workstations 2 comprise a plurality of single drives for driving their thread-producing units, so that the individual workstations can also be operated independently of the other workstations 2 of the spinning machine 1. Moreover, the workstations 2 can automatically eliminate at least a portion of the interferences arising during operation, without the need for a service robot or the intervention by an operator. Therefore, further components (not represented here), such as handling units and maintenance units, are arranged at the workstations 2. Moreover, a display element 12 is provided at each of the workstations 2, which can display, for example, various operating conditions of the workstations 2 or the particular yarn lot being produced. As an alternative to the representation shown, it is also conceivable that one display element 12 is jointly associated with two workstations 2.
[0041] FIG. 2 shows a workstation 2 of such a spinning machine 1 in a schematic side view. The spinning machine 1 is designed as an open-end rotor spinning machine in the present case and therefore comprises an opening roller 8 as a feed device and a spinning rotor 13 as a spinning element of the spinning device 3. The thread 6 produced in the spinning rotor 13 is drawn off via a take-off nozzle 14 and is fed to the winding device 4. The winding device 4 comprises a package holder 5, in which an empty tube 11 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) is accommodated, which can then be wrapped in order to form a cross-wound package 10. A winding roller 19 is provided in the present case for driving the winding device 4. The single drives of the at least partially autonomous workstations 2 as well as further handling units and maintenance units of the workstations 2 are also not represented in FIG. 2.
[0042] On these types of spinning machines 1 comprising at least partially autonomous workstations 2, it is possible to manufacture multiple yarn lots simultaneously at various workstations 2. A lot change from an old, current yarn lot to a new yarn lot can therefore also be carried out at a single workstation 2. In order to carry out a lot change, numerous change-over operations are generally necessary after the workstation 2 has been stopped, which include, for example, replacing the presented fiber material 7 as well as a portion of the spinning components, which are formed in this case by the spinning rotor 13, the opening roller 8, as well as the take-off nozzle 14. Moreover, it is usually also necessary to provide other empty tubes 11 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). In order to keep the downtimes and the associated losses of production as low as possible for the workstations 2 intended for a lot change, it is provided that a requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is displayed at a workstation 2 that has reached the end of a lot.
[0043] Preferably, the display of the requirement for a manual service action takes place via an optical display element 12 (FIG. 1), as explained in the following with reference to FIGS. 3 through 8. Alternatively, it is also possible, however, to indicate the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out via an occupancy condition of the package holder 5, as described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
[0044] FIG. 3 shows a face of an optical display element, which is designed as a graphic display 15 in the present case. FIG. 3 shows the display 15 including a first display, which shows a regular operating condition of the workstation 2. In this regular operating condition, the particular current lot, labeled here with A, is indicated by a color display 20 (represented here lightly dotted). Moreover, the regular operating condition itself is indicated by an icon 16 that is easy to understand. Associated with the display element 12 is an input device 17, with the aid of which the operator can perform inputs and communicate with a control unit (not represented here) of the workstation 2 and/or a central control unit (also not represented here). In the present case, the display 15 and the input device 17 are combined in one component, so that the input device 17 is appropriately formed by various buttons 18 of the display 15. In the display shown here, the display 15 comprises, for example, a button 18 for retrieving information. By actuating this button, the operator can enter the menu of the control unit of the workstation 2 and, there, change various settings.
[0045] By comparison, FIG. 4 shows a face of the display element 12 or the display 15, via which a requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is displayed once the end of a lot of the relevant workstation 2 has been reached. The current lot is still indicated via the color display 20. The requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated in the present case by a further icon 16 that is easy to understand. The operating personnel can very quickly recognize, on the basis of this icon, that manual actions are to be carried out at this workstation 2 and, as a result, give preference to working through these workstations 2 and/or better plan the maintenance of the relevant workstations. The display of the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is designed as a button 18 in the present case, which is recognizable by the frame surrounding the button 18 as well as by the prompt for actuation in the form of the check mark. If the operator actuates this button 18, he/she receives, in a subsequent display, more precise information regarding which specific maintenance actions are to be carried out.
[0046] FIG. 5 shows one further view of the display 15, which indicates, to the operator after actuation of the button 18 of the previous display (FIG. 4) or, in the general case, after actuation of the input device 17, the manual maintenance action to be carried out. In the present case, the task Check Spinning Components is indicated in the form of a display text. The operator receives, as a result and, possibly, via subsequent displays, the alert that he/she must check and, possibly, replace the spinning components.
[0047] It is advantageous that the same displays can be utilized both for interferences during the regular spinning operation that result in a stoppage of the workstation 2, as well as in the case of a service requirement due to an impending lot change. It is merely necessary that the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out be displayed to the operator, who is then guided through the menu and receives, step by step, specific handling instructions. The operator therefore does not need to differentiate between interferences of the regular operation and a lot change and think about which manual service actions he/she must carry out in which case, but rather only needs to follow the sequentially retrievable handling instructions, as explained in the following.
[0048] It would also be conceivable, of course, not to indicate the manual service action to be carried out in the form of a display text, as in FIG. 5, but rather via an icon in this case as well. For example, a view of a display 15 is represented in FIG. 6, which indicates, to the operator after actuation of the button 18 of the previous display (FIG. 4), the task Replace Spinning Components as a manual service action to be carried out.
[0049] The displays of the manual service actions to be carried out (FIGS. 5 and 6) also contain a button 18, with the aid of which the operator, after having completed the service action, must confirm that the service action was carried out. After the operator has confirmed that the service action has been carried out, one further necessary manual service action can possibly be displayed, the execution of which must also be confirmed by the operator, whereupon a further necessary manual service action is possibly displayed. Once all necessary manual service actions have been carried out and have been confirmed by the operator, the workstation 2 can automatically restart production and start the new lot.
[0050] Since the replacement of spinning components in the case of a lot change is time-consuming, it can also be advantageous to display the necessary replacement of spinning components directly to the operator. This is represented in the display from FIG. 7. The necessary service action Replace Spinning Components is displayed to the operator via an icon 16. The display of the necessary service action is designed as a button 18, with the aid of which the operator can directly confirm that the service action has been carried out. Moreover, in the display 15, the current lot is indicated via the color display 20 in this case as well. The button 18 for retrieving information is also included. It is conceivable that the operator receives this display after he/she has actuated the button from FIG. 4.
[0051] Alternatively, it is also possible, however, that the display Replace Spinning Components appears directly when the relevant workstation 2 has reached the end of the lot. As a result, the operating personnel can recognize, at first glance, that the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out relates to a lot change including a replacement of spinning components and can give preference to handling these workstations 2. This is also advantageous, in particular, for the case in which specially trained personnel are necessary for such a replacement of spinning components. The personnel can therefore immediately recognize whether simple manual service actions are to be carried out or whether a replacement of spinning components, for which the specially trained personnel are necessary, is to be carried out.
[0052] In order to further reduce the amount of time necessary for the change-over of the workstations 2 in the case of a lot change, it can also be advantageous to display, in advance, that a lot change is due at the relevant workstation 2. This is represented in the display from FIG. 8. The workstation 2 is still in regular operation, which is apparent on the basis of the icon 16. As is the case in FIG. 4, the button 18 for retrieving information is also apparent. In the upper area of the display 15, however, in contrast to the representation from FIG. 4, the color display 21 of the new lot (darkly dotted and labeled with B) is also apparent, in addition to the color display 20 of the current lot (lightly dotted and labeled with A). As a result, the operator can already obtain all necessary spinning components and the like, and, once the lot has ended, which is apparent via the display according to FIG. 4 or 7, replace the spinning components and carry out all other necessary steps.
[0053] Finally, FIGS. 9 through 11 show one further alternative embodiment, in which the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated via the occupancy condition of the package holder 5 or the occupancy condition of a storage position 22 for empty tubes 11.
[0054] FIG. 9 shows a situation, for example, in which the workstation 2 has reached the end of the lot and has already been stopped. In this case, empty tubes 11 of the new lot have already been made available at the spinning machine 1. Moreover, with the aid of the control unit of the workstation 2 and/or the spinning machine 1, the lot change has already been initiated, in that an empty tube 11 of the new lot has been placed into the package holder 5, as is apparent on the basis of the darkly dotted color of the empty tube. The display element 12, however, still displays the color display 20 of the current lot, which has just ended. The installed empty tube 11 therefore does not match the displayed lot, and so the package holder 5 has the condition incorrect load. The operating personnel can therefore recognize, on the basis of the stopped workstation 2 as well as the incorrect load of the package holder, that a lot change is due and manual actions are to be carried out.
[0055] Similarly, the workstation 2 is shown in FIG. 10 after the end of the lot has been reached and the workstation 2 has been stopped. A new empty tube 11 has not yet been installed, however. The package holder 5 therefore has the occupancy condition empty. The operating personnel can recognize, on the basis of the occupancy condition empty as well as the display of the current lot, that a lot change is due and manual actions are to be carried out.
[0056] FIG. 11 shows a workstation 2, which additionally comprises a storage position for empty tubes 11, wherein the requirement that at least one manual service action be carried out is indicated via the empty tube 11 made available. The workstation 2 has reached the end of the lot in this case and has already been stopped. As is also the case in FIG. 9, empty tubes 11 of the new lot have already been made available at the spinning machine 1. With the aid of the control unit of the workstation 2 and/or the spinning machine 1, the lot change has already been initiated, in that an empty tube 11 of the new lot (darkly dotted color) has been made available in the storage position 22, but has not yet been placed into the package holder 5. The package holder 5 therefore has the occupancy condition empty. The operating personnel can therefore recognize, on the basis of the empty tube made available and the occupancy condition empty, that a lot change is due and manual actions are to be carried out.
[0057] In the present case, the color display 20 of the current lot, which has just ended, is additionally displayed by the display element 12. The empty tube 11 made available in the storage position 22 therefore does not match the displayed lot, on the basis of which the operating personnel can also recognize that a lot change is due and manual actions are to be carried out.
[0058] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments which have been represented. 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
[0059] 1 spinning machine [0060] 2 workstation [0061] 3 spinning device [0062] 4 winding device [0063] 5 package holder [0064] 6 thread [0065] 7 fiber material [0066] 8 opening roller [0067] 9 take-off device [0068] 10 cross-wound package [0069] 11 empty tube [0070] 12 display element [0071] 13 spinning rotor [0072] 14 take-off nozzle [0073] 15 display [0074] 16 icon [0075] 17 input device [0076] 18 button [0077] 19 winding roller [0078] 20 color display of the current lot [0079] 21 color display of the new lot [0080] 22 storage position
