Textile machine having a plurality of workstations and a method for monitoring a textile machine having a plurality of workstations

Abstract

Method for monitoring a textile machine having a plurality of workstations and a textile machine having a plurality of workstations, the textile machine having: a textile machine control unit, designed to capture different production figures of the individual workstations and to check whether the production figures exceed specified limit values; an input unit for inputting the limit values and selecting at least one production figure to be checked out of the set of production figures to be checked; and an indicating unit. The indicating unit has a plurality of signal units, which are arranged on the textile machine control unit and/or the workstations in question, are associated with the individual workstations and are designed in such a way that the result of the check of the at least one selected production figure to be checked for exceeding the allocated, specified limit value is indicated by different light signals.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a textile machine having one workstation or a plurality of workstations in which method different production figures of the individual workstations are captured, at least one selectable production figure is checked for exceeding a specified limit value and subsequently a result of the check is optically indicated, characterised in that a plurality of lighting strips are associated with the individual workstations and are arranged on a textile machine control unit and/or the one workstation or the plurality of workstations and at which the result of the check of the at least one selected production figure to be checked for exceeding the specified limit value is indicated by different light signals, wherein the textile machine has a service unit capable of being moved along the workstations, for automatically detecting workstations in need of maintenance and automatically performing maintenance work, wherein the lighting strips are arranged at the workstations in such a way and that the light signals are produced at said lighting strips in such a way that an optical detection device of the service unit automatically detects workstations in need of maintenance and/or alignment relative to the workstation by using said light signals, and characterised in that the textile machine has a plurality of spinning positions, and characterised in that the textile machine control unit captures efficiencies of the plurality of spinning positions at predefined intervals after a defined observation period.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the lighting strips are designed to indicate the result of the check by light signals of different brightness and/or colour.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the lighting strips are designed to indicate the result of the check by continuous light and flashing light.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the lighting strips have an LED indicator.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that workstations having identical product groups are indicated by the light signals.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the production figures to be checked are determined from a mean value of a plurality of production figures determined at selectable intervals over a selectable time period, the mean value being an arithmetic, geometric or harmonic mean value or a mean value combined from at least two of the arithmetic, geometric or harmonic mean values.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one of the efficiencies is a mean efficiency.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterised in that the mean efficiency is used to evaluate and assess a production quality.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterised in that when the mean efficiency of a spinning position falls below a previously defined lower limit value, the spinning position is indicated as needing maintenance by a corresponding light signal at the lighting strip.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one of the efficiencies is a current efficiency.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterised in that the current efficiency is used to analyze a trend.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An embodiment example of the present invention is explained below with reference to a figure. In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a spinning machine having a plurality of spinning positions, in a side view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(3) The following description of the embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. The following description is provided herein solely by way of example for purposes of providing an enabling disclosure of the invention, but does not limit the scope or substance of the invention.

(4) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a textile machine, which is in the form of a spinning machine 1 and has a plurality of adjacently arranged spinning positions 2, which form the individual workstations of the textile machine. The spinning positions 2 are controlled and monitored by means of a central textile machine control unit 3. An input unit device 5 for inputting of process parameters and calling up of production figures on the textile machine control unit 3 allows a machine operator, inter alia, to input process parameters and call up production figures. In order to signal spinning positions 2 needing maintenance, an indicator 6 having a signal unit 4 connected to the textile machine control unit 3 is arranged at each spinning position 2, which signal unit 4 indicates the operating state of the spinning position 2 by means of a coloured light signal. Spinning positions 2 operating within defined limit values are indicated by a green light signal. Spinning positions 2 requiring maintenance are indicated by a continuous red light. The signal units 4 are arranged in such a way that spinning positions 2 needing maintenance can be easily detected by a machine operator from a distance and also can be detected by an automatically operating service unit (not shown here), which can be moved along the spinning positions 2.

(5) A spinning position 2 needing maintenance is indicated in accordance with the settings set at the textile machine control unit 3. After one or more production figures have been selected from a specified set, e.g. the efficiency, an observation time period is defined.

(6) For the purposes of the present invention, the efficiency preferably corresponds to a ratio of the actual production time, which is a time in which production actually took place, to a target production time, which is a time in which production could take place. In the present preferred embodiment example, production actually took place further preferably means that the corresponding spinning position 2 has spun yarn, whereas production could take place describes a state in which the spinning position is in a state ready for production but no yarn is spun. The latter may be the case, for example, if the spinning position is in a waiting state in which spinning position 2 is waiting for something such as the feeding of a new spinning can, the doffing of a finished take-up package, or the removal of a blockage by the operator or similar. To calculate the efficiency, it is further preferable to define a common point in time as a reference point for both the actual and target production time, for example the start of the observation period as well as the start of a shift. If, simply as an example, a spinning position 2 has been in a state ready for production for 60 minutes since the start of the shift, but has produced for only 53 minutes since the start of the shift, the efficiency of the spinning position 2 for the period under consideration is approximately 88.3%.

(7) According to a further preferred embodiment example, a definable production group consisting of a predefinable number of spinning positions 2 or even the spinning machine comprising all the spinning positions 2 can be considered with regard to a selected production figure such as the efficiency. In this preferred embodiment example, a distinction is made between a mean efficiency and a current efficiency. The mean efficiency of a number of spinning positions 2 combined to form a production group (which can also be the spinning machine) is preferably the sum of the actual production times of these spinning positions 2 divided by a sum of the target production times of these spinning positions 2. In contrast, a current efficiency defines an instantaneous value which, in relation to this number of spinning positions 2, indicates how many spinning positions 2 are currently producing or spinning a yarn. For example, the production group can comprise 600 spinning positions 2, of which 578 spinning positions 2 are currently producing or spinning a yarn. This results in a current efficiency of approximately 96.3%. The mean efficiency is particularly suitable for evaluating and assessing a production quality, while the current efficiency can be used to analyse a trend and to detect possible problems at an early stage.

(8) According to an alternative preferred embodiment example, the produced quantity, length, weight or another suitable parameter can be used as a basis for calculation instead of the time. In particular, relying on the quantity, length or weight proves to be advantageous if there is no linear relationship between a production time and a production quantity.

(9) In the preferred embodiment example, the textile machine control unit 3 captures the efficiencies of all the spinning positions 2 at predefined intervals after the observation period has been defined, e.g. every 2 minutes, and stores these efficiencies in a memory of the textile machine control unit 3. After the defined observation time period of e.g. 4 hours has passed, there are 120 measurements. The textile machine control unit 3 then determines the mean value of the efficiency over the observation time period for the first time. From then on, the mean value over the last 4 hours is determined with each new measured value, i.e. every 2 minutes. That is, the mean value is continually updated so that the efficiency for each spinning position 2 over the last 4 hours is always available.

(10) If the mean efficiency of a spinning position 2 falls below a previously defined lower limit value, this spinning position 2 is indicated as needing maintenance by means of a corresponding light signal at the signal unit 4. This spinning position 2 can be quickly identified by a machine operator from a distance so that appropriate countermeasures can be immediately initiated. After the malfunction has been corrected, the mean efficiency rises again and, after it has exceeded the defined lower limit value, this spinning position 2 is again indicated as operating properly by the textile machine control unit 3. Alternatively or in addition to the capturing of the efficiency, other production figures can also be used for monitoring. These can be, for example, the number of clearer cuts or thread breaks or the piecing reliability.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(11) 1 Textile machine/spinning machine 2 Workstation/spinning position 3 Textile machine control unit 4 Signal unit

(12) It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements.