Textile machine producing cross-wound packages

Abstract

A textile machine for producing cross-wound packages, which has a plurality of workstations on the two longitudinal sides of the machine and is equipped with a tube magazine arranged at an end of the machine, the tube magazine having a plurality of empty-tube transport rows, driven by electric motor and loaded with empty tubes of different yarn lots. In order to avoid the fixed division of the empty-tube transport rows that hitherto was defined by the construction of the tube magazine and thus to avoid limited variations in the yarn lot management, the invention provides for the empty-tube transport rows to be equipped with electric drives, which are connected to a control unit of the textile machine, the machine control system being designed in such a way that different lot management programs are set by software.

Claims

1. A textile machine for producing cross-wound packages, having a plurality of workstations on the two longitudinal sides of the machine and equipped with a tube magazine arranged at an end of the machine, the tube magazine having several empty-tube transport rows, driven by electric motor and loaded with empty tubes of different yarn lots, characterized in that the empty-tube transport rows are equipped with electric drives connected to a control unit of the textile machine, a common drive is used for maximum two empty-tube transport rows, the control unit being configured in such a way that different lot management programs are set by software, and each of the lot management programs of the control unit is set to a different number of yarn lots, without any changes having to be made to construction of the tube magazine.

2. The textile machine for producing cross-wound packages according to claim 1, characterized in that the empty-tube transport rows of the tube magazine are assigned to a certain specifiable yarn lot by the lot management programs.

3. The textile machine for producing cross-wound packages according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric drives of the empty-tube transport rows are controlled by the control unit in accordance with the set lot management programs.

4. The textile machine for producing cross-wound packages according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric drives for the empty-tube transport rows are designed as stepper motors.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details of the invention can be taken from an embodiment example explained below on the basis of the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a tube magazine arranged at an end of an open-end rotor spinning machine.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view of a further embodiment of a tube magazine arranged at an end of an open-end rotor spinning machine, in which case some of the empty-tube transport rows are combined into transport units having a shared motor,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a tube magazine arranged at an end of an open-end rotor spinning machine and connected to the control unit of a textile machine, viewed from the front of the open-end rotor spinning machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(5) Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a tube magazine 3, which is arranged in the area at an end of a textile machine producing cross-wound packages and is connected to a control unit and can be operated by the control unit with variable lot management. The control unit is designed as a machine control system 14 here. The textile machine producing cross-wound packages is designed as an open-end rotor spinning machine 1 and has, as is known, a plurality of workstations 5 between its end frames 4, said workstations 5 being arranged on both machine longitudinal sides of the open-end rotor spinning machine 1. A common drive 24 is used for a maximum of two empty-tube transport rows.

(6) The workstations 5, which, as is usual and therefore not shown in more detail, each have a spinning apparatus and a downstream winding apparatus, are supplied during the spinning/winding operation by multiple service units 10, which, for example, are mounted movably on a rail construction 11. The service units 10, generally doffing and clearing trolleys, take action when there is a service case at one of the workstations.

(7) Such a service case exists, for example, if a cross-wound package 6 has reached its specified diameter at one of the workstations 5 and must be exchanged for a fresh empty tube 7.

(8) Open-end rotor spinning machines 1 of this kind also have what is referred to as a cross-wound package transport device 8, i.e. such textile machines have conveyor belts 9 running the length of the textile machines between the workstations 5 of the textile machines, which conveyor belts 9 are provided for removing finished cross-wound packages 6.

(9) Such open-end rotor spinning machines 1 are also often equipped with an empty-tube supply device, which chiefly consists of the tube magazine 3 arranged at an end of the machine, a tube distribution device 2 and empty-tube conveyor belts 21 running the length of the machine. If necessary, fresh empty tubes 7 are transported from the tube magazine 3 to the workstations 5 by means of the empty-tube conveyor belts 21.

(10) Referring to FIG. 2, tube magazine 3, for its part, has a plurality of empty-tube transport rows 12. The individual drives 13 are configured as electric drives, preferably as stepper motors, and are connected to a machine control system 14 of the open-end rotor spinning machine 1. The machine control system 14 is configured in such a way that it is possible to set, by software, which control program the individual drives 13 are operated with. This means that different lot management programs of the tube magazine 3 can be set by software at the machine control system 14.

(11) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the numerous empty-tube transport rows 12 of the tube magazine 3, arranged next to one another, each have a plurality of tube arbours 15, on each of which an empty tube 7 is deposited in a tip-oriented manner. If required, the empty tubes 7 can be transferred onto one of the empty-tube conveyor belts 21 by the tube distribution device 2.

(12) In the present embodiment example, the tube distribution device 2 has a tube carriage 16, which can be moved along the empty-tube transport rows 12 of the tube magazine 3 on a rail construction 17 and is equipped with a rotatably mounted tube gripper 18.

(13) The embodiment example according to FIG. 2 differs from the embodiment example according to FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 some of the empty-tube transport rows 12 are combined into transport units 19. This means that several of the empty-tube transport rows 12 have a common drive 20, which is connected to the machine control system 14 of the open-end rotor spinning machine 1.

(14) The shared drives 20 are also preferably configured as stepper motors and connected to the machine control system 14 of the open-end rotor spinning machine 1, which is configured in such a way that the control programs for the individual drives 13 and the drives 20 can be set at any time by software in such a way that the tube magazine 3 can be operated with different lot management programs.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a tube magazine 3 according to the invention arranged in the end area of a textile machine producing cross-wound packages.

(16) As can be seen, a tube magazine 3 is arranged next to the end frame 4 of an open-end rotor spinning machine 1, which tube magazine 3 has empty-tube transport rows 12, each of which is equipped with a plurality of tube arbours 15 for storing empty tubes 7. The tube magazine 3 has a plurality, for example twelve, of these empty-tube transport rows 12, which are arranged one behind another as seen in the viewing direction of FIG. 3.

(17) In a first embodiment, each of the empty-tube transport rows 12 is equipped with an individual drive 13, which is connected to the machine control system 14 of the open-end rotor spinning machine 1 via a control line 22. As already explained above, the machine control system 14 is configured in such a way that the control program for the individual drives 13 can be set by software, for example via a keyboard 23 of the machine control system 14, in such a way that the tube magazine 3 can be operated with specifiable different lot management programs.

(18) In the area of the tube magazine 3, a tube distribution device 2 is also installed, which has a tube carriage 16, which can move on rails 17 and is equipped with a rotatably mounted tube gripper 18.

(19) If required, the tube carriage 16 draws a requested empty tube 7 from a tube arbour 15 of the relevant empty-tube transport row 12 and transfers the empty tube 7 to the empty-tube conveyor belt 21 that leads to the workstation 5 requesting the empty tube 7.

(20) Function of the Device (Explained Using the Embodiment Example in FIG. 1):

(21) Before each start of operation, the tube magazine 3 is first loaded. This means that the numerous empty-tube transport rows 12 of the tube magazine 3 are each loaded with empty tubes 7 of a certain yarn lot, and empty-tube transport rows 12 arranged next to one another may well have empty tubes 7 of different yarn lots.

(22) Furthermore, the machine control system 14 of the open-end rotor spinning machine 1 is set by software in such a way as to ensure that, if necessary, a requesting workstation 5 is always supplied with an empty tube 7 of the correct yarn lot. This means that, if one of the cross-wound packages 6 has reached its prescribed diameter in the course of regular spinning operation at one of the workstations 5 and must be replaced as quickly as possible with a fresh empty tube 7, the control device of the relevant workstation 5 requests a service unit 10, for example a doffing and clearing trolley, which then travels to the workstation 5 in question and engages there. Subsequently, a cross-wound package/empty tube change is initiated by the service unit 10, i.e. the completed cross-wound package 6 is transferred by the service unit 10 to a cross-wound package transport device 8 arranged behind the workstations 5, which transports the completed cross-wound package 6 to a package transfer station arranged at an end of the machine. Simultaneously, the service unit 10 or the relevant workstation 5 requests a fresh empty tube 7 of the relevant yarn lot from the central tube magazine 3.

(23) When a fresh empty tube 7 is requested, the lot management program of the tube magazine 3, which is set by software using the machine control system 14, activates the relevant empty-tube transport row 12 of the tube magazine 3, i.e. the empty-tube transport row 12 that is loaded with empty tubes 7 of the requested yarn lot. The relevant empty-tube transport row 12 is positioned, for example, in such a way that the empty tube 7 can be gripped by a tube distribution device 2 and transferred onto an empty-tube conveyor belt 21. This means that a tube carriage 16, which is mounted for movement along the empty-tube transport rows 12 of the tube magazine 3 on a rail construction 17 and is equipped with a movable tube gripper 18, positions itself in the area of the relevant empty-tube transport row 12, grips the relevant empty tube 7 by means of the tube gripper 18 of the tube carriage 16 and transfers the relevant empty tube 7 onto the correct empty-tube conveyor belt 21.

(24) The empty-tube conveyor belt 21 then conveys the requested empty tube 7 as quickly as possible in a tip-oriented manner to the relevant workstation 5, where the empty tube 7 is picked up by the service unit 10 and inserted into the package cradle of the workstation 5.

(25) The cross-wound package/empty tube changing cycle is thereby concluded, and the spinning process can be restarted at the relevant workstation 5.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(26) 1 Open-end rotor spinning machine 2 Tube distribution device 3 Tube magazine 4 End frame 5 Workstation 6 Cross-wound package 7 Empty tube 8 Cross-wound package transport device 9 Package conveyor belt 10 Service unit 11 Rail construction 12 Empty-tube transport row 13 Individual drive 14 Machine control system 15 Tube arbour 16 Tube carriage 17 Rail 18 Tube gripper 19 Transport unit 20 Drive 21 Empty-tube conveyor belt 22 Control line 23 Keyboard; 24 common drive

(27) 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.