Textile Machine and Method for Operating the Same

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a textile machine (1) with a multiple number of similar work stations (2), whereas, with the assistance of work stations (2) during normal operation, yarn is produced or is rewound from a delivery coil onto a receiving coil, and whereas normal operation at the individual work stations (2) is interrupted at certain time intervals and is resumed with the assistance of a maintenance operation, and whereas the maintenance operations are carried out by one or more maintenance devices (3). In accordance with the invention, it proposed that for each work station (2), one or more production-related parameters are known or are determined, and that if more maintenance operations are to be carried out simultaneously than can be carried out by the maintenance devices(s) (3), the selection of the work station (2) to be serviced next will then be made under consideration of such production-related parameters, in such a manner that an upcoming batch change is completed as early as possible.

Claims

1. Method for operating a textile machine (1) with a multiple number of similar work stations (2), whereas, with the assistance of work stations (2) during normal operation, yarn is produced or is rewound from a delivery coil onto a receiving coil, and whereas normal operation at the individual work stations (2) is interrupted at certain time intervals and is resumed with the assistance of a maintenance operation, and whereas the maintenance operations are carried out by one or more maintenance devices (3), characterized in that for each work station (2), one or more production-related parameters are known or are determined, and that, if more maintenance operations are to be carried out simultaneously than can be carried out by the maintenance devices(s) (3), the selection of the work station (2) to be serviced next will then be made under consideration of such production-related parameters, in such a manner that an upcoming batch change is completed as early as possible.

2-11. (canceled)

Description

[0027] Additional advantages of the invention are described in the following embodiment. The following is shown:

[0028] FIG. 1a a schematic top view of a textile machine in accordance with the invention,

[0029] FIG. 1b a schematic top view of a textile machine from FIG. 1a during a batch change and

[0030] FIG. 2 a flow chart for the determination of maintenance priorities.

[0031] FIG. 1a shows a textile machine 1 in accordance with the invention with a multiple number of work stations 2 (whereas, for the sake of clarity, only two of which are provided with a reference sign). Each of such work stations 2 is formed to, during normal operation, produce yarn or rewind yarn from a delivery coil onto a receiving coil. Thus, the textile machine 1 comprises a spinning machine, for example a ring, rotor or air spinning machine, or a winding machine.

[0032] Furthermore, the textile machine 1 features two maintenance devices 3. If an interruption of normal operation occurs at a work station 2, the maintenance devices 3 can drive on rails 4 to such work station 2 and continue normal operation at such work station 2 with the assistance of a maintenance operation. The possible maintenance operations include, for example, setting operations, with which a yarn end is set at an empty or only partially spooled coil, yarn joining operations, with which two yarn ends are connected to each other, or coil or canister exchange operations, with which an empty delivery coil or an empty canister is exchanged for a full coil or canister.

[0033] The maintenance devices 3 are controlled by a central control unit 5, which can be located at a machine end 6 of the textile machine 1. If more maintenance operations are to be carried out simultaneously than can be carried out by the maintenance devices 3, the control unit 5 selects the work station 2 to be serviced next, taking into account the production-related parameters of the work station 2 and the travel paths and times of the maintenance devices 3, in such a manner that the productivity of the textile machine is maximized.

[0034] Furthermore, the control unit 5 controls a doffing robot 7, which can drive on the rails 8 to the individual work stations 2. In the case of a batch change (that is, a change to the production of yarn with other properties such as, for example, material, thickness, spin or surface treatment), the doffing robot 7 exchanges the coils. In FIG. 1a, no batch change takes place and the doffing robot 7 is located at one end of the rails 8 in a parking position.

[0035] The rail bows of the rails 4 and the rails 8 shown here enable the maintenance devices 3 or the doffing robot 7, as the case may be, to reach work stations 2 on both machine sides. Such rail bows are optional and may also be omitted for reasons of costs or space. In this case, at least one maintenance device 3 or at least one doffing robot 7 are required per machine side. The maintenance device 3 or the doffing robot 7 can then also only be scheduled for the machine side by the control unit 5 that is assigned to the maintenance device or doffing robot.

[0036] FIG. 1b shows the textile machine 1 from FIG. 1a during a batch change. The doffing robot 7 is now in operation and carries out the batch change at such work stations 2 that have already finished current production. Meanwhile, at the other work stations 2, the production of threads with the original characteristics continues. If interruptions in normal operation occur at such work stations 2, the control unit 5 instructs a maintenance device 3 to carry out a maintenance operation on the work station 2 so that the work station 2 can resume normal operation.

[0037] If more maintenance operations have to be carried out simultaneously than can be carried out by the maintenance devices 3, the control device 5 selects the work station 2 to be serviced next, taking into account the production-related parameters of the work stations 2, in such a manner that the batch change is completed as early as possible, and the productivity of the textile machine 1 is thus increased. Thereby, the production-related parameters are production progress, the expected production speed and the expected maintenance operations. They are preferably determined by the control unit 5 on an ongoing basis for all work stations 2.

[0038] The selection of the work station 2 to be serviced next is explained with reference to a flow chart shown in FIG. 2. Taking into account the production-related parameters, the control unit 5 generates an expected timetable for the doffing robot 7. In doing so, the doffing robot 7 serves each work station 2 exactly once. The stops of the doffing robot 7 at each work station 2 are set as the desired times for the respective work station 2.

[0039] Taking into account the production-related parameters, the expected completion times for the individual work stations 2 are also calculated. The difference between the expected completion time and the desired time is then formed for each work station 2. On the basis of such difference, the maintenance priorities for the work stations 2 are set, and the higher the difference, the higher the maintenance priorities.

[0040] In order to further improve the determination of the maintenance priorities and thus to complete the batch change even earlier, the timetable of the doffing robot 7, the resulting desired times and the expected completion times are newly defined with further consideration of the maintenance priorities just defined. This is indicated in FIG. 2 by the dashed lines. The difference between the expected completion time and the desired time is then newly calculated, and the maintenance priorities are updated accordingly.

[0041] This procedure is repeated iteratively until a predetermined number of iterations is reached, or until the improvement in productivity from one iteration step to the next iteration step falls below a predetermined value.

[0042] This invention is not limited to the described embodiment and can be modified within the scope of the claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0043] 1 Textile machine [0044] 2 Workstations [0045] 3 Maintenance devices [0046] 4 Rails [0047] 5 Control unit [0048] 6 Machine end [0049] 7 Doffing robot [0050] 8 Rails