COMBING MACHINE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a combing machine for spinning preparation with a machine frame in which at least two combing heads are arranged, and having a main drive motor for driving the combing heads.

[0002] For example, DE 10 2012 011 030 A1 discloses a combing head of a combing machine for use in spinning preparation. The combing head has, as an essential structural component, a drive input shaft that drives a pincer gear. The pincer gear serves to drive a pincer device. Furthermore, the gear unit has detaching cylinders, and the detaching cylinders are arranged at the gear output of a planetary gear. Via a rocker crank and a cam gear, the rotary motion of a central shaft is coupled to the pincer shaft, causing the latter to execute an oscillating motion. At the same time, the central shaft also drives the planetary gear for the detaching cylinders. The central shaft is coupled to the drive input shaft via a gear stage.

[0003] The combing head therefore comprises shafts and working cylinders coupled to the shafts, which act in various ways and perform an oscillating motion. The detaching cylinders, in particular, perform a so-called pilgrim-step motion. Furthermore, there are shafts and thus working cylinders that perform a continuous rotary motion or a rotary motion with varying speeds. For example, the circular comb shaft with a circular comb roller mounted on it performs a rotary motion in one direction at a fluctuating speed, resulting in a discontinuous power consumption for a main drive motor consisting of additional, discontinuously rotating working cylinders with acceleration and deceleration phases across the comb clearance and the drive or receiving shafts of the gearbox.

[0004] Modern combing machines, for example, have eight combing heads arranged in a row next to each other in or on a machine frame. The combing heads operate synchronously, so that some shafts, especially those operated discontinuously, can be coupled together, creating a kind of continuous design, so that several combing heads share common shafts. This reduces the design effort and ensures synchronous operation of the combing heads. The same can be provided for the detaching cylinders.

[0005] For example, EP 2 397 584 B1 shows a combing head with detachable cylinders, each driven by two synchronously operated electric motors. This allows for increased dynamics in the discontinuous rotary motion of the detachable cylinders. On each side of the detachable cylinders, there is a gear unit through which the respective electric motor is operatively connected to the detachable cylinder.

[0006] DE 102006026850 A1 discloses the grouped arrangement of several combing heads into a drive unit. This is intended to reduce the load on the longitudinal shafts and improve the operability of the combing machine.

[0007] US2017167056 A1 discloses the offset operation of at least one combing cylinder in the circumferential direction of rotation relative to the other combing cylinders of the common shaft, which is intended to reduce the load on the common shaft.

[0008] Due to the pilgrim step motion, the shearing cylinders, and the oscillating motion of the nipper shaft, the power consumption of the main drive motor is characterized by a discontinuous curve, which, however, repeats in the same way for each combing cycle. In particular, the deceleration and acceleration of the shafts and the differently acting working cylinders mounted on them, generally referred to as such here, results in a characteristic curve, with the power consumption being required both to generate a torque in a first direction of rotation and to generate a torque in an opposite direction of rotation of the motor. This results in an overall high power consumption and a high energy requirement for operating a combing machine, especially one with multiple combing heads.The reason for a poor power balance is also the inability to operate the main drive motor at an operating optimum, particularly with regard to its torque, since the output torque changes periodically over each tooth clearance.

[0009] The object of the invention is to optimize the operation of a combing machine with the lowest possible power consumption. Several combing heads arranged side by side in a row are to be operated without increasing the design effort for coupling the combing heads to one another.

[0010] This object is achieved by a combing machine according to the preamble of claim 1 in conjunction with the characterizing features. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0011] To achieve the object, the invention provides that a main shaft is provided which is operatively connected to the main drive motor, wherein the main shaft drives the at least two combing heads, wherein the combing heads are operatively connected to the main shaft in such a way that, during operation of the main drive motor, the combing play of the combing heads runs out of phase with respect to one another.

[0012] The core idea of ​​the invention is a phase shift in the combing play of at least two combing heads or from the first group of combing heads to the combing play of the second group of combing heads, so that a power flow can result via the active connections between the groups, which can at least partially compensate for one another. The acceleration phase and thus the proportion of power consumption for accelerating the first combing head or the first group of combing heads can be partially fed by a torque generated by a deceleration phase of the combing play of the second combing head or the second group of combing heads. The result is a smoothing of the power curve, so that the overall power requirement for operating the combing machine is reduced and the main drive motor can be operated at or close to an operating optimum.

[0013] It is particularly advantageous for this purpose to couple the first combing head and the second combing head, or the first gear and the second gear for driving the groups of combing heads. This way, without requiring a periodically changing power flow via the main drive motor, a power surplus, for example, during a deceleration phase of key working cylinders in the first combing head or in the first group of combing heads, can be used to execute an acceleration phase of the key working cylinders of the second combing head or the second group of combing heads. This provides the advantage of coupling the first gear to the second gear, so that power compensation can be achieved via the coupling.

[0014] In particular, the main shaft is designed to couple the first combing head and the second combing head, or the first gear and the second gear, via the main shaft. This main shaft does not pass through the combing heads themselves; rather, the main shaft bypasses the combing heads and preferably only connects the two gears.

[0015] The phase shift can be particularly advantageously adjusted mechanically and rigidly via the main shaft. According to the invention, the main shaft for this purpose has an adjusting means by means of which a part of the main shaft connected to the first gear unit can be adjusted about a shaft axis relative to a part of the main shaft connected to the second gear unit. It is also conceivable to arrange the adjusting means on one or both gear units, so that only one main part of the main shaft results, which extends between the adjusting means and the main drive motor. The adjusting means therefore makes it possible to adjust the phase shift, and the adjusting means can be equipped with actuators in order to change the phase shift, for example via a control unit of the combing machine, either when the machine is at a standstill or even during operation.If the adjusting means is designed in such a way that the phase offset can be adjusted via a control unit, in particular during operation of the combing machine, the phase offset can also be monitored via a control unit in such a way that the power consumption of the combing machine remains minimal.

[0016] With regard to the structural design of the combing machine, it is advantageous that the first gear is arranged at a first end of the row of adjacent combing heads and that the second gear is arranged at a second, opposite end of the row of adjacent combing heads. The first gear and the second gear enclose the entire unit of combing heads between them, with the further advantage that the first group of combing heads, consisting of adjacent combing heads, forms a left-hand part and the second group of combing heads, consisting of adjacent combing heads, forms a right-hand part of the row of adjacent combing heads in the machine frame. In this respect, the groups of combing heads operated with a phase offset are designed on two sides, and the row of combing heads forms a transverse axis of the machine frame, which, in a manner known per se, forms the longitudinal extension of a combing machine.Distributed over the longitudinal extent, the two groups of combing heads operated with a phase offset to each other thus form a left and a right part of the row, and the left part of the combing heads, for example four pieces, is operated with a phase offset to a right part of the combing heads, also for example four pieces.

[0017] For example, the first group of combing heads has a common first drive input shaft that is operatively connected to the first gearing, and the second group of combing heads has a common second drive input shaft that is operatively connected to the second gearing. This merely illustrates one possible variant of connecting the group of combing heads to one another via a common drive input shaft, wherein the torque curve of the drive input shaft of the first group of combing heads can partially compensate for the torque curve of the drive input shaft of the second group of combing heads via the generated phase shift.

[0018] The combing heads each have a tongs shaft. It is also conceivable to design the tongs shaft of the first group of combing heads as a common tongs shaft, and the tongs shafts of the second group of combing heads as another common tongs shaft. This results in a first tongs shaft and a second tongs shaft, to which all combing heads are connected. These two tongs are phase-shifted relative to one another, enabling mutual compensation via the coupled gears. For example, the oscillating movement of the first tongs shaft can run in the opposite direction to the oscillating movement of the second tongs shaft.

[0019] The combing heads also each have a circular comb shaft, with the circular comb shafts of the first group of combing heads being connected to a common first circular comb shaft, and the circular comb shafts of the second group of combing heads being connected to a common second circular comb shaft. Consequently, the circular comb shafts can also compensate for each other, possibly being coupled to the tongs shafts and to the shafts of the detachable cylinders, so that even discontinuously operated cylinders of the respective group of combing heads can be compensated for each other in their operation via the coupling of the circular comb shafts.

[0020] In principle, it is possible to connect the individual shafts of the combing heads discretely for each combing head via the associated drive input shaft of the combing heads. Alternatively, it is possible to connect other partial shafts of the combing heads, such as the tongs shaft, the circular comb shaft, or the shafts of the detaching cylinders, in groups. In this respect, the first gear and the second gear can either drive only the respective drive input shaft of the combing heads, or the first and second gears can be designed to drive the respective shafts of the combing heads individually in groups.

[0021] It is also advantageous that the first and second gears have preloaded gearing to enable backlash-free load changes. Particularly when acceleration and deceleration phases of the discontinuously operated shafts of the combing heads must be compensated for, a torque reversing over short periods for each combing backlash occurs, which must be transmitted via the gears. In this respect, preloaded gearing of the gears enables an immediate torque change without generating backlash. The preloaded gearing can be implemented, for example, using the principle of a three-pinion tensioning system or a similar method.

[0022] The phase offset between the combing play of the first group of combing heads and the second group of combing heads can be changed and adjusted as desired, and it is also conceivable that the phase offset is continuously adjusted or readjusted as a function of a minimum power consumption as a reference variable during operation of the combing machine, for example by measuring or monitoring the average power consumption.

[0023] With regard to the overall design of the combing machine, it is advantageous if the machine frame has a left-hand cheek section and a right-hand cheek section, wherein the first gearing is arranged in or on the left-hand cheek section and the second gearing is arranged in or on the right-hand cheek section. The first group of combing heads is thus arranged adjacent to the left-hand cheek section and the second group of combing heads is arranged adjacent to the right-hand cheek section. Essentially no shafts or other transmission means extend between the left-hand group and the right-hand group of combing heads, and only the main shaft for coupling the two gearing extends across the entire width of the machine frame and consequently also between the left-hand cheek section and the right-hand cheek section.

[0024] Finally, it is also advantageous if the drive input shaft, the tongs shaft, and / or the circular comb shafts and / or other gear shafts of the combing heads of the first and second groups are aligned with one another. It is also advantageously possible for the drive input shaft, the tongs shaft, and / or the circular comb shafts and / or other gear shafts of the combing heads of the first group and the second group to be arranged offset from one another in their directions of extension. This results in only minimal vibrations, and in particular, balancing shafts can be provided which, for example, are coupled to the parts of the main shaft between the first and second gears in such a way that only minimal or no torque is generated about a longitudinal axis or a vertical axis of the combing machine.

[0025] Further measures improving the invention are described below together with the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference toFigures 1 , 3 and 4 shown in more detail.

[0026] They show: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gear unit with a combing machine, wherein only the essential components of the gear unit for forming a combing head are numerically designated, Figure 2 is a schematic view of a combing machine not according to the invention with combing heads arranged in groups, which are driven in a phase-shifted manner by means of a common gear, Figure 3 is a schematic view of a combing machine with combing heads arranged in groups and operated via associated gears, and Figure 4 is a diagram showing the power consumption of the groups of combing heads of the main drive motor during operation of the combing machine designed according to the invention over time.

[0027] The combing head 11 according to Figure 1is driven via a drive input shaft 18, whereby the combing head 11 has a further central shaft 23 which is driven via a gear stage with the drive input shaft 18. The drive input shaft 18 is continuously set in rotation. On the central shaft 23 there is a tongs gear 26, to which a tongs shaft 19 driven via a crank rocker 24 is connected, which finally drives an upper tongs gear 30. By means of the upper tongs gear 30, an upper tong can be operated via a tongs output shaft 29 and a lower tong of the tong apparatus of the combing head 11 can be operated via the tongs shaft 19. Connected to the drive input shaft 18 are further gear shafts of a secondary gear 27, via which further shafts or rollers can be operated, in particular for transporting the fiber web after the combing process.For example, a table calender roll, a delivery roll, and the like can be driven via the auxiliary gear 27, so that the drive power of a main drive motor can also be used for this purpose. Furthermore, the rotational mass moment of inertia increases, making the gear operation smoother. In particular, the central drive allows the dynamics of the oscillating masses to be better balanced.

[0028] The combing head 11 further comprises a planetary gear 28, via which the tear-off cylinders 22 are driven to execute a pilgrim step movement.

[0029] Figure 2shows, in a schematic representation, a combing machine 100 not according to the invention, with a machine frame 10 comprising lateral cheek parts 21 and with, for example, eight combing heads 11 arranged side by side between the cheek parts 21. All combing heads 11 are driven by a single main drive motor 12 via a central gear 5, which is arranged centrally according to this embodiment, wherein the combing heads 11 are driven in groups and are located in equal numbers to the left and right of the gear 5.

[0030] A first group is designated I and a second group is designated II. The two groups I and II of combing heads 11 are equally distributed on both sides of the gear unit 5, so that the gear unit 5 is arranged centrally between the groups I and II of combing heads 11. The gear unit 5 is operatively connected to the main drive motor 12 via a main shaft 15.

[0031] According to this exemplary embodiment, the main drive motor 12 directly drives the single gear 5, with the gear 5 driving the individual shafts 18, 19, and 20 for the working cylinders. The gear 5 is designed such that the shafts 18, 19, and 20 shown as examples, which extend into the combing heads 11, are driven out of phase with each other.

[0032] The illustration thus shows an example of the coupling of the combing heads 11 via the output side of the gear unit 5 and thus via the drive input shaft 18 as well as via the tongs shaft 19 and the circular comb shaft 20. The drive input shaft 18 is thus divided into a first drive input shaft 18L, which is coupled to the first gear unit 5, and a second drive input shaft 18R, which is also coupled to the gear unit 5. In the same way, the tongs shaft 19 is divided into a first tongs shaft 19L and a second tongs shaft 19R. The first tongs shaft 19L is coupled to the gear unit 5 on a first side, and the second tongs shaft 19R is coupled to the gear unit 5 on an opposite second side. The circular comb shaft 20 is divided into a first circular comb shaft 20L and a second circular comb shaft 20R for connection to the gear unit 5.

[0033] The illustration shows only as an example a coupling of the individual shafts of the combing heads 11 with the gear 5, which can also concern other shafts, for example the shafts on which the tear-off cylinders 22 are mounted or with which they are driven.

[0034] Figure 3 shows, in a modified embodiment, a combing machine 100 with a machine frame 10 and, again, by way of example, eight combing heads 11. According to this exemplary embodiment, all combing heads 11 are also driven by a single main drive motor 12, wherein the combing heads 11 are driven in groups by means of two gears 5.

[0035] In this respect, a first group I of combing heads 11 is drivingly connected to the main drive motor 12 via a first gear 13, and a second group II of combing heads 11 is drivingly connected to the main drive motor 12 via a second gear 14. The two groups I and II of combing heads 11 are located between two outer cheek parts 21 of the machine frame 10. According to the illustration, the first gear 13 is accommodated in the left cheek part 21 and the second gear 14 in the right cheek part 21.

[0036] The main drive motor 12 directly drives both the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 via a main shaft 15. The main shaft 15 extends between the left and right cheek sections and connects the left gear 13 to the right gear 14.

[0037] In the main shaft 15 there is an adjusting means 16, via which a phase position of a first part 15L of the main shaft 15 can be changed relative to a phase position of a second part 15R of the main shaft 15. The change in the phase position takes place around a shaft axis 17, which forms the axis of rotation of the main shaft 15.

[0038] The illustration shows an example of the coupling of the combing heads 11 to the gears 13 and 14 via the drive input shaft 18 as well as via the tongs shaft 19 and the circular comb shaft 20. The drive input shaft 18 is thus divided into a first drive input shaft 18L, which is coupled to the first gear 13, and a second drive input shaft 18R, which is coupled to the gear 14. In the same way, the tongs shaft 19 is divided into a first tongs shaft 19L and a second tongs shaft 19R, and the first tongs shaft 19L is coupled to the gear 13, and the second tongs shaft 19R is coupled to the gear 14. The circular comb shaft 20 is divided into a first circular comb shaft 20L and a second circular comb shaft 20R for connection to the gear 13 and the gear 14, respectively.

[0039] The illustration shows only as an example the coupling of the individual components of the combing heads 11 with the gears 13 and 14. In the simplest case, the gears 13 and 14 can be connected only via the respective grouped combing heads 11 common drive input shafts 18, whereby each combing head 11 forms a separate unit, as in Figure 1 The illustration therefore merely shows, by way of example, a coupling of the individual shafts of the combing heads 11 with the gears 13 and 14, which may also concern other shafts, for example the shafts on which the detaching cylinders 22 are mounted or by which they are driven.

[0040] It should be noted that the first group I of combing heads 11 and the second group II of combing heads 11 can also be nested within one another, so that the combing heads 11 operated out of phase are always located adjacent to one another. Thus, with a suitable connection to the two shaft sections 15L and 15R, combing heads 11 can be arranged adjacent to one another and operated out of phase, but each driven by a different shaft section 15L, 15R. This could result in a sequence of combing heads 15 which, with 8 combing heads 11, are driven according to the group assignment I-II - I-II - I-II - I-II and so on. This can achieve even greater smoothness of operation, similar to the smoothness of an 8-cylinder or 12-cylinder reciprocating piston engine.

[0041] Finally, Figure 4For example, the power consumption P of the main drive motor 12 over time t. The graphs show two power consumptions PL and PR, and the power consumption PL corresponds to the first, left-hand group of combing heads 11 and the power consumption PR corresponds to the second, right-hand group of combing heads 11. As the curve of the power consumptions PL and PR shows, they compensate each other above the zero line and below the zero line, so that, for example, acceleration phases of the first group I of combing heads 11 can compensate deceleration phases of the second group II of combing heads 11. The result is a considerable saving in the total power consumption, since the movement phases of the combing heads can compensate each other in their power requirements with regard to both power consumption and power output (acceleration and deceleration). Reference symbol

[0042] 100 combing machine 5Gearbox 10Machine frame 11Combing head 12Main drive motor 13Gearbox 14Gearbox 15Main shaft 15LPart of the main shaft 15RPart of the main shaft 16Adjusting means 17Shaft axis 18Drive input shaft 18LFirst drive input shaft 18RSecond drive input shaft 19Clamp shaft 19LFirst clamp shaft 19RSecond clamp shaft 20Circular comb shaft 20LFirst circular comb shaft 20RSecond circular comb shaft 21Chew part 22Tear-off cylinder 23Central shaft 24Crank rocker 25Cam gear 26Clamp gear 27Auxiliary gear 28Planetary gear 29Clamp output shaft 30Top clamp gear First group of combing heads Second group of combing heads PPower consumption PLPower consumption of the first group I of combing heads PRPower consumption of the second group II of combing heads tTime

Claims

1. Combing machine (100) for spinning preparation, having a machine frame (10) in which at least two combing heads (11) are arranged, and having a main drive motor (12) for driving the combing heads (11), wherein a main shaft (15) in operative connection with the main drive motor (12) is provided, the main shaft (15) driving the at least two combing heads (11), the combing heads (11) being in operative connection with the main shaft (15) such that, when the main drive motor (12) is in operation, the combing cycles of the combing heads (11) are phase-shifted relative to one another, characterised in that a first group (I) of combing heads (11) is in operative connection with and driven by the main drive motor (12) by way of a first gear (13), and a second group (II) of combing heads (11) is in operative connection with and driven by the main drive motor (12) by way of a second gear (14), wherein the main shaft (15) has an adjusting means (16) by means of which a part (15L) of the main shaft (15) that is connected to the first gear (13) is adjustable about a shaft axis (17) relative to a part (15R) of the main shaft (15) that is connected to the second gear (14).

2. Combing machine (100) according to claim 1, characterised in that the first group (I) of combing heads (11) is operated in a first phase position and the second group (I) of combing heads (11) is operated in a first phase position, the groups (I, II) being in operative connection with and driven by the main drive motor (12).

3. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first combing head (11) and the second combing head (11) are coupled with one another by way of the main shaft (15), and / or the first gear (13) and the second gear (14) are coupled with one another by way of the main shaft (15).

4. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first gear (13) is arranged at a first end of the row of combing heads (11) arranged side by side, and in that the second gear (13) is arranged at a second, opposite end of the row of combing heads (11) arranged side by side.

5. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first group (I) of adjacent combing heads (11) forms a left-hand section and the second group (II) of adjacent combing heads (11) forms a right-hand section of the row of combing heads (11) arranged side by side in the machine frame (10).

6. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first group (I) of combing heads (11) has a common first drive input shaft (18L) which is in operative connection with the first gear (13), and in that the second group (II) of combing heads (11) has a common second drive input shaft (18R) which is in operative connection with the second gear (14).

7. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the combing heads (11) have a nipper shaft (19), the nipper shafts (19) of the first group (I) of combing heads (11) being connected to form a common first nipper shaft (19L), and nipper shafts (19) of the second group (II) of combing heads (11) being connected to form a common second nipper shaft (19R).

8. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the combing heads (11) have a circular comb shaft (20), the circular comb shafts (20) of the first group (I) of combing heads (11) being connected to form a common first circular comb shaft (20L), and the circular comb shafts (20) of the second group (II) of combing heads (11) being connected to form a common second circular comb shaft (20R).

9. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first and second gears (13, 14) have a pretensioned toothing, so as to permit a load change without play.

10. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the machine frame (10) has a left-hand flank part (21) and a right-hand flank part (21), the first gear (13) being arranged in or on the left-hand flank part (21) and the second gear (14) being arranged in or on the right-hand flank part (21).

11. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the drive input shaft (18L, 18R), the nipper shaft (19L, 19R) and / or the circular comb shafts (20L, 20R) and / or further gear shafts of the combing heads (11) of the first group (I) and of the second group (II) are in alignment with one another.

12. Combing machine (100) according to any one of the claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the drive input shaft (18L, 18R), the nipper shaft (19L, 19R) and / or the circular comb shafts (20L, 20R) and / or further gear shafts of the combing heads (11) of the first group (I) and of the second group (II) are arranged offset relative to one another in terms of their directions of extension.