DRIVE DEVICE WITH A PROTECTIVE RING

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a drive device for a spinning machine comprising a motor drive unit and at least one gear unit, wherein the drive unit and / or the gear unit is connected to a further component, in particular to a further gear unit, by means of a shaft.

[0002] Spinning machines, and especially ring-drawing machines, often have numerous identical workstations arranged side by side, each with a spinning unit. The spinning units and / or components connected to, or located upstream or downstream of, the spinning units are frequently driven by a common drive mechanism of the spinning machine. Such a drive is often connected via a shaft to the component to be driven, for example, a roller of a drafting unit located upstream of the spinning unit, or to a gear unit. The drive can, in principle, be a main drive at one end of such a shaft.In the case of particularly long shafts, several auxiliary drive units are usually arranged along the course of the shaft, with each auxiliary drive unit being connected to the shaft of the spinning machine or the component arranged thereon preferably via at least one main gearbox and preferably also via a downstream distribution gearbox.

[0003] However, the problem is that numerous individual fibers and fiber particles, as well as loose thread ends, are generated during the spinning process. These can enter and accumulate in the connection area between a drive unit and a shaft. In the long term, this leads to a malfunction of the drive unit and the associated component, requiring the entire spinning machine, including all spinning units, to be stopped, the affected connection to be cleaned, or even components to be replaced.

[0004] From publication DE 10 2018 102 232 A1, a double-sided ring spinning machine with drafting units on each side of the machine is already known. This machine has several drafting unit underrollers arranged one behind the other in the direction of travel of a fiber strip and rotating at different speeds. These underrollers can be actuated by drive units located at the end of the machine and by at least one additional auxiliary drive unit. Several workstations are arranged side by side on each side of the machine, and each drafting unit forms part of a workstation. The auxiliary drive unit comprises an electric motor drive, a main gearbox, and two distribution gearboxes. These components are connected to each other via a shaft with a universal joint. For protection, this shaft can be completely enclosed within a housing between the components.This protects the shaft, especially in connection areas, from contamination. While arranging the shaft within a closed housing is often a good solution, sometimes an open shaft design is preferred. This allows for particularly easy inspection and maintenance, simple component replacement, and a more flexible design and more cost-effective manufacturing.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the objective of creating a drive device for a spinning machine that enables particularly easy control and maintenance as well as simple replacement of components of a shaft of the spinning machine and, in particular, effectively prevents contamination, especially of the bearing of the shaft and / or the drive device, by fibers, fiber particles and threads despite a housing-less design of the shaft.

[0006] The problem is solved according to the invention by a drive device according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0007] The drive device according to the invention for a spinning machine, in particular for a drafting unit of a spinning machine and especially preferably a ring spinning machine, comprises a motor drive unit and preferably also at least one gear unit, wherein the drive unit and / or the gear unit is connected to a further component, in particular to a further gear unit, by means of a shaft and wherein a protective ring is arranged on the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner to protect a connection area between the shaft and the drive unit and / or the gear unit, in particular a housing component of the drive unit and / or the gear unit, against yarn winding or contamination.The protective ring for protecting the connection area between the shaft and a housing component of the drive unit and / or the gearbox unit against thread entanglement or contamination has a cylindrical base body for rotationally fixed mounting of the protective ring on the shaft and a conical end section adjacent to the cylindrical base body for covering the connection area and for directing dirt particles and threads away from the connection area. The covering is preferably gap-free.

[0008] The protective ring of the drive device according to the invention offers the advantage that the shaft remains essentially freely accessible and thus easy to maintain, lubricate, and, if necessary, replace. However, the ring provides protection against contamination by fibers, fiber particles, and threads in the connection area between the shaft and the housing component, enabling the device, and in particular a spinning machine, to operate continuously for extended periods without frequent maintenance and cleaning in this area. Furthermore, the protective ring is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble, resulting in particularly cost-effective production.

[0009] The spinning machine can, in principle, be any machine for producing and / or processing textile fibers or a thread made from textile fibers. Preferably, the spinning machine is a ring spinning machine, and the drive device according to the invention is particularly preferably arranged on the spinning machine or a component of a spinning machine, such as a drafting unit or a winding device. The spinning machine preferably has several working stations, each with a spinning unit, wherein each working station particularly preferably has its own drafting unit, or a drafting unit is positioned upstream of each spinning unit.

[0010] The drive unit is generally designed to drive at least one component of the spinning machine, and preferably several components of a spinning machine, via a common shaft. Most preferably, the drive unit drives a component located at each working point of the spinning machine via a shaft. The drive unit can be a main drive unit, preferably comprising a drive unit located at one end of the shaft to be driven. Alternatively, the drive unit can also be an auxiliary drive unit, preferably for at least one drafting roll, in particular a drafting lower roll, of a spinning machine, which is arranged along the shaft, especially in a central region of the shaft, in addition to a main drive unit.An auxiliary drive device is particularly preferably provided to support the main drive device and / or to prevent twisting of a very long shaft.

[0011] The drive unit preferably comprises a main gearbox and, more preferably, at least one distribution gearbox. Most preferably, however, the drive unit includes one distribution gearbox for each side of a double-sided spinning machine. A design of the drive unit with one main gearbox and exactly two distribution gearboxes, which are further preferably arranged in close proximity to each other, is particularly preferred. Accordingly, the gearbox unit can be either a main gearbox or a distribution gearbox.

[0012] The drive unit of the drive device is initially a device that provides a rotary drive, preferably an electric motor. The drive unit is particularly preferably designed to directly drive a shaft and / or a component of the spinning machine by means of a shaft. To transmit the rotation to the shaft, the drive unit has an output shaft, an output bushing, or another means of securing the shaft against rotation. The drive unit is preferably connected to at least one gear unit. Alternatively or additionally, two gear units of a drive device can be connected to each other by means of a shaft, wherein the first gear unit is preferably a main gear unit and the second gear unit connected to the first gear unit via a shaft is particularly preferably a distribution gear unit.

[0013] The shaft can, in principle, be any component or assembly for transmitting the rotation of a drive unit or a gear unit to another component of the spinning machine. The shaft of the spinning machine, and in particular for connecting the drive unit and / or the gear unit, is preferably an angularly movable coupling element or has such a coupling. Particularly preferably, the shaft is a cardan shaft and / or has at least one universal joint and / or a constant velocity joint.

[0014] The protective ring is essentially a component designed to protect the connection area between a shaft and a housing component of a spinning machine. The housing component can be part of any non-rotating assembly of the spinning machine and is preferably part of the drive unit housing and / or a gear unit housing. Accordingly, the housing component is preferably a drive, bearing, or gear housing. Furthermore, the housing component preferably has a flat surface in the area of ​​the shaft or in an area intended for connecting to the shaft and / or receiving the shaft, against which the conical end section of the protective ring can be positioned, in contact with and, in particular, in a sliding manner.A preferred dragging arrangement of the conical end section on the housing component of the spinning machine is particularly unproblematic when the rotational speed is low, as is the case, for example, with the drive for drafting cylinders and rollers of a spinning machine, especially a ring spinning machine, where the rotational speed is particularly preferably below 20 revolutions per minute.

[0015] The connection area is essentially the area adjacent to a drive and / or transmission unit in which at least a shaft interacting with the drive and / or transmission unit, in particular an end of such a shaft, is arranged. The connection area preferably extends directly between the surface of a housing component, which preferably extends perpendicular to a central longitudinal axis of the shaft, and the surface of the shaft. Particularly preferably, the protective ring, and especially the conical end section in the protected connection area, covers at least one bearing element, in particular a transmission bearing, and / or at least one shaft seal.

[0016] The protective ring is generally arranged and / or designed such that the connection area between the shaft and the housing component is protected from contamination by fibers, fiber particles, dust particles, and threads, and / or that external contaminants, particularly threads, cannot enter the connection area. Preferably, the external contaminants are directed away from the connection area. The protective ring is particularly preferably designed for arrangement on a cardan shaft, which is especially preferably arranged on a transmission output shaft.

[0017] The protective ring can in principle be made of any material, whereby preferably at least parts of the protective ring, in particular the base body, and especially preferably the entire protective ring is made of a plastic, preferably of a thermoplastic plastic and especially preferably of polyoxymethylene (POM).

[0018] To ensure the protective ring is mounted on the shaft in a torsionally rigid manner, it has a cylindrical base body. This cylindrical base body preferably has a constant inner and / or outer diameter along its central longitudinal axis over its entire length. More preferably, the cylindrical base body has a wall that is closed over its entire circumference. The inner wall of the cylindrical base body can have a completely circular cross-section or be adapted to the shape of the shaft. Particularly preferably, the cylindrical base body extends over the entire length of the protective ring up to the conical end section, and most preferably, the protective ring is formed exclusively from the cylindrical base body and the conical end section. Accordingly, the cylindrical base body preferably forms one side or one end of the protective ring, and the conical end section forms the other side or end.the other end of the protective ring. Equally preferably, the cylindrical base body has a cylindrical end, in particular at an end of the base body opposite the conical end section, wherein the cylindrical end particularly preferably has an inner and / or outer diameter identical to that of the rest of the cylindrical base body.

[0019] To cover the connection area and to guide away dirt particles and threads from it, the protective ring has a conical end section. This conical end section preferably has a diameter that widens or increases towards the outside and / or away from the cylindrical base body. The conical end section can have a wall thickness that is constant over its entire conical area, or a wall thickness that decreases towards the end or continuously over its entire conical area. Preferably, at least the outer surface, and especially preferably also the inner surface, of the conical end section has a conical shape. Most preferably, the protective ring has its largest inner and / or outer diameter at its outermost region or at the end containing the conical end section.The conical end section can be part of a separate component fixed to the cylindrical base body or even a corresponding assembly, but preferably the conical end section is formed integrally with the cylindrical base body or at least materially bonded to the base body.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the protective ring, the conical end section at the outer end of the protective ring has a contact surface that is preferably arranged perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical base body or of the entire protective ring and / or perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the shaft. This allows the protective ring to slide along the housing component and simultaneously cover the connection area without gaps, thus achieving particularly good and complete coverage of the connection area and correspondingly comprehensive protection. Preferably, the connection area is completely closed by the protective ring and the housing component. Generally, it is preferred that the protective ring is arranged to be rotationally fixed to the shaft and also slides along the housing component.

[0021] Another preferred embodiment of the protective ring provides that the length of the conical end section is between 1% and 75%, preferably between 2% and 50%, particularly preferably between 3% and 20%, and most preferably between 5% and 15% of the length of the protective ring. This ensures, on the one hand, a secure hold of the protective ring on the shaft and, on the other hand, sufficiently effective removal of dirt particles and threads from the area of ​​the shaft immediately adjacent to the housing component. The length of the conical end section preferably also depends on the components to be covered by it, with all components for connecting and / or securing the shaft being arranged within the conical end section being particularly preferred. The length of the protective ring is, in particular, the direction along the central longitudinal axis of the protective ring and / or the cylindrical base body.

[0022] To effectively guide threads and other contaminants away from the connection area and prevent the formation of thread coils around the outer surface of the protective ring, the conical end section of a preferred embodiment of the protective ring has a conical outer surface with a smooth, straight, and / or angled surface relative to an axis of rotation of the protective ring mounted on a shaft or relative to a central longitudinal axis of the protective ring, particularly with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the protective ring and / or the shaft. The conical outer surface is specifically designed to guide any thread coils forming around the end section of the shaft away from a bearing or gear housing. Preferably, the entire surface of the protective ring is smooth, straight, and / or free of edges, with the base body only having an angled section between the conical end section and the cylindrical base body.

[0023] The conical outer surface of the protective ring can initially have an arbitrarily curved and / or angled profile, but the angle is preferably constant over the entire conical end section and, in particular, over the entire conical outer surface. The angle of the conical end section, and especially the conical outer surface, to the central longitudinal axis of the protective ring, the cylindrical base body, and / or the shaft is particularly preferably between 20° and 85°, more preferably between 40° and 75°, and most preferably between 45° and 65°, so that a sufficiently large force acts on particles coming into contact with the conical outer surface in the direction of the cylindrical base body and thus away from the connection area.

[0024] In an advantageous further development of the protective ring of the drive device according to the invention, the outer diameter, and in particular the maximum outer diameter, of the conical end section is between 5% and 100%, preferably between 10% and 75%, and most preferably between 20% and 50% larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical base body, thereby ensuring reliable sliding of threads and contaminants off the conical end section. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the conical end section in the section adjacent to the base body particularly preferably corresponds to the outer diameter of the base body, so that a stepless transition between the two areas is achieved. The maximum outer diameter of the conical end section is preferably located in the area of ​​the contact surface.

[0025] To achieve a particularly simple and stable, torsionally resistant arrangement of the protective ring on the shaft, the base body and, more preferably, the entire protective ring are preferably formed in one piece and / or rotationally symmetrical, particularly with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the protective ring and / or the axis of rotation of the shaft. This also enables a particularly simple and cost-effective manufacture of the protective ring.

[0026] Although the protective ring can, in principle, be fixed to the shaft in any orientation, a preferred embodiment provides that the base body of the protective ring is designed and / or formed by an interference fit to prevent rotation on the shaft. For this purpose, the base body preferably has a completely cylindrical shape and / or a constant inner diameter along its entire length, which is particularly preferably smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft. Preferably, the inner diameter is between 0.01% and 5%, particularly preferably between 0.05% and 3%, and most preferably between 0.1% and 2% smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft on which the protective ring is to be fixed against rotation. It is generally preferred that the protective ring be fixed to the shaft by a frictional, rotationally secure connection. Alternatively, the inner diameter can, if necessary, be...with a tolerance that also corresponds to the outer diameter of the shaft, so that the rotationally fixed fixing must then be achieved in another way, for example by form-fitting and / or material-fitting.

[0027] To ensure a stable fixation of the protective ring on the shaft, particularly by means of an interference fit, the wall thickness of the protective ring is constant, at least in the region of the cylindrical base body, and preferably throughout the entire protective ring. More preferably, the wall thickness of the protective ring, at least in the region of the cylindrical base body, and preferably throughout the entire protective ring, is between 0.5 mm and 5 mm, particularly preferably between 1 mm and 3 mm, and most preferably between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm, thereby achieving sufficiently high stability and clamping force.

[0028] An embodiment of a drive device according to the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. The figure shows: Fig. 1 a schematic view of a protective ring arranged in a connection area between a shaft and a housing component.

[0029] A in Figure 1A schematically depicted protective ring 1 is arranged on one end of a cardan shaft 3 to protect a connection area 2 between the cardan shaft 3 and a motor housing 4 from contamination. The cardan shaft 3 is part of a ring spinning machine and, more precisely, part of an auxiliary drive unit for a drafting unit of such a ring spinning machine. The ring spinning machine has numerous identical workstations arranged side by side, each comprising a drafting unit with several drafting rollers and subsequently a spinning device. All drafting rollers are driven by a common shaft, which is connected to a main drive unit and at least one auxiliary drive unit.Each auxiliary drive unit comprises an electric motor as part of a drive unit 9, as well as a main gearbox and two transfer gearboxes, wherein the drive unit 9 is connected to the main gearbox and the main gearbox is connected to each of the transfer gearboxes via a cardan shaft 3. The drive unit 9 is arranged within a motor housing 4.

[0030] The protective ring 1 is designed to prevent the ingress of fiber particles and threads into the connection area 2, thus preventing contamination of the bearing of a motor output shaft 10 located therein. For this purpose, the protective ring 1 is secured against rotation at one end of the cardan shaft 3 in the area of ​​the output shaft 10 of the drive unit 9. The protective ring 1 is secured to the cardan shaft 3 by a cylindrical base body 5 of the protective ring 1.

[0031] To protect the connection area 2, the protective ring 1 has a conical end section 6 adjacent to the cylindrical base body 5, in which the inner and outer diameters of the protective ring 1 widen uniformly. On the outside, the conical end section 6 has a conical outer surface 8 with a smooth surface to allow threads entering the area of ​​the conical outer surface 8 to slide off the connection area 2 and thus prevent the formation of a thread wrap.

[0032] To achieve the tightest possible connection between the protective ring 1, which rotates together with the cardan shaft 3, and the adjacent surface of the motor housing 4, the protective ring 1 has a contact surface 7 at the end of its conical end section 6. This contact surface is oriented perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis M of the cardan shaft 3 and the protective ring 1, and parallel to the surface of the motor housing 4. This allows the protective ring 1 to slide along the motor housing 4 with its contact surface 7. This ensures a gap-free seal. Due to the low rotational speed of the cardan shaft 3 (less than 20 revolutions per minute), significant wear of the protective ring 1 is not a concern.

[0033] To enable particularly simple and cost-effective production of the protective ring 1, it is formed in one piece from polyoxymethylene. The protective ring 1 has a rotationally symmetrical shape, a closed surface, and a constant wall thickness. Reference symbol list

[0034] 1 Protective ring 2 Connection area 3 Shaft 4 Housing component 5 Cylindrical base body 6 Conical end section 7 Contact surface 8 Conical outer surface 9 Motor drive unit 10 Output shaft M Central longitudinal axis

Claims

1. Drive device for a spinning machine, comprising a motor drive unit (9) and at least one gear unit, wherein the drive unit (9) and / or the gear unit is connected to a further component, in particular to a further gear unit, by means of a shaft (3), characterized in that a protective ring (1) for protecting a connecting region (2) between the shaft (3) and a housing component (4) of the drive unit (9) and / or the gear unit against thread lap or contamination is arranged on the shaft (3) in a twist-free manner, wherein the protective ring (1) comprises a cylindrical base body (5), for the rotationally fixed arrangement of the protective ring (1) on the shaft (3), and a conical end portion (6), adjacent to the cylindrical base body (5), for covering the connecting region (2) and for guiding dirt particles and threads away from the connecting region (2), wherein the housing component (4) has a flat surface in the region of the shaft (3) or a region provided for connection to the shaft (3) and / or a receptacle of the shaft (3), against which surface the conical end portion (6) of the protective ring is arranged in an abutting and sliding manner.

2. Drive device for a spinning machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical base body (5) of the protective ring (1) is fixed on the shaft (3) in a twist-free manner by means of a press fit, for which purpose the cylindrical base body (5) has an inner diameter which is constant over its entire length and which is smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft (3).

3. Drive device for a spinning machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conical end portion (6) at the outer end of the protective ring (1) has a contact surface (7) which is arranged at a right angle to the central longitudinal axis (M) of the cylindrical base body (5), wherein the protective ring (1) is arranged so as to slide along the housing component (4) and at the same time cover the connecting region (2).

4. Drive device for a spinning machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the length of the conical end portion (6) is between 3% and 20% of the length of the protective ring (1).

5. Drive device for a spinning machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conical end portion (6) has a conical outer surface (8) with a smooth, straight and / or angled surface relative to a central longitudinal axis of the protective ring (1) in order to guide a thread in the connecting region (2) away from the housing component (4).

6. Drive device for a spinning machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the angle of the conical end portion (6) and in particular of the conical outer surface (8) to the central longitudinal axis (M) of the cylindrical base body (5) is between 45° and 65°.

7. Drive device for a spinning machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the maximum outer diameter of the conical end portion (6) is between 20% and 50% larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical base body (5).

8. Drive device for a spinning machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cylindrical base body (5) and preferably the entire protective ring (1) is formed in one piece and rotationally symmetrically.

9. Drive device for a spinning machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall thickness of the protective ring (1) is constant at least in the region of the cylindrical base body (5) and is between 1 mm and 3 mm.