Spinning machine with a servicing carriage and method for operating a spinning machine with a servicing carriage

Abstract

The invention relates to a spinning machine (1) with a multiplicity of working positions (2, 3), wherein the spinning machine (1) has at least one servicing carriage (5) for operating or servicing installations of the working positions (2, 3), and a controller (4) and a drive (6) for moving the servicing carriage (5) at a certain speed on a travel path (7) along the working positions (2, 3), wherein, for a multiplicity of events, in each case at least one action is to be carried out by the servicing carriage (5) at one of the working positions (2, 3), characterized in that the controller (4) is designed to control the speed of the servicing carriage (5), wherein, in the controller (4), each of the events is assigned a priority level for the action to be carried out, with the priority level of the respectively pending action being taken into consideration in the control of the speed.

Description

[0001] Spinning machine with a maintenance warning and method for operating a spinning machine with a maintenance warning

[0002] The present invention relates to a spinning machine having a plurality of working positions with at least one maintenance carriage for operating or maintaining devices of the working positions and a control and a drive for moving the maintenance carriage at a specific speed on a travel path along the working positions.

[0003] Spinning machines for spinning fiber materials or processing spun yarn typically have a large number of work stations, with each work station spinning a yarn from an incoming fiber strand or reworking a spun yarn. The arrangement of the work stations in a row results in a large longitudinal extension of the spinning machines. Different events occur at the various work stations, some of which arise from the operational process and some of which are caused by malfunctions or defects. For example, the operational process dictates that at a winding station of a work station, a finished, full bobbin must be periodically removed and a new empty tube inserted at the end of a rinsing process.However, continued operation may be impossible in a particular working position due to a yarn break, heavy contamination, or a defective component. Accordingly, maintenance trolleys have been developed to handle most of the necessary tasks to maintain operation. The maintenance trolleys are moved along the working positions of the spinning machine to the working position where operational intervention or troubleshooting is necessary.The term maintenance carriage covers all automatic devices that move along a spinning machine on a travel path along the work positions, for example robots for piecing or commissioning a work position, doffer carriages for removing bobbins and inserting empty tubes into work positions, cleaning machines for cleaning equipment or spinning devices in a particular work position, splicing robots for rectifying yarn or thread breaks, service robots for exchanging components in a work position or even general-purpose robots that can carry out various actions at a work position.

[0004] In order to achieve the fastest possible processing of actions caused by operations or malfunctions, various models for the movement and speed of the maintenance trolleys along the work positions of the spinning machine have been developed. For example, EP 3 360 830 A1 describes a model in which the maintenance trolley is brought into a standby position after performing an action. The standby position is chosen such that all work positions assigned to the maintenance trolley can be reached in a short time. However, this has the disadvantage that the maintenance trolley does not cover absolutely necessary paths if, for example, an action has to be carried out at a work position that is adjacent to the work position of the previous action. As a result, the maintenance trolley is brought into a standby position, from which it must be moved again along practically the same path to the next operation.On the one hand, moving the maintenance cart requires energy, and on the other hand, its components are subject to wear. Unnecessary movement of the maintenance cart therefore increases energy consumption and shortens the service life of its components.

[0005] Maintenance trolleys are typically operated at a standard speed, which is reduced in the final phase of reaching the working position or when there is a risk of collision. Such speed reduction models can be found, for example, in EP 3 363 757 A1 or EP 1 600 413 A1. These models also have the disadvantage that the high-speed movement of the maintenance trolley causes high energy consumption and wear.

[0006] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a spinning machine with a maintenance carriage and a control system which optimizes the movement of the maintenance carriage in such a way that the lowest possible energy consumption is achieved and the service life of the components of the maintenance carriage is promoted.

[0007] The object is achieved by a spinning machine having the features of independent patent claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 10.

[0008] Proposed is a spinning machine with a plurality of work positions, wherein the spinning machine has at least one maintenance carriage for operating or maintaining devices at the work positions. Furthermore, the spinning machine has a controller and a drive for moving the maintenance carriage at a specific speed on a travel path along the work positions. For a plurality of events, an action is to be carried out by the maintenance carriage at one of the work positions. The controller is designed to regulate the speed of the maintenance carriage. Each of the events is assigned an urgency level for the action to be carried out in the controller. When regulating the speed, the urgency level of the respective pending action is taken into account. The devices at the work positions vary depending on the design or type of spinning machine.For the purposes of this application, equipment refers to individual assemblies or components of work stations. The operation of such equipment corresponds to activities or actions that must be performed during normal operation. Maintenance, on the other hand, includes actions that serve to maintain operations; these actions can be preventative measures, such as cleaning or troubleshooting.

[0009] The spinning machine control system can be designed as an assembly control system for the maintenance trolley, as a control system for the spinning machine, or as a central control system for the spinning mill or a group of machines. A drive is provided to move the maintenance trolley along a travel path along the work positions. This drive system can be integrated into the construction of the maintenance trolley as a direct drive for a chassis of the maintenance trolley. However, it is also possible to drive the maintenance trolley via a drive unit mounted in the spinning machine. In this case, the maintenance trolley is moved along the travel path by the drive unit via an intermediate drive, for example a chain or belt drive. The drive system is preferably equipped with an electric motor, the speed of which is easily controlled by the state-of-the-art control system. The control system thus regulates the speed of the maintenance trolley.

[0010] The maintenance trolley is designed to perform an action at one of the work positions for a variety of events. The number of events that occur within a work position depends on the complexity of the equipment at the work position. Furthermore, the maintenance trolley is not intended to be able to remedy all events through appropriate actions. Depending on the design of the maintenance trolley, a specific type of action is possible to react to the corresponding events. For example, a piecing robot is designed to restart spinning after a yarn break, but not to replace defective components in the equipment at a work position. In general, the maintenance trolley can be designed as a maintenance trolley that can be moved along the travel path of the spinning machine on a rail structure.

[0011] The maintenance vehicle can also be designed as a so-called automated guided vehicle (AGV). This is a floor-mounted maintenance vehicle with its own drive, which is automatically controlled and guided contactlessly (i.e., without being guided by a rail structure) along a predetermined path on the floor of a spinning mill.

[0012] It is also possible to use a so-called Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) as the maintenance trolley. This robot also moves contactlessly (i.e., without being guided by a rail structure) along a track on the floor of a spinning mill to reach the desired work position. The AMR also has its own drive and, preferably, one or more sensors that it uses to orient itself in space. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the AMR itself defines the path it takes to reach one of the work positions, preferably taking into account the signals from the sensor(s).

[0013] Of course, the AMR or AGV can be connected, especially wirelessly, to the spinning machine's control system. Through appropriate data exchange between the control system and the AMR or AGV, the position of the respective maintenance trolley can be taken into account when controlling the spinning machine, or the spinning machine's control system can send commands / work orders to the maintenance trolley.

[0014] An event that occurs requires the execution of an action determined by the type of event in order to maintain operations or restore operational readiness. Once an event has occurred, the controller assigns an urgency level to it. Based on the assigned urgency level, the controller regulates the speed of the maintenance trolley on its way to the affected work position. With a high urgency level, the controller selects a high speed so that the maintenance trolley reaches the affected work position as quickly as possible. In contrast, with a low urgency level, the maintenance trolley moves to the affected work position at a slow speed.By adjusting the speed of the maintenance trolley to the urgency level, this ensures that the necessary action is carried out quickly when needed, and also ensures energy-saving and low-wear movement of the maintenance trolley when urgency is low. This can often prevent unnecessarily rapid movement of the maintenance trolley and, in urgent cases, also ensure that the affected work area can be reached quickly.

[0015] Of course, in this context, it is also possible to change the speed during the maintenance trolley's movement after initially setting a specific speed corresponding to the urgency level. This means that after the maintenance trolley has been started at a specific speed to execute an upcoming action, the speed can be subsequently reduced or increased. A change in speed can be planned, for example, if additional actions have been added at other work positions in the meantime and the maintenance trolley is therefore needed at additional work positions in a shorter time than originally estimated.The speed can also be reduced if actions at other work stations that were originally assigned to the maintenance cart are subsequently omitted, for example, because an originally planned action has since been manually performed by an operator. Advantageously, the urgency level is set in the control system depending on one or more of the following factors:

[0016] - Type of event: The urgency level is determined by the type of event occurring due to the required action by the maintenance vehicle. For example, events that require a simple action by the maintenance vehicle result in a higher urgency level, whereas unexpectedly recurring events at the same work position tend to be assigned a lower urgency level.

[0017] - Simultaneity of events: if events occur simultaneously at different work positions, this results in a higher level of urgency.

[0018] - Time available to perform the action: If, due to external influences or existing operational processes, a longer time is available to perform the action due to the event that has occurred, the urgency should be lowered. For example, the action at a work position can only be performed after a prior operational process, such as a manual replacement of equipment at the work position, has been completed. In this case, the action to be performed due to the event that has occurred is assigned a lower urgency level.

[0019] - Extent of production losses or consequential damage if the action is not carried out or not carried out in a timely manner: If, for example, an event results in a production stoppage at the affected work position, rapid implementation of the required action is advisable, which also requires a high level of urgency. If an event affects other work positions, this can lead to consequential damage, and a high level of urgency is also required. Faulty setup of a work position can also cause long-term damage to the product if remedial action is not taken as quickly as possible. By taking these factors into account, which are a combination of the operational situation and the individual events, the operation of the maintenance trolley can be optimized.The use, in particular the speed on the route of the maintenance vehicle to carry out actions in work positions to be reached, is not only regulated on the basis of isolated events, but also takes into account other aspects influencing operation and condition.

[0020] It is also advantageous if one or more of the following factors are taken into account when regulating the speed:

[0021] - Blocking of the travel path by persons or objects: if the travel path is blocked, a working position will not be reached any faster by approaching the obstacle at high speed than by approaching the obstacle slowly.

[0022] - Distance of the work position to be approached from the maintenance trolley: If the maintenance trolley has to travel a long distance to the corresponding work position, the speed is increased in addition to the specified urgency level. However, if only a short distance has to be covered, for example, to the next but one work position, the speed is reduced despite the high urgency level, since a high speed cannot be achieved due to the necessary acceleration time. This avoids unnecessary energy consumption due to high acceleration values.

[0023] - Availability of necessary resources to perform the action: if, for example, the event involves a finished bobbin and no empty tubes are available, the speed of the maintenance carriage is reduced, as a waiting time would occur after reaching the work position. Approaching a work position for piecing is also regulated at a low speed despite a high urgency level if the vacuum required for the action is not available at the work position. - Malfunction of the work position: if there is a general malfunction in the work position that cannot be remedied by the maintenance carriage, approaching the maintenance carriage at high speed is unnecessary.

[0024] By taking these factors into account when controlling the speed of the maintenance vehicle, independent of the specified urgency level, further optimization of the operation of the maintenance vehicle is achieved. For example, approaching an obstacle at high speed is avoided despite a high urgency level, and gentle operation of the maintenance vehicle and its drive is possible.

[0025] Advantageously, a maximum speed of 2 m / s to 3 m / s and / or a minimum speed of 1 m / s to 1.5 m / s is provided for the highest urgency level. Specifying a maximum speed for the maintenance trolley at the highest urgency level prevents overloading of the drive and chassis of the maintenance trolley. In contrast, specifying a minimum speed results in a minimum time required to reach the desired working position.

[0026] It is also advantageous to specify a minimum speed of 0.05 m / s to 0.1 m / s and / or a maximum speed of 0.2 m / s to 0.5 m / s at the lowest urgency level. Specifying a minimum speed for the maintenance trolley at the lowest urgency level ensures smooth movement of the drive and chassis of the maintenance trolley, preventing malfunctions. Limiting the maximum speed, on the other hand, promotes energy-efficient and low-wear movement of the maintenance trolley.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the spinning machine is an air-jet spinning machine, rotor spinning machine, or a dishwashing machine, and the action of the maintenance trolley includes at least the removal of finished bobbins, the insertion of empty tubes, a cleaning process, or a piecing process. Air-jet spinning machines, as well as rotor spinning machines or dishwashing machines, have a multitude, possibly well over a hundred, work stations arranged one behind the other in a longitudinal direction and identical in their structure. The work stations are equipped with devices that allow autonomous operation of the individual work stations under certain circumstances. Depending on the degree of automation of the machine, however, maintenance trolleys are provided for specific actions. These trolleys are moved along the work stations and carry out the required actions at the individual work stations.Rotor and air-jet spinning machines have a spinning unit and a winding unit at each work position. The spinning unit produces yarn from a fiber sliver, which is then wound into a bobbin in the winding unit. For example, with low levels of automation, the spinning unit is piecing together using appropriate equipment on a maintenance trolley. This is necessary not only at the start of operation, but also individually when a yarn breakage occurs, which can occur in certain work positions. Maintenance trolleys are also used to clean the spinning units. Dishwashers have a device for unwinding yarn from a supply bobbin and a winding unit at each work position; the yarn is checked and cleaned between the supply bobbin and rewinding.In the case of dishwashing machines, maintenance robots are used that are adapted to the specific events. These robots can perform tasks such as changing bobbins, threading the yarn from the supply bobbin to the winding unit, or cleaning a yarn path. A complete list of all possible events on the various spinning machines, as well as their operating modes and levels of automation, is omitted, as an urgency level is defined in the control system for all events that occur, even if they are not mentioned here. Due to the large longitudinal extent of the machines, defining this urgency level and the resulting speed of the maintenance trolley movement has a positive effect on the service life of the maintenance trolley and its drive.

[0028] In an alternative embodiment, the spinning machine is a ring spinning machine, and the working positions comprise a plurality of spinning stations, each with a spindle and a drafting system. The action of the maintenance carriage includes at least a traveler change, a cleaning process, or a piecing process. Ring spinning machines can have over 2,000 working positions, called spinning stations. The spinning stations are arranged one behind the other along a longitudinal axis on both sides of the ring spinning machine. A maintenance carriage is moved along the longitudinal axis of the ring spinning machine and performs necessary actions based on events.

[0029] In a further embodiment, the spinning machine forms a machine network with upstream or downstream machines, wherein the urgency level in the control system is provided depending on the operating mode or operating state of the upstream or downstream machine. In a machine network, the product produced by an upstream machine, for example, fiber sliver or yarn, is transferred directly to a downstream machine for further processing without intermediate storage. This arrangement often results in waiting times when the downstream machine is ready to accept the product, but the upstream machine has not yet completed production. A malfunction of the upstream machine can also lead to a delay in the handover of the product.The opposite case is also possible: the processing of the product in the downstream machine needs to be accelerated because a delivery from the upstream machine is already pending. To take advantage of these circumstances, it is advantageous to define an urgency level for a maintenance trolley, as the maintenance trolley is only moved at maximum speed when necessary due to operational processes.

[0030] Advantageously, when events are triggered manually, a target speed is set for the speed of the maintenance trolley, regardless of the urgency level. During preparation for operation or during maintenance work, events can also be triggered manually at work positions. By setting a specific speed in such cases, optimized operation of the maintenance trolley is achieved in terms of energy consumption and wear.

[0031] Furthermore, a method for operating a spinning machine having a plurality of working positions is proposed, wherein the spinning machine has at least one maintenance trolley for operating or maintaining equipment at the working positions, and a controller and a drive for moving the maintenance trolley at a specific speed along a travel path along the working positions. For a plurality of events, the maintenance trolley executes an action at each of the working positions. The controller regulates the speed of the maintenance trolley, with each of the events being assigned an urgency level for the action to be performed in the controller, and the urgency level of the respective pending action being taken into account when regulating the speed. The urgency level is preferably determined in the controller depending on one or more of the following factors:

[0032] - type of event;

[0033] - simultaneity of events;

[0034] - time available until the action is carried out;

[0035] - The extent of production losses or consequential damages if the action is not carried out or not carried out in a timely manner. The description of the individual factors can be found above.

[0036] Advantageously, the urgency level is reduced by a disturbance factor, which is determined by the presence of a person or object in the path of travel, a malfunction of the work position, or the absence of a resource necessary for the action. This ensures that when a disturbance factor occurs, the maintenance trolley is not moved unnecessarily quickly, thereby increasing energy consumption and wear.

[0037] When multiple maintenance vehicles are deployed on the same route, the controller preferably determines the corresponding maintenance vehicle in addition to regulating the speed. For long routes, multiple maintenance vehicles are deployed due to the large number of events and the large distance that can arise between the work positions to be approached. Depending on the current location of a maintenance vehicle, the controller will assign the action to a maintenance vehicle that is as close as possible to the work position when an event occurs. The various maintenance vehicles can also be assigned areas of the route that they only leave in exceptional cases, for example if an event occurs in a work position in the immediate vicinity of the maintenance vehicle or if one of the maintenance vehicles has a defect and is unavailable to carry out an action.

[0038] Advantageously, when events occur simultaneously at different work positions, the controller determines the order in which the maintenance trolley's actions are executed based on the urgency level. This ensures that actions are executed by the maintenance trolley not in the order in which the events occur, but in an order according to urgency. Since, in a preferred embodiment, the distance between the work positions where the events occur is also included in the speed control of the maintenance trolley, optimized operation of the maintenance trolley is achieved even when multiple identical or different events occur simultaneously at different work positions.

[0039] Preferably, the travel path is monitored, and if the travel path becomes blocked, the maintenance trolley is brought to an emergency stop. This measure ensures the safety of personnel and prevents damage to the maintenance trolley, regardless of the control system's instructions for movement.

[0040] For further explanation, the invention is schematically illustrated and described in an exemplary embodiment in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows a spinning machine 1 with a plurality of working positions 2, 3. In the embodiment shown, a yarn 9 is produced at each working position 2, 3 using a spinning apparatus 8, which yarn is subsequently wound onto an empty tube 10 to form a spool 11. The spinning machine 1 also comprises a control system 4 and a maintenance carriage 5. The maintenance carriage 5 is equipped with a drive 6. With the aid of the drive 6, the maintenance carriage 5 is moved on a travel path 7 along the working positions 2, 3.

[0041] A movement of the maintenance carriage 5 along the travel path 7 is necessary due to an event that occurred at a specific work position 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the event of a completed full spool 11 occurred at work position 3. The completed full spool 11 must be replaced with an empty tube 10, for which the maintenance carriage 5 must perform an action. The controller 4 now sends the maintenance carriage 5 to work position 3. The speed of the maintenance carriage 5 during its movement along the travel path 7 to work position 3 is controlled by the controller 4 via the drive 6. Within the controller 4, the event of the completed full spool 11 is assigned an urgency level, and the speed of the maintenance carriage 5 is controlled accordingly.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the illustrated and described embodiment. Modifications within the scope of the patent claims are possible.

[0043] List of reference symbols

[0044] I Spinning machine 2 working position

[0045] 3 Work position with event

[0046] 4 Control

[0047] 5 maintenance vehicles

[0048] 6 Drive 7 Track

[0049] 8 spinning apparatus

[0050] 9 yarn

[0051] 10 empty tubes

[0052] II Coil

Claims

Patent claims 1. Spinning machine (1) with a plurality of work positions (2, 3), wherein the spinning machine (1) has at least one maintenance carriage (5) for operating or servicing devices in the work positions (2, 3) and a controller (4) and a drive (6) for moving the maintenance carriage (5) at a specific speed on a travel path (7) along the work positions (2, 3), wherein for a plurality of events at least one action is to be carried out by the maintenance carriage (5) at one of the work positions (2, 3), characterized in that the controller (4) is designed to regulate the speed of the maintenance carriage (5), wherein each of the events in the controller (4) is assigned an urgency level for the action to be carried out, wherein the urgency level of the respective pending action is taken into account when regulating the speed.

2. Spinning machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the urgency level in the control is determined depending on one or more of the following factors: - Type of event - Simultaneity of events - time available until the action is carried out - Extent of production losses or consequential damages if the action is not carried out or not carried out in a timely manner.

3. Spinning machine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one or more of the following factors are taken into account when regulating the speed: - Blocking of the roadway by people or objects - Distance of the work position to be approached from the maintenance trolley - Availability of necessary resources to carry out the action - Malfunction of the working position.

4. Spinning machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at the highest urgency level a maximum speed of 2 m / s to 3 m / s and / or a minimum speed of 1 m / s to 1.5 m / s is provided.

5. Spinning machine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at the lowest urgency level a minimum speed of 0.05 m / s to 0.1 m / s and / or a maximum speed of 0.2 m / s to 0.5 m / s is provided.

6. Spinning machine (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spinning machine (1) is an air spinning machine or rotor spinning machine or a dishwasher and the action of the maintenance trolley (5) comprises at least a removal of finished bobbins (11), an insertion of empty tubes (10), a cleaning process or a piecing process.

7. Spinning machine (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the spinning machine (1) is a ring spinning machine and the working positions (2, 3) comprise a plurality of of spinning stations, each with a spindle and a drafting system, and the action of the maintenance carriage (5) comprises at least a traveller change, a cleaning process or a piecing process.

8. Spinning machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spinning machine (1) forms a machine network with upstream or downstream machines, wherein the urgency level in the control is provided as a function of an operating mode or an operating state of the upstream or downstream machine.

9. Spinning machine (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that when events are triggered manually, a target speed is defined for the speed of the maintenance carriage (5) independently of the urgency level.

10. A method for operating a spinning machine (1) having a plurality of work positions (2, 3), wherein the spinning machine (1) has at least one maintenance carriage (5) for operating or servicing devices in the work positions (2, 3) and a controller (4) and a drive (6) for moving the maintenance carriage (5) at a specific speed on a travel path (7) along the work positions (2, 3), wherein for a plurality of events an action is carried out by the maintenance carriage (5) at one of the work positions (2, 3), characterized in that the controller (4) regulates the speed of the maintenance carriage (5), wherein each of the events in the controller (4) is assigned an urgency level for the action to be carried out, and the urgency level of the respective pending action is taken into account when regulating the speed.

11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the urgency level in the control is determined depending on one or more of the following factors: - Type of event - Simultaneity of events - time available until the action is carried out - Extent of production losses or consequential damages if the action is not carried out or not carried out in a timely manner.

12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the urgency level is reduced by a disturbance factor, wherein the disturbance factor is determined by the presence of a person or an object in the travel path (7) or an operational malfunction of the working position (2, 3) or a lack of an operating resource necessary for the action.

13. Method according to one or more of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that when several maintenance vehicles (5) are used in the same travel path (7), the control (4) determines the corresponding maintenance vehicle (5) in addition to regulating the speed.

14. Method according to one or more of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that when events occur simultaneously at different work positions (2, 3), the controller (4) determines an order of execution of the actions of the maintenance trolley (5) based on the urgency level.

15. Method according to one or more of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that the travel path (7) is monitored and in the event of a blockage of the travel path (7) an emergency stop of the maintenance vehicle (5) takes place.

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