Autonomous Spinning Can Handling for Reliable Fibre Band Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current system for transporting spinning cans between fibre band-delivering and fibre band-fed spinning machines relies on operator intervention, leading to unreliable fibre band supply and potential production standstills due to dependency on personnel.
Innovation Solution
A driverless transport vehicle equipped with an autonomous travelling drive, a transport platform, and an autonomous manipulator unit with a gripper and actuating device for gripping and positioning spinning cans, allowing for automated and reliable supply to fibre band-fed spinning machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operator intervention is used to transport spinning cans between machines, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but reliability of fibre band supply deteriorates and production standstills occur
Solution Approach 1:
The transport vehicle is equipped with an autonomous manipulator unit that can independently grip, lift, and position spinning cans without human intervention. The vehicle autonomously navigates between machines, detects spinning can positions using sensors, and performs replacement operations, enabling the system to serve itself and eliminating dependency on operators for maintaining fibre band supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical operation of operators with an automated manipulator unit featuring a gripper actuated by an actuating device. This substitution transforms the transport and handling process from human-operated mechanical action to automated mechanical action controlled by sensors and control systems, thereby improving reliability while reducing automation extent as a limiting factor.
2Productivity
If manual handling of spinning cans is used, then device complexity is low, but productivity deteriorates due to production standstills
Solution Approach 1:
The transport system is divided into distinct functional modules: an autonomous travelling drive for navigation, a transport platform for carrying spinning cans, and a manipulator unit with gripper for handling. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall control architecture, enabling continuous operation without compromising system manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport vehicle is designed as a multi-functional unit that can perform multiple operations: autonomous navigation to different machines, detection of spinning can status via sensor systems, gripping and lifting of spinning cans, precise positioning for replacement, and return trips for additional cans. This universality increases productivity by eliminating the need for separate manual operations while the integrated design keeps device complexity manageable.
3Ease of operation
If autonomous manipulator unit is implemented, then ease of operation is improved by eliminating operator intervention, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control unit as an intermediary between the sensor system and the manipulator unit. The control unit processes sensor data to determine spinning can positions and coordinates the manipulator's movements and gripping actions. This intermediary simplifies the overall control architecture by centralizing decision-making logic, thereby improving ease of operation while managing device complexity through structured control rather than distributed complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A driverless transport vehicle for autonomous transport and replacement of at least one spinning can. In order to provide a driverless transport vehicle which reliably ensures an automated supply of the spinning machines fed with fibre band, the driverless transport vehicle has an autonomous travelling drive, a transport platform for accommodating the at least one spinning can, and a manipulator unit for taking up and setting down the at least one spinning can, the manipulator unit having a gripper for grasping the spinning can and an actuating device for adjusting the gripper.