Textile Machine Workstation Recovery via Suction Air Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Open-end rotor spinning machines with autonomous workstations face prolonged downtime after technical issues like power grid voltage drops, as service units take time to reset all workstations, and additional suction air consumption during cross-wound package doffing reduces the number of simultaneously recoverable workstations.

Innovation Solution

Preventing service units from performing cross-wound package/empty-tube doffing during piecing operations to maintain maximum suction air availability, ensuring the central control unit does not issue work orders to service units until all workstations are pieced up, thereby minimizing additional negative-pressure demands and maintaining the highest number of simultaneously recoverable workstations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If service units perform cross-wound package doffing during piecing operations, then package management is maintained, but suction air availability decreases reducing the number of simultaneously recoverable workstations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of simultaneously recoverable workstationsVSAvoidsuction air availability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit prevents service units from performing cross-wound package doffing during piecing operations by issuing prevention signals. This preliminary action ensures suction air availability is maintained for piecing operations before doffing is attempted, resolving the contradiction by sequencing operations to avoid resource conflict.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of time

If service units are allowed to operate autonomously during piecing operations, then package doffing can proceed, but recovery time increases due to reduced suction air for piecing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecovery timeVSAvoidnumber of simultaneously recoverable workstations

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit receives signals from service units indicating piecing operations are underway and responds by issuing prevention signals to stop doffing operations. This feedback mechanism dynamically adjusts service unit behavior based on real-time workstation status, minimizing recovery time while maintaining suction air availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Speed

If multiple workstations are pieced up simultaneously, then overall recovery speed increases, but suction air consumption exceeds available capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecovery speedVSAvoidsuction air consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows piecing operations to consume a controlled portion of suction air capacity by preventing doffing operations during piecing. This partial action approach ensures sufficient suction air is allocated to piecing operations to maintain high recovery speed without exceeding available capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach ensures that the maximum number of workstations can be simultaneously pieced up after a shutdown, reducing the overall recovery time and maintaining high efficiency by preventing a drop in the number of recoverable workstations, thus optimizing the operation of open-end rotor spinning machines.

Implementation Method 1

a suction nozzle for receiving a thread from the surface of a cross-wound package, which suction nozzle is connected to the negative-pressure network of the textile machine

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNegative pressure: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

a storage nozzle for temporarily storing excess thread length, which storage nozzle is likewise connected to the negative-pressure network

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNegative pressure: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentUS12195297B2Method for operating a textile machine producing cross-wound packages, and a textile machine producing cross-wound packages

Publication Date: 2025.01.14 SAURER SPINNING SOLUTIONS GMBH & CO KG

AI summary

A method for operating a textile machine producing cross-wound packages has a multiplicity of autonomous work stations that each have a spinning apparatus and a winding apparatus and are equipped with a suction nozzle, connected to the vacuum network of the textile machine, for receiving a thread from the surface of a cross-wound package, and also a storage nozzle, likewise connected to the vacuum network, for temporarily storing excess thread length, and which is operated at least by one service unit that exchanges full cross-wound packages for empty tubes as required. The invention provides for the actuation of a cross-wound package/empty tube exchange by one of the service units to be prevented during the operations of restarting of the work stations, thereby ensuring that, during the restarting of the autonomous work stations, the maximum number of work stations always starts up again at the same time.