The invention concerns an arrangement of service positions for maintenance apparatuses, which apparatuses can travel along a multiplicity of similar workstations on a side of a textile machine.
In the case of a known spinning machine (DE 36 02 961 A1), a plurality of similar workstations are situated lying beside one another on both sides of the spinning machine. On each these two sides, runs one guide rail, upon which maintenance apparatuses travel along the line of workstations. The two guide rails are connected together at one end of the spinning machine in a U-curve, so that, in case of need, a maintenance apparatus normally serving one side, can be changed over to the other side. This would occur upon the failure of one maintenance apparatus. For such failure or for the repair of a maintenance apparatus itself, service stations have been constructed along the guide rail, at which maintenance apparatuses can be repaired outside of the confines of the workstations. In one embodiment, at the level of an end framing of a spinning machine, two oppositely disposed service stations are provided, one on each side of said machine. Maintenance apparatuses, in a withdrawal action, can be run into one these said service stations in a direction transverse to the guide rail. In another embodiment, the guide rail is extended in length beyond the end structure, so that the maintenance apparatus is switched onto the elongated guide rail and subjected to its own upkeep in this location. For the switching of the maintenance apparatus from one side of the spinning machine to the other side, the maintenance apparatus is provided with a curve adapted running gear in order to negotiate the U-curve. The travel around the U-curve upon the change from a first to a second side of the spinning machine and back again, requires travel time, during which the workstations are not being serviced.
In the case of another known spinning machine (DE 199 30 644 A1), on both sides of the machine, a guide rail is provided along which two maintenance apparatuses can service a multiplicity of workstations. The maintenance apparatuses themselves are carried on running gear which can be pulled out transversely of the guide rail. By means of this withdrawal of the maintenance apparatus on the its running gear, a passage between the spinning machine and the back side of the maintenance apparatus is formed, so that the same is accessible from that rear side. This pulling out of the maintenance apparatus into an inspection position is provided at the level of the end structure of the spinning machine. For this withdrawal operation, an appropriate mechanism is available.
Thus it is a principal purpose of the invention to provide an arrangement for service positions for maintenance apparatuses on a spinning machine, wherein, upon a failure or needed upkeep of a maintenance apparatus, the workstations assigned to this maintenance apparatus can be attended to by another maintenance apparatus with the least possible expenditure of time, while the time and expense for mechanical reconstitution of the failure or scheduled repair of the out-of-service maintenance apparatus is minimized to the greatest possible extent.
In accord with an embodiment according to the invention, there is to be found on one side of a textile machine, two maintenance apparatuses, which can travel along a multiplicity of similar workstations. The maintenance apparatuses, in this function, are automated, and undertake at the said workstations, various operative steps, for instance, the cleaning of the workstation, the restarting of the workstation upon its dropping out of production, or the feeding in of starting products or the like. In the case of an open-end spinning machine, for example, by means of a spin-start robot, a spool exchange can be effected, when the spool is filled with spun thread, or in the case of a thread break, a restart of the spinning machine is carried out. By means of the provision of at least two maintenance apparatuses, the apparatuses can apportion between themselves the maintenance operations at the workstations. Thus, more workstations can be serviced and/or each workstation can be put back into productive operation immediately after a shorter period of downtime.
Advantageously, with this arrangement, the individual maintenance apparatuses can be assigned specific areas of operation at the workstations. The workstations would then be primarily serviced by the appropriate maintenance apparatus.
Because of the fact that at least two maintenance apparatuses run on only one side of a textile machine, the travel times to the individual workstations are substantially shortened. This reduces the response time for the maintenance apparatus at a workstation, especially if one of the maintenance apparatuses fails because of a defect, or must be taken out of service due to preventive upkeep. By this means, the number of the workstations per side of a textile machine can be substantially increased, so that, for instance, even coarse yarn can be efficiently spun, for which a much more frequent spool exchange becomes necessary.
Because of the travel of more than one maintenance apparatus on a common guide rail, the maintenance apparatuses cannot pass by one another. On this account, two service positions are provided along the guide rail, at which, respectively, one maintenance apparatus can be attended. Simultaneously, it is quite possible that the other maintenance apparatus would not be obstructed in providing service to all the workstations on that same side. On this account, the service positions for the maintenance apparatuses lie in a part of the guide rail which is outside of the operational area for the workstations.
Due to the provision of a pivotal or withdrawable service position at the level of the framing of the textile machine, it is not necessary to elongate the textile machine in this area beyond its normal length. In the case of a spinning machine, a machine-end framing, a drive framework or an end framing are available. The end framing is also provided to support the furnishing of empty spools and for the removal of filled spools.
The pull-out arrangement of the maintenance apparatus into a withdrawn service position is effected by the withdrawal of a section of the guide rail in the area of the mentioned framings. When this is done, the maintenance apparatus remains in place on this withdrawn guide rail section. By means of this withdrawal of the maintenance apparatus, it becomes possible for service personnel to gain access to its rear side between the maintenance apparatus and the textile machine framing.
Again, when a pivotally secured service position is concerned, advantageously, a section of the guide rail at the level of the machine framing is swung around a bearing. Because of this, the maintenance apparatus on the swung out section is likewise accessible from the rear.
In the case of a second service position, the guide rail is elongated beyond the basic length of the textile machine, so that the maintenance apparatus, when it is pushed into the extended guide rail length, may be approached from all sides.
The maintenance apparatuses are supported directly on their respective guide rail so that by means of a simple construction operation, a lockup can be provided for the maintenance apparatus. This permits an exact positioning of the maintenance apparatus on the workstation. Because of the fact that a maintenance apparatus serves only those workstations on its respective side of the textile machine, an optimal adjustment of the maintenance apparatus on the guide rail for the corresponding side is made possible. It is not necessary that adjustment of the maintenance apparatus be adapted for usage on the guide rails for the two different sides of the textile machine.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the two service positions are placed at opposite end areas of the guide rail on one side of the textile machine. In this way, in the case of a dropout of one of the maintenance apparatuses, the other maintenance apparatus is enabled to take care of the entire work area of the workstations, without being obstructed by the maintenance apparatus removed for failure or needed preventive upkeep.
By the provision of at least two maintenance apparatuses on the second side of the textile machine, to comprise a further embodiment, it is possible that also on this side the workstations can be served with only a short interruption. In this case, it is particularly advantageous in that a third service position be placed opposite to the service position on the other side of the textile machine, which, in the same height as the machine structure can be transversely withdrawn. The mechanical construction for the withdrawal of the guide rail transverse to its run, permits its fastening on only one of the machine supports, which simplifies the carrying out of the withdrawal.
In the case of the arrangement of a service position for maintenance apparatuses in accord with another embodiment, the guide rails are elongated at both ends of the textile machine and thereby a service position is provided. This enables a particularly simple mechanical assembly, since only an extension of the guide rail must be made. For the rest, the above named advantages also apply to this arrangement also.
In the case of an arrangement of service positions for maintenance apparatuses as set forth in still another embodiment, two service positions are provided on one side of the textile machine, respectively at the same level as a machine framing. When this arrangement is employed, it is not necessary to lengthen the textile machine by running a guide rail beyond the basic length of the machine, so that, in regard to the length of the textile machine, no additional loss of space is experienced. If, on the other hand, the textile machine exhibits two stretches of adjacent workstations on one side, which are bound to one another by the machine framing, then, even in this case, in the framing between these workstations, a transverse, pull-out service position can be provided. This enables, for example, the use of a third maintenance apparatus, which is dedicated to one side, without the necessity that this maintenance apparatus must be driven into an end area of the workstation, whereby it would blockade another maintenance apparatus. Beyond this, the above presented advantages are found in this arrangement.
In a particularly favored embodiment, one, several or all service positions are so arranged, that these, in regard to the closest neighboring workstation, occupy at least a distance of 30 cm. That means that as soon as a maintenance apparatus is in its service position, then this is only a distance of 30 cm away from the nearest workstation. This permits the repair, that is to say, the upkeep of a maintenance apparatus, while it is still operational on this textile machine side. An advantage of this arrangement is that the maintenance personnel are not exposed to the danger of coming into contact with a component of the workstation which is in motion. The productive operation of the textile machine can be carried on in spite of the upkeep operations on the maintenance apparatus while, at the same time, the workplace safety of the maintenance personnel is assured. Particularly advantageous in this arrangement, would be a distance to the workstation of at least 80 cm.
Particularly advantageous are the oppositely disposed service positions on the machine framing which can be pulled out by a common withdrawal device, whereby altematingly, the maintenance apparatus on one or the other side of the textile machine can be brought into its upkeep station. In this way, the oppositely situated guide rail sections can be connected by a common cross carrier, which, for this operation, requires only a sliding bushing.
With the aid of the drawings, embodiments of the invention will be desfribed and explained in greater detail.