CH684413A5 - Method for bobbin exchange in the creel of a double-sided textile machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for bobbin exchange in the creel of a double-sided textile machine, a feed-bobbin row (44, 46) is arranged along each work-station row (12, 14). Located next to a feed-bobbin row is a bobbin-transport appliance (38) which is not moved in the longitudinal direction of the machine during the bobbin exchange. The necessary movements during the bobbin exchange in the longitudinal direction of the machine are executed by a bobbin-changing appliance (52), the bobbin-changing appliance (52) commencing its work when the bobbin-transport appliance (38) is prepositioned. The bobbin exchange can be carried out at the least possible outlay by means of the method. <IMAGE>

Description

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description

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of independent claim 1 and to a device according to the preamble of independent claim 8. The invention is particularly designed for ring spinning machines, of which the individual spinning stations are fed by roving bobbins. In order to avoid complicated formulations, the description focuses on ring spinning machines with a roving template as an example. However, the invention is not restricted to this type of machine or template. A twisting machine, for example, needs a thread spool as a template. Accordingly, the limitation to a roving as feed material is dispensed with in the claims.

A ring spinning machine works as the last link in a chain of processing machines that transform disordered fiber material into a yarn. The spinning machine is accordingly limited by the capabilities of the machines supplying it, in particular the flyers (pre-spinning machines) in front of it. Of course, this also applies to a transport system that connects the two machine types.

The technology of ring spinning has been put into practice and developed further for more than a century, and its basic features are now largely standardized. In order to ensure the efficiency of the process and competitiveness, there is an urge to make optimal use of the space available in the spinning room. No single spinning position of a ring spinning machine can therefore be regarded as an island. The spinning positions of the individual machines are lined up as closely as possible. The machine has a «double-sided» design, i.e. the spinning positions are arranged in two rows, one on each machine side. The machines themselves are crowded in the spinning room. The remaining space for automatic transport systems and coil handling robots is therefore limited and can hardly be increased without endangering the competitiveness of the process itself (i.e. the cost-effectiveness of the overall solution).

The roving bobbins are each formed on a sleeve (as a load-bearing element) and are hung vertically on the individual spigot to feed a respective spinning position in the so-called creel. In order to make optimal use of the space in the gate, coils with a diameter larger than the spindle pitch are used. The bobbins for approximately one row of spinning stations must therefore be arranged in at least two rows above the spinning stations. The roving is pulled off to the side and then runs downwards via guide elements into the drafting system of the spinning station.

The overall task of automating gate loading can therefore be divided into the following sub-aspects:

1. bringing new (full) coils to the gate,

2. replacement of the new (full) spools with the old (empty or almost empty) spools in the work stations of the gate,

3. Return the old bobbins to the pre-spinning machines when the residual material is disposed of, if not all of the original material has been removed from the tube during the exchange.

4. Resumption of spinning at the relevant spinning station if the feed process for this spinning station has been interrupted during the exchange process.

The advantages and disadvantages of a partial solution essentially depend on the extent to which this partial solution enables or impairs the other partial solutions required for the overall solution.

A first attempt at automated gate loading is contained in DE-A1 1 969 002. However, this document focuses on a transport system for bringing flyer spools to the ring spinning machine and is otherwise limited to hints regarding “automatic devices” that have not been described or shown.

A partial solution consists of clearing and reloading a whole row or even an entire «machine side» at the same time by «longitudinally extending» or «longitudinally retracting». Such proposals can be found in US-A3 828 682, US-A 3 935 821 and DEA1 3 709 540 (US-A 4 827 709), a reserve row being provided in DE-A1 3 709 540 so that spinning without Interruption can continue. However, these solutions do not include any suggestions for the automatic operation of the newly introduced coils, i.e. they mainly focus on the transport task. The question of further expansion to a fully automated system remains open with such partial solutions.

Concrete ideas for an overall solution are contained in DD-A1 57 523. The new coils are brought in by means of a conveyor belt. A bobbin exchange device works with the conveyor belt and with the machine gate to carry out the bobbin exchange. Nitscheln connects the new roving with the old roving that is still entering the spinning station (roving attachment process), so that there is no interruption in spinning during the ideal process. The disposal of the roving residues on the old tubes is also provided. Accordingly, the entire process has been carefully thought through and all the steps necessary for this have been demonstrated. The devices that have been proposed for executing the individual steps are, however, first indicated purely schematically and secondly very complicated and expensive. It seems unlikely that such a device has been put into practice.

A substantially similar system is contained in DE-A1 3 208 677 (US-A 4 438 622). The main difference is that according to DE-A1 3 208 677 the new roving should not be attached to the old roving. However, the description in DE-A1 3 208 677 is at least incomplete insofar as it relates to the introduction of the

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stops the new fuse in a funnel in front of the spinning station. The way in which the spinning station is to be put into operation in this way is neither described nor indicated in DE-A1 3 208 677.

The individual work steps for replacing the bobbins and reinserting the roving up to the mentioned funnel are all listed in DE-A1 3 208 677. The devices necessary for this are indicated purely schematically and it again seems doubtful that a device according to this pattern has been used in practice. From this document it is clear in any case that the operation of the rear (inner) coil row in the gate is extremely delicate.

A completely different kind of solution can be found in a group of Japanese publications, namely 48-3 333, 48-3 334, 48-22 848 and 49-143 520. The approach of the new coils to the gate is not shown here. The new coils have been drawn in a shelf above the gate. JP-A 483 333 shows a device which takes the new coils in pairs from this storage and puts them in the gate (presumably after the empty sleeves have been removed from the gate). The subsequent roving handling is shown in JP-A 483 334, while the subsequent commissioning of the relevant spinning positions has been dealt with in JP-A 4 822 848 and / or JP-A 4 914 520. In connection with this system, it remains unclear how the new bobbins are to be stacked in the stacker and how the roving inserted in the funnel of the spinning station begins to run through the drafting system. The idea of simultaneous treatment of the inner and outer rows of coils, however, formed the basis for further developments, which can be found in DE-A1 3 537 727 and EP-A1 259 267 (US-A 4 841 720).

In parallel to the developments in direct connection with the machine creel, the transport systems between the pre-spinning machine and the ring spinning machine were developed in the form of a monorail. The transfer of the flyer spools to such a web has been shown in DE-A1 1 510 593 and further developments of this system are described in JP-A 5 138 814, JP-A 5 076 341, US-A 3 935 699 and JP-A 5123 332 to find. The system comprises trolley trains, with each trolley being provided with pins so that the roving bobbins hang from the pins of the trolley like from the pins of a gate.

The transfer of flyer spools from such a trolley directly into the gate has been shown in JP-A 5 881 631 and JP-A 6 331 565. However, this plugging takes place in an overall system according to EP-A1 213 962, according to which the inner and outer coil rows of the gate are periodically exchanged and the plugging of the new coils takes place only in the outer coil row. This requires a complicated and complex gate construction, which includes an additional robot. Different possibilities for exchanging coils between a trolley train and a gate (without requiring an exchange method within the gate) are then shown in the aforementioned DE-A1 3 537 727 and EP-A1 259 267, as well as in DE-A1 3 734 275 been. The various proposals include two sets of gripping elements (one set for the new spools and one set for the empty sleeves), empty spaces in the trolley train (EP-A1 259 267) and intermediate stores (EP-A1 259 267 and DE-A1 3 734 275) . According to DE-A1 3 911 765, an intermediate store can then be designed as a sliver preparation station, so that the sliver is processed for further processing.

The creel can be provided with an empty core tube transport path extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, and the full bobbins are gradually moved inwards from an external reserve position when they supply their roving material to the spinning stations. This arrangement requires a corresponding gate construction, which practically excludes their use in existing machines. For an overall solution (incl. Sliver handling and any new start-up of the spinning station), this arrangement causes some complications, which are solvable but require additional effort.

The study of the aforementioned publications will show that a key problem is the operation of the inner row of coils. In summary, the following four known solutions to this problem can be identified:

1.Reach into the inner row when driving under the outer row (e.g. DD-A1 57 523, DE-A1 3 208 677 and DE-A1 3 734 275).

2. Exchange the inner and outer rows so that only the outer row has to be operated (EP-A1 213 962).

3. Simultaneously operate the inner and outer rows of coils (e.g. JP-A 483 333, DE-A1 3 537 727 and US-A 4 841 720).

4. Lay the bobbins in a given direction (from the outside in) when supplying the spinning stations so that the main operating work can be carried out at one end of the movement path.

It is the object of this invention to provide a simpler solution for the operation of the inner row of coils, which can serve as the basis for a practical overall solution to the aforementioned problems of gate loading.

This object is achieved by the teaching of claims 1 and 8. The dependent claims relate to advantageous developments.

Preferably, each row of workstations of the machine is assigned only the aforementioned inner and outer supply coil rows.

An inner row coil can be held in a treatment position in or near the device for treatment. Preferably only one treatment position is provided per pair of coils, a pair of coils comprising a coil of the inner row and a coil of the outer row. All four spools of a given spool change operation (i.e. the two old ones

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and the two new coils) must go through this single treatment position.

The invention is applicable both in a system according to which a new roving is made with a roving still running, and in a system according to which the new roving has to be re-threaded into the appropriate spinning position.

A device according to this invention can be equipped with its own carried (backpack) magazine for new and old spools. However, it can be provided for cooperation with a traveling coil transport device or for cooperation with a pre-positioned coil transport device. Empty spaces can be provided in the magazine or in the transport device and / or the device can be provided with a buffer and / or a set of coil grippers for the new coils and a set of coil grippers for the old coils can be provided. The coil-gripping elements can be provided with pins or with gripper jaws. The necessary movements of the various coils between the magazine or transport device and the gate can be carried out by repositioning and / or by moving the coils along a guide.

In a preferred arrangement, all necessary relative movements are accomplished by moving the device or moving elements mounted on the device relative to a stationary transport device (and a stationary gate).

The residual material from the old coils can be disposed of on the device or on the transport device or in a suitable location in the overall system.

Individual embodiments of the invention will now be explained in more detail as examples with reference to the drawings.

It shows:

1 shows a schematic cross section through a ring spinning machine according to this invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of six adjacent supply coil locations in the gate of a machine according to Fig. 1, for explaining the preferred arrangement according to this invention, and

3, 4 and 5 similar floor plans of alternative arrangements, which are also formed according to this invention.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a mechanism for performing movements required for a bobbin changing operation according to the preferred embodiment.

7 shows a pair of trunnions opposite coils or sleeves in the gate and on a trolley,

8 shows the same arrangement as FIG. 7, but with additional arrows to indicate movements,

9 and 10 show the elements of FIGS. 7 and 8 in a different state,

11 contains a total of twenty-two individual state diagrams, which together represent a change operation in an execution with a buffer,

FIG. 12 contains a total of fourteen individual state diagrams which represent a simpler, preferred changeover operation (certain intermediate steps not being shown in FIG. 12),

13 shows a side view of a preferred solution for carrying out the “lifting cycle”, which is explained in connection with FIGS. 6 and 7,

14 shows a schematic side view of a device for sliver handling.

15 shows a schematic layout of a system comprising robots according to this invention,

16 shows a schematic illustration of a gate section which is intended to explain a suitable “change strategy”, and

17 shows six diagrams for explaining this change strategy.

The machine according to FIG. 1 comprises a double-sided frame 10 with two rows of spinning positions 12 and 14, which are directed in opposite directions from a central plane ME of the machine. In a modern machine, each such row of spinning positions 12, 14 contains between 500 and 600 closely spaced spinning positions. Each spinning station comprises a drafting unit 16, thread guide elements 18 and a bobbin-forming unit 20. The unit 20 contains individual working elements such as e.g. Spindle, ring and rotor, but they are irrelevant to this invention and are not shown individually. These elements are known to the person skilled in the art and are e.g. can be seen from EP-A1 382 943. A Doffautomat 22, 24 is provided for each row of spinning stations 12 and 14, which serves all spinning stations of the row of spinning stations assigned to it at the same time. This automat is also not described in more detail here, details of which can be found from EP-A1 303 877.

Each row of spinning stations 12 and 14 is also assigned to at least one operating device 26 and 28, which can be moved along the respective row and can perform operating operations at the individual spinning stations. Details of such an operating device are e.g. can be seen from EP-A1 388 938.

The frame 10 carries a gate 30 which is formed from vertical bars 32 and cross members 34. Rails 36 are mounted on the outer ends of the cross members 34 and extend in the longitudinal direction of the machine. Each rail 36 serves as a guideway for a trolley train 38 which leads new coils 40 to the gate 30.

The gate 30 also includes carriers 42 for supply spools 44, 46, which supply the individual spinning stations with roving. The supports 42 are drawn as transverse rails, but this arrangement is of no importance for this invention. In the example according to FIG. 1, the supply bobbins for each row of spinning positions 12 and 14 are arranged in two rows, namely in an inner row 44 in the vicinity of the central plane ME and an outer row 46 which is distant from the central plane ME. For each row of spinning stations 12 and 14, a coil of the inner row 44 and an adjacent coil of the outer row 46 form a pair of supply coils, which

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each pair of adjacent spinning stations supplied with roving. The part of a gate that contains a pair of supply coils can be referred to as a “gate position”.

The cross members 34 also carry a rail arrangement 48 or 50 on each machine side, which serves as a guideway for a respective mobile robot 52 or 54. The robot 52 or 54 therefore runs between the outer supply spool row 46 and the new spools 40 carried by the trolley train 38 and above the respective operating device 26 or 28. The robot 52 is designed to operate the two feed spool rows of the gate, as described below with reference to FIG 2 to 5 is explained in more detail.

FIG. 2 again shows the center plane ME of the machine according to FIG. 1 together with supply coils 56, 58, 60, the inner coil row 44 and supply coils 62, 64, the outer supply coil row 46. A part of the robot 52 has also been indicated schematically. The supply coils 56, 62 form a first pair of coils and the supply coils 60, 64 form a second pair of coils. In normal operation, a further coil 66 of the outer row 46 is assigned to the coil 58 in order to form a third pair of supply coils. In the state according to FIG. 2, this coil 66 has been removed from the gate 30 by the robot 52 in order to form an “alley” 70 between the coils 62 and 64 of the outer row 46. This alley 70 enables access to the coil 58 (or the corresponding suspension point of the gate) of the inner row 44, which considerably facilitates the operation of this coil 58 of the inner row.

It is now assumed that the "bobbins" 58 and 66 only consist of empty tubes because they have delivered all of their roving to their respective spinning positions. The empty sleeve 66 can be hung on a spigot of the trolley train 38, after which the empty sleeve 58 can be removed from the gate 30 and hung on the trolley train. A full spool 40 (FIG. 1) can now be removed from the trolley train 38 and, after a suitable treatment, inserted through the alley 70 into the work area of the inner row 44. After the work of the inner row 44 has been fully served, e.g. If the new roving is placed on the old roving or the new roving is threaded into the drafting unit 16 of the relevant spinning position, a further spool 40 can be removed from the trolley train 38 and inserted into the appropriate working position of the outer row 46. For the sake of completeness, examples of the various operating operations are described in more detail below. For now, however, alternative arrangements according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 will be described to explain the inventive principle.

In the arrangement according to FIG. 2, the alley 70 forms approximately a right angle together with the central plane MA. FIG. 3 shows that this is not absolutely necessary, where the elements of FIG. 2 are shown again and are indicated with similar reference numerals. Since the coils 62, 64 and 66 of the outer row 64 are unchanged from FIG. 2, they have the same reference numerals. In Fig. 3, however, it is assumed that the second coil 58A of the third coil pair still has a lot of original material, while the coils 56A and 60A of the first and second coil pairs are exhausted, i.e. have delivered their roving material entirely to their respective spinning positions. In this case, the "alley" 72 extends diagonally between the coils 62, 58A (or diagonally between the coils 64, 58A). The arrangement according to FIG. 2 is preferred, but where the space is suitable, the arrangement according to FIG. 3 is also possible.

2 and 3 each show an arrangement, according to which the alley 70 and 72 has a width which corresponds approximately to the diameter of a full spool. 4 shows an arrangement with a "wide alley" with a width of three coil diameters, which further facilitates the operation of the suspension points of the inner row. However, this additional relief has to be bought with certain difficulties in the overall process and will normally not be worthwhile compared to the preferred arrangement according to FIG. 2. The additional difficulties mentioned become apparent from the following description of the individual operating operations.

Finally, Fig. 5 shows that a "long lane" up to the innermost supply spool row is also possible. This, of course, requires the corresponding longer controls on the robot 52 and, in particular, can cause problems in connection with the operation of roving guide elements for the roving of the innermost row. The arrangement is possible in principle and the difficulties mentioned can be solved with somewhat more complex constructions.

In the description so far it has been assumed, for the sake of simplicity, that the used-up coils (in FIG. 2 the coils 58, 66) are removed individually (sequentially) from the gate. However, if it can be reliably ensured that no residual material remains on these coils when changing the bobbin, it is not necessary to remove the bobbins of a pair one after the other from the gate. They can be removed from the gate together at the same time. However, this does not apply to the re-insertion of the full bobbins. When a new spool is introduced, it is necessary to perform at least certain sliver handling operations, so that the presence of the alley is essential for the operation of the inner (innermost) spool row during the new introduction and requires the new spools to be introduced sequentially.

Individual aspects will now be explained in more detail:

In a first section the reel change sequence is dealt with, in a second section the sliver end handling and in a third section the overall process including the necessary control of the system.

In the following description it is assumed that the new spools are to be introduced directly into the gate from a transport device in the form of a trolley and the used spools are to be transferred directly from the gate to the trolley,

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i.e. the automatic bobbin changer does not have its own magazine and it is not necessary to reload it from a transport trolley into such a magazine. The latter variant is not excluded from the protection area. However, the variants to be described below represent the simpler preferred solutions.

To automate the bobbin change, two subtasks have to be solved, namely:

1. Elements are to be provided which reliably achieve the required movements, and

2. During the whole process, the locations of all coils involved in this change process (both the used ones and the new ones to be introduced) must be clearly defined at all times. This means that when changing the bobbin in connection with a double-row creel, a total of four bobbins must each find an operable space in the creel or on the automatic device or on the trolley.

The movements required depend in part on the shape of the coil-engaging elements provided. In this description it is assumed that the coils have to be “repositioned” so that they are carried by the gripping elements of the automatic device during a movement. At the beginning of such a movement, the gripper must take over the spool from a predetermined hanging spigot and at the end of the movement transfer the spool to another predetermined hanging spigot. Such a system differs from a system according to e.g. DE-A1 3 817 910, according to which a coil is constantly carried by its own adapter, the adapter being suitable for cooperation with a guide present in the gate. In such a system, the automatic device only has to cause the adapter to move along the applicable guide without having to carry the coil or adapter. Such a system can also be built according to this invention, but no concrete examples are shown here.

It is also assumed that the gripper element is provided in the form of a pin (support pin) which engages into the sleeve from below. The considerations are of course exactly the same for a gripper enclosing the sleeve base, e.g. according to DE-A1 3 305 991.

The movements required for a preferred two-row gate arrangement according to FIG. 2 will now be described. In such a system, it must be possible to perform movements in three directions, namely:

- back and forth in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the machine,

- back and forth,

- in the longitudinal direction of the machine

6 shows a simple example of a device for carrying out the first and second types of movement. The device comprises a carrier section 100 with a sliding track 102. An elongated slide 103 runs in this track 102, which is extended by a suitable drive (not shown, for example a linear motor) between an extended position (extended in the direction of the central plane of the machine) and a retracted position is movable. The slider itself has a guideway 101 for a carriage 104, which is provided with a perpendicular pin 106. The carriage 104 has a through-bore 108 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the slide 103 and is provided with a threaded nut 110. The threaded nut 110 works together with a threaded spindle egg 112, which is carried at both ends (not shown) in a bearing block on the slide 103 in such a way that the threaded spindle can rotate about its own longitudinal axis, but is secured against movement in its own longitudinal direction is.

A suitable transmission (e.g. a toothed belt, not shown) connects the threaded spindle 112 to the drive shaft of a drive motor (not shown), this motor being carried by the slide 103. The motor is reversible, so that, depending on the direction of rotation of the motor shaft, the carriage 104 is moved along the path 101 via the threaded spindle 112 in the direction A or B.

With this arrangement, the pin 106 can be brought into four positions, namely:

(1) slide 103 retracted /

Carriage 104 retracted;

(2) slide 103 retracted /

Sled 104 extended;

(3) slide 103 extended /

Carriage 104 retracted;

(4) slide 103 extended /

Carriage 104 stretched out.

The carrier section 100 is mounted in the automatic device in such a way that the directions A and B are transverse to the longitudinal direction of the machine. The width of the slide 103 is selected such that, with suitable positioning of the automatic device, the slide 103 can be moved back and forth along an aisle 70 (FIG. 2) without touching the adjacent full bobbins.

The carrier section 100 has three vertical bores 114, 116 and 118, one of which is aligned with the axis of a threaded nut 120 fixedly mounted on the carrier section 100. The threaded nut 120 works together with a vertical threaded spindle 122, which is rotatably mounted about its own longitudinal axis in the chassis (not shown) of the automatic device. The threaded spindle 122 is connected at one end (not shown) to the rotor of a reversible drive motor (not shown), so that the rotation of this rotor brings about an up and down movement of the carrier part 100 along the threaded spindle 122. The bores 116, 118 cooperate with guide rods 124 which are mounted in the above-mentioned undercarriage and prevent the carrier section 100 from tilting during the movement.

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In a first variant, which is to be described in connection with FIGS. 7 to 11, the bobbin changer has an intermediate memory 130 (FIG. 7). The intermediate storage comprises a rod 132 with three hanging pins 134, 136, 138. The rod 132 extends in the longitudinal direction of the machine in the space left between the trolley 38 and the gate, which in this case is provided with an inner longitudinal beam 142 and an outer longitudinal beam 144 is. Each side member 142, 144 carries hanging pins 146 for the work coils in the gate. The hanging pins 146 in the gate, the hanging pins 134, 136, 138 in the intermediate store and the hanging pins 152 on the pin support 143 of the trolley 38 are arranged at the same height.

Only two hanging pins 146 with empty sleeves 147, 148 are shown in FIG. 7, these two sleeves forming a “pair of coils” that is to be replaced. The gate naturally includes a large number of such pins 146 and further coils (some of them full), but these have been omitted in FIG. 7 for reasons of clarity. The full bobbins carried by the trolley 38 and to be inserted into the gate are indicated by 140 and 141, respectively.

The carriage 104 (FIG. 6) with its pin 106 is shown again in FIG. 7. The carriage 104 is movable on the carrier section 100 (FIG. 6; in FIG. 7, not shown) between a retracted position shown in FIG. 7 and a fully extended position, not shown. In the retracted position and with suitable positioning of the support section 100 along the threaded spindle 122 (FIG. 6), the pin 106 is located directly below the foot 150 of a spool 140 on the trolley 38, as shown in FIG. 7. In the fully extended position ( with the same positioning of the support section 100 along the threaded spindle 122), the pin 106 is just below the foot 150 of the sleeve 148 on the inner support 142. In between, the pin 106 can be positioned directly below the foot 150 of the sleeve 147 on the outer longitudinal support 144 .

The overall order of course presupposes that the trolley 38 is positioned opposite the gate such that a full spool 140 is aligned on the trolley 38 with a pair of spools to be exchanged. This requires suitable means to position the mobile trolley in relation to the gate. We will come back to this requirement in connection with another preferred variant. For the time being, however, it is assumed that the appropriate positioning according to FIG. 7 has been achieved.

The bobbin changer in this case comprises a second pin 105, which is also guided by a suitable slide (not shown) in a sliding track (not shown) for movements in directions parallel to the directions of movement of the slide 104. However, the movements of the second pin 105 are restricted in such a way that it can only move between the trolley 38 and the intermediate storage 130. The arrangement is such that when the pin 106 is in its retracted position below the

Coil 140 is on the trolley 38, the pin 152 is directly below the foot 150 of the adjacent coil 141 on the trolley.

The rod 132 with its three hanging pins is movably mounted on the bobbin changing device in such a way that it can be moved in a controlled manner in the longitudinal direction of the machine when the running gear of the device is stationary. The required movements of the buffer are now described first in connection with FIGS. 8 to 10 and then in connection with the flow diagrams of FIG. 11. FIGS. 8 through 11 show the same elements that were explained in connection with FIG. 7, so that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts in FIGS. 7 through 11.

The arrangement in Fig. 8 is actually identical to the arrangement in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 is provided with arrows to explain movements of the parts shown. The arrangement shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to a starting or starting position, which essentially emerges from the description of FIG. 7. From this starting position, the pins (“supporting pins”) 106, 105 are initially moved directly upwards and then downwards again (according to the double arrow C) (“lifting cycle C”). In the course of the upward movements of the pins 106, 105, the two coils 140, 141, which are aligned with these pins, are raised slightly. The hanging pins 152 on the trolley 38 (as well as the hanging pins 134, 136, 138 in the intermediate store and the hanging pins 146 in the gate) are structurally identical in such a way that each pin releases this coil when a coil carried by it is lifted. At the end of the up and down movement C, the two raised coils 140, 141 are therefore perpendicular to the support pins 106 and 105, respectively.

By moving the pins 106, 105 in the direction D, these two coils 140, 141 are aligned with the pins 136 and 138 of the intermediate store. By repeating the up and down movement C in this new position, the two new coils 140, 141 to be introduced are suspended on the pins 136, 138. The rod 132 is then moved in the direction E until it reaches the position shown in FIG. 9. In this position, the hinge pin 134 of the rod 132 is aligned with the pair of pins 146 in the gate.

The pin 106 of the bobbin changer is then moved such that it first fetches the empty sleeve 147 on the outer side member 144 (FIG. 7) down from its pin 146 and then by moving it in the direction F this sleeve with the pin 134 the rod 132 directed. By repeating the stroke cycle C (FIG. 8) in this position, the sleeve 147 removed from the gate is suspended on the pin 134 (FIG. 9). The rod 132 is then moved in the direction of arrow G until it is in the position shown in FIG. 10.

The pin 106 is now moved to its fully extended position so that it is directly below the empty sleeve 148 on the inner side member 142 in the gate (FIG. 10). At the same time, the pin 105 is moved to empty it

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Align sleeve 147 in the buffer. The two empty sleeves 147, 148 are brought onto their respective trunnions 106, 105 by the stroke cycle C (FIG. 8). There now follow coordinated movements of the pin 105 (in the direction H), the pin 106 (in the direction I) and the rod 132 (in the direction J). At the end of these movements, the two empty sleeves 147, 148 are located directly below the previously released hanging pins 152 on the trolley 38. By repeating the lifting cycle C (FIG. 8), the empty sleeves 147, 148 can be hung on the trolley.

The basic movements of all the elements have now been explained, so the state diagrams of Fig. 11 should be clear. These state diagrams show the individual steps that are necessary to carry out an entire change operation from the starting position according to FIG. 7. FIG. 11 contains a total of 22 state diagrams, which are designated in sequence with the Roman numerals I-XXII. Each state diagram shows schematically the inner coil row P2 on one machine side, the outer coil row P1 on the same machine side and a row T of new coils on a trolley (not shown) which has been positioned opposite the machine gate. Each diagram also shows a bobbin changing robot 52 (see also FIG. 1) with the intermediate memory 130. The bobbin pair 147, 148 (FIGS. 7 to 10) has been shown again and is intended to be replaced by the bobbin pair 140, 141, which in the state according to 11 (I) is still on the trolley to be replaced. Fig. 11 (I) corresponds to the start position (Figs. 7 and 8).

In Fig. 11 (II) no change compared to Fig. 11 (I) is visible, but the coils 140, 141 are now on the trunnion 106, 105 (Fig. 7) and are no longer carried by the trolley.

In Fig. 11 (III) the pair of coils 140, 141 is below the pins 136, 138 of the intermediate store and in Fig. 11 (IV) the pair of coils has been delivered to the pins 136, 138.

In FIG. 11 (V), the intermediate store 130 has been shifted to the left so far (FIG. 9) that the pin 134 (FIG. 9) of the intermediate store is aligned with the pair of pins 146 in the gate. The pin 106 is below the empty sleeve 147 in the outer row P1.

In Fig. 11 (VI) the sleeve 147 is taken over by the support pin 106 and in Fig. 11 (VII) the sleeve 147 removed from the gate is below the pin 134 (Fig. 9) of the buffer.

In Fig. 11 (VIII) the sleeve 147 removed from the gate is delivered to the pin 134.

In Fig. 11 (IX), the buffer 130 has been moved back to an intermediate location while the pin 106 with the empty sleeve 148 in the inner row P2 and the pin 105 with the empty sleeve 147 in the buffer are aligned.

In Fig. 11 (X) the two empty sleeves 147, 148 are taken over by the support pins 106, 105.

The coordinated movements already mentioned then follow, so that the state according to FIG. 11 (XI) is reached, where the intermediate store is again shifted completely to the left, while the pair of sleeves 147, 148 below the pins 152 (FIG. 10) of the trolley stand.

In Fig. 11 (XII) the empty sleeves 147, 148 have been delivered to the trolley pin 152.

In Fig. 11 (XIII) the intermediate storage 130 has been moved back into the intermediate position and the pin 106 is below the coil 141 which hangs from the pin 136 (Fig. 10) in the intermediate storage.

In Fig. 11 (XIV), the latter coil 141 has been taken from the trunnion 106.

In FIG. 11 (XV), the intermediate storage 130 has been moved back into the starting position, while the pin 106 with the new coil 141 is below the hanging pin 146 (FIG. 10) of the inner row P2.

In Fig. 11 (XVI) the full spool 141 has been delivered to the latter hinge pin 146.

In Fig. 11 (XVII) the pin 106 is below the coil 140, which hangs from the pin 138 of the buffer, and in Fig. 11 (XVIII) this coil has been taken over by the support pin 106.

In Fig. 11 (XIX) the new spool 140 is now underneath the hanging pin 146 (Fig. 9) of the outer row P1 and in Fig. 11 (XX) this new spool 140 has been delivered to the latter hanging spigot.

The change process as such is now over. Before the bobbin changer can be moved to the next gate position, however, the pins 106, 105 must be moved back to the start position - FIG. 11 (XXI), after which the positioning can take place at the next gate position to be operated. 11 (XXII) shows that this next gate location to be operated is not directly adjacent to the new work coil pair 140, 141. Instead, every second gate position (work coil pair) is operated. This procedure is not absolutely necessary. It is dealt with in more detail in the third section (overall procedure) of this description.

The more complicated variant with a buffer has now been explained in detail, and a relatively brief description of the simpler, preferred variant according to FIG. 12 should suffice for understanding. FIG. 12 again shows a series of state diagrams, which (like the diagrams of FIG. 11) are designated in sequence by numbers I-XIV. FIG. 13 again shows the pin 106, slide 104 and slide 103, together with the trolley 38, the coil 140 and the empty sleeve pair 147, 148 in the gate. The slider 103 now runs on a lifting platform 100A, which is carried in the chassis (not shown) of the robot via pivoting lever 170. The lift 100A can be opened or closed via an eccentric drive 172. be moved to carry out the «lifting cycle C» (see also Fig. 8). Before the diagrams of FIG. 12 are described individually, certain aspects of the overall arrangement should be noted.

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In connection with FIG. 7, it was said that when using a buffer, it is necessary to align four hanging pins (within given tolerances) on a line (for example in FIG. 7 the pair of pins 146 in the gate, the pin 138 in the buffer and the pin 152 with the coil 140 on the trolley 38). For this purpose, the system with the intermediate store has the advantage that only the intermediate store (130, FIG. 7) has to move in the longitudinal direction of the machine during a change sequence. If a pair of trunnions 105, 106 (FIG. 7) is used for this purpose, a single exchange operation (FIG. 11), with a pair of empty sleeves 147, 148 being replaced by full spools 140, 141, can be carried out quickly.

The diagrams of FIG. 12 schematically show a robot 52A, which according to FIG. 13 is provided with a single support pin 106, only the pin 106 being indicated schematically in FIG. 12. The robot 52A does not include a buffer 130 (FIG. 7) and a second support pin 105 (FIG. 7). It is nevertheless desirable to replace a pair of empty tubes 147, 148 (FIGS. 7 and 12) in the gate with new coils 140, 141 (FIGS. 7 and 12).

Fig. 12 (like Fig. 11) shows in each diagram the inner coil row P2 in the gate, the outer coil row P1 in the gate and a row of coils T on the trolley. In this case, however, the last-mentioned row contains two empty hanging pins 160, 161, which in the starting position according to FIG. 12 (I) connect to the full bobbins 140, 141 to be exchanged - cf. EP-A1 259 267 and DE-A1 3 208 677 (Fig. 7-25).

For the sake of clarity, it has been assumed in the diagrams according to FIG. 12 that in the starting position an empty pin 160 is aligned with the pair of empty sleeves 147, 148 to be exchanged. This is also the preferred arrangement in practice, but is not absolutely necessary for the process. In any case, it is no longer necessary to maintain tight tolerances for the positioning of the trolley train. This advantage is achieved in that all necessary movements in the longitudinal direction of the machine are accomplished by moving the robot 52A in the appropriate direction, as should be described in more detail below. The same effect could of course be achieved in that the coil-contacting elements are mounted on a carrier which is itself movable in the longitudinal direction of the machine in the chassis of the robot. However, provided that the robot has a lightweight design and is as simple as possible, a movable carrier does not bring any significant advantage.

In the starting position according to FIG. 12 (I), the robot 52A is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the machine in such a way that its (single) support pin 106 is aligned with the pair of empty sleeves 147, 148 in the gate. Through a partial extension of the slide 104 (FIG. 6) and a lifting cycle C (FIG. 8), which will not be described again, the empty sleeve 147 is received on the support pin 106. This intermediate state of the change sequence is shown schematically in Fig. 12 (II). By the

Withdrawing the slide 104 and a further lifting cycle C, the empty sleeve 147 can then be hung on the empty hanging pin 160. 12 (III).

The carriage 104 is now fully extended to get the empty sleeve 148 of the inner row. 12 (IV). The carriage 104 is then pulled back so far - FIG. 12 (V) - that the support pin 106 with the empty sleeve 148 is in the “driving space” 162 of the robot.

The robot 52A is now shifted to the right into the position according to FIG. 12 (VI), where the support pin 106 is aligned with the empty hanging pin 161 on the trolley. By a further movement of the slide 104, the pin 106 is first moved below the hanging pin 161, so that the empty sleeve 148 can be suspended on the hanging pin 161 by a lifting cycle C (FIG. 8). This is the state shown in Fig. 12 (VI). The robot 52A is now shifted again to the left beyond the start position into the position according to FIG. 12 (VII).

Through a stroke cycle C and the partial extension of the slide 104, the state according to FIG. 12 (VIII) is then reached, where the full spool 140 stands on the support pin 106 in the travel space 162 of the robot. The robot 52A is then shifted again to the right into the position according to FIG. 12 (IX), where the slide 104 is first extended and then raised and the full coil 140 is thereby suspended in the gate, which corresponds to the actual state according to FIG. 12 (IX ) corresponds. The robot 52A is then returned to the start position, which corresponds to the state according to FIG. 12 (X), after which there is a shift to the left and the carriage 104 is withdrawn, so that the second full spool 141 is removed from the trolley by a further lifting cycle C. - Fig. 12 (XI). This is followed by the partial extension of the carriage 104 in order to place the full coil 141 in the travel space 162 of the robot, FIG. 12 (XII).

In the next step, the robot 52A is again shifted to the right into the position according to FIG. 12 (XIII), so that the pin 106 is aligned with the relevant hanging pin pair 146 (FIG. 7) in the gate. A renewed partial extension of the slide 104 then aligns the support pin 106 together with the coil 140 carried by it with the suspension pin 146 in the outer row P1 of the gate. By a further repetition of the lifting cycle C (FIG. 8), the new coil 140 is then suspended on its hanging pin 146 in the outer row P1, after which the carriage 104 is withdrawn again from the gate and the robot can be moved to the next gate position to be operated . This corresponds to the state shown in Fig. 12 (XIV).

It is obvious that the duration of such a changeover operation could be reduced by providing a pair of trunnions instead of a single trunnion 106. It would then first have to remove both empty sleeves 147, 148 from the gate and place them on the respective trunnions of the robot in the driving space 162. By moving the robot, the two can

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Empty sleeves 147, 148 with the empty hanging pins 160, 161 aligned on the trolley and then hung on these hanging pins. Both new coils 140, 141 can also be taken over simultaneously by the robot's trunnion, after which they can be suspended sequentially on their trunnion in the gate. With regard to the necessary steps of the sliver handling, which is described below, doubling the number of trunnions on the robot brings only limited time advantages, unless each trunnion is assigned its own sliver handling device, which makes the robot more expensive .

The invention is of course not limited to a pair of trunnions on the robot. Any number of such trunnions can be provided, in particular e.g. a pair of trunnions for removing empty sleeves from the gate and at least one additional trunnion (pair of pins) for inserting new coils into the gate. In the case of a single additional trunnion, the sliver handling device is assigned to the latter trunnion. In principle, more than one gate position (with one work coil each in the inner or outer row) can be operated. All of these additional measures, however, require substantial complications or a doubling of the handling devices compared to the simpler variant according to FIG. 12, which at most lead to an impairment of the reliability of the robot.

The necessary steps of the sliver handling essentially depend on whether the new sliver should be attached to the sliver still entering the drafting system or not. If a start is made, a remaining fuse on the used reel must be expected each time and this remaining fuse must be disposed of, e.g. as described in the last paragraph of the description of DE-A1 3 911 765. Disposal is in itself a complicated and time-consuming operation and should be avoided if possible. It should also be noted that a robot that is designed to set the match depends on the presence of a still running match in the gate. The robot is therefore “helpless” when it comes to a spinning position where the match has broken in the gate. Such events occur relatively rarely, but still affect the full automation of a system that is unable to handle them. This is particularly true if there is a risk of a broken rupture during the change process.

On the other hand, there is the important advantage of using a match, that (assuming a successful change operation) the spinning itself is not interrupted. Accordingly, the relevant spinning position remains in operation “continuously”, unless a yarn breakage occurs for other reasons. However, known sliver piecing methods lead to a yarn defect which must subsequently be cut out during the subsequent rewinding.

If the sliver is not attached when changing the roving bobbin, the yarn will inevitably break, so that spinning will be interrupted at least temporarily. In this case, the robot 52 (or 54) can be designed in such a way that each new fuse is newly introduced into the relevant drafting system, e.g. according to US-A1 4,845,935.

In this case, however, the corresponding spinning station must then be put into operation again each time, which can be carried out by the operating devices 26 or 28 (FIG. 1). A rational operation of the overall system then requires the coordination of the bobbin change with the removal of the associated thread breaks, which should be described below in section 3 (chapter «Overall sequence»).

The invention can be used both when a piecing process has to be carried out and when the new fuse has to be introduced into the drafting system. An embodiment that provides for the roving is not described here. The necessary steps can be found, for example, in DE-A1 3 734 275 or in DE-A1 3 911 765. The following description assumes that the drafting system must be re-threaded each time.

In the assumed case, the system can be designed in such a way that each spool has fully run out as far as possible before a changeover operation is carried out, i.e. as far as possible new spools are to be exchanged for empty tubes. The thread breakage occurs when the sliver end of the old bobbin reaches the spinning position. The spinning station then remains out of operation (for spinning) as long as no new fuse has been threaded into the drafting system and the thread break has not been remedied.

In fully automatic operation, where the presence of the operating personnel during a change process cannot be assumed, the complete delivery of the old fuse to the spinning station at the time of a change process cannot be accepted as a prerequisite. If e.g. For other reasons, a single spinning station has been out of operation for a long time and the time for a roving bobbin changing process is determined by the running time of the spinning stations, then the old fuse still runs into the aforementioned single spinning station at the time when a roving bobbin change should take place for this spinning station. In the case of a break in the creel mentioned above, the partially used bobbin must be exchanged for a new bobbin when changing the roving bobbin.

The preferred embodiment of the invention accordingly sees a sliver handling operation both when a coil is removed from the gate and when a coil is reinserted into the gate. This is despite the fact that according to the preferred arrangement the fuses of the old bobbins are to be delivered entirely to the appropriate spinning positions, i.e. usually empty tubes are exchanged for new spools. If no sliver handling operation is performed when a sleeve is removed from the creel, there is a considerable risk that a so-called "trailing fuse" will occasionally occur

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becomes, which can lead to a considerable disruption of the overall process.

In the simple case, according to this system, therefore, the removal of an old coil from the gate consists only of the movement of the empty sleeve. This movement can be carried out without any problems after the change sequence already described. In the more complicated case, which is described in more detail below, an existing fuse of the “used” coil must be treated. As a first step in the treatment of such a fuse, a cutting operation is carried out so that the old fuse is cut at a predetermined location. If the old sliver still runs into the appropriate spinning position, the newly formed sliver end on the still running sliver will lead to a thread break in the spinning position. The separation operation should therefore be carried out close to the drafting system, for two reasons:

- The fuse which is still running should be used up as quickly as possible so that the drafting system is provided for re-threading, and

- If there is a spinning station with a match break in the creel, so that the old fuse does not run into the spinning station, as little waste as possible should be cut off from the old fuse and fall into the machine.

Accordingly, the robot can be provided with an extendable arm with a cutting device which, after the arm has been extended, can cut through the old fuse near the condenser by the drafting system. If the machine or the robot is equipped with a sensor that can determine the state of the spinning station or the old spool, it would ideally be possible to determine an empty tube in the creel and to suppress this separation step, thereby reducing time win. However, where there is no sensor technology, the separation operation will be carried out every time, although in most cases no fuse will still run into the spinning station and the separation device will accordingly «run dry». The separating or cutting device can be provided in a device which is provided for threading the drafting system (in a “manipulator”).

However, where there is a sliver clamping device for each spinning station in the ring spinning machine (e.g. according to European patent application EP-A1 388 938), the robot can be designed to actuate this clamping device, which simplifies the construction of the robot itself.

The old fuse must either be wound up cleanly on the old spool or removed from this spool in order to be able to deliver an empty tube to the trolley. In the case of winding, e.g. the trunnion 106 (FIG. 6), which removes the old spool from the gate, is rotatably mounted on the carriage 104. A suitable drive (not shown) e.g. Be provided on a belt to turn the old spool and thereby rewound a severed sliver length. The free match end should then preferably be secured on the old spool before this spool is delivered to the trolley. This can e.g. by pressing or gluing from the end of the match at the beginning of the coil. The sleeve can e.g. be provided with a catch for the fuse and the fuse to be wound up can be passed over this catch at the appropriate time.

The final phase of the disposal, namely the removal of the remains of fines, will then no longer be carried out by the robot, but in the overall system (e.g. in a suitable iron cleaning station). The entire system must then be designed in such a way that the trolley is guided through such a cleaning station before it is led back to the flyer for reloading. Such cleaning stations are known (e.g. from EP-A1 323 400) and are not described in more detail here.

In order to relieve the load on the tube cleaning station and, if necessary, to make it superfluous, it can be provided that the remaining fuse is removed by the robot from the carrier tube before this tube is released to the trolley. For this purpose, the robot can be equipped with a suction device that is suitable for picking up residual slips. In order to reliably carry out such a disposal operation, however, the old coil is preferably first moved to a treatment position for disposal, which is either within the robot itself or in its immediate vicinity. This arrangement ensures the necessary access of the sliver handling elements to the coil surface without having to reach deep into the gate.

As far as the sliver handling is concerned, the reinsertion of a coil comprises the following partial aspects:

- finding the match end on the new spool

- Threading the sliver guide elements in the gate

- re-threading the drafting system.

The finding of the sliver end of the new coil is preferably carried out in any case in a treatment position which is located in the robot itself or in its immediate vicinity. This treatment position is preferably the same for removing an old spool from the drafting system and for treating a new spool when reinserting it.

In order to simplify the threading of the gate guide elements, these elements are preferably formed in accordance with US Pat. No. 4,408,731. The re-threading of the guide elements can then be carried out by simply hanging the fuse in the open guide hook, this hook not being located at the inner end of the alley 70 (FIG. 2) but at an intermediate point along this alley.

The drafting device threading is preferably carried out in such a way that a sliver handling device is also used

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Servo drives according to the European patent application EP-A1 0 419 968 can be used.

14 schematically shows a side view of a robot. The central plane of the machine is indicated by 200 and a cross member of the two-row gate by 202. This cross member has two work stations 204, 206 (each with a hanging pin 208), of which the inner work station 206 is still occupied by an empty sleeve 210.

Seen in the longitudinal direction of the machine, there is a vertical bar 212 with guide hooks 214 (according to US-A1 4 408 731) between the rows of work stations, the bar 212 also being located between two adjacent gate positions. Between the workstations in the gate and the drafting system 216 there is a horizontal bar 218 which serves as a carrier for a sliver guide or. 15 to 18 of European patent application EP-A1 0 388 938 is used.

The robot is indicated at 222 and runs over rollers 224 on a rail 226 at gate height. The carriage 228 carries a manipulator 230 (in the form of an arm) and a lever 234 provided with a fork 232.

In this case, the chassis carries a platform 236 with a supporting pin 238 for carrying an empty sleeve or a partially used coil. The platform 236 is movable in order to bring the sleeves / coils out of the gate or to reinsert them into the gate, but this can be carried out according to FIG. 12 and is not repeated here. The platform also carries a friction wheel 240 (and a suitable drive, not shown) to cause the pin 238 to rotate about its own axis. 14 shows on the platform 236 a partially used coil 242, of which the fuse 244 still extends over the guides 214 into the clamping device 220; although the spool 242 has been moved from the gate to the illustrated treatment position (in the robot 222) by the platform 236.

The fuse 244 no longer runs into the spinning station because the clamping device 220 has been actuated by the lever 234 and holds the fuse 244 in place. Since the drafting system 216 is still running, a crack 246 has occurred between the clamping device 220 and the pair of feed rollers of the drafting system. The clamping device 220 is opened again soon after the actuation (the crack normally occurs within two seconds after the closing of the clamp) in order to release the sliver piece still connected to the coil 242.

In this embodiment, the chassis 228 also carries a suction box 250 (with a fan 252) and an aspirator 253, which is connected to a pivotable suction pipe 256.

This suction tube 256 has a joint 258 and a mouthpiece 260, which is suitable for sucking in a sliver loop.

By means of a suitable servo drive, the mouthpiece 260 is initially brought to a location near the guide 214 (solid lines in FIG. 14), so that the suction effect generated by the aspirator 254 sucks in the fuse 244 (after its release in the clamping device 220). The suction effect is so great that the sliver structure is largely dissolved in the aspirator 254. The fiber material is collected as waste in the suction box 250.

The suction tube 256 thus sucks the fuse from at least the clamp 220 and the guide 214 and is pivoted back against the coil 242 (dashed line). It is now determined whether the remaining fuse can be disposed of or not. This can e.g. in that a light barrier (not shown) scans the coil diameter or that a sensor (not shown) in the suction tube determines whether the coil 242 is still being wound after a predetermined duration of suction.

If the remaining amount is above a predetermined limit, the disposal is switched off on the robot. Instead, the fuse is wound up by rotating the pin 238 and, if necessary, fixed to the spool. This spool can then be placed in the trolley, but could also be treated differently as a "special case", e.g. be delivered to a suitable location on the machine.

If the remaining amount is below the limit mentioned, the empty tube is released by unwinding the remaining fuse, which can then be given to the trolley. For unwinding, the pin 238 is rotated about its own longitudinal axis in the appropriate direction.

In principle, the manipulator 230 (with its own suction system) could carry out the disposal. However, this is not desirable because the manipulator has to extend to a point relatively far away from the chassis (although this is not clearly shown in FIG. 14) and is intended to position it precisely in the guided fuse. The suction pipe 256, on the other hand, only has to extend to the guide 214 and does not have to perform any essential match guide task.

Fig. 15 shows an example of the layout of a plant operated by robots according to this invention. A flyer 300 supplies spools to four ring spinning machines 304, 306, 308 and 310 via a rail network 302 (with buffer 304) for trolleys (not shown). With AK or EK the drive head or the end head (for the machine) is removed from the drive head ) indicated. A trolly can be guided on any machine side via switch points 312. Accordingly, each machine is assigned a U-shaped section of the network. The system (transport function) is controlled by a central computer 314.

A rail network 316 is also provided for the coil change or sliver handling robot 318. The network 316 also includes a respective U-shaped section for each machine, but this is directed in the opposite direction to the corresponding U-shaped section of the transport network 302. The robot 318 can be guided from one machine to another via connecting pieces 320.

Fig. 17 shows in eight diagrams, which be5 with the Roman numerals T-VIII in order

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are a method for loading a ring spinning frame with full coils. For the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that there are no old coils in the gate beforehand, so that only the introduction of new coils into the gate has to be indicated. Only a few gate positions have been shown, since the principles to be described will readily be applicable to a large number of gate positions. The representation of the gate is initially explained on the basis of the larger diagram in FIG. 16.

Each diagram in FIGS. 17 and 16 schematically shows two outer rows AR1, AR2 of work stations for sliver coils in the gate, two inner rows IR1 and IR2 of such work stations and a trolley TR, which is designed with six full bobbins and two empty spaces a bobbin change operation according to FIG. 12 is fully loaded. The rows of workplaces in the gate are indicated by the horizontal lines, the individual workplaces being indicated by the intersection of these horizontal lines with the vertical lines. Accordingly, each inner and outer row contains a total of twelve jobs (intersections).

In a first change operation, which is shown in FIG

(I) has been indicated by the arrows, the six coils of the fully loaded trolley are loaded into the gate positions G1, G3 and G5 of the rows IR1 and AR1.

In a second change operation according to FIG. 17

(II) the six full spools of a trolley are loaded into the gate positions G12, G10 and G8 of the IR2 and AR2 series.

In a third exchange operation, the coils of a fully loaded trolley are loaded into the gate steep G2, G4 and G6 of the rows IR1 and AR1, as indicated in Fig. 17 (III). Thereafter, as indicated in Fig. 17 (IV), the gate positions G7, G9 and G11 of the rows IR2 and AR2 are occupied. Fig. 17 (V) then shows the occupation of the gate positions G7, G9 and G11 of the rows IR1 and AR1 and Fig. 17 (VI) shows the occupation of the gate positions G2, G4 and G6 of the rows IR2 and AR2. Fig. 17 (VII) shows the occupation of the gate positions G8, G10 and G12 of the series IR1 and ARI and Fig. 17 (VIII) the occupation of the gate positions G1, G3 and G5 of the series IR2 and AR2.

The occupation of every second gate position in a given change operation is necessary because the trolley carries only a single row of coils and the coil division in the trolley is the same as the division of the gate positions. There are two rows of coils in the gate. Obviously, a time saving could be gained if the trolley were designed to carry a double row of coils. At best, however, this would result in problems in the layout of the overall system.

The changing operations are carried out alternately on one or the other side of the machine in order to reduce the workload of the operating devices 26, 28 (FIG. 1). As previously indicated, it is necessary to coordinate a bobbin changing operation with a thread break remedy every time the re-threading of the drafting system is carried out, so that when changing the bobbin the operating device 26 or 28 should always be present at the spinning positions concerned. Of course, this means that the control unit for operating other spinning stations is not available, although other malfunctions (which require thread breakage elimination) may occur at these other spinning stations. The preferred machine arrangement therefore comprises at least two operating devices (FIG. 1), each of which is assigned to one machine side. While an operating device can therefore be assigned to cooperate in a bobbin changing operation on one machine side, the operating device on the other machine side is free to operate the spinning stations that do not require a bobbin changing operation.

The order does not have to be exactly according to FIG. 17. However, it will be clear to the person skilled in the art from FIG. 17 that the bobbin changing operations are preferably carried out alternately on one or the other machine side.

A signal to bring a fully loaded trolley train from the entire system to a specific ring spinning machine is preferably generated by this machine itself (for example in accordance with EP-AI 392 482). The positioning of this trolley train in relation to the ring spinning machine then depends on the overall arrangement. For example, it could be provided that an entire machine side is occupied with trolley trains each time, after which spool change operations are carried out by the robot. In this case too, at least two positions of the trolleys in relation to the gate must be provided, in accordance with the gate position groups that are to be operated. The information regarding the gate positions which are to be occupied from these trolleys should be available in the ring spinning machine or in the robot rather than in the central control of the system.

In the more likely case that the trolley train is shorter than the total length of the machine and that the bobbin changing operations take place section by section (e.g. according to Fig. 17), each trolley train must be positioned and locked in a suitable position in relation to the ring spinning machine. In this case, an interface between the control of the entire system and the control of the ring spinning machine should preferably be defined so that the movements of the trolley train are taken over by the ring spinning machine control system from this interface (e.g. according to EP-A1 0 392 482). The suitable position information can either be delivered by the robot to the ring spinning machine or it can be present in the ring spinning machine controller and transmitted to the robot.

The ring spinning machine can count on the triggering of a bobbin change operation either according to time or (preferably) according to the amount of sliver delivered (i.e. depending on the machine speed). There are three options in this context:

- The time (or the quantity delivered) is such

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calculated that none of the fuses of the coils to be replaced have run out (this state is of course desirable in the case of a change operation with fusible attachments),

- the time (or the quantity delivered) is calculated in such a way that all the fuses of the spools to be exchanged can have expired,

- The time (or the quantity delivered) is calculated in such a way that the fuselage of the spools to be exchanged has started to run out, but has not taken place for all such spools.

The last two variants are possible, where the drafting system has to be re-threaded in any case. The third variant has the advantage that it enables the overall machine (all spinning stations) to be more efficient, but larger quantities of lunches and corresponding disposal problems can be expected. If this variant is selected, it is absolutely necessary to provide a sliver cutting operation, although the drafting system has to be reinserted. The first variant can also be selected (despite the threading of the drafting system) and gives minimal production losses when there are large quantities of slips left on the partially used bobbins.

Whether the arrangement according to FIG. 15 (with a connection for the robot between two or more, in FIG. 15 four machines) is possible or not depends on the bobbin change frequency, which in turn depends on the thread number. If the connection is possible, the transition from one machine to another should be coordinated by the central control depending on the delivery of the machines with trolleys.

Claims (8)

Claims 1. A method for exchanging bobbins in the creel of a double-sided textile machine, with each row of work stations (12, 14) of the machine, in particular each row of spinning stations of a ring spinning machine, being assigned at least one row of supply bobbins (44, 46) and for exchanging bobbins between a bobbin transport device (38) and the gate (30) movements in the longitudinal direction of the machine are necessary, characterized in that said movements are carried out by moving a bobbin changing device (52) relative to the stationary bobbin transport device (38), the bobbin changing device (52) with the prepositioned bobbin transport device (38 ) works together. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that each row of work stations (12, 14) of the machine is assigned an inner and outer supply coil row (44, 46). 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that a coil (58) of the inner row (44) for treatment is held in a treatment position in or in the vicinity of the coil changing device (52). 4. The method according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that only a single treatment position is provided per pair of coils, wherein a pair of coils comprises a coil (58) of the inner row and a coil (66) of the outer row (44, 46). 5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the disposal of residual material on the bobbin changer (52). 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the disposal is carried out by suction. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the bobbin changing device (52) in the longitudinal direction of the machine after removing a coil (66) from the gate (30) or before reinserting a coil (40) into the gate is moved. 8. Device for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 7 in the creel of a double-sided textile machine, in particular a row of spinning positions of a ring spinning machine, each row of work stations (12, 14) of the machine being assigned at least one original spool row (44, 46) with a bobbin transport device (38) and a bobbin changing device (52), characterized by a means (256, 260) for threading a fuse into a row of work stations (12, 14) of the machine. 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 14