CH684952A5 - Longitudinally dividing machine for use in a machine group having a process control computer - Google Patents

Abstract

A spinning mill installation having a process control computer (340) for at least one machine group, each machine of the group being provided with its own control unit (390) which controls the actuating mechanism (A) of the machine (including all the auxiliary units associated with this machine). At least one network (350) is provided for the bidirectional communication between the computer (340) and each machine of the group. Control commands from the process control computer (340), during operation of the installation, are passed to the machine control units (390) via the network (350). Each machine control unit (390) forwards the control commands to the actuating mechanism (A) controlled by this control unit, the control commands, if necessary, being converted by the machine control unit (390) into control signals which are suitable for the actuating mechanism (A). <IMAGE>

Description

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This invention relates to a slitting machine for use in a machine group guided by a process control computer, the machine being provided with its own autonomous control which controls the actuators of the machine.

State of the art

The idea of computer-controlled spinning has been floating in front of experts for at least twenty years - see for example: US

3,922,642; BE 771277; BE 779591.

The efforts in this direction have multiplied in recent years - for example: DE-OS 3 906 508; U.S. Patent 4,563,873; U.S. PS

4,665,686 and EP-PS 0 410 429.

The requirements for such systems are listed in the article "Integrated information processing as a tool for corporate management" in Meiliand Textiiberichte, 11/1987, pages 805 to 808, and approaches for modern solutions can be found in the article "Integration and networking options in textile production by CIM" can be found on pages 809 to 814 of the same journal.

A communication system for use in a process control system is shown and explained in our PCT patent application No. WO 91/16481 and EP-A 513 339. The use of such a system for operator support is shown in CH Patent 683 009 and for optimizing the interaction of a spinning machine with a winding machine in PCT patent application No. WO 92/15 737 and EP-A 528 003.

Despite the suggestions mentioned above, it has so far not been possible to propose a process control system which can be described as suitable for spinning and which reproduces more than a sketchy representation of functions. It is the object of this invention to provide a solution suitable for spinning practice.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a slitting machine according to claim 1.

Control commands from the process control computer are sent to the machine controls via the network during operation of the system. Each machine controller forwards the control commands to the actuators controlled by this controller, the control commands being converted by the machine controller into control signals suitable for the actuators if necessary.

The control commands can be transferred directly from the process control computer to the machine controls. This transmission can also take place via another device, e.g. via a "machine station" of the type described in EP 0 365 901. It is important, however, that neither the process control computer nor a transmitting device (such as machine stations) is granted direct access to the actuator system of the machine. Instead, a change in the machine state, which requires intervention in the actuators, can only be effected by means of the machine control (and according to the work program effective in this control). This also applies if, according to claim 1 and / or claim 2 of Swiss patent application No. 189/91, the process control computer is given access to the raw data of the machine sensors.

The connection of the machine controller with its (controlled) actuator system can be designed independently of the communication network between the machine controller and the process control computer and can even be different for different actuator elements (or auxiliary units). In the case of a machine with a large number of workstations (e.g. a so-called slitting machine) and an autonomous control for each workstation, the connection between the machine control and the existing actuators can be implemented via the autonomous workstation controls, for example according to DOS 3 928 831 or DOS 3 910 181 or according to DPS 3 438 962.

In a ring spinning machine today it is unlikely that the communication link between the machine control and the workstation controls would also be used for the signal transmission between the machine control and an auxiliary unit common to all workstations (e.g. a doffing unit of a ring spinning machine). With the new spinning process, however, it is foreseeable that the auxiliary unit is designed as a mobile automat and is designed for communication with a control center via the work stations, e.g. is provided in EP 0 295 406.

Depending on the design of the actuator elements, the signal connection to the machine control system can be based on electrical, optical, magnetic, pneumatic or mechanical signal transmission means.

In any case, each machine control system is able to translate (convert) the control commands received from the process control computer into suitable signals for its own actuator elements. The process control computer can accordingly work with a single set of control commands for a given machine type, irrespective of whether the machines of this type connected to the process control computer are equipped with the same or with different actuator elements or auxiliary units.

The machine is preferably provided with safety sensors which are connected to the machine control for signal transmission. As a result, the machine control system is able to continuously generate an image of the safety status of the machine. The machine controller can then be programmed in such a way that it only executes a control command from the process control computer if, after the image of the safety status of the machine, this status is suitable for executing the command. The "safety state" of the machine can be used to ensure the safety of human operation as well as that of any mobile operating devices that are present on the machine (in particular

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Automatic controls) and the elements integrated in the machine. This is of course of particular importance in connection with people who can walk freely around the machine at any time, but also in connection with any mobile devices that are not continuously but only occasionally on the machine, e.g. Transport devices for original material.

In the preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in a system in which at least one machine control has a user interface and the process control computer can use this user interface for communication with a person or with a mobile machine on this machine. This arrangement makes it relatively easy to ensure that a definite meaning is assigned to a certain signal in the entire system controlled by the computer. This can be compared to a system, according to which the operator support is provided via a system that is independent of the machine controls, e.g. according to US 4 194 349. The advantages of the combination according to this invention are particularly pronounced if a process control computer influences both the operating support and the control of the machines, e.g. in a doff management system for ring spinning machines, similar to a system according to US 4,665,686.

The operator support via the operator interface on the relevant machine naturally also ensures that the help is offered where it is necessary. This also allows the alarm or call system to be simplified, since in principle the operator now only has to be directed to the machine concerned without being informed in advance of the necessary action. The alarm or call system must of course still ensure that the operator is informed of the urgency or priority of the operator call or that the correct operator assistance (doffing aid, maintenance, thread breakage correction, etc.) is called to the affected machine.

An instruction can be given to the operator via the user interface to perform an action which cannot be carried out by the machine control itself, e.g. because the necessary actuators are not available in the relevant machine or are not under the control of the machine control. An example of such an action (namely the decommissioning of a poorly working spinning station where the machine control cannot intervene directly in the spinning stations) is described in EP-A 528 003.

Operation is also preferably able (or is even “forced”); to cause the generation of a signal which represents the execution of the instruction and communicates this to the machine control or the process control computer.

The preferred system according to this invention is provided with a sensor system which ensures the operation of the system even without the process control signals of the process control computer. According to this preferred arrangement, the system is designed as a "conventionally" operated system, i.e. it is provided on the machine level with such a sensor system and with such machine controls connected to this sensor system that the system is fully operational even without the process control computer.

The control signals generated by the operational process control computer then have an optimizing effect on the otherwise operable system, the machine controls of the system being able to check the plausibility of the control signals at any time on the basis of the signals from the sensors connected to them. A machine controller can then “refuse” to follow a control command from the process control computer if the plausibility check points to a contradiction between the control signal (control command) of the process control computer and the state of the system determined by the sensors. The machine controller can then generate an alarm signal.

The system can be operated “conventionally” in the sense that already known controls and sensors are sufficient to operate the system without the process control computer. These controls, which are known today, can of course still be improved, but can still be considered "conventional" as long as they are able to keep the system operational without the process control computer. If the process control computer fails, at least certain functions of the process control computer must or can be taken over by human operation. In this case, the possibility of human intervention in the «conventional» system control must be provided. However, it is also desirable for other reasons to provide for the possibility of individual operator interventions in the work of the plant, even if the plant as a whole is controlled or regulated by the process control computer.

According to the preferred embodiment, the invention therefore provides a spinning plant with the following features:

a process control computer for at least one group of the machines in the system,

- an autonomous control for each machine in this group,

a network for bidirectional communication between the process control computer and the autonomous controls, control commands being able to be transmitted from the process control computer to the controls over the network,

- For at least one control such operating means that this control can be reset by the operating means, the operating means comprising a selectively operable means, whereby this control can be set in a first or a second state, so that the control in its first state only reacts to the operating means and in its second state the control reacts both to the operating means and to control signals from the process control computer.

In a facility where all or at least the kri5

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table machine controls are formed according to this preferred embodiment, it is possible for the operator to intervene at any time (via the “operating means”) in the work of the system, whether the process control computer is operational or not. It is also possible for the operator to isolate each individual machine or at least certain machines from the process control computer and then e.g. Trials or conversions on this selected machine.

1 shows a schematic cross section through a ring spinning machine with some auxiliary devices,

2 shows a schematic layout of a spinning hall, which comprises robots as auxiliary devices,

3 shows a schematic representation of a transport device installed in the machine,

4 is a schematic illustration for explaining a process control system.

In this application, the ring spinning machine serves as an example of a “slitting machine”. Other slitting machines are the new spinning machines (rotor spinning machines, jet spinning machines), winding machines, twisting machines (e.g. double wire twisting machines) and false twist texturing machines for processing continuous filaments.

1 comprises a double-sided frame 10 with two rows of spinning positions 12 and 14, respectively, 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-A 382 943. A doffing machine 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 detail here, details of which can be found from EP-A 303 877.

Each row of spinning parts 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 positions. Details of such an operating device are e.g. can be seen from EP-A 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. Details of such a trolley train can be found in EP-A 431 268.

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 bobbin of the inner row 44 and an adjacent bobbin of the outer row 46 form a pair of feed bobbins, which supplies a respective pair of adjacent spinning stations 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 in EP-A 509 074. This robot is designed for sliver handling in such a way that after changing the bobbin in the gate, the fuse of the new bobbin is threaded into the drafting system by the robot.

2 shows an example of the layout of the spinning room of a ring spinning system which is operated by a robot according to EP-A 509 074. The diagram of FIG. 2 is intended in particular to explain the delivery of the spinning machines with the material to be processed. A flyer 300 delivers spools to four ring spinning machines 304, 306, 308 and 310 via a rail network 302 (with buffer 303) for trolleys (not shown). With AK or EK, the drive head or the end head (is removed from the drive head for each machine ) indicated. A trolley can be guided on any machine side via switch points 312. Accordingly, each machine is assigned a U-shaped section of the network. The transport device is controlled by a central computer 314 of the transport system. An example of the construction of a transport network between flyers and ring spinning machines can be found in EP-A 431 268.

A rail network 316 is also provided for the coil changing or sliver handling robot 318, which corresponds to the robot 52, 54 according to FIG. 1. The network 316 comprises a respective U-shaped section for each machine, but which 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.

Spool change operations are preferably carried out according to a predetermined “change strategy”, an example of which is described in connection with FIGS. 16 and 17 of EP-A 509 074. According to this strategy, the change operations are carried out alternately on one or the other side of the machine to the Ar5

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to reduce the load on the operating devices 26, 28 (FIG. 1). It is in fact necessary to coordinate a bobbin change operation with a thread break remedy each time the threading of the drafting system so that the operating device 26 or 28 should always be present at the spinning positions concerned when changing the bobbin. 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 work on 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 request (in the form of a signal) to bring a fully loaded trolley train from the transport device to a specific ring spinning machine is preferably generated by this machine itself (for example in accordance with EP 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. The information regarding the gate positions which are to be occupied from these trolleys should be present in the ring spinning machine or in the robot (rather than in the central control 314 of the transport device).

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, each trolley train must be placed in a suitable position in relation to the ring spinning machine and locked. In this case, an interface should preferably be defined between the controller 314 of the transport device and the controller of the ring spinning machine, so that the movements of the trolley train are taken over by the ring spinning machine controller from this interface (e.g. according to EP 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).

2 (with a connection for the robot between two or more, (four in FIG. 2, 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 314 of the transport device depending on the delivery of the machines with trolleys.

However, a spinning machine needs a transport device not only for supplying the original material but also for conveying the product of the spinning machine itself.

Most modern ring spinning machines are now equipped with two conveyor belts according to FIG. 3. Each row of spindles is assigned its own band with a pin. The empty tubes are each fed to the doffing machine and thus to the spinning stations by moving the belt in the longitudinal direction of the machine - the same or different pins attached to the belt serve to remove the full cops after they have been removed from the spindles by the doffing machine. Examples of such systems are described in US 3,791,123; CH 653 378 and EP 366 048. Newer systems based on the so-called peg tray are e.g. from German patent application No. 4 010 730.2 dated April 3, 1990.

The new spinning machines need other transport devices, e.g. for transporting cans to or for further transport of packages from the rotor spinning machine. Examples of such systems can be found in DE 4 015 938.8 dated May 18, 1990 (can supply) or DOS 4 011 298 (cross-bobbin transport system).

The actuator system of the machine includes both the built-in and the attached elements and units. The actuators for the built-in elements include at least drives for the spindles, the drafting systems and ring bench. A modern system (single drive) for driving the spindles, ring bench and drafting units of a ring spinning machine is shown in EP 349 831 and 392 255, according to which a separate drive motor is provided for each spindle and also for individual drafting unit rows. The most commonly used drive system (central drive) for the ring spinning machine today includes a main motor in the end head of the machine and transmission means (e.g. belts or gears) to transmit the driving forces from the main motor to the drive elements.

In each case in a machine according to FIG. 1, an additional motor must be provided for the doffing devices 22, 24. The actuators for the built-in elements also include the drives for the transport devices for cops (e.g. according to DOS 3 610 838) or for empty sleeves in the attachment (e.g. according to WO 90/12 133).

The attached auxiliary units naturally include both the robots 26, 28 and 52, 54 and transport trolleys 38, which are temporarily positioned on the machine. Other examples of such units are cleaning robots or other mobile machines e.g. for the runner change.

Some of these units have their own drives (mobile automatic controls). Others may not have their own drive but have been switched on or off by one of the machines

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built drive dependent (see for example the Trolleyan drive according to Fig. 16 to 18 of WO 90/12 133) or a drive according to the European patent EP-A 421 177. The drives of these auxiliary units are also to be regarded as the actuator system of the spinning machine , provided that they can be influenced by the machine control.

Important actuator elements are those that serve to "shut down" a spinning station, whereby "shut down" here is to be understood as "effectively spinning station producing". In most cases, when a single spinning station is shut down, not all working elements of this spinning station are brought to a standstill, but spinning is interrupted in this spinning station. This can be done, for example, by cutting off the material supply and / or by creating an intentional thread break.

In a largely automated machine (e.g. the rotor spinning machine), this can easily be done from a central machine controller using one or the other option. For example, the drive to the feed roller are interrupted in order to prevent the material supply to the opening roller or the rotor of the spinning station. However, a so-called quality cut can also be carried out in the quality monitoring of the spinning station in order to interrupt the thread run.

Such possibilities are not available in today's conventional ring spinning machine, since the actuators of the individual spinning stations are not under the direct control of the central machine control. In such machines, however, a spinning station can be shut down by a mobile auxiliary unit, e.g. according to the system of EP-A 528 003, i.e. by operating a match clamp to cut off the material supply.

The use of a sliver clamp to interrupt the supply of material will be important in all types of machines where the original material is supplied to the spinning elements via a drafting system, since it is normally impossible to park a single position of a drafting system. An actuating device can of course also be assigned to the match clamps of the individual spinning positions and can then also be actuated from a central machine control. Examples of such match clamps can be found in EP 322 636 and EP 353 575.

The ring spinning machine (with central drive), which is conventional today, normally has a central microprocessor control which generates suitable control signals for the central drive system (usually by controlling frequency converters). A single drive system can e.g. include a "distributed" control system according to EPO 389 849. The new spinning machines (rotor or air spinning machines) are definitely provided with distributed controls - see e.g. EP 295 406 or the article "Microelectronics - Current and Future Areas of Application in Spinning Mills" in Melliand Textile Reports 6/1985, pages 401 to 407.

The mobile auxiliary units each have their own autonomous control - see e.g. EP 295 406, EP 394 671 or EP 394 708. Although these controls work autonomously, each of the machine controls is divided hierarchically. With an upcoming doffing e.g. robots 26, 28 are commanded by the coordinating machine control from the work areas of doffing machines 22, 24 (e.g. according to DOS 2 455 495).

The controller 314 of Figure 2 is also to be considered a "machine controller", i.e. the transport device, which connects two processing stages, can be viewed organizationally as a “machine”. This does not apply if the device is installed in a machine or is hierarchically subordinate to a machine control system.

Compared to the new spinning machines (e.g. the rotor or nozzle spinning machine), the sensors of today's ring spinning machine are extremely poor. The rotor spinning machine e.g. has long been provided with a sensor system which reflects both the condition of the individual spinning position and the quality of the yarn produced therein (see EP 156 153 and the prior art mentioned therein. For modern monitoring - see ITB yarn production 1/91, page 23 to 32.4). Similar systems have also been developed for filament processing in the false twist texturing machine - see e.g. DOS 3 005 746. The winding machine, which processes the cops of the ring spinning machine into cross-wound bobbins, is still equipped with a sophisticated sensor system today - see e.g. DOS 3 928 831, EP 365 901 or EP 415 222.

Proposals are known according to which the ring spinning machine should also be provided with a highly developed internal communication system and a corresponding sensor system - see e.g. EP 322 698 and EP 389 849 (= DOS 3 910 181). Such proposals require (for their implementation) the overhaul of the entire ring spinning machine, which, because of the costs involved and the corresponding effects on the competitiveness of the process, cannot be done suddenly, but only gradually.

In the near future, the ring spinning machine will therefore probably not have an internal communication system. Information about the status of the individual spinning stations will therefore not have to be collected from individual sensors on the respective spinning parts, but rather by means of mobile monitoring devices. Such devices have long been known (e.g. from DOS

2 731 019) - a newer variant, according to which the monitoring is integrated in an automatic thread breakage repair machine, is in EP 39 467 (= DOS

3,909,746). Further sensors of the ring spinning machine, which are important for the loading of the attachment, can be found, for example, in WO 90/12 133. Additional sensors are necessary for the operation of the cops or empty tube transport device, such sensors being known today and therefore not being described in detail here.

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It should be noted that the sensors of the spinning machine can be attached instead of being installed. An example of such a system can be found in the article "Monitoring the quality of OE rotor yarns" in ITB Garnfertigung 1/91, pages 23 to 32.

Whether the spinning machine is equipped with an attached or built-in sensor system, it will be equipped with at least certain sensor system elements that deliver their output signals to the machine control system. These “machine-specific” signals provide an image of the “safety status” of the machine. You answer e.g. the following questions:

- is a mobile device currently standing or moving in an area where a collision with another machine part (e.g. a built-in doffing machine) could occur?

- is there a person or an obstacle in the lane of a moving part?

- Has an operation been started in the machine that must not be stopped immediately?

These sensors can be called the safety sensors of the corresponding machine.

The spinning room shown in Fig. 2 represents only part of the overall system. An entire spinning mill is e.g. shown in DOS 3,924,779. Other examples can be found in the following articles:

1. «Monitoring the quality of OE rotor yarns» in ITB yarn production 1/91, pages 23 to 32.

2. «Comparison of requirement profile and reality for an automated spinning mill» in Textile Practice International from October 1990, (from page 1013).

The control of the entire system is designed in such a way that the processing stages are “linked”. If the transport between the processing stages is automated, signals from a "source" (delivering machine) and a "sink" (machine to be supplied) can be processed by the control of the transport system to form a "travel order", which is then issued to a transport unit , (provided, of course, that a free loaded transport unit is available). Where certain operations are not yet automated, the operation of the operator is required.

Before a machine triggers an action via the actuator system, the image of the machine status generated by the safety sensor system is used to check whether this action can be carried out without an “accident”.

The linking of the processing stages of a spinning plant with or without operator intervention is largely solved on the “machine level” today - examples can be found in the already mentioned prior art. The chaining of the system through a conventional or further developed combination of actuators / sensors / controls on the machine level (i.e. without the process control computer) is preferably retained.

According to this invention, a process control computer is superimposed on the plant control, which is completely sufficient for operating the plant, in order to form a process control level. Fig. 4 shows a corresponding embodiment.

This figure shows schematically the connection of the process control computer with individual machines. The principles illustrated by this also apply to the connection with other or with all machines in the overall system. 4 schematically shows a possible variant of the architecture for a process control with a control computer 340, a network 350 and a computer 390 of a machine control of the system (for example the roving transport system, which can be equated to a «machine» to explain the computer science or one Ring spinning machine itself). Each computer 340, 390 has memory 343, 345 or 391 and drivers 347, 349 or 393, 394, 395, 396 assigned to it. This process control can be carried out for the entire system or only for a part thereof (for example for the spinning hall Fig. 2) are provided.

The drivers 349 and 394 determine the interfaces required for the communication of the computers 340, 390 with their respective user interfaces 330, 332, indicated here as a display 334 and 336, controls 338 and 356 and printer 352. The driver 347 determines the interface between the host computer 340 and the network 350 and the driver 393 the interface between the network 350 and the machine controller 390.

The driver 395 determines the interfaces between the machine control 390 and the drives A controlled thereby (FIG. 4).

The driver 396 determines the interface between the machine control 390 and the sensor system assigned to it, (S).

4 also shows a further driver 410, which serves as an interface between the network 350 and the control of a further machine 400. This machine 400 is chained to the machine controlled by the computer 390, e.g. if the latter machine is a mixing machine, machine 400 may be a bale opener or a card feed. An additional sensor 397 is also attached to the driver 396, which is not provided in the “own” machine but in the next machine 400 of the “chain” and communicates the state of this machine 400 to the “own” machine controller (the computer 390). Obviously, several such additional sensors can be provided in the other or in various other machines in the chain.

Such “spy sensors” enable any semi-autonomous control system to roughly check the commands given by the computer 340 for contradictions. More importantly, this autonomous control system at the machine level remains functional even if the network 350 or the master computer 340 has a defect. This will certainly reduce the efficiency of the system; however, it remains in (less than optimal) operation.

4 therefore shows an example of a system where the sensors are installed in the machines

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and the data transmission via the network takes place directly between the machine controls and the process control computer. However, this is not essential to the invention. The above-mentioned article from ITB Garnfertigung 1/91 shows a system in which the sensors are attached to the machines and send data to a central computer (without redirection via the machine control).

In order to save communication networks, control commands can be sent from the computer via the same transmission medium, but must then be forwarded to the machine controls before they can influence the actuators.

The function of the host computer can e.g. consist of optimizing the basically autonomously operable system based on a predetermined strategy. Another task can be to keep the system operational for longer periods without operator intervention.

In order to manage a yarn-producing plant in this way, the host computer needs the following information:

- the operating states of the individual spinning positions (“in operation” / “shut down”); this information is used to calculate the total production of the system during a given time interval,

- the "quality status" of the individual spinning stations, i.e. for each spinning station information about whether or not the yarn produced in this spinning station lies within predetermined tolerance values,

- the different types of yarn produced at the individual spinning positions; this is used to calculate the completion of given lots (orders).

Nowadays there are no sensors or sensor combinations that are able to clearly determine the yarn type of a running spinning station. This information must therefore be entered by the operator. Such settings are not dealt with here, but are described in EP-A 512 442.

As has already been indicated, the spinning machines of the new spinning processes (rotor spinning, nozzle spinning) are usually able to deliver the necessary information to the process control computer, at least in the sense that the information is available in the machine itself. Today's ring spinning machine, on the other hand, is only able to provide the necessary information via auxiliary units, whereby quality information must then also be obtained from the yarn cleaner of the winding machine (see e.g. EP 36 501). EP-A 528 003 shows a possibility of optimizing the interaction of the automatic controls of the ring spinning machine and the yarn cleaner of the winding machine by exchanging the information stocks of the two machines.

The process control computer therefore preferably has access via its communication network or communication networks to the raw data of the sensor system in the system that is important to it (or the machines controlled by it). The raw data contain the full information of a certain (important for the process control system)

Sensors, at most prepared in such a way that misinterpretations are avoided. As an example, it is assumed that the thread break sensor at a specific spinning position signals a thread break - a thread break can only be concluded from this signal if the spinning position (or the machine) is "in operation", which is indicated by a further signal (or by further signals) must be indicated by the preparation.

The invention is based on a clear “division of tasks” between the process control system (process control computer) and the machine controls.

It is the task of the process control system to "plan" in advance (based on a "strategy" given to it), i.e. the process control system must recognize trends or tendencies in the work of the overall system and optimize them with regard to the strategy. In order to fulfill these tasks, the process control system (the process control computer) needs information regarding the work at every work station of the plant. This places high demands on the information transfer capabilities of the network or the networks between the machines and the computer. However, the process control system does not have to be continuously informed about the current status of the system, but is insensitive to delays in data transmission, provided that these delays allow trends to be identified early, so that the process control system can take corrective action if necessary.

In contrast, it is not the task of the process control system to control every last operation in the plant. This remains the task of the machine controls, which must have stored an image of the current status of the elements and units controlled by them. The process control computer has stored an image of the overall system, which, however, cannot represent the current status of all workplaces, but (as already indicated) is designed to detect changes in status, with a maximum delay depending on the fastest to be expected State changes is determined.

Accordingly, the process control computer has access to the raw data of the system's sensors, but no direct "control authorizations". The process control computer issues control commands to the machine control, which, however, passes these commands on as control signals with regard to its own programming and the current state of the elements and units controlled by it.

It is desirable to limit the communication channels to and from the host computer to a minimum number. For such channels, strict requirements must be met for the signals to be transmitted, which requires predetermined interface configuration on the network or networks (see, for example, the article "Data interfaces on textile machines. Interim report on the committee work of the VDI textile and clothing group", in Melliand Textile Reports, 11/1987, page

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825). These requirements are preferably met by signal conditioning in the machine control or in a data station attached to the machine. The communication of a machine control with its actuators can be achieved independently of these requirements and (if necessary) in different ways for the different actuator elements. The examples mentioned in this application show the variety of configurations that can be managed by a process control computer.

Claims (10)

Claims 1. slitting machine for use in a machine group guided by a process control computer (340), the machine being provided with its own autonomous control (390) which controls the actuators (A) of the machine, characterized in that a means (393) is present to connect the machine control (390) to a network (350) for bidirectional communication between the computer (340) and the machine, so that control commands from the process control computer (340) in operation via the network (350) to the machine control ( 390) can be routed, and that the machine control (390) is arranged to forward such control commands to the actuators (A) controlled by the controller (390), the control commands being necessary by the machine control (390) in for the actuators (A ) suitable control signals are converted. 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator system (A) of the machine comprises operating devices (26, 28; 52, 54; 38) which are subordinate to the machine control (390). 3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the machine is a ring spinning machine and the operating devices comprises at least one device (26, 28) for operating spinning stations and at least one device (52, 54) for operating the gate (30). 4. Machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the connection (395) of the machine control (390) with its actuators (A) is designed independently of the communication network (350) between the machine control (390) and the process control computer (340). 5. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the machine is provided with safety sensors (S) which is connected to the machine control (390) for signal transmission, so that the machine control (390) thereby continuously in the It is able to generate an image of the safety state of the machine, the machine controller (390) being programmed in such a way that it only executes a control command from the process control computer (340) if, after the image of the safety state of the machine, this state is to be carried out the command is suitable. 6. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the machine is provided with at least one sensor (397) which can ensure the operation of the system even without the process control signals of the process control computer (340) in that it Reports the status of a machine linked to the said machine to the controller (390). 7. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that for the control (390) such control means (356) are provided that this control (390) can be reset by the control means (356), the control means a comprises selectively operable means whereby the controller (390) can be set in a first or a second state, so that in its first state the controller (390) only reacts to the operating means (356) and in its second state the controller (390 ) reacts both to the operating means (356) and to control signals from the process control computer (340). 8. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the controller (390) has a user interface (332) and the controller can be used on the basis of control commands from the process control computer (340) for communication via the user interface (332). 9. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the controller (390) can give instructions to the operator on the basis of control commands from the process control computer (340) via the operator interface (332). 10. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the controller (390) is connected to sensors (S) which enable the controller (390) to check the control signals of the process control computer (340) for their plausibility. 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 9