EP0230569B1 - Method and apparatus for servicing the working positions of spinning or twisting machines by means of several servicing devices travelling along the working positions - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for maintaining the workplaces of spinning or twisting machines by means of a plurality of maintenance devices which can be moved along the workplaces, and to a device for carrying out this method.

In spinning or twisting machines, an end frame is always designed as a supply end frame, via which the machine is connected to the electrical power network, an exhaust air line, etc. In addition, loading and disposal facilities are provided on fully automated machines, e.g. B. to provide the machines with empty tubes or to remove full spools. Because of the space required by these devices, the maintenance device can only drive around the machine at one end.

The movable devices used for the maintenance of the workplaces of spinning or twisting machines require an inspection from time to time in order to maintain their functionality. Since the side of the maintenance device facing the spinning positions must be accessible for this purpose, the maintenance device is moved to the end of the machine, where the maintenance device can change over to the other side of the machine. The desired accessibility is given in this arch piece without influencing the spinning positions.

However, this has the disadvantage that the spinning stations cannot be serviced during the inspection, not even by a second device, since the transition from one machine side to the other is blocked by the maintenance device to be inspected. This leads to failures and downtimes of the spinning stations over a longer period of time and corresponding production losses.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method and a device which make it possible to carry out the maintenance of the spinning stations without interruption even during inspections of the maintenance device.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a generic method in that, for inspection of the maintenance devices, the respective maintenance device to be inspected is brought together with part of its maintenance track transversely to its direction of travel into an inspection position in which its side to be serviced and facing the machine is accessible , whereby her previous work path is completed again and released for another maintenance device, that another maintenance device enters the released work path and takes over the maintenance of the released work positions until after the inspection has been carried out, the inspected maintenance device is returned from its inspection position to its work path becomes. In this way, one or more maintenance devices can take over the maintenance of the workplaces of a maintenance device to be inspected, without the maintenance device to be inspected blocking access to it or requiring the working maintenance device to be returned to a starting position, which would mean an interruption in the maintenance process . In this way, no jobs are excluded from maintenance for the duration of the inspection of a maintenance facility.

If, in a machine system with several machines connected by the working path, there are more than two maintenance devices, it is recommended, in order to achieve an even utilization of the working maintenance devices, that the maintenance of the workplaces serviced by the maintenance device to be inspected during the inspection of the remaining maintenance devices is divided.

Some functions of a maintenance facility can only be checked if it is connected to the power supply. For this reason, it is expediently provided that the maintenance device remains connected to the supply lines in the inspection position. If the maintenance device is designed so that it can be called for maintenance from disturbed work stations during maintenance operation, it is provided in a further embodiment of the method according to the invention that the maintenance device is decoupled from a call control line during or before the movement into the inspection position.

To carry out this method, in a generic device according to the invention, a service station has a first section of the running rail, which can be moved transversely to the longitudinal direction of the running rail in order to bring a maintenance device into the inspection position, and a second section, which moves in when the first section moves the released area of the running rail can be brought, and a control device is provided, by means of which the remaining maintenance devices are caused to maintain those spinning positions which the maintenance devices brought into the inspection position would have maintained. If the failed maintenance device is put into operation again, with the help of the control device, each maintenance device is assigned its own maintenance area that is independent of the maintenance area of the other maintenance device.

If the spinning or twisting machine system to be supplied by the two maintenance devices consists only of a single machine with a finite rail system, a service station containing a section of the running rail is expediently provided on each longitudinal side of the spinning or twisting machine, at least one of which is transverse is movable to the direction of travel, with each maintenance device being selectively adjustable for maintenance of one or both longitudinal sides of the machine by means of the control device. It has proven to be advantageous if both service stations are distributed over the two ends of the running rails, since this is the prerequisite for a particularly simple design of the service stations. It is sufficient if single Lich one of the two service stations can be moved transversely to the machine longitudinal direction. Each maintenance device can be adjusted for maintenance of one or both longitudinal sides of the machine by means of the control device.

The service stations can be designed differently; even the service stations of a system can be designed differently. However, an embodiment of the subject matter of the invention has proven to be particularly advantageous in which the service stations have a slide which can be displaced transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rail. In order not to impair the accessibility of the machine when the service station is in the position removed from the machine, it is expedient if the carriage can be removed from the machine so far that between the machine and the maintenance device located on the carriage one of an operator can walk through the passage. This then creates enough space to work on the maintenance facility.

In order to ensure that the maintenance device cannot fall off the service station when the service station is in its position distant from the machine, it is advantageous if the service station is assigned a locking device securing the maintenance device against axial displacement. A particularly simple control of this locking device is obtained if it can be brought into or out of action automatically depending on the movement of the service station. This is expediently such that as soon as the rail of the slide has left its position in alignment with the rail of the machine, but before the rail has left the area in the extension of the rail of the machine, the locking device assumes its locking position. Accordingly, the locking device only comes into its rest position after the rail has reached the region in the extension of the rail of the spinning or twisting machine, and indeed before it has reached its position in alignment with the rail again.

So that the rail of the service station can be easily aligned with the rail of the machine, advantageously cooperating adjustment elements of rails and service station are provided in an advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, the reversing device is formed by switching elements which can be brought into or out of action between a running rail and a connecting rail.

Various inspections and new settings can only be carried out or checked if the maintenance facility runs automatically. For this purpose it can be provided according to the invention that the connection between the energy chain and the maintenance device is releasable and a reserve loop of the supply lines is provided in the area of this connection point, which is released when the carriage is moved away from the machine and is rebuilt when the carriage returns to the machine.

Irrespective of the special design of the spinning or twisting machine and its stationary or temporarily associated auxiliary devices, the present invention enables a maintenance device to be temporarily taken out of operation in such a way that the second maintenance device can take over the work of the first maintenance device without hindrance, without this being a hindrance. In addition, the side of the decommissioned maintenance device facing the spinning station is accessible for inspection. It is not even necessary to separate this decommissioned maintenance device from the supply network. In addition to all the functional advantages, the inventive design of a spinning or twisting machine system is simple and space-saving in construction and easy and time-saving to use.

• Figur 1 in schematischer Draufsicht eine Spinn-oder Zwirnmaschinenanlage mit zwei Maschinen, einer die beiden Maschinen verbindenden endlichen Schiene sowie zwei auf diesen Schienen verfahrbaren Wartungseinrichtungen und zwei erfindungsgemäße Servicestationen;
• Figur 2 in schematischer Draufsicht ein Detail aus Figur 1;
• Figur 3 eine als Schlitten ausgebildete Servicestation sowie den Energieanschluß gemäß der Erfindung, ebenfalls in Draufsicht;
• Figur 4 eine Spinn- oder Zwirnmaschine in der Draufsicht mit einer Abwandlung der in Figur 3 gezeigten Vorrichtung in der Draufsicht;
• Figur 5 in der Seitenansicht eine erfindungsgemäß ausgebildete Spinn- oder Zwirnmaschine;
• Figur 6 in schematischer Draufsicht eine andere Spinn- oder Zwirnmaschinenanlage mit drei Maschinen, einer endlosen Schiene sowie zwei Wartungseinrichtungen;
• Figur 7 in der Perspektive eine Justiereinrichtung für die Servicestation;
• Figur 8 und 9 in der Draufsicht eine erfindungsgemäß ausgebildete Verriegelungsvorrichtung; und
• Figur 10 in perspektivischer Ansicht das Ende einer Offenend-Spinnmaschine mit einer als Schlitten ausgebildeten Servicestation.

Exemplary embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to drawings. Show it:

• FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a spinning or twisting machine system with two machines, a finite rail connecting the two machines and two maintenance devices which can be moved on these rails and two service stations according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a detail from Figure 1;
• FIG. 3 shows a service station designed as a sled and the power connection according to the invention, likewise in plan view;
• Figure 4 shows a spinning or twisting machine in plan view with a modification of the device shown in Figure 3 in plan view;
• FIG. 5 shows a side view of a spinning or twisting machine designed according to the invention;
• Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of another spinning or twisting machine system with three machines, an endless rail and two maintenance devices;
• Figure 7 in perspective an adjustment device for the service station;
• Figures 8 and 9 in plan view a locking device designed according to the invention; and
• Figure 10 is a perspective view of the end of an open-end spinning machine with a service station designed as a carriage.

The machine system shown in FIG. 1 comprises two spinning or twisting machines 1 and 2 with a multiplicity of workstations 25 arranged next to one another (see FIG. 10) and a rail system 3, which each consist of two running rails 30 and 31 or 32 and 33 and one as a curve piece 34 or 35 trained running and Ver connection rail per machine 1 and 2 and a further curve rail 36 formed between the spinning or twisting machines 1 and 2. At the front end facing the curve section 34 and 35, each machine 1 and 2 has a drive set 10 or 20 and at the end facing away from the curve piece 34 or 35 a supply end frame 11 or 21.

There are two maintenance devices 4 and 40 on the rail system 3, each of which is assigned its own maintenance area W ₁ or W ₂ during normal production operation. 1, the maintenance area W _{1 is formed} by the working path of the area to be supplied on the spinning or twisting machine 1, while the maintenance area W _{2 is formed} by the working path of the area to be supplied on the spinning or twisting machine 2.

Control devices 65 and 66 or 67 and 68 are arranged at both ends of the maintenance area W _i and W ₂ , respectively, which, when reached by the maintenance device 4 or 40, cause the direction of the maintenance device 4 or 40 to be reversed.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, an exhaust air duct 12 or 22 projects upward from the supply end frame 11 or 21 to a suction duct 13 arranged in dash-dot lines, to which a multiplicity of spinning or twisting machines are connected.

Each machine 1 or 2 is provided with an automatic tube feed device 5 or 50 (see also FIG. 10), which is arranged on the longitudinal side of the machine at the level of the supply end frame 11 or 21. The sleeve feed device 5 has dimensions such that the maintenance device 4 or 40 cannot pass it. The sleeve feed devices 5 and 50 are therefore arranged in the vicinity of the free end 300 and 330 of the running rails 30 and 33, respectively.

At the end of this free end 300 or 330 there is also a service station 6 or 60, into which the maintenance device 4 or 40 can enter. Each service station 6 and 60 has a first rail 61 and a second rail 62 at right angles thereto, which are pivoted alternately into a position in the extension of the running rail 30 or 33 or into a position at right angles thereto (see FIG. 2) can. For this purpose, the service station 6 or 60 is pivotally mounted on an axis 63 or 64. The service station 6 or 60 can thus be moved transversely to the course of the running rail 30 or 33 from an operating position into an inspection position II. As a result, a maintenance device 4 or 40 located in the service station 6 or 60 can be taken out of operation and removed from the maintenance area W1 without an extension of the running rail 30 or 33 beyond the machine 1 or a removal of the maintenance device 4 from the track 30 is required.

During the spinning or twisting operation, each maintenance device 4 or 40 runs up and down the work path assigned to it and formed by the maintenance area W ₁ or W ₂ . So that the two maintenance devices 4 and 40 cannot interfere with each other, there is no overlap of the maintenance areas W1 and W2. In the case of a machine system with two spinning or twisting machines 1 and 2, each maintenance device 4 or 40 thus operates a machine 1 or 2. Is there one of the two maintenance devices, for. B. on the maintenance device 4, a malfunction, this maintenance device 4 is retracted while the control device 65 is temporarily inactive in the service station 6 and brought from the operating position into the inspection position II with the aid of the rail section 61 of the service station 6. Here, the rail section 62 reaches the extension region of the running rail 30, so that the running rail 30 together with the rail section 62 still extends over the entire area to be monitored. The maintenance device 4 is located on the rail section 61 so far from the working path formed by the running rail 30 and the rail section 62 that it is released.

In addition, the control devices 66 and 67 are rendered ineffective. How the control devices 65, 66 and 67 are rendered ineffective depends on their design. In the case of mechanical training, these need only be folded away from the driving area of the maintenance device 40; in the case of electrical switching devices, the actuation of a switching element is sufficient.

By switching off the control devices 66 and 67, the maintenance device 40 is not given a reverse command when the curve piece 36 between the two spinning or twisting machines 1 and 2 is reached; The maintenance device 40 therefore continues to run and, in addition to the work stations 25 in the maintenance area W _1, also monitors the work stations 25 in the maintenance area W ₂ . The maintenance device 40 thus oscillates back and forth between the control device 68, which is still in effect, and the control device 65, which was brought into effect again immediately after being run over by the maintenance device 4. Due to the mobility of the service station 6, the maintenance device 4 is located transversely to the course of the running rail 30 outside the new maintenance area Wi / Wz of the maintenance device 40, so that it can carry out its monitoring work unhindered as long as the maintenance device is in the service station 6 and this is in its inspection position 11 occupies. All workplaces 25 of both maintenance areas Wi and W ₂ are thus monitored by the maintenance device 40, so that it is ensured that no workplaces 25 of these two maintenance areas W _i and W ₂ can fail for a longer period of time and remain unexpected.

During this time, the maintenance device 4 is checked or converted. If this has happened, the maintenance device 40 is moved back into the maintenance area W ₂ . The control devices 66 and 67 are then brought into effect again, so that the maintenance device 40 can no longer leave the maintenance area W ₂ .

The service station 6 will now be returned from its Ins ^p ekti- projection position II into its operating position I. The maintenance device 4 is now - with the simultaneous temporary switching off of the control device 65 - from the rail cut 61 on the running rail 30 moves. You can now resume work in the maintenance area W ₁ .

If the maintenance device 40 is to be checked or changed over to adapt to another fiber material or yarn, the maintenance device 40 is brought into the service station 60 with the control device 68 temporarily switched off and the latter is pivoted into the inspection position 11. By disabling the control devices 66 and 67, it is now the maintenance device 4 that supplies both maintenance areas W ₁ and W ₂ .

Due to the described service stations 6 and 60, which can be moved transversely to the course of the rail, the failed or convertible maintenance device 4 or 40 can be removed from the maintenance area of the other maintenance device in a simple manner without the sleeve feed device 5 or 50 having to be removed in order for the Maintenance device 4 or 40 to be put out of operation to create space and without the maintenance device 4 or 40 being detached from the spinning or twisting machine 1 or 2.

Another embodiment of the service station will now be described with reference to FIG. 3, which shows a spinning or twisting machine system consisting of a single spinning or twisting machine 2. The spinning or twisting machine 2 leaves space in the area of its supply end frame 21 only on the side with the running rail 32, as a result of which only a stationary service station 69 with a rail 690 can be provided in the extension of the running rail 32, which extends over the supply end frame 21 of the machine 2 protrudes. If the maintenance device 4 fails in this embodiment of the service station 69 or if it is to be taken out of operation for another reason, the maintenance device 4 is moved out of the maintenance area W ₂ (see FIG. 1) onto the rail 690 to beyond the end of the machine 2 , ie driven beyond the supply end frame 21. Here, the maintenance device 4 can be viewed from all sides and is accessible for the necessary overhaul or adjustment. The maintenance carriage, ie the maintenance device 40, can monitor and operate both longitudinal sides of the machine by changing over control devices provided at the opposite end of the machine (see FIG. 1).

However, on the other side of the supply end frame 21, that is to say on the machine side with the running rail 33, there is a conventional sleeve feed device 50 which does not allow the maintenance device 40 to extend beyond the maintenance area W ₂ . For this reason the solution of a service station in the extension of the running rail 33 just described is not possible. This is remedied by a service station 7 that is movable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the running rail 33.

The service station 7 has a slide 70 which can be moved transversely to the longitudinal direction of the running rail 33. A rail section 61 for receiving the maintenance device 40 is arranged on this. The carriage 70 has two support rails 71 and 72, with which it is guided in two guide rails 23 and 24 of the spinning or twisting machine 2.

If the maintenance device 40 is to be taken out of operation, it cannot be brought into the service station 69, since otherwise it would have to pass the maintenance device 4. By means of the carriage 70 of the service station 7, however, it can be moved out of its working path transversely to its direction of travel along the running rail 33.

By changing over the two control devices mentioned, the maintenance device 4 can now service both sides of the machine, the direction reversal being effected by the control device 65 or by the maintenance device 4 running onto the carriage 70. The arrangement of the carriage 70 and the device on the maintenance device 4 for reversing the direction is selected such that all work stations 25 (FIG. 10) are included in the monitoring and remain so.

The control device can be designed in various ways. Instead of the described design of electrical or mechanical control devices 65, 66, 67, 68 on the spinning or twisting machine 1 or 2, the control device can also be arranged on the maintenance device 4 or 40 itself. For example, the maintenance device 4 or 40 has a counter which, depending on the direction of travel of the maintenance device 4 or 40, counts the workstations 25 which it has passed. In the case of maintenance areas Wi and W ₂ , each with 216 workstations 25, for example, the number "216" is stored in the counter on the maintenance device 4 when it is at the end of its maintenance area Wi facing away from the maintenance area W ₂ (see FIG. 1). If the maintenance device 4 reaches this value in the vicinity of the curve section 36, the maintenance device 4 is reversed.

However, if the maintenance device 40 with the service station 60 has been brought into the inspection position II, the counter in the maintenance device 4 is set to "432", as a result of which the maintenance area W _{2 is also} supplied by the maintenance device 4. If the maintenance device 40 is to be put into operation again, the maintenance device 4 is first brought into the maintenance area W ₁ and the counter is reset to "216".

In principle, it does not matter how far the service station 6, 60 or 7 is moved transversely to the spinning or twisting machine 1 or 2, provided that it is ensured that the work of the maintenance device 4 or 40 which is still working is not impaired. However, in order to facilitate the maintenance or adjustment of the maintenance device 4 or 40 and the machine 1 or 2, the carriage 70 of the service station is removed from the machine 1 or 2 by a dimension a such that a passage is shown in FIGS. 5 and 10 8 arises for an operator 80.

Often, a stationary or mobile bobbin storage device 51 is provided at the front end of the end frame 21 in order to hold the bobbins (not ge shows) in an orderly manner in a trolley (not shown). In this case, each maintenance device 4 and 40 must be assigned a separate service station 7 or 73 which can be moved transversely to the running rail 32. The second service station 73 can be designed in the same way as the service station 7 and can have a slide whose support rails 710 and 720 are guided in guide rails 230 and 240. Both service stations 7 and 73 are arranged opposite one another on different sides of the machine 2, the guide rails 23 and 24 and 230 and 240 being arranged offset to one another in order to avoid excessive machine widths. However, if the machine is correspondingly wide, the guide rails 23 and 240 and 24 and 230 can also form the mutual extension.

The type of mobility of the service station also does not play an important role for the device described, as a comparison of the service stations 6 and 60 with the service stations 7 and 73 shows. The maintenance device 4 or 40 can be moved from the operating position into the inspection position II by shifting or pivoting. Thus, in a modification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the service station can also be pivotable about a horizontal axis instead of a vertical one. However, the service station can also be brought from the operating position I to the inspection position II and back instead of along a horizontal plane along a vertical plane or along a differently oriented plane, possibly also along a curved path.

The device can thus be modified in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, in particular e.g. by exchanging features for equivalents or other combinations thereof. For example, it is irrelevant to the present invention how many machines belong to the spinning or twisting machine system, which are monitored and serviced by two or possibly even more maintenance devices 4 and 40 etc. If, when all maintenance facilities are operating normally, care is taken to ensure that their maintenance areas do not overlap, then if one maintenance facility fails, one of the neighboring maintenance facilities can take over the work of the failed maintenance facility with a corresponding increase in its maintenance area. It is also conceivable in this case to generally redefine the maintenance areas by appropriately setting control devices and to divide the maintenance of the workstations 25 looked after by the maintenance device to be inspected among the remaining maintenance devices. For example, with three machines and three maintenance devices within a finite rail system, it can be provided that when one of the three maintenance devices is taken out of operation, not one of the two maintenance devices that are still working supplies one machine and the other maintenance device supplies two machines, but it can now be provided accordingly that each maintenance device 1 1/2 machines supplied.

FIG. 6 shows a spinning or twisting machine system with three spinning or twisting machines 1, 2 and 14 and two maintenance carriages or devices 4 and 40. The running rails 30 and 31, 32 and 33, 37 and 38 are also here on the Drive frame 10, 20 and 140 facing ends are connected in pairs to each other by means of a curve piece 34, 35 and 340, while the machines 1, 2 and 14 are connected to each other by means of curve pieces 36, 360 and 361. The rail system 3 forms an endless rail system in this embodiment.

If one of the two maintenance devices 4 and 40 fails in such a system, it can be stopped and serviced on the curve piece 361. In this case, however, the other maintenance device is always forced to travel along the running rails and curve pieces 30, 34, 31, 36, 32, 35, 33, 360, 37, 340 and 38 — with the curve piece 361 omitted. However, this can result in a considerable loss of time. If, for example, the maintenance device 40 is located on the running rail 38 in the vicinity of the end frame 141 of the spinning or twisting machine 14, while a thread breakage occurs on the side of the machine 1 facing the running rail 30, the maintenance device 40 cannot take the shortest route over the curve piece Take 361 if the maintenance facility 4 is located there.

For this reason, a service station 7 is provided in the system shown in FIG. 6, which is displaceable transversely to the running rail 33. In principle, such a service station 7 can be arranged at any point in the system, also in the curve sections 34, 35, 340, 36, 360 or 361. The service station 74 is designed in accordance with FIG. 5 so that the other maintenance device which has not been put out of operation can pass through. The support rails 71 and 72 carry a second rail section 620 which, when the service station 74 takes its inspection position II, is in alignment with the running rail 33 of the spinning or twisting machine 2. The support rails 71 and 72 carrying the rail section 620 are connected via support rails 740 to the rail section 61, which is then in alignment with the running rail 33 when the service station 74 assumes its operating position (see FIG. 5 with dashed lines on the left and FIG. 5 on the right) . The support rails 740 are cranked in such a way that they leave a free space for the rail section 62 and the maintenance device 4 or 40, so that the maintenance device 4 or 40, which can be moved along the rail section 62, can pass under the support rails 740. For this purpose, the service station 74 is locked in a suitable manner in its two end positions.

If any of the two maintenance devices 4 and 40 is now brought into the inspection position II with the service station 74, the other maintenance device can pass freely under the support rails 740 on the outside Drive the maintenance device that is in operation. With a closed rail system according to FIG. 6, the maintenance device taking over the work of the switched-off maintenance device can therefore always travel the shortest route to the work station 25 designed as a spinning or twisting station, so that it can work in a time-saving manner. This is particularly important because the maintenance device now has to supply twice the number of workstations 25 due to the failure of one maintenance device.

According to FIG. 6, each maintenance device 4 and 40 is divided into two sub-wagons 4a and 4b or 40a and 40b. The partial carriages 4a and 40a each contain a cleaning device, while the partial carriages 4b and 40b each contain a piecing device. Since the cleaning of the spinning element of a work station must be carried out before the piecing takes place, the partial carriage 4a or 40a must lead over the partial carriage 4b or 40b, so that the direction of movement of the maintenance device 4 or 40 is fixed. If a maintenance facility, e.g. Maintenance device 4, on which curve piece 361 would be inspected, the other maintenance device 40, after it has supplied the work station 25 in the region of the running rail 38, would have to along the running rails and curved piece 38, 340, 37, 360, 33, 35, 32, 36 , 31, 34 return to the running rail 30 without being able to carry out maintenance on the workstations 25 which they pass. This travel time would thus be a pure loss of time, since maintenance of the workstations 25 is only possible again when the maintenance device 40 travels along the running rails and curve sections 30, 34, 31, 36, 32, 35, 33, 360, 340 to the running rail 38.

From the comparison of FIG. 6 with FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, it follows that in the case of an infinite rail system, a single service station is sufficient, while in the case of a finite rail system, one service station 6 or 60 or 7 per maintenance device 4 and 40 or, 73 or 7 and 74 is required. In the case of a service station 74 which allows a maintenance device 4 or 40 to pass, the position at which the service station is arranged in the spinning or twisting machine system can be freely selected. It is thus possible for a spinning or twisting machine 1, 2 or 14, which is composed of sections (not shown), to provide the service station 74 in any section. When the rail system 3 is closed, the two service stations 74 can be arranged next to one another on one machine side or distributed over both machine sides, wherein in the latter case the service stations 74 can be provided opposite one another in one and the same section or offset from one another in different sections.

As already mentioned, the maintenance device 4 or 40 should not only be able to be brought into the inspection position II with the service station 6, 60, 7, 73 or 74 when repairs are to be carried out on it, but also when it is to be adapted a new batch of fiber material, thread thickness or rotor diameter etc. the maintenance device 4 or 40 has to be readjusted. So that a functional check can subsequently be carried out, it is desirable that the maintenance device 4 or 40 is not disconnected from the energy supply. When the spinning or twisting machine system is designed with a plurality of spinning or twisting machines 1, 2 or 14, the maintenance device 4 or 40 is electrically supplied with the aid of electrical busbars and sliding contacts.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which each maintenance device 4 or 40 is connected to the power supply and possibly the compressed air supply (not shown) by its own supply line 41 or 42, which is each guided in an energy chain 43 or 44 . So that when the maintenance device 40 is brought into the inspection position II by the carriage 70, the electrical connection to the supply line 42 does not have to be interrupted each time, a cable store 45 is provided between the energy supply chain 44 and the maintenance device 40. According to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, this consists of a first stationary comb-like element 450 and a second comb-like element 451, which is acted upon by two compression springs 452 and 453 in such a way that when the supply line 42 is relaxed, it is brought into a zigzag position.

Each maintenance device 4 or 40 is connected via a driver 46 or 47 to the energy chain 43 or 44 assigned to it. If the service station 7 is to be brought with the maintenance device 40 from the operating position I into the inspection position 11, the distance of the maintenance device 40 from the energy chain 44 also increases. The mechanical connection between this maintenance device 40 and the energy chain 44 must therefore be released beforehand , for which purpose this connection point is designed to be easily detachable. If the service station 7 is now moved to the inspection position II with the maintenance device 40, the energy line 42 tensions and brings the cable storage 45 into the position shown, in which the previously stored length of the energy line 42 is used up. The maintenance device 40 thus remains connected to the supply lines 42 even in the inspection position II. When the service station 7 is returned to the operating position I later, the reserve of the supply line 42 is built up again.

It can also be provided that the maintenance wagons, ie maintenance devices 4 and 40, receive a call impulse when faults occur at a work station 25 of their maintenance areas W _i and W _{2 in} order to drive to the affected work station 25 and to re-initiate the spinning process. In this case, actuation of the control device 65, 66, 67 or 68 also increases or decreases the call area which is assigned to each maintenance device 4 or 40 accordingly.

On the other hand, a maintenance device 4 or 40, if it is located in a service station 6, 60, 69, 7, 73 or 74, must not be replaced by a call pulse addressable. For this purpose, according to FIG. 10, a switch panel with a switch 27 is provided on the supply end frame of machine 1, 2 or 14, with the aid of which the corresponding call control line for a specific maintenance device 4 or 40 is switched off in the supply lines 42. This switch 27 is actuated before the maintenance device 4 or 40 begins its movement into the inspection position 11. However, the switch 27 can also be arranged such that it is actuated into its inspection position II immediately when the service station 6, 60, 7, 73 or 74 begins to move, in order to electrically remove the maintenance device 4 or 40 from its call control line, decoupling inductively or in another suitable manner. In the case of a station designed as a carriage 70, the switch 27 can be actuated by one of the support rails 71 and 72.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the rail section 61 of the service station 6, 60, 7, 73 and 74 brought into the inspection position 11 is laterally open, so that there is a risk that the maintenance device 4 or 40 may be removed from this rail section 61 can be knocked down.

In order to exclude this with certainty, the service station 7 is assigned a locking device 9 which prevents the maintenance device 40 from being displaced on the rail section 61 (see FIG. 3). This locking device is shown in detail in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, each maintenance device 4 or 40 has on its driver 46 or 47 a wheel 48 with which it is supported on a rail 320 or 332. Correspondingly, a rail section 610 is also provided on the service station 7. This rail section 610 is in contact with the locking device 9 on a stationary stop rail 26 of the spinning or twisting machine 2 when the service station 7 is in its operating position I.

FIG. 8 shows the rail section 610 in a top view. According to FIG. 8, the maintenance device 40 can run to the right until it runs onto the locking device 9. It is not possible to continue walking to the right.

The locking device 9 has a substantially T-shaped lever 90 with an arm 900 extending away from the rail 610, with which the lever 90 is pivotably mounted on the running surface of the rail 610 by means of a pivot pin 91. A tension spring 92 is connected to the free end of this arm 900, the other end of which is anchored in the rail 610 on the side facing away from the wheel 48.

Another arm 901 facing away from the wheel 48 of the maintenance device 40 is held in the operating position I of the service station 7 by the action of the lever 90 by the tension spring 92 in contact with the stop rail 26. A third arm 92, which is arranged in the rearward extension of the arm 901, has a catch 903 at its free end which, when the arm 901 is released, is pivoted in the direction of the wheel 48 when the tension spring 92 acts on it. In order to achieve a path limitation here, a stop pin 93 is assigned to the arm 900 on the side facing the tension spring 92 and is supported by the rail 610.

If the service station 7 is to be brought into its maintenance position, the coupling between the maintenance device 40 located in the service station 7 and the energy chain 44 is released. Furthermore, a locking device between the machine 2 and the service station 7 is released so that the service station 7 can now be moved into its inspection position II. When the service station 7 moves away from the stop rail 26, the arm 901 is released, so that the arm 902 engages behind the wheel 48 with its catch 903. The maintenance device 40 is now secured in both directions of travel, namely on the one hand by the arm 900 and on the other hand by the catch 903 of the lever 90.

The locking device 9 is locked and designed so that the locking device 9 immediately assumes its locking position shown in FIG. 9, and the rail section 61 (see FIG. 3) has left its position in alignment with the running rail 33 of the machine 2, but already so early that the rail section 61 has not yet left the area in the extension of the running rail 33 of the machine 2. Thus, the maintenance device 40 is secured either by the lever 90 and the adjacent running rail 33 or by the arm 900 and the catch 903 of the lever 90, and is therefore not momentarily unsecured.

The switch 27 previously described in its function can also be operated in addition to the locking device 9 in the rail section 610 and by removing or reaching the stop rail 26. The disturbance call made by a disturbed work station 25 thus does not reach the maintenance device 4 or 40 which has been taken out of operation and is in the inspection position II.

In order to ensure that the rail sections 61 and possibly 620 are exactly aligned with each other so that the maintenance device 40 can get from the running rail 33 to the rail section 61 or possibly 620 without interference, an adjusting device 94 is provided on the machine and on the service station. According to FIG. 7, the support rails 72 and 73 each carry a laterally protruding guide lug 720, which snap into a corresponding guide groove 331 in the running rail 33 shortly before reaching the operating position I and thus aligns the rail section 61 exactly with respect to the adjacent sections of the running rail 33. Exactly the same adjustment elements (guide lug 720 and guide element 331) can also be used for aligning the rail section 620 (FIG. 5) with respect to the running rail 33 if it is provided that the other maintenance device 4 should be able to drive past the decommissioned maintenance device 4.

Claims (15)

1. A method of servicing the operating stations of spinning or twisting machines by means of a plurality of servicing devices which can be moved along the operating stations, characterised in that, for inspecting the servicing devices, the respective servicing device to be inspected is brought, together with a part of its servicing path, transversely to its direction of travel into an inspection position in which its side to be serviced and facing the machine is also accessible, wherein its former operating path is completed again and is vacated for another servicing device, in that another servicing device travels into the vacated operating path and takes over the servicing of the operating stations until the inspected servicing device is moved back again into its operating path from its inspection position after the inspection has been carried out.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the servicing of the operating stations which have been attended to by the servicing device to be inspected is distributed over the remaining servicing devices during the inspection.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the servicing device remains connected to the supply lines in the inspection position.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterised in that the servicing device is disconnected from a call control line during or before the movement into the inspection position.

5. An apparatus for servicing the operating stations of spinning or twisting machines, having at least two servicing devices which are movable on guide rails along a plurality of operating stations arranged adjacent to one another, the guide rails being joined together by means of a curved member on one end face so that the servicing devices are movable from one longitudinal side to the other longitudinal side of the machine, characterised by a servicing station (6, 60, 69, 7, 73, 74) having a first portion (61, 62) of the guide rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 360, 361) which is movable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 360, 361) in order to bring a servicing device into the inspection position, and a second portion (62, 61; 620) which, during the movement of the first portion (61, 62), can be brought into the vacated region of the guide rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 360, 361), and by a control apparatus (65, 66, 67, 68), by which the remaining servicing devices (4) are made to service the operating stations (25) which the servicing device (40) moved into the inspection position would have serviced.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, having a single spinning or twisting machine in which the two guide rails terminate at the end face of the spinning machine remote from the connection rail, characterised in that, on both longitudinal sides of the spinning or twisting machine (1, 2) one respective servicing station (6, 60, 69, 7, 73, 74) containing a portion (61, 62) of the guide rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38) is provided, of which at least one is movable transversely to the direction of travel, and each servicing device (4, 40) can be set by means of the control apparatus (65, 66, 67, 68) for servicing one or both longitudinal sides of the machine.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that each servicing station (6, 60, 69, 7, 73, 74) is arranged at one free end (300, 330) of a guide rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38).

8. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that the servicing station (7, 73, 74) comprises a slide (70) displaceable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38).

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that the slide (70) can be removed so far from the spinning or twisting machine (1, 2) that a passage (8) through which an operator (80) can pass is formed between the machine (1, 2) and the servicing device (4, 40) disposed on the slide (70).

10. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 5 to 9, characterised in that the servicing station (6, 60, 7, 73, 74) has associated with it a locking apparatus (9) which prevents the servicing device (4, 40) from being displaced.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, characterised in that the locking apparatus (9) can be brought into and out of operation as a function of the movement of the servicing station (6, 60, 7, 73, 74).

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that, as soon as the rail (61, 62, 620, 610) of the slide (70) has left its position in alignment with the rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) of the machine (1, 2), but before it has left the region of the extension of the rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) of the machine (1, 2), the locking apparatus (9) occupies its locking position.

13. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 5 to 12, characterised in that the rail (61, 62, 620, 610) and the servicing station (6, 60, 7, 73, 74) comprise co-operating adjustment elements (94) for aligning the servicing station (6, 60, 7, 73, 74) with respect to the rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38).

14. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 5 to 13, characterised in that the control apparatus (65, 66, 67, 68) is formed by switching elements which can be brought into and out of operation between a longitudinal rail (30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38) and a connecting rail (34, 35, 36).

15. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 5 to 14 having a single spinning machine to whose energy supply source each servicing device is connected by means of supply lines which are guided in each case by an energy supply chain rolling on and off in the longitudinal direction of the machine, characterised in that the connection between the energy supply chain (43, 44) and the servicing device (4, 40) is detachable and, in the region of this connection point, a reserve loop of the supply lines (41, 42) is provided which is released when the slide (70) is moved away from the machine (1) and is re-established when the slide (70) is returned again to the machine (1).

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