EP0479017A1 - Flexible transporting system for transporting bobbins and tubes placed on trays in groups - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of the invention was to improve a flexible transport system of this type, in order, especially for a batch change, to guarantee a friction-free exchange of the trays (4). <??>This object is achieved, according to the invention, in that at least one supporting surface (8-11; 104) of a transport carrier projects, at least on one side, in the longitudinal direction of the partition walls (12-15; 105) of the supporting surface, beyond the partition walls by the amount of the width of a baseplate of a tray (4) for the displacement of the trays perpendicularly relative to the partition walls. The invention allows the mutually independent loading and unloading of the supporting surfaces and a very easy exchange of the trays and, in a batch change, requires no reserve cops or reserve tubes together with the trays carrying them. Readiness for unloading is immediately obtained independently of the feed of new trays. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a flexible transport system according to the features of the preamble of the first claim.

Such flexible transport systems basically have the advantage over fixed composite systems, for example between a spinning and a winding machine, that there are neither rigid transport routes, nor are there any restrictions with regard to intermediate storage, intermediate treatment or rigid coordination of the machine capacities.

Such a flexible transport system is known for example from the generic DE-OS 26 56 811. According to this document, trays for bobbins and bobbin tubes are placed on a transport carrier between textile machines of successive processing stages in yarn production, which can be designed, for example, as a carriage and can be moved on any transport routes. Such a transport carrier has at least one support surface for the trays and has partitions for dividing the rows of trays within which they can slide. The transport carrier is first completely unloaded on the respective textile machine in order to then be fully loaded again. A different height level between the unloading and loading side can be compensated by means of lifts.

Loading and unloading the transport carrier at different times takes a relatively long time.

Modern spinning machines or winding machines work with transport circuits for trays that carry cops or sleeves. In such textile machines, it is necessary to load and unload the known transport carrier at the same time.

Such a system has already been described in EP 0 344 507 A1, among others. According to this document, the push-through method known, inter alia, from CH-PS 531 951 is used. In a push-through method, transport belts are provided which are parallel to one another in opposite directions. A loading or storage position is arranged between these conveyor belts. By means of a plunger which can be displaced from the feed conveyor belt in the direction of the discharge conveyor belt at right angles to the two conveyor belts, bobbin containers are shifted by one division from the feed side to the discharge side. The plunger thus simultaneously loads the storage position from the feed belt and unloads the storage position in the direction of the discharge belt. This system has the defect that it is only possible to push bobbins through when the feed belt contains new bobbins. For example, when changing a batch on a ring spinning machine, this would mean that unloading trays with empty cores would only be possible if cops of the new batch were ready on the feed side. However, in order to be able to discharge trays with fresh cops from the pockets of a conveyor belt running around the spinning machine, trays with sleeves must already be fed in on the opposite side. However, as already explained, these are not ready as long as the push-through process cannot get started due to the lack of trays with fresh cops on the feed side. An analogous problem also arises on the winding machine.

It is therefore an object of the invention to further develop the generic flexible transport system in such a way that smooth loading and unloading of the transport carrier is ensured even when the batches are changed.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of the first claim.

The distance between the end of the partition walls and the end of the respective bearing surface allows the trays to be moved transversely to the partition walls. This makes it possible to start unloading the transport carrier before the trays have to be moved along the partition walls. If the respective contact surface on both sides of the dividing walls protrudes beyond the ends of the dividing walls by the amount corresponding to the tray width, after unloading a row of trays on the unloading side, the trays can be pushed through one division before the new trays are fed on the feed side is done. The inserted row of trays can then be unloaded beforehand. This means that two rows of trays can be unloaded from one support surface before the trays start to be fed to the transport carrier. With this system, intermediate storage of trays with cops or sleeves is not necessary when changing batches. The system is thus much more flexible than the known system.

The invention is advantageously developed by the features of claims 2 to 11.

The arrangement of support surfaces on several floors increases the transport capacity of the transport carrier many times over. The use of lifts, particularly when using transport carriers with support surfaces on several floors, is not tied to their synchronous movement, as is the case, for example, in the solution according to EP 03 44 507 A1. Rather, the loading and unloading of the respective support surface can take place separately according to the present invention. All that is required is a vote so that the trays are pushed through length of the partitions is only possible if a row of trays on the unloading side has been removed beforehand. The corresponding arrangement of lifts and stores in connection with the independent vertical movement of the lifts allows an almost continuous loading and unloading process of the textile machine. The required length of stay of the transport carrier on the respective textile machine can thus be minimized. In this way, the number of transport carriers required, for example, for a spinning complex can be minimized.

The provision of several lift platforms also shortens the breaks that arise during the movement phase of the lifts. Likewise, loading and unloading the lifts with rams, which move a series of trays, saves time.

Bevels of the dividing walls on the loading side form leading edges for base-like elevations of the trays, which are required, for example, when the division of the trays by the dividing walls changes compared to the denser arrangement that results on the feed side without dividing walls. However, since the trays generally have bevelled lower edges on their base plates, the partition walls can be dimensioned such that they only guide the trays in this area. As a result, the outer plates of the base plates abut one another directly in the region of the partition walls, so that there is no difference in division.

• Fig. 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Be- und Entladestation für Trays an einer Ringspinnmaschine, wobei ein Transportträger an der Be- und Entladestation geparkt ist,
• Fig. 2 eine Draufsicht zu Fig. 1 mit geringfügigen Detailänderungen,
• Fig. 3 eine Seitenansicht zu Fig. 2, jedoch ohne Transportträger,
• Fig. 4 eine Variante des erfindungsgemäßen Transportsystems als Draufsicht,
• Fig. 4a einen Ausschnitt aus einer Schnittdarstellung durch eine Auflagefläche des Transportträgers gemäß Fig. 4,
• Fig. 5 eine perspektivische Ansicht von als Lift ausgebildeten unabhängig voneinander bewegbaren Zuführbahnen,
• Fig. 6 eine perspektivische Darstellung des Liftes gemäß Fig. 5, jedoch in einer anderen Arbeitsstellung und
• Fig. 7 eine perspektivische Darstellung einer Variante eines Liftes mit mehreren in festem Abstand zueinander angeordneten Liftplattformen.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

• 1 is a perspective view of a loading and unloading station for trays on a ring spinning machine, wherein a transport carrier is parked at the loading and unloading station,
• 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 with minor changes in detail,
• 3 shows a side view of FIG. 2, but without a transport carrier,
• 4 shows a variant of the transport system according to the invention as a top view,
• 4a shows a detail from a sectional view through a support surface of the transport carrier according to FIG. 4,
• 5 is a perspective view of feed paths which are designed as lifts and can be moved independently of one another,
• Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the elevator of FIG. 5, but in a different working position and
• Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a variant of a lift with several lift platforms arranged at a fixed distance from each other.

In the perspective view of FIG. 1 it can be seen that a loading and unloading device 2 for trays 4 with cops 5 or sleeves 6 is arranged at the head end of a ring spinning machine 1 (not shown for reasons of clarity). In this loading and unloading device 2, a transport carrier 3, which is designed here as an example, is inserted. This transport carrier 3 consists of a frame 7, on which wheels 16 are attached. These wheels 16 are provided with locking means, but their representation has been omitted. In order to ensure a stable position of the transport carrier 3 during the loading and unloading process, additional locking means, such as bolts, locks and the like, must be provided. In particular, it must also be ensured that the moving parts of the loading and unloading device 2 are aligned with the corresponding contact surfaces 8 to 11 of the transport carrier 3. Such locking means are well known in mechanical engineering, which is why they are not shown in the drawings.

On the frame 7 of the transport carrier 3, four contact surfaces 8 to 11 are fastened at such a distance from one another that free passage of the cops 5 and sleeves 6 with the trays 4 carrying them is ensured. The contact surfaces 8 to 11 have partitions 12 to 15, between which the trays 4 can slide parallel to one another. These partitions 12 to 15 each end at a distance from the outer edges of the support surfaces, which corresponds to the diameter of a base plate of a tray 4. As a result, the bearing surfaces form slideways 8 'to 11' on the loading side and 8 "to 11" on the unloading side.

In order to ensure that the trays 4 cannot slide sideways when pushing the trays 4 onto these sliding surfaces 8 'to 11', it is advantageous to arrange boundary edges (not shown here) on the outer sides of the support surfaces 8 to 11. These boundary edges must be designed so flat that slides 22 to 25 can slide over them, but still have a sufficient contact area with the trays 4 when moving. However, it is also possible that these slides 22 to 25 guide the trays 4 on their base-like structure.

Around the ring spinning machine 1, of which only a socket 76 arranged at its head end is shown, runs a chain 72 which has drivers 73 at regular intervals which serve to guide the trays 4. The trays 4 slide on slideways 77 and 78, respectively. These slideways 77 and 78, of which only the front end is shown, run along the spindle rows of the ring spinning machine and are at the rear end of the spinning machine the connected. As a result, trays 4 with sleeves 6, which are fed to the ring spinning machine on one side, can also reach the spindles on the other side of the spinning machine. At the time of the doffing process on the ring spinning machine, trays 4 with empty sleeves 6 must face each other throughout the spindles. These are then exchanged for freshly spun cops 5. After this doffing process, the trays 4 with cops 5 are fed counterclockwise through the rotation of the chain 72 to the head end of the spinning machine on the slideway 77. At this head end they are removed. At the same time, each free position between the drivers 73 of the chain 72, which later faces a spinning spindle, must be filled with a new tray 4 with an empty sleeve 6. This results in a simultaneous exchange between cops 5 and empty tubes 6.

The chain 72, which is deflected by chain wheels 74 and 75 and two further chain wheels, not shown here and located at the other end of the spinning machine, is driven by a motor 43 which drives the chain wheel 74. This drive must be controlled very precisely in order to ensure that the trays 4 for the doffing process are exactly opposite the respective spindles from which they are to take over the new cop 5. At the same time, synchronization with the activity of the loading and unloading device 2 is required. Further details are given below.

Due to the deflection of the chain 72 on the sprockets 74 and 75, the drivers 73 each open like tongs, which makes it possible to discharge or insert the trays 4.

In the variant of the loading and unloading device 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, stores are provided on the loading and unloading side, which are aligned with the levels formed by the support surfaces 8 to 11 and can each accommodate a number of trays 4. These memories also increase the flexibility of the overall system. The structure of this loading and unloading device 2 will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the illustration of its functioning.

The trays 4 with cops 5, which are transported from the ring spinning machine 1 on the slideway 77 to the loading and unloading device 2 after doffing, are released from the positive guidance in the area of the chain wheel 75 by the drivers 73. The subsequent trays 4 move the trays already released along a further slideway 59 adjoining the slideway 77 in the direction of the transport carrier 3. At the end of the slideway 59, a stop 59 'is arranged, which may be coupled to a touch sensor (not shown), which immediately stops driving the motor 43 when it is energized. In the normal case, however, such a touch sensor is not necessary, since the motor 43 is controlled in such a way that only such a number of trays 4 is discharged that corresponds to the capacity of the slideway 59. The slideways 77 and 59 can merge directly into one another.

In addition to the slideway 59, a lift 48 can be positioned, whose capacity for trays 4 corresponds to that of the slideway 59. A row of trays 4 can be shifted from the slideway 59 directly onto the lift 48 by a slide 39 'of a shifting device 39. This lift 48 is suspended on ropes 44 'and 45' which are wound on rope pulleys 44 and 45 when the lift 48 is moved upwards. A motor 40, which acts on the cable pulley 44, is provided for driving the cable pulleys. A connection, not shown, via a bevel gear shaft or a chain drive transmits this rotary movement to the rope pulley 45. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the ropes 44 'and 45' can be guided in guide rails 82, in which the fastening eyes for the ropes (not shown) are simultaneously guided slide on the lift. This provides safe lateral guidance of the lift 48. It would be conceivable but much more complex to drive the lift by means of a known spindle drive. In order to ensure exact positioning in the respective floors, locks could be attached to the guide rails 82 at the respective floor height, which also act as switches and switch off the motor 40 when the elevator 48 arrives on the intended floor. In order to avoid overstretching the ropes 44 'and 45', a slip clutch would have to be connected between the motor and the pulley 44, which slips when a predetermined load is exceeded. The locks / switches arranged on the respective floors are controlled by a central control unit 80, which will be described later, and have a feedback which reports the arrival of the lift on the intended floor to the central control unit.

If the lift 48 has reached the level of the slide track 59, as shown in FIG. 1, and the slide track 59 is fully equipped with trays 4, the displacement device 39 is activated, controlled by the central control unit 80. The slider 39 'moves a row of 7 trays 4 onto the lift 48. However, since the bottom conveyor belt 30 of a store consisting of four conveyor belts 27 to 30 is arranged at the same height, the stroke of the slider 39' can also be used to load the conveyor belt 30 be doubled. This is but only provided if the bottom floor of the transport carrier 3, the support surface 11, is to be loaded. A prerequisite for pushing the trays 4 from the slideway 59 to the conveyor belt 30 is, of course, that this conveyor belt 30, in contrast to the illustration in FIG. 1, is already unloaded. In the illustration according to FIG. 1, it is advisable to reload one of the floors above, which are all ready for recording. The slideway 59, the lift 48 and the conveyor belts 27 to 30 of the storage device are arranged so closely adjacent that there are only gaps in each case which allow unhindered vertical movement of the lift 48. This on the one hand minimizes the space requirement of the loading and unloading device 2, and on the other hand there is the possibility that the lift 48 is supported on the adjacent storage belt during unloading. In addition, no high demands are placed on the stability of the guide rails 82.

The conveyor belts 27 to 30 are fastened to a frame 26 via brackets 27 'to 30'. These brackets 27 'to 30' carry deflection rollers for the conveyor belts 27 to 30 at both ends. Their upper edge projects beyond the upper trumes of these conveyor belts in order to form a stop for the trays 4, which are moved by the lift 48 onto the conveyor belts. Furthermore, all four conveyor belts 27 to 30 have edge reinforcements 27 "to 30" on the side facing the lift 48. These edge reinforcements 27 ″ to 30 ″ are chamfered at least on the side facing the lift 48 in order to allow the trays 4 to slide on. The width of the conveyor belts 27 to 30 is chosen so that the trays 4 between the edge reinforcements 27 "to 30" and the edges of the brackets 27 'to 30' with their base plates can be stable and horizontal and at the same time are securely guided.

To slide the trays 4 from the lift 48 onto the belts 27 to 29, further displacement devices 36 to 38 are arranged at the level of these levels, the slides 36 'to 38' of which are arranged in the retracted position above the slideway 59. The stroke of these sliders 36 'to 38' is dimensioned such that the trays 4 can each be pushed from the lift 48 onto one of the conveyor belts 27 to 29. The displacement devices 36 to 39 are attached to a frame 35, which is normally replaced by the end frame of the ring spinning machine.

The conveyor belts 27 to 30 each have two driver strips 31 to 34, which are attached at the same distance on the top of the conveyor belts. These carrier bars serve to move the trays arranged on the respective conveyor belt to the adjacent displacement area of the respective support surface of the transport carrier 3 arranged on this floor. Since the number of trays already moved in the transport carrier 3 increases the frictional resistance of these trays on the corresponding support surface, increases also on the respective conveyor belt 27 to 30, the risk of sideways deflection of trays from the row increases. However, as already mentioned, this evasion is effectively prevented by the reinforcements 27 "to 30" and the raised edges of the brackets 27 'to 30'.

The belts 27 to 30 are preferably driven separately on the side facing the transport carrier 30 by motors (not shown for reasons of clarity). These motors are also controlled by the central control unit 80.

Adjacent to the transport carrier 3, hydraulic cylinders 18 to 21, in which slides 22 to 25 are arranged to be longitudinally displaceable, are attached to a stand 17 at the level of the respective support surfaces 8 to 11. These hydraulic cylinders 18 to 21 are also controlled by the central control unit 80. A prerequisite for their operation is that the adjacent transverse displacement area of one of the support surfaces 8 'to 11' is fully occupied with trays 4 which are in the idle state. A further prerequisite is that the transverse displacement area of the same support surface arranged on the unloading side has already been emptied.

In the present example, slidable slides 68 'to 71' are provided in pneumatic cylinders 68 to 71 on the unloading side. These slides 68 'to 71' have drivers 68 "to 71" at their front end. The slides 68 'to 71' are held against rotation in their respective pneumatic cylinders 68 to 71. The pneumatic cylinders 68 to 71, however, are rotatably mounted within drive blocks 64 to 67. As shown in FIG. 2 using the example of the drive block 67, an output gear 86 is attached to the pneumatic cylinder 71, which meshes with a drive gear 87. This drive wheel 87 is driven by a motor 84. Between the motor 84 and the drive wheel 87, a gear 87 'is connected, which reduces the engine revolutions. The motor is controlled by the central control unit 80 via a control line 84 'so that it can transmit a rotation of 90 degrees to the pneumatic cylinder 71. Motor 84 is operated alternately in different directions.

2 shows, using the example of the pneumatic cylinder 71, that it can be actuated by valves 85 and 88. These valves are then connected to the central control unit 80 via control lines 85 'and 88'. The use is also conceivable, but not shown here tion of a reversing valve, which alternately acts on the two inputs of the pneumatic cylinder 71 with compressed air.

The rotary movement of the pneumatic cylinder 71 also rotates the slide 71 ′, which is held in the pneumatic cylinder in a manner secure against rotation, as described further above, by the same amount. This allows a driver 71 "to assume a vertical position while the transport carrier 3 is being moved in (FIG. 3). This prevents the driver 71" from colliding with the first row of trays 4 while the transport carrier 3 is being driven into the loading and unloading device 2 . After the transport carrier 3 has been positioned, the central control unit 80 controls the motor 84, which rotates the pneumatic cylinder 71 with the slide 71 'by 90 degrees via the transmission 87', the drive wheel 87 and the driven wheel 86. At the end of this rotary movement, the driver 71 ″ assumes a horizontal position. Since it is in its rearmost position, as can be seen in FIG. 1, the last row of trays can be displaced along the transverse displacement region 11 ″ from the support surface 11 onto a conveyor belt 53 which is aligned with this transverse displacement area 11 ".

The pneumatic cylinders 68 to 71 are also controlled by the central control unit 80. Since control of the motors of the drive blocks 64 to 67 is also provided by the central control unit 80, it is ensured that the drivers 68 "to 71" assume their horizontal position during the unloading activity of the slides 68 'to 71'.

Although there is only an imperative requirement to hold the carriers 68 "to 71" in a vertical position when the transport carrier 3 is moved into the loading and unloading device 2, it can also be provided that the pneumatic cylinders and drive blocks are matched to one another so that there is always a change in direction of movement the slider can be turned 90 degrees. This means that when the slider is extended to the right, the drivers always assume a vertical position, while for unloading, that is to say before the slider is retracted, they are pivoted into a horizontal position. This makes it possible for the trays to be moved on the respective support surface from the loading side to the unloading side during the movement of the slide to the right. This is particularly important when the support surfaces are completely reloaded one after the other. This procedure requires a rapid sequence of all loading and unloading steps, which, as already mentioned, must all be coordinated with one another.

Four conveyor belts 50 to 53 arranged at the level of the support surfaces 8 to 11 also form a buffer on the unloading side. These conveyor belts 50 to 53 are attached to a storage rack 99 (FIG. 3) via holders 50 'to 53'. These brackets carry the two pulleys of the conveyor belts.

A motor 42 acting on the front deflection roller is shown as an example in the conveyor belt 50. For reasons of clarity, further motors for the conveyor belts 51 to 53 have not been shown. The motors can be controlled by the central control unit 80 in such a way that they drive the conveyor belts as long as the associated slide carries out its unloading activity. The trays 4 are moved against an edge 50 ″ to 53 ″ arranged at the front end of the conveyor belts 50 to 53. This movement of the conveyor belts is intended to support the unloading activity and to avoid the escape of trays 4 from the row. However, if the unloading process is not carried out too quickly, it may also be sufficient if the two deflection rollers in each case can be rotated very smoothly and the conveyor belt is only driven by the displacement movement of the trays. If the conveyor belts are replaced by sliding surfaces, which is also possible within the scope of the invention, it would be advantageous to provide these sliding surfaces with guide edges on their longitudinal sides, similar to the loading side, which must be beveled and flat at least towards the side of a lift 49 to ensure easy unloading onto the lift.

The individual conveyor belts 50 to 53 are unloaded onto the lift 49, analogously to the loading side, by means of slides 55 'to 58' which are actuated by hydraulic cylinders 55 to 58. These slides 55 'to 58' each move a whole row of trays 4 transversely to their previous feed direction. The hydraulic cylinders 55 to 58 are attached to a stand 54. As can be seen particularly clearly from FIG. 3, the slides 55 'to 58' are arranged between the upper runs of the conveyor belts 50 to 53 and the slides 68 'to 71'. While the drivers 68 "to 71" act on the base-like structures of the trays 4, the sliders 55 'to 58' act on the base plates of the trays 4. This prevents mutual disability.

As can be seen from the illustration in FIG. 2, which shows the simultaneous loading and unloading of the support surface 11, a limiting edge 81 is provided on the unloading side. Thus, although not shown in detail, the support surfaces are provided with boundary edges over their entire circumference, in order to reduce them, in particular during the transport of the transport carrier 3 avoid falling of the trays 4. The boundary edges at the inlet opening on the loading side and at the outlet opening on the unloading side would have to be removable or in the form of a barrier.

In the transverse displacement area 11 ″, opposite the boundary edge 81, a guide edge 79 is provided, which can consist of a slight step. That is, the transverse displacement region 11 ″ is slightly lowered relative to the rest of the contact surface 11. Since it is only a small step, the trays 4 are only tilted very slightly when pushed from their position between the partition walls 15 into this transverse displacement area 11 ″, as a result of which the displacement process is not impaired. In addition, the trays 4 become still while entering held in the displacement area 11 "by the T-shaped supports.

On the loading side, the horizontal parts of the T-shaped partition walls 15 have inclined leading edges 15 '. These leading edges can be necessary if the division of the trays 4 in the transverse displacement area 11 'is smaller than in the area of the partition walls 15. This results from the fact that the partition walls keep the base plates of the trays 4 at a slight distance from one another. In contrast, the trays 4 with their base plates abut one another in the transverse displacement region 11 '. On its contact surface with the trays 4, the slide 25 has a profiled shape adapted to the spacing of the trays, as a result of which the division of the trays into the individual guideways between the partition walls 15 is additionally supported. Analogous conditions exist for the support surfaces 8 to 10 arranged above the support surface 11.

If the lift 49 is positioned on the unloading side next to one of the conveyor belts 50 to 53, which is fully occupied with trays 4 which carry sleeves 6, the adjacent slide 55 ', 56', 57 'or 58' is actuated by this row Push trays 4 onto lift 49. In the arrangement according to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is also possible to move the trays from the bottom conveyor belt 53 directly via the adjoining lift 49 to a conveyor belt 60 which directly connects the ring spinning machine 1 with the sleeves 6 placed on the trays 4 provided. The hydraulic cylinder 58 is therefore, like the hydraulic cylinder 39, designed for the double stroke compared to the other hydraulic cylinders.

The lift 49 is actuated analogously to the lift 48 by means of ropes 46 'and 47' which run onto rope pulleys 46 and 47. A motor 41 drives the pulley 47, which is coupled to the pulley 46 via a bevel gear shaft or a chain drive. Guide rails 83 ensure precise guidance of the lift 49. The actuation of the lift, which has locks and switches on the individual floors, as does the lift 48, need not be discussed in more detail, since these are described above in connection with the lift 48 has already been explained.

The conveyor belt 60, like the conveyor belts 27 to 30, has two carrier strips 61 which are arranged at the same distance on the surface and are intended to ensure that the trays 4 are reliably fed to the ring spinning machine. A fixed boundary edge 62 and a reinforcement 62 'on the surface of the conveyor belt 60 here also ensure lateral guidance of the trays during the unloading of the conveyor belt 60. The reinforcement 62' is again beveled at least on the side facing the lift 49 in order to be problem-free Ensure feeding. The conveyor belt 60 is driven by a motor 91, which is actuated by the central control unit 80 via a control line 91 '.

The chain 72 'deflected by the chain wheels 74 and 75, which represents a variant of the chain 72, has driver pins 73' which protrude into the transport path of the trays 4 through slots 77 'and 78' formed in the slideways on both sides. This is only intended to express that the application of the invention is not tied to a specific design of the transport system of the textile machine, here a ring spinning machine.

In FIG. 3, in contrast to FIGS. 1 and 2, the level of the transport tracks on the ring spinning machine is arranged below the lowermost support surface 11 of the transport carrier 3. For this reason, additional hydraulic cylinders 89 and 98, which have slides 89 'and 98', are required. The hydraulic cylinder 39 must be displaced further inwards in order to ensure the free passage of the cops 5. The associated slide 39 'is arranged at a height which lies above the tip of the cops 5 being transported past.

Above the end frame of the ring spinning machine 1, an axis 90 is fastened in a longitudinal beam 92, which carries a cable pulley 44 and 45 at both ends. The guide rails 82 and 83 and the motors 40 and 41 are fastened to angle brackets 96 and 97. The cable pulleys 44 and 45 are rotatably mounted in the angle brackets 96 and 97. Furthermore, a gearbox consisting of a drive and driven wheel for transmitting motion from the motors 40 and 41 to the pulleys 44 and 45 is arranged within the angle brackets 96 and 97. For this purpose, the angle brackets are advantageously designed as hollow profiles. Because this is common in mechanical engineering designs, a more detailed description has been omitted.

However, it is also possible to operate the lifts 48 and 49 together. In this case, the axis 90 can be designed as a continuous shaft which is rotatably mounted in the longitudinal beam 92. Then only one of the two motors 40 and 41 is required, which drives both lifts synchronously through the connection via the shaft 90.

Rails 93 are arranged in parallel on the longitudinal beam 92, in which holders 94 for flyer spools 95 slide in order to be able to be positioned above the spinning positions.

4 and 4a, a variant of the invention is shown, which will be explained in more detail below.

In this example, the support surfaces 104 have a transverse displacement region 107 only on the unloading side. On the feed side, a slideway 100 is arranged at a right angle to the partition walls 105 of the support surface 104. The partition walls 105 extend in this variant of the transport carrier 3 on the loading side to the edge of the support surface 104 fastened to the frame 7 '. During the transport of the transport carrier 3, it is advantageous if there is a boundary edge, not specified, which is suitable for the loading - And unloading can be removed.

For reasons of capacity, this variant also provides for support surfaces to be arranged on several floors. In Fig. 4, however, only one floor is shown, while the remaining floors, as shown in Fig. 1, are identical. The slideway 100 is simultaneously designed as a lift for transport carriers 3 with several floors. For this purpose, carriers 103 are provided, on which a cable drive, not shown, acts. The two carriers 103 are advantageously arranged at right angles to one another, in order not to impede the insertion of the trays 4 from the ring spinning machine 1 and the displacement movement of a plunger 101. The rope pulleys, not shown, can also be driven here by a motor, the movement being transmitted to the other rope pulley via a bevel gear. The carriers 103 have cutouts into which fixedly arranged guide rails 103 'engage. This ensures safe guidance of the lift over its entire lifting distance. Advantageously, the slideway 100 has guide edges (not shown) on its long sides, which must be flat in the working area of the plunger 101 and allow the free movement of the plunger and the displacement of the trays 4 onto the support surface 104. In order to prevent the trays from being displaced beyond the end of the slideway 100, a stop 100 'is provided. The plunger is actuated by a drive 102, which is connected to a central control unit 112 via a control line 102 ′.

FIG. 4 shows a further variant of a chain 72 "which has catches 73" which each engage the base of the trays 4. Slideways 77 "and 78" are provided around the ring spinning machine in this case.

In contrast to the variant shown so far, the partition walls 105 are not T-shaped, but rather are formed as a triangular profile (see in particular FIG. 4a). The trays 4 have bevelled lower edges on their base plates, which form a triangular free space in the case of adjoining, adjoining trays. The partition walls 105 are designed such that their cross-sectional dimensions correspond at most to the free space formed between adjoining trays. In this way, the partition walls 105 provide the trays 4 with adequate guidance, but do not change the division of the trays, since these abut the outer surfaces of the base plates despite the partition walls. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the plunger 101 is therefore not profiled here, but rather smooth.

In this variant too, a shoulder 106 is present on the unloading side of the support surface 104, that is to say the transverse displacement region 107 is arranged slightly lower than the surface of the support surface 104 itself. A boundary edge likewise present here on the outside of the support surface 104 is not shown. Here, too, it must be kept so low that drivers 111 provided for unloading overlap this boundary edge, but at the same time can guide the trays 4 on their base-like structure. The drivers 111 are fixed at the same distance from one another on a chain 108 which is deflected by chain wheels 108 'and 108 ". It is driven by a motor 109 via the chain wheel 108'. The motor 109 has a control connection 109 'to the central control unit 112 The sprockets 108 'and 108 "are mounted in supports 114 which are fastened to a frame 110. Such chain drives are arranged on all floors of the transport carrier 3. The basic position of the chain 108, which it assumes at least during the retraction of the transport carrier 3 into the loading and unloading device 2, is arranged parallel to the transverse displacement region 107 when the carriers 111 are arranged. In this position of the chain 108, the carriers 111 are not in the way. For a discharge cycle, the chain 108 is moved by half its length. As a result, the trays 4 arranged in the transverse shift region 107 are shifted onto a conveyor belt 113 which transports in the direction indicated by the arrow. At the end of this conveyor belt 113, a stop edge 122 is fixedly arranged, against which the trays are transported. As can be seen from FIG. 4, they are conveyed further by the conveyor belt 113 than is possible by the carriers 111. This brings them into a position in which they are ready to be moved onto another conveyor belt 123.

The conveyor belt 113 is part of a lift, for which purpose the deflection rollers of the conveyor belt 113 are fastened to supports 121 which can slide in fixed guides 124. These carriers 121 are held by ropes which can be wound on rope pulleys 115. These pulleys 115 have a common shaft 117 which is driven by a motor 120. This motor 120 is connected to the central control unit 112 via a control line 120 ′. The shaft 117 is supported in bearing blocks which are part of a frame 118.

In the plane of the conveyor belt 123, a slide 116 is provided adjacent to the conveyor belt 113 and can be moved perpendicularly to the conveyor belt 113 by a drive 119. This slide 116 is provided for the transfer of a number of trays 4 from the conveyor belt 113 to the conveyor belt 123. The drive 119 is connected to the central control unit 112 via a control line 119 '. A drive acts on one of the two deflection rollers of the conveyor belt 113 and the conveyor belt 123, which is not shown here for reasons of space. These drives are also actuated by the central control unit 112.

The conveying direction of the conveyor belts 113 and 123 is opposite. The conveyor belt 123 feeds the trays 4 to a Maltese cross 126, which guides the trays individually along a curved slideway 125 with a guide edge and transfers them to the drivers 73 "of the chain 72". In order to achieve a synchronous movement of the Maltese cross 126 and the sprocket 74, it is advantageous to transmit the controlled movement of the sprocket 74 to the Maltese cross 126 in a form-fitting manner either by means of a toothed wheel or a chain drive. The motor 43 is controlled via a control line 43 'by the central control unit 112 in such a way that a number of trays 4 corresponding to the number of slideways between the partition walls 105 is introduced and discharged at the other end.

The variant according to FIG. 4 shows one possibility of how the principle "first in - first out" can be realized. According to this principle, it is possible to always maintain the exact arrangement of the trays. To this end, it is of course also advantageous if the support surfaces 104 are loaded and unloaded one after the other in one go.

The lifts 100 and 113 are advantageously controlled analogously to the first example, which enables exact positioning on the respective floors.

5 to 7 show variants of the design of lifts which are to be explained below using the example of the feed side.

5 and 6 in two different working positions has two platforms 128 and 129, which, however, can be moved separately. They are operated by four drawstrings 142, 143, 146 and 147. These drawstrings are guided over belt rolls 142 ', 143', 146 'and 147', on which they are wound up during their upward movement. These belt rolls can be driven separately via shafts 142 ", 143", 146 "and 147" by means of a gear 148. This transmission has a motor 149. It is controlled by a central control unit 150 in order to convert the rotary movement introduced by the motor 149 into separate rotary movements of the shafts 142 ", 143", 146 "and 147". Platform 128 is attached to straps 143 and 146 by brackets 132 and 139. This attachment can consist of a clamping connection, which can be released by means of a clamping screw, not shown, in order to be able to carry out a corresponding adjustment. Sliding shoes 131 and 138 allow the platform 128 to slide along the belts 142 and 147. These belts 142 and 147 thus only provide the platform 128 with a guide, by means of which the platform 128 is constantly held in a horizontal position.

The platform 129 is fastened to these two belts 142 and 147 by means of brackets 134 and 140, while it is only guided through the belts 143 and 146 by means of sliding shoes 135 and 141. This mutual attachment to the belts allows separate actuation of the two platforms 128 and 129. Accordingly, the shafts 143 "and 146" and 142 "and 147" are driven synchronously. The four belts are kept constantly tensioned by further belt rolls 142 '' ', 143 "', 146 '" and 147' ". For example, if the band 142 is unwound from the band roll 142 ', it is simultaneously wound by the band roll 142"', which is under spring action, rewound. As a result, the band 142, like the other three bands, remains constantly tensioned. The lower band rolls are all under the appropriate spring action and are supported by corresponding shafts in bearing blocks 144 and 145.

The trays with cops 5 are fed by a conveyor belt 127, which receives the trays from the carriers 73 of the chain 72. To ensure that when the trays 4 are pushed onto the platform 128 or 129 arranged at the level of the conveyor belt 127, the air gap between trans portband 127 and this platform is not too large by the displacement force, a pressure roller 136 is arranged at this height at the other end of the platform, which is carried by a roller holder 137.

Fig. 5 shows that the separate movement of the platforms 128 and 129 also allows the platforms to be brought closer to one another in practice until they come into contact with one another. It should be noted, however, that loading of the lower platform 128 is only possible when the loaded upper platform 129 is already at a sufficient distance from the lower platform 128 in order to allow the unimpeded entry of cops 5 plugged onto the trays 4 between the two platforms to enable.

During the loading of the lower platform 128, the upper platform 129 can be moved, for example, into one of the upper floors of the transport carrier 3, which has not been shown again here for reasons of clarity. Since the lower platform 128 is provided for the lower levels of the transport carrier, less time is required for the vertical movement. This ensures that the loading and unloading process runs smoothly, even if the lower platform 128 is inevitably fully loaded at a later point in time than the upper platform 129. In addition, the lower platform 128 has to be loaded again when the platform 129 is loaded again have arrived in the position below (Fig. 5). This lift, too, can advantageously be controlled with the lock / switch combinations already described on the respective floors, these being provided separately for each platform and being operable, for example, by the brackets 132 and 140.

Although stops 130 and 133 are arranged at the rear end of platforms 128 and 129, this can basically be dispensed with if a pressure roller 136 is used, which also reliably prevents the trays from being displaced beyond the end of the respective platform. It is also possible to provide a sensor on the roll holder 137 which detects the arrival of a tray at the end of the respective platform, reports it to the central control unit 150 and thus triggers the immediate stop of the subsequent delivery. In the normal case, however, it can be assumed that the trays, as already described, are only ever discharged in batches which correspond to the receiving capacity of a platform, which in turn is matched to the width of the receiving surfaces of the transport carrier.

FIG. 7 shows a further variant of a lift, in which two platforms 152 and 153 are firmly connected to one another via a frame 151. The distance between the two platforms corresponds to that of the receiving surfaces of the transport carrier. This variant is simplified compared to the one shown above in that the platforms can only be moved together. Bands 156 through 159 are adjustably attached to the four corners of frame 151. The belts 156 to 159 are guided over belt rollers 156 'to 159' which are driven via shafts 156 "to 159". They are arranged in a common gear 161, which receives its drive from a motor 160. The shafts 156 "to 159" are always driven synchronously. For this reason, it is also sufficient if there is a common return spring 163 which is attached to the platform 152 and to a holder 164. Of course, several tension springs can also be arranged symmetrically.

At the end of the platforms 152 and 153 there are stops 154 and 155 which, as explained in the previous example, can also be omitted due to the pressure roller 136. The transmission 161 and the rest of the loading and unloading device are controlled here by a central control unit 162.

As the exemplary embodiments show, the invention is not tied to the use of a specific type of lifts, stores and loading and unloading devices. Central control units can be used to implement loading and unloading programs which are adapted to the particular intended use and the specific design of the textile machine, the loading and unloading device and the transport carrier. Appropriate sensors must be used to monitor that all steps are graded accordingly. As already described, it is advantageous if the other devices are controlled with the timing by the movement of the chain 72 of a ring spinning machine 1. The arrangement of stores and possibly also lifts with several, in particular separately movable platforms, increases the flexibility of the system so that the total loading and unloading time is considerably reduced. In terms of circuitry, it must be ensured that the upstream work step to be ended beforehand is completed for a specific work step. In principle, pushers for loading and unloading the lifts can only be actuated when the lift has reached the height at which it is arranged adjacent to a transport path from which it is to receive trays or to which it is to deliver trays. Moving trays along the partitions of the support surfaces is also only possible, for example, when the unloading process on the opposite side, the unloading side, has been completed. With simultaneous loading and unloading in the various levels of the transport carrier 3 must be ensured in the control that the current state of charge of each of the support surfaces and each memory is available in the central control unit. For example, the readiness for loading of a support surface can be monitored by completing the unloading stroke of a slide on the unloading side. The readiness for receiving a support surface on the loading side according to FIG. 1 is given, for example, when the adjacent slide has completed the shifting of trays in the direction of the partition walls. After the slide is then withdrawn, the central control unit receives a signal that this bearing surface is ready for loading again. The unloading of the storage tapes onto the support surfaces can also be monitored accordingly. For this purpose, for example, a sensor can be provided which detects the arrival of a driver bar at the deflection point of the conveyor belt. The same applies to the unloading side, which is also the loading side for the ring spinning machine.

In order to monitor when the exchange of the trays on an unloading area is complete, the central control unit provided can have a shift register which is matched to the loading capacity of a support area. When completely replaced, this shift register blocks further loading and unloading processes for the respective contact surface.

In a variation of the loading and unloading device 2 shown as an example, it can also be provided that instead of the arrangement of, for example, tappets on each floor, these are attached to the lift and are moved with it. This means that this facility would only be required once for all floors.

Although the loading and unloading device was only explained in connection with a ring spinning machine in the exemplary embodiments, this device can also be used analogously on other textile machines, for example winding machines. The timing, which is present on the ring spinning machine by means of the chain 72 and the drivers 73 attached to it at equal intervals, can be achieved in another transport system which does not have any positive guides for the trays, by means of a stopper / sensor combination. The passage of a predetermined number of trays is registered by the sensor and, after this number has been reached, the stopper prevents further transport of the following trays.

In particular, when using support surfaces that have transverse sliding areas at both ends, it does not matter which side the loading and unloading process takes place from. This enables a connection to any transport system.

It is also possible within the scope of the invention to remove the respective support surfaces from the transport carrier for the loading and unloading process. These are advantageously provided at the height at which the transport system of the respective textile machine is arranged. In this case there is no need for lifts. Here, however, a lifting device can also be used according to the model of German patent application P 39 35 627.2, which vertically moves the transport carrier in its entirety. As a result, the individual contact surfaces can be adjusted in succession to the height level of the loading and unloading device.

In all of these variants, the essential advantage of the invention can be used in that rapid loading and unloading can take place without, for example, having to wait for the provision of trays when changing the batch before the loading and unloading process can be started.

Claims (11)

1.Flexible transport system for the group-wise transport of bobbins and bobbin sleeves placed on trays between textile machines of successive processing stages in the yarn production using a transport carrier which has at least one contact surface for the trays and has partition walls for dividing the rows of trays within which the trays slide can,
characterized,
that the support surface (8 to 11; 104) protrudes at least on one side in the longitudinal direction of the partition walls (12 to 15; 105) by at least the width of a base plate of a tray (4) for displacing the trays perpendicular to the partition walls beyond the partition walls. 2. Flexible transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that a loading and unloading station (2) is provided on the machines of the successive processing stages, which has at least one transverse to the partitions of the at least one bearing surface of the transport carrier (3) on the unloading side in the area (8 "to 11"; 107) of the support surface which has no dividing walls, at least one transport section (50 to 53; 113) which adjoins the direction of movement of the unloading slide (68 'to 71'; 111) and on the loading side at least one feed path (27 to 30; arranged at right angles to the partition walls of the at least one support surface; 100; 127) and at least one plunger (22 to 25; 101) movable in the longitudinal direction of the partition walls. 3. Flexible transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the transport carrier (3) has contact surfaces in several floors, the mutual spacing of which allows free passage of the coils (5) and coil sleeves (6) with their trays (4). 4. Flexible transport system according to claim 3, characterized in that a feed path (48; 100; 128, 129; 152, 153) and an adjoining on the unloading side in the direction of movement of the unloading slide transport section (49) are separately adjustable to the respective floor heights. 5. Flexible transport system according to claim 4, characterized in that a plurality of lift platforms (152, 153) are provided, the distance between which corresponds to the mutual distance of the support surfaces and which are jointly adjustable in height. 6. Flexible transport system according to claim 4, characterized in that several lift platforms (128, 129) are provided, which are independently adjustable in height. 7. Flexible transport system according to claim 3, characterized in that on the loading and / or unloading side in the amount of the floors formed by the bearing surfaces store (27 to 30, 50 to 53) for the trays (4) are arranged, and that these Storage Buffer between independently of each other on the floors of the storage and the feed and discharge lines for trays on the respective textile machine, height-adjustable, a group of trays receiving lifts (48, 49) and the support surfaces. 8. Flexible transport system according to claim 7, characterized in that plungers (36 'to 39', 50 'to 53', 89, 98) are arranged in the storage levels and at the level of the feed and discharge lines, which the lifts (48, 49) each loaded with a row of trays or unloaded from a row of trays. 9. Flexible transport system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the partitions (12 to 15) carry at least on the loading side of the support surfaces horizontal guide plates, the distance from the respective support surface is greater than the height of the base plates of the trays that neighboring Guide plates form guide slots for base-like elevations of the trays, which carry the plug-on mandrel for the spools and bobbin sleeves, and that the guide plates taper towards the loading side in such a way that they form inclined leading edges (12 'to 15') for the base-like elevations of the trays. 10. Flexible transport system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base plates of the trays have a bevelled lower edge and that the partitions (105) have a triangular cross-section, the maximum dimensions of which by the bevelled lower edges between two with the The lateral surfaces of the base plates of the contacting trays form the air gap. 11. Flexible transport system according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that on the unloading side perpendicular to the direction of the partitions (11 to 15; 105) an outer boundary edge (81) of the support surface is present and parallel to it at a distance from the width of a base plate of a tray (4) the support surface has a shoulder (79; 106) for guiding the trays during unloading.

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