GB2199342A - Servicing robot for spinning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A travelling cleaner robot includes a set of longer blowing nozzles 2 and shorter suction nozzles 4, the blowing nozzles 2 being mounted on a central plenum column 1 which is pivotable to an out of the way position by engagement of a cam follower roller 15 or 15a with the end casing of the multi-position spinning machine with which the traveling cleaner robot is used. Return of the blowing nozzles 2 to their operating position (Figure 3) is effected resiliently by means of a helical tension spring 21. <IMAGE>

Description

"SERVICING ROBOT FOR SPINNING MACHINE" The present invention relates to a servicing robot for a spinning machine, and in particular to a robot having a component or sub-assembly which projects forwardly to cooperate with spinning stations to be serviced by the robot, but which would impede progress of the robot along the sides of the machine or around the ends of the spinning machine during normal patrolling of the robot.

In our EP-A-0 165 007, there is disclosed a piecer-cleaner robot having a forwardly projecting cantilever portion which cooperates with each of the individual spinning stations of a multi-station open-end spinning machine for carrying out the piecing operations but which is retracted during normal patrolling of the robot, so as to enable the robot to clear the end casings of the spinning machine.

US-A-4 275 554 (Tarbon and Martin) discloses a doffing robot for an open-end spinning machine in-which the doffing robot dismounted at its upper end on a guide rail and driven so that the lower end pivots outwardly away from the end casings of the machine as the robot approaches one end of the machine to allow the robot to pass round that end in- order to patrol the opposite side of the multi-station spinning machine.

We now propose a simplified version of a servicing robot having a projecting sub-assembly or component for servicing the spinning stations of a multi-station spinning machine.

According to the present invention, there is provided a servicing robot for a multi-position spinning machine comprising a main robot and means comprising either a sub-assembly or a component of the robot for cooperating with individual spinning stations of the multi-position spinning unit but capable of obstructing at least on-e part of the spinning machine during patrolling of the robot, such obstructing means being mounted for displacement relative to the main robot and being actuated to displace in response to cooperation of a drive cam with a cam follower carried by the robot.

The servicing robot may, if desired, be a travelling cleaner in which case the sub-assembly to be displaced comprises a pneumatic nozzle for either blowing or sucking air to or from the spinning stations of the multi-station spinning machine, or it may be some other form of robot in which case the displaceable sub-assembly or component will be an alternative unit, for example the piecing device of a piecer robot.

The invention also provides a multi-station spinning machine including at least one such robot.

In order that the present invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a travelling cleaner robot having longer blowing nozzles than suction nozzles, the fan and filter unit of the robot, as well as the casing, having been omitted for clarity so that only the ducting of the pneumatic system is shown; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the robot of Figure 1, showing the possibility of the blowing nozzles fouling the end casing of the multi-station spinning machine; and Figure 3 is a detail of the ducting, again in perspective, and showing the implementation of the present invention for ease of retraction of the blowing nozzles to avoid them fouling the end casing of the machine.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there can be seen the ducting of a travelling cleaner robot in the form of a central plenum column or tube 1 for the blowing nozzles 2, and two outer suction columns 3 for the suction nozzles 4.

The central plenum column is connected to an air supply pipe 5 while the outer suction columns are connected by way of upper and lower cross tubes 6 to form a rectangular suction mains connected to a suction pipe 7.

As can be clearly seen in Figures 1 and 2, the blowing nozzles 2 are longer than the suction nozzles 4 and thus project closer to the various open-end spinning stations than do the suction nozzles 4.

In Figure 2 only the blowing nozzles 2 of Figure 1 are shown, and there is additionally an overhead extension nozzle 8 which is intended to discharge air to the overhead region of the machine on a package conveyor for transporting doffed full packages to an end of the machine for delivery.

Figure 2 shows quite clearly that the tips of the blowing nozzles 2 would foul the end casing 9 of the open-end spinning machine as the travelling cleaner casing 10 carrying the ducting 1,3 approaches each end of the multi-position spinning unit where the end casing 9 stands proud of the main contour of the line of open-end spinning units 11 (Figure 1).

Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the central plenum column 1 is mounted and driven to displace the nozzles 2 clear of the outline of the end casing 9 of the machine, in accordance with the present invention.

The central plenum column 1 is supported on bearings 12,13 so as to be allowed to swing about its vertical axis, the connection of the air inlet pipe 5 being such that the plenum column 1 is able to rotate freely without obstruction by the air supply tube 5. In the present case, this is achieved by a rotary coupling incorporated into the bearing housing 12. Alternatively, it would be possible for the air supply pipe 5 to be a flexible hose and to permit swinging of the central plenum column simply by deformation of the air supply hose.

On the top of the rotatable section of the central plenum column 1 is a bracket 14 supporting a pair of follower rollers 15,15a which project towards the adjacent spinning stations of the multi-position spinning machine but which are also displaced to either side of the vertical plane defined by the aligned horizontal axes of the blowing nozzles 2.

By reference to Figures 2 and 3, it can be seen that as the travelling cleaner 10 approaches the end casing 9, the right-hand roller 15a will first encounter a cam member which obstructs that roller and causes the bracket 14 to pivot in the clockwise sense as viewed from above in Figure 3. As a result, the entire central plenum column 1 rotates about its vertical axis in the same direction as the bracket 14, and carries the various blowing nozzles 2 with it to swing them aside, clear of the end casing 9.

If desired, the cam member used to displace the rollers 15 and 15a may be the projecting end casing 9 itself.

In order to ensure that the plenum column 1 returns to its intended orientation, as soon as constraint on the rollers 15 and 15a has been removed, there is a pincer structure 16, comprising left-hand and right-hand claws 17 and 18 respectively, supported by a bracket 19. The two claws 17 and 18 are pivotally mounted at 17' and 18' to the bracket 19 such that the ends of the claws will abut stop pins 20 when they are positioned symmetrically with the tips of the claws in abutting contact with the lowermost blowing nozzle 2. The claw tips are held in this position by virtue of a helical tension spring 21 which becomes stretched when either of the two claws is displaced by virtue of displacement of the appropriate roller 15 or 15a, while the other claw remains constrained against displacement in that direction because of the existence of the associated stop pin 20 preventing movement of the associated claw 17 or 18 towards the plenum column 1 from the Figure 3 position.

From the above, it can be clearly understood that as the travelling cleaner robot 10 patrols around the ends of the open-end spinning machine its assembly of projecting blowing nozzles 2 is driven to retract clear of the end casings, by virtue of cooperation between the displacement rollers 15 and 15a, on the one hand, and the end casing 9 or an appropriate cam member associated therewith, on the other hand.

The principle of the present invention can equally well be applied to any other form of servicing robot for a multi-station spinning machine where a component of the robot, for example the piecing device of a piecer robot, is mounted for displacement clear of a position in which it would otherwise contact either the spinning units past which it is patrolling or the end casings around which it is patrolling, and is driven for such displacement by cooperation with an- appropriate cam member, this displacement being effected by the sub-assembly itself and not requiring bodily displacement of the entire robot.

Claims (10)

1. A servicing robot for a multi-position spinning machine comprising a main robot and means comprising either a sub-assembly or a component of the robot for cooperating with individual spinning stations of the multi-position spinning unit but capable of obstructing at least one part of the spinning machine during patrolling of the robot, such obstructing means being mounted for displacement relative to the main robot and being actuated to displace in response to cooperation of a drive cam with a cam follower carried by the robot.

2. A robot according to claim 1, wherein said displacement is pivotal displacement about a vertical axis.

3. A robot according to claim 2, wherein said displaceable means is carried by a rotatable shaft which also carries the cam follower for engagement with the cam of the multi-position spinning machine.

4. A robot according to claim 3, wherein said vertical shaft is a pneumatic conduit forming part of a pneumatic supply to the displaceable means.

5. A robot according to claim 4, when in the form of a travelling cleaner having pneumatic supply nozzles for disturbing lint and dust on the surfaces of the spinning units of the spinning machine and pneumatic suction nozzles for extracting airborne dust after such disturbance, wherein the blowing nozzles form the displaceable means and the suction nozzles are positioned to either side of blowing nozzles to collect airborne dust and lint disturbed by the blowing nozzles.

6. A robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the displaceable means is able to clear the spinning units in all of its positions relative to the rest of the robot, but would foul at least one of the end casings of the spinning machine.

7. A robot according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the end casing of said multi-position spinning machine defines the cam member and displaces cam follower rollers carried by the displaceable means of the robot.

8. A robot according to any one of the preceding claims, and including resilient means for restoring the displaceable means to its operating position, once the cam follower of the robot has been allowed to separate from the cam of the multi-position spinning machine.

9. A robot substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

10. A multi-position spinning machine including at least one robot in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

10. A multi-position spinning machine including at least one robot in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows

1. A servicing robot for a multi-position spinning machine comprising a main robot and means comprising either a sub-assembly or a component of the robot for cooperating with individual spinning stations of the multi-position spinning unit but capable of obstructing at least one part of the spinning machine during patrolling of the robot, such obstructing means being mounted for free pivotal displacement relative to the main robot and being actuated to pivot by engagement of a drive cam of the spinning machine with a cam follower carried by the robot.

2. A robot according to claim 1, wherein said pivotal displacement is about a vertical axis.

3. A robot according to claim 2, wherein said displaceable means is carried by a rotatable shaft which also carries the cam follower for engagement with the cam of the multi-position spinning machine.

4. A robot according to claim 3, wherein said vertical shaft is a pneumatic conduit forming part of a pneumatic supply to the displaceable means.

5. A robot according to claim 4, when in the form of travelling cleaner having pneumatic supply nozzles for elsturbing lint and dust on the surfaces of the spinning units of the spinning mac. no and pneumatic suction nozzles for extracting airborne dust after such disturbance, wherein the blowing nozzles form the displaceable means and the suction nozzles are positioned to either side of blowing nozzles tU collect airborne dust and lint disturbed by the blowing nozzles.

F. A robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, w :2roir1 the displaceablo means is able to clear the spinning u@@ts in all of its positions relative to the rest of the root, but would foul at st one of the end casino of the uning machine.

7. A robot according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the end casing of said multi-position spinning machine defines the cam member and displaces cam follower rollers carried by the displaceable means of the robot.

8. A robot according to any one of the preceding claims, and including resilient means for restoring the displaceable means to its operating position, once the cam follower of the robot has been allowed to separate from the cam of the multi-position spinning machine.

9. A robot substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to,- and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.