GB2300866A

GB2300866A - A device for transporting bobbins in a textile machine

Info

Publication number: GB2300866A
Application number: GB9610166A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sandro Salmoiraghi
Original assignee: Salmoiraghi SpA
Current assignee: Salmoiraghi SpA
Priority date: 1995-05-16
Filing date: 1996-05-15
Publication date: 1996-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-15
Also published as: GB2300866B; ITMI950996A1; JPH09104565A; DE19621151A1; ITMI950996A0; KR960041450A; DE19621151B4; GB9610166D0; IT1274513B

Description

2300866 DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING YARN-FILLED BOBBINS IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH

T A TEXTILE MACHINE AND FOR REMOVING EMPTY BOBBINS FROM THIS LATTER

This invention relates to a device in accordance with the introduction to the main claim.

In the field of textile machines for yarn processing, there has for some time been a known requirement to automate to the greatest possible extent the operations involved in yarn loading and discharge.

With particular reference to texturing and drafting-texturing machines and the operations involved in loading the yarn withdrawal, stations, consisting of creels with yarn-wound bobbins, two different methods are currently known for carrying out these operations. As the bobbins (whether filled with yarn or empty) are supported on suitable creels, one of said methods is to move the creels along the floor on which the textile machine lies to bring ther. into correspondence with the yarn withdrawal station where the new bobbins have to be deposited. The creel with the empty bobbins (in the fcrT, merely of empty tubes) is then removed 1rom tnis station and the creel containing the new bobbins positioned (again by moving it along the manually and has the obvious drawback of flocr). All this is done requiring considerable space at the withdrawal station to enable one that containing the empty bobbins, to be moved while the other, contain; ing the full. bobbins, remains waiting. The result is a reduction in the useful productive space (where other textii-e machines could be positioned) within the industrial structure.

creel, for example 2 A further drawback is the difficulty and danger involved in moving the creels (with full or empty bobbins) along the floor because of their very bulky and heavy structure.

A further method involves the use of overhead guides which carry the creels with full bobbins into the proximity of the textile machine. These bobbins are then deposited on tie floor in the vicinity of the machine and carried, by an operator in exactly the aforesaid manner, into the withdrawal position or station. The operator removes the creel with the empty bobbins therefrom before positioning the creel with the yarn- filled bobbins, said creel with empty bobbins being returned to the loading station either by movement along the floor or by overhead movement. This known solution means along the floo can be avoided creels when on requires.

that transporting the creels with full bobbins r from the loading station to the withdrawal station however there remains the problem of moving these the floor and the space which such movement An object of the present invention is to provide a device for transporting creels carrying full yarn bobbins into a yarn withdrawal station positioned in correspondence with a textile machine in which said yarn is processed, and for removing the creels with the empty bobbins from said station, which overcomes the drawbacks of the known art and which, in particular, enables the space between adjacent textile machines to be reduced.

A further object is to provide a device of the aforesaid typti, which enables the operations involved in loading the yarn withdrawal stations to be automated.

A further obJect is ic provide a device of the aforesaid zype which is of reliable use.

A further obsect is to provide a device whic! enables the operations involved in withdrawing the creel containing empty bobbins and replacing them with full bobbins to be carried out in 3 a totally automatic programmed manner without human intervention other than the tieing of the yarns, to achieve an overhead material flow not encumbered by any problem relat-Ing to the floor dimensions and type.

These and further objects which will be apparent to the expert of the art are attained by a device in accordance with the accompanying claims.

The present invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawing, which is provided by way of non-limiting example and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a textile texturing machine, to which the device of the invention is applied; Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respectively a front, side and rear view of the device of the invention; and Figure 5 is a schematic view of the device of the invention taken from above.

Said figures show a device 1 of the invention applied to a yarn processing machine, in particular a known texturing machine 2.

This latter processes the yarn by unwinding it from full bobbins 4 disposed in yarn withdrawal stations 3. The bobbins 4 support pre-orientated yarn 'POY) and are prepared and loaded onto creels in loading stations 6 distant from the machine 2. They are then brought from the station 6 to the stations 3 by the device 1 after the creels with empty bobbins have been removed the stations 3.

Specifically, the device 1 comprises a transporting member 7 movablealong an overhead guide 8 and comprising a known automotor 9 cooperating with the guide 8 to move the member along this iatter. A support member 1. 0 slidingly cooperates with the guide 8 to support the member 7. manner) and the support 10 are associated wit'- a Qo7--lon 12 of a structure 13 of the member 7.

The motor 9 (elect:.-,'c, powered in known This portion is connected to a 4 lower porrion (or second portion) 14 of said structure movable relative to the first about a pin 15 which joins them together. Rotation about this pin is achieved by a second electric motor 17 carried by the structure 13. For example, this motor is associated with the second portion 14 of said structure and provides said rotation by driving a pinion (not shown). keyed onto its exit shaft and cooperating with a flat toothed element 19 associated with the upper portion 12 (or first portion) of the structure 13.

The portion 14 of the member 7 comprises a frame 20 supporting rectilinear guides 21 positioned with their axis perpendicular to the guide 8 and along which there move the arms 22 of a handling member 23 for the creels 5. More specifically, the arms 22 support peripheral elements 24 movable along tracks 25 of the guides 21 and are fixed to an interconnection element 27. This latter supports a pulley 28 connected, by a belt 29 fixed at one end to the portion 14, to a deviation pulley 30 and to a member 3 driven by an electric motor 33 associated with the portion 14 of the structure 13. The member 31 drives the member 23 along the guides 21 so as to raise or lower a creel 5 (relative to Ce guide 8) carried by the element 27. For this purpose this latter comprises projecting pins 38 arranged to cooperate wiC seats 39 of at least one pro- iecting element 40 (two opposing in the embodiment of Figure 3) on the creel.

it will now be assumed that the device of the invenCe used to load a withdrawal station 3 of Ce machine 2. the creel Ce bobbins of which have been depleied of yarn musi be removed from she machine. To achieve this, the transporiing member 7 is driven by the motor 9 along the guide 8 until it arrives above said station 3. iuring this movement member 23 is maintained in a raised position close the handling pc tie guide 8.

When the station 3 has been reacied, the motor 9 is hal:ed and Ce motor 33 started to cause the member 23 to descend C,a:7ow F of Figure 3), along a plane perpendicular to Aat in which Se guide 8 lies, towards the creel 5 present in said station below the guide. Specifically, the descent is made such that the pins 38 are brought in front of the seats 39 in the elements 40 of the creel. The motor 9 is then started (after stopping 'the motor 33) and the member 7 is again made to advance along the guide 8 to cause the pins 38 to penetrate into said seats.

On halting the motor 9, the motor 33 is again started to move the member 23 towards the guide 8 (again in the plane perpendicular to this latter) and remove the creel with empty bobbins from the station 3. After stopping the motor 33 the motor 17 is started to rotate the portion 14 of the member 7 about an axis K perpendicular to the guide 8 and passing through the pin 15, to position the creel along the axis of the guide 8. After halting the motor 17 the motor 9 is started to bring the creel, via a path determined by the plant layout, into the loading station 6 where it is unloaded from the member 7 (in a like manner to its loading), which then picks up a creel provided with bobbins filled with yarn.

Simultaneously with this, another member 7 is returned by the motor 01 to above the station 3. Here, in a like manner to that described, the creel is arranged in its utilization position by rotating the portion 14 about the pin 15. This creel is then lowered into the station 3 where it is released, all in a like manner to that described for removing the creel with empty bobbins. The member 7 is then again available for loading further yarn withdrawal stations 3.

The facility for rotation enables the creels to be orientated in front-to'L"ront pairs to convert the operations involved in head- t'l connection of the bobbins (CREEL WITH RESERVE).

al It should be noted that after the "new creel" has been deposited in the station 3, the creel does not have to be further moved, as it is already in its working position.

6 Preferably, by means of usual movement sensors, kInown distance travelled measurement members, usual memory members the path followed along the guide 8 and a known monitoring and control unit for the movement of the member 7 (for example a microprocessor), the member 7 is able to automatically return to the station 3 after the creel with empty bobbins has been removed -from it. This enables the loading of the machine 2 to be considerably automated, enabling the use of labour to be limited and reducing the operating cost of the machine 2.

One embodiment of the invention has been described. Others are however possible and are to be considered as also falling wit-hin the scope of the present in-jentien.

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Claims

Claims:

A device (1) for transporting yarn-filled bobbins into one or more yarn withdrawal stations (3) positioned in correspondence with a textile machine (2) in which the yarn is processed, and for removing from said station (3) empty bobbins from which the yarn has already been withdrawn by the machine (2), said bobbins (4) being supported by a member or creel (5) onto which they are loaded in a loading station (6) distant from said machine (2), said creels (5) being moved along overhead guides (8) from the loading station (6) to the yarn withdrawal station (3), characterised in that each creel (5) is transported along said guides by transporting means (7), these latter being also movable along a plane perpendicular to said guides (8) and preferably about an axis lying in said plane so as to be able to directly prearrange said bobbins for use on the machine (2), said transporting means (7) depositing in their utilization position the creels (5) provided with yarn-filled bobbins (4) and removing from the withdrawal station (3) the creels (5) provided with empty bobbins.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the transporting means (7) comprise a structure (13) provided with a first portion (12) carrying motor means (9) arranged to drive said structure (13) along the overhead guide (8), and a second portion (14) movable relative to the first (12) about a member (15) which connects it to this latter, said second portion (14) comprising means for gripping the c.reel (5) and for moving it along the plane perpendicular to the guide (8).
3. A device as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the second portion (14) of the structure (1:3) of the transporting means (7) supports motor means (33) for moving the gripping means (23), and second motor means (17) for rotating said second portion (14) about the member (15) which connects t to the first portion U2).

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4. A device as claimed in cl-aim 2, characterised in that the second portion (14) comprises a frame (20) carrying guides (21) for the movement of the gripping means (23) for the c-reel (51), these latter comprising arms (22) slidable along said guides (21) and connected together by an interconnection element (27) having at least one member (38) for the releasable securing of the creel, said interconnection element (27) bing operationally subjected to the action of said motor means (33) which move the gripping means (23).

6. A device as claimed In claim 1, characterised by comprising means for monitoring the path of the transporting means (7) from the withdrawal station (3) to the loading station (6), said means memorizing the measured paths and enabling control means, preferably of microprocessor type, to cause t-e automatic return of the transporting means to the withdrawal station (3) after said means (7) have picked up a creel provided with full bobbins from the loading sia--icn and to automaticall-'7 per-urr-it all the functions required fer- achieving the described cycle.
5. A device as claimed in cl-aim 4, characterised in that the motor means which move the gripping means (23) are an electric motor (33) operating on a wlinch (31) from which there extends an unwindable element fixed az one end to the second portion (14) of the transporting means (7), and passing about a pulley 28 associated with the interconnection element (27) of the gripping means (23), the unwinding and winding of said unwindable element by said winch (31) resulting in the movement. of said gr4 ipping means along the plane perpendicular to the overhead guide (8).

9 - 7. A device for transporting yarn-filled bobbins into one or more yarn withdrawal stations, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.