GB2483987A

GB2483987A - Apparatus for contactless recognition of variable machine or system constituents in textile machines and systems, especially in spinning preparation

Info

Publication number: GB2483987A
Application number: GB1116196.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hansel Fritz Herr
Original assignee: Truetzschler GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Truetzschler GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2010-09-21
Filing date: 2011-09-20
Publication date: 2012-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 2031-09-20
Also published as: BRPI1105105A2; GB201116196D0; ITMI20111663A1; CH703843B1; GB2483987B; CH703843A2; DE102010045914A1

Abstract

A transponder, preferably RFID, containing readable information relating to a machine or system constituent is provided with the constituent such that it can be read automatically or on demand by a reading device, and further processed. The information may be passed-on to an electronic machine control system 14 which may communicate with an operating and display device 15. Numerous machine components may include transponders and numerous readers may be provided which can feed information in parallel to the control system. The readers may be located inside the machine or system in the vicinity of the transponders. The transponders may be read automatically and at regular, adjustable intervals. The reading devices may be capable of writing information to memories of the transponders. The transponder information may be fed via a network to a super-ordinate system to be available centrally. The transponder may be associated with spinning preparation machine components such as a motor belt wheel, a motor, or stationary card flats.

Description

Apparatus for contactless recognition of variable machine or system constituents in textile machines and systems, especially in spinning preparation The invention relates to an apparatus for contactless recognition of variable machine or system constituents in textile machines and systems, especially in spinning preparation.

In the area of the textile industry, especially in the area of spinning preparation, machines and systems generally have to be matched to particular and usually customer-specific requirements in order to obtain an optimum result. For the purpose there are used, for example, different transmissions in the case of drives, particular add-on units, alternative components etc..

Frequently, the final fitting-out of a machine is not yet known even on delivery or has to be adapted to meet new requirements after being in service for a certain time.

Most of those modifications or adaptations are not recognisable from the outside -on the one hand because the machines are generally completely cased-in and on the other hand because the components in question are located in positions that are inaccessible and difficult, or impossible, to see. Therefore, in the case of servicing or also when carrying out necessary fine tuning, it is usually possible only with very great difficulty to see the current state of construction of the machine. The same is also true, for example, when a spare part has to be ordered and there is a question as to precisely which part is required and/or what its exact designation is.

It is an aim of the invention to provide an apparatus that avoids or mitigates the mentioned disadvantages and that provides possibilities for being able to identify the components of a machine or system unambiguously and to a very large extent automatically, for preventing errors, or for rendering onerous searches and/or enquiries unnecessary.

The invention provides an apparatus for contactless recognition of variable machine or system constituents in textile machines and systems, wherein the variable constituents are provided with transponders containing readable information, the apparatus further comprising one or more reading devices for ascertaining automatically or on demand information contained in the transponders and further processing that information.

The apparatus of the invention allows advantageous recognition of variable machine constituents, add-on elements, sub-assemblies etc. in textile machines and systems, preferably in the area of spinning preparation.

Advantageously, at least those components which may possibly have to be replaced or those units which can be fitted as extras are provided with a transponder (tag) Internally, the latter contains particular information, for example a multi-digit number. This may be a component number, a serial number, a combination of the two, or the like. In any event, it is advantageously possible, using that code, to unambiguously identify the correspondingly marked part in question. On the machine or system, in the former case preferably inside the panelling, there is advantageously located at least one transponder-reading station, which is capable of contactlessly supplying the transponders with power and of reading the internal data.

For the purpose of passing on and/or processing the information, that reading station is preferably in communication with the machine control or system control.

The software present in the machine control or system control is advantageously so arranged that it can appropriately assign or process the data received. It is, especially, preferably capable of displaying or indicating, for example on the associated operating and display devices, the current state of construction or also the designation of an individual component.

The apparatus according to the invention can be produced using commercially available devices. Preference is given to using those which operate according to the RFID (Radio Freguency Identification) principle. The transponders can in that case be relatively small and usually do not reguire their own current supply.

The measures according to the invention may give rise to one or more of the following advantages inter alia: 1. The state of construction of a machine or system, for example the stationary card flat complement of a carding machine, can accordingly be recognised automatically and with absolute reliability and can be taken into account as appropriate in all operations.

2. The results can be included, for example automatically, in internal calculations of the control systems or recommendations to operators and to service personnel.

3. By virtue of the fact that the variable components are known precisely, exact spare part data and/or corresponding order numbers can also, where required, be output, for example by way of the machine display or system display.

4. As a result of, for example, the sizes of the beit wheels used being known precisely, this information can be directly taken into account as appropriate when setting the correct belt tension.

5. The described device and method can be put into practice using commercially available devices and with comparatively little outlay on hardware and also, therefore, at relatively low cost.

6. With the aid of the arrangement according to the invention it is consequently possible to improve productivity and production reliability to a certain degree, without substantially increasing the requisite outlay.

7. If the components are already provided with corresponding transponders when being warehoused or during the production process at the manufacturer's premises, substantial advantages can already be achieved in the course of production of the machine, in this case particularly in the area of logistics.

It is, especially, relatively simple, for example, and in any event possible without errors in data transfer to ascertain the exact state of construction of a machine before despatch to the customer.

8. Use of the described arrangement and the corresponding method should also provide a certain degree of security against copied parts or use of non-original parts. In any event, their use would be made considerably more difficult.

Further advantageous arrangements are: 1. In the case of servicing it is possible also to use hand-held devices with which, for example, service technicians are provided. These may operate as stand-alone devices or be connected to the machine control and/or system control.

2. The reading devices used may communicate with the particular machine control or system control via cable, infra-red light, radio or other suitable means.

3. The reading stations may also additionally include a write function. If correspondingly suitable transponders are used it is then possible to store additional, operation-related information in the transponder. For example, it would be possible to record since when a device had been used or how long it had been part of the production process. That data could then, if so reguired, also be called up again at other locations and using another reading device.

For example, when repairing a motor it could be determined for how many hours the motor had already been operated so that corresponding attempts at tampering are substantially thwarted and/or incorrect information is corrected.

4. If the machine or system controls are connected, via a communications network, with a superordinate system, for example a process management system, the information concerning the individual components can also be reported to that system. Accordingly, for example, central management of the components of a plurality of machines is possible.

5. In order to be able to use reading stations that are as small as possible and also, therefore, of low cost, a plurality of the stations should be used inside the machines or systems and placed as close as possible to the transponders to be read.

6. The use of transponders in the form of adhesive labels is especially advantageous. These are very flat and can, in addition, also be printed, for example with a bar code or plain text. The latter in particular additionally allows optical recognition of the information contained therein.

7. If the transponders additionally have optical marking, corresponding optical reading devices can also be used. These may, as already described hereinbefore, communicate with the controls in various ways or operate as stand-alone devices.

8. If printable transponders are used, they may also simultaneously serve as type labels, thereby making available, on the one hand, information that can be read out automatically and, on the other hand, information that can be read optically.

9. If, in communications between the transponders and reading devices, the data is encrypted and/or encoded, it is almost impossible, or feasible only with very great difficulty and with very much outlay, to use, without their being recognised, counterfeit transponders intended, for example, to pass a part off as original.

Advantageously, the exchange of data between the transponders and the reading devices is carried out according to the RFID principle. Advantageously, passive transponders are used. Advantageously, transponders for adhesive mounting are used. For example, transponders in label form are used. Preferably, the transponders used are printable. Advantageously, the transponders internally contain unique information, which allows exact identification of the particular component, unit or the like. For example, the information inside the transponders may consist of a combination of component designation and serial number.

Advantageously, the reading devices are connected directly or indirectly to the machine control and/or system control and the ascertained transponder information is further processed in the respective controls and also displayed. Advantageously, the reading devices are located inside the machines and/or systems and, as far as possible, in the vicinity of the transponders. In one embodiment, a plurality of reading devices are used inside a machine or system. Advantageously, for reading the transponder information, communications from one reading device to all transponders, but at least more than one transponder, can be carried out virtually simultaneously.

In certain embodiments, reading of the transponder information is carried out automatically and at regular, adjustable intervals. In other embodiments, reading of the transponder information is carried out on demand by the operating and/or service personnel or automatically on the basis of particular operating conditions.

Advantageously, transponders are used which internally have memories which can be written to and read by the reading devices and the memories are capable of holding received data available over a relatively long time period.

Advantageously, the reading devices are capable of writing particular information to the memories of the transponders, if so reguired also without over-writing the information originally contained therein.

In certain preferred embodiments, transponders and reading devices are used which can communicate bi-directionally with one another. Advantageously, for servicing and similar purposes, portable reading devices with manual operation are used. Preferably, the portable reading devices are in communication with the machine control and/or system control. Preferably, the information received from the transponders reaches, by way of a network to which the machine control and system control are connected, a superordinate system and is available there centrally. If so reguired, transponders having their own current supply may also used.

The invention also provides an apparatus for contactless recognition of variable machine or system constituents in textile machines and systems, especially in spinning preparation, wherein the variable constituents are provided with transponders which are as far as possible non-removable and which internally contain particular information, which, with the aid of suitable reading devices, is ascertained automatically or on demand and further processed.

Moreover, the invention further provides a method for identifying components of a textile machine, comprising providing each of the components to be identifiable with a transponder containing unique information relating to the component, interrogating the transponder(s) with one or more reading devices, and using said information to identify the components. The reading devices may comprise one or more reading devices that are incorporated into the machine or system and/or one or more portable reading devices.

Certain illustrative embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. la and lb are schematic side views of a variable machine component (belt wheel on a carding machine) which is large in Fig. la and small in Fig. lb; Fig. 2 shows mounting of a transponder on a variable machine component; Fig. 3 shows, in diagrammatic form, the principle of operation of a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 shows in diagrammatic form, the principle of operation of a second embodiment of the invention having a hand-held reading device; Fig. 5 shows the principle of operation of a third embodiment of the invention having a plurality of reading stations; and Fig. 6 shows, in a diagrammatic side view, a carding machine for the apparatus according to the invention.

Figures la and lb show an example of the use of a variable machine component in the form of a cylinder with which belt wheels of different sizes may be associated. The cylinder 2, on the shaft of which the belt wheel 1 is located, is driven -via the belt 3, which is tensioned using the directing roller 5 and tensioning roller 4 -by the motor 7, on the shaft of which the variable machine component 6 (a belt wheel) is located. The belt wheel 6a is relatively large in Fig. la, whereas it is somewhat small in Fig. lb. In the shown arrangement, the smaller the belt wheel 6, the slower the cylinder 2 runs.

Figure 2 shows, by way of example, the mounting of a transponder on a variable machine component. Located on the shaft of the motor 9 is the variable machine component 10, a belt wheel, on the end face of which there is located the transponder 8.

A first illustrative example of the principle of operation according to the invention can be seen from Figure 3, in which there is located, on the shaft of the motor 9, the variable machine component 10 and, on the end face of the latter, a transponder 8. The transponder-reading station 12 produces alternating electromagnetic fields 11, which serve, on the one hand, for supplying current to the transponder 8 and, on the other hand, for reading the transponder data. The transponder-reading station is able to communicate 18 with the electronic machine control system 14, which is part of the respective machine control or system control 13, and to pass on the ascertained transponder data accordingly. The machine -10 -control system is in communication 19 with an operating and display device and accordingly can, if so reguired, for example, display the ascertained transponder data.

Figure 4 shows another illustrative example of the principle of operation according to the invention in accordance with Fig. 3 but, in this case, instead of the fixed transponder-reading station 12, a hand-held reading station 16 is used.

Figure 5 shows a further illustrative example of the principle of operation according to the invention with a plurality of reading stations, the individual reading stations 12a, 12b and 16 each operating as described in Fig. 3. They can read the data of the transponders 8a, 8b and also 8c to 8n, which are located on a belt wheel 10 of an AC motor 9a, on a DC motor 9b or on a plurality of stationary card flats 17a to 17n, and, in parallel, pass on the obtained information to the machine control system 14 of a machine control or system control 13. All the ascertained data can be transferred from the machine control system, by way of the connection 19, to the operating and display device 15 and displayed there. In the example shown in Fig. 5 there are one hand-held reading station 16 and two fixed reading stations 12a, 12b, but there may be other combinations of at least one fixed reading station and at least one hand-held reading station.

The machine control system 14 is, for example, a TMS-2 microcomputer control system made by Trützschler GMBH & Co. KG of Mönchengladbach, Germany.

Directions of rotation are indicated by curved arrows.

Fig. 6 shows a carding machine, for example a flat card TC Trützschler GMBH & Co. KG, having a feed roller 1, feed table 2, lickers-in 3a, 3b, 3c, cylinder 4, doffer 5, stripper roller 6, nip rollers 7, 8, web guide element 9, sliver funnel 10, delivery rollers 11, 12, revolving card -11 -top 13 with card top guide rollers 13a, l3b and flats 14, can 15 and coiler 16. The directions of rotation of the rollers are indicated by curved arrows. Reference letter M1 denotes the centre point (axis) of the cylinder 4, reference letter M2 the centre point of the doffer 5 and reference letter P43 the centre point of the licker-in 3c.

Reference numeral 4a denotes the clothing and reference numeral 4b the direction of rotation of the cylinder 4.

Reference numeral 5a denotes the clothing and reference numeral Sb the direction of rotation of the doffer S. Reference letter B denotes the direction of rotation of the revolving card top 13 in the carding location and reference letter C the return transport direction of the flats 14; and reference numerals 17', 17'' denote stationary working elements. The arrow A indicates the working direction. A transponder may, in accordance with the invention, be used in association with any one or more of the variable machine components of the flat card of Fig. 6, for example in association with card flats and belt wheels.

The apparatus according to the invention can also be used on other spinning preparation machines, for example a cleaner, draw frame, combing machine inter alia.

Claims

-12 -Claims 1. An apparatus for contactless recognition of variable machine or system constituents in textile machines and systems, wherein the variable constituents are provided with transponders containing readable information, the apparatus further comprising one or more reading devices, for ascertaining automatically or on demand information contained in the transponders and further processing that information.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exchange of data between the transponders and the reading devices is carried out according to the RFID principle.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein passive transponders are used.
4. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there are used transponders that are adhesivelymountable.
5. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein transponders in label form are used.
6. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transponders used are printable.
7. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the transponders incorporate unique information, which allows exact identification of the particular constituent.
8. An apparatus according to any one of claim 7, wherein the information incorporated in the transponders consists of a combination of constituent designation and serial number.
9. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reading devices are connected directly or indirectly to the machine control and/or system control and -13 -the ascertained transponder information is further processed in the respective control(s) and also displayed.
10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the reading devices are located inside the machines and/or systems and, as far as possible, in the vicinity of the transponders.
11. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a plurality of reading devices are used inside a machine or system.
12. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, for reading the transponder information, communications from one reading device to all transponders, but at least more than one transponder, can be carried out virtually simultaneously.
13. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein reading of the transponder information is carried out automatically and at regular, adjustable intervals.
14. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein reading of the transponder information is carried out on demand by the operating and/or service personnel or automatically on the basis of particular operating conditions.
15. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein transponders are used which internally have memories which can be written to and read by the reading devices and this is capable of holding received data available over a relatively long time period.
16. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the reading devices are capable of writing particular information to the memories of the transponders.
17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the reading devices are arranged to write information to the memories of the transponders without over-writing the information originally contained therein, if so required.

-14 -
18. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein transponders and reading devices are used which can communicate bi-directionally with one another.
19. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein said reading devices include or comprise manually operable portable reading devices.
20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the portable reading devices are in communication with the machine control and/or system control.
21. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the information received from the transponders reaches, by way of a network to which the machine control and system control are connected, a superordinate system and is available there centrally.
22. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein, if so required, one or more transponders having their own current supply are also used.
23. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the transponders are substantially non-removable.
24. An apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by any of Figs., la and lb, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
25. A method for identifying components of a textile machine, comprising providing each of the components to be identifiable with a transponder containing unique information relating to the component, interrogating the transponder(s) with one or more reading devices, and using said information to identify the components.