US3680297A

US3680297A - Yarn piecing apparatus data communicating means and method

Info

Publication number: US3680297A
Application number: US62362A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles D Lee Jr
Original assignee: Parks Cramer Co
Current assignee: Parks Cramer Co
Priority date: 1970-08-10
Filing date: 1970-08-10
Publication date: 1972-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1989-08-01
Also published as: CH530486A; FR2104198A5; GB1353552A; ES422237A1; DE2139881B2; AR200374A1; BR7105135D0; DE2139881A1; ES394716A1; CA967262A; JPS5221091B1

Abstract

Data is originated from a textile yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine for locating and piecing up ends down thereon by monitoring operations of the yarn piecing apparatus, signaling certain states of the monitored operations and transmitting signals correlated to the states of the monitored operations.

Description

United States Patent Lee, Jr.

[ 51 Aug. 1, 1972 YARN PIECING APPARATUS DATA COMMUNICATING MEANS AND METHOD Charles D. Lee, Jr., Charlotte, NC.

Parks-Cramer Company, Fitchburg, Mass.

Filed: Aug. 10, 1970 Appl. No.: 62,362

Inventor:

Assignee:

US. Cl. ..57/34 R, 57/81, 235/92 R Int. Cl. ..D0lh 15/00 Field of Search ..57/1 R, 156, 34 R, 80, 81, 57/56; 235/92 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1968 Gillono et a1 ..57/34 R T dillll llllllllllllllllllllllllllt 3,403,866 10/1968 Bell et a1 ..57/53 X 3,445,997 5/ 1969 Escursell-Pratt ..57/34 R 3,486,319 12/1969 Lee, Jr. et al. ..57/34 R 3,498,039 3/1970 Kent et al ..57/34 R 3,523,413 8/1970 Ford et a1 ..57/34 R 3,623,310 11/1971 Mulligan ..57/34 R Primary Examiner.lohn Petrakes Attorney-Parrott, Bell, Seltzer, Park & Gibson [57] ABSTRACT Data is originated from a textile yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine for locating and piecing up ends down thereon by monitoring operations of the yarn piecing apparatus, signaling certain states of the monitored operations and transmitting signals correlated to the states of the monitored operations.

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YARN PIECING APPARATUS DATA COMMUNICATING MEANS AND METHOD This invention is related to inventions owned in common with the present invention and disclosed in patents and applications entitled Apparatus and Method For Detecting, Piecing-up and Reporting Ends Down on Spinning Machines", U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319 issued Dec. 30, I969, Apparatus and Method For Detecting and Reporting Ends Down on Textile Machines, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,413 issued Aug. 11, 1970; and Textile Machine'Data Communicating Apparatus and Method filed Aug. 10, 1970 under Ser. No. 62,363.

These related inventions propose that efficiency of operation of a textile yarn forming mill using machines such as spinning frames or the like may be improved through the use of an automatic yarn piecing apparatus for locating and piecing-up ends down and through communication and processing of data originating from a traveling unit such as an ends down detector. From the capabilities thus made available for improving the efficiency of operation of a spinning room or yarn forming mill, it has now been discovered that analyses of the operation of the mill may be aided by accomplishing monitoring of the yarn piecing apparatus.

More particularly a yarn piecing apparatus such as that disclosed in the aforementioned related U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319 normally executes a cycle of operation for piecing up at each spindle or yarn forming location where an end is detected as being down. With certain such apparatus, a cycle will be carried out even though some failure in the operation of the yarn piecing apparatus or spinning mechanism prevents successful piecing up, such as the breaking of the length of yarn which otherwise would join the body of yarn wound on a bobbin at the spindle to attenuated roving issuing from the spinning frame drafting system. Reporting of data concerning the operation of the spinningframe attended by the yarn piecing apparatus will not necessarily discover such failure of the yarn piecing apparatus to piece-up.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to communicate from a yarn piecing apparatus data indicating the cause of any failure to properly piece up an end detected to be down. In accomplishing this object of the present invention, means are mounted on the yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring at least one operation thereof and for signaling certain states of the monitored operation. The signalled states are then preferably encoded into a signal which is communicated and processed to permit more detailed analyses of the operation of the textile yarn piecing apparatus.

Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation, in partial section, of a textile yarn piecing apparatus incorporating the present invention, shown as traversing a textile yarn forming machine; a

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away, of a textile yarn piecing apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of certain ele-' ments of the yarn piecing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the yarn piecing'apparatus element illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the textile yarn piecing apparatus at one stage in the piecing up of an end down;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of means in accordance with the present invention for communicating the cause of a failure to properly piece up an end down; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic electrical diagram of certain portions of the means illustrated in block diagram form in FIG. 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, an apparatus generally indicated at 10 is there disclosed as movable along a textile yarn forming machine 11 for locating ends down at spindle locations therealong and for piecing up such ends down. The apparatus 10 as herein disclosed is closely similar and substantially identical to the apparatus disclosed in aforementioned related U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319 (to which reference is made for more detailed and specific disclosure of the apparatus and its general function). The present invention, as hereinafter disclosed more fully, is particularly concerned withcommunication of data indicative of reasons for failure of the apparatus 10 to properly piece up an end down at a spindle location along the yarn forming machine 11. As will be more fully understood by a study of U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319, an end piecing cycle as performed by the apparatus 10 includes a sequence of particular operations, including the drawing from an auxiliary source of a length of yarn sufficient for piecing up an end down, the threading of the length of yarn into a desired relationship with elements of the yarn forming machine 11 such as a traveler on a spinning ring, and the joining of one end of the length of yarn to attenuated roving issuing from drafting system of the yarn forming machine 11. Typical causes of a failure to properly piece up an end down may include failure of a yarn piecing apparatus 10 to properly draw the length of yarn necessary for piecing up an end down or breaking of the length of yarn during the operations of threading up the yarn forming machine 11 and joining the length of yarn with attenuated roving.

In accordance with the present invention, means are mounted on the yarn piecing apparatus 10 for monitoring at least one operation thereof and for signaling certain states of the monitored operation. Preferably, the operation monitoring means mounted on the yarn piecing apparatus comprises a plurality of yarn detecting means each sensing the presence of yarn during a predetermined portion of the cycle of operation of the yarn piecing apparatus 10. In such sensing of the presence of yarn, the operation monitoring means distinguish between the absence and presence of yarn,

and thereby generate data signals .concerning the operation of the yarn piecing apparatus 10 which may be communicated andprocessed to permit analysis of the continuing function of the yarn piecing apparatus.

As mentioned briefly above, one cause of a failure to paratus 10 includes a first yarn sensing electrical switch 20 (FIGS. 2 and 5), mounted upon a lower platform 21 of the yarn piecing apparatus 10. The first yarn sensing switch 20 includes a feeler arm 22 extending across a path taken by a yarn Y between a supply package 24 and a- ,lower distending gripper 25. The yarn Y is threaded, in passing from the package 24 to the gripper 25, through a tensioning guide 26 so as to pass adjacent the first switch 20 along a predetermined path of movement and under such conditions that, when the yarn is present, the actuating arm 22 is sufficiently depressed so as to maintain the contacts of the first switch 20 in a first position. In the absence of the yarn Y, no force is imposed against the arm 22 and the contacts of the first switch 20 may move to an alternative position.

As is disclosed more fully in the aforementioned related U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319, an upperyarn gripper 28 is moved first downwardly and then upwardly to engage a free end of the yarn Y and draw a length thereof from the supply package 24. In the event that the supply package 24 becomes exhausted during this process and the length of yarn drawn is not sufficient for piecing up an end down on the textile yarn forming machine 11, the conductive state of the first switch 20 will change during the upward movement of the upper yarn gripper 28, registering the absence of a length of yarn sufficient for piecing up an end down. Suchan occurrence is communicated to a data processing arrangement as disclosed more fully hereinafter and may, by a suitable cooperation with the cycle control means disclosed in FIGS. 22 and 23 of aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319, serve to abort continuation of a cycle of piecing up.

Another possible causeof failure in the piecing up of an end down is the breaking of the length of yarn being used in piecing up of an end down during the drawing of the length of yarn or during the threading up of the operating instrumentalities of the yarn forming machine 11. As will be understood, the yarn piecing apparatus may function improperly in that the yarn Y is broken between the lower yarn gripper 25 and the upper yarn gripper 28, while the upper yarn gripper 28 is moving toward the elevated position and drawing out the length of yarn to be used in piecing up an end. Such a break between the yarn grippers 25, 28 would not be detected by the first switch 20. In' order to detect such a possible yarn breakage, a second switch 29 is mounted adjacent the upper yarn gripper 28 (FIGS. 3 and 4) for operation in conjunction therewith.

More particularly, the upper yarn gripper 28 is pivotally connected to the bracket 30 from which gripper extends and is free to move arcuately (as indicated in FIG. 4') in response to tension imposed thereon by a length of yarn Y extending from the upper gripper 28 to the lower gripper 25. Should the yarn Y break during the drawing up of the length to be used in piecing up an end down, the upper yarn gripper 28 is released to move from the solid .line position to the phantom line position of FIG. 4. In the event that the upper gripper 28 is released from tension imposed thereon by a yarn Y, upon the yarn breaking, the conductive state of the second switch '29 is changed registering that the apparatus 10 has failed to piece up an end down due to premature breakage of the length of yarn being used. Continued presence of the lengthof yarn maintains a conductive state of the second switch 29 unchanged throughout that portion of the cycle in which the yarn Y normally is gripped by the upper gripper 28. As will be understood, the second switch 29 cooperates with the cycle control means of U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,319 in assuring that false indications of failure are not given by changes in the conductive state of the second switch at other times in the cycle and may cooperate in aborting continuance of a cycle of piecing up.

Similarly, the continued presence of the length of yarn being used in piecing up an end down as the yarn is moved toward joining with attenuated roving issuing from the drafting systems of the yarn forming machine 11 is determined by a third switch 31 mounted adjacent upper auxiliary yarn feed grippers 32 which clamp the lengthof yarn Y adjacent the upper yarn gripper 28 during one portion of the cycle of operation of the yarn piecing apparatus 10. In similarity to the upper yarn gripper 28, the upper auxiliary yarn clamp 32 is mounted for pivotal movement relative to a carrier 34 on which the upper auxiliary gripper 32 is mounted. Should the length of yarn Y continue to be present as the upper auxiliary gripper 32 moves toward the drafting systems of the textile machine 11 (FIG. 5), the tension in the yarn Y pulls the upper auxiliary clamp 32 downwardly, to the phantom line position of FIG. 4. Should the length of yarn Y break during this operation, the upper auxiliary gripper 32 moves to the solid line position of FIG. 4, changing the conductive state of the third switch 31 and registering that the failure of the apparatus 10 to piece up the end of yarn resulted from breaking of the yarn during the operation of threading and joining to attenuated roving. The third switch 31 cooperates with the cycle control means in the manner disclosed above with reference to the second switch 29. I

The present invention further contemplates that the operation of piecing up an end downmay fail for reasons not necessarily connected with movement of elements of the automatic yarn piecing apparatus, for example some failure of the spinning mechanism such as the absence of a traveler from a spinning ring. As will be understood, the absence of a traveler will bring about a failure to piece up due to an inability to thread the length of yarn being used in piecing up through a traveler on the ring. Suitable means may be provided for indicating any such failure to piece up caused by failure of the spinning mechanism and it is contemplated that such indicated failures may be monitored and reported in accordance with this invention.

' As will be understood from the discussion above, the relative conductive states of the

switches

20, 29 and 31 represent data concerning the operation of the yarn piecing apparatus 10 which may be communicated and processed. In particular, it is contemplated that such data may be communicated and processed in a manner disclosed in the aforementioned related copending application entitled Textile Machine Data Communicating Apparatus. To the end of incorporating herein a disclosure of the communication of such data, reference is had to FIGS. 6 and 7 which present a block diagram of such communication and processing and a schematicdiagram of a word encoder used in connection with such communication.

More particularly, the operation responsive means mounted on the yarn piecing apparatus 10 for monitor- BEST AVAILABLE COPY 3,680,297

ing at least one operation thereof, such as the

switches

20 and 29, is operatively connected with means 35 for encoding therefrom word signals correlated to the states of the monitored operations. Encoded word signals are communicated from the apparatus by a transmitter 36 and cooperating receiver 38 remote therefrom. Received word signals are then deciphered by a signal processing means or word converter 39 operatively connected with the receiver 38.

In accordance with the present invention the word encoder 35 employed in such a combination takes the form generally indicated in FIG. 7, where each of the sensing switches 20, 29 and 31 has one contact set thereof operatively connected with a corresponding one of three R/S flipflops 41, 42 and 43 and an alternative contact set thereof operatively connected with the signal shifting and gate 44. The signal shifting and" gate 44, on emission of a pulse signal under conditions such as those more fully disclosed in the aforementioned related copending application, transfers the states of the R/S flipflops 41, 42, 43 to corresponding J-

K flipflops

47, 48, 49. Data retained in the J-K flipflops is then made available to the transmitter 36 by being shifted therefrom in series.

It will be understood that communication and processing of data concerning the cause of a failure to piece up an end down may be carried out in conjunction with or in addition to communication and processing of data concerning other operations such as the ends down condition of a yarn forming machine.

For purposes of illustration, the present invention has been described in association with a yarn piecing apparatus of the type disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,486,319; however, it will be understood that this invention is also applicable to other types of yarn piecing apparatus including particularly those apparatus which do not utilize an auxiliary source of yarn.

Specific examples of such equipment, listed by way of example only and not by way of limitation, include the arrangements disclosed in US. Pat. No. Re 26,360 to Escursell-Prat; US. Pat. No. 3,373,551 to Gillono et al.; and US. Pat. 3,403,866 to Bell et al. It is to be understood that, as used herein, the term yarn piecing apparatus is directed generically to all such apparatus which reinstitute the production of yarn at spindle locations along a textile yarn forming machine where ends are down and that the term piecing up" is intended to refer generically to such reinstitution of yarn production.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Iclaim:

1. In a textile yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine for locating ends down thereon and for piecing up such ends down, the combination therewith of means for communicating the cause of a failure to properly piece up an end down comprising:

means on said yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring at least one operation thereof and for encoding a signal indicative of a cause of failure of the monitored operation,

means for communicating encoded signals from the yarn piecing apparatus, and

means for decoding communicated signals to identify therefrom the causes of failure. 2. The combination according to claim I wherein said operation monitoring means distinguishes between the absence and presence of a length of yarn sufficient for piecing up an end down on the textile yarn forming machine.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said operation monitoring means distinguishes between the breaking and continued presence of a length of yarn being used in piecing up an end down on the textile yarn forming machine.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said operation monitoring means comprises a plurality of yarn detecting means each sensing the presence of yarn during a predetermined portion of a cycle of operation of the yarn piecing apparatus.

5. In a textile yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine for locating ends down thereon and for piecing up such ends down, the combination therewith of means for communicating the cause of a failure to properly piece up an end down comprising:

means mounted on said yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring at least one operation thereof and for signaling certain states of the monitored operation,

means operatively connected with said operation monitoring means for encoding therefrom word signals correlated to said states of the monitored operation,

means for communicating encoded word signals from said yarn piecing apparatus, and

means for decoding communicated word signals to identify therefrom said states of said operation.

6. In a textile yarn piecing apparatus moving past spindle locations at which ends of yarn normally are formed along one or more textile yarn forming machines, the combination therewith of means for continuously transmitting and processing data originating from the automatic yarn piecing apparatus and comprising:

means mounted on said yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring a plurality of the operations thereof and for signaling certain states of the monitored operations, binary word encoder means moving with said automatic yarn piecing apparatus and operatively connected with said operation monitoring means for encoding therefrom binary word signals correlated to said states of the monitored operations,

transmitter means moving with said automatic yarn piecing apparatus and operatively connected with said encoder means for transmitting said binary word signals, receiver means remote from said automatic yarn piecing apparatus and operatively communicating with said transmitter means for receiving transmitted binary word signals, and

signal processing means operatively connected with said receiver means for deciphering received binary word signals.

7. A method of obtaining data concerning the operation of an automatic yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine, comprising the steps of monitoring at the yarn piecing apparatus the piecing up of an end down on the textile yarn forming machine while encoding signals indicative of the occurrence of a cause of failure of the monitored operation, communicating encoded signals correlated to the cause of failure of the monitored operation, and

decoding communicated signals to identify therefrom the cause of failure of the monitored operation.

8.'A method according to claim 7 wherein the monitoring of at least one operation comprises distinguishing between the absence and presence of a length of yarn sufficient for piecing up an end down.

9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the monitoring of at least one operation comprises distinguishing between the breaking and continued presence of a length of yarn being used in piecing up an end down.

10. A method according to claim 7 wherein the monitoring at the yarn piecing apparatus comprises sensing the presence of a length of yarn being used in piecing up an end down during a plurality of predetermined portions of a cycle of operation of the yarn piecing apparatus.

Claims

1. In a textile yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine for locating ends down thereon and for piecing up such ends down, the combination therewith of means for communicating the cause of a failure to properly piece up an end down comprising: means on said yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring at least one operation thereof and for encoding a signal indicative of a cause of failure of the monitored operation, means for communicating encoded signals from the yarn piecing apparatus, and means for decoding communicated signals to identify therefrom the causes of failure.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said operation monitoring means distinguishes between the absence and presence of a length of yarn sufficient for piecing up an end down on the textile yarn forming machine.

5. In a textile yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine for locating ends down thereon and for piecing up such ends down, the combination therewith of means for communicating the cause of a failure to properly piece up an end down comprising: means mounted on said yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring at least one operation thereof and for signaling certain states of the monitored operation, means operatively connected with said operation monitoring means for encoding therefrom word signals correlated to said states of the monitored operation, means for communicating encoded word signals from said yarn piecing apparatus, and means for decoding communicated word signals to identify therefrom said states of said operation.

6. In a textile yarn piecing apparatus moving past spindle locations at which ends of yarn normally are formed along one or more textile yarn forming machines, the combination therewith of means for continuously transmitting and processing data originating from the automatic yarn piecing apparatus and comprising: means mounted on said yarn piecing apparatus for monitoring a plurality of thE operations thereof and for signaling certain states of the monitored operations, binary word encoder means moving with said automatic yarn piecing apparatus and operatively connected with said operation monitoring means for encoding therefrom binary word signals correlated to said states of the monitored operations, transmitter means moving with said automatic yarn piecing apparatus and operatively connected with said encoder means for transmitting said binary word signals, receiver means remote from said automatic yarn piecing apparatus and operatively communicating with said transmitter means for receiving transmitted binary word signals, and signal processing means operatively connected with said receiver means for deciphering received binary word signals.

7. A method of obtaining data concerning the operation of an automatic yarn piecing apparatus movable along a textile yarn forming machine, comprising the steps of monitoring at the yarn piecing apparatus the piecing up of an end down on the textile yarn forming machine while encoding signals indicative of the occurrence of a cause of failure of the monitored operation, communicating encoded signals correlated to the cause of failure of the monitored operation, and decoding communicated signals to identify therefrom the cause of failure of the monitored operation.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the monitoring of at least one operation comprises distinguishing between the absence and presence of a length of yarn sufficient for piecing up an end down.