Material or article handling – Movable rack having superposed – charge-supporting elements,... – Rack moved vertically by elevating means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-03
2004-08-03
Brahan, Thomas J. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Movable rack having superposed, charge-supporting elements,...
Rack moved vertically by elevating means
C057S281000, C242S559000, C242S559400, C414S416060, C414S416060, C414S910000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769854
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an arrangement for exchange of empty bobbins with full filament-carrying bobbins in a bobbin creel which cooperates with a textile machine for processing filaments (yarns or threads) from the bobbin creel.
Bobbin creels are intended for delivery of filaments from bobbins to a filament-processing textile machine, e.g., a beamer, and include several rows of creels in parallel relationship. Normally, each creel row has delivery positions for the bobbins on both sides. For example, the creel row may have ninety delivery positions in the horizontal in side-by-side disposition and six positions in vertical superimposed disposition. Common bobbin creels have three creel rows so that a total of 3240 delivery positions for the bobbins are provided.
The bobbins are readied, e.g., in boxes, for use in the creel. A box contains typically thirty bobbins. Heretofore, an operator oftentimes takes full bobbins from the box in the area of the creel and transfers them manually to the various delivery positions. Bobbins of a diameter of about 240 mm can have a weight of 9 to 10 kg so that the physical stress on the operator is significant when carrying out the transfer of full bobbins. In cases that involve even greater bobbin diameters and therefore greater weights, the physical stress may become extreme enough to violate worker's protection rules.
When further considering that the so-called doffing time, i.e. the time spent for changing a bobbin including shutdown period of the textile machine, time for cutting the yarns, removing empty bobbins, positioning new bobbins, connecting the yarns, and re-starting of the textile machine, is about 30 hours, which means about 33 seconds per bobbin in a creel of 3240 bobbins, and that the actual bobbin operation is about 24 hours for a bobbin diameter of about 240 mm, it is evident that the overall operation is not viable in an economic sense.
European Pat. No. EP 0 678 469 A2 describes an arrangement with a feed device for bobbin creels having modules for executing particular functions. The modules are all placed at ground level and travel at that level. The feed device includes an endless conveyor which extends in a vertical direction and is trained about pulleys which rotate about horizontal axes. The endless conveyor is provided with transport spikes extending transversely to the conveyor and intended for receiving individual yarn-carrying bobbins which are loaded by hand. After placement of the bobbins onto a transport spike, the individual bobbins are moved by the endless conveyor until all transport spikes have received yarn-carrying bobbins. Subsequently, the feed device travels transversely to the creel until positioned in front of a bobbin carriage which is provided with a spike carrier for carriage spikes. The spike carrier is so configured as to allow a limited travel in a vertical direction in order to compensate differences in height between a carriage spike, a transport spike and a creel spike in the respectively lowermost positions.
A transfer of the yarn-carrying bobbins from the feed device to the spikes of the bobbin carriage is implemented in a region which is at a significant distance away from a bobbin transfer position between the carriage and the creel. Therefore, the demand on space for the feed device and the carriage is significant in horizontal plane in circumferential direction of the creel. In addition, the transport spikes of the endless conveyor must be loaded with full yarn-carrying bobbins by hand in the area of the feed device. As a result, there is added need for space for the worker as well as transport of full bobbins. This drawback in conjunction with the space demand is further compounded when considering that typical creel assemblies have several rows of creels in side-by-side disposition and when considering the length of each creel row. Therefore, a bobbin carriage has to be moved into a front area of a creel when being loaded with full bobbins.
German Pat. No. DE 91 11 871 U1 discloses an extremely complicated overhead carriage which is made of many components. The carriage is suspended from rails and travels in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of a delivery conveyor. Rotatably connected to the carriage via a vertical shaft is a rail for guiding a running gear having a mounting for spikes projecting out from both sides. These spikes cooperate with spikes of an intermediate conveyor having a revolving belt.
German Pat. No. DE 91 09 079 U1 discloses an apparatus for supplying a bobbin carriage of a creel.
It would be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved arrangement for exchange of empty bobbins with full bobbins in a bobbin creel, which obviates prior art shortcomings and which is much less strenuous to an operator while still significantly enhancing the overall efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, an arrangement for exchanging empty bobbins with full bobbins includes a creel assembly including rows of creels which have lateral delivery positions configured for holding filament-carrying bobbins, a textile machine receiving filament from the creel assembly, at least one bobbin carrier disposed in overhead relationship to the creel assembly and having several transport positions for bobbins, a guide system having a guide rail for travel of the bobbin carrier in suspended disposition along a travel path, a bobbin transfer assembly having a moveable transfer unit disposed on one side of the creel row and a moveable transfer unit disposed on the other side of the creel row, each of the transfer units including an upright moveable along the creel row and at least one support moveable along the upright and having receptacles for the bobbins, wherein the receptacles are moveable in a horizontal direction with respect to the support, wherein the delivery positions in the creel row in neighboring disposition to the transfer unit are provided at a number and at a distance which corresponds to a number of and a vertical distance of the transport positions on the bobbin carrier, a feed station disposed in the travel path for supply of full bobbins, a storage station disposed in the travel path for storing carrier bobbins loaded with full bobbins, and a cleaning station for cleaning empty bobbins.
The present invention resolves prior art problems by the provision of at least one bobbin carrier configured in dependence on the size of the respective bobbin creel and arranged in the area of the creel above a creel row and suspended from a guide rail for travel along a predetermined path. Oscillating movements are hereby eliminated. The exact positioning of the carrier above a creel row is significantly enhanced.
The use of such a bobbin carrier allows transport of full bobbins to the delivery positions of a creel row and removal of empty bobbins, i.e., bobbin cases, from the creel row for transfer to a renewed bobbin production, i.e., loading the empty bobbin with filaments. The exchange of empty bobbins with full bobbins can be realized by initially transporting the bobbin cases away by means of a carrier and subsequently transferring full bobbins from another, respectively loaded, carrier onto the empty delivery positions. Of course, it is also conceivable, to move a bobbin carrier with an array of empty transport positions onto the bobbin cases and subsequent placement of full bobbins from this bobbin carrier onto the empty delivery positions of a creel row. As a consequence, parallel, overlapping or sequential exchange operations can be carried out.
The transfer of the bobbin cases from the delivery positions onto the transport positions of a bobbin carrier, or the transfer of full bobbins from the transport positions of a carrier onto the delivery positions, is implemented by the transfer unit which can be operated by hand or automatically, e.g. in response to a memory-programmable control system. In case of an automatic control, the transfer unit and/or a bobbin carrier and/o
Keen Bernd
Wolf Jörg
Brahan Thomas J.
Day Ursula B.
Feiereisen Henry M.
Neuenhauser Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
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