Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically actuating roving bobbin exchange operations in a textile yarn spinning apparatus. The spinning stations are divided into equal groups and a roving bobbin exchange operation is actuated at each group by a suitable control system, e.g. a microprocessor, as a function of the number of spinning stations of the group identified as down with uncorrectable yarn breaks and as a further function of the total elapsed operating time of the group since the last bobbin exchange operation.

Abstract: A positioning mechanism for a traveling automatic maintenance unit for a textile ring spinning machine or the like, which unit includes a carriage movable on spaced tracks along the spinning stations of the machine for automatically stopping at spinning stations that are determined to require maintenance. The mechanism includes a frame that is transversely pivotally mounted on the carriage on a longitudinally extending shaft. The frame carries an automatically operable maintenance mechanism that pivots with the frame transversely into operating position at a spinning station. Transverse movement of the frame is accomplished by a pneumatic piston-cylinder mechanism that manipulates a sliding element on a transversely extending rod of a slide guide with the frame connected to the sliding element by a connecting linkage.

Abstract: A doffing carriage is mobile at the level of the flyer support bed of a roving frame, and carries cop and empty tube gripping elements which are orientatable between a vertical position and an oblique position. A peg conveyor loaded with empty tubes in a reverse zig-zag arrangement to that of the cop rotators is disposed at the level of a footboard. The cops, lowered on to an orientatable cop carrier, are gripped by the gripping elements in an oblique position, raised, disposed vertically and deposited on to the free pegs of the conveyor, proceeding from one end of the roving frame to the other. After moving the conveyor through one step, the gripping elements deposit the empty tubes on to the cop rotators by proceeding in the reverse direction. The same carriage loads the empty tubes on to the conveyor and unloads the cops from it at one end of the roving frame, while this latter is in operation.

Abstract: The process for replacing an empty roving bobbin with a full roving bobbin in a spinning machine, particularly in a ring spinning machine, in a dispensing position by an automatic roving bobbin changing device comprises taking the full roving bobbin from a storage location and putting the full roving bobbin in place of the empty roving bobbin. The full roving bobbin associated with the dispensing position is taken from one of a plurality of stand-by positions in the storage location. To provide a more automatic operation the process further comprises testing whether the full roving bobbin is present in one of the stand-by positions adjacent the dispensing position before beginning the exchange and when the absence of the full roving bobbin is indicated inducing a relative motion between the roving bobbin changing device and the stand-by positions until the roving bobbin changing device stands adjacent to one of the stand-by positions having a full roving bobbin.

Abstract: The process for positioning a series of suspended roving bobbin carriages equipped with a plurality of roving bobbins running on at least one rail opposite a plurality of working positions of a yarn manufacturing spinning machine comprises automatically guiding a positively actuated suspended roving bobbin carriage to a predetermined position opposite the working positions and stopping it in that predetermined position during delivery of the roving bobbins. The apparatus for performing this process includes a plurality of positioning elements working together pairwise of which a movable one is movable for positioning the suspended carriage, a carriage mounted one is positioned on one of the roving bobbin carriages and a fixed one is fixed on the stationary part of the spinning machine.

Abstract: A robot for loading and unloading reels (40, 70) of metal wires on a tubular stranding machine (1) for manufacturing cables from wires unwound from the reels which includes a mechanical unit (3, 4) having a motorized device (3) provided with tongs (14) for seizing the reels. The motorized device 3 is capable of moving from one end of the stranding machine (1) to the other under the action of driving means (11) so as to extract therefrom empty reels (70) and replace them with full reels (40) previously prepared and stored in supply passageways each corresponding to a wire diameter. A microcomputer system is provided for the automatic control of operations carried out by the mechanical unit (3, 4). This robot considerably improves the productivity of the stranding machine and diminishes the risks of accidents for the operator supervising the latter.

Abstract: Coil producing machine with a mobile exchanging device for replacing full wound coils with empty coil cores or partly wound coils, and with a stationary loading magazine for replenishing the empty coil cores or partly wound coils required by the exchanging device, comprising a mobile coil-core carrier, and means for automatically shuttling said carrier between the exchanging device and the loading magazine.

Abstract: A spinning system has a spinning apparatus having a longitudinal succession of spinning stations, a creel extending longitudinally above the apparatus and having respective pendant hangers above the stations and each capable of holding a respective yarn package, and a respective slide above each station supporting the respective hanger slidable between an inner position directly above the respective station and an outer position above but horizontally offset therefrom. A reloading apparatus is displaceable longitudinally along the apparatus at least generally under the hangers in the outer positions of the respective slides. A magazine holds a supply of fresh roving packages on the reloading apparatus and a device is provided on the reloading apparatus for displacing the slide between the inner and outer positions. A grab on the reloading apparatus can grab the package on the hanger in the outer position of the respective slide.

Abstract: An open-end spinning machine incorporating a doffer robot also includes separate tracks for the doffer robot and a piecer-cleaner robot. The robots are able to patrol continuously along one side of the machine and back along the other side of the machine, with sufficient separation for the doffer robot to pass the piecer-cleaner robot, and vice versa and for the two robots to pass end casings of the machine.

Abstract: A stationary service unit at one end of an elongate spinning machine coacts with a supply carriage delivering bobbins wound with rovings from a flyer at a preparatory stage and loads these bobbins onto depending grippers which are movable, manually or automatically, on an overhead guide rack. The rack may form an endless loop about the machine bed or may be divided into two parallel sections flanking same; in the latter instance the service unit may be swingable about a vertical axis toward one or the other section.

Abstract: Bobbins wound with rovings from a preparatory stage are loaded onto a carriage which receives them on an orthogonal array of horizontal pegs and transports them to a holding station for transfer, one column at a time, to a service unit moving continuously or intermittently past a multiplicity of working positions of a ring spinning machine whose spindles draw the roving from bobbins on a supply rack. The service unit, whose primary function may be that of a yarn-tying device or a traveling air blower, has a vertical conveyor with stems alignable with the pegs of the carriage in the holding station for picking up the bobbins to be transferred and delivering them, individually, to storage areas at or near the supply rack where fresh bobbins are needed as determined by a sensor aboard that unit. The storage areas may have overhead grippers onto which a bobbin is pushed from an erected stem at the upper vertex of the vertical conveyor.

Abstract: An improved device to piece-up yarn and doff yarn packages on open-end spinning machines. The device comprises a carriage (12) equipped with specific means for the tasks of piecing-up yarn and doffing yarn packages, said carriage being supported cantilever-wise by an arm (13) secured to a trolley (15) able to run on lengthwise guides (17), said carriage (12) being equipped with an arm (20) to hold tubes which cooperates with a store (18) of tubes.

Abstract: A spinning machine wherein a yarn knotting truck having a knotter provided thereon travels in a truck travelling spacing provided along a number of spinning units further includes an apparatus for automatically doffing winding packages which have yarns fully wound thereon. A doffing truck which has provided thereon a doffing apparatus travels in the truck travelling spacing.

Abstract: On textile machines, on which packages are wound with a set or reference yarn length, the changing of these packages by means of a travelling package changing device should be carried out in such time optimized manner that the largest possible number of winding positions can be serviced by the package changing device. For this purpose, the yarn length of packages to be wound is signalled continuously to a computer by means of yarn length measuring units and the location of a package changer is continuously signalled to the computer by means of positioning units. If certain packages reach a remainder or residual yarn length before reaching the set yarn length, then the wind-up times for the remainder yarn length of these packages are compared by the computer with the respective travelling times of a package changer to these packages and registered in an optimization procedure, for example for three of these packages.

Abstract: An apparatus for locating a servicing device which travels along a parent textile machine, such as a spinning frame, having a plurality of stations and stops at any designated station of the parent machine to there perform a servicing operation, such as yarn piecing or cleaning by use of fluid, such as compressed air or vacuum, supplied from a fluid source provided separately from the servicing device. The apparatus comprises, on each station of the parent machine, a stationary connector communicating with the fluid source and a locating guide member having a locating guide groove therein, and, on the servicing device, an air cylinder, a locating rod actuated by the cylinder toward and away from the locating guide member and engageable with the guide groove and a communicating member movable together with the locating rod and engageable with the stationary connector.

Abstract: Double-sided open end spinning machine, including at least one closed travel track, a servicing device for traveling along the machine and a thread testing device for traveling along the machine, at least the servicing device being disposed on the at least one closed travel track, the servicing device including a travel direction reversing device and a travel obstacle indicator for each travel direction, the travel obstacle indicator being connected to the travel direction reversing device for reversing travel direction of the servicing device.

Abstract: Method and device for preparing a ring spinning frame for automatic coil changing, which includes controlling a movable automatic servicing device for the spinning operation and a movable automatic servicing device for changing coils with a central automatic spinning control which controls the spinning processes of all spinning units of the machine so that both mentioned servicing devices are placed in readiness at the machine end of the ring spinning frame when the spinning process is completed.

Abstract: A high speed rigid strander is described that has a rotatably mounted cage which includes a plurality of bobbin support members which are parallel to and angularly spaced about the axis of rotation of the cage. Each support member includes a locking mechanism for simultaneously locking or releasing an entire row of bobbins, each of which is spaced from the axis of rotation and has its longitudinal axis oriented generally radially or at an angle normal to the strander axis. Wire guides associated with each bobbin fly the wires off the bobbins under the action of external pulling forces without requiring the bobbins to rotate. Fly-off is generally radially inwardly against the action of centrifugal forces and the wires are guided towards the strander axis and then parallel thereto so that the wires from all of the bobbins can be brought to an end of the rotating cage and wound about a core wire.

Abstract: Spinning machine apparatus is provided which includes a plurality of open-end spinning units, each of said spinning units being provided with a bobbin holder for holding bobbins to wind up the thread produced at the spinning unit. A supply station is fixedly disposed at each spinning unit for storing a supply of empty spool tubes provided with starter threads. A traveling servicing device is guided on tracks adjacent the spinning units and includes lever mechanisms for effecting removal of a full bobbin and replacement thereof with one of the supply of empty spool tubes at the respective supply station. According to preferred embodiments, the method of utilizing the apparatus includes manually filling the supply stations at the spinning units, with the traveling servicing device being automatically operated to effect the tube transfer operation.

Abstract: An automatic doffing and donning apparatus is disclosed for replacing a plurality of full bobbins which are mounted on winding spindles disposed parallel to each other on a yarn processing machine with a plurality of empty bobbins which are mounted on a bobbin reservoir plate disposed along and in front of the winding spindles. The apparatus comprises: a movable frame which is horizontally movable along both the yarn processing machine and the bobbin reservoir plates; a full bobbin doffing device mounted on the movable frame for doffing the full bobbins formed on the winding spindles and transferring them to the bobbin reservoir plate, and; an empty bobbin donning device mounted on the movable frame.

Abstract: A mobile type auto-doffer for ring spinning machines and the like consists of a doffing device and a donning device with mechanisms similar to those of a doffing device. The operation for doffing full bobbins may be carried out by utilizing the doffing device, and the operation for donning fresh bobbins may be carried out by utilizing the donning device. During the doffing operation, a plurality of full bobbins is simultaneously transported from the spindles to the pegs disposed between the spindle rail of the spinning machine and the surface of the floor of a spinning plant. During the donning operation, the same number of fresh bobbins as that of a full bobbins is simultaneously transported from the pegs to the spindles. Both of the above-mentioned ways of transporting bobbins may be carried out by moving the full bobbins or the fresh bobbins along separate vertical passages, respectively, i.e., one passage being disposed farther from the row of spindles than the other passage.

Abstract: A continuous twisting and cabling machine including a yarn feeding and twisting section and a cabling and rewinding section positioned below the twisting section. The twisting section includes a series of removable assemblies supporting a series of twist spindles, control and brake means for the spindles, connecting means to a transporter and fixing means for attachment to the cabling and rewinding section.

Abstract: Apparatus movable along a spinning frame to doff full bobbins from the spindles thereof and to don empty bobbins onto such spindles. Low pressure pneumatic sensors are provided for emitting a stream of low pressure air into the path of movement of selected elements of the apparatus and generating a pneumatic signal each time a stream of low pressure air is interrupted by the movement of such elements, and a low pressure pneumatic control system receives the pneumatic signals and operates the selected elements of the apparatus in a predetermined sequence.