Blow room installation

Abstract

 There is disclosed a blow room installation (1) for treating fibrous material supplied by a bale opener (2) and which comprises a sequence of treatment machines (e.g. blenders (5 and 9), separator (7), opener and cleaners (13 and 16)) which apply successive treatments to the material prior to delivery of the treated material to one or more carding machines (23, 24), in which each treatment machine of the blow room installation has a respective drive motor, control means and local control station incorporating signal transmitting means, and a central control station (20) is connected to each of the local control stations (C1 to C10) by a signal transmission line (21) which comprises the only connection between the central control station (20) and the treatment machines.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to blow room installations that are used in the feeding of fibrous material to carding machines.

[0002] A typical modern blow room installation will comprise bale opening and/or blending equipment and machines such as blenders, openers, cleaners, separators and feeding machines. These are suitably linked so as to blend, open and clean textile fibre for conveyance through a pneumatic transport system to the chute feeds of a plurality of carding machines. It is common for a blow room installation to contain a plurality of each type of machine connected in parallel and/or series in order to feed a required number of carding machines.

[0003] The modern thinking in blow room installations is for each machine to be connected to a central control station by power cables and by cables capable of transmitting control signals and data between the central control station and the individual machines. The central control station comprises a bank of control cabinets incorporating mimic diagrams and the necessary control equipment. Thus, all machines in the blow room installation can be operated under control from the central station, and all machines are monitored at the central station. While this is a convenient method of operating, the actual installing of the equipment entails much time-consuming and skilled work in effecting the necessary wiring between the individual machines and the central control station. Apart from labour considerations, the cost of the often bulky wiring harnesses must be taken into account, and it can often be difficult to accommodate those harnesses in a manner where they are in a relatively accessible and dust-free environment.

[0004] The invention seeks to provide a blow room installation which avoids these problems but yet still allows central control as required.

[0005] According to the invention a blow room installation for use in the feeding of fibrous material to carding machines comprises a plurality of machines each of which has a drive motor, control means and a control station local to the machine and incorporating signal receiving means; and a central control station incorporating signal transmitting means; in which the central control station is connected to each of the plurality of local control stations by a signal transmission line, the transmission line constituting the only connection between the central control station and the machines.

[0006] This concept introduces a very considerable simplification. The controls for each individual machine are local to that machine and the necessary wiring between the machine and the control means can be made short, accessible and dust-proof. The need for power lines and bulky harnesses of control cables extending from the machine to the central control station is avoided. In place of this there is a simple transmission line that carries necessary signals when the machines are required to operate under control from the central station.

[0007] The transmission line may, in its simplest and most preferred form, be a simple two wire cable that is both cheap and very easily installed. The cable carries the necessary control signals, which are desirably digital signals, although analogue signals are possible. Parallel transmission lines may extend between the central control station and each of the machines, but preferably all the local control stations are connected in series along a single transmission line.

[0008] Each local control station desirably has the ability to transmit as well as receive signals, and the central control station can then receive as well as transmit signals. Monitoring and diagnostic information from the individual machines can thus be fed back to the central control station so that current operating conditions of the complete blow room installation may be centrally displayed at all times.

[0009] Each machine may have its associated local control station incorporated as an integral part of the machine. In many cases, however, it may be preferable for the control station to form a module separate from the machine itself, and for the modules to be connected to the machines on site by simple plug and socket connections. Each machine may have its own individual local control module, or a local control module may be connected to control two adjacent machines.

[0010] Using these techniques, each machine and each control module may be hard wired during manufacture, so that installation in the blow room is a simple matter of effecting the necessary plug and socket connections and connecting the signal transmission line, again desirably by a simple plug and socket connection.

[0011] In order that the invention may be better understood, a specific embodiment of a blow room installation will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to Figures 1a to 1c of the accompanying schematic drawing.

[0012] Figures 1a, b, c of the drawing shows a typical processing line for dirty cotton, and treatment machines forming a blow room installation are indicated within the dotted line box 1 shown in Figure 1b. They are fed from supply means of fibrous material in the form of bale opening and material transport equipment 2 which may actually be located in the blow room, but is recognised as requiring its own control system separate from that of the rest of the blow room equipment and is shown separately in Figure 1a. The blow room installation is illustrated as having delivery means for delivering treated fibrous material to two banks 3, 4 of carding machines 23 and 24 respectively, each connected by a chute feed 25 to a pneumatic supply line 26, as shown in Figure 1c.

[0013] The blow room installation that is shown incorporates successive treatment machines, in sequence of material flow, comprising a first four chamber blender 5, a first three roller cleaner 6, a magnet trap and heavy particle separator 7, a material transport fan 8, a second four chamber blender 9 and a second three roller cleaner 10. Downstream of this second cleaner the flow branches at a two way distributor 11. One branch feeds to a first tower reserve 12, a pinned opener and cleaner 13, a second tower reserve 14, a fine opener and cleaner 15, a lust removal tower feed 16 and a transport fan 17. The other branch feeds corresponding machines denoted by the same reference numerals with the suffix a. The blow room additionally incorporates a soft waste feeding machine 18. The machines are connected by pneumatic ducting as shown in the drawing, and transport of material through the ducting is by the various transport fans as described.

[0014] The first blender 5 and cleaner 6 have a common local control station C1. The blender and the cleaner are each hard wired at the factory during manufacture to incorporate the necessary electrical connections between their respective drive motors and control means. The control cabinet C1 is similarly hard wired at the factory during manufacture and incorporates required control and display apparatus. The wiring of the components is such that when on site the only electrical connection between the blender and the control station, and between the cleaner and the control station, is by one or more simple plug and socket connections. The heavy particles separator incorporates its own local control station C2 as an integral part of the separator hard wired therewith during manufacture. The second blender 9 and second cleaner 10 have a common local control station C3 to which they are connected by plug and socket arrangement in a manner similar to that described in the control station C1. The soft waste feeding machine has a local control station C4 hardwired as an integral part of the machine. Each pair of tower reserve and cleaner, such as 12a, 13a, have a local control station C5, C6, C8 and C9 respectively, connected by plugs and sockets to the associated machine. The tower feed 16a and a transport fan 17a have a common local control station C7. The two machines, although shown separated in the drawing, can be located closer together so that each can be connected by plug and socket to the local control station. Finally, tower feed 16 and fan 17 are connected to a common local control station C10 in a manner similar to that of station C7.

[0015] The blow room incorporates a central control station 20. The central control station 20, and each of the local control stations C1 to C10, incorporates signal transmitting and receiving means. The signals are transmitted between the central control station and each of the local control stations by a signal transmission line 21, which is a simple two wire cable connected in series from the central control station 20 to each of the local control stations. The signals are desirably digital signals in binary code. For example, if each signal is made up of an eight bit code then 128 different signals are possible. Each different signal will either convey a unique message to a unique local control station, or will convey a unique message from a unique local control station to the central control station. Each local control station will respond only to the messages destined for it and the control means incorporated in that station will respond in appropriate manner to the received message. The central control station 20 will incorporate logic means for receiving and processing signals from all the local control stations and responding to them as necessary either by giving appropriate displays or transmitting appropriate control signals.

[0016] One example of a digital signal transmission system that can be used in implementing the invention is the Dupline 128 system from Electromatic Components Limited. Other signal generating and transmissions systems could, however, be used.

[0017] Examples of the type of control that may be effected are as follows. It is conventional to start up a blow room installation by initiating drive first to the most downstream machines and then starting the immediately preceding machines in sequence that proceeds upstream. A complete start up sequence can be initiated from the central control station 20, for example under a single push button control. The central control station will then transmit start signals to the various local control stations so that start up occurs in sequence, for the fans 17, 17a: the tower feeds 16, 16a; the openers and cleaners 15, 15a; the tower reserves 14, 14a; the openers and cleaner 13, 13a: the tower reserves 12 ,12a; the soft waste feeding machine 18; the cleaner 10; the blender 9; the fan 8; the separator 7; the cleaner 6; and the blender 5. Each start-up will be monitored by the individual local control station, and when that start-up has been satisfactorily effected and the machine in question is running at its normal speed an appropriate message will be transmitted back to the central control station 20. Not until that message is received will start-up of the next upstream machine be commenced. When the final normal running signal has been received from the blender 5 then the bale opener and associated fan may be started so that material can be passed through the installation to the carding machines.

[0018] Any fault detected on any of the machines at any time can be used to form the basis of a message for transmission to the central control station 20. On receipt of such a message an appropriate indication will be given by the central control station, and that station will proceed to send shut down messages to upstream machines as appropriate. Examples of conditions which may give rise to fault indications and shut down messages are door open signals from interlocks on doors covering the machines, sensors indicating that any machine is running under the desired speed, sensors indicating that material thickness fed between any pair of feed rollers is too great, sensors of the presence of ferrous material in the feed stock and sensors of any motor overload. These are exemplary only; other fault conditions can also be monitored and signalled.

[0019] From the foregoing description the ease of installation will have been appreciated, in that the vast majority of the wiring is done during manufacture at the factory. In the blow room itself all that is necessary is to make plug and socket connections between the local control stations and their associated machines, and then to connect the central control station to the local control stations by way of the signal transmission line. This can again be by simple plug and socket connections.

Claims

1. A blow room installation (1) for use in the feeding of fibrous material to carding machines (23, 24) and comprising:
   means (2) for supplying fibrous material to be treated to the installation (1);
   means (25, 26) for delivering treated fibrous material from the installation (1) to one or more carding machines (23, 24);
   a plurality of treatment machines (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 to 17, 12a to 17a) in the installation (1) for treating the fibrous material, each machine having a drive motor, control means and a control station local to the machine and incorporating signal transmitting means;
   characterised by a central control station (20) connected to each of said local stations by a signal transmission line (21) which constitutes the only connection between said central control station and said treatment machines.

2. An installation according to Claim 1, characterised in that the transmission line (21) serves to convey digital signals between the central control station (20) and the local control stations (C1 to C10).

3. An installation according to Claim 1, characterised in that the transmission line (21) serves to convey analogue signals between the central control station (20) and the local control stations.

4. An installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the local control stations (C1 to C10) are connected in series along a single transmission line (21).

5. An installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that each local control station (C1 to C10) and said central control station (20) has the ability to transmit as well as to receive signals, whereby monitoring and diagnostic information from the individual treatment machines can be fed back to the central control station (20) to be centrally displayed.

6. An installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that each local control station (C1 to C10) is incorporated as an integral part of the respective treatment machine.

7. An installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that each local control station (C1 to C10) comprises a module separate from but connectable to the respective treatment machine during assembly of the installation.

8. An installation according to Claim 7, characterised in that each treatment machine and respective control station module (C1 to C10) are hard wired during manufacture, and including plug and socket connections for connecting up each module to its treatment machine on site.

9. An installation according to Claim 8, characterised by further plug and socket connections for connecting up each module to said signal transmission line (21).

10. An installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that at least two adjacent treatment machines are connected to be controlled by a single local control module.

Drawing