Method and system for automatically creeling and uncreeling warping creels

Abstract

 A method for creeling and uncreeling warping creels supporting, for performing warping sessions, a plurality of full yarn bobbins and empty tubes, said creels comprising at least a creel, preferably at least a pair of cooperating creels, said pair of creels including a first creel and a second creel, operatively cooperating with said first creel, said first creel having a first side defining a working front and a standby front, and a second side, defining a working front and a standby front, said second creel, having said first side, defining a working front and a standby front, and a second side, defining a working front and a standby front, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of creeling and uncreeling said first and second creels in an automatized manner from a centralized operating position outside of and separated from said first and second creels, said centralized position defining a respective standby front and a respective working front, and said steps of creeling and uncreeling said first and second working creels including at least a first step of replacing full or partial bobbins with empty tubes or partial bobbins and at least a second step of unloading empty tubes or partial bobbins and loading full or partial bobbins

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for automatically creeling and uncreeling creels, of any desired configurations, for performing respective warping operations, and also relates to a system for carrying out this method.

[0002] As is known, a creel is substantially an assembly of racks, designed for supporting warping pirns and bobbins, to allow the yarn material to be easily unwound, with an even tension and, most importantly, with an adjustable tension.

[0003] The above mentioned creels, in continuing the warping operations, must be properly continuously loaded or "creeled" with either full or partially full cheeses or cones, of like or different yarns, whereas the partially emptied tubes or cones must be correspondingly unloaded or "uncreeled".

[0004] Also known is the fact that in prior creels, the above mentioned creeling or uncreeling operations are at present manually carried out, which necessarily requires an accurate and continuous monitoring of the warping line fronts, for immediately providing the yarn necessary for preparing the warping material, which is obviously disadvantageous, both from a labor standpoint and because of a comparatively high time for performing the mentioned manual operations.

[0005] In this connection, it should be moreover pointed out that the creeling and uncreeling operators are subjected to a very tedious and fatiguing work, requiring the operators to continuously change their working positions, to handle comparatively large amounts of warping yarns, while also handling respective packages, such as boxes, cages and benches, within the warping rooms, independently from their configurations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is just that of overcoming the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a method, and related system, for automatically carrying out, from a centralized fixed position, the cyclically necessary combined operations for both creeling and uncreeling one or more creels, for performing related warping operating sessions.

[0007] Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the invention is to provide such a creeling and uncreeling method and system, which can also be applied to existing and new creels of any desired configurations, and, most generally, to those textile departments designed for preparing beams to be supplied to operating looms.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide such a method allowing to also design the related processing system as a system including a plurality of operating stations and a related centralized control station, thereby preventing the yarn materials from being uselessly transferred along the warping lines.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide such a method and system allowing to optimize all the operator operations, even in those production environments for which the labor cost would not still justify a use of strongly automatized systems.

[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a method and system adapted to also use existing racks, as well as their pins, already used for properly locating yarn bobbins, and if necessary as suitably modified, by simply engaging or associating, in the fixed structures of each involved creel, a suitable overhead transport or driving system designed for driving homogeneous sections, or socalled balance assemblies including said racks, thereby defining an operating track allowing to easily and quickly handle bobbin assemblies to quickly and easily supply the warping lines or chains.

[0011] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a method and system allowing to identify, inside a respective correspondingly designed operating circuit, variable size and load capability balance assemblies, depending on the type of processing creels and yarn to be processed, thereby allowing different modules arranged in loading/unloading regions to be simply transferred to the processing or working regions, while affecting respectively only the balance assemblies involved in the creeling operation being performed.

[0012] Yet another object of the present invention, directly related to the thereinabove object, is to provide such a method and system allowing, at the end of each warping operating session, to switch balance assemblies holding operating bobbins to a respective warping position inside the creels, and then to be driven again, an operating front at a time, in front of the manual or preferably mechanized creeling position, to allow a following creeling charge to be easily prepared.

[0013] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a method and system in which preset homogeneous sections of rack or balance assemblies may be bidirectionally driven along the overall overhead driving track, by dividing the latter into a preset number of sections, also variable depending on the length of the handled or driven "trains", by corresponding motor driving units, integral with said conveying track, to operatively drive the bobbin assemblies and, in the meanwhile, also designed for allowing said balance member assemblies to be properly converged to different circuit branches, preferably by using simple and reliable switching units, for example of a pneumatically controlled type.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method and system for automatically creeling and uncreeling creels, for performing respective warping operation sessions, according to the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment thereof, which will be hereinbelow disclosed by way of an indicative, but not limitative, example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, where:

Figure 1 is an overall schematic view, on a very reduced scale, of a possible warping system, including two warping creels, according to the present invention, which has been specifically designed for carrying out the inventive method;

Figure 2 is a further partial top plan view, on a scale slightly enlarged with respect to that of figure 1, of the system shown in figure 1, of which only a creel has been specifically illustrated;
and

Figure 3 is a further partial top plan view of figure 1, specifically showing the centralized operation station working system, specifically designed for centralizing the operations for automatically creeling and uncreeling warping creels, outside of said creels, to prevent textile material from being uselessly from being conveyed along the system warping lines.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] With reference to the above mentioned figures, the inventive system for creeling and uncreeling warping creels according to the present invention, and specifically designed for carrying out the inventive method, has been herein generally indicated by the reference letter I, and being installed in a warping room S, of a per se known type, supplied with a textile material by two supplying creels 1 and 2 respectively.

[0017] In this connection it should be pointed out that, even if the drawings show a two-creel system, the inventive method could also be applied, by modifications which could be easily carried out by one skilled in the art, even to a single creel or to more than two creels, the basic idea of the invention being that of centralizing all the working stations, for creeling and uncreeling the operating creels, at a central operating position, preferably of a robotically controlled type, and generally indicated by the reference number 3, and including conventional robot arms BR, to be easily accessed and/or controlled by a single operator, without requiring the operator to perform continuous movements between the creels 1 and 2, automatically controlled by the centralized station 3.

[0018] More specifically, according to one important aspect of the inventive idea, the inventive method, provides, as thereinabove stated, to use the racks, already including respective pins used for locating bobbins R, or as suitably modified, for introducing into the fixed frameworks of each involved creel 1 and 2, a suitable overhead system or circuit SA designed for intermittently driving homogeneous rack sections (not shown), thereby defining a driving track for suitable driving the bobbin R assembly provided for forming the warping chains.

[0019] Each of the above mentioned sections, which are also conventionally called "balance assemblies", of a size and loading capability which can be changed depending on the type of the respective creel 1 and 2 and depending on the thread or yarn being processed in said circuit SA to be specifically defined, will allow to identify different balance assemblies and to transfer corresponding different operating modules from a loading/unloading or creeling/uncreeling region from respective working zones, by respectively involving the operating sections related to the loading operation being actually performed.

[0020] This means that, at the end of each warping operating session, the balance assemblies, containing operating bobbins R, will be switched to their respective warping positions inside the creels 1 and 2, and then they will be again driven, a front at a time, in the front of the creeling position, either manually or preferably robotically controlled, thereby allowing to properly prepare a following creeling charge or load.

[0021] In particular, the balance assemblies are driven along the overall conveyor overhead track, by suitably dividing said track into a set number of operating sections, the number of which can vary depending on the bobbin assembly length, driven bobbin trains, including a corresponding fixed motorized unit, which is rigid or integral with the circuit SA, for driving the passing groups.

[0022] In this connection it should be pointed out that said balance groups or assemblies will be directionally driven, to allow a proper managing of the processed articles, to be caused to converge to the circuit branches, by not shown suitable pneumatically controlled switching units.

[0023] More specifically, and making reference, by way of an exemplary but not limitative example, to the above mentioned warping room or system comprising the two creels 1 and 2, and accordingly designed for servicing four different working fronts, along the overhead track SA and the creel loading or creeling region will be generally present eight, (four in a working and four in a standby condition), balance assemblies or groups which can be driven independently from one another to allow empty tubes or cones to be unloaded while properly loading full bobbins R during the different warping operation sessions.

[0024] In particular, in the herein disclosed preferred embodiment, each circuit section has been defined as follows:

• creel 1, right side, working front: 1D/L;
• creel 1, right side, standby front: 1D/A;
• creel 1, left side, standby front: 1S/A;
• creel 1, left side, working front: 1S/L;
• creel 2, right side, working front: 2D/L;
• creel 2, right side, standby front: 2D/A;
• creel 2, left side, standby front: 2S/A;
• creel 2, left side, working front: 2S/L;
• loading location, standby front: 3R/A;
• loading location, working front: 3R/L.

[0025] Thus, according to the inventive method, a full operating cycle, that is from the "empting" of an operating charge, to a preparing of the following charge, can be carried out by an operating sequence including the following steps:

STEP 1 (replacing the full bobbins R by empty tubes or partial bobbins T):

• removing the tubes T or partial bobbins on the left, side of the creel 2: from 2SL (←) to 3R/A (→):

• arranging either full or partial bobbins on the left side of the creel 2: from 2S/A (→) to 2S/L (←);
• removing tubes or partial bobbins, on the right side of the creel 2: from 2D/L (→) to 2S/A (→)
• arranging full or partial bobbins, on the right side of the creel 2: from 2D/A (←) to 2D/L (→);

thereby, at this time, as one skilled in the art will understand, it is possible to restart the following warping session.

STEP 2 (unloading of empty tubes and loading of full bobbins):

• removing the first tube or partial bobbin front and preparing the left side of the creel 2: from 3R/A to 3R/L;
• relocating full or partial bobbins on the right side of the standby creel 2: from 3R/L to 2D/A;
• locating the second front of tubes or partial bobbins, for unloading: from 2S/A to 3R/A;
• removing the second front of tubes or partial bobbins, and preparing the right side of the creel 2: from 3RA to 3R/L;
• relocating full or partial bobbins on the left side of the creel 2: from 3R/L to 2S/A;

thereby, at this time, as one skilled in the art will easily understood, the novel charge will be properly arranged on the creel, while waiting for the following operating session, of any desired types.

[0026] From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.

[0027] While the invention has been disclosed with reference to a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and in particular to a system including two creels, it should be apparent that the inventive concept can also be applied to any desired number of creels of any desired types.

[0028] In particular, the disclosed method and system are susceptible to several modifications and variations all coming within the scope of the invention, as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A method for creeling and uncreeling warping creels supporting, for performing warping sessions, a plurality of full yarn bobbins and empty tubes, said creels comprising at least a creel, preferably at least a pair of cooperating creels, said pair of creels including a first creel and a second creel, operatively cooperating with said first creel, said first creel having a first side defining a working front and a standby front, and a second side, defining a working front and a standby front, said second creel, having said first side, defining a working front and a standby front, and a second side, defining a working front and a standby front,
characterized in that said method comprises the steps of creeling and uncreeling said first and second creels in an automatized manner from a centralized operating position outside of and separated from said first and second creels, said centralized position defining a respective standby front and a respective working front, and said steps of creeling and uncreeling said first and second working creels including at least a first step of replacing full or partial bobbins with empty tubes or partial bobbins and at least a second step of unloading empty tubes or partial bobbins and loading full or partial bobbins.

2. A method, according to claim 1,
characterized in that said first exchange step comprises the sub-steps of a) removing empty tubes or partial bobbins on said second side of said second creel, b) arranging said full bobbins or said partial bobbins in said second side of said second creels, c) removing said empty tubes or partial bobbins on said first side of said second creel and d) arranging said full bobbins or said partial bobbins on said first side of said second creel.

3. A method, according to claim 1,
characterized in that said second step of uncreeling said empty tubes or partial bobbins, and creeling said full bobbins or partial bobbins, comprises the sub-steps of: a') removing a first front of said empty tubes or partial bobbins and preparing said second side of said second creel; b') relocating said full bobbins or partial bobbins on said second side of said second creel in a standby condition; c') arranging a second front of said empty tubes or partial bobbins at an uncreeling position; d') removing said second front of said empty tubes or partial bobbins; e') preparing said first side of said second creel for receiving either full or partial bobbins; f') relocating said full or partial bobbins on said first side of said second creel, thereby, at the end of said step f'), on said second creel will be arranged a full charge of said full or partial bobbins, waiting for a following said warping session.

4. A method, according to claim 1,
characterized in that said method comprises, at the end of said first replacing step, a further step of restarting a said warping session.

5. A method, according to claim 1,
characterized in that said method comprises the further step of providing a full charge of said full bobbins waiting for a following said warping sessions.

6. A system for automatically creeling and uncreeling warping creel, for performing a method according to claim 1, said creels including at least a creel, preferably at least a pair of creels, more preferably a plurality of adjoining and cooperating pairs of creels, each said creel having a configuration of a rotary panel or carriage type, or a V configuration, being characterized in that said system further comprises, arranged outside of a working region of said creels and near the latter, at least a robotically controlled station for handling in combination full or partial yarn bobbins and empty tubes or partial bobbins, and at least an overhead circuit affecting said working regions of said creels for distributing to said creels said full or partial bobbins taken from said robotically controlled stations and for recovering to said robotically controlled station said empty tubes or partial bobbins taken from said creels.

7. A system, according to claim 6,
characterized in that said overhead circuit provides an overhead conveyor adapted to directionally transport homogeneous sections of racks included in each said creel, said overhead conveyor being divided into a preset number of locations and operating branches, respectively provided with corresponding motor controlled transfer and driving units rigid with said overhead conveyor, controlling switching means being operatively associated with said overhead conveyor to cause said rack sessions of said creels to converge into said branches of said overhead conveyor.

8. A system, according to claim 6,
characterized in that for each said pair of creels, defining four different regions or working fronts, said system comprises, along said overhead circuit and along an accumulation or a loading region, eight groups of said homogeneous sessions of said racks, to be driven independently from one another to allow said empty tubes of partial bobbins to be unloaded or uncreeled, and said full bobbins or partial bobbins to be loaded or creeled in said different working sessions.

9. A method for automatically creeling and uncreeling creels, for performing respective warping sessions, according to one or more of claims 1 to 5 and substantially as disclosed and illustrated for the intended aim and objects.

10. A system for automatically creeling and uncreeling creels, according to one or more of claims 6 to 8 and substantially as disclosed and illustrated for the intended aim and objects.

Drawing