Patent Description:
As is known, in a generic textile apparatus, a plurality of yarns can be fed to a textile machine, for example a knitting machine, by respective yarn feeders of the so-called accumulation type or of the so-called positive type.

A generic accumulation yarn feeder can comprise a drum adapted to support, wound on it, a plurality of turns of yarn which form a reserve. The yarn, which unwinds from the drum on demand from the textile machine, passes through a weft braking device which controls its tension on the basis of the signal received from a load cell. As the drum empties, fresh yarn is picked up from an upstream spool and wound onto the drum by a weft winding motor by means of a flywheel or by turning the drum itself.

A positive yarn feeder is generally provided with a motorized reel on which the yarn is wound repeatedly (for example, <NUM> or <NUM> turns) so as to adhere to it by friction. By turning the reel, the yarn unwinds from an upstream spool and is fed to the downstream textile machine. During processing, the speed of the reel can be adjusted on the basis of the signal received from a load cell which measures the tension of the yarn fed to the textile machine so as to stabilize it at a fixed value or at a profile set by the user.

It is also known, particularly in the field of knitting machines, to control yarn feeders remotely. Typically, all yarn feeders that feed a same textile machine are connected, in order to exchange operating data, to a field bus (typically a CAN BUS) which is connected to a local network (typically an RJ-<NUM>, <NUM>. X Wi-Fi high-speed ethernet network) by means of a gateway. It is possible to connect to the local network terminals such as personal computers, notebooks, tablets, and the like, provided with an application for communicating with the gateway, typically by means of the TCP/IP protocol.

The network architecture described above is known from <CIT> or <CIT> and makes it possible to monitor and modify remotely various parameters that are useful in the optimization of the yarn feeding process, for example the feeding tension.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a method for managing operating data in a textile apparatus of the type described above which makes it possible to further increase the performance of the textile apparatus with respect to known solutions.

Within this aim an object of the present invention is to provide a method for managing operating data in a textile apparatus that can be performed easily.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for managing operating data in a textile apparatus that has low costs and is of assured application.

This aim and these and other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method having the characteristics described in claim <NUM>, while the dependent claims define other advantageous characteristics of the invention, albeit secondary ones.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to some preferred but not exclusive embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying <FIG>, which is a block diagram of a textile apparatus to which the method according to the invention is applied.

With initial reference to <FIG>, in a generic textile apparatus <NUM> a plurality of yarns can be fed to one or more textile machines, for example one or more knitting machines, by respective yarn feeders.

In the example of <FIG>, there are two knitting machines, KM' and KM", each of which is fed by a respective group of yarn feeders. For each one of the knitting machines KM', KM", some yarn feeders, designated by the reference numerals A1', A2',. , An' and A1", A2",. , An", are of the so-called accumulation type and others, designated by the reference numerals B1', B2',. , Bn' and B1", B2",. , Bn", are of the so-called accumulation type.

In a manner known per se, a generic accumulation yarn feeder can comprise a drum which is adapted to carry, wound onto itself, a plurality of turns of yarn which form a reserve. The yarn, which unwinds from the drum on demand of the textile machine, passes through a weft braking device which controls its mechanical tension on the basis of the signal received from a load cell. As the drum empties, new yarn is drawn from an upstream spool and wound onto the drum by a weft winding motor by means of a flywheel or by turning the drum itself. An accumulation yarn feeder of the type cited above is described for example in <CIT> in the name of this same Applicant.

A positive yarn feeder is generally provided with a motorized reel on which the yarn is wound repeatedly (for example <NUM> or <NUM> turns) so as to adhere to it by friction. By turning the reel, the yarn unwinds from an upstream spool and is fed to the downstream textile machine. During processing, the speed of the reel can be adjusted on the basis of the signal received from a load cell which measures the tension of the yarn fed to the textile machine so as to stabilize it at a fixed value or at a profile set by the user. A positive yarn feeder of the type cited above is described for example in <CIT> in the name of this same Applicant.

All the yarn feeders that feed a same textile machine KM' or KM" are connected, in order to exchange operating data, to a respective field bus FB', FB" (typically a CAN BUS), which is connected to a local network FN (typically an RJ-<NUM>, Wi-Fi <NUM>. X high-speed ethernet network) by means of a respective gateway GW', GW". Terminals, such as personal computers PC and/or other control devices such as notebooks, tablets, and the like (not shown), are connected to the local network FN. All the terminals are provided with an application for communicating with the gateways GW', GW", typically by means of a TCP/IP protocol.

In a manner known per se, the network architecture described above makes it possible to monitor and modify remotely various parameters useful for optimizing the yarn feeding process, for example the feeding tension for each of the yarn feeders.

According to the invention, in order to further increase the performance of the textile apparatus with respect to known solutions, each one of the gateways GW', GW" is programmed to read periodically from the yarn feeders A1', A2',. , An', B1', B2',. , Bn' and A1", A2",. , An", B1", B2",. , Bn" operating data related to at least one process parameter and send them to a server SS, which is programmed to organize and log the operating data in a database DB for subsequent maintenance and/or predictive and/or diagnostic analyses.

The reading interval of the gateway GW', GW" can be comprised for example between a few seconds and a few minutes, for example <NUM> minute.

By way of example, some process parameters that can be read periodically by the gateways GW', GW" are: the yarn feeding speed, the torque delivered to the axle of the weft winding motor in accumulation yarn feeders, the read tension and/or the desired tension of the tension control system, the bus voltage, the characteristic data of the sensors on the feeder or along the feeding line (for example, in the case of photocell sensors, the compensation current impressed in the photoemitters), the consumption of yarn, and the like.

Advantageously, upstream of the server SS, the data that arrive from the textile machines KM', KM", which are identified by respective topics, are collected and distributed by a message broker MB.

According to the invention, the operating data in the database DB are analyzed in an analysis block SA by means of algorithms which are configured to perform the above cited maintenance and/or predictive and/or diagnostic analyses.

In maintenance analyses, the value of the process parameter of interest related to each one of the yarn feeders is compared with the average value of the same process parameter of the other yarn feeders. If the difference exceeds a certain threshold which indicates a possible anomaly, an alarm is generated on the terminals PC of the operators connected to the local network FN.

In predictive analyses, the process parameter of interest is analyzed in order to predict the future failure of a component associated with a yarn feeder and, in case of probable failure, generate a message suitable to suggest the replacement of the component at risk in order to avoid compromising the productivity of the textile apparatus.

In diagnostic analyses, the process parameters are analyzed in order to identify any inefficiencies and provide the operators with indications regarding any corrections to be applied to the process parameters themselves in order to improve performance. Some process parameters that can be controlled are, for example, the yield of the textile machine, the number of alarms or errors generated by the yarn feeders in a preset time period, and other similar ones.

Advantageously, the operating data logged in the database DB and the results of the abovecited maintenance and/or predictive and/or diagnostic analyses are displayed on an interface system FE downstream of the analysis block SA. The interface system FE can advantageously comprise a web portal with dedicated access credentials.

As the expert in the field will understand easily, depending on the extent of the data and on the scalability of the system, all the above cited software/hardware devices/components can be separated or incorporated into a single device, which can be virtual or physical.

Furthermore, the software components can be arranged on the local network FN or, preferably, in a cloud architecture as shown in <FIG>, where the high-speed network FN is separated from the cloud CL by a firewall FW. In this last case, the analytical results are advantageously accessible from anywhere for the clients C1, C2,. , Cn by using an ordinary web browser to access the interface system FE by means of a public network, typically the Internet.

Some examples of application of the method according to the invention are described hereinafter.

As is known, the yarn feeders associated with a textile machine can be divided into groups, the yarn feeders of each group being configured with the same parameters, for example the same feeding tension.

By way of example, <NUM> yarn feeders associated with a single textile machine can be divided into four groups of <NUM> feeders each, wherein:.

In a first example of application of the method according to the invention, which refers to accumulation yarn feeders provided with a motorized flywheel in order to wind turns of yarn onto the drum, an excessive value of the torque delivered by the weft winding motor with respect to the average value in the same group of yarn feeders might indicate a criticality in the point where the yarn enters the yarn guiding tube at the inlet of the feeder.

The criticality can be due, for example, to a yarn insertion angle that is too far from the ideal one (which is <NUM>° with respect to the axis of the yarn guiding tube) or to the failure of the yarn guiding tube, with the yarn exiting from it, generating friction, and the like.

The system can be programmed to alert the operator in such circumstances, so that he can control the insertion of the yarn on that specific feeder and prevent drawbacks arising from the overheating of the weft winding motor and from an excessively high yarn tension upstream of the feeder, with the risk of yarn breakage.

In a second example of application of the method according to the invention, which refers again to accumulation yarn feeders, an excessively high value (e.g., > <NUM> mA) of the compensation current on a turn counting photocell which counts the turns of yarn that unwind from the drum, with respect to the average value in the same group of yarn feeders, might indicate an excessive amount of dirt or dust on the photocell. This circumstance may alter the counting of the wound turns. The system can be programmed to alert the user in such circumstances, so that he can clean the sensor.

In a third example of application of the method according to the invention, which refers again to accumulation yarn feeders, a measured value of the consumption of yarn that is too far from the value measured on the other yarn feeders of the same group might indicate an incorrect operation of the turn counting photocell. The system can be programmed to alert the user in such circumstances, so that he can replace the turn counting photocell or the feeder if the problem persists.

In a fourth example of application of the method according to the invention, an excessively high value (e.g., > <NUM> mA) of the compensation current on a yarn breakage photocell which detects the possible breakage of the yarn at the inlet of the feeder, with respect to the average value in the same group of yarn feeders, might indicate an excessive amount of dirt or dust on the photocell. This circumstance might cause frequent false alarms. The system can be programmed to alert the user in such circumstances so that he can clean the sensor.

In a fifth example of application of the method according to the invention, a degree of applied braking that is excessively different from the average degree of braking that is applied in the same group of yarn feeders set at the same reference tension might indicate an operating anomaly in the load cell (e.g., excessive offset or failure of the load cell). The system can be programmed to alert the user in such circumstances so that he can check or replace the load cell.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described with reference also to some examples of application, but the person skilled in the art may of course apply different modifications or variations within the scope of the claims; all the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In the exemplary embodiments shown, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

Claim 1:
A method for managing operating data in a textile apparatus provided with at least one textile machine (KM' and KM") fed by a plurality of yarn feeders (A1', A2', ..., An' and A1", A2", ..., An", B1', B2', ..., Bn' and B1", B2", ..., Bn") connected, in order to exchange operating data, to a field bus (FB', FB") which is connected to a local network (FN) by means of a gateway (GW', GW"), wherein said gateway (GW', GW") is programmed to read periodically from said yarn feeders (A1', A2', ..., An', B1', B2', ..., Bn' and A1", A2", ..., An", B1", B2", ..., Bn") operating data related to at least one process parameter and send them to a server (SS), characterised in that the server (SS) is programmed to organize and log said operating data in a database (DB) for subsequent maintenance and/or predictive and/or diagnostic analyses, the operating data in said database (DB) being analyzed in an analysis block (SA) by means of algorithms which are configured to perform said maintenance and/or predictive and/or diagnostic analyses.