Control arrangement for yarn piecing apparatus

Claim 1

In combination with a textile yarn forming machine having a plurality of drafting systems arranged at a series of locations for normally receiving a corresponding series of supply strands and normally delivering a corresponding series of attenuated strands and a plurality of stop members, each mounted adjacent a corresponding one of said drafting systems and selectively actuable for movement between a retracted position spaced from a corresponding supply strand and a strand interrupting position engaging and restraining the corresponding supply strand and thereby for interrupting passage of the restrained supply strand into the corresponding drafting system, and a traveling unit traversing the machine and having instrumentalities for reinstituting attenuated strand formation at a drafting system where an attenuated strand is absent, an arrangement for facilitating reduction in the number of ineffective attempts at reinstitution of strand formation and comprising: active sonic detector means mounted on said traveling unit for movement therewith along said machine and for electrically signaling traversal of a drafting system location at which the corresponding one of said stop members is in the retracted position, attenuated strand detector means mounted on said traveling unit for movement therewith along said machine and responsive to electrostatic charges normally present at drafting system locations during attenuated strand formation for electrically signaling traversal of a drafting system location at which normal attenuated strand formation is occurring, logic circuit means electricallly connected with said sonic detector means and said strand detector means for distinguishing among signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding member is in the retracted position and strand formation is occurring, signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding member is in the retracted position and strand formation has been interrupted, and traversal of a location at which said corresponding member is in the strand interrupting position, and control means for responding to said logic circuit means distinguishing signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding member is retracted and strand formation has been interrupted by stopping traversal of said machine by said traveling unit and initiating operation of said instrumentalities for reinstituting attenuated strand formation and for responding to said logic circuit distinguishing either of the otHer traversals by continuing traversal of said machine by said traveling unit.

Claim 5

A method of operating a traveling unit which has instrumentalities for reinstituting attenuated strand formation at drafting systems of a textile yarn forming machine, the machine having a plurality of drafting systems arranged at a series of locations for normally receiving a corresponding series of supply strands and normally delivering a corresponding series of attenuated strands and having a plurality of stop members each mounted adjacent a corresponding one of said drafting systems and selectively actuable for movement between a retracted position spaced from the corresponding supply strand and a strand interrupting position engaging and restraining the corresponding supply strand and thereby for interrupting passage of the restrained supply strand into the corresponding drafting system, the method facilitating reduction in the number of ineffective attempts at reinstitution of strand formation and comprising the steps of: traversing the drafting system locations with the traveling unit while actively sonically detecting the disposition of stop members in the retracted position and electrostatically detecting electrical charges normally present at drafting system locations during attenuated strand formation, electrically signaling traversal of a drafting system location at which the corresponding stop member is in the retracted position, electrically signaling traversal of a drafing system location where normal attenuated strand production is occurring, distinguishing among signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the retracted position and strand formation is occurring, signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the retracted position and strand formation has been interrupted, and traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the interrupting position, continuing traversal of the textile machine by the traveling unit in response to distinguishing signaled traversal of a location at which strand formation is occuring and traversal of a location at which the corresponding stop member is in the interrupting position, and interrupting traversal of the traveling unit and initiating operation of the instrumentalities for reinstituting formation of attenuated strands in response to distinguishing the signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the retracted position and strand formation has been interrupted.

Claim 6

A method of operating a traveling unit which has instrumentalities for reinstituting attenuated strand formation at drafting systems of a textile yarn forming machine, the machine having a plurality of drafting systems arranged at a series of locations for normally receiving a corresponding series of supply strands and normally delivering a corresponding series of attenuated strands and having a plurality of stop members each mounted adjacent a corresponding one of said drafting systems and selectively actuable for movement between a retracted position spaced from the corresponding supply strand and a strand interrupting position engaging and restraining the corresponding supply strand and thereby for interrupting passage of the restrained supply strand into the corresponding drafting system, the method facilitating reduction in the number of ineffective attempts at reinstitution of strand formation and comprising the steps of: traversing the drafting system locations with the traveling unit while actively sonically detecting the disposition of stop members in the retracted position and electrostatically detecting electrical charges normally present at drafting system locations during attenuated strand formation, electrically signaling traversal of a drafting system location at which the corresponding stop member is in the retracted position, electrically signaling traversal of a drafing system location where normal attenuated strand production is occurring, distinguishing among signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the retracted position and strand formation is occurring, signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the retracted position and strand formation has been interrupted, and traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the interrupting position, continuing traversal of the textile machine by the traveling unit in response to distinguishing signaled traversal of a location at which strand formation is occuring and traversal of a location at which the corresponding stop member is in the interrupting position, and interrupting traversal of the traveling unit and initiating operation of the instrumentalities for reinstituting formation of attenuated strands in response to distinguishing the signaled traversal of a location at which said corresponding stop member is in the retracted position and strand formation has been interrupted.