Method and apparatus for driving and piecing-up open-end spinning units

Claim 1

A driving device for an open-end spinning system formed by a number of juxtaposed spinning units each comprising a rotor, a feed roller for supplying a sliver into the rotor, and a package driving drum for taking spun yarn out of the rotor, said device being characterized by a main drive transmission system and an auxiliary drive transmission system provided in common to said spinning units each of which spinning units is operatively linked with said main and auxiliary transmission systems so as to be switched separately and individually from high speed operation to low speed operation and vice versa with the aid of said transmission systems, said auxiliary transmission system including two separate drive sources for each of said spinning units, one of said separate drive sources being connected to said rotor of the associated spinning unit and the other of said separate drive sources being connected to both said feed roller and said package driving drum of the associated spinning unit, said drive sources having different speed changing modes, said main and auxiliary driving systems each including a separate transmission belt for driving the rotor.

Claim 3

A method of re-starting a spinning process in an open-end spinning machine having at least one rotor, a feed roll for feeding fiber to the rotor and a take-off roll for taking off yarn from the rotor, said method comprising the steps of rotating the rotor, feed roll and take-off roll during start-up at speeds lower than production speeds and at which the ratios of rotational speeds of the feed roll and take-off roll with respect to the rotational speed of the rotor are reduced; and thereafter rotating the rotor, feed roll and take-off roll at the production speeds at which the ratios of rotational speeds of the feed roll and take-off roll with respect to the rotational speed of the rotor are not reduced.

Claim 4

A method of re-starting a spinning process in an open-end spinning machine having at least one rotor, a feed roll for feeding fiber to the rotor and a take-off roll for taking off yarn from the rotor, said method comprising the steps of rotating the rotor, feed roll and take-off roll during start-up at speeds lower than production speeds and at which the ratios of rotational speeds of the feed roll and take-off roll with respect to the rotational speed of the rotor are reduced; and thereafter rotating the rotor, feed roll and take-off roll at the production speeds at which the ratios of rotational speeds of the feed roll and take-off roll with respect to the rotational speed of the rotor are not reduced.

Claim 6

A method of open-end spinning of thread, comprising the steps of: (A) twisting the open end of the thread at a pre-determined twisting rate; (B) drawing off the thread at a pre-determined draw-off speed; and (C) increasing the numerical ratio of said twisting rate to said draw-off speed whenever the thread is being reattached to the roving and whenever a thread breakage is being repaired, wherein the step of increasing the ratio of said twisting rate to said draw-off speed is performed while said twisting rate is lower than it is during normal spinning machine operation.

Claim 7

A method of open-end spinning of thread, comprising the steps of: (A) twisting the open end of the thread at a pre-determined twisting rate; (B) drawing off the thread at a pre-determined draw-off speed; and (C) increasing the numerical ratio of said twisting rate to said draw-off speed whenever the thread is being reattached to the roving and whenever a thread breakage is being repaired, wherein the step of increasing the ratio of said twisting rate to said draw-off speed is performed while said twisting rate is lower than it is during normal spinning machine operation.