Method and apparatus for controlling and regulating machines of a textile fiber processing line

In a regulating apparatus for regulating fiber quantities supplied to a fiber processing machine of a fiber processing line including a fiber storing apparatus connected downstream of said fiber processing machine and receiving processed fiber therefrom;

• said fiber processing machine including a feed roller supplying fiber to said fiber processing machine, an opening roller and a regulatable drive means for rotating said feed roller and said opening roller;
• the improvement comprising
• (a) a sensor connected to said fiber storing apparatus for generating a sensor signal representing the fiber quantity in said fiber storing apparatus;
• (b) regulator means connected to said sensor for receiving said sensor signal from said sensor and connected to said regulatable drive means for applying thereto an analog control signal for varying the rpm of said feed roller and said opening roller as a function of the fiber quantities in said fiber storing apparatus;
• and
• (c) proportioning means operatively interconnecting said feed roller and said opening roller for proportionately varying the rpm of the feed roller and the opening roller relative to one another.

In a fiber processing line including a series of fiber processing machines each having fiber feeding means, an input and an output;

• the output of each fiber processing machine being connected to the input of a downstream adjoining fiber processing machine, as viewed in the direction of fiber travel;
• a fiber supplying apparatus having an output connected to the input of the first fiber processing machine in the series;
• the improvement wherein each said fiber processing machine includes means for responding, at least indirectly, to fiber quantities momentarily present in the respective fiber processing machines upstream of the fiber feeding means thereof and for emitting an analog signal representing the fiber quantities;
• further comprising means for applying the analog signal from each fiber processing machine to the fiber feeding means of an upstream adjoining fiber processing machine for controlling the operation of each fiber processing machine as a function of fiber quantities of a downstream adjoining fiber processing machine;
• output sensor means connected to the output of the last fiber processing machine in the series for generating a signal representing a fiber output of said last fiber processing machine;
• and a control means connected to said output sensor means, to each said means responding to fiber quantities and to said fiber supplying apparatus for an interrelated overall control of the fiber processing line.