Method of, and apparatus for, transmitting data in a manufacturing machine comprising a plurality of production stations

An apparatus for transmitting data in a manufacturing machine, especially yarn manufacturing machine, containing a plurality of production stations, a plurality of monitoring sensors located at respective monitoring locations of respective ones of said plurality of production stations, and a central control unit communicating with said plurality of production stations, said apparatus comprising:

• common conductor means interconnecting said central control unit and a parallel connected plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit containing generating means for generating a modulated supply voltage containing a plurality of consecutive sections;
• said generating means of said central control unit being connected to said common conductor means for applying said plurality of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage to said common conductor means and thereby to all individual ones of the plurality of production stations;
• counting means connected to said common conductor means and provided in each one of said plurality of production stations for counting the number of said plurality of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage at each one of said plurality of production stations;
• a counting device provided in said central control unit for counting, in synchronism with said counting means at said plurality of production stations, the number of said plurality of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage applied to said common conductor means;
• a synchronization circuit provided in said central control unit and connected to said common conductor means and said counting device for setting a predetermined starting point for applying said plurality of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage to said common conductor means and for simultaneously starting a counting operation at said counting device in said central control unit and said counting means in each one of said plurality of production stations in order to thereby synchronize said central control unit and said plurality of production stations;
• a reference number generator provided at each one of said plurality of production stations for generating a reference number specific for a respective one of said plurality of production stations;
• comparator means provided at each one of said plurality of production stations and connected to the counting means and the reference number generator for comparing the reference number and the number of said plurality of consecutive sections of the modulated supply voltage counted by said counting means and for allocating said consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage to respective ones of said plurality of production stations having a reference number which corresponds to the number of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage counted by the respective ones of said counting means;
• marking means provided at each one of said plurality of production stations and connected to said monitoring sensors and said comparator means;
• said marking means being connected to said common conductor means and being controlled by said monitoring sensor and said comparator means for producing a marking in the allocated section of the modulated supply voltage during the time such allocated section is applied to the respective production station and at the occurrence of a predetermined event detected by the monitoring sensor at the respective production station;
• detection means provided in said central control unit for detecting said markings in said plurality of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage;
• and
• an identifying circuit provided in said central control unit and connected to said counting device and said detection means for identifying markings in said plurality of consecutive sections of said modulated supply voltage and thereby the production stations at which said predetermined event has been detected.

An apparatus for transmitting data in a manufacturing machine, especially yarn manufacturing machine, containing a plurality of production stations, a plurality of monitoring sensors located at respective monitoring locations of respective ones of said plurality of production stations, and a central control unit communicating with said plurality of production stations, said apparatus comprising:

• common conductor means interconnecting said central control unit and the plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit generating a modulated supply voltage having a regularly recurring modulation and containing a plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections each of which is associated with one of said plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit applying, via said common conductor means, said modulated supply voltage to all individual ones of the plurality of production stations;
• counting means connected to said common conductor means and provided in each one of said plurality of production stations for identifying, in said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage, the section which is associated with said individual production station;
• each one of said plurality of production stations containing marking means connected to a respective one of said plurality of monitoring sensors and to said common conductor means;
• said marking means being controlled by said counting means for marking the associated one of said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage at the occurrence of a predetermined event detected by the respective monitoring sensor;
• said central control unit detecting a marking of said marked section via said common conductor means;
• said central control unit comprising an identifying circuit for identifying markings of the marked sections in said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections and thereby the production stations associated with said marked sections;
• said marking means provided at each one of said plurality of production stations, comprise a capacitor;
• said marking means further including switch means for interconnecting said capacitor and said common conductor means;
• said switch means being transiently closed under the action of an output signal generated by the respective monitoring sensor at the occurrence of said predetermined event;
• said capacitor being charged during the time of said transient closure of said switch means whereby a voltage drop is produced in the associated one of said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage and which section is associated with said monitoring location at which the respective monitoring sensor has responded to the occurrence of said predetermined event;
• and
• said voltage drop constituting a marking of said associated section for identification of the respective production station by said identifying circuit in said central control unit.

An apparatus for transmitting data in a manufacturing machine, especially yarn manufacturing machine, containing a plurality of production stations, a plurality of monitoring sensors located at respective monitoring locations of respective ones of said plurality of production stations, and a central control unit communicating with said plurality of production stations, said apparatus comprising

• common conductor means interconnecting said central control unit and the plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit generating a modulated supply voltage having a regularly recurring modulation and containing a plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections each of which is associated with one of said plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit applying, via said common conductor means, said modulated supply voltage to all individual ones of the plurality of production stations;
• counting means connected to said common conductor means and provided in each one of said plurality of production stations for identifying, in said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage, the section which is associated with said individual production station;
• each one of said plurality of production stations containing marking means connected to a respective one of said plurality of monitoring sensors and to said common conductor means;
• said marking means being controlled by said counting means for marking the associated one of said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage at the occurrence of a predetermined event detected by the respective monitoring sensor;
• said central control unit detecting a marking of said marked section via said common conductor means;
• said central control unit comprising an identifying circuit for identifying markings of the marked sections in said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections and thereby the production stations associated with said marked sections;
• a high-pass filter included in said identifying circuit of said central control unit;
• said high-pass filter being connected to said common conductor means and generating an output signal representative of a marking pulse marking the section of said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage and which section is associated with the monitoring location at which the respective monitoring sensor has responded to the occurrence of said predetermined event;
• and
• means for generating a well-defined rectangular pulse from said output signal representative of said marking pulse.

An apparatus for transmitting data in a manufacturing machine, especially yarn manufacturing machine, containing a plurality of production stations, a plurality of monitoring sensors located at respective monitoring locations of respective ones of said plurality of production stations, and a central control unit communicating with said plurality of production stations, said apparatus comprising:

• common conductor means interconnecting said central control unit and the plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit generating a modulated supply voltage having a regularly recurring modulation and containing a plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections each of which is associated with one of said plurality of production stations;
• said central control unit applying, via said common conductor means, said modulated supply voltage to all individual ones of the plurality of production stations;
• counting means connected to said common conductor means and provided in each one of said plurality of production stations for identifying, in said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage, the section which is associated with said individual production station;
• each one of said plurality of production stations containing marking means connected to a respective one of said plurality of monitoring sensors and to said common conductor means;
• said marking means being controlled by said counting means for marking the associated one of said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage at the occurrence of a predetermined event detected by the respective monitoring sensor;
• said central control unit detecting a marking of said marked section via said common conductor means;
• said central control unit comprising an identifying circuit for identifying markings of the marked sections in said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections and thereby the production stations associated with said marked sections;
• means for generating an adjustable reference number and contained in each one of said plurality of production stations;
• a comparator connected on its input side to said means for generating said adjustable reference number and said counting means;
• and
• said comparator having an output connected in circuit with said marking means for marking the section of said plurality of consecutive substantially identical sections of said modulated supply voltage and which section is associated with the production station at which the respective monitoring sensor has responded to the occurrence of said predetermined event.