Already known computerised yarn processing systems as a weaving machine with its associated feeding and accessory components are equipped with a complex multi-line wiring for transmitting signals between interconnected operation elements and associated to control and/or monitoring means. Said wiring extends between all components of the component group of the yarn processing system.

EP-A-0 458 874 discloses a method and structural means for controlling and/or monitoring a yarn processing system with the help of a two-line field bus for the transmission of messages in the form of a quick communication protocol with information types differing in their respective priorities in order to achieve real-time transmission at least for highest priority information using the same field bus as lower priority information types. The wiring thus can be simplifie by the two-line field bus and due to the communication protocol of special communication microprocessors at the interfaces with the field bus. However, in order to connect all transmission participants to the field bus the field bus has to be integrated in the crowded environment of the yarn processing system at locations where mounting space and access are severely restricted. The field bus is vulnerable to damages. The entire system has to have a complicated layout configuration. Damages to the field bus easily cause breakdowns of the communication microprocessors.

It is a task of the invention to provide a more reliable and flexible computerised yarn processing system as well as a method to operate and control said yarn processing system in a more reliable and flexible fashion.

Said task is achieved by the features as contained in claim 1 and the method according to the features contained in claim 18.

Radio transmissions within a frequency band as available for industrial applications and via wireless transmission paths avoid the necessity of designing a complicated field bus layout configuration. The transmission participants are communicating with each other by radio transmissions. This leads to a comfortable modular interchangeabilty of the transmission participants. In case of transmission failures or disturbances the danger of damages for other transmission participants is reduced. Each component or a component group can easily be pre-fabricated independently from others and by other manufacturers. The necessary compatibility is easy to be achieved and allows an advantageous modular composition of different yarn processing systems based upon standardizable base components. In one and the same yarn processing system a radio transmission system using a common frequency could be provided, or several separate systems using different frequencies. Since in a radio transmission system all participants are able to listen to or output information without the restriction of a structural field bus as in prior art, particular care is necessary for the reliability of the respective information to be transmitted or received. This radio specific task is fulfilled by the radio media access control interface means responsible for the organisation and conversion of the information into the radio signals as well as the evaluation of the incoming radio signals. Modern radio transmitters/receivers for industrial applications as well said radio media access control interface means are available for a fair price and with reliable operational behaviour and are easy to be integrated in existing electronic control and/or monitoring means. Even though said radio media access control interface means are constituting additional administrative overhead equipment in the system the most important advantage is the avoidance of a structural field bus wiring while still allowing to use the advantages of a quick and reliable communication protocol.

In a further embodiment even further active yarn processing accessory components are integrated in the radio transmission system for control and/or monitoring purposes. A pre-requisite for said accessory components is an electronic control and/or monitoring means, a power supply, a communication microprocessor and the radio media access control interface means for its radio transmitter/receiver.

In one embodiment it is advantageous to use the presently available ISN-frequency band of about 2.4 GHz for reliable and disturbance-proof radio transmissions.

Alternatively a frequency band of about 400 MHz can be used instead in the yarn processing system.

It is of advantage to use radio transmitters/receivers according to TDMA-standards i. e. a form of radio transmissions as used by GSM-mobile telephone systems.

Alternatively radio transmitters/receivers can be used according to the CDMA-standards which is a more sophisticated form of radio transmissions with increased reliability and high disturbance safety level.

The radio transmitters/receivers used should each have a reach in the range of 5-25 meters, preferably about 10 meters, which is normally sufficient for such yarn processing systems where the communicating participants are located within distances shorter than 10 meters.

For easy manufacturing and assembly the radio media access control interface means could be in the form of at least one hardware component integrated in the respective control and/or monitoring means. Alternatively said radio media access control interface means could be constituted by software only in said communication microprocessor or in an associated to microprocessor.

The communication microprocessor may be customised and apt to configure said different information types each with a frame having frame fields containing data. Said frame configuration is an ideal measure for quick and fail-safe serial or serial and digital transmission.

By configuring said frames with at least one data frame field containing general prioritising data and/or individual addressing data a real-time transmission for important information can be achieved when necessary for a real-time control and/or monitoring of a yarn processing system, or to transmit or receive information between particular selected participants in the transmission system only.

The high reliability and disturbance free radio transmission level in a yarn processing system could advantageously be further extended by using a hand-held controller for transmission and/or receipt of information in a wireless fashion to or from selected or not selected participants in the transmission system. Expediently said hand-held controller is used to set operation parameters or readout stored information. It can easily be equipped such that it is compatible with several yarn processing systems of similar or different kinds.

Participants in the transmission system are not only the yarn feeding devices and the textile machine itself but advantageously yarn sensor elements, drive means, drive operating means, tensiometers, yarn brakes, threading equipment, parameter setting and storing elements, etc., all of which are prepared to output or respond to data transmitted by the respective radio transmitters/receivers.

Also in said accessory components of the yarn processing system sensors, yarn brakes, yarn clamps, tensiometers, yarn cutters, yarn selectors, yarn conveyers, etc. will receive or output radio transmitted data.

In the yarn processing system all participants or their transmission may have the same ranking. Alternatively it might be advantageous to configure one of the participants as a master for other participants.

Trig signals, stop signals, yarn breakage signals and sync signals, etc. necessary to quickly run the system may belong to a highest priority real-time information type, because such information is needed for a real-time control and/or monitoring of the yarn processing system or the co-operation between its components.

Advantageously operation parameters, continuous operation signals, preparatory acceleration or deceleration commands, and similar information belong to lower priority information types which have to wait in the transmission whenever higher ranking information is to be transmitted.

The invention is explained with the help of the drawing. In the drawing is: Fig. 1 A schematic diagrammatic view of a yarn processing system, and Fig. 2 A schematic view of an essential part of a control and/or monitoring means as used in the yarn processing system of Fig. 1.

A yarn processing system S is constituted by a yarn consuming textile machine T, like a weaving machine (as shown) or a knitting machine (not shown), by at least one feeding device F, and, if needed, by several yarn processing accessory components A, altogether forming a component group G designed and structured for mutual communication for controlling and/or monitoring the co-operation during operation of the components in the component group. Said communication is carried out by radio transmission on a wireless basis, preferably bi-directionally, and by using a quick communication protocol with information types differing in their relative ranking. This means that the information as transmitted has differing priorities with highest priority for information intended for real-time transmission, while lower ranking information types will have to wait to be transmitted when any higher ranking information is to be transmitted simultaneously. Highest priority information type are trig signals, stop signals, yarn breakage signals, sync signals, necessary for the correct co-operation of the components of the component group G. Operation parameters, continuous operation signals, preparatory acceleration or deceleration commands belong to lower priority information types.

Even though only one feeding device F is shown in the drawing, said yarn processing system S might contain a plurality of such feeding devices F of similar or different design, each prepared for processing a yarn Y intended for the yarn consuming textile machine T.

Feeding device F has a drive means 2 in a housing 1 supporting a yarn storage drum 2' and comprising yarn processing or monitoring components like yarn sensors 3 or a yarn brake 4, e. g. at the outlet region of said feeding device F. Further not shown yarn processing accessory components could be provided at the inlet side (left-side) of feeding device F, as well. Said accessory components 3,4 are connected to the power supply of the feeding device or to an own power supply and are also connected to a control and/or monitoring means C of said feeding device F. Said control and/or monitoring means C (an electronic control circuit having a microprocessor controlling the drive motor 2, e. g. on the basis of signals generated by components 3,4 and independent from the yarn consumption as well as depending on information received from the textile machine T) contains a communication microprocessor B and at least one radio transmitter/receiver R (having a not shown antenna assembly).

Said communication microprocessor B is designed for a quick communication protocol and serial or serial and digital transmission of information types differing from another in ranking such that an information type having highest priority can be transmitted in real- time and has priority over other information types having lower priority. Said communication microprocessor B is apt to provide said information on the basis of signals or data present in the control and/or monitoring means C for said radio transmitter/receiver R, but simultaneously is apt to derive data or signals from any information as received via its associated radio transmitter/receiver R for the components connected to said control and/or monitoring means C.

Downstream yarn feeding device F as an accessory component A, e. g. a yarn tensioner, yarn brake, or tensiometer 5 is provided having e. g. an own power supply 6 and having an own control and/or monitoring means C, again equipped with a communication microprocessor B and a radio transmitter/receiver R.

Close to the inlet of a shed 10 of said textile machine T a further accessory component A is situated, namely a yarn cutting means, a yarn selector or an auxiliary insertion conveyor 7 having an own power supply or being connected to the power supply of the textile machine, and having an own control and/or monitoring means C containing a communication microprocessor B and a radio transmitter/receiver R.

In the entrance region of shed 10 of textile machine T a further component 8, e. g. a insertion means, is provided, preferably connected to the power supply of a control and/or monitoring means C of the textile machine T, equipped with communication microprocessor B and radio transmitter/receiver R. At the rear end of shed 10 a further accessory component 12 is situated, e. g. an arrival sensor, having an own power supply 6 and a control and/or monitoring means C, again equipped with a communication microprocessor B and a radio transmitter/receiver R. Power supply for processor B or radio transmitter/receiver R could be a battery instead.

Finally, in textile machine T a main control and/or monitoring means C is situated, e. g. close to the control and/or monitoring panel P of said textile machine T, to which panel P e. g. an only indicated drive means 9 of said textile machine T is connected. Also the main control and/or monitoring means C of textile machine T is equipped with at least one communication microprocessor B and an associated to, stationary radio receiver/transmitter R.

Furthermore, a hand-held controller H can be used as part of the yarn processing system S. Controller H has an indicating and input section 13, is designed on an electronic basis and contains a communication microprocessor B and a radio transmitter/receiver R and an own power supply, preferably a battery.

All radio transmitters/receivers R in the yarn processing system S are designed for mutual wireless transmission within a frequency band as available for industrial applications. Advantageously they are designed for ISM-standards and a frequency band of about 2.4 GHz. Instead they could be designed for a frequency band of about 400 MHz. The radio transmitters/receivers R as used could operate according to TDMA-standards like GSM mobile telephone systems or according to CDMA-standard, a somewhat more sophisticated form of radio transmission.

In Fig. 2 an essential part of each of the control and/or monitoring means C is shown.

Within said control and/or monitoring means C a microprocessor M P is connected to a communication microprocessor B which in turn is connected to its radio receiver/transmitter R. Between communication microprocessor B and radio/transmitter R a radio media access control interface means M is situated, either in the form of hardware components or in the form of software constituted by communication microprocessor B itself or by an associated to, not shown, microprocessor. Radio transmitter/receiver R is equipped with an in-built antenna assembly 14. All the above- mentioned components can be mounted to a common circuit board.

Provided that data signals received from microprocessor MP are to be transmitted by radio receiver/transmitter R, they are organised by said communication microprocessor B in order to form a computer information of one of the above-mentioned different information types of the communication protocol. Since said information types cannot be transmitted by the radio transmitter/receiver R as they are, e. g. schematic indicated interfaces 15 and 16 are used, to first organise and handle the information as built up by communication microprocessor B for radio transmitter/receiver R and to translate via second interface 16 said organised or translated information into radio signals which then are transmitted by radio receiver/transmitter R, e. g. by frequency modulation (FM). Said radio media access control interface means M is an IC (integrated circuit) not only organising and handling the respective information for the radio transmitter R, but also organising and handling any radio transmitted received information back to communication microprocessor B which is then inputting the resulting signals or data into microprocessor MP. Radio media access control interface means M is an administrative overhead equipment of each control and/or monitoring means C and is necessary because all participants of the wireless radio transmission via transmission paths D simultaneously can be transmitting and/or receiving and thus need an administrative organisation within the transmission system, namely said radio media access control interface means M in each of the communicating control and/or monitoring means C.