In a textile processing plant, various types of textile machines are usually arranged in a row. In a spinning mill, these are for example spinning or washing machines. To clean these machines, they have to be blown out at various points. For example, to clean the whorl valve of a spinning machine, a blast of air current must be directed to the whorl valve by means of a nozzle.
In order to be able to blow out the various machines at different points, it is known from German Patent No. 34 25 545 to direct two hoses from a distributor station which have different openings to the machines. These two hoses are located on two horizontally extending connecting pieces on the distributor station and are guided vertically downward along a curve of 90.degree.. A flat air-conducting element, which is swivelable about a horizontal axis and seals either the one or the other connection orifice is located in the distributor box.
The device has the disadvantage that as one of the two hoses is always acted upon by compressed air, it is not possible to separate the two hoses from the compressed air source. Furthermore, only two compressed air hoses can be connected to the distributor station.
German Patent Publication GM 85 08 228 describes a cleaning device which can travel along the textile machines, having a ventilator on which at least two hoses are located as well as a distributor box for distributing the blast-air to the two hoses. Within the distributor box, there is a valve with a horizontal swivel axis which leads the blast of air to one of several blast hoses attached to the distributor box. One of the blast hoses is used to blow on a washing machine, the other to blow on a spinning machine and a further blast hose is provided for blowing out the whorl valve of a spinning machine.
A disadvantage of this device is that the distributor box must be constructed quite high due to the arrangement of the valves. Moreover, the number of hoses to be charged with air is limited to three. Finally, there is no position in which none of the hoses is charged with air.
German Patent DE 36 18 934 A1 describes a device for cleaning textile machines having blowers guided above the textile machines, to whose pressure side two vertically extending blast hoses, which have different openings directed to the machine, are attached via a distributor box. In the distributor box, there is an air-conducting element which conveys the blast air to one or the other blast hose. This air-conducting element is a flat baffle which is located inside the distributor box above the connection openings to which the blast hoses are attached. In one position of this baffle, the one connection is covered and, in the other position, the other connection is covered. As a result, the air-blast hose located at the connection which is covered in each case is shut down.
This arrangement does enable the simultaneous sealing of all blast-air hoses, however, only if they are not too numerous. With more than three blast-air hoses, the arrangement can no longer be used. Moreover, the air-conducting baffle must be moved electromotively, as it is not manually accessible inside the distributor box.