Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The following co-pending applications assigned to the same assignee as the present application, are related:
Apparatus For Starting and Operating Electric Discharge Lamps, Richard D. Barriball, Ser. No. 604,417, Filed Dec. 23, 1966, now Pat. No. 3,501,728.
Apparatus For Starting And Operating Electric Discharge Lamps, Saverio Caltagirone, Ser. No. 131,474, filed Apr. 5, 1971, and which is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 11,454, filed on the same day as this application and now abandoned.
The following co-pending application, assigned to the same assignee as the present application, and filed on the same day as this application is expressly incorporated by reference in the present application:
Apparatus and Method For Winding Electrical Coils, Saverio Caltagirone, Ser. No. 11,456, filed on the same day as this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multiple coil winding machine, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for providing an accelerated traverse reversal of the wire payoff carriage with respect to the winding arbor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In presently available multiple coil winding machines the traverse including reversals of the multiple strand wire payoff carriage is affected by a reciprocating drive mechanism, the reciprocating motion of which is imparted thereto by a cardioid cam. The cardioid cam has two null points, one of which occurs at each reversal of the traverse of the wire payoff carriage. The amount of dwell of the wire payoff carriage provided by the null points of the cardioid cam is a critical factor which effects the windability of a coil. The dwell is affected not only by the accuracy of the cam, but also by its mounting and other associated equipment which together contribute a certain amount of backlash in the traversing of the wire payoff carriage.
In order to obtain a coil having the maximum space factor, that is the maximum conductor cross sectional area per overall coil cross sectional area, the conductor or wire tension during winding is kept to a maximum and the layer insulation thickness is kept to a minimum commensurate with the coil windability. The most critical area affected by wire size, tension of the wire, and the thickness of the layer insulation is observed along the periphery of the coil at the reversal turns at both ends of the coil. More specifically, if the tension of the conductor is too great, or if the layer insulation is too thin, or if the conductor is of too large a diameter for the layer insulation, the end turns of the coil have a tendency to fall down on the margins of the coil, or to cause multiturn build-up at the end of the coil.
In order to take into account these factors, standard values of coil conductor tension, layer insulation thickness for use with various conductor diameters, etc., have been recorded and are used in order to wind an acceptable coil.
While adequate dwell time at the reversal of the wire payoff carriage traverse is necessary for insertion of the layer insulation paper to the strip of coils, at the same time it is most desirable that the wire payoff carriage has moved an adequate distance after the reversal to assure that the first turn of the succeeding coil winding layer is wound over the layer insulation directly over the hard bed of the turns of the previous layer, such that the turn will not fall in the critical marginal area of the coil where it would have a tendency to fall down on the margins or cause a multiturn build-up.
It is even more critical in winding wire which has been flattened on a pair of opposite sides than in the case of round wire that the first turn of the succeeding coil winding layer be wound on the hard bed of the turns of the previous layer. For instance with flattened wire it is possible to utilize thinner layer insulation, wherein the flattened surface spreads the force of winding tension over a greater area of the paper. However, at the same time if the first turn of the succeeding coil winding should fall down on the margin, its relatively thin edge would very easily cut the underlying layer insulation.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a means and method for reversing the traverse of the wire payoff carriage of a multiple coil winding machine which would insure that the first turn of a following layer of turns would wind on the hard bed of the turns of the previous coil layer, instead of in the more critical margin area of the coil. It would be even more desirable if such a means and method were readily adaptable to presently available multiple coil winding machines, so as not to require extensive modification of the machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for reversing the travel of a wire payoff carriage in a multiple coil winding machine without requiring extensive rebuilding of the coil winding machine.
In carrying out the objects of the invention, there is provided in a standard commercially available multiple coil winding machine an accelerated reversal of the wire payoff carriage with respect to the traversing or reciprocating drive mechanism supporting and causing traversal of the wire payoff carriage. In one form of the invention the housing of an air cylinder is secured to the standard winding machine traversing mechanism which supports and causes the traversing of the wire payoff carriage. While the wire payoff carriage continues to be supported by the standard winding machine traversing mechanism, it is no longer secured directly thereto, but rather is connected to an operating member or piston of the air cylinder, such that its position with respect to the traversing mechanism of the multiple coil winding machine may be shifted by actuation of the air cylinder.
Thus, by appropriate actuation of the air cylinder at each end of the traversal of the wire payoff carriage, the wire payoff carriage may be shifted in the direction of the next traverse a predetermined desired amount, to assure that the first turn of the succeeding winding layer winds on the hard bed of the turns of the previous layer, instead of in the more critical margin area of the coil. The air cylinder may be appropriately automatically actuated by a control means or mechanism responsive to conditions in a standard multiple coil winding machine.
In another embodiment of this invention, wherein the reversals of the wire payoff carriage of a multiple coil winding machine are manually controlled, a manual operating mechanism is provided for shifting the position of the wire payoff carriage with respect to standard multiple coil winding machine traversing mechanism, so as to cause accelerated reversal of the wire payoff carriage.
The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a standard multiple coil winding machine provided with one embodiment of the novel and improved accelerated reversal system for a multiple coil winding machine of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a control mechanism as used in the novel and improved accelerated reversal system for a multiple coil winding machine shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the control system of the novel and improved accelerated reversal system for a multiple coil winding machine as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a manual accelerated reversal mechanism for a multiple coil winding machine in accordance with this invention;
FIG. 5 is an end view of the manual reversal system for multiple coil winding machine shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, that portion of an automatic multiple coil winding machine which is pertinent to the invention of this application is shown. Coil winding machines of one type in which this invention advantageously may be incorporated are readily available on the market, one of such coil winders being the model No. 107 Coil Winder manufactured by Leesona Corporation, Warwick, Rhode Island. Further, a pictorial view of another coil winder with which this invention may be used is shown in FIG. 1 of my application entitled Apparatus and Method for Winding Electrical Coils Serial Number 11,456, assigned to the assignee of this application and filed on the same day as this application. The invention of this application is incorporated in the multiple coil winding machine shown for instance in FIG. 1 of that application.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a coil winding arbor 2 is supported for rotation by a bracket 3, which is in turn supported from a platform 4 of a coil winding machine. Only a portion of the platform 4 of the coil winding machine is shown. A rectangular insulating winding form or bobbin 6 is supported on the arbor 2 for rotation therewith. A plurality of coils are wound upon the winding form 6, only two of which 8 and 10 are shown in FIG. 1. The wire is wound in even single layers, with the turns lying side by side, the wire 14 for winding the coil 8, and the wire 14 for coil 10, are fed to the arbor 2 through notches in guide rollers 16 and 18 which accurately position the wire with respect to the arbor 2. The arbor 2 is caused to rotate in the clockwise direction, so as to wind the coils, by a drive mechanism of the coil winder which is not shown.
In accordance with the normal operation of a coil winding machine of the type shown in FIG. 1, the wire guide rollers 16 and 18 are supported at each end by an arm, only one of which 20 of which is shown. In a normal coil winding machine, the arm 20 is secured to and supported by a pair of cylindrical bars 22 and 24. Through a mechanism such as is standard in coil winding machines of the type with which this invention is utilized, the bars 22 and 24 are caused to traverse in the axial direction with respect to the arbor 2. Thus, the traversing structure including guide rollers 16 and 18, and arm 20 comprises a wire payoff carriage, which is caused to traverse with respect to the arbor 2 by a reciprocating drive mechanism of the coil winder which includes bars 22 and 24. The wire payoff carriage guides the conductors or wires such as 12 and 14 to form successive single layers of side by side conductor turns in the multiple coils, two of which 8 and 10 are shown.
In a typical winding machine, the traversing or reciprocating movement is imparted to the bars 22 and 24 by a cardioid cam having two null points. The null points define the position at which the traverse of the bars 22 and 24 is reversed. The bars 22 and 24 are supported for axial motion at the right end of the winding machine by the L-shaped bracket 26 as shown. During the short dwell time in the traverse of the wire payoff carriage, as is provided by the null points in the cardioid cam, a sheet of layer insulation is laid over the just-wound layer of coil turns, such that as the arbor continues to rotate the conductor will be wound over the top of the inserted sheet of layer insulation.
In the winding of coils by a multiple coil winding machine, the most critical winding conditions occur at the reversal in traverse of the wire payoff carriage. It is to be a lessening of or an elimination of this critical condition to which this invention is directed. In accordance with the method and apparatus of this invention, a more precise and accelerated reversal of the traverse of the wire payoff carriage is provided.
As shown in FIG. 1, the mechanism of the applicant's invention comprises an arm 28 which is secured to the bars 22 and 24 by set screws 30 and 32 for movement therewith. Further in accordance with the applicant's invention, the arm 20 supporting the guide rollers 16 and 18 is no longer secured to the bars 22 and 24, but rather is merely supported for reciprocal motion thereon. Thus, if sufficient clearance is provided between the holes in the bracket 20 and the shafts 22 and 24, such that the bracket 20 may easily reciprocate over the bars 22 and 24, all that need be done to install this portion of apparatus of this invention is to remove the devices which secured the bracket 20 to the bars 22 and 24, for instance set screws which were received in the threaded holes 34 and 36.
Secured to the arm 28 is an air cylinder 38, the operating piston of which drives shaft 40 to the right or left with respect to arm 28, depending upon whether compressed air is supplied to the inlet chamber on the left-hand end of the cylinder through inlet 42 or to the inlet chamber on the right-hand end of the cylinder through inlet 44.
In the normal operation of the accelerated reversal system of this invention, the amount of movement desired between arms 20 and 28 to effect an accelerated reversal at each end of a traverse is less than the total stroke of the piston of the air cylinder 38. The amount of accelerated reversal at each end of a traverse is adjustable by means of a set screw 46 which secures shaft 40 to the arm 20 through block 48. Movement of the arm 20 of the wire payoff carriage to the right or toward arm 28 is limited by engagement of the side of block 48 with the side of arm 28. Movement of the arm 20 of the wire payoff carriage to the left or away from arm 28 is limited by engagement of the piston of the air cylinder with the left end wall of the air cylinder. Thus, with the piston and shaft 40 fully extended to the left by application of air pressure to inlet 44, the spacing between the sides of block 48 and arm 28 determined determines the amount of accelerated reversal provided by the accelerated reversal system of this invention at each reversal of the traverse of the wire payoff carriage.
Considering the operation of the accelerated reversal system of this invention, as the bars 22 and 24 are moving to the right, it will be assumed that pressure has been applied through inlet 42, with the inlet 44 being permitted to exhaust, such that the shaft 40 is retracted to the right as viewed in FIG. 1, until the side of block 48 engages the side of arm 28. During the dwell period the following completion of movement of bars 22 and 24 to the right, and prior to their again moving to the left, the air supply to inlet 42 is removed and air is applied to inlet 44, such that the shaft 40 is driven to the left with respect to the arm 28, thereby shifting the arm 20 to the left with respect to the shafts 22 and 24.
Thus, in accordance with this invention the guide rollers 16 and 18 may be shifted in the direction of winding of the next coil layer by a predetermined amount which will insure that the first turn of the succeeding layer will wind on top of the last turns of the preceding layer. While any desirable amount of shift of the payoff carriage 20 with respect to the arbor 2 may be provided, it has been found that an amount equal to approximately a fraction more than the width of the wire or conductor being wound is desirable. With such a shift, the first turn of the conductor in the following layer will wind on the hard bed of the last turns of the previous layer instead of falling in the more critical margin area of the coil.
The actuation of the air cylinder 38 to shift the wire payoff carriage is synchronized with the operation of the standard winding machine upon which the invention of this application is incorporated, as will be set forth by making reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The shaft 50 shown in FIG. 2 is the main shaft of the automatic paper feed carriage of the winding machine. In a typical winding machine this shaft completes one revolution for each insertion of a paper layer insulation. Keyed to the shaft 50 is a gear 52 which meshes with a second gear 54 supported on a shaft 56 which is in turn supported by a pillow block 58 mounted on the frame of the coil winding machine. The gears 54 and 52 have a two to one ratio, such that the shaft 56 completes one revolution for two revolutions of the main shaft 50 of the automatic paper feed carriage. The actuation of a three-way solenoid valve which in turn controls actuation of the air cylinder 38, is controlled by a limit switch 60 which is actuated by a two part cam 62 secured to the shaft 56.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the energization of the coil of a three-way solenoid valve 64 from a power supply 66 is controlled by the contact of limit switch 60. Depending upon whether the contact 68 of the limit switch 60 is closed or open, such that the solenoid of the solenoid valve 64 is energized or deenergized respectively, compressed air supplied at inlet 70 of the solenoid valve 64 will be supplied at either outlet 72 or 74. When the solenoid valve 64 supplies air from inlet 70 through outlet 72 to inlet 44 of the air cylinder 38, the shaft 40 of the double acting air cylinder 38 will be moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 3. When air is supplied through the solenoid valve 64 from inlet 70 to outlet 74 and hence to inlet 42 of the air cylinder 38, the shaft 40 will be moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 3.
Referring again to FIG. 2, actuating arm 76 of the limit switch 60 is engaged and actuated by the two part cam 62, which comprises a pair of two-step cam portions 78 and 80 which are adjustable with respect to each other, and are secured with respect to each other and for rotation with the shaft 56 by a collar 82. The collar 82 applies an axial force to the cam portions 78 and 80, pressing them against a disk 84 which is secured for rotation with the shaft 56.
The roller 86 at the end of the actuating arm 76 of the limit switch 60 rides on the two-set cam surfaces of both cam portions 78 and 80. Insofar as the roller 86 is contacting the high segment of either of the cam portions 78 or 80, it is held in an elevated position. The roller 86 falls to the lower cam surface to actuate the limit switch 60 to a second condition only when rotation of the shaft 56 has removed the high segments of both cam portions 78 and 80 from beneath the roller 86. Assuming that the direction of rotation of the shaft 50 is such as to rotate the shaft 56 in a clockwise direction, and that the cam portions 78 and 80 are positioned as shown, the roller 86 of the actuating arm 76 will drop from the high segment of the cam portion 78 to the lower segment of the cam surface to actuate the limit switch 60. By suitable adjustments of the cam portions 78 and 80, the limit switch 60 can be caused to be actuated, which in turn can cause actuation of the solenoid valve 64 at the desired point in the wire payoff carriage traversal following insertion of the layer insulation. When the wire payoff carriage completes another traverse of the coil, so as to complete another layer of the winding, the main shaft 50 of the automatic paper feed carriage will again rotate to feed paper layer insulation into the coil. This further rotation of the shaft 50 will cause further rotation of the shaft 56, with the cam portion 80 being suitably positioned such that the roller 86 of the limit switch actuating arm 76 is engaged by the high segment of the cam portion 80 to actuate the limit switch following insertion of the layer insulation. Actuation of the limit switch 60 will in turn cause actuation of the solenoid 64, and of the air cylinder 38 to bring about the desired shift of the wire payoff carriage.
Summarizing, through synchronization with the main shaft 50 of the automatic paper feed carriage, the accelerated reversal mechanism of this invention is synchronized with the winding machine, and more particularly with the reversal of the traverse of the wire payoff carriage. The accelerated reversal is caused to occur at the desired interval after the insertion of paper layer insulation, to cause the first turn of a succeeding conductor layer to be wound over the paper layer insulation on the hard bed of the previous turns of the underlying layer of coil turns.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 6, a manual means for providing accelerated reversal of the wire payoff carriage in accordance with this invention is shown. Only a portion of the wire payoff carriage right hand arm 20 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. Similarly, only a portion of the top cylindrical bar 22 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. A generally rectangular housing 88 is secured to the payoff carriage arm 20 by four threaded fastening members only three of which 90, 92, and 94 are shown. Provided in the top of the rectangular housing is a generally rectangular opening 96. An arcuate metal sheet 98 is secured in the top wall of the rectangular housing and is provided with a slot 100 therein which opens into the rectangular opening 96 in the top of the housing 88.
A cylindrical sleeve 102 is received within the rectangular housing 88, and is provided with a bore 104 therein for loosely receiving the shaft 22. An actuating arm 106 passes through the slot 100 in the arcuate metal sheet 98 and is threadedly secured in the cylindrical sleeve 102. It will be noted that the slot 100 is formed in the arcuate metal sheet 98 at a bias with respect to the axis of the shaft 22. With the actuating arm 106 positioned at the center of the slot 100, midway between its ends, the sleeve 102 is secured in axial position with respect to the shaft 22 by a pair of collars 108 and 110 which are secured to the shaft 22 by set screws 112 and 114.
Thus, it will be apparent that by moving the actuating arm 106 to the left as viewed in FIG. 4 the payoff carriage arm 20 will be moved downward with respect to the bar 22 as viewed in FIG. 4 or to the right as viewed in FIG. 1. Similarly, movement of the actuating arm 106 from the central position is shown to the right as viewed in FIG. 4 will cause the payoff carriage arm 20 to be moved upward with respect to the bar 22, as viewed in FIG. 4, or to the left as viewed in FIG. 1.
In order to provide readily adjustable limits as to the amount of accelerated reversal of the wire payoff carriage to the right or the left as the actuating arm 106 is moved from the central position toward one end or the other of the slot 100, adjustable stops are provided to engage and limit the movement of the actuating arm 106. Such adjustable stop means are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as the threaded bolts 116 and 118 which are threadedly received in extended side walls of the generally rectangular housing 102. Lock nuts 120 and 122 are provided to secure the bolts 116 and 118 in desired positions.
In order to determine that the actuating arm 106 has been accurately positioned to provide the desired amount of accelerated reversal of the arm 20 of the wire payoff carriage, positive detent means are provided for indicating the proper positions of the actuating arm 106. The detent means includes a collar 124 secured to the actuating arm 106 by set screws 126 and 128. As best seen in FIG. 4, the collar 124 has a groove 130 formed therein for engagement with detent pins 132 and 134 which may be adjustably positioned with respect to the hounsing 88. More particularly, the detent pins 132 and 134 are supported in L-shaped brackets 136 and 138 which are secured to the housing 88 by a pair of bolts 140 and 142 which pass through elongated slots 144 and 146 formed in the L-shaped brackets. A rectangular block 148 having a groove 150 therein as secured to the top surface of the housing 88 with the rectangular groove spaced from and parallel to the major axis of the slot 100 in which the actuating arm 106 is moved. The bottom surfaces of the L-shaped brackets 136 and 138 are formed with rectangular projections 152 which are received in the groove 150 in the block 148. Thus, the positions of the L-shaped brackets 136 and 138 may be adjusted to locate the detent pins 132 and 134 at the desired positions to indicate the proper shifted positions of the actuating arm 106. A spring loaded ball 154 engages a hole in the arcuate metal sheet 98 to indicate the central position of the actuating arm 106.
The operation of the manual accelerated reversal system of this invention for the wire payoff carriage of a multiple coil winding machine, will be briefly summarized. At the beginning of a coil winding operation, the actuating arm 106 is positioned at the center of the slot 100 as indicated by ball detent 154. Assuming that the first layer of coil turns has been wound from left to right as viewed in FIG. 1, that the dwell time has occurred, and that the paper layer insulation has been inserted, such that a reversal in the direction of winding is now desirable. The actuating arm 106 would be moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 4, to shift the payoff carriage upward as viewed in FIG. 4, or to the left as viewed in FIG. 1. As previously set forth, the desired shift of the payoff carriage for accelerated reversal may be an amount equal to approximately a fraction more than the diameter or width of the conductor being wound. This being the case, the bolt 118 would be adjusted such that when the actuating arm 106 engaged the end of the bolt upon movement of the actuating arm to the right in the slot 100 as viewed in FIG. 4, the wire payoff carriage will have been shifted the desired amount. The actuating arm 106 is left in engagement with the end of bolt 118 until an accelerated reversal is desired at the beginning of the next layer of coil turns following insertion of the layer insulation. At this time the actuating arm 106 will be returned to its position in the center of slot 100 to shift the payoff carriage to the right as viewed in FIG. 1 to provide the desired accelerated reversal upon beginning to wind the next layer of coil turns.
Generally, the same sequence operation would be followed if as viewed in FIG. 1, the first layer of coil turns were wound from right to left, such that the first reversal would occur at the left end of the coil. However, in this case the desired accelerated reversal would be provided by moving the actuating arm 106 to the left as viewed in FIG. 4, so as to affect the movement of the wire payoff carriage to the right as viewed in FIG. 1.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that while I have described what, at present, is considered to be the preferred embodiments of this invention in accordance with the Patent Statutes, changes may be made in the disclosed apparatus without actually departing from the true spirit and scope of this invention.