Method and apparatus for flexible manufacturing a discrete curved product from feed stock

• US 20020043092A1
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trico Products Corporation (Crowne Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Trico Products Corporation (Crowne Group LLC)
• Inventors: Peck, David E., Jones, Jerald E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,622,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 72/342.1
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 11/10 Bending specially adapted to produce specific articles, e.g. leaf springs making or bending leaf springs B21D53/886
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 11/20 Bending sheet metal, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/006 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/16 Bands or sheets of indefinite length
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/04 Steel or steel alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/03 Observing, e.g. monitoring, the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/073 Shaping the laser spot
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0846 for moving elongated workpieces longitudinally, e.g. wire or strip material
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/00 Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/38 Wiper blades provided with liquid spreading means B60S1/524; provided with gas spreading means B60S1/546
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3875 rectangular section
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3898 method for manufacturing wiper blades
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 1/00 General methods or devices for heat treatment, e.g. annealing, hardening, quenching or tempering
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 1/34 Methods of heating C21D1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 9/52 for wires; for strips ; for rods of unlimited length

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock includes a source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of light on at least one surface of a work piece to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of the heat source so as to impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece. The apparatus is described in connection with one example where it may be employed to manufacture a curved backbone for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly from feed stock. In addition, a method of manufacturing a discrete curved product from feed stock, generally, as well as a discrete curved backbone for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly from feed stock, specifically, is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock, said apparatus comprising:

a source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of a work piece to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of the heat source and impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat having substantially an oval shape such that the beam shape defines a major axis and a minor axis and wherein said beam of heat substantially traverses the surface of the work piece.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat defining substantially a line of heat extending substantially transverse to at least one surface of the work piece.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat is a laser that produces a diffuse beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the direction of said laser thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat is a water cooled, plasma, infrared lamp that produces a beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the general direction of said infrared lamp thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a cooler adapted to cool the work piece after it has been heated by said source of heat.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said cooler is disposed so as to cool the work piece adjacent to the point of impingement of the focused beam of heat on the surface of the work piece.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a tempering device employed to temper the work piece after it has been cooled.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said tempering device is a second source of heat disposed in non-contacting relationship to the work piece.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said tempering device is a laser that impinges a beam of light on the work piece thereby tempering the work piece.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said tempering device is a pair of opposed direct diode lasers that impart a pair of defocused laser beams onto the work piece.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said tempering device is an infrared lamp.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said tempering device is a water stabilized plasma infrared lamp.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a plurality of sensors that operatively sense predetermined parameters of the work piece as the predetermined radius of curvature is imparted thereto and a neural network coupled to said plurality of sensors, said neural network adapted to receive data sensed by said plurality of sensors, to compare the sensed data with stored data and to generate signals to said source of heat thereby operatively controlling same.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat having substantially an oval shape such that the beam shape defines a major axis and a minor axis and wherein said beam of heat substantially traverses the surface of the work piece.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat defining substantially a line of heat extending substantially transverse to at least one surface of the work piece.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said source of heat is a laser that produces a diffuse beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the direction of said laser thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said source of heat is a water cooled, plasma, infrared lamp that produces a beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the general direction of said infrared lamp thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

15. An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock, said apparatus comprising:

a source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of a work piece, said beam of heat defining a major axis and a minor axis on the work piece where the major axis of said focused beam of heat is disposed substantially transverse to the relative movement of the work piece with respect to the beam of heat, said transverse focused beam of heat imparting a predetermined radius of curvature about said major axis.

20. An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved backbone for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly from feed stock, said apparatus comprising:

a cold rolling mill that imparts a predetermined thickness to the work piece;

a width profiling station that imparts a predetermined width to the work piece; and

a curvature forming and heat treat station, said curvature forming and heat treat station including a first source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of the work piece, said beam of heat defining a major axis and a minor axis on the work piece, said major axis of said focused beam of heat being disposed substantially transverse to the relative movement of the work piece with respect to the beam of heat and imparting a predetermined radius of curvature about said major axis, a cooler adapted to cool the work piece after it has been heated by said first source of heat, and a second source of heat to temper the work piece after it has been cooled.

21. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said cold rolling mill includes a pair of opposed rollers that are rotatable about axes disposed generally transverse to the direction of travel of the work piece through said cold rolling mill and between said pair of opposed rollers.

22. An apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein at least one of said pair of rollers is moveable in a direction perpendicular to the path of the work piece through said cold rolling mill and toward and away from the other of said pair of rollers.

23. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said width profiling station includes a twin-headed laser that generates a pair of beams disposed spaced apart relative to each other and that impinge upon the work piece thereby cutting the work piece to a predetermined width.

24. An apparatus as set forth in claim 23 wherein said twin-headed laser includes a diode-pumped Nd:

YAG laser having a 50/50 laser beam splitter.

25. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said first source of heat imposes a beam of heat having substantially an oval shape such that the beam shape defines a major axis and a minor axis and wherein said beam of heat substantially traverses the surface of the work piece.

26. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said first source of heat imposes a beam of heat defining substantially a line of heat extending substantially transverse to at least one surface of the work piece.

27. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said first source of heat is a laser that produces a diffuse beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the direction of said laser thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

28. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said first source of heat is a water cooled, plasma, infrared lamp that produces a beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the general direction of said infrared lamp thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

29. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 further including a plurality of sensors that operatively sense predetermined parameters of the work piece as it passes through the apparatus and a neural network coupled to said plurality of sensors, said neural network adapted to receive data sensed by said plurality of sensors, to compare the sensed data with stored data and to generate signals to said cold rolling mill, width profiling station, curvature forming and heat treat station thereby operatively controlling same.

30. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said apparatus further includes a cutting station for cutting the work piece to a predetermined length.

31. An apparatus as set forth in claim 30 wherein said cutting station includes a cut off laser that is adapted to cut the work piece to a predetermined length.

32. An apparatus as set forth in claim 31 wherein said cutting station includes a robotic arm, said cut-off laser operatively supported upon said robotic arm and controlled in the x, y, and z axes so as to cut the work piece to said predetermined length.

33. A method of manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of a work piece to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of the heat source and impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

34. A method as set forth in claim 33 further including the step of cooling the work piece immediately after it has been heated by the source of heat.

35. A method as set forth in claim 34 further including the steps of tempering the work piece after it has been cooled.

36. A method of manufacturing a discrete curved backbone for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly from feed stock, said method comprising the steps of:

imparting a predetermined thickness to a work piece;

imparting a predetermined width to the work piece;

providing a first source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of the work piece wherein the beam of heat defines a major axis and a minor axis on the work piece and the major axis of the focused beam of heat is disposed substantially transverse to the relative movement of the work piece with respect to the beam of heat, the beam of heat imparting a predetermined radius of curvature about said major axis;

cooling the work piece after it has been heated by the first source of heat; and

tempering the work piece after it has been cooled.