Apparatus for forming windings on rotors of electric motors or the like

• US 3,924,816 A
• Filed: 04/10/1974
• Issued: 12/09/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Klaus Grohmann, Klaus Schubert
• Original Assignee: Klaus Grohmann, Klaus Schubert
• Inventors: Schubert, Klaus, Grohmann, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Carl E.
• Application Number:
  US05/459,689
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 29/598,596,25D,25R,605 242/7.03,7.5B,7.5R,7.5C,7.5A,7.11 81/426
• US Class Current: 242/433.3
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/09 by laying conductors into slotted rotors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49012 Rotor

Abstract

Apparatus for winding several rotors for electric motors or the like in a simultaneous operation has a row of equidistant winding stations and an endless chain conveyor which transports sets of fresh rotors to the winding stations and simultaneously removes freshly wound rotors from such stations. The rotors at the winding stations are automatically clamped and indexed at selected intervals preparatory to formation of discrete windings. The conveyor supports movable caps which shield the commutators of rotors at the winding stations during the formation of discrete windings but allow for the placing of conductors over hooks provided on the commutators prior to formation of the first winding and upon completed formation of each subsequent winding.

Claims

1. Apparatus for applying windings to rotors for use in electric motors or the like and having angularly spaced peripheral slots for reception of convolutions of wire-like conductors, comprising conveyor means having a plurality of rotor-receiving holder means operative for holding a plurality of rotors having random angular orientations, said holder means being arranged to travel stepwise along an endless path and drive means for said holder means;

a plurality of winding stations adjacent to a portion of said path to accommodate an equal number of rotors during intervals between stepwise movements of said holder means, and including means for automatically changing the random angular orientations of rotors arriving at said winding stations to a predetermined angular orientation;

sources of conductors for each of said stations;

winding members provided at said stations and operable to apply conductors furnished by the respective sources to rotors at the corresponding stations; and

means for simultaneously operating said winding members so that the number of simultaneously wound rotors equals the number of said stations.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said holder means are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said path and said stations are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said portion of said path, the distances between said stations at least approximating the distances between said holder means.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the total number of said holder means is a whole multiple of the total number of said stations.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising gripping devices for wire-like conductors at said winding stations.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein each of said gripping devices comprises a first jaw and a second jaw movable into and from engagement with a conductor extending between said jaws.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein one of said jaws is provided with a convex serrated surface and the other jaw is provided with a concave serrated surface complementary to said convex surface, said surface engaging the conductor coming from the respective source in response to movement of said second jaw toward said first jaw.

7. Apparatus as dEfined in claim 5, wherein said first jaws are stationary and said second jaws are pivotable with reference to the respective first jaws.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a conductor guide provided at each of said stations and movable to and from an operative position in which the guide directs the conductor into selected slots of the rotor at the respective station during operation of the corresponding winding member.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said guides are turnable to and from said operative positions thereof.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said winding stations form a single row and said holder means are movable in a substantially horizontal plane.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein a portion of said conveyor means constitutes a magazine for fresh rotors wherein such fresh rotors can be attached to unoccupied holder means preparatory to transport to said winding stations.

12. Apparatus for applying windings to rotors for use in electric motors or the like and having angularly spaced peripheral slots for reception of convolutions of wire-like conductors, comprising conveyor means having a plurality of rotor-receiving holder means arranged to travel stepwise along an endless path and drive means for said holder means;

a plurality of winding stations adjacent to a portion of said path to accommodate an equal number of rotors during intervals between stepwise movements of said holder means;

sources of conductors for each of said stations;

winding members provided at said stations and operable to apply conductors furnished by the respective sources to rotors at the corresponding stations; and

means for simultaneously operating said winding members so that the number of simultaneously wound rotors equals the number of said stations, wherein said drive means comprises an endless chain and said holder means are secured to said chain and are equidistant from each other, each of said holder means having receiving means for a rotor.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said drive means further comprises a pair of sprocket wheels and means for rotating one of said sprocket wheels, said chain being trained over said sprocket wheels and having two straight elongated stretches extending between said sprocket wheels, said stations being adjacent to one of said stretches.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said conveyor means further comprises a pair of substantially platelike confining members defining between themselves a space for said chain.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein said confining members are disposed in substantially horizontal planes and one thereof is located above the other confining member.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein said holder means extend outwardly from said chain so that said receiving means are accessible without said confining members.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said receiving means are substantially vertical sleeves installed in sockets provided therefore in said holder means, the rotors having shafts which are receivable in such sleeves.

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the rotors whose shafts are receivable in said sleeves further comprise commutators remote from those portions of said shafts which are received in said sleeves.

19. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said drive means further comprises electric motor means for moving said chain stepwise and said chain is provided with a plurality of equidistant actuating means for switch means in the circuit of said motor means, said switch means being arranged to arrest said electric motor means upon engagement with successive actuating means to thereby stop said chain in predetermined positions in each of which a set of fresh rotors is located at said stations.

20. Apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein said drive means further comprises a pair of sprocket wheels for said chain and Means for rotating one of said sprocket wheels, said conveyor means further comprising a pair of confining members flanking said chain from above and from below and said holder means extending outwardly from said chain beyond said confining members so that said receiving means thereof are readily accessible, and further comprising a back support mounted on said confining members at each of said stations, a clamping member provided at each of said stations opposite the respective back support, and shifting means for moving said clamping members toward the respective back support to thereby clampingly engage rotors which are accommodated at the respective stations.

21. Apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein said stations form a row of equidistant stations and said chain has an elongated stretch which is adjacent to said row of stations, said confining members including an upper member located above and a lower member located below said chain and said back supports being disposed at a level above said upper confining member.

22. Apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein each of said clamping members has a socket bounded by a concave surface arranged to engage a complementary portion of the peripheral surface on the rotor at the respective station.

23. Apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein said back supports are provided with substantially flat rotor-engaging surfaces.

24. Apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein said clamping members are further provided with guide faces flanking said concave surfaces thereof and arranged to direct conductors into selected slots of rotors at the respective stations in the course of the operation of the respective winding members.

25. Apparatus for applying windings to rotors for use in electric motors or the like and having angularly spaced peripheral slots for reception of convolutions of wire-like conductors, comprising conveyor means having a plurality of rotot-receiving holder means arranged to travel stepwise along an endless path and drive means for said holder means;

a plurality of winding stations adjacent to a portion of said path to accommodate an equal number of rotors during intervals between stepwise movements of said holder means;

sources of conductors for each of said stations;

winding members provided at said stations and operable to apply conductors furnished by the respective sources to rotors at the corresponding stations; and

means for simultaneously operating said winding members so that the number of simultaneously wound rotors equals the number of said stations, further comprising a stationary back support provided at each of said stations, a clamping member provided at each of said stations opposite the respective back support, and shifting means for moving said clamping members toward the respective back supports to thereby clampingly engage and hold the rotors at the respective stations.

26. Apparatus as defined in claim 25, further comprising a frame and a plurality of parallel winding shafts rotatably mounted in said frame, one for each of said stations and each rotatably supporting the responsive clamping member, said shifting means being arranged to move said clamping members by way of the respective winding shafts.

27. Apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein said shifting means comprises an elongated shifting member having holes for said winding shafts and energy storing resilient means interposed between said shifting member and said shafts to yieldably urge said clamping members against the rotors at the respective stations when said shifting member is moved in a direction toward said back supports.

28. Apparatus as defined in claim 27, further comprising fluid-operated motor means for moving said shifting member lengthwise of said shafts.

29. Apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein said winding shafts are hollow and the conductors extend through the respective shafts from said sources to the winding members at the respective stations, each of said winding memBers comprising an arm rotatable by the respective winding shaft, said means for simultaneously operating said winding members including means for rotating said winding shafts.

30. Apparatus as defined in claim 29, wherein each of said arms has a portion remote from the respective winding shaft and a conductor-guiding wheel mounted on such portion.

31. Apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein said means for simultaneously operating said winding members comprises a single prime mover and transmission means including toothed belt means connecting said prime mover with said winding shafts.

32. Apparatus as defined in claim 25, further comprising means for indexing the rotors at said winding stations, including an elongated indexing member reciprocably guided by said back supports and having entraining means extendable into the slots of rotors at said stations to index such rotors in response to movement of said indexing member in a predetermined direction.

33. Apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein said entraining means are spring-biased pawls pivotably mounted on said indexing member and having pallets which extend into the slots of rotors at said stations during movement of said indexing member in said predetermined direction and are free to leave such slots in response to movement of said indexing member in a second direction counter to said predetermined direction.

34. Apparatus as defined in claim 33, wherein said indexing member is provided with recesses for said pawls, said pawls being fully received in such recesses during movement of said indexing member in said second direction and the pallets of said pawls extending from such recesses and into the adjoining slots of rotors at the respective stations during movement of said indexing member in said predetermined direction.

35. Apparatus as defined in claim 33, further comprising fluid-operated motor means for moving said indexing member in said directions.

36. Apparatus as defined in claim 32, further comprising yieldable detent means provided in said clamping members and arranged to extend into the adjoining slots of rotors at the respective stations upon completed movement of said indexing member in said predetermined direction.

37. Apparatus for applying windings to rotors for use in electric motors or the like and having angularly spaced peripheral slots for reception of convolutions of wire-like conductors, comprising conveyor means having a plurality of rotor-receiving holder means arranged to travel stepwise along an endless path and drive means for said holder means;

a plurality of winding stations adjacent to a portion of said path to accommodate an equal number of rotors during intervals between stepwise movements of said holder means;

sources of conductors for each of said stations;

winding members provided at said stations and operable to apply conductors furnished by the respective sources to rotors at the corresponding stations; and

means for simultaneously operating said winding members so that the number of simultaneously wound rotors equals the number of said stations, further comprising gripping devices for wire-like conductors at said winding stations, wherein each of said gripping devices comprises a first jaw and a second jaw movable into and from engagement with a conductor extending between said jaws, wherein said conveyor means further comprises an endless flexible element which supports said holder means and first and second confining members respectively flanking said flexible element from above and from below, said gripping devices being disposed below said second confining member and further comprising rack and pinion means for moving said second jaws of said gripping devices with reference to said first jaws.

38. Apparatus as defined in claim 37, wherein said rack and pinion means comprises a common rack for all of said gripping devices.