Programmable robot of the wire-guided or radio-controlled type, for loading and unloading automatically empty spools and filled spools into and from wire winding machines
First Claim
1. A programmable robot for automatically loading and unloading spools relative to a winding machine, a spool-supplying magazine and a spool-collecting magazine comprising:
- a means for handling the spools;
a cutting means for cutting and temporarily gripping a wire or yarn after a spool has been filled in the winding machine;
a fixing means for fixing to the filled spool a cut trailing end of the wound wire or yarn and for fixing to an empty spool a cut leading end of the wire or yarn;
an automatically guided carriage equipped with(a) a pair of front driving and steering wheels,(b) a pair of rear idle and swivel wheels,(c) a front side at which said pair of front wheels are provided which said front side is presented to the winding machine parallel to a winding axis of the machine,(d) a rear side opposite said front side;
two abutments supported equidistantly above said carriage by supports secured to said carriage, said abutments having convex end portions which project outwardly from a vertical plane containing said front side;
two vertical telescopic front foot-members provided on said carriage in registry with said supports and provided with respective associated front jacks which lower a respective end portion of said front foot-member below an adjacent said front wheel, said front foot-members being disposed with an axis of movement parallel to the vertical plane;
two vertical telescopic rear foot-members provided on said rear side of said carriage and provided with further respective associated rear jacks which lower a respective end portion of said rear foot-member below an adjacent said rear wheel, said rear foot-members being disposed with an axis of movement parallel to the vertical plane;
an actuating means for maintaining said front and rear jacks in the position where said front foot-members and said rear foot-members are lowered and for signalling to a control mechanism when said front foot-members and said rear foot-members are lowered;
said end portions of said front foot-members having an aligning means for engaging and aligning with a respective cooperating portion anchored in front of the winding machine such that when the robot reaches an end of an approach to the winding machine said front abutments will be closely spaced to and opposite cooperating abutments associated with the winding machine and thereafter said front foot-members are lowered by said front jacks a same extent causing said aligning means on said end portions to engage and align on the respective cooperating portions followed by a same extent lowering of said rear foot-members causing a lifting of said rear side and a corresponding movement of said abutments into contact with said cooperating abutments as well as actuation of said control means to maintain said carriage held in place with said foot-members in horizontal and vertical alignment with respect to the winding machine so that various operations are performed with said control means in sequence.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a robot which serves automatically a plurality of machines for winding any kind of wire or yarn. This robot is mounted on a wire-guided and/or radio-controlled carriage; it can run on a normal floor and may serve the winding machines and the spool-supplying and collecting magazines, regardless of their relative positions. When co-operating with the winding machines, the robot-mounting carriage will move into the correct position with respect to the winding machine to be served, and then will stop. The removal of a filled spool and insertion of an empty spool are effected by slides which are associated with supporting brackets of said robot. The robot is provided with an electro-mechanical programmer which controls the lifting movement of the assembly of said brackets for adjusting their positions to the level of the lower side of the spools of different diameters in the winding machines. The programmer is associated with the bracket-carrying structure of the robot, which may be controlled to rotate about its vertical axis, whereby said rotation can occur with the brackets in their upper position, thus reducing the working time of the robot.
19 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A programmable robot for automatically loading and unloading spools relative to a winding machine, a spool-supplying magazine and a spool-collecting magazine comprising:
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a means for handling the spools; a cutting means for cutting and temporarily gripping a wire or yarn after a spool has been filled in the winding machine; a fixing means for fixing to the filled spool a cut trailing end of the wound wire or yarn and for fixing to an empty spool a cut leading end of the wire or yarn; an automatically guided carriage equipped with (a) a pair of front driving and steering wheels, (b) a pair of rear idle and swivel wheels, (c) a front side at which said pair of front wheels are provided which said front side is presented to the winding machine parallel to a winding axis of the machine, (d) a rear side opposite said front side; two abutments supported equidistantly above said carriage by supports secured to said carriage, said abutments having convex end portions which project outwardly from a vertical plane containing said front side; two vertical telescopic front foot-members provided on said carriage in registry with said supports and provided with respective associated front jacks which lower a respective end portion of said front foot-member below an adjacent said front wheel, said front foot-members being disposed with an axis of movement parallel to the vertical plane; two vertical telescopic rear foot-members provided on said rear side of said carriage and provided with further respective associated rear jacks which lower a respective end portion of said rear foot-member below an adjacent said rear wheel, said rear foot-members being disposed with an axis of movement parallel to the vertical plane; an actuating means for maintaining said front and rear jacks in the position where said front foot-members and said rear foot-members are lowered and for signalling to a control mechanism when said front foot-members and said rear foot-members are lowered; said end portions of said front foot-members having an aligning means for engaging and aligning with a respective cooperating portion anchored in front of the winding machine such that when the robot reaches an end of an approach to the winding machine said front abutments will be closely spaced to and opposite cooperating abutments associated with the winding machine and thereafter said front foot-members are lowered by said front jacks a same extent causing said aligning means on said end portions to engage and align on the respective cooperating portions followed by a same extent lowering of said rear foot-members causing a lifting of said rear side and a corresponding movement of said abutments into contact with said cooperating abutments as well as actuation of said control means to maintain said carriage held in place with said foot-members in horizontal and vertical alignment with respect to the winding machine so that various operations are performed with said control means in sequence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification