Methods and apparatus for fusing armature and stator wires
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for fusing together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:
- a fusing member;
means for moving the fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and apply force to said workpiece to deform said workpiece;
means for monitoring said force; and
means responsive to said means for monitoring for controlling said means for moving to deform said workpiece by causing said force to substantially conform to a predetermined force function.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for fusing armature wires to a commutator, and fusing stator lead wires and stator hooks, are provided. An electrode assembly having a screw mechanism converts the rotational motion of a motor into a translational motion of the fusing electrode. A microprocessor-based control circuit receives electrode force and displacement data from a load cell and an encoder, respectively, to control the fusing operation. The fusing operation is performed according to a predetermined force or displacement function that is stored in the control circuit.
48 Citations
50 Claims
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1. Apparatus for fusing together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:
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a fusing member; means for moving the fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and apply force to said workpiece to deform said workpiece; means for monitoring said force; and means responsive to said means for monitoring for controlling said means for moving to deform said workpiece by causing said force to substantially conform to a predetermined force function. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. Apparatus for fusing together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:
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a fusing member; means for moving the fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and deform said workpiece; means for monitoring the relative motion of said fusing member and said workpiece; and means responsive to said means for monitoring form controlling said means for moving to deform said workpiece by causing the relative motion of said fusing member and said workpiece to substantially conform to a predetermined displacement function. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Apparatus for fusing together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:
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a fusing member; means for moving the fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and apply force to said workpiece to deform said workpiece; first means for monitoring the displacement of said fusing member relative to said workpiece; second means for monitoring the force applied to said workpiece by said fusing member; and means responsive to said first and second means for controlling said means for moving to cause said fusing member to deform said workpiece by applying a predetermined force to said workpiece as a function of said displacement. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. The method of using a fusing member to fuse together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said method comprising the steps of:
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moving said fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and apply force to said workpiece to deform said workpiece; monitoring the force thus applied to said workpiece; and controlling the motion of said fusing member relative to said workpiece in accordance with the monitored force to deform the workpiece by causing the force applied to said workpiece to substantially conform to a predetermined force function. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. The method of using a fusing member to fuse together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said method comprising the steps of:
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moving said fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and deform said workpiece; monitoring the relative motion of said fusing member and said workpiece; and controlling the motion of said fusing member relative to said workpiece in accordance with the monitored relative motion in order to deform said workpiece by causing the relative motion of said fusing member and said workpiece to substantially conform to a predetermined displacement function. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. The method of using a fusing member to fuse together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said method comprising the steps of:
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moving said fusing member relative to said workpiece in order to cause said fusing member to contact and apply force to said workpiece to deform said workpiece; monitoring the displacement of said fusing member relative to said workpiece; monitoring the force applied to said workpiece by said fusing member; and controlling the motion of said fusing member relative to said workpiece in accordance with the monitored displacement and force in order to deform said workpiece by causing said fusing member to apply a predetermined force to said workpiece as a function of displacement. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for fusing armature wires to the commutator of an electric motor, comprising the steps of:
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causing a fusing member to contact a predetermined section of the commutator to deform the section to a first distance from a reference point, said first distance corresponding to the point at which maximum surface contact between said fusing member and the commutator occurs; determining whether the force on said fusing member is within a predetermined range of force that corresponds to an acceptable commutator condition; applying electrical current to said fusing member to heat said member and any portions of said commutator and armature wire in thermal contact with said member; applying force to said fusing member to displace said member as a function of time, according to a predetermined displacement function, to deform said section of said commutator; continuously monitoring the displacement of said fusing member during said step of applying force to said member; adjusting the displacement of said fusing member in response to data obtained while monitoring the displacement of said fusing member to maintain said predetermined displacement function, until said member is displaced a predetermined distance from said reference point; determining whether the force on said fusing member is within a predetermined range of force, corresponding to an acceptable fusion condition; and determining whether said fusing member is displaced a predetermined distance from said reference point corresponding to an acceptable fusion condition.
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46. A method for fusing armature wires to the commutator of an electric motor, comprising the steps of:
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causing a fusing member to exert a predetermined force on a predetermined section of the commutator, said force corresponding to the force at which maximum surface contact between the fusing member and the commutator occurs; determining whether the displacement of the fusing member from a reference point is within a predetermined range corresponding to an acceptable commutator condition; applying electrical current to the fusing member to heat said fusing member and any portions of said commutator and armature wire in thermal contact with said fusing member; applying force to the fusing member as a function of displacement according to a predetermined force function to deform said section of said commutator; continuously monitoring the force applied to said fusing member during said step of applying force to said fusing member; adjusting the force applied to said electrode in response to data obtained while monitoring the force applied to the electrode to maintain said predetermined force function, until said force equals a predetermined force which corresponds to an acceptable fusion condition; and determining whether the displacement of the electrode from said reference point is within a predetermined range corresponding to an acceptable fusion condition.
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47. The method of using a fusing member to fuse together two electrical conductors which collectively comprise a workpiece, said method comprising the steps of:
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moving said fusing member a first predetermined distance relative to said workpiece to cause said fusing member to contact and deform said workpiece; and applying a first predetermined force to said workpiece with said fusing member for a predetermined time period; and moving said fusing member a second distance relative to said workpiece to cause a predetermined deformation of said workpiece. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50)
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Specification