Apparatus for loading and unloading workpieces

• US 5,391,047 A
• Filed: 08/10/1993
• Issued: 02/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Globe Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Globe Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Dolgas, Patrick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Underwood, Donald W.
• Application Number:
  US08/104,671
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 414/749, 414/751, 414/753, 414/222, 414/225, 414/226, 901/39, 294/104, 294/92, 294/86.41
• US Class Current: 198/346.1
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining or repairing of dynamo-electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/09 by laying conductors into slotted rotors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for successively loading workpieces, such as unwound armature assemblies, along a predetermined axis into a workpiece processing machine using an elongate main beam and a staging assembly with workpiece grippers connected to the main beam by a motion multiplier.

Claims

1. An apparatus having a gripper assembly, a mount for the gripper assembly for moving a motor armature axially and transversely while gripping one end of a shaft of the armature to deliver the armature to a fixed axis of a collet of an armature winding machine,

a support for an armature below the gripper assembly when the gripper assembly is in a location remote from the collet, and

an elevator for said support for raising an armature to a position adjacent said gripper assembly, the improvement wherein the gripper assembly comprises:

a fixed upper clamp jaw having a horizontal top surface and an adjacent vertical surface forming therewith a fixed V-groove that faces downwardly such that the V-groove is bisected by an imaginary plane extending along the length of the base of the fixed V-groove and lying at a 45 degree angle relative to vertical,

a lower clamp jaw having a clamping surface facing said fixed V-groove and mounted for movement of said clamping surface toward and away from said fixed jaw along the 45 degree angle of said imaginary plane,

said lower jaw, when the clamp is open, being clear of obstruction of an armature shaft when an armature is elevated into the assembly, and said lower jaw clamping an armature shaft against said V-groove when the clamp is closed, and

a drive mechanism for moving said lower jaw so that its said clamping surface moves toward and away from said upper jaw along said 45 degree angle of said imaginary plane to clamp and unclamp armature shafts.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gripper assembly further includes an actuating mechanism for extending and retracting said jaws horizontally whereby the assembly may be positioned adjacent the collet and the jaws extended therefrom to place and release an armature into the collet, and, upon completion of armature winding, the jaws may again be extended to remove the armature from the collet.

3. An apparatus having a gripper assembly,

a mount for the gripper assembly for moving a motor armature axially and transversely while gripping one end of a shaft of the armature to deliver the armature to a fixed axis of a collet of an armature winding machine,

a support for an armature below the gripper assembly when the gripper assembly is in a location remote from the collet, and

an elevator for said support for raising an armature to a position adjacent said gripper assembly, the improvement wherein the gripper assembly comprises:

an upper clamp jaw having a horizontal top surface and an adjacent vertical surface forming therewith a V-groove that faces downwardly such that the V-groove is bisected by an imaginary plane extending along the length of the base of the fixed V-groove and lying at a 45 degree angle relative to vertical,

a lower clamp jaw having a clamping surface facing said V-groove and mounted for movement of said clamping surface toward and away from said upper jaw along the 45 degree angle of said imaginary plane,

said lower jaw, when the clamp is open, being clear of obstruction of an armature shaft when an armature is elevated into the assembly, and said lower jaw clamping an armature shaft against said V-groove when the clamp is closed, and

a drive mechanism for relatively moving said upper and lower jaws so that said clamping surface of said lower jaw moves relatively toward and away from said upper jaw along said 45 degree angle of said imaginary plane to clamp and unclamp armature shafts.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gripper assembly further includes an activating mechanism for extending and retracting said jaws horizontally whereby the assembly may be positioned adjacent the collet and the jaws extended therefrom to place and release an armature into the collet, and, upon completion of armature winding, the jaws may again be extended to remove the armature from the collet.