Armature manufacturing lines and armature transfer apparatus

• US 5,774,963 A
• Filed: 09/24/1996
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Globe Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Globe Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Bradfute, John W., Kroencke, Scott J., Dolgas, Patrick A., Heaton, Mark T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, A. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIRKMAN, CHRISTOPHER HUNTER
• Application Number:
  US08/719,201
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 29/33 L, 29/564.5, 29/732, 29/735, 29/742, 29/792, 29/596, 414/736, 414/751, 414/758, 414/761, 414/763, 414/771, 414/782, 414/783, 198/341, 198/346.1, 198/346.2, 198/465.1, 198/468.2
• US Class Current: 29/33.00L
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining or repairing of dynamo-electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5141 and means to stake electric wire to commutator or armature in assembling of electric motor or generator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5192 Armature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53143 Motor or generator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53157 Means to stake wire to commutator or armature

Abstract

An armature manufacturing line includes one or more manufacturing cells, each having a winder facing a fuser and a rotatable armature transfer apparatus that transfers unwound armatures to the winder and wound armature from the winder directly to the fuser. An elevator at the fuser moves wound and fused armatures from the fuser to a conveyor. Different embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An armature manufacturing cell comprising:

an armature winder having an armature gripper assembly that holds an armature with its shaft centered on a first horizontal axis;

an armature fuser having an armature gripper assembly that holds an armature with its shaft centered on a second horizontal axis, said second horizontal axis being parallel to said first horizontal axis; and

an armature transfer mechanism having a rotatable turret plate and an armature gripper slidably mounted on said turret plate and which removes an armature from said armature winder and, following rotation of said turret plate through 180 degrees, delivers the armature to said fuser.

2. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 1 further comprising a second gripper slidably mounted on said turret plate in parallel relation to said first mentioned armature gripper but facing in the opposite direction from said first armature gripper.

3. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 1 further comprising a track on said turret plate, said gripper being mounted for sliding movement on said track, and an air actuator engaged with said gripper for moving said gripper along said track from an extended position wherein said gripper is positioned to grip an armature shaft while the armature is in said winder or in said fuser, to a retracted position wherein said gripper is closer to the axis of rotation of said turret plate to enable said turret plate to be rotated without interference between an armature held by said gripper and the winder or the fuser.

4. The manufacturing cell of claim 3 wherein said air actuator is a magnetically coupled rodless cylinder.

5. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 3 further comprising a second track on said turret plate, said second track being parallel to said first track, a second gripper slidably mounted on said second track, and a second air actuator engaged with said second gripper for moving said gripper along said second track from an extended position wherein said second gripper is positioned to grip an armature shaft while the armature is in said winder or in said fuser, to a retracted position wherein said second gripper is closer to the axis of rotation of said turret plate to enable said turret plate to be rotated without interference between an armature held by said second gripper and the winder or the fuser.

6. The manufacturing cell of claim 5 wherein said second air actuator is a magnetically coupled rodless cylinder.

7. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 1 further comprising an armature elevator which feeds unwound armatures to said gripper.

8. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 1 further comprising an armature elevator which feeds unwound armatures to said gripper when said gripper is extended toward said fuser and removes wound armatures from said fuser.

9. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 8 wherein said elevator includes a chuck jaw that engages the armatures and which supports a wound armature in position to be fused during the fusing of the wound armature.

10. The armature manufacturing cell of claim 9 wherein said fuser includes a collet that supports a wound armature in position to be fused, said wound armature being gripped by said gripper following the completion of the fusing of an armature, said collet retracting following the completion of a fusing operation to permit said elevator to rise into engagement with the wound and fused armature whereupon the gripper can release its grip on the wound and fused armature to permit the elevator to lower the wound and fused armature.

11. An armature manufacturing line comprising:

an armature winding apparatus having an armature gripping assembly that holds an armature with its shaft centered on a first horizontal axis;

an armature fusing apparatus spaced from said armature winding apparatus having an armature gripping assembly that faces said armature winding apparatus and holds an armature with its shaft centered on a second horizontal axis which is parallel to said first horizontal axis;

a delivery conveyer extending in a first direction to a location between said winding apparatus and said fusing apparatus and carrying unwound armatures;

an elevator which removes unwound armatures from said delivery conveyor; and

an armature transfer mechanism located between said winding apparatus an d said fusing apparatus, said transfer mechanism having a rotatable turret plate, a first gripper slidably mounted on said turret plate, and a second gripper slidably mounted on said turret plate in parallel relation to said first gripper but facing in the opposite direct ion from said first gripper, said first gripper gripping an unwound armature held by said elevator and said second gripper gripping a wound armature held by said armature winding apparatus gripping assembly, whereby said unwound armature is delivered to said winding apparatus and said wound armature is delivered to said fusing apparatus by rotation of said turret plate through 180 degrees.

12. The armature manufacturing line of claim 11 further comprising a departure conveyor extending in said first direction from a location between said winding apparatus and said fusing apparatus, and an elevator which receives wound and fused armatures from said fusing apparatus and delivers them to said departure conveyor.

13. The armature manufacturing line of claim 12 wherein said delivery conveyor and said departure conveyor each forms a part of a single conveyor line.

14. The armature manufacturing line of claim 13 wherein said elevator which removes unwound armatures from said delivery conveyor and said elevator which delivers wound and fused armatures to said departure conveyor are the same elevator.

15. The armature manufacturing line of claim 12 wherein said delivery conveyor and said departure conveyor are separate conveyor lines.

16. The armature manufacturing line of claim 15 wherein said delivery conveyor comprises an inclined track.

17. The armature manufacturing line of claim 15 wherein said elevator which removes unwound armatures from said delivery conveyor and said elevator which delivers wound and fused armatures to said departure conveyor are different elevators.

18. The armature manufacturing apparatus of claim 11 wherein said grippers grip each armature by its shaft, and wherein said turret plate rotates about a vertical axis.

19. The armature manufacturing apparatus of claim 11 wherein said grippers grip each armature by its shaft, and wherein said turret plate rotates about a horizontal axis.

20. The armature manufacturing line of claim 11 wherein said turret member rotates about an axis extending at 45 degrees relative to vertical, and wherein said grippers each comprise a pair of parallel-extending, opposed gripper jaws, the gripper jaws of each gripper being mutually spaced in a first plane when located at said fusing apparatus and being mutually spaced in a second plane perpendicular to said first plane when located at said winding apparatus.

21. The armature manufacturing line of claim 20 wherein said first plane is horizontal and said second plane is vertical.

22. The armature manufacturing line of claim 11 wherein said winding apparatus, said fusing apparatus, said elevator, and said transfer mechanism together comprise a manufacturing cell, and wherein said manufacturing line comprises more than one manufacturing cell.