Dynamo-electric machine component conveying systems and load/unload devices
First Claim
1. Apparatus for conveying dynamo-electric machine armatures through a production line which includes a plurality of processing machines for operating on said armatures, said apparatus comprising:
- an asynchronous conveyor extending in a closed loop from an armature receiving station, past multiple subpluralities of said processing machines which subpluralities are disposed in a series along said conveyor, to an armature discharging station, said conveyor conveying said armatures on pallets, each of said subpluralities of processing machines including a coil winding mechanism for winding coils of wire on an armature and a fusing mechanism for subsequently fusing coil leads to said armature;
an armature loader for loading armatures on said pallets at said receiving station;
a stop associated with each of said subpluralities of processing machines for selectively stopping any one of said pallets adjacent the associated subplurality;
a load/unload mechanism associated with each of said subpluralities of processing machines for removing an armature from any one of said pallets stopped at said stop associated with the associated subplurality and for placing a wound and fused armature from that subplurality on the stopped one of said pallets; and
an armature unloader for unloading said wound and fused armatures from said pallets at said discharging station.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved conveying system in a parallel processing production line for dynamo-electric machine components having a magnetic core, the conveying system having a main conveyor extending along all of the processing machines of the production line and a load/unload device for transferring components between the main conveyor and a selected processing machine. Components to be processed are loaded directly from the main conveyor onto the load/unload device without the use of an intermediate conveyor. The load/unload device has a base platform with an alignment area at which transfer between the load/unload device and either the main conveyor or a selected processing machine occurs. Two component holders (e.g., collets) are movably mounted on the base platform for alternate positioning at the alignment area. The load/unload device alternately positions the gripping ends of the component holders adjacent the main conveyor and a selected processing machine. The central axis of the load/unload device remains fixed during movement of the load/unload device.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. Apparatus for conveying dynamo-electric machine armatures through a production line which includes a plurality of processing machines for operating on said armatures, said apparatus comprising:
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an asynchronous conveyor extending in a closed loop from an armature receiving station, past multiple subpluralities of said processing machines which subpluralities are disposed in a series along said conveyor, to an armature discharging station, said conveyor conveying said armatures on pallets, each of said subpluralities of processing machines including a coil winding mechanism for winding coils of wire on an armature and a fusing mechanism for subsequently fusing coil leads to said armature; an armature loader for loading armatures on said pallets at said receiving station; a stop associated with each of said subpluralities of processing machines for selectively stopping any one of said pallets adjacent the associated subplurality; a load/unload mechanism associated with each of said subpluralities of processing machines for removing an armature from any one of said pallets stopped at said stop associated with the associated subplurality and for placing a wound and fused armature from that subplurality on the stopped one of said pallets; and an armature unloader for unloading said wound and fused armatures from said pallets at said discharging station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification