Methods and apparatus for winding electric machine cores

• US 6,612,519 B1
• Filed: 10/27/2000
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ATOP SpA
• Original Assignee: Axis Usa, Inc.
• Inventors: Mugelli, Maurizio, Stratico, Gianfranco, Becherucci, Raffaele, Manuelli, Giovanni
• Primary Examiner(s): Matecki, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANGDON, EVAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/699,184
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 242/433.3, 242/433.4, 242/432.6, 295/96
• US Class Current: 242/432.6
• 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

The present invention discloses methods and apparatus for winding wire onto the slots on armature lamination stacks. More specifically, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for increasing time the winding components are operating on an armature winding system. The invention includes a loading/unloading unit and a holding unit that may be operated independently under most circumstances. The independent operation enables the winders of the present invention to operate at increased duty cycles, thereby increasing throughput. Additionally, the apparatus of the present invention increases the likelihood that armatures remain properly indexed during the loading transfer process to further increase system efficiency.

Claims

1. Apparatus for winding wire onto a core of a dynamo-electric machine, said winding apparatus comprising:

a winding system that winds wire around said core when said core is located at a center point;

a moveable holding unit that holds said core, comprising a first drive unit that drives said holding unit bidirectionally along a first axis and aligns said core at said center point; and

a load/unload unit comprising a second drive unit that drives said load/unload unit bidirectionally along said first axis, said load/unload unit being moveable from a load position whereby said load/unload unit receives an unwound core, to a transfer position whereby said load/unload unit and said holding unit meet and said unwound core is transferred to said holding unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said winding system comprises first and second winding units that are moved apart from said core a minimal distance such that said holding unit and said core may move along said first axis without engaging any portion of said first and second winding units.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said holding unit moves said core, when wound, to said transfer position, said transfer position being external to said winding system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first drive is a variable drive and distance of movement along said first axis of said core from said transfer position to said center point varies depending on the size of said core.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said load/unload unit waits with an unwound core at an intermediate position between said load position and said transfer position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said load/unload unit comprises:

a command plate that rotates about a second axis;

a first gripper mounted to said command plate; and

a second gripper mounted to said command plate.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first gripper is empty and aligned along said first axis, and said second gripper grips said unwound core.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said second drive is controlled to move said load/unload unit to said transfer position, said first gripper is controlled to grasp a wound core from said holding unit, said command plate is controlled to rotate about said second axis to align said second gripper with said first axis, and said holding unit and load/unload unit are controlled to transfer said unwound core to said holding unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first gripper is in a lower position and said second gripper in is an upper position, and said unwound core is in said second gripper while said load/unload unit moves to said transfer position.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first gripper receives a wound core from said holding unit and is rotated about said second axis to said upper position.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said load/unload unit with said wound core is rotated about a third axis such that said gripper in said upper position with said wound core is in parallel with a fourth axis aligned with a fusing device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said gripper in said lower position is aligned with said fourth axis to extract a fused core from said fusing device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said load/unload unit comprises an upper gripper and a lower gripper, and wherein said lower gripper grasps a wound core from said holding unit after said winding system has wound said core, and wherein said load/unload unit rotates said lower and upper grippers such that said gripper holding said wound core is moved to be said upper gripper, said apparatus further comprising:

a fusing device, said load/unload unit being rotated about a second axis such that said wound core in said upper gripper is in parallel with a third axis aligned with said fusing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said load/unload unit comprises:

a first gripper that is empty and aligned along said first axis; and

a second gripper that grips and holds said unwound core prior to being transferred to said holding unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said load/unload unit comprises:

a third drive that drives said load/unload unit vertically along a second axis from said load position to a receive position where said load/unload unit receives said unwound core.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said load/unload unit further comprises:

a command plate that rotates about a third axis;

a first gripper mounted to said command plate, said first gripper being in a lower position while said third drive lowers said load/unload unit to said receive position; and

a second gripper mounted to said command plate that is rotated to said lower position prior to being aligned with said first axis and prior to said load/unload unit being moved to said transfer position.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said load/unload unit comprises a gripper that grasps said unwound core and aligns said unwound core in a first index position.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said first index position is retained when said unwound core is transferred to said holding unit.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said core comprises a lamination stack.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said load/unload unit comprises a stack gripper that grasps said stack.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said stack gripper aligns said stack in a first index position.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said holding unit comprises a holding gripper that grasps said core during transfer of cores between said holding and load/unload units.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said core is an armature core further comprising a commutator, said stack and said commutator being g fixedly mounted to a shaft.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a wound core is transferred by said load/unload unit to a fusing device that fuses wound wire to said commutator.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said holding unit and said load/unload unit simultaneously move along said first axis toward said transfer position.

26. Apparatus for winding wire onto a core of a dynamo-electric machine, said winding apparatus comprising:

a holding unit comprising a first gripper;

a winding system that winds wire on said core; and

a load/unload unit comprising at least a second gripper that grasps said core and sets said core to a first index position such that said core is in proper alignment to begin receiving said wire from said winding system and a drive unit that drives said load/unload unit along a first axis, said first and second grippers being controlled such that unwound cores having been set to said first index position are transferred from said second gripper to said first gripper while maintaining said first index position.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a fusing device, said unwound cores being wound by said winding system and being transferred back to said load/unload unit while retaining said first index position, the wound cores being transferred from said load/unload unit to said fusing device while maintaining said first index position.

28. An apparatus for winding wire onto a core of a dynamo-electric machine, said winding apparatus comprising:

a load/unload unit that provides said core to be wound;

a winding system that winds wire around said core when said core is located at a center point, said winding system that is located on a first side of said load/unload unit;

a holding unit that holds said core at said center point, said holding unit that is located on said first side of said load/unload unit; and

a control panel that is located on said first side of said load/unload unit, said control panel that is oriented such that an operator situated on said first side of said load/unload unit can reach and adjust control knobs on said control panel while standing and observing operation of said apparatus and control indicators on said control panel.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

a wiring path that provides at least wiring to said indicators and said knobs, said path being located internal to said apparatus.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said control panel is mounted to said apparatus such that it extends longitudinally along said apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the axis along which both said load/unload unit and said holding unit are located.

31. A method of winding wire onto a core of a dynamo-electric machine, said method comprising:

moving a load/unload unit along a first axis to a load position;

loading an unwound core in said load/unload unit;

moving said load/unload unit along said first axis to a transfer position;

moving a holding unit along said first axis in a first direction to said transfer position;

transferring said unwound core from said load/unload unit to said holding unit;

moving said holding unit along said first axis opposite said first direction to align said unwound core at a center point; and

winding wire around said unwound core to produce a wound core.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

moving first and second winding units a minimal distance apart from said wound core.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

moving said holding unit along said first axis in said first direction to said transfer position without engaging a winding system that winds wire around said unwound core.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said moving said holding unit comprises:

moving said holding unit a variable distance from said transfer position to said center point depending on the size of said core.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein moving said load/unload unit comprises:

moving said load/unload unit along said first axis from said load position to an intermediate position;

waiting until winding of a previous unwound core is complete; and

moving said load/unload unit along said first axis from said intermediate position to said transfer position.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein loading comprises:

grasping said unwound core with a lower gripper; and

rotating a command plate about a second axis such that a second, empty, gripper is aligned with said first axis and said lower gripper is moved into an upper position.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein transferring comprises:

grasping said wound core with a lower gripper mounted to a command plate on said load/unload unit;

rotating said command plate about a second axis to move said wound core to an upper position and to lower another unwound core to a lower position; and

gripping said another unwound core with a holding gripper mounted to said holding unit.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

moving said holding unit to said transfer position;

transferring said wound core from said holding unit to said load/unload unit; and

rotating said load/unload unit about a second axis to align said wound core with a fusing device.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein transferring said wound core comprises:

grasping said wound core with a lower gripper mounted to a command plate on said load/unload unit; and

rotating said command plate about a third axis to move said wound core to an upper position, said upper position being parallel with a fourth axis aligned with said fusing device after said rotating said load/unload unit.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein loading comprises:

lowering said load/unload unit along a second axis;

receiving said unwound core; and

raising said load/unload unit along said second axis.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein loading further comprises:

rotating said unwound core about a third axis from a lower position to an upper position after said receiving occurs; and

depositing a wound core located in said lower position.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein said unwound core is loaded in a first index position and said transferring comprises:

moving said unwound core from said load/unload unit to said holding unit while retaining said first index position.

43. The method of claim 31, wherein said core comprises:

a lamination stack.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said core is an armature further comprising:

a commutator, said lamination stack and said commutator being fixedly mounted to a shaft.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein loading comprises:

grasping said lamination stack with a gripper.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said loading further comprises:

aligning said grasped stack in a first index position.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein transferring comprises:

grasping said shaft with a holding gripper on said holding unit while retaining said first index position.

48. A method of winding wire onto a core of a dynamo-electric machine, said method comprising:

moving a load/unload unit along a first axis to a load position;

loading an unwound core in said load/unload unit;

aligning said unwound core to a first index position;

moving said load/unload unit along said first axis to a transfer position;

transferring said unwound core from said load/unload unit to said holding unit while retaining said first index position; and

winding wire around said unwound core to produce a wound core.