Injection mold with an electronic data storage including a counter

• US 7,128,548 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2004
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otto Manner Innovation GmbH (Otto Männer Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Otto Manner Innovation GmbH (Otto Männer Holding AG)
• Inventors: Männer, Hans Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): HEITBRINK, TIMOTHY W
• Application Number:
  US10/851,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20040247724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 892 Days
• Field of Search: 425/135, 425/169, 249/103
• US Class Current: 425/135
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/1796 Moulds carrying mould related information or codes, e.g. bar codes, counters
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76006 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76043 derivative, change thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76076 duration
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76254 Mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76387 Mould closing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76394 Mould opening
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76454 Electrical, e.g. thermocouples
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76458 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76551 Time
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76939 Using stored or historical data sets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76973 By counting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76993 Remote, e.g. LAN, wireless LAN
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/17 Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/76 Measuring, controlling or regulating measuring in general G01; controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/77 of velocity or pressure of moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/78 of temperature

Abstract

In an injection mold comprising a stationary and a movable mold half for opening and closing the injection mold, an electronic data storage with a counter for detecting and retrievably recording the number of injection molding procedures and the number of closing movements of the mold halves in the data storage is provided and the data storage is removably mounted on the injection mold and, furthermore, a sensor is provided for recording the mounting state of the data storage and also a time recording element for determining any time period for which the data storage was removed from the data storage.

Claims

1. An injection mold (1) comprising at least two mold halves (2,3) of which at least one is movable relative to the other for opening and closing the injection mold (1), said injection mold including an electronic data storage (4) with a counter (8) for detecting and retrievably recording one of the number of injection molding procedures and the number of closing movements of the mold halves in the data storage (4), said data storage being removably mounted on said injection mold, a sensor (6) in communication with said data storage for recording the mounting state of said data storage (4) and a time recording element for determining the time period over which the data storage (4) was removed from the injection mold (1).

2. An injection mold according to claim 1, wherein one of said mold halves (2,) is stationary and said data storage is mounted on said stationary mold half.

3. An injection mold according to claim 1, wherein said data storage (4) includes a housing (5) and a reed switch is diposed in said housing (5) and furthermore, a magnet (9) is arranged on said mold half carrying said data storage (4) adjacent said reed switch so as to close said reed switch when said data storage is installed but wherein said reed switch opens when said data storage is removed.

4. An injection mold according to claim 1, wherein at least one sensor (10) is provided which is connected to the data storage (4) for recording and storing the size and duration of at least one measurement value occurring during an injection molding procedure.

5. An injection mold according to claim 4, wherein said at least one sensor (10) for recording and storing at least one measurement value is a temperature sensor.

6. An injection mold according to claim 5, wherein said temperature sensor (10) is a thermoelement which is arranged in the interior of the injection mold (1) and is connected to the data storage (4) by a line for supplying voltage values thereto, said data storage including a microprocessor (7), which converts the voltage values supplied by the temperature sensor (10) to temperature values.

7. An injection mold according to claim 6, wherein said data storage includes a time recording element for determining and recording the presence and duration during which measurement values exceed predetermined limits during an injection molding procedure.

8. An injection mold according to claim 1, wherein at least one pressure sensor is provided in said injection mold (1), said pressure sensor being connected to said data storage (4) for determining and retrievably recording the pressure pattern during an injection molding procedure.

9. An injection mold according to claim 7, wherein said time recording element is connected to a contact sensor (11) which senses and retrievably stores the duration of the opening and closing periods of the injection mold (1).

10. An injection mold according to claim 9, wherein said contact sensor (11) for counting and recording the duration of the opening and closing periods is disposed on one of the housing (5) and the holder of the data storage (4) and comprises a piezo element, and a plunger (12) which is movable relative to the contact sensor (11) so as to strike said contact sensor (11) upon closing of said injection mold (1) whereby the opening and closing steps can be mechanically determined and the duration of the opening and closing periods can be determined from the time periods between said strikes.

11. An injection mold according to claim 9, wherein said microprocessor of said data storage (4) determines the number of strike impulses and the periods between the individual strike impulses between the plunger strikes on the piezo element and records these values.

12. An injection mold according to claim 11, wherein the stored values and data are directly readable from the data storage (4) and are also transferred to an operating device which includes a readout.

13. An injection mold according to claim 12, wherein said data storage includes an infrared transmitter (14) for the wireless communication with said operating device.

14. An injection mold according to claim 1, wherein said storage includes a battery (16) forming a power supply for said data storage (4).

15. An injection mold according to claim 14, wherein said battery has a life corresponding to the life expectancy of the injection mold (1).

16. An injection mold according to claim 12, wherein said operating device includes a display (13) for reading out the measurement values and dates.