Patent Application
20220118497
The present invention relates to an automatic bending apparatus for a copper pipe connector, and more particularly, to an automatic bending apparatus for a copper pipe connector that is capable of curvedly bending the copper pipe connector through a single operation.
A pipe is mainly used to convey a fluid such as gas or liquid, powder, or the like in living or industrial facilities. The pipe is bent to various angles when its installation direction is changed or its installation area is limited.
Generally, a pipe bending apparatus is configured to allow one end of a pipe to be fixed to a curvature starting point of a rotating mold having a desired curvature and to then allow the pipe to come into close contact with an outer peripheral surface of the rotational mold by means of a roller in such a manner as to be moved along the outer peripheral surface of the rotational mold and to be thus bent to the same curvature as the rotating mold.
According to the conventional pipe bending apparatus, however, a section (diameter) of the pipe may be deformed (distorted) in the process where the pipe has plastic deformation along the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating mold, and as a result, the deformation on the section of the pipe causes a resistance of a fluid flowing along the pipe.
A roller pipe bending apparatus is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0683170, and an automatic bending apparatus is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0583206. Further, a steel bar bending apparatus is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0489932, which includes a driving shaft of a driving motor rotatably coupled to an installation stand, a rotating roller having V-shaped or semi-circular horizontal grooves formed along an outer periphery thereof, and pusher rollers located spaced apart from the rotating roller by given distances.
According to the conventional bending apparatus, however, the rotating roller onto which a pipe is seated has the circular horizontal grooves with given radiuses with respect to the rotation center thereof, so that it is hard to bend the pipe to different curvatures along a longitudinal direction of the pipe.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic bending apparatus for a copper pipe connector that is capable of bending the copper pipe connector to a shape curved in different directions through a single operation, while the copper pipe connector is being automatically supplied, thereby maximizing a quality of a product and an efficiency of work.
To accomplish the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided an automatic bending apparatus for a copper pipe connector, including: a body movably placed on a floor; a supply part located on a side portion of the body to supply the copper pipe connector to be bent; a bending position adjusting part located on top of the body to allow the copper pipe connector supplied from the supply part to be placed at an accurate bending position; a first bending part and a second bending part located on top of the body to face each other and adapted to bend the copper pipe connector; and a controller located above the side portion of the body to control operations of the respective parts.
According to the present invention, desirably, the body includes casters mounted on the underside thereof so that the body is movable and a discharge hole formed on top thereof to discharge the bent copper pipe connector therethrough.
According to the present invention, desirably, the supply part includes: a supply container located on the side portion of the body to accommodate the copper bending connector therein; a plurality of ascending and descending bars vertically located on an inner side of the supply container in such a manner as to be moved up and down to allow the copper bending connector accommodated in the supply container to be lifted above the supply container; and a guide robot located above the body to hold the copper pipe connector placed on tops of the ascending and descending bars and to thus move the copper pipe connector to the bending position adjusting part.
According to the present invention, desirably, the ascending and descending bars have concave grooves formed on tops thereof to prevent the copper pipe connector placed thereon from falling down.
According to the present invention, desirably, the bending position adjusting part includes: seating stands located on one side of the top of the body in such a manner as to be linked to the first bending part and thus moved by means of an operation of a cylinder so that the copper pipe connector supplied from the supply part is seated thereonto; and position adjusting rods located on both sides of top of the body in such a manner as to allow the copper pipe connector seated onto the seating stands to be adjusted to a right position.
According to the present invention, desirably, the seating stands are spaced apart from each other by a shorter distance than a length of the copper pipe connector so as to allow the copper pipe connector supplied through the supply part to be seated thereonto and have seating grooves formed on one side thereof to prevent the copper pipe connector from moving or falling.
According to the present invention, desirably, the first bending part includes: a first bending body located on top of the body in such a manner as to be linked to the seating stands of the bending position adjusting part; a first support member located on top of the front surface of the first bending body in such a manner as to come into close contact with a portion of the copper pipe connector seated onto the seating stands; and a first bending member connected to the front surface of the first bending body by means of a hinge in such a manner as to rotate around the hinge by means of an operation of a cylinder to allow one side of the copper pipe connector to be bent.
According to the present invention, desirably, the first support member has a first bending groove formed rounded on an outer side of the front surface thereof in such a manner as to allow one side of the copper pipe connector to be curvedly bent, while the copper pipe connector is being bent by means of the first bending member.
According to the present invention, desirably, the second bending part includes: a second bending body located on top of the body in such a manner as to face the first bending member; rails located on the underside of the second bending body to move the second bending body through an operation of a cylinder; a second support member located on top of the front surface of the second bending body in such a manner as to come into close contact with a portion of the copper pipe connector seated onto the seating stands; and a second bending member connected to the front surface of the second bending body by means of a hinge in such a manner as to rotate around the hinge by means of an operation of a cylinder to allow the other side of the copper pipe connector to be bent.
According to the present invention, desirably, the second support member has a second bending groove formed rounded on an outer side of the front surface thereof in such a manner as to allow the other side of the copper pipe connector to be curvedly bent, while the copper pipe connector is being bent by means of the second bending member.
According to the present invention, desirably, the automatic bending apparatus further includes angle adjusting stands located on side portions of the first bending part and the second bending part to adjust rotation angles of the first bending member and the second bending member according to bending curvature angles of the copper pipe connector.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention may be modified in various ways and may have several exemplary embodiments. Specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this does not limit the invention within specific embodiments and it should be understood that the invention covers all the modifications, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and technical scope of the invention.
In the description, the thicknesses of the lines or the sizes of the components shown in the drawing may be magnified for the clarity and convenience of the description. Further, the terms as will be discussed later are defined in accordance with the functions of the present invention, but may be varied under the intention or regulation of a user or operator. Therefore, they should be defined on the basis of the whole scope of the present invention.
A term ‘and/or’ includes a combination of a plurality of relevant and described items or any one of a plurality of related and described items. When it is said that one element is described as being “connected” or “coupled” to the other element, one element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, but it should be understood that another element may be present between the two elements. An expression referencing a singular value additionally refers to a corresponding expression of the plural number, unless explicitly limited otherwise by the context. In this application, terms, such as “comprise”, “include”, or “have”, are intended to designate those characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, or parts which are described in the specification, or any combination of them that exist.
Terms, such as the first, the second, A, and B, may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be restricted by the terms.
In the description, when it is said that one layer (film), region, pattern or structure is located “on” or “under” another layer (film), region, pattern or structure, it means that one layer may come into contact with another layer as well as yet another layer may exist between the two layers. Reference for “on” or “under” of the two layers will be determined with reference to drawings.
Now, an automatic bending apparatus for a copper pipe connector of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
First, the body 100 in the shape of a rectangular box has casters (110, 110a, 110b) mounted on the underside thereof so that it is movable.
Further, the body 100 has a discharge hole 120 formed on top thereof to discharge a copper pipe connector 10 bent curvedly by means of operations of the first bending part 400 and the second bending part 500 as will be discussed later therefrom.
The supply part 200 is located on a side portion of the body 100 to accommodate the copper bending connector 10 to be bent and to thus supply the copper bending connector 10.
As shown in
The supply container 210 is located on the side portion of the body 100 to accommodate the copper bending connector 10 to be bent therein.
Further, a bottom surface of the supply container 210 is inclined toward the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) to allow a plurality of copper bending connectors (10) to be continuously lifted one by one on tops of the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a).
The ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) are vertically located on an inner side of the supply container 210 in such a manner as to be moved up and down by means of an operation of a cylinder C1 to allow the copper bending connector 10 accommodated in the supply container 210 to be lifted above the supply container 210.
Further, the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) are spaced apart from each other by a shorter distance than a length of the copper pipe connector 10.
Furthermore, the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) have concave grooves 221 formed on tops thereof to prevent the copper pipe connector 10 placed thereon from falling down.
In detail, the copper pipe connector 10 is stably seated onto the concave grooves 221, so that even though the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) are moved up and down, the copper pipe connector 10 does not fall down from the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a).
The guide robot 230 is located above the body 100 to hold the copper pipe connector 10 placed on tops of the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) and to thus move the copper pipe connector 10 to the bending position adjusting part 300 as will be discussed later.
In detail, the guide robot 230 clamps the copper pipe connector 10 located on tops of the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) and transfers the copper pipe connector 10 to the bending position adjusting part 300, and such operations of the guide robot 230 are repeatedly carried out.
The bending position adjusting part 300 is located on top of the body 100 to allow the copper pipe connector 10 supplied through the guide robot 230 of the supply part 200 to be placed at an accurate bending position.
As shown in
The seating stands 310 are located on one side of top of the body 100 and is movable left and right by the operation of a cylinder C2, while being linked to a first bending body 410 of the first bending part 400 as will be discussed later, to allow the copper pipe connector 10 supplied through the guide robot 230 to be seated onto a bending position.
Further, the seating stands 310 are spaced apart from each other by a shorter distance than the length of the copper pipe connector 10 so as to allow the copper pipe connector 10 supplied through the guide robot 230 to be seated thereonto.
Moreover, a connection plate 311 is located on the rear ends of the seating stands 310 to connect the seating stands 310 thereto, and also, the cylinder C2 is connected to the connection plate 311.
Furthermore, seating grooves 312 are formed on one side of the seating stands 310 so that the copper pipe connector 10 can be stably seated without shaking or or falling.
The position adjusting rods 320 are located on both sides of top of the body 100 in such a manner as to come into contact with both ends of the copper pipe connector 10 seated onto the seating stands 310 by means of linear motions to thus allow the copper pipe connector 10 to be adjusted to the accurate bending position.
The first bending part 400 is located on top of the body 100 to allow the copper pipe connector 10 seated onto the seating stands 310 of the bending position adjusting part 300 to be bent to a given curved shape.
As shown in
The first bending body 410 is located on top of the body 100 in such a manner as to be connected to the seating stands 310 of the bending position adjusting part 300.
The first support member 420 is located on top of a front surface of the first bending body 410 in such a manner as to come into close contact with half of the copper pipe connector 10 seated onto the seating stands 310.
Further, the first support member 420 has a first bending groove 421 formed rounded on an outer side of the front surface thereof in such a manner as to allow one side of the copper pipe connector 10 to be curvedly bent in the state of coming into close contact with the copper pipe connector 10, while the copper pipe connector 10 is being bent by means of an operation of the first bending member 430.
The first bending member 430 is connected to the front surface of the first bending body 410 by means of a hinge h in such a manner as to rotate around the hinge h to thus allow one side of the copper pipe connector 10 to be curvedly bent.
Further, a cylinder C3 is connected to the first bending member 430 to allow the first bending member 430 to rotate around the hinge h.
The second bending part 500 is located on top of the body 100 to face the first bending part 400 and serves to bend the copper pipe connector 10, together with the first bending part 400.
In the state where the first bending part 400 and the second bending part 500 face each other, in detail, they curvedly bend both sides of the copper pipe connector 10 in different directions from each other.
As shown in
The second bending body 510 is located movably on top of the body 100 along rails (R1 and R2) in such a manner as to face the first bending member 410.
Further, the second bending body 510 is connected to a cylinder C4 and is moved along the rails (R1 and R2) by means of an operation of the cylinder C4, so that it can come into contact with the first bending member 410.
The rails (R1 and R2) are located on the underside of the second bending body 510 to move the second bending body 510 through the operation of the cylinder C4.
The second support member 520 is located on top of the front surface of the second bending body 510 in such a manner as to come into close contact with half of the copper pipe connector 10 seated onto the seating stands 310.
Further, the second support member 520 has a second bending groove 521 formed rounded on an outer side of the front surface thereof in such a manner as to allow the other side of the copper pipe connector 10 to be curvedly bent in the state of coming into close contact with the copper pipe connector 10, while the copper pipe connector 10 is being bent by means of an operation of the second bending member 530.
In detail, the copper pipe connector 10 comes into close contact with the first bending groove 421 and the second bending groove 521, and when it is bent, accordingly, it does not twist. While the first bending member 430 and the second bending member 530 are operating, further, one side of the copper pipe connector 10 can be bent curvedly, without any wrinkle, by means of the rounded surfaces of the outer sides of the first bending groove 421 and the second bending groove 521.
The second bending member 530 is connected to the front surface of the second bending body 510 by means of a hinge h in such a manner as to rotate around the hinge h to allow the other side of the copper pipe connector 10 to be curvedly bent.
Further, a cylinder C5 is connected to the second bending member 530 to allow the second bending member 530 to rotate around the hinge h.
Furthermore, angle adjusting stands 130 are located on top of the body 100, that is, on side portions of the first bending part 400 and the second bending part 500, to adjust rotation angles of the first bending member 430 and the second bending member 530 according to bending curvature angles of the copper pipe connector 10.
The angle adjusting stands 130 can rotate by means of bolt tightening to adjust the rotation angles of the first bending member 430 and the second bending member 530.
The controller 600 is located above the side surface of the body 100 in such a manner as to be connected electrically to the respective parts to control their operations.
Under the above-mentioned configuration, now, an explanation on an operating state of the automatic bending apparatus for the copper pipe connector according to the present invention will be given.
The copper pipe connector 10 to be bent is supplied to an interior of the supply container 210, and next, it is lifted onto the concave grooves 221 of the ascending and descending bars 220. If so, the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) are moved up until they are on top of the supply container 210 by means of the operation of the cylinder C1.
If the ascending and descending bars (220 and 220a) are moved up, the guide robot 230 holds the copper pipe connector 10 placed on the concave grooves 221 to move the copper pipe connector 10 above the discharge hole 120 of the body 100, and if so, the seating stands 310 are moved forward toward the discharge hole 120 by means of the operation of the cylinder C2, so that the copper pipe connector 10 is released from the guide robot 230 and is thus placed on the seating stands 310 (See
In this case, the copper pipe connector 10 is placed on the seating grooves 312 formed on the seating stands 310, so that it is stably seated thereonto, without any movement, thereby enhancing a bending efficiency.
If the copper pipe connector 10 is placed on the seating stands 310, further, the second bending body 510 is moved along the rails (R1 and R2) by means of the cylinder C4 to push the copper pipe connector 10, so that the copper pipe connector comes into close contact with a space between the first support member 420 and the second support member 520.
In this case, the copper pipe connector 10 comes into close contact with the first bending groove 421 of the first support member 420 and the second bending groove 521 of the second support member 520, so that it can be stably bent, without any movement.
If the copper pipe connector 10 comes into close contact with the first bending groove 421 and the second bending groove 521, further, the position adjusting rods 320 located on both sides of the body 100 are linearly moved to come into contact with both side ends of the copper pipe connector 10, so that the bending positions of the copper pipe connector 10 can be accurately adjusted (See
If the bending positions of the copper pipe connector 10 are adjusted through the bending position adjusting part 300, the first bending member 430 and the second bending member 530 rotate around the hinges h by means of the operations of the cylinders C5 to allow both side peripheries of the copper pipe connector 10 coming into close contact with the first support member 420 and the second support member 520 to be bent curvedly in different directions from each other (See
If the copper pipe connector 10 is bent by means of the operations of the first bending member 430 and the second bending member 530, further, the second bending body 510 is moved along the rails (R1 and R2) by means of the operation of the cylinder C4 to allow the first support member 420 and the second support member 520 to be separated from each other, and accordingly, the bent copper pipe connector 10 can be discharged to the discharge hole 120 (See
Like this, the plurality of copper pipe connectors 10 are automatically supplied one by one to the seating stands 310 of the bending position adjusting part 300 from the supply part 200, and the seated copper pipe connector 10 comes into close contact with the first bending groove 421 of the first bending member 420 and the second bending groove 521 of the second bending member 520. Next, the bending positions of the copper pipe connector 10 are accurately adjusted through the position adjusting rods 320, and through the operations of the first bending member 430 and the second bending member 530, the copper pipe connector 10 is bent curvedly and discharged. The bending and discharging processes of the copper pipe connectors can be continuously carried out, thereby maximizing the efficiency of work.
As described above, the automatic bending apparatus for the copper pipe connector according to the present invention supplies the copper pipe connector to the bending position adjusting part from the supply part, accurately adjusts the bending positions of the copper pipe connector, and automatically bends the copper pipe connector through the single operation of the first being part and the second bending part in such a manner as to allow both ends of the copper pipe connector to be curved in different directions, thereby maximizing a quality of a product and stability and conveniences in work.
While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
