Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6269936
-
Patent Number
6,269,936
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, November 3, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, August 7, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Wood, Herron & Evans, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 198 4701
- 198 4741
- 198 4761
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
The installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs comprises a star turret with gripper hands. The gripper hands consist of two jaws of which at least one is pivotable and is pressable with the force of a tension spring against the second. The spring produced on the winding machine is pressed by the insertion means into the gripper hand and is held firmly by this by the force of the tension spring during the transport and during the heat treatment. For the transfer of the spring to a transport device insertion jaws are pivotably connected to the transport means and push the spring out of the gripper hand, overcoming at least a part of the tension force of the tension spring, into a receiver on the transport device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject-matter of the invention is an installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs, according to the introductory part of patent claim
1
.
With the manufacture of high quality springs for mattresses, a heat treatment is carried out which effects a permanently constant spring constant. The heat treatment may be effected directly after the production, i.e. after the winding of the spring or in a separate working procedure. With modem high performance machines the manufacturing process is carried out as uninterrupted as possible, i.e. the springs after the winding are immediately led to a heat treatment and from here go directly to further processing, e.g. to a fully automatically functioning spring interior assembly machine. With the previously known installations the springs after winding are grasped with drivable, exactly controlled holding means and are led from processing station to processing station. The mechanical and electrical control expense of such holding means is quite large and its maintenance is expensive.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention thus lies in providing an installation which takes over the springs wound on the winding machine, can lead them to a heat treatment station and from here to a transport means and which makes do without actively driven and controlled holding means.
This object is achieved by an installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs according to the features of patent claim
1
.
Advantageous formations of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
It possible with spring loaded jaws arranged in pairs and with a simple insertion device to take over the springs from the winding machine, to introduce them into the heat treatment station and subsequently with a scraper to introduce them from the holding means into the transport device. For the holding means neither mechanical drives nor control means are required. The retention of the springs is effected by the gripping force of the jaws cooperating in pairs. The star turret carrying the holding means can as a result be manufactured extremely inexpensively, since no clamping drive elements need be guided through its rotational axle and through the arms. The drives of the star turret, of the insertion device and of the scraper may be connected synchronously to one another. As a result a complicated control is not necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
By way of an illustrated embodiment example the method according to the invention is explained in more detail. There are shown:
FIG. 1
a perspective part representation of the installation,
FIG. 2
a schematic lateral view of the transport device without the prior mounted star turret,
FIG. 3
a section detailed view of a holding hand,
FIG. 4
a section detailed view of a further formation of a holding hand,
FIG. 5
a detailed view of a further holding hand in a perspective representation,
FIG. 6
a cross section through the spring in the heat treatment station.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the representation according to
FIG. 1
on the right side a spring winding machine is indicated with the reference numeral
1
, as is known from the state of the art, and is therefore not described in any detail. The spring
3
wound of wire leaves the spring winding machine
1
at the end face in the direction of the arrow P. After is completion but before the severing of the endlessly supplied wire, the produced spring
3
is pressed downwards in the direction of arrow S with an advance means
42
indicated dot-dashed, for example with a linearly or pivotably driven half shell whose radius corresponds roughly to the radius of the spring
3
. The represented advance means
42
is pivotable with the drivable shaft
38
. At the same time a central winding glides between the V-shaped formed claw
5
of a gripper hand
7
. The gripper hand
7
is part of for example a four armed star turret
9
which is rotatably mounted on a shaft
11
in a stepped manner about the axis A. The shaft
11
may be mounted at the end face in the spring winding machine
1
and also be driven directly by the drive of this machine. During the accommodation of the spring
3
after its manufacture, the gripper hand
7
taking over the spring
3
, as is shown in
FIG. 1
, is directed vertically upwards.
Diagonally opposite the location where the spring
3
leaves the spring winding machine
1
formed helical-shaped, there is formed a heat treatment station
13
. This comprises for example two distanced plate-like vertically lying supports
15
which are arranged perpendicularly to the rotational axis A and at a distance thereto. The supports
15
above comprise essentially horizontally lying contact surfaces or contact edges
17
onto which the spring
3
comes into contact with two windings when it is transported about two cycles at 90 degrees of angle by way of the star turret
9
. Over the two supports
15
electrodes
21
are fastened on pivotable arms
19
. The two electrodes
21
are connected to an alternating current source (not shown). The pivotable arms
19
may also be pivoted into the position shown in
FIGS. 1 and 6
by way of drive means which likewise are not shown, and pressed onto the spring
3
which bears on the contact surfaces
17
of the supports
15
. For raising the spring
3
the arms may be pivoted into the vertical and thus get out of the conveying region of the spring
3
on the star turret
9
.
Alternatively one of the supports
15
and an electrode
21
may be arranged turned around by 180°.
On the left side in
FIG. 1
the start of the transport device
23
is viewable, this comprising a circumferential endless transport means
25
which for example may be a chain or a toothed belt. The transport means
25
is carried by transport wheels of which in
FIG. 1
only that with the reference numeral
27
can be seen. The two main transport wheels
29
between which the upper belt face of the transport means
25
lies, are shown schematically in FIG.
2
. On the transport means
25
, receivers
33
, e.g. gridded baskets formed U-shaped in cross section are fastened. Between the transport wheel
27
and the main transport wheel
29
there lies a vertically running belt face piece
35
in which the openings of the receivers (gridded baskets)
33
are aligned towards the star turret
9
. The gripper hand
7
comes to lie in front of the belt face piece
35
when it has conveyed the spring
3
from the heat treatment station
13
further by 90°. On a horizontally lying pivoting shaft
37
which can be driven by the spring winding machine
1
, on arms
39
there are fastened insertion jaws
41
. These may, pivoted clockwise, be led laterally past on the gripper hand
7
and at the same time may insert the spring
3
held clamped in the gripper hand
7
out of the clamping into a receiver
33
.
The transport device
23
transports the springs
3
transferred to it from the gripper hand
3
in a cycled manner over the upper belt face
31
to the left (in
FIG. 2
) and transfers them at the position
100
to a next treatment station. So that the springs
3
loosely conveyed in the receivers
33
on the lower belt face do not fall out of the receivers
33
, a guide rail
34
is arranged running parallel to the belt face.
On the star turret
9
gripper hands
7
of the most varied design may be fastened. However common to all is the fact that they comprise neither an electrical nor a pneumatic or hydraulic drive in order to temporarily rigidly hold the spring
3
. The holding force of the gripper hands
7
involves a pretensioned tension spring
51
. In the first embodiment form according to
FIG. 3
on the shank
43
which connects the gripper hand
7
to the star turret
9
, there are seated two gripper jaws or claws
45
and
47
. The first gripper jaw
47
may be part of the shank
43
or rigidly connected to this; the second gripper jaw
45
is pivotable about a bolt
49
which is held in the stationary first gripper jaw
47
. The movable gripper jaw
45
is formed as a two-armed lever whose lower end bears with the helical spring
51
which is held tensioned between the movable gripper jaw
45
and the stationary gripper jaw
47
. The upper ends of the gripper jaws
45
,
47
together with their oblique end faces
53
,
55
form a V-shaped run-in for the wire of the spring
3
.
In the formation of the gripper hand
7
according to
FIG. 4
, on the movable gripper jaw
45
a roller
57
is rotatably mounted. The periphery of the roller
57
lies in the extension of the end face
53
of the gripper jaw
45
. It favors the introduction and the moving out of the spring wire, without by way of this the holding force being compromised.
On one of the two gripper jaws
45
,
47
at a distance below the end face
53
,
55
there is formed a recess or notch
58
. In this notch there lies the spring when it is inserted into the gripper hand
7
. The notch
58
additionally favors the retention of the spring
3
.
In the formation of the gripper hand according to the
FIGS. 5 and 6
the latter likewise consists of two gripper jaws or claws
45
,
47
of metal plates
59
and
61
folded several times, which are fastened on the shank
43
with a screw
63
. The two gripper jaws
45
,
47
comprise base arms
65
,
67
which in the untensioned condition run essentially parallel to one another. Onto the base arms
65
,
67
there connects middle arms
69
and
71
which approach in a V-shaped manner in order then to blend into two parallel running clamping sections
73
and
75
which in the untensioned condition lie on one another or are arranged to one another at a very slight distance. Onto the two clamping sections
73
and
75
there connects V-shaped run-in sections
77
and
79
running in an expanding manner. On the middle arm
69
there are formed tabs
81
laterally cut out from this and protruding in the region of the section
73
. In order not to abut on the clamping section
75
this in the region in which the tabs
81
come to bear comprises recesses
83
.
In the clamping section
73
an outwardly directed bulge
85
and in the clamping section
75
an inwardly directed bulge
87
may be pressed in and specifically in a manner such that the inwardly pressed bulge
87
engages into the bulge
85
from behind when the two gripper jaws
45
,
47
in the untensioned condition with the two clamping sections
73
,
75
lie on one another.
In the following, the functioning manner of the installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs
3
is briefly explained.
The spring
3
wound in the spring winding machine
1
winds in the direction of the arrow P out of the end face of the machine
1
and comes to a stop at a short distance above the gripper hand
7
lying thereunder. Before the severing of the spring wire at the spring winding machine
1
the spring
3
with the insertion device, not shown, is inserted in the direction of arrow S with one of its central windings into the V-shaped gap between the two gripper jaws
45
,
47
or the two metal plates
59
,
61
or the arms
65
,
67
. With this the jaws
53
,
55
or arms
65
,
67
are spread and the spring
3
is held firmly by the force of the tension spring
51
or the spring tension of the metal plates
59
,
61
. After a rotation of the star turret by 90° the subsequent spring
3
is transferred to the subsequent gripper hand
7
. After the spring
3
has passed through a rotary angle of 180° it comes to bear with the contact surfaces
17
of the support
15
in the heat treatment station
13
. Whilst above such a completed spring
3
is inserted into the gripper hand
7
, below the electrodes
21
pivot onto the spring
3
supported on the contact surfaces
17
and a suitable measured current may be led through the spring
3
and this may be heated to the desired degree. As soon as the desired treatment temperature has been reached the electrodes
21
pivot back (into the vertical position) and the spring
3
is transported further by the star turret
9
about 90° and then lies in front of one of the receivers
33
on the revolving transport means
25
. With the two pivotable insertion jaws
41
the spring
3
is released out of the holding force of the gripper hand
7
and conveyed directly into the receiver
33
. Synchronously to the next 90° rotation of the star turret
9
the transport means
25
transports further by one step in order to prepare the next receiver
33
for the spring
3
seated on the subsequent gripper hand
7
.
On the insertion jaws
41
or the transport device
23
there may be attached a circular ramp on which a pivotable gripper jaw
45
ascends and by way of this is opened at least partly, so that the spring can be securely ejected.
Claims
- 1. An installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs from a spring winding device to a heat treatment station and subsequently to a transport means, comprising a star turret rotatably driven intermittently about a rotational axis, with a number of shanks which are directed radially outwards from the star turret each of said shanks terminating in a gripper hand adapted to hold a spring, wherein the gripper hand has two jaws or metal plates of which at least one is mounted about a pivoting axis extending perpendicular to the rotational axis.
- 2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein the end faces of the two cooperating jaws or metal plates form a V-shaped catch surface.
- 3. An installation according to one of the claims 1 or 2, wherein one of the two jaws is rigidly connected to the shank and the second is pivotably linked on the first and is in connection with the other with a helical spring.
- 4. An installation according to one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein on one of the two gripper jaws a roller is rotatably fastened, whose periphery lies essentially in the end face of the gripper jaw.
- 5. An installation according to one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein at a distance below the end face on the gripper jaw there is formed a recess or notch which is envisaged for holding back one of said wound springs.
- 6. An installation according to one of the claims 1 or 2, wherein the metal plates consist of multiple bent spring steel plates whose central clamping sections lie parallel to one another, wherein on one of the spring steel plates there is formed at least one tab protruding into the region of the other spring steel plate.
- 7. An installation according to one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein radially above the star turret there is arranged a shell-shaped insertion device for inserting the spring produced on the spring winding machine between the jaws or metal plates and here is provided with a drive.
- 8. An installation according to one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein on the entrance side of the transport installation there is formed at least one insertion jaw for pushing the spring out of the clamping of the gripper hand and for inserting into a receiver on the transport means.
- 9. An installation according to claim 8, further comprising a transport means having a multitude of receivers for receiving said wound springs wherein the receivers are fastened on a revolving transport means.
- 10. An installation according to claim 9, wherein on the at least one insertion jaw or on the transport means there is arranged a wedge-shaped ramp, on which the gripper hand ascends and the one gripper jaw is opened.
- 11. An installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs from a spring winding device to a heat treatment station and subsequently to a transport means, comprising a star turret rotatably driven intermittently about a rotational axis, with a number of shanks which are directed radially outwards from the star turret, each of said shanks having a shank axis and terminating in a gripper hand adapted to hold a spring, said gripper hand being secured to said shank with a fastener having an axis parallel said shank axis.
- 12. The installation of claim 11 wherein said gripper hand has a first jaw rigidly connected to the shank and a second jaw pivotal about an axis extending perpendicular to the rotational axis.
- 13. The installation of claim 12 further comprising a helical spring tensioned between a lower end of said second jaw and said first jaw.
- 14. The installation of claim 11 further comprising a roller rotatably mounted on at least one of said jaws, said roller being adapted to contact said spring.
- 15. An installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs from a spring winding device to a heat treatment station and subsequently to a transport means, comprising a star turret rotatably driven intermittently about a rotational axis, with a number of shanks which are directed radially outwards from the star turret, anda pair of metal plates fastened to an end portion of each of said shanks, each of said metal plates having a clamping section adapted to receive and retain one of said springs, wherein said clamping section of one of said metal plates has an inwardly pressed bulge and one of said metal plates has an outwardly directed bulge, said bulges being adapted to engage one another when said metal plates are in an untensioned condition.
- 16. The installation of claim 15 at least one of said metal plates has tabs formed therein.
- 17. The installation of claim 15 wherein said metal plates are secured to said shank with a screw.
- 18. An installation for the transport of helical-shaped wound springs from a spring winding device to a heat treatment station and subsequently to a transport means, comprising a star turret rotatably driven intermittently about a rotational axis, with a number of shanks which are directed radially outwards from the star turret, anda pair of jaws fastened to each of said shanks, at least one of said jaws having a roller secured thereto, said roller being adapted to contact one of said springs.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
02560/98 |
Dec 1998 |
CH |
|
US Referenced Citations (5)