MONITORING SYSTEM FOR A SPRING MACHINE

Abstract

A monitoring system for a spring machine includes a carrier platform, a sensing module, and a processing device. The carrier platform is adapted to be movably disposed adjacent to the spring machine. The sensing module includes a vision sensor, and a processing unit that is connected to the vision sensor. The vision sensor is configured to perform image detection on a dimension of a coil of a coil spring to be produced by the spring machine, and to generate and output a detection result of the dimension. The processing unit is configured to generate a detection signal according to the detection result received from the vision sensor. The processing device stores multiple correction values, and is configured to, obtain according to the detection signal, and to transmit to the spring machine, one of the correction values, for the spring machine to adjust the dimension of a coil later formed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwanese Invention patent application No. 112129390, filed on Aug. 4, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a monitoring system for a spring machine, and more particularly to a monitoring system for monitoring a dimension of a coil spring produced by the spring machine.

BACKGROUND

Coil springs are typically produced by twisting a wire into a coil shape using a spring machine. The production process of coil springs mainly involves feeding a wire at a high speed in a feeding direction, along which two coiling point tools and a pitch tool are arranged for producing the coil springs. The wire is first bent into a curved shape by a first one of the coiling point tools, which guides a path of movement of the wire toward a second one of the coiling point tools. As the wire that is curved reaches the second one of the coiling point tools, it is further bent into an arc shape, thereby causing the wire to form an initial coil when the wire is continuously fed to the coiling point tools. As the wire is forming the initial coil, the pitch tool further bends the wire by applying a force along an output direction that is perpendicular to the feeding direction, which causes the wire to form a helical shape. After the wire is continuously wound for a predetermined number of turns, the wire is cut with a cutting tool and a coil spring is then produced. The aforementioned steps are repeated to quickly and continuously produce a large quantity of coil springs. Since the abovementioned production process is performed at a high speed, slight disturbance or interference may cause a diameter or a pitch of a produced coil spring to exceed a tolerance, thereby affecting the quality of the coil spring.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a monitoring system for a spring machine that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, the monitoring system for the spring machine includes a carrier platform, a sensing module and a processing device. The carrier platform is adapted to be movably disposed adjacent to the spring machine.

The sensing module includes a vision sensor and a processing unit. The vision sensor is disposed on the carrier platform and is adapted to face the spring machine. The vision sensor is configured to perform image detection on a dimension of a coil of a coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine and to generate and output a detection result of the dimension. The processing unit is communicatively connected to the vision sensor to receive the detection result therefrom, and is configured to generate a detection signal according to the detection result.

The processing device is communicatively connected to the processing unit to receive the detection signal therefrom, and includes a database that stores multiple correction values. The processing device is configured to, in response to receiving the detection signal from the processing unit, obtain one of the correction values from the database according to the detection signal, and to transmit the one of the correction values to the spring machine for the spring machine to adjust the dimension of a coil that is currently being formed according to the one of the correction values.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that various features may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a monitoring system for a spring machine according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the monitoring system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a carrier platform of an embodiment of the monitoring system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the carrier platform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the monitoring system in use with the spring machine.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the spring machine in a process of producing a coil spring.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a pitch tool of the spring machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.

It should be noted herein that for clarity of description, spatially relative terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “on,” “above,” “over,” “downwardly,” “upwardly” and the like may be used throughout the disclosure while making reference to the features as illustrated in the drawings. The features may be oriented differently (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an embodiment of a monitoring system for a spring machine 5 (see FIG. 5) according to the present disclosure is provided. The monitoring system includes a carrier platform 1, a sensing module 2, a processing device 3 that is connected to the sensing module 2, and an illumination unit 4 that is disposed on the carrier platform 1. In this embodiment, the monitoring system includes two illumination units 4.

The carrier platform 1 is adapted to be movably disposed adjacent to the spring machine 5, and includes a base 11, a plurality of casters 12 disposed on the base 11 to allow the base 11 to be moved on a ground, a supporting frame 13 disposed on the base 11, a holder 14 disposed on the base 11, and a receiving module 15 disposed on the base 11. In this embodiment, the carrier platform 1 includes four casters 12 (only three are shown in FIG. 1), two supporting frames 13 that are spaced apart from each other, and two holders 14 that are spaced apart from each other. Specifically, the supporting frames 13 are disposed at one side of the base 11, the holders 14 are disposed at another side of the base 11 that is opposite to said one side of the base 11 where the supporting frames 13 are disposed, and the receiving module 15 is located between the supporting frames 13 and the holders 14 (i.e., located at a position between these two sides of the base 11).

The receiving module 15 includes a supporting stand 151 that is disposed on the base 11, an actuator 153 (e.g., an electric actuator, a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, etc.) that is disposed on the supporting stand 151, and a guiding rail 154 that is connected to the actuator 153. The actuator 153 is configured to move the guiding rail 154 in an up-down direction with respect to the supporting stand 151. The guiding rail 154 includes a receiving segment 156 and a delivering segment 155. The receiving segment 156 has a first end that is adapted to be adjacent to the spring machine 5, and a second end that is opposite to the first end and that is farther away from the spring machine 5 than the first end; specifically, when the monitoring system is disposed adjacent to the spring machine 5, the first end of the receiving segment 156 is adjacent to the spring machine 5 and the second end of the receiving segment 156 is away from the spring machine 5. The receiving segment 156 is inclined upward from the first end toward the second end by a first inclined angle. The delivering segment 155 extends in a direction from the second end of the receiving segment 156 downwardly toward the base 11 and is inclined by a second inclined angle. In this embodiment, the second inclined angle of the delivering segment 155 is greater than the first inclined angle of the receiving segment 156.

The sensing module 2 includes two vision sensors 21 and a processing unit 22. The vision sensors 21 are disposed on the carrier platform 1 and are adapted to face the spring machine 5. A coil spring has a plurality of coils. The vision sensors 21 are configured to perform image detection on a dimension of a coil of a coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine 5, and to generate and output a detection result of the dimension. The processing unit 22 is communicatively connected to the vision sensors 21 to receive the detection result therefrom, and is configured to generate a detection signal according to the detection result. The processing unit 22 may be embodied as, but is not limited to, for example, a microcontroller (MC) or a digital signal processor (DSP). Specifically, the vision sensors 21 are respectively disposed on the supporting frames 13. In some embodiments, each of the supporting frames 13 is provided with an adjusting apparatus (e.g., a ball head), and the corresponding one of the vision sensors 21 is mounted on the adjusting apparatus, such that a shooting angle of the vision sensor 21 can be adjusted to face the spring machine 5. The way of adjusting the shooting angles of the vision sensors 21 is well known in the art and therefore will be omitted in this disclosure for the sake of brevity.

The processing device 3 is communicatively connected to the processing unit 22 to receive the detection signal therefrom, and includes a database 31 that stores multiple correction values. The processing device 3 is configured to, in response to receiving the detection signal from the processing unit 22, obtain one of the correction values from the database 31 according to the detection signal, and to transmit the one of the correction values to the spring machine 5 for the spring machine 5 to adjust the dimension of a coil that is currently being formed according to the one of the correction values. The processing device 3 may be embodied using, but is not limited to, for example, a single-board computer (SBC) or a microcontroller (MC). In some embodiments, the database 31 of the processing device 3 further stores a plurality of indices that correspond respectively to the correction values, and that correspond respectively to various ranges of the dimension; the processing unit 22 of the sensing module 2 obtains one of the indices that corresponds to the detection result, and generates the detection signal that includes said one of the indices; the processing device 3, in response to receiving the detection signal from the processing unit 22, obtains one of the correction values that corresponds to the index included in the detection signal from the database 31.

In this embodiment, the illumination units 4 are respectively and detachably disposed on the holders 14 and are configured to provide additional lighting for the vision sensors 21. For example, the illumination units 4 may be embodied using light-emitting diode (LED) panels or backlight panels, but are not limited in this respect.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the monitoring system for the spring machine 5 has the casters 12 on the carrier platform 1, which enables the monitoring system to move freely on the ground, and enables the monitoring system to be used with different types and models of spring machines. The spring machine 5 includes a feeding mechanism 51 for feeding a wire (A) into the spring machine 5 along a feeding direction (B), a pitch tool 52 for controlling a pitch of a coil of the coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine 5, two coiling point tools 53 for controlling a diameter of the coil of the coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine 5, and a control unit 54 for controlling operation of the pitch tool 52 and the coiling point tools 53. With this configuration, the wire (A) that is fed at a high speed by the feeding mechanism 51 is bent into a coil shape as the coiling point tools 53 sequentially guide the path of movement of the wire (A). The pitch tool 52 is configured to move along an output direction (C) that is perpendicular to the feeding direction (B). As the wire (A) is forming the coil shape, the wire (A) is pushed by the pitch tool 52 along the output direction (C) away from the spring machine 5, so that as the wire (A) is continuously fed, the wire (A) forms a helical shape. After the spring machine 5 cuts the wire (A) that is bent to form the helical shape to a predetermined length, a coil spring is produced.

Referring to FIG. 7, the pitch tool 52 of the spring machine 5 includes a motor 521, a threaded rod 522 that extends in the output direction (C) and that is driven by the motor 521 to rotate, a connecting arm 523 that is mounted on the threaded rod 522 and that is movable along an axial direction of the threaded rod 522 (i.e., the output direction (C)), and two pitch blades 524 that are connected to the connecting arm 523 and that extend toward each other along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the threaded rod 522. The motor 521 drives the threaded rod 522 to rotate, so as to move the connecting arm 523 along the axial direction, so that the pitch blades 524 may be moved along the output direction (C) accurately and quickly.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the vision sensors 21 (not shown in FIG. 5) are adapted to face a coiling area of the spring machine 5 at which the wire (A) is to be bent to produce the coil spring. In this embodiment, the vision sensors 21 perform image detection on the pitch or the diameter of a coil of a coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine 5, and generate and output the detection result of the pitch or the diameter as a result, and this process is conducted repeatedly so that multiple detection results are outputted, e.g., at regular intervals. In this embodiment, every time the processing unit 22 receives a detection result from the vision sensors 21, the processing unit 22 obtains one of the indices that corresponds to the detection result, and generates and transmits a detection signal that includes the one of the indices to the processing device 3. The processing device 3 then, in response to receiving the detection signal, obtains one of the correction values that corresponds to the one of the indices included in the detection signal from the database 31. The processing device 3 then transmits the one of the correction values to the control unit 54 of the spring machine 5. The control unit 54, in response to receiving the one of the correction values from the processing device 3, controls the pitch tool 52 or the coiling point tools 53 to adjust the pitch or the diameter of a coil that is currently being formed according to the one of the correction values. It should be noted that the correction values stored in the database 31 may be zero, whereby the control unit 54, in response to receiving a correction value of zero, does not control the pitch tool 52 or the coiling point tools 53 to adjust the pitch or the diameter of a coil that is currently being formed.

In this embodiment, the receiving segment 156 receives the coil spring that is currently produced by the spring machine 5. Specifically, as the wire (A) is being continuously bent to form the helical shape (i.e., the wire (A) is being formed into a coil spring), the coil spring that is currently being produced continues to extend away from the spring machine 5 along the output direction (C) and is received by the receiving segment 156. After the spring machine 5 cuts the wire (A) to the predetermined length, the coil spring that was produced by the spring machine 5 is to be delivered for collection via the delivering segment 155.

A lighting angle of each of the illumination units 4 may be adjusted in order to provide lighting to the coiling area, and to enable each of the vision sensors 21 to obtain a clearer image of a coil of the coil spring that is to be produced at the coiling area. A way of adjusting the lighting angle of each of the illumination units 4 may be to let each of the illumination units 4 to point toward the coiling area.

In summary, the processing unit 22 generates the detection signal according to the detection result, and the processing device 3 obtains correspondingly the correction value from the database 31 according to the detection signal. Since the correction value that corresponds to the detection result is predetermined, the processing device 3 is able to quickly obtain the correction value without the need of making calculations. With this configuration, the correction value may be provided to the control unit 54 of the spring machine 5 for adjustments of the pitch tool 52 and/or the coiling point tools 53. The monitoring system of this disclosure is able to be used with spring machines that do not have correction capabilities. In addition, the carrier platform 1 is movable, the guiding rail 154 is able to be raised and lowered, and the vision sensors 21 are adaptable to face the coiling area of the spring machine 5. Therefore, the monitoring system according to the present disclosure may be used with different types and models of spring machines.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment(s). It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects; such does not mean that every one of these features needs to be practiced with the presence of all the other features. In other words, in any described embodiment, when implementation of one or more features or specific details does not affect implementation of another one or more features or specific details, said one or more features may be singled out and practiced alone without said another one or more features or specific details. It should be further noted that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is (are) considered the exemplary embodiment(s), it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment(s) but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a spring machine, comprising: a carrier platform adapted to be movably disposed adjacent to the spring machine;a sensing module including a vision sensor that is disposed on said carrier platform and that is adapted to face the spring machine, said vision sensor being configured to perform image detection on a dimension of a coil of a coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine and to generate and output a detection result of the dimension, anda processing unit that is communicatively connected to said vision sensor to receive the detection result therefrom, and that is configured to generate a detection signal according to the detection result; anda processing device communicatively connected to said processing unit to receive the detection signal therefrom, and including a database that stores multiple correction values, said processing device being configured to, in response to receiving the detection signal from said processing unit, obtain one of the correction values from said database according to the detection signal, and to transmit said one of the correction values to the spring machine for the spring machine to adjust the dimension of a coil that is currently being formed according to said one of the correction values.

2. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said carrier platform includes a base, a plurality of casters disposed on said base to allow said base to be moved on a ground, and a supporting frame disposed on said base, and wherein said vision sensor is disposed on said supporting frame.

3. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said carrier platform further includes a receiving module disposed on said base, said receiving module including a supporting stand disposed on said base, an actuator disposed on said supporting stand, and a guiding rail connected to said actuator, and wherein said actuator is configured to move said guiding rail in an up-down direction with respect to said supporting stand.

4. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said guiding rail includes: a receiving segment having a first end that is adapted to be adjacent to the spring machine, and a second end that is opposite to said first end and that is farther away from the spring machine than said first end, said receiving segment being inclined upward from said first end toward said second end by a first inclined angle; anda delivering segment extending in a direction from said second end of said receiving segment downwardly toward said base and inclined by a second inclined angle that is greater than said first inclined angle of said receiving segment.

5. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said carrier platform further includes a holder disposed on said base, said monitoring system further comprising an illumination unit disposed on said holder.

6. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, the spring machine including a pitch tool for controlling a pitch of a coil that is currently being formed, and a control unit for controlling operation of the pitch tool, wherein said vision sensor of said sensing module is configured to perform the image detection on the pitch of the coil of the coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine and to generate and output a detection result of the pitch, and said processing device is configured to transmit said one of the correction values to the spring machine for the control unit to control the pitch tool in order to adjust the pitch of a coil that is currently being formed according to said one of the correction values.

7. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, the spring machine including a plurality of coiling point tools for controlling a diameter of a coil that is currently being formed, and a control unit for controlling operation of the coiling point tools, wherein said vision sensor of said sensing module is configured to perform the image detection on the diameter of the coil of the coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine and to generate and output a detection result of the diameter, and said processing device is configured to transmit said one of the correction values to the spring machine for the control unit to control the coiling point tools in order to adjust the diameter of a coil that is currently being formed according to said one of the correction values.

8. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said database of said processing device further stores a plurality of indices that correspond respectively to the correction values, and that correspond respectively to various ranges of the dimension, wherein said processing unit of said sensing module is configured to obtain one of the indices that corresponds to the detection result, and to generate the detection signal including said one of the indices, andwherein said processing device is configured, in response to receiving the detection signal, to obtain one of the correction values that corresponds to said one of the indices included in the detection signal from said database.

9. A monitoring system for a spring machine, the spring machine including a pitch tool for controlling a pitch of a coil of a coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine, a plurality of coiling point tools for controlling a diameter of a coil of the coil spring that is to be produced, and a control unit for controlling operation of the pitch tool and the plurality of coiling point tools, said monitoring system comprising: a carrier platform adapted to be movably disposed adjacent to the spring machine;a sensing module including a vision sensor that is disposed on said carrier platform and that is adapted to face the spring machine, said vision sensor being configured to perform image detection on one of the pitch and the diameter of a coil of the coil spring that is to be produced by the spring machine and to generate and output a detection result of said one of the pitch and the diameter, anda processing unit that is communicatively connected to said vision sensor to receive the detection result therefrom, and that is configured to generate a detection signal according to the detection result; anda processing device communicatively connected to said processing unit to receive the detection signal therefrom, and including a database that stores multiple correction values, said processing device being configured to, in response to receiving the detection signal from said processing unit, obtain one of the correction values from said database according to the detection signal, and to transmit said one of the correction values to the control unit to control one of the pitch tool and the plurality of coiling point tools, so as to adjust a corresponding one of the pitch and the diameter of a coil that is currently being formed according to said one of the correction values.

10. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said carrier platform includes a base, a plurality of casters disposed on said base to allow said base to be moved on a ground, and a supporting frame disposed on said base, and wherein said vision sensor is disposed on said supporting frame.

11. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said carrier platform further includes a receiving module disposed on said base, said receiving module including a supporting stand disposed on said base, an actuator disposed on said supporting stand, and a guiding rail connected to said actuator, and wherein said actuator is configured to move said guiding rail in an up-down direction with respect to said supporting stand.

12. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said guiding rail includes: a receiving segment having a first end that is adapted to be adjacent to the spring machine, and a second end that is opposite to said first end and that is farther away from the spring machine than said first end, said receiving segment being inclined upward from said first end toward said second end by a first inclined angle; anda delivering segment extending from said second end away from the spring machine, and being inclined toward said base by a second inclined angle that is greater than said first inclined angle of said receiving segment.

13. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said carrier platform further includes a holder disposed on said base, said monitoring system further comprising an illumination unit disposed on said holder.

14. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said database of said processing device further stores a plurality of indices that correspond respectively to the correction values, and that correspond respectively to various ranges of said one of the pitch and the diameter, wherein said processing unit of said sensing module is configured to obtain one of the indices that corresponds to the detection result, and to generate the detection signal including said one of the indices, andwherein said processing device is configured, in response to receiving the detection signal, to obtain one of the correction values that corresponds to said one of the indices included in the detection signal from said database.