Automated bender and systems and methods for providing data to operate an automated bender

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406580-B2
Application number	US-201414541565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2014
Priority date	Nov 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

An automated bender and its method of operation according to some embodiments of the disclosure is provided. The automated bender includes a carousel which has all of the necessary components for bending a variety of conduit sizes provided thereon. The carousel can be rotated to a desired bending position to bend a particular type of conduit. A straight workpiece is fed into the automated bender and a bent workpiece, which may have multiple bends therein, is output from the automated bender. This bending process is performed without manual intervention. Software for achieving same is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of operating an automated bender, comprising:
a) receiving a workpiece on a seat of an automated bender;
b) causing movement of the seat to align the workpiece with a clamping apparatus of the automated bender;
c) causing movement of the clamping apparatus to engage and securely hold the workpiece;
d) causing coordinated movement of the seat and the clamping apparatus to align the workpiece with a channel of a bending shoe of the automated bender, wherein the bending shoe has multiple channels;
e) causing movement of the clamping apparatus toward the bending shoe, thereby engaging the workpiece with the bending shoe at a position wherein a bend is to be effected in the workpiece;
f) causing movement of a follower bar toward the bending shoe at the position wherein the bend is to be effected in the workpiece to engage a channel of the follower bar with the workpiece, wherein the follower bar has multiple channels;
g) thereafter causing movement of the bending shoe to form a first bend in the workpiece, wherein the follower bar moves with the workpiece during movement of the bending shoe to form the first bend;
h) causing movement of the follower bar away from the bending shoe to disengage the follower bar from the workpiece after the first bend is formed;
i) thereafter causing movement of the clamping assembly to move the workpiece relative to the bending shoe and the follower bar;
j) causing movement of the follower bar toward the bending shoe to engage the same channel of the follower bar with the workpiece;
k) thereafter causing movement of the bending shoe to form a second bend in the workpiece; and
l) causing movement of the follower bar away from the bending shoe to disengage the follower bar from the workpiece after the second bend is formed;
wherein each movement is automatically performed under control of at least one processor of a control device of the automated bender, and
wherein in c)-l), the workpiece is continuously supported by the clamping assembly during the movements.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein after receiving the workpiece on the seat, further comprising:
sensing a second end of the workpiece by using a sensor of the automated bender.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising labeling the workpiece before removing the workpiece from the automated bender.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising
controlling the automated bender to determine if any other workpieces from a jobsite remain to be bent and automatically loading another workpiece into the automated bender if other workpieces remain to be bent.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising
causing the at least one processor to control the automated bender to determine a size of the workpiece by monitoring a current draw and a distance measurement and comparing the current draw and the distance measurement to parameters for workpiece sizes stored in a memory.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a data file, wherein data for the data file is automatically extracted from an architectural drawing model;
programming the control device with the data;
wherein the bends in the workpiece are effected in accordance with the data programmed into the control device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
converting workpiece runs in architectural drawings of the workpiece to match a set of standards;
importing the set of standards associated with the workpiece by the control device;
programming the control device with data from the set of standards;
wherein the bend in the workpiece is effected in accordance with the data programmed into the control device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each second movement is automatically performed under control of at least one processor of a control device of the automated bender.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein after the workpiece is engaged with the bending shoe, causing movement of the seat to disengage the seat from the workpiece.

10. A computer-implemented method of operating an automated bender, comprising:
receiving a workpiece on a seat of an automated bender;
b) causing rotational movement of a carousel plate of the automated bender around an axis, the carousel plate having a plurality of bending shoes extending outwardly from a first side surface of the carousel plate, each bending shoe having a plurality of channels therein configured to receive a workpiece, each bending shoe being rotationally attached to the carousel plate along a rotational axis around which the bending shoe rotates, the rotational axes of the bending shoes being spaced apart from each other on the carousel plate and spaced apart from the rotational axis of the carousel plate, the rotational axes of the bending shoes and the carousel plate being parallel to each other, each bending shoe being rotatable around its rotational axis independently of the other bending shoes, wherein the rotation movements causes a desired bending shoe to be placed in a position above a motor of the automated bender;
c) causing movement of the carousel plate to engage the desired bending shoe with the motor;
d) causing movement of the seat to align the workpiece with a clamping apparatus of the automated bender;
e) causing movement of the clamping apparatus to engage and securely hold the workpiece;
f) causing coordinated movement of the seat and the clamping apparatus to align the workpiece with the desired bending shoe of the automated bender;
g) causing movement of the clamping apparatus toward the automated bender, thereby moving the workpiece relative to the seat and engaging the workpiece with the desired bending shoe at a position wherein a bend is to be effected in the workpiece; and
h) causing movement of the bending shoe to form a bend in the workpiece,
wherein each movement is automatically performed under control of at least one processor of a control device of the automated bender,
wherein in f)-h), the workpiece is continuously supported by the clamping assembly during the movements.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising causing movement of the seat and the clamping apparatus to raise relative to the carousel plate.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein movement of the carousel plate is around a vertical axis.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising sensing an end of the workpiece when the workpiece is seated on the seat by using a sensor of the automated bender.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising causing movement of a follower bar of the automated bender against the workpiece at the position wherein the bend is to be effected in the workpiece.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein movement of the follower bar is automatically performed under control of the at least one processor of the automated bender.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising labeling the workpiece before removing the workpiece from the automated bender.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising
controlling the automated bender to determine if any other workpieces from a jobsite remain to be bent and automatically loading another workpiece into the automated bender if other workpieces remain to be bent.

18. The c

Assignees

• Greenlee Textron Inc
• Greenlee Tools Inc

Inventors

• Daugherty Sean
• Plummer Jeffrey
• Mantell Ryan
• Tully Gerald
• Pujari Sumeet

Classifications

• C12Y204/99004

  Beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (2.4.99.4) · CPC title

• C12Y204/99001

  Beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (2.4.99.1) · CPC title

• C12N9/1081

  transferring other glycosyl groups (2.4.99) · CPC title

• C07K14/8121

  Serpins · CPC title

• C07K14/4753

  Hepatocyte growth factor; Scatter factor; Tumor cytotoxic factor II · CPC title