System and method for induction shrink fitting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11533788-B2
Application number	US-202117321583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2021
Priority date	May 17, 2021
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

An induction heating system can be adapted for shrink fitting a plurality of different assemblies. A plurality of tooling units associated to respective ones of the assemblies, each one having an appropriately configured induction coil and holder, can be provided. A computer can be used to control the delivery of electrical power to the induction coil in accordance with a heating recipe, and can be provided with an input device for inputting an assembly identifier allowing the computer to operate the control based on the right heating recipe.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An induction heating system for shrink fitting a plurality of different assemblies, each assembly having a corresponding female part and male part configured for interference fitting within the female part, the system comprising:
a plurality of tooling units associated to respective ones of the assemblies, each tooling unit including an induction coil configured for induction heating the corresponding female part when in a heating position and supplied with electrical power, and a holder supporting the induction coil, the holder configured for engagement with the corresponding female part in a manner to hold the induction coil in the heating position when engaged;
a power supply configured for generating the electrical power;
power cables configured for selectively connecting and disconnecting the power supply to any one of the tooling units; and
a computer having:
a processor and non-transitory memory readable by the processor,
an input device configured for inputting an assembly identifier associated to a respective one of the assemblies into the non-transitory memory, each assembly identifier associating the corresponding assembly to a corresponding heating recipe, the heating recipe including a heating rate setpoint, and
a function, stored in the non-transitory memory and executable by the processor, configured to:
receive a temperature signal representing a temperature associated with the assembly identifier, and
control an amplitude of the electrical power in accordance with the heating recipe and as a function of the temperature signal.

2. The induction heating system of claim 1 , wherein each one of the tooling units further comprises a temperature sensor secured to the holder, the temperature sensor configured for monitoring the temperature associated with the assembly identifier, the temperature associated with the assembly identifier being associated with the corresponding female part, in response to said induction heating when in the heating position, and transmitting the temperature signal to the computer.

3. The induction heating system of claim 2 wherein the heating rate setpoint is a temperature heating rate setpoint.

4. The induction heating system of claim 3 wherein the recipe further includes a maximum temperature setpoint, the computer further has a function of interrupting the electrical power as a function of the maximum temperature setpoint and the signal indicative of temperature.

5. The induction heating system of claim 3 wherein the computer comprises proportional integral derivative (PID) controller adapted to perform the function of adapting the amplitude of the electrical power.

6. The induction heating system of claim 2 wherein the temperature sensor is a thermocouple, further comprising a wire configured for selectively connecting and disconnecting the computer to any one of the tooling units.

7. The induction heating system of claim 1 wherein the heating recipe includes a plurality of segments, and heating rate setpoints for each one of the segments.

8. The induction heating system of claim 7 wherein the segments are defined as successive ranges of temperature of the part.

9. The induction heating system of claim 1 wherein the input device is a scanner configured for reading the assembly identifier from a code associated to the respective assembly.

10. The induction heating system of claim 9 wherein the assembly identifier includes solely a definition of the corresponding heating recipe, the computer comprising a function of storing the heating recipe acquired from the reading into the non-transitory memory, thereby deleting any previously stored heating recipe from the non-transitory memory.

11. The induction heating system of claim 1 wherein the input device is a keypad allowing to enter a code corresponding to the assembly identifier.

12. The induction heating system of claim 11 wherein heating recipes associated to respective ones of the assemblies via a corresponding assembly identifier are stored in the non-transitory memory, the computer comprising a function of selecting one of the heating recipes based on the code entered via the keypad.

13. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory memory and executable by a processor to:
receive an assembly identifier associated to one of a plurality of assemblies, each assembly having a female part and a male part,
receive a temperature signal representing a temperature associated with the assembly identifier, and
control an amplitude of electrical power delivered to an induction coil located in a heating position relative the corresponding female part, said controlling an amplitude being in accordance with a heating recipe, the heating recipe based on the assembly identifier, a function of the temperature signal, and including a heating rate setpoint.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further configured to, during said controlling of the amplitude of the electrical power, receive a signal indicative of an instantaneous temperature of the female part, and adapting the amplitude of the electrical power as a function of the signal indicative of the instantaneous temperature.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the heating rate setpoint is a temperature heating rate setpoint, said adapting including adapting the amplitude of the electrical power based on a comparison between the signal indicative of the instantaneous temperature and the temperature heating rate setpoint.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the heating recipe further includes a maximum temperature setpoint, further configured to interrupt the electrical power contingent upon the maximum temperature setpoint being reached based on a comparison with the signal indicative of temperature.

17. An induction heating system for shrink fitting a plurality of different assemblies, each assembly having a corresponding female part and male part configured for interference fitting within the female part, the system comprising:
a plurality of tooling units associated to respective ones of the assemblies, each tooling unit including an induction coil configured for induction heating the corresponding female part when in a heating position and supplied with electrical power, and a holder supporting the induction coil, the holder configured for engagement with the corresponding female part in a manner to hold the induction coil in the heating position when engaged;
a power supply configured for generating the electrical power;
power cables configured for selectively connecting and disconnecting the power supply to any one of the tooling units; and
a computer having:
a processor and non-transitory memory readable by the processor,
an input device configured for inputting an assembly identifier associated to a respective one of the assemblies into the non-transitory memory, each assembly identifier associating the corresponding assembly to a corresponding heating recipe, the heating recipe including a heating rate setpoint,
a function, stored in the non-transitory memory and executable by the processor, to control an amplitude of the electrical power in accordance with the heating recipe; and

wherein each one of the tooling units further comprises a temperature sensor secured to the holder, the temperature sensor configured for monitoring the temperature of the corresponding female part in response to said induction heating when in the heating position, and transmitting a signal indicative of said temperature to the computer, the function in the

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Swiderski Joseph
• Beaulieu Guy
• Zabeti Parham
• Lachance Pierre-Luc

Classifications

• F16B4/006

  Shrinkage connections, e.g. assembled with the parts being at different temperature · CPC title

• G06K7/1417

  2D bar codes · CPC title

• B23P11/025

  by using heat or cold · CPC title

• H05B6/06 Primary

  Control, e.g. of temperature, of power · CPC title

• H05B6/101 Primary

  for local heating of metal pieces · CPC title