Method and machine for making a coil around a component of an article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12476044-B2
Application number	US-202217974121-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2022
Priority date	Oct 26, 2021
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Method and machine to manufacture a coil around a component of an article includes a main conveyor that moves along a working path and a carriage with a seat to house the component. Along the working path, the component is arranged in the seat of the carriage in an input station, and at a winding station, a wire having a diameter less than 500 μm is directly wound around the component for a winding time ranging from 50% to 70% of the total work cycle, to obtain the coil with a number of turns less than 50. A work cycle lasts from an initial instant, in which the carriage carrying the component without the coil reaches the winding station, to a final instant, in which the carriage carrying the component with the coil leaves the winding station.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method to manufacture a coil ( 9 - 14 ) around a component ( 102 ) of an article ( 100 ) using an automatic machine ( 18 ) and comprising the steps of:
moving, by means of a main conveyor ( 19 ) of the automatic machine ( 18 ) and along a working path (P 1 ), a carriage ( 20 ) provided with a seat ( 22 , 23 , 24 ) designed to house the component ( 102 ); placing, in an input station (S 1 ) of the automatic machine ( 18 ) arranged along the working path (P 1 ), the component ( 102 ) in the seat ( 22 , 23 , 24 ) of the carriage ( 20 ); coupling, in a winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ) of the automatic machine ( 18 ) arranged along the working path (P 1 ) downstream of the input station (S 1 ), an electrically conductive wire ( 15 ) around the component ( 102 ) in order to obtain a series of turns making up the coil ( 9 - 14 ); locking an initial end of the wire ( 15 ) by means of a first clamp ( 50 ), which is integral with the carriage ( 20 ) before starting to wind the wire ( 15 ); and locking a final end of the wire ( 15 ) by means of a second clamp ( 51 ), which is integral with the carriage ( 20 ), at the end of the winding of the wire ( 15 ); locking, before locking the initial end of the wire ( 15 ) by means of the first clamp ( 50 ), the initial end of the wire ( 15 ) also by means of a third clamp ( 54 ), which is arranged in a fixed position on the outside of the main conveyor ( 19 ) in the area of the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ) and is aligned with the first clamp ( 50 ); and locking, after having locked the final end of the wire ( 15 ) by means of the second clamp ( 51 ), the final end of the wire ( 15 ) also by means of a fourth clamp ( 55 ), which is arranged next to the third clamp ( 54 ) in a fixed position on the outside of the main conveyor ( 19 ) in the area of the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ) and is aligned with the second clamp ( 51 ), wherein a work cycle of the automatic machine ( 18 ) lasts from an initial instant, in which the carriage ( 20 ) carrying the component ( 102 ) devoid of the coil ( 9 - 14 ) reaches the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ), to a final instant, in which the carriage ( 20 ) carrying the component ( 102 ) provided with the coil ( 9 - 14 ) leaves the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ), and wherein: the coil ( 9 - 14 ) is made up of a number of turns less than 50; the wire ( 15 ) is directly wound around the component ( 102 ) being made to rotate around the component ( 102 ) during a winding step which constitutes a fraction of the work cycle of the automatic machine ( 18 ); the diameter of the wire ( 15 ) is less than 500 microns; and the time duration of the winding step during which the wire ( 15 ) is made to rotate around the component ( 102 ) ranges from 50% to 70% of a total time duration of the work cycle of the automatic machine ( 18 ).

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the time duration of the winding step during which the wire ( 15 ) is directly wound around the component ( 102 ) ranges from 25% to 40% of a total time duration of the production of the component ( 102 ) consisting of several work cycles of the automatic machine ( 18 ).

3 . The method according to claim 1 and comprising the further step of welding, in a welding station (S 4 , S 7 , S 10 , S 13 , S 16 , S 19 ) arranged along the working path (P 1 ) downstream of the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ), two ends of the coil ( 9 - 14 ) to two electrical contacts ( 8 ) available in the component ( 102 ).

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein, during the welding, each end of the coil ( 9 - 14 ) is cut downstream of the weld.

5 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ) works in parallel, by winding respective coils ( 9 - 14 ) at the same time, with a first number of components ( 102 ), which is an integral multiple relative to a second number of components ( 102 ) with which the welding station (S 4 , S 7 , S 10 , S 13 , S 16 , S 19 ) works, forming respective welds.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first number ranges from two to ten and the second number ranges from one to five.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein winding the wire ( 15 ) comprises the further steps of:
placing a movable finger ( 57 ) with a horizontal orientation when the wire ( 15 ) must be vertically moved in order to get close to the component ( 102 ) or in order to move away from the component ( 102 ); and placing the movable finger ( 57 ) with a vertical orientation when the wire ( 15 ) must be horizontally moved in order to be wound around the component ( 102 ).

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein winding the wire ( 15 ) comprises the further steps of:
bending, before starting to wind the wire ( 15 ), the wire ( 15 ) vertically moving towards the component ( 102 ) around a first pin ( 16 ), which horizontally projects from the component ( 102 ), in order to cause the wire ( 15 ) to make a turn, which deflects the wire ( 15 ) towards a horizontal orientation; and bending, after having finished winding the wire ( 15 ), the horizontally arranged wire ( 15 ) around a second pin ( 17 ), which horizontally projects from the component ( 102 ), in order to cause the wire ( 15 ) to make a turn, which deflects the wire ( 15 ) towards a vertical orientation.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the main conveyor ( 19 ) comprises:
an annular guide ( 28 ); a slide ( 29 ), which is coupled to the guide ( 28 ) so as to freely slide along the guide ( 28 ) and supports the carriage ( 20 ); and a linear electric motor ( 30 ), which moves the slide ( 29 ) and is provided with an annular stator ( 31 ), which is arranged in a fixed position along the guide ( 28 ), and with a movable slider ( 32 ), which is electromagnetically coupled to the stator ( 31 ) so as to receive, from the stator ( 31 ), a driving force and is rigidly connected to the slide ( 29 ).

10 . An automatic machine ( 18 ) to manufacture a coil ( 9 - 14 ) around a component ( 102 ) of an article and comprising:
a main conveyor ( 19 ), which is configured to move, along a working path (P 1 ), a carriage ( 20 ) provided with a seat ( 22 , 23 , 24 ) designed to house the component ( 102 ); an input station (S 1 ), which is arranged along the working path (P 1 ) and is configured to place the component ( 102 ) in the seat ( 22 , 23 , 24 ) of the carriage ( 20 ); a winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ), which is arranged along the working path (P 1 ) downstream of the input station (S 1 ) and configured to wind an electrically conductive wire ( 15 ) around the component ( 102 ) in order to obtain a series of turns making up the coil ( 9 - 14 ); a first clamp ( 50 ), which is integral with the carriage ( 20 ) and is configured for locking an initial end of the wire ( 15 ) before starting to wind the wire ( 15 ); a second clamp ( 51 ), which is integral with the carriage ( 20 ) and is configured for locking a final end of the wire ( 15 ) at the end of the winding of the wire ( 15 ); a third clamp ( 54 ), which is arranged in a fixed position on the outside of the main conveyor ( 19 ) in the area of the winding station (S 3 , S 6 , S 9 , S 12 , S 15 , S 18 ), is aligned with the first clamp ( 50 ), and is configured for locking the initial end of the wire ( 15 ) before locking the initial end of the wire ( 15 ) by means of the first clamp ( 50 ); and a fourth clamp ( 55 ), which is arranged next to the third clamp ( 54 ) in a fixed

Assignees

• Gd Spa

Inventors

• Boldrini Fulvio

Classifications

• H01F41/09 Primary

  Winding machines having two or more work holders or formers · CPC title

• H01F41/082 Primary

  Devices for guiding or positioning the winding material on the former · CPC title