Tip dressing installation system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12539547-B2
Application number	US-202017619495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2020
Priority date	Jun 18, 2019
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

A tip dressing system includes a tip dressing machine having a gear unit. A holder is installed in the gear unit, and a cutter is installed on the holder. The holder may include mechanical structure corresponding to the gear unit that prevents the holder from being installed incorrectly and further prevents a holder that does not match the machine from being installed in the gear unit. The cutter may include mechanical structure corresponding to the holder to prevents the cutter from being installed incorrectly and further prevents a cutter that does not match the holder from being attached to the holder. The machine, holder, and cutter may include indicators configured for being scanned by a scanning device, and a controller may determine whether the scanned components match.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tip dressing system for a contact tip, the system comprising:
a gear unit configured for being driven by a tip dressing machine, the gear unit defining an opening extending axially therethrough; a holder sized and configured for being received in the opening of the gear unit and for being fixedly attached thereto; a cutter sized and configured for being fixedly attached to the holder; and wherein the cutter includes cutter-holder structure corresponding to the holder, and the holder includes holder-cutter structure corresponding to the cutter, the cutter-holder structure and the holder-cutter structure allowing a successful installation of the cutter to the holder when the cutter-holder structure and the holder-cutter structure satisfy a predetermined relationship between the cutter and the holder, wherein the cutter-holder structure and the holder-cutter structure also prevent installation of the cutter to the holder when the predetermined relationship between the cutter and the holder is not satisfied; wherein the holder includes holder-gear structure corresponding to the gear unit, and the gear unit includes gear-holder structure corresponding to the holder, the holder-gear structure and the gear-holder structure allowing a successful installation of the holder to the gear unit when the holder-gear structure and the gear-holder structure satisfy a predetermined relationship between the holder and the gear unit, wherein the holder-gear structure and the gear-holder structure also prevent installation of the holder to the gear unit when the predetermined relationship between the holder and the gear unit is not satisfied; wherein the holder has a partial annular body with a partial circumferential outer surface sized for being received within a circumferential inner surface of the gear unit, and the holder further includes an upper flange portion extending radially outward from the partial annular body; wherein the partial annular body has a lower axial end defining a lowermost end of the holder and the upper flange portion has an upper axial end defining an uppermost end of the holder, where the upper flange portion has a lower axial end that axially corresponds to an upper axial end of the partial annular body, wherein the partial annular body extends axially from the upper flange portion to the lowermost end of the holder, wherein the partial annular body does not include a further flange portion at the lowermost end, and a radial extent of the lowermost end is smaller than a radial extent of the upper flange portion; wherein the holder is insertable in a downward direction into the opening of the gear unit, such that the upper flange portion abuts a corresponding generally planar surface of the gear unit, such that the holder rests against the gear unit when the predetermined relationship between the holder and the gear unit is satisfied; wherein the gear unit includes a radial projection extending radially inward from the inner surface; wherein the holder-gear structure of the holder includes an axial projection in the form of a pin extending downward from the upper flange portion, wherein the gear-holder structure of the gear unit includes a hole in the gear unit, wherein the pin is received within the hole in the gear unit when the holder is successfully installed to the gear unit according to the predetermined relationship between the holder and the gear unit, wherein the pin contacts the radial projection of the gear unit in a first rotational orientation of the holder relative to the gear unit, which contact of the pin with the radial projection blocks downward insertion of the holder to prevent the successful installation of the holder to the gear unit, and wherein the pin is aligned with and receivable in the hole in a second rotational orientation of the holder relative to the gear unit so that the holder can be successfully installed to the gear unit; wherein the upper flange portion includes a pair of through holes on diametrically opposite sides such that, when the holder is concentrically aligned with the gear unit, the through holes are aligned with corresponding recesses in the gear unit when the holder is at each of two different rotational orientations that are 180 degrees apart relative to one another; wherein the pin is received in the hole in the gear unit when the holder is in the second rotational orientation relative to the gear unit, and wherein the pin contacts and interferes with the radial projection and blocks downward insertion of the holder when the holder is in the first rotational orientation relative to the gear unit.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, when the holder is installed successfully in the gear unit according to the predetermined relationship between the holder and the gear unit, the partial annular body is received within the inner surface of the gear unit and the upper flange portion abuts the corresponding generally planar surface of the gear unit in an axial direction, and when the predetermined relationship between the holder and the gear unit is not satisfied and the holder is not installed successfully in the gear unit, the partial annular body is received within the inner surface but the upper flange portion is prevented from abutting the corresponding generally planar surface of the gear unit.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the radial projection is diametrically opposite the hole in the gear unit in which the pin is received.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cutter has a radially inner and a radially outer end, wherein the radially outer end is wider than the radially inner end.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the cutter includes a cutter hole, wherein the cutter hole is disposed radially between the radially inner end and the radially outer end and is disposed vertically between an upper end and a lower end of the cutter, wherein the cutter hole overlaps a corresponding holder hole of the holder when the cutter and the holder satisfy the predetermined relationship between the cutter and the holder.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the cutter hole is offset on the cutter above or below relative to a center of the cutter defined between the upper and lower end of the cutter, and, when the cutter is successfully installed to the holder, the cutter hole overlaps the holder hole, and wherein the cutter hole does not overlap the holder hole of the holder when the holder and the cutter do not satisfy the predetermined relationship between the cutter and the holder.

7 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the cutter further includes a wing portion, wherein the wing portion and the radially inner end of the cutter define a cutting edge.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the cutting edge is disposed adjacent a recess defined by the holder, wherein the recess is configured to receive a contact tip therein for tip dressing.

9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising the tip dressing machine, wherein the gear unit is disposed within the tip dressing machine.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the tip dressing machine includes a sensor, wherein the sensor detects removal of the holder from the gear unit.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the tip dressing machine, based on signals from the sensor, is automatically prevented from operating in response to removal of the holder.

Assignees

• Magna Int Inc

Inventors

• Gravel Sylvain
• Livingston Gary

Classifications

• Y10T409/304256

  Means to remove flash or burr · CPC title

• B23Q17/006

  for indicating the presence of a work or tool in its holder (B23Q17/002, B23Q17/09 take precedence) · CPC title

• B23K11/3063

  Electrode maintenance, e.g. cleaning, grinding · CPC title

• B23K9/26 Primary

  Accessories for electrodes, e.g. ignition tips · CPC title

• B23C2260/76

  Sensors · CPC title