Element blanking apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327339-B2
Application number	US-201214372410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2012
Priority date	Feb 13, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus configured to make blanks that would be used to assemble a CVT belt formed from such blanks. The CVT is assembled by arrange a body portion of the blanks on an inner periphery, a head portion on an outer periphery, and a neck portion, which connects the head and body. The apparatus has a die that has an opening shape conforming to a planar shape of the element to be formed. An ejector that has a sectional shape conforming to the opening shape of the blanking blade and is located inside the blanking blade. A punch that has a sectional shape conforming to the opening shape of the blanking blade and moves downward into the blanking blade to blank the element together with the blanking blade, and a pusher that is located around the punch and presses the flat plate-like material against the die.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An element blanking apparatus for blanking from a substantially flat plate material a CVT belt element that is formed by a body portion to be placed on an inner periphery of a CVT belt hoop, a head portion to be placed on an outer periphery of the CVT belt hoop, and a neck portion connecting the head portion and the body portion at a central position, the element blanking apparatus comprising:
a die having a blanking blade that has an opening shape conforming to a planar shape of the element to be formed;
an ejector that has a sectional shape conforming to the opening shape of the blanking blade and is located inside the blanking blade;
a punch that has a sectional shape conforming to the opening shape of the blanking blade and moves downward into the blanking blade to blank the element together with the blanking blade; and
a pusher that is located around the punch and presses the flat plate material against the die, wherein
an upper surface of the ejector has a body portion-side upper surface portion in a region that is located on one side in a lateral direction and that is used to form the body portion, and a head portion-side upper surface portion in a region that is located on the other side in the lateral direction and that is used to form the head portion and the neck portion,
the body portion-side upper surface portion has a raised surface in a region located on the one side in the lateral direction, and the raised surface is raised with respect to a region of the body portion-side upper surface portion which is located on the other side in the lateral direction,
the element blanking apparatus moves the punch downward to press the flat plate material by the punch and the ejector, and thus forms a reduced thickness portion in the flat plate material by the body portion-side upper surface portion, then moves the pusher downward to press the flat plate material against the die by the pusher, and subsequently blanks the element by the punch and the blanking blade,
the head portion-side upper surface portion has a lowered surface in a region located on the other side in the lateral direction, and the lowered surface is tilted downward toward the other side in the lateral direction, and
the lowered surface is caused to face parallel to a lower surface of the flat plate material when the body portion-side upper surface portion contacts the lower surface of the flat plate material and the ejector is tilted in a clearance between the ejector and the blanking blade so as to be lowered on the one side in the lateral direction.

2. The element blanking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the raised surface is formed so as to be tilted upward toward the one side in the lateral direction, and
the reduced thickness portion is formed so that a thickness thereof gradually decreases toward the one side in the lateral direction.

3. An element blanking method for blanking from a substantially flat plate material using an element blanking apparatus a CVT belt element that is formed by a body portion to be placed on an inner periphery of a CVT belt hoop, a head portion to be placed on an outer periphery of the CVT belt hoop, and a neck portion connecting the head portion and the body portion at a central position, wherein the element blanking apparatus includes:
a die having a blanking blade that has an opening shape conforming to a planar shape of the element to be formed,
an ejector that has a sectional shape conforming to the opening shape of the blanking blade and is located inside the blanking blade,
a punch that has a sectional shape conforming to the opening shape of the blanking blade and moves downward into the blanking blade to blank the element together with the blanking blade, and
a pusher that is located around the punch and presses the flat plate material against the die,
an upper surface of the ejector has a body portion-side upper surface portion in a region that is located on one side in a lateral direction and that is used to form the body portion, and a head portion-side upper surface portion in a region that is located on the other side in the lateral direction and that is used to form the head portion and the neck portion,
the body portion-side upper surface portion has a raised surface in a region located on the one side in the lateral direction, and the raised surface is raised with respect to a region of the body portion-side upper surface portion which is located on the other side in the lateral direction, the method comprising:
moving the punch downward to press the flat plate material by the punch and the ejector so as to form a reduced thickness portion in the flat plate material by the body portion-side upper surface portion;
moving the pusher downward to press the flat plate material against the die by the pusher; and
blanking subsequently the element by the punch and the blanking blade, wherein
the head portion-side upper surface portion has a lowered surface in a region located on the other side in the lateral direction, and the lowered surface is tilted downward toward the other side in the lateral direction, and
the lowered surface is caused to face parallel to a lower surface of the flat plate material when the body portion-side upper surface portion contacts the lower surface of the flat plate material and the ejector is tilted in a clearance between the ejector and the blanking blade so as to be lowered on the one side in the lateral direction.

4. The element blanking method according to claim 3 , wherein
the raised surface is tilted upward toward the one side in the lateral direction, and
the reduced thickness portion is formed so that a thickness thereof gradually decreases toward the one side in the lateral direction.

5. The element blanking method according to claim 4 , wherein
the flat plate material is a long strip-shaped material that is continuously fed between the die and the ejector and the punch and the pusher, and
a plurality of the elements are blanked in two rows with their head portions facing inward in a lateral direction of the long strip-shaped material, and the long strip-shaped material is caused to partially escape into its outer end in the lateral direction upon formation of the reduced thickness portion.

6. The element blanking method according to claim 3 , wherein
the flat plate material is a long strip-shaped material that is continuously fed between the die and the ejector and the punch and the pusher, and
a plurality of the elements are blanked in two rows with their head portions facing inward in a lateral direction of the long strip-shaped material, and the long strip-shaped material is caused to partially escape into its outer end in the lateral direction upon formation of the reduced thickness portion.

Assignees

• Kakiuchi Miyoshi
• Fujimoto Koji
• Sato Yoshiaki
• Nakajima Masaki
• Aisin Aw Co
• Cvtec Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kakiuchi Miyoshi
• Fujimoto Koji
• Sato Yoshiaki
• Nakajima Masaki

Classifications

• B21D53/14 Primary

  belts, e.g. machine-gun belts · CPC title

• F16G5/16

  consisting of several parts · CPC title

• B21D28/08

  Zig-zag sequence working · CPC title