Circuit for conduit bender

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9375773-B2
Application number	US-201113101573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2011
Priority date	May 5, 2010
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A conduit bender having a unitary frame is mounted to a wheeled base which provides for transportation of the bender. A braking assembly provides for simplified locking of the wheels to secure the bender in a location. The bender is mounted to the base through a pivoting assembly which allows for bending of conduit in either a horizontal or vertical plane. A circuit is provided for controlling the bending operation. An auto-sensing portion of the circuit receives information regarding the characteristics of the conduit to be bent upon placement of the conduit in the bender. A feed back portion of the circuit is used to provide a precise bending operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system including an auto-sensing circuit for determining characteristics of a conduit, positioned to undergo a bending operation by a bender, the bender having a shoe mounted on shoe shaft about which the conduit is to be bent, the system comprising:
a frame;
a motor;
a microprocessor in communication with the motor used to perform the bending operation, said microprocessor is configured to provide a motor control signal to said motor to control the operation of the motor;
a member mounted on said frame and moveable relative to said frame, the conduit is capable of being directly engaged with said member to cause movement of said member relative to said frame, wherein the member is in a first position relative to said frame when the conduit is not directly engaged with the member, and the member is moved to a second position relative to said frame when the conduit directly engaged with the member;
a switch in communication with said microprocessor and in communication with said member; and
wherein when the conduit directly engages the member, the member moves from the first position to the second position and the member activates the switch to send a signal to said microprocessor, providing information regarding a characteristic of the conduit to be bent to said microprocessor, and said motor control signal provided to said motor is based upon said information.

2. A system including an auto-sensing circuit for determining characteristics of a conduit, positioned to undergo a bending operation by a bender, the bender having a shoe about which the conduit is to be bent and a support roller assembly shaft, the system comprising:
a microprocessor in communication with a motor used to perform the bending operation, said microprocessor configured to provide a motor control signal to said motor to control the operation of the motor;
a conduit size switch in communication with said microprocessor, said conduit size switch is rotatably mounted to said support roller assembly shaft;
wherein said conduit size switch is configured to provide a conduit size signal to said microprocessor in response to positioning the conduit for the bending operation, said conduit size signal providing information regarding the size of the conduit to be bent to said microprocessor, and said motor control signal provided to said motor is based upon said conduit size information.

3. The system including the auto-sensing circuit as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a shoe position sensor in communication with said microprocessor, wherein said shoe position sensor is configured to provide a shoe position signal to said microprocessor, providing information about the rotational position of the shoe relative to the shoe shaft.

4. The system including the auto-sensing circuit as defined in claim 3 , wherein said shoe position sensor comprises an absolute encoder.

5. The system including the auto-sensing circuit as defined in claim 4 , wherein a magnet of said absolute encoder is mounted to said shoe shaft and a sensor of said absolute encoder is mounted to said shoe.

6. A system including auto-sensing circuit for determining characteristics of a conduit, positioned to undergo a bending operation by a bender, the bender having a shoe mounted on shoe shaft about which the conduit is to be bent, the system comprising:
a microprocessor in communication with a motor used to perform the bending operation, said microprocessor configured to provide a motor control signal to said motor to control the operation of the motor;
a conduit size switch in communication with said microprocessor;
wherein said conduit size switch is configured to provide a conduit size signal to said microprocessor in response to positioning the conduit for the bending operation, said conduit size signal providing information regarding the size of the conduit to be bent to said microprocessor, and said motor control signal provided to said motor is based upon said conduit size information;
a shoe position sensor in communication with said microprocessor, wherein said shoe position sensor provides a shoe position signal to said microprocessor, providing information about the rotational position of the shoe relative to the shoe shaft;
wherein in response to positioning the shoe for the bending operation, said shoe position sensor is configured to provide a conduit type signal to said microprocessor, said conduit type signal providing information regarding a type of conduit to be bent, and said motor control signal is based upon said conduit type information.

7. The system including the auto-sensing circuit as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
support rollers mounted on said frame and moveable relative to said frame, the conduit is capable of being directly engaged with said support rollers;
a support roller position switch in communication with said microprocessor; and
wherein in response to positioning the support rollers for the bending operation, said roller switch position is configured to provide a roller position signal, providing information regarding the position of the support rollers, to said microprocessor, and said motor control signal is based upon said support roller position information.

8. The system including the auto-sensing circuit as defined in claim 1 , further including
a feedback circuit in communication with the motor and said microprocessor, wherein a voltage consumption signal and a current consumption signal are provided from the motor to said feedback circuit, and
wherein said microprocessor is configured to adjust said motor control signal in response to said voltage consumption signal and current consumption signal.

Assignees

• Plummer Jeffrey J
• Daugherty Sean A
• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Plummer Jeffrey J
• Daugherty Sean A

Classifications

• B21D7/024 Primary

  by a swinging forming member · CPC title

• B21D7/021

  Construction of forming members having more than one groove · CPC title

• B21D7/12 Primary

  with program control · CPC title

• B21D7/16

  Auxiliary equipment, e.g. for heating or cooling of bends · CPC title