System and method for controlling a machine for shaping conductor elements of a stator inductive winding

Abstract

A system (10) for controlling a machine (12) for shaping conductor elements (17) of a stator inductive winding, the system comprising: a 3D vision device (18) configured to generate a 3D reconstruction (19) of each conductor element (17) produced by the shaping machine (12); a monitoring device (20) operatively connected to the 3D vision device (18) and operatively connectable to the forming machine (12); wherein the monitoring device (20) comprises: a measure analysis module (24) configured to evaluate the monitored at least one characteristic measure (60) of the conductor element (17) produced by the forming machine (12); and a parameter correction module (26) configured to correct one or more parameters in a molding instruction executed by the molding machine (12).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a system and a method for controlling the various operations (bending, calendering, advancing and cutting) performed on an electrical wire by a forming machine for producing conductor elements or hairpins for stator inductor windings.

[0002] The system and method according to the invention are particularly, but not exclusively, useful and applicable in the field of controlling forming operations for producing conductor elements or hairpins constituting stator inductor windings of electrical machines, such as electric motors or generators. Background Art

[0003] As is known, electric motors, generators, alternators and transformers comprise a core of ferromagnetic material on which windings are arranged, the windings being made of electrical conductors arranged in a specific geometry. The current circulation in at least one winding determines the induced current circulation in at least one other winding by electromagnetic induction. Furthermore, the forces between the ferromagnetic core and the respective windings interact and can, for example, cause the rotor in an electric motor to rotate relative to the stator.

[0004] As mentioned, the inductor winding described above is made using wires of an electrically conductive material, usually copper. For a specific application, the inductor winding is made using linear elements of an electrically conductive material (referred to as conductor elements) which are first inserted into specific recesses provided in the ferromagnetic core of the motor being built and then firmly coupled to each other at at least one end, usually using a welding operation.

[0005] A typical example of these conductor elements is a "hairpin", in which each of these conductor elements is shaped in the shape of a fork. The fork has a pair of relatively straight shanks, which are connected to each other at one end by a bridge-like cross-connector. Typically, the fork is shaped roughly like an inverted U-shape, and the bridge is shaped in the shape of a pointed tip. Each shank of the fork (and therefore the conductor element) has a free end for insertion into a corresponding recess of the ferromagnetic core of the motor. Specifically, according to the logic required for the inductive winding of the motor, the first end of each conductor element is inserted into the corresponding first recess, while the second end of the same conductor element is inserted into the corresponding second recess.

[0006] These conductor elements or hairpins are produced by forming machines adapted to perform operations of bending, calendering, advancing and cutting wires of conductive material, generally copper. The operations performed by these forming machines are controlled by forming instructions comprising parameters making it possible to obtain conductor elements or hairpins having the structural characteristics necessary for their intended use (e.g. shape, dimensions, etc.).

[0007] Such processing of electrical conductors according to forming instructions requires very precise operations, since the conductor elements or hairpins must be formed to fit within very small tolerance windows.

[0008] Generally, in mechanical technology, the term "tolerance" denotes the permitted deviation in the industrial manufacture of a part (in this case a conductor element or a hairpin) between an ideal reference measurement defined by the design drawing and the effective measurement of the produced part; more precisely, the tolerance window is defined as the difference or range between the maximum and minimum permissible measurement.

[0009] However, during the forming of the conductor element or hairpin, external disturbance conditions and / or operating conditions may occur which produce a drift, so that the produced conductor element or hairpin gradually exceeds this tolerance window and must therefore be discarded or at least reworked. External disturbance conditions may include, for example, changes in the hardness of the material used and changes in the ambient temperature. Operating conditions may include, for example, play inside the forming machine and changes in friction inside the forming machine.

[0010] Currently, human operators are employed to judge the quality of the forming operation and, therefore, the quality of the conductor elements or hairpins of the stator inductor windings, on a regular and spot basis, using appropriate magnifying devices (e.g. digital microscopes) and / or measuring devices. For simplicity, a conductor element or hairpin may be considered to be of good quality if the measurements characterizing the conductor element or hairpin fall within the tolerance windows described above in relation to the corresponding master or reference characteristic measurements, which obviously depend on the specific type of conductor element or hairpin being produced.

[0011] refer to Figure 3A and Figure 3B , any conductor element or hairpin 17 can be characterized by a set of five points A, B, C, D and E. Using these five points, various characteristic measurements of the conductor element or hairpin 17 can be obtained.

[0012] The purpose of the quality inspection performed by a human operator is therefore to verify whether the measurements characterizing the conductor elements or hairpins fall within the tolerance windows of the corresponding reference characteristic measurements and thus whether these conductor elements or hairpins have the necessary structural features for their intended use.

[0013] If these quality checks give negative results, the human operator adjusts the parameters in the forming instructions to recalibrate the forming machine, adapting the operations performed by the forming machine to the external disturbance conditions and the working conditions, so as to regain a conductor element or hairpin having the structural characteristics necessary for its intended use.

[0014] However, this traditional approach is not without its drawbacks, one of which is that quality checks and any corrections to molding instruction parameters depend heavily on the abilities and / or status of the human operator performing these operations. In reality, the same human operator will act in a subjective manner and therefore may make different decisions in different circumstances, on different days, etc.

[0015] Another disadvantage of this conventional method is that it requires very long reaction times, which results in a large number of produced conductor elements or hairpins having to be rejected even if the quality check gives a negative result.

[0016] Specifically, these reaction times depend both on the time between the production of the first hairpin with a characteristic measurement outside the tolerance window and the negative result of the quality check, and also on the time between the negative result of the quality check and the correction of the molding instruction parameters.

[0017] Another disadvantage of this traditional approach is that it can lead to instabilities in the molding process (especially the operations performed by the molding machine), although this is unlikely.

[0018] Alternatively, the forming machine may be provided with means capable of detecting measurements characterizing the conductor elements or hairpins produced or being produced.

[0019] For example, German patent application No. DE102017207612A1 teaches the use of a digital camera to capture the geometry of a conductor element or hairpin being produced in real time while the conductor element or hairpin is produced by a machine for forming metal elements. Specifically, the digital camera is oriented to capture the conductor element or hairpin being produced and the bending tool of the forming machine with a rectangular field of view in order to check the forming process, in particular, to check the bending angle of the conductor element or hairpin being produced.

[0020] For example, German patent application No. DE102019124477A1 teaches the use of a 3D scanning device to detect one or more geometric features of a conductor element or a hairpin for correcting molding parameters during molding of the conductor element or the hairpin. Summary of the invention

[0021] The object of the present invention is to overcome the limitations of the known art described above by devising a system and a method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings, which system and method are able to achieve better results than traditional solutions and / or to achieve similar results at a lower cost and with a higher performance level.

[0022] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to conceive a system and a method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins for stator inductance windings, which system and method are able to adapt the operation of the forming machine (that is to say the operations performed by the forming machine) to external disturbance conditions, such as variations in the hardness of the material used and variations in the ambient temperature.

[0023] Another object of the invention is to devise a system and a method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings, which system and method are able to adapt the operation of the forming machine (i.e. the operations performed by the forming machine) to the working conditions, such as the play inside the forming machine and the variations in friction inside the forming machine.

[0024] Another object of the invention is to conceive a system and a method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins for stator inductor windings, which system and method make the forming process (in particular the operations performed by the forming machine) unaffected by the abilities and / or state of the human operator, thus transforming from a subjective inspection to an objective and standardized inspection, which produces predictable and repeatable results.

[0025] Another object of the present invention is to devise a system and method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins for stator inductor windings that is capable of eliminating or at least minimizing the reaction time after producing the first hairpin whose characteristic measure exceeds the tolerance window.

[0026] Another object of the invention is to devise a system and a method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings that is capable of conferring greater stability to the forming process, in particular to the operations performed by the forming machine.

[0027] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings which are highly reliable, easy to implement, practically realizable and economically competitive compared to the known art.

[0028] This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by a system for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements of a stator inductor winding, the system comprising:

[0029] - a 3D vision device configured to generate a 3D reconstruction of each conductor element produced by the forming machine; and

[0030] - a monitoring device operatively connected to the 3D vision device and operatively connectable to the molding machine;

[0031] Wherein, the monitoring device comprises:

[0032] - a metric analysis module configured to evaluate at least one characteristic metric of the monitored conductor elements produced by the forming machine; and

[0033] - a parameter correction module configured to correct one or more parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine;

[0034] in,

[0035] The metric analysis module of the monitoring device is further configured to evaluate a trend of the at least one characteristic metric of a series of the conductor elements produced by the forming machine, the at least one characteristic metric monitored being obtained from the 3D reconstruction of the conductor elements,

[0036] The parameter correction module of the monitoring device is further configured to correct parameters in the molding instructions to prevent the trend from leaving the tolerance window when the trend evaluated by the measurement analysis module deviates from the tolerance window defined relative to the corresponding reference feature measurement.

[0037] This aim and purpose is also achieved through a method for controlling a machine for shaping conductor elements of stator inductor windings using a 3D vision device associable to the shaping machine and a monitoring device operatively connected to the 3D vision device and operatively connectable to the shaping machine, the method comprising the following steps:

[0038] - A generation step: using said 3D vision device to generate a 3D reconstruction of each conductor element produced by said forming machine;

[0039] - an extraction step: extracting at least one characteristic measure of the conductor element from the 3D reconstruction of the conductor element produced by the shaping machine;

[0040] - an evaluation step of evaluating said at least one characteristic measure of the conductor elements produced by said forming machine using a measure analysis module comprised in said monitoring device;

[0041] - Correction step: using a parameter correction module included in the monitoring device to correct one or more parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine;

[0042] in,

[0043] The step of evaluating further comprises: evaluating a trend of the at least one characteristic measure of a series of the conductor elements produced by the forming machine,

[0044] When the trend deviates from a tolerance window defined relative to the corresponding reference feature measure, a step of correcting the parameters in the molding instructions is performed to prevent the trend from leaving the tolerance window. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a system and method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of a stator inductor winding according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a system for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of a stator inductor winding according to the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a method according to the invention for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of a stator inductor winding;

[0048] Figure 3A and Figure 3B is a perspective view of an example of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding;

[0049] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant dimensions, in particular the first torsion plane P t1 and the first vertical plane P n1 ;

[0050] Figure 6 and Figure 7 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant measurements, in particular the central bending profile S XYZ ;

[0051] Figure 8 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant dimensions, in particular the first calendering plane P c1 ;

[0052] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant dimensions, in particular the first rolled radius R c1 ;

[0053] Fig.11 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant dimensions, in particular the second calendering plane P c2 ;

[0054] Fig.12 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant dimensions, in particular the second rolled radius R c2 ;

[0055] Fig.13 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant dimensions, in particular the second torsion plane P t2 and the second vertical plane P n2 ;

[0056] Fig.14 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant measurements, in particular the first bending point C and the second bending point D, are shown;

[0057] Fig.15 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant measurements, in particular the torsion angle α t ;

[0058] Fig.16 and Fig.17 A portion of a conductor element or hairpin of a stator inductor winding is shown and the relevant measurements, in particular the first bending angle β1, are shown;

[0059] Fig.18 and Fig.19 are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an embodiment of a forming machine, a three-dimensional vision device and a clamping element for removing a conductor element or a hairpin from the forming machine after the operations of bending, calendering, pushing and cutting;

[0060] Fig. 20 A plurality of projections of a laser beam of a three-dimensional vision device on a conductor element or a hairpin are shown, wherein the projections are used to collect partial images of the conductor element or the hairpin, from which a three-dimensional reconstruction of the conductor element or the hairpin can be obtained;

[0061] Fig.21A , Fig. 21B and Fig. 21C Partial images of a conductor element or a hairpin obtained from a three-dimensional vision device are shown respectively;

[0062] Fig.22A and Fig. 22B A point cloud obtained by stitching partial images of a conductor element or a hairpin and details of the point cloud are respectively shown;

[0063] Fig.23 showing a series of values ​​of a feature metric, an associated tolerance window consisting of an upper tolerance threshold and a lower tolerance threshold, and a trend of the values ​​of the feature metric;

[0064] Fig.24 shows a monotonic trend across a range of values ​​in the feature measure;

[0065] Fig.25 A master or reference feature measure and an associated tolerance window consisting of an upper tolerance threshold and a lower tolerance threshold are shown;

[0066] Fig.26 and Fig. 27 showing a trend of a series of values ​​of a characteristic measure and an associated predicted trend of future values ​​of the characteristic measure to determine whether the trend deviates from a tolerance window;

[0067] Fig.28 showing a plurality of estimated trends of future values ​​of the feature measure;

[0068] Fig.29 A range of values ​​for the feature metric is shown, some of which are outside the tolerance window. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] refer to Figure 1 The system for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins 17 of stator inductor windings according to the invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 10, generally comprises a three-dimensional (3D) vision device 18 and a monitoring device 20. The 3D vision device 18 is associated or can be associated with the forming machine 12. The monitoring device 20 is operatively connected to the 3D vision device 18 and vice versa. The monitoring device 20 is operatively connected or can be operatively connected to the forming machine 12 and vice versa.

[0070] The molding machine 12 comprises an electronic control unit 14 , preferably of the programmable logic controller (PLC) type, and a molding device 16 .

[0071] The electronic control unit 14 of the molding machine 12 is operatively connected to the molding device 16 and has appropriate processing capabilities and the ability to interface with the molding device 16 and the monitoring device 20 .

[0072] The electronic control unit 14 of the forming machine 12 is configured to command, control and coordinate the operation of the forming means 16 according to forming instructions comprising parameters enabling obtaining, as mentioned above, conductor elements or hairpins 17 having the structural characteristics necessary for their intended use.

[0073] The forming device 16 of the forming machine 12 is operatively connected to the electronic control unit 14 and comprises a plurality of electromechanical tools configured to perform bending, calendering, advancing and cutting operations on electrical wires for producing conductor elements or hairpins 17 .

[0074] As mentioned, the operation of the forming devices 16 of the forming machine 12 is commanded, controlled and coordinated by the electronic control unit 14 according to forming instructions.

[0075] The 3D vision device 18 of the system 10 according to the invention, which as mentioned is associated or associable with the shaping machine 12 , is configured to generate a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction 19 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the shaping machine 12 and thus output from the shaping machine.

[0076] The monitoring device 20 of the system 10 according to the invention comprises an electronic control unit 22. The electronic control unit 22 is the main functional element of the monitoring device 20 and is therefore operatively connected with the other elements comprised therein.

[0077] The electronic control unit 22 of the monitoring device 20 has appropriate processing capabilities and the ability to interface with other elements of the monitoring device 20, and is configured to command, control and coordinate the operation of the elements of the monitoring device 20 operatively connected thereto.

[0078] The monitoring device 20 of the system 10 according to the invention further comprises a measurement analysis module 24, which is configured to evaluate at least one characteristic measurement 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 produced by the forming machine 12 and thus output from the forming machine, wherein the at least one characteristic measurement 60 is obtained from each 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 produced.

[0079] refer to Figure 23 to Figure 29 The metric analysis module 24 is configured to evaluate whether a trend 58 of at least one characteristic metric 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 deviates from a predefined tolerance window 54 relative to a corresponding main or reference characteristic metric 62 within a pre-functionally determined time, i.e., within a preset number of molding cycles after the most recently produced conductor element or hairpin 17. The tolerance window 54 described above is constituted by an upper tolerance threshold 55 and a lower tolerance threshold 56.

[0080] The term "trend" refers to a predefined plurality of consecutive elements (at least two) in a sequence. In this case, each element in the sequence is at least one characteristic measure 60 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the forming machine 12. Preferably, the predefined plurality of consecutive elements in the sequence consists of three to ten elements.

[0081] Specifically, if subsequent values ​​of the elements in the sequence follow a numerical progression such that the value of each element in the sequence is always greater than or equal to or less than or equal to the value of the previous element in the sequence, then the numerical sequence follows a monotonic type of trend 58. A monotonic trend 58 of a feature metric 60 may indicate a drift outside of a tolerance window 54, whereas a non-monotonic trend 58 around a certain value may indicate that the measured feature metric 60 is stable relative to a master or reference feature metric 62.

[0082] The expression “main or reference characteristic measure” refers to a value set in the electronic control unit 14 of the forming machine 12 according to the type of conductor element or hairpin 17 to be produced (by bending, calendering, advancing and cutting operations as described above).

[0083] The set of master or reference characteristic measurements 62 defines a geometrical representation, for example of the computer-aided design / computer-aided manufacturing (CAD / CAM) type, of an ideal master conductor element, i.e., a conductor element 17 to be produced by a forming machine 12 having a forming device 16. In turn, for each master or reference characteristic measurement 62, a predefined tolerance window 54 is defined as a range around at least one master or reference characteristic measurement 62 within which dimensional values ​​are acceptable to ensure the quality of the produced conductor element 17.

[0084] As mentioned, the tolerance window 54 for each master or reference feature metric 62 has an upper threshold 55, which is defined as a maximum acceptable value for each feature metric 60 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 that is greater than the corresponding master or reference feature metric 62, and a lower threshold 56, which is defined as a minimum acceptable value for each feature metric 60 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 that is less than the corresponding master or reference feature metric 62. Advantageously, the upper threshold 55 and the lower threshold 56 can be set and modified by a human operator in charge of the molding machine 12.

[0085] The monitoring device 20 of the system 10 according to the present invention further comprises a parameter correction module 26 configured to automatically correct one or more parameters in the molding instructions based on the previous evaluation results made by the measurement analysis module 24 to recalibrate the molding machine 12 .

[0086] Preferably, the parameter correction module 26 is also configured to correct the parameters in the molding instructions to prevent the trend 58 from leaving the tolerance window 54 when the trend 58 evaluated by the measurement analysis module 24 deviates from the tolerance window 54 predefined relative to the corresponding main or reference feature measurement 62 within a pre-functionally determined time.

[0087] In a preferred embodiment, the metric analysis module 24 is configured to evaluate whether the trend 58 of at least one characteristic metric 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 deviates from the corresponding tolerance window 54 by using a calculation algorithm, in particular an analysis technique taking into account the trend 58 of previous values, whereby a prediction of future values ​​is inferred using a subset of the series of values, in particular the most recently available values ​​and the immediately preceding values, the subset consisting of a predefined number (at least two, preferably at least three) of elements, after these values ​​are available from the series of values ​​of the at least one characteristic metric 60.

[0088] In one embodiment, the metric analysis module 24 compares the value of the trend 58 of at least one characteristic metric 60 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 with the associated at least one main or reference characteristic metric 62, and any difference between these values ​​represents an error. If the value of the characteristic metric 60 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 is higher than the value of the main or reference characteristic metric 62, the error is positive, and conversely, if the value of the characteristic metric 60 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 is less than the value of the main or reference characteristic metric 62, the error is negative.

[0089] If the prediction of subsequent values ​​of a series of values ​​of at least one characteristic measure 60 (i.e., the predicted trend) is that the tolerance window 54 will be exceeded within a predefined number of prediction cycles, then the prediction indicates that an unstable condition exists that needs to be remedied by correcting parameters in the instructions to the molding machine 12.

[0090] In alternative embodiments, the system 10 according to the present invention may employ techniques different from those described above to evaluate the trend 58. One of the various alternative techniques that may be applied is to perform a linear regression on the trend 58 of at least one characteristic measure 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 in order to infer a predicted future value of the at least one characteristic measure 60 based on a plurality of past values ​​of the trend 58.

[0091] Advantageously, the metric analysis module 24 of the monitoring device 20 is further configured to evaluate the speed at which the trend 58 of at least one characteristic measure 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 deviates from the predefined tolerance window 54 relative to the corresponding main or reference characteristic measure 62, if the trend 58 of the at least one characteristic measure 60 deviates from the predefined tolerance window 54 within a pre-functionally determined time, i.e. within a preset number of molding cycles after the most recently produced conductor element or hairpin 17.

[0092] Typically, in control systems, the speed at which a signal changes over a series is an indicator used to assess very fast, transient exogenous phenomena that could cause the system to suddenly deviate outside the tolerance window, leading to drastic instabilities.

[0093] Preferably, the metric analysis module 24 predicts the subsequent value of the at least one characteristic metric 60 by applying an analysis strategy that takes into account the speed of the monotonic trend evolution of the at least one characteristic metric 60. In other words, if the speed of the monotonic trend change of the at least one characteristic metric 60 exceeds a certain threshold, the speed indicates that the molding machine 12 is rapidly drifting out of the tolerance window 54 and therefore requires correction of the parameters in the molding instructions. This strategy is particularly effective in cases where actions can be taken in a timely manner to prevent the trend of the at least one characteristic metric 60 from leaving the tolerance window 54.

[0094] Advantageously, the measurement analysis module 24 of the monitoring device 20 is also configured to evaluate at least one characteristic measurement 60 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the forming machine 12 and thus output by the forming machine. In particular, the measurement analysis module 24 is configured to evaluate whether at least one characteristic measurement 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 exceeds a predefined tolerance window 54 relative to a corresponding main or reference characteristic measurement 62.

[0095] If the at least one feature measurement 60 exceeds the tolerance window 54, the parameter correction module 26 is also configured to correct one or more parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine 12 based on a measurable deviation between the at least one feature measurement 60 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 and a master or reference feature measurement 62 so that the at least one feature measurement is again within acceptable values ​​defined by the tolerance window 54 of the at least one feature measurement 60.

[0096] At least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 is obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 generated by the 3D vision device 18. The at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 may include a distance, and may also include geometric elements, such as a straight line segment and / or an arc of a reference system, a distance from a predefined reference plane, a point on a reference system, an angle relative to a reference direction and / or plane, etc.

[0097] In one embodiment, the monitoring device 20 further comprises a measurement extraction module 30 configured to obtain at least one characteristic measurement 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17. In this embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 is further configured to send the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 to the monitoring device 20.

[0098] In another embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 is further configured to obtain at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17. In this embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 is further configured to send at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 to the monitoring device 20.

[0099] refer to Fig.18 and Fig.19 In a preferred embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 is configured and arranged to capture an image of each conductor element or hairpin 17 after the operation of forming the conductor element or hairpin 17, which forming operation at least includes bending and cutting the conductor element or hairpin 17. In particular, the 3D vision device 18 captures an image of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced after the operations of bending, calendering, pushing and cutting each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced. Preferably, the 3D vision device 18 is configured to generate a 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 produced by the forming machine 12 starting from the image of the conductor element or hairpin 17 and thus based on the image of the conductor element or hairpin.

[0100] Still reference Fig.18 and Fig.19 In a preferred embodiment, the system 10 according to the present invention further comprises a gripping element 36, which is configured to stably grip the conductor element or hairpin 17 and is arranged to move the conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the forming machine 12 away along a straight line. The gripping element 36 can be a gripping element of the robot gripper type, etc., which can be actuated from a passive position in which the fingers of the gripper are open to an active position in which the fingers of the gripper are closed to stably grip the conductor element or hairpin 17.

[0101] Preferably, the system 10 according to the present invention further comprises a linear moving device 38 , and the clamping element 36 is mounted on the linear moving device 38 , which is configured to alternately move away from and close to the molding machine 12 according to a motion rule controlled by operational feedback from the molding machine 12 .

[0102] Preferably, the clamping element 36 is configured and dimensioned to stably clamp the conductor element or hairpin 17 after it has been formed (bending, calendering and pushing operations are completed) and before it has been cut.

[0103] Preferably, the clamping element 36 is also configured to enable the acquisition of an image of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the 3D vision device 18 after the conductor element or hairpin 17 is cut and when the conductor element or hairpin is moved away from the forming machine 12 .

[0104] Preferably, the clamping element 36 is also configured to conditionally release the produced conductor element or hairpin 17 after image acquisition is completed, and the release is performed at a position away from the forming machine 12, and then the clamping element 36 returns to the starting point to clamp the next conductor element or hairpin 17 to be cut and measured.

[0105] Preferably, the clamping element 36 and therefore each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced and stably clamped by the clamping element 36 is configured to be subsequently moved away from the forming machine 12 in a removal direction 32, which is essentially horizontal or essentially parallel to the advancement direction of the electrical wire from which the conductor element or hairpin 17 was produced.

[0106] refer to Fig. 20 , Fig.21A , Fig. 21B and Fig. 21C In a preferred embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 is also configured to continuously acquire a plurality of partial images 52 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the shaping machine 12 and thus output by the shaping machine. These partial images 52 are then used to generate a 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 produced by the shaping machine 12.

[0107] Preferably, the partial images 52 of the conductor elements or hairpins 17 are sized to be able to be stitched or combined to generate an overall or complete image of these conductor elements or hairpins 17. This overall or complete image is then used to generate a 3D reconstruction 19 of each conductor element 17 produced by the forming machine 12.

[0108] Preferably, the 3D vision device 18 comprises a profilometer. Advantageously, the 3D vision device 18 may use a laser triangulation technique comprising a laser beam 34 under which the conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the shaper 12 and thus output by the shaper slides. Alternatively, the 3D vision device 18 may use other measurement techniques, such as time of flight or phase shift.

[0109] Advantageously, the 3D vision device 18 is configured to acquire said partial image 52 when the laser beam 34 impinges on the conductor element or the hairpin 17 while the conductor element 17 is moving away from the shaping machine 12 .

[0110] Preferably, the 3D vision device 18 is fixed relative to the shaping machine 12. Preferably, the clamping elements 36 and the linear movement device 38 are configured to move each conductor element 17 during the acquisition of the respective partial images 52 and the overall image for generating the 3D reconstruction 19. Preferably, the movement of each conductor element 17 during scanning of the conductor elements 17 is linear. Preferably, the direction of movement of each conductor element 17 is contained in a plane containing at least one leg of the conductor element or hairpin 17 and is perpendicular to the direction of the laser beam 34 of the 3D vision device 18.

[0111] refer to Fig.22A and Fig. 22B In a preferred embodiment, a 3D vision device 18 using laser triangulation technology (alternatively, other measurement technologies such as time of flight or phase shift may be used) obtains a point cloud 53 from the distances obtained by the 3D vision device 18. The point cloud 53 is obtained by stitching together the partial images 52 of the conductor element or hairpin 17. The point cloud 53 is used to generate a total image or a complete image used in the 3D reconstruction 19.

[0112] Preferably, the laser beam 34 emitted by the 3D vision device 18 is directed substantially perpendicularly to the conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the forming machine 12 and thus output by the forming machine.

[0113] Specifically, the end segments AC and BD of the legs of the conductor element or hairpin 17 that are similar to those produced by the forming machine 12 and are therefore output by the forming machine constitute the removal plane. Since the removal direction 32 is parallel to at least one end segment AC, BD of the conductor element or hairpin 17, the removal direction 32 is contained in the removal plane.

[0114] Preferably, the laser beam 34 emitted by the 3D vision device 18 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the removal plane, which orientation enables the 3D vision device 18 to optimize the accuracy of the geometric features of the captured local images 52 and the overall image, specifically, the geometric features are characteristic points representing the shape of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced and captured using the 3D vision device 18.

[0115] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 uses a global reference system CS_GLOBAL (or CSG) integrated with the position of the 3D vision device 18. The definition of the global reference system CS_GLOBAL is arbitrary. The position and orientation of the global reference system CS_GLOBAL must remain as constant as possible over time.

[0116] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 uses a hairpin reference system CS_HAIRPIN (or CSH) integrated with the hairpin 17. For each measure, the relationship or ratio between CS_GLOBAL and CS_HAIRPIN must remain known. Advantageously, each measure listed below is expressed relative to the hairpin reference system CS_HAIRPIN so that the size of the hairpin 17 is independent of the position of the 3D vision device 18.

[0117] In general, the system 10 according to the invention can utilize as many reference frames as possible to optimize the acquisition of at least one characteristic measure 60 of a conductor element or hairpin 17 .

[0118] The following is an exemplary listing of some types of feature metrics 60 that may be obtained by the system 10 according to the present invention.

[0119] In an embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises segment AC, ie a three-dimensional (3D) segment closest to the first leg of the hairpin 17 (referenced to the characteristic point, this is segment AC of the hairpin 17 ).

[0120] In an embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises segment BD, ie a three-dimensional (3D) segment closest to the second leg of the hairpin 17 (with reference to the characteristic point, this is segment BD of the hairpin 17 ).

[0121] In an embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a segment CE, ie a three-dimensional (3D) segment of the first rolled arc closest to the hairpin 17 (with reference to the characteristic point, this is the segment CE of the hairpin 17 ).

[0122] In an embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a segment DE, ie a three-dimensional (3D) segment of the second rolled arc closest to the hairpin 17 (with reference to the characteristic point, this is the segment DE of the hairpin 17 ).

[0123] Segments CE and DE are spliced ​​to form segment CD, which is the segment closest to the calendered portion of the conductor element or hairpin 17 .

[0124] In an embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a characteristic point C or first bending point C, ie the three-dimensional (3D) intersection point between the segment AC and the segment CE.

[0125] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a characteristic point D or a second bending point D, ie a three-dimensional (3D) intersection point between the segment BD and the segment DE.

[0126] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a head width HeadWidth, ie the Euclidean distance between points C and D of the head of the hairpin 17 .

[0127] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a virtual stationary plane P av , i.e., the virtual stationary plane of the hairpin 17 on the segments AC and BD. In other words, the virtual stationary plane P av is defined as the plane formed when the hairpin 17 is arranged on a horizontal surface, with point E of segment CD pointing downward relative to the horizontal surface, segment AC being arranged on the horizontal surface, and virtual stationary plane P av Includes segment AC and point D of hairpin 17.

[0128] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first twist plane P t1 , i.e. the plane closest to the upper surface of the first leg of the hairpin 17 (with reference to the characteristic point, this is the segment AC of the hairpin 17) when the first leg is subjected to a torsion, considering here the case where the curvature of the conductor element or hairpin 17 points upwards, i.e. when the point E is below the substantially horizontal first leg.

[0129] Still reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first vertical plane P n1 , that is, perpendicular to the first torsion plane P t1 and the plane coincides with the outer surface of the first leg of the hairpin 17 (reference feature point, this is segment AC of the hairpin 17).

[0130] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a central bending profile S XYZ , i.e. a list of N points, N being a number predefined by the system, these N points are expressed relative to the hairpin reference system CS_HAIRPIN, and these N points represent the S-shaped central bend of the hairpin 17. Note that the S-shape can be represented by the following sequence: segment 1 + perimeter arc 1 + perimeter arc 2 + segment 2.

[0131] Once the first vertical plane P is determined n1 , we can determine the plane parallel to the first vertical plane P n1 The two planes Pd1 and Pd N , the two planes Pd1 and Pd N The two planes Pd1 and Pd2 intersect the hairpin 17 at the two ends of the S-shaped central bend of the hairpin 17. N The position relative to the reference frame is given by the corresponding distances d1 and d N Given, the two distances d1 and d N The two ends of the S-shaped central curved portion of the hairpin 17 are respectively n1 The distance of hairpin 17 is composed of planes Pd1 and Pd N The defined portion is further cut into N-2 more equidistant planes, N-2 being a number predefined by the system. Figure 6 and Figure 7 One of these planes is shown in FIG. 1 and is referred to as P dk. Each plane P dk Identify a cross section of the hairpin 17. The XYZ coordinates of the point on the cross section with the maximum coordinate component in the Y-axis direction of the hairpin reference system relative to the hairpin reference system CS_HAIRPIN correspond to the profile S XYZ point k.

[0132] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first central curved section S seg1 , that is, the closest to the central curved profile S XYZ The first part of the three-dimensional (3D) segment, the first central curved segment S seg1 One of the two ends defined as the segment is located near point E.

[0133] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measurement 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 includes a first central bending perimeter S cir1 , that is, the closest to the central curved profile S XYZ The perimeter of the first curve.

[0134] In one embodiment, the at least one characteristic measurement 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second central bending perimeter S cir2 , that is, the closest to the central curved profile S XYZ The perimeter of the second curve.

[0135] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second central curved section S seg2 , that is, the closest to the central curved profile S XYZ The second part of the three-dimensional (3D) segment, the second central curved segment S seg 2 One of the two ends defined as the segment is located near point E.

[0136] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first rolled circumference Circ1 , ie the circumference of a first rolled arc closest to the hairpin 17 (with reference to a characteristic point, which is the segment CE of the hairpin 17 ).

[0137] refer to Figure 8 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first calendering plane P c1 , that is, the arrangement plane of the first rolling arc (reference feature point, which is the segment CE of the hairpin 17 ) that is closest to the first rolling circumference Circ1 and includes the hairpin 17 .

[0138] refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first calendering radius Rc1 (or calendering radius CE), i.e. the radial dimension of the first calendering circumference Circ1 closest to the first calendering arc of the hairpin 17 (reference feature point, which is the segment CE of the hairpin 17). Once the first vertical plane P is determined n1 , we can determine the plane parallel to the first vertical plane P n1 and intersects the hairpin 17 with two planes Sc1 and Sc2. The positions of the two planes Sc1 and Sc2 are given by the respective distances c1 and c2. The two planes Sc1 and Sc2 define the portion of the hairpin 17 that fits the perimeter. The "approach" is calculated using points located on the flat area (excluding the joint) of the portion of the hairpin 17 contained between the intersection of the plane Sc1 with the hairpin 17 and the intersection of the plane Sc2 with the hairpin.

[0139] In one embodiment, the at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second rolled circumference Circ2 , ie the circumference of the second rolled arc closest to the hairpin 17 (with reference to a characteristic point, which is the segment DE of the hairpin 17 ).

[0140] refer to Fig.11 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second calendering plane P c2 , i.e. the plane closest to the second rolling circumference Circ2 including the arrangement of the second rolling arc of the hairpin 17 (reference feature point, which is the segment DE of the hairpin 17).

[0141] Note that the first calendering plane P c1 With the second calendering plane P c2 The combination of orientation and contour S XYZ Together they define the geometric features of the central curved portion of the hairpin 17 .

[0142] refer to Fig.12 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second calendering radius R c2 (or rolling radius DE), i.e. the radial dimension of the second rolling circumference Circ2 closest to the second rolling arc of the hairpin 17 (reference point, which is the segment DE of the hairpin 17). Once the second vertical plane P is determined n2 , we can determine the second vertical plane P n2 and intersects the hairpin 17. The positions of the two planes Sc3 and Sc4 are given by the respective distances c3 and c4. The two planes Sc3 and Sc4 define the portion of the hairpin 17 that fits the perimeter. The "approach" is calculated using points located on the flat area (excluding the joints) of the portion of the hairpin 17 contained between the intersection of the plane Sc3 with the hairpin 17 and the intersection of the plane Sc4 with the hairpin.

[0143] refer to Fig.13 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second twist plane P t2 , i.e. the plane closest to the upper surface of the second leg of the hairpin 17 (with reference to the characteristic point, this is the segment BD of the hairpin 17) when the second leg is subjected to a torsion, considering here the case where the curvature of the conductor element or hairpin 17 points upwards, i.e. when point E is below the substantially horizontal second leg.

[0144] Still reference Fig.13 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second vertical plane P n2 , that is, perpendicular to the second torsion plane P t2 And a plane that coincides with the outer surface of the second leg of the hairpin 17 (reference feature point, this is segment BD of the hairpin 17 ).

[0145] Starting from one or more of the measures described above, the measures described below can be obtained indirectly.

[0146] refer to Fig.14 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a characteristic point C or a first bending point C. t1 , P c1 and P n1 If the position of the characteristic point C of the hairpin 17 is known, the position can be determined. Specifically, the point C can be defined as the plane P t1 , P c1 and P n1 The intersection between .

[0147] Still reference Fig.14 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a characteristic point D or a second bending point D. t2 , P C2 , P n2 If the position of the characteristic point D of the hairpin 17 is known, the position can be determined. Specifically, the point D can be defined as the plane P t2 , P C2 , P n2 The intersection between .

[0148] refer to Fig.15 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a twist angle α t , i.e., the first torsion plane P of the first leg of the hairpin 17 t1 The second torsion plane P of the second leg of the hairpin 17 t2The angle between.

[0149] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first twist angle α t , that is, the virtual stationary plane P av The first torsion plane P of the first leg of the hairpin 17 t1 The angle between.

[0150] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second twist angle α t2 , that is, the virtual stationary plane P av The second torsion plane P of the second leg of the hairpin 17 t2 The angle between.

[0151] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises an angle α0, ie, the virtual stationary plane P av The angle between the zero plane of the 3D vision device 18.

[0152] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a height CSC, ie, the distance between the point CSC and the virtual stationary plane P av The height difference between the center of the curved part and the virtual stationary plane P av The point with the largest distance (reference feature point, point CSC is located near point E of hairpin 17).

[0153] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a central bending angle βc, ie, a first calendering plane P c1 With the second calendering plane P c2 The angle between, that is, the angle between segment CE and segment DE of the hairpin 17.

[0154] refer to Fig.16 and Fig.17 In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first bending angle β1, ie, a first perpendicular plane P n1 With the first calendering plane P c1 The composite angle between these two planes P n1 and P c1 may be oblique, so we can determine that through plane P c1 and P t1 Axis A 01 and through planes Pc1 and P n1 Axis A 02 From these axes A 01 and A 02 To begin, we can identify two angles:

[0155] - Main first bending angle β10, ie axis A 01 The resultant angle with the Z axis of the hairpin reference frame, i.e. the resultant angle between segments AC and CE of the hairpin 17. Note that this is the main measure that the operator observes in order to assess a good result for the first bend; and / or

[0156] - Second first bending angle β11, i.e. axis A 02 The resultant angle between the Y axis of the hairpin reference system and the hairpin 17. This angle identifies the twist of the first rolled arc of the hairpin 17.

[0157] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic dimension 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second bending angle β2, ie, a second perpendicular plane P n2 With the second calendering plane P c2 The composite angle between these two planes P n2 and P c2 may be oblique, so we can determine that through plane P c2 and P t2 Axis A 11 and through the plane P c2 and P t2 Axis A 12 From these axes A 11 and A 12 To begin, we can identify two angles:

[0158] - Main second bending angle β20, ie axis A 11 The angle with the Z axis of the hairpin reference system, i.e. the angle between segments BD and DE of the hairpin 17. Note that this is the main measure that the operator observes in order to assess a good result for the second bend; and / or

[0159] - Second bending angle β21, i.e. axis A 12 The angle between the Y axis of the hairpin reference system and the hairpin 17. This angle identifies the twist of the second rolled arc of the hairpin 17.

[0160] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises an angle γ s , that is, the first central curved section S seg1 With the second central curved segment S seg2 The angle between.

[0161] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises an angle γ s1 , that is, the first central curved section S seg1 With the perimeter S passing through the first center bend cir1 The center and the second center bending perimeter Scir2 The angle between the centers of the straight lines.

[0162] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises an angle γ s2 , that is, the second central curved section S seg2 With the perimeter S passing through the first center bend cir1 The center and the second center bending perimeter S cir2 The angle between the centers of the straight lines.

[0163] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a first leg pitch height δ1 , ie the height difference between the area closest to the characteristic point C of the section AC of the hairpin 17 and the area projected onto the characteristic point A of the section AC of the hairpin 17 .

[0164] In one embodiment, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises a second leg pitch height δ2 , i.e. the height difference between the area closest to the characteristic point D of the section BD of the hairpin 17 and the area projected onto the characteristic point B of the section BD of the hairpin 17 .

[0165] Preferably, at least one characteristic measure of the conductor element 17 or the hairpin is selected from the group consisting of: a point; a straight and / or curved segment; a length and a radius of curvature of a bent, rolled and / or twisted segment of the conductor element; a plane angle; a three-dimensional angle; coordinates and / or distances relative to a Cartesian reference system, distances and angles relative to a predefined plane, such as the plane defined above.

[0166] Advantageously, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 comprises at least one of the elements defined above: segment AC, segment BD, segment CE, segment DE, segment CD, characteristic point (or bending point) C, characteristic point (or bending point) D, head width HeadWidth, virtual stationary plane P av , the first torsion plane P t1 , the first vertical plane P n1 , center bending profile S XYZ , the first central curved section S seg1 , the first central bending circumference S cir1 , the second center bending circumference S cir2 , the second central curved section S seg2 , first rolling circumference Circ1, first rolling plane P c1 , the first rolling radius R c1 , the second calendering circumference Circ2, the second calendering plane P c2 , the second rolling radius R c2 , the second torsion plane P t2 , the second vertical plane Pn2 , torsion angle α t , the first torsion angle α t1 , the second torsion angle α t2 , angle α0, height CSC, center bending angle βc, first bending angle β1, second bending angle β2, angle γ s , angle γ s1 , angle γ s2 , a first leg portion pitch height δ1 and a second leg portion pitch height δ2.

[0167] Advantageously, the parameter correction module 26 of the monitoring device 20 of the system 10 according to the invention is provided with at least one artificial intelligence (AI) based model configured to automatically correct the parameters in the forming instructions based on the evaluation results previously performed by the measurement analysis module 24, i.e. based on the trend of at least one characteristic measure 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 having deviated from the corresponding tolerance window 54, or alternatively, based on at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element 17 when it exceeds the corresponding tolerance window 54 (i.e. when the at least one characteristic measure has exceeded the corresponding tolerance window 54), so as to recalibrate the forming machine 12. In one embodiment, the parameter correction module 26 of the monitoring device 20 is configured to automatically correct the parameters in the forming instructions based on the difference of at least one characteristic quantity 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 relative to the corresponding master or reference characteristic quantity 62.

[0168] Therefore, the parameter correction module 26 of the monitoring device 20 receives the parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine 12 as input, and receives at least one characteristic measurement 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17, for example obtained by the measurement extraction module 30 of the monitoring device 20 or by the 3D vision device 18 from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17.

[0169] The monitoring device 20 (specifically, the related electronic control unit 22 ) is configured to send the corrected parameters in the molding instructions to the molding machine 12 (specifically, to the related electronic control unit 14 ).

[0170] Advantageously, the monitoring device 20 of the system 10 according to the present invention further comprises a storage unit 28, which is configured to record parameters (e.g. current parameters or past parameters) in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine 12. Preferably, the storage unit 28 is also configured to record at least one characteristic measure 60 of each conductor element or hairpin 17. In one embodiment, the storage unit 28 is also configured to record a master or reference characteristic measure 62 corresponding to the at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17.

[0171] refer to Figure 2, the method according to the invention for controlling a machine for shaping conductor elements or hairpins 17 of a stator inductor winding comprises the following steps.

[0172] First, in step 41 , using 3D vision means 18 associated or associable to the forming machine 12 , a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction 19 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the forming machine 12 and thus output by the forming machine is generated.

[0173] In step 42, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 is obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17, which 3D reconstruction was generated by the 3D vision device 18 in the previous step 41. As mentioned, the at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 may include distances, but also geometric elements, such as straight line segments and / or circular arcs of a reference system, distances from predefined reference planes, points on a reference system, angles relative to reference directions and / or planes, etc.

[0174] In one embodiment, in step 42, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 is obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 using a measure extraction module 30 comprised in the monitoring device 20. In this embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 sends the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 to the monitoring device 20.

[0175] In another embodiment, in step 42, at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 is obtained from the 3D reconstruction 19 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 using the 3D vision device 18. In this embodiment, the 3D vision device 18 sends the at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 to the monitoring device 20.

[0176] In step 43, at least one characteristic measure 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 produced by the forming machine 12 and thus output by the forming machine is evaluated using the measure analysis module 24 included in the monitoring device 20. In particular, it is evaluated whether the trend of at least one characteristic measure 60 of the series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 deviates from a predefined tolerance window 54 relative to a corresponding main or reference characteristic measure 62.

[0177] Advantageously, in step 43, if the trend of at least one characteristic measure 60 deviates from the predefined tolerance window 54, the measurement analysis module 24 of the monitoring device 20 is further used to evaluate the speed at which the trend of at least one characteristic measure 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 deviates from the predefined tolerance window 54 relative to the corresponding main or reference characteristic measure 62.

[0178] Advantageously, in step 43, at least one characteristic measure 60 of each conductor element or hairpin 17 produced by the forming machine 12 and thus output by the forming machine is further evaluated using the measure analysis module 24 of the monitoring device 20. In particular, it is evaluated whether at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 exceeds a predefined tolerance window 54 relative to a corresponding main or reference characteristic measure 62.

[0179] In step 44, the parameters in the forming instructions are automatically corrected using the parameter correction module 26 based on a tendency of at least one characteristic measure 60 of a series of conductor elements or hairpins 17 to deviate from a predefined tolerance window 54 within a pre-functionally determined time, or alternatively, based on at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor elements 17 when the at least one characteristic measure 60 of the conductor elements or hairpins 17 exceeds the corresponding tolerance window 54 (i.e., when the at least one characteristic measure has exceeded the corresponding tolerance window 54) to recalibrate the forming machine 12. Advantageously, the step 44 of automatically correcting the parameters in the forming instructions uses an artificial intelligence (AI) based model included in the parameter correction module 26 of the monitoring device 20. Furthermore, in step 44, the monitoring device 20 sends the corrected parameters in the forming instructions to the forming machine 12.

[0180] In one embodiment, the parameters in the forming instructions are automatically corrected based on the difference of at least one characteristic quantity 60 of the conductor element or hairpin 17 relative to a corresponding main or reference characteristic quantity 62 .

[0181] In practice, it has been found that the invention fully achieves the aim and purposes set. In particular, it has been seen that the system and method thus conceived for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings make it possible to overcome the quality limitations of the prior art, since they are able to achieve better results than traditional solutions and / or to achieve similar results at a lower cost and with a higher performance level.

[0182] One advantage of the system and method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings according to the invention is that they are able to adapt the operation of the forming machine (i.e. the operations performed by the forming machine) to external disturbance conditions, such as variations in the hardness of the material used and variations in the ambient temperature.

[0183] Another advantage of the system and method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of a stator inductor winding according to the invention is that they are able to adapt the operation of the forming machine (i.e. the operations performed by the forming machine) to the working conditions, such as the play inside the forming machine and the friction variations inside the forming machine.

[0184] Another advantage of the system and method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings according to the present invention is that they make the forming process (specifically the operations performed by the forming machine) unaffected by the abilities and / or state of the human operator, thereby transforming it from a subjective inspection to an objective and standardized inspection, which produces predictable and repeatable results.

[0185] Another advantage of the system and method according to the invention for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins for stator inductor windings is that they can eliminate or at least minimize the reaction time after producing the first hairpin with a characteristic measure outside the tolerance window.

[0186] Another advantage of the system and method for controlling a machine for forming conductor elements or hairpins of stator inductor windings according to the invention is that they make it possible to confer greater stability on the forming process, in particular on the operations performed by the forming machine.

[0187] The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

[0188] In practice, the materials used, as long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the possible dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

[0189] In short, the scope of protection of the claims should not be limited to these descriptions or the preferred embodiments shown by way of example in the specification, but the claims should include all patentable novel features present in the present invention, including all features that are considered equivalent by a person skilled in the art.

[0190] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102022000008915 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0191] In case the technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference numerals and / or labels, those reference numerals and / or labels are included only to improve the intelligibility of the claims and therefore these reference numerals and / or labels have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by these reference numerals and / or labels.

Claims

1. A system (10) for controlling a machine (12) for shaping conductor elements (17) of a stator inductor winding, the system comprising: - a 3D vision device (18) configured to generate a 3D reconstruction (19) of each conductor element (17) produced by the shaping machine (12); as well as - a monitoring device (20) operatively connected to the 3D vision device (18) and operatively connectable to the molding machine (12); Wherein, the monitoring device (20) comprises: - a metric analysis module (24) configured to evaluate at least one monitored characteristic metric (60) of the conductor elements (17) produced by the forming machine (12); and - a parameter correction module (26) configured to correct one or more parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine (12); It is characterized in that The metric analysis module (24) of the monitoring device (20) is further configured to evaluate a trend (58) of at least one characteristic metric (60) of a series of the conductor elements (17) produced by the forming machine (12), the at least one characteristic metric (60) being obtained from the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor elements (17), The parameter correction module (26) of the monitoring device (20) is also configured to correct the parameters in the molding instructions to prevent the trend (58) from leaving the tolerance window (54) when the trend (58) evaluated by the measurement analysis module (24) deviates from the tolerance window (54) defined relative to the corresponding reference feature measurement (62).

2. The system (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The measurement analysis module (24) of the monitoring device (20) is further configured to evaluate the speed at which the trend (58) of the at least one characteristic measurement (60) of a series of the conductor elements (17) produced by the forming machine (12) deviates from the predefined tolerance window (54).

3. The system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The measurement analysis module (24) of the monitoring device (20) is further configured to evaluate whether each of the at least one characteristic measurement (60) of the conductor element (17) produced by the molding machine (12) exceeds the predefined tolerance window (54), and wherein the parameter correction module (26) of the monitoring device (20) is further configured to correct parameters in molding instructions executed by the molding machine (12) based on a measurable deviation between the at least one characteristic measurement (60) of the conductor element (17) and the reference characteristic measurement (62).

4. The system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The monitoring device (20) further comprises a measurement extraction module (30) configured to extract the at least one characteristic measurement (60) of the conductor element (17) from the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor element (17), and the 3D vision device (18) is further configured to send the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor element (17) to the monitoring device (20).

5. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The 3D vision device (18) is further configured to extract the at least one characteristic measure (60) of the conductor element (17) from the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor element (17), and the 3D vision device (18) is further configured to send the at least one characteristic measure (60) of the conductor element (17) to the monitoring device (20).

6. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The 3D vision device (18) is configured and arranged to optically capture at least one image of each conductor element (17) after the bending and cutting operations are performed by the forming machine (12).

7. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The at least one characteristic measure (60) of the conductor element (17) is selected from the group consisting of: length and radius of curvature of a bent, rolled and / or twisted section of the conductor element (17); plane angle; three-dimensional angle; coordinates and / or distances relative to a Cartesian reference system; distances and angles relative to a predefined plane.

8. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The system further comprises a gripping element (36) configured to remove the conductor element (17) produced by the forming machine (12) along a straight line in a removal direction (32) which is substantially parallel to the advancement direction of the electrical wire from which the conductor element (17) is produced.

9. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The 3D vision device (18) is also configured to continuously acquire a plurality of partial images (52) of the conductor element (17) produced by the forming machine (12) to generate the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor element (17) produced by the forming machine (12).

10. The system (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that The 3D vision device (18) is further configured to acquire each of the partial images (52) using a profilometer configured to emit a laser beam (34) oriented substantially perpendicular to a removal plane defined by two segments (AC, BD) approximating the legs of the conductor element (17) formed in a hairpin shape.

11. System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The parameter correction module (26) includes at least one artificial intelligence model, and the artificial intelligence model is configured to automatically correct the parameters in the molding instructions.

12. A method for controlling a machine (12) for molding conductor elements (17) of stator inductor windings using a 3D vision device (18) associable to the molding machine (12) and a monitoring device (20) operatively connected to the 3D vision device (18) and operatively connectable to the molding machine (12), the method comprising the following steps: - a generation step (41): using the 3D vision device (18) to generate a 3D reconstruction (19) of each conductor element (17) produced by the shaping machine (12); - an extraction step (42): extracting at least one characteristic measure (60) of the conductor element (17) from the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor element (17) produced by the shaping machine (12); - an evaluation step (43): using a metric analysis module (24) included in the monitoring device (20), evaluating the at least one characteristic metric (60) of the conductor element (17) produced by the forming machine (12); - a correction step (44): using a parameter correction module (26) included in the monitoring device (20) to correct one or more parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine (12); It is characterized in that The evaluating step (43) further comprises evaluating a trend (58) of the at least one characteristic measure (60) of a series of the conductor elements (17) produced by the forming machine (12), When the trend (58) deviates from a tolerance window (54) defined relative to the corresponding reference feature measure (62), the correction step (44) of correcting the parameters in the molding instructions is performed to prevent the trend (58) from leaving the tolerance window (54).

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The evaluation step (43) further comprises evaluating the speed at which the trend (58) of the at least one characteristic measure (60) of a series of the conductor elements (17) produced by the forming machine (12) deviates from the predefined tolerance window.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The evaluating step (43) further comprises evaluating whether each of the at least one characteristic measurement (60) of the conductor element (17) produced by the molding machine (12) exceeds the predefined tolerance window relative to the reference characteristic measurement (62), and the correcting step (44) further comprises correcting parameters in the molding instructions executed by the molding machine (12) based on a measurable deviation between the at least one characteristic measurement (60) of the conductor element (17) and the reference characteristic measurement (62).

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims 12 to 14, characterized in that Prior to the generating step (41) of generating the 3D reconstruction (19), the method further comprises the following acquisition step: optically acquiring at least one image of each conductor element (17) using the 3D vision device (18) after the bending and cutting operations performed by the shaping machine (12).

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that The at least one characteristic measure (60) of the conductor element (17) is selected from the group consisting of: length and radius of curvature of a bent, rolled and / or twisted section of the conductor element (17); a plane angle; a three-dimensional angle; a coordinate and / or distance relative to a Cartesian reference system; a distance relative to a predefined plane.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that In the acquisition step of acquiring an image of each conductor element (17), the produced conductor element (17) is removed by the forming machine (12) along a straight line in a removal direction (32), the removal direction being substantially parallel to the advancement direction of the electrical wire from which the conductor element (17) is produced.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that The step of acquiring an image of each conductor element (17) further comprises: continuously acquiring a plurality of partial images (52) of the conductor element (17) produced by the shaping machine (12) to generate the 3D reconstruction (19) of the conductor element (17) produced by the shaping machine (12).

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The step of acquiring each of the partial images (52) is performed using a profilometer configured to emit a laser beam (34) oriented substantially perpendicular to a removal plane defined by two segments (AC, BD) approximating legs of the conductor element (17) formed in a hairpin shape.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that In the correction step (44) of correcting the parameters in the molding instructions, the parameter correction module (26) uses at least one artificial intelligence model, and the artificial intelligence model is configured to automatically correct the parameters in the molding instructions.

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