Device for bending and forming flat wire
By combining anti-warping elements and sliding components, the problem of preventing warping of the wire plane during bending is solved, achieving efficient and reliable bending operations. This addresses a technical problem that is difficult to solve in existing technologies.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- COMAU AG
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
While existing wire bending equipment ensures high production speed and accuracy, the wire is prone to deviating from the bending plane during the bending operation. Existing technologies cannot prevent the wire warping plane from warping.
It adopts a combination structure of anti-warping elements and sliding parts. T-pins prevent wire warping, and the cam device and bending shaft work together to ensure that the wire stays within the bending plane during bending.
It enables efficient and reliable wire bending operations, prevents warping, and ensures bending accuracy and production speed.
Smart Images
Figure CN122033147A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for bending wires, and more particularly to an apparatus for processing wires into a hairpin shape, which can be used to manufacture motor stators.
[0002] The present invention particularly relates to an apparatus comprising:
[0003] A wire bending device, and a wire support and feeding device, are provided for supporting the wire and feeding it into the wire bending device. The wire bending device includes: a wire bending shaft, a motor for driving the bending shaft to rotate around an axis, and a bending element supported by the bending shaft, which is kept at a certain distance from the axis. The rotation of the bending shaft causes the bending element to rotate around the axis, while the upper surface of the bending shaft supports the wire to be bent, thereby bending the wire around the bending shaft. Background Technology
[0004] The above-mentioned type of device is known in document DE 10 2018 106980A1.
[0005] Hairpin technology is a winding technique used in the field of electric motors. It is based on solid, flat copper strips used to insert stator laminations. These copper strips, called "hairpins," are composed of enameled copper wire bent into a U-shape.
[0006] In the field of equipment for bending wire into hairpin shapes, previously known solutions, while ensuring reliable and precise bending operations, also achieve extremely high output at extremely high production speeds. From this perspective, these solutions are not entirely satisfactory.
[0007] Therefore, this area requires further improvement. In particular, it is necessary to prevent the wire from deviating from the bending plane during bending operations. Summary of the Invention
[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for bending wire, particularly for processing flat wire into a hairpin shape for use in manufacturing motor stators, which can achieve extremely high production speeds while ensuring precise and reliable bending operations.
[0009] A specific objective of the present invention is to provide a device of the above type, in which warping of the wire due to deviation from the bending plane during bending operations can be prevented by a simple and reliable method. Another objective is to provide a device of the above type with a relatively simple structure and low cost.
[0010] To achieve these objectives, the present invention provides an apparatus having the features described at the beginning of this description, further characterized as follows:
[0011] The anti-warping element is a T-pin with an enlarged head that protrudes from the bent wire to prevent warping due to deviation from the bending plane during the bending operation. The anti-warping element is supported by a sliding component mounted on the bending shaft, allowing the sliding component to rotate with the bending shaft and slide relative to it in a direction orthogonal to the axis. The invention also includes a cam device between the fixed support structure and the sliding component, comprising a bracket supported by the fixed support structure and a cam follower supported by the sliding component and guided within the groove. This cam device allows the sliding component to move along the sliding direction and be driven to rotate simultaneously with the bending shaft, causing the anti-warping element to move relative to the wire during the bending operation until the enlarged head of the anti-warping element's T-pin protrudes from the wire.
[0012] The sliding component is a plate orthogonal to the bending axis, having a main body and two side arms extending from the main body. The two side arms are spaced apart from each other and slidably engaged in opposite side grooves of the bending axis, so that the two side arms rotate under the drive of the bending axis and can slide relative to the bending axis along the sliding direction orthogonal to the axis.
[0013] The bending shaft has a flat upper end face for supporting the wire during bending operations, and a central pin extending from the upper end face around which the wire can be bent.
[0014] The bending element (preferably a roller) is supported by a support extending from the bending axis. The position of the support relative to the bending axis can be adjusted, thus allowing adjustment of the distance between the bending element and the axis.
[0015] The wire support and feeding device includes a wire placement platform with an upward-facing groove for receiving and supporting a portion of the wire, and a wire feeding device with a chuck for clamping the portion of the wire on the wire placement platform and advancing the portion of the wire to a position that can be bent by the wire bending device.
[0016] The invention relates to a mechanism that also includes a processing device equipped with multiple suction cup robots for picking up wires from a wire stacking mechanism and placing the picked-up wires on the wire placement platform. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings:
[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the device of the present invention;
[0019] Figure 2 The device of the present invention demonstrates the subsequent shape that can be imparted to a conductor, starting with a straight shape and ending with a hairpin shape;
[0020] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the overlapping wire device in this invention;
[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Another top perspective view of the overlapping line mechanism;
[0022] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the handling robot used in this invention;
[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A perspective view of the gripper used by the robot.
[0024] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the wire placement platform in this invention;
[0025] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A perspective view of the cross-section of the wire placement table, showing the clamps used to hold the wire;
[0026] Figure 9 This is a plan view of the wire placement platform and wire bending device before the bending operation begins;
[0027] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 Enlarged perspective view of the wire bending device;
[0028] Figure 11 Is with Figure 9 A similar plan view shows the state of the wire after bending.
[0029] Figure 12 yes Figure 11 Enlarged perspective view of the bending device;
[0030] Figure 13 and Figure 14 These are two other perspective views showing the state of the bending device after the bending operation;
[0031] Figure 15 This is another perspective view of the wire bending device;
[0032] Figure 16 and Figure 17 It is a perspective view, magnified to show some details of the wire bending device;
[0033] Figure 18A , 18B 18C and 18D are enlarged plan views of the wire bending device at different stages of the bending operation;
[0034] Figure 19This is another perspective view of the wire bending device designed in this invention. Detailed Implementation
[0035] Figure 1 Device 1 in the text generally refers to an apparatus related to the present invention for bending flat copper wires to shape them into the shape of hairpins for manufacturing motor stators.
[0036] Device 1 includes a support platform 2, on which a wire stacking mechanism 3, a wire placement table 4, a wire bending device 5, and a handling robot 6 are mounted. In the illustrated example, the handling robot 6 is in the form of a Scara-type robot, equipped with a gripper 7, which includes neatly arranged suction cups 7A. It should be noted that the handling robot 6 shown in the attached figure is only an example. In the spirit of the invention, any other type of handling device and handling fixture can also be used.
[0037] The robot 6 is configured to pick up one flat copper wire W from the wire stacking mechanism 3 each time and place the picked-up flat copper wire W on the wire placement table 4. The placement table 4 is equipped with a wire support and feeding device to support the wire W and feed it to the bending position of the wire bending device 5.
[0038] Figure 2 This shows the subsequent stage of the forming operation, which aims to shape the original straight flat copper wire W into a hairpin shape.
[0039] Figure 2 A shows the original straight shape of wire W. Figure 2 B shows the conductor W after the first bending operation at point W1 on the conductor section W. (Example) Figure 2 As shown in Figure C, after the wire bending device 5 completes the first bending operation, the wire will advance relative to the bending device 5 so that a second bending operation can be performed at the bending point W2. Figure 2 As shown in D, after the second bending operation, the flat copper wire advances further relative to the wire bending device 5, at which point the bending device 5 is used to perform the third bending operation at point W3.
[0040] As can be clearly seen from the above, the bending device 5 is used for each step of the three-step bending operation on the wire W. It is also clear from the above that the device of the present invention can be used for two-dimensional bending operations on the wire W. During further three-dimensional shaping operations on the wire W, the hairpin will deform outside the total plane of its original two-dimensional shape; this operation can be performed by other methods, but is not within the scope of this invention.
[0041] Figure 3The wire stacking mechanism 3 includes a support structure 3A that supports a rack on which neatly arranged supports 3B are mounted in parallel for receiving multiple wires W. The supports 3B are supported by a plate 3C, which is slidably mounted on a linear guide rail 3D (see also...). Figure 4 The sliding direction of the screw 3E is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the wire W received on the wire stacking mechanism 3. The positioning screw 3E is supported by the fixing bracket 3F and is used to position the plate 3C on the support structure 3A along the direction of the guide rail 3D.
[0042] Figure 4 Each wire receiving position on the middle wire stacking mechanism 3 is equipped with a sensor 3G of a known type to detect whether the relevant seat is occupied.
[0043] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The diagram shows the handling robot 6 and associated gripper 7 used in this invention. The gripper 7 has a support structure with a row of suction pads 7A, which can be connected to a vacuum source (not shown) in any known manner via a manifold 7B. Vacuum is transferred to the suction pads 7A when the gripper 7 needs to pick up wire W from the wire stacking mechanism 3, and this transfer is shut off when the gripper needs to place the picked-up portion of wire onto the wire placement table 4. The support structure of the gripper 7 has a flange for a releasable connection to the robot end effector (see [link to documentation]). Figure 5 ).
[0044] Figure 7-9 The wire placement table 4 includes a support structure 4A with a linear guide rail 4B. A wire clamping and feeding device 4C is slidably mounted on the linear guide rail 4B. The wire clamping and feeding device 4C includes jaws 4D for clamping wire W, which is held in an upwardly facing groove 4E formed in a plate 4F rigidly connected to the support structure 4A. A motor and a reduction gear 4G carried by the support structure 4A are configured to drive the back-and-forth movement of the wire feeding device 4C. Whenever wire W is received in the groove 4E of the wire placement table 4, the wire feeding device 4C clamps a portion of the wire with the jaws 4D and advances the wire to a position where the bending device 5 can bend the portion of the wire. During the bending operation, the groove 4E, which fixes the wire, prevents lateral movement of the wire upstream of the bending point.
[0045] Figure 9 and Figure 11 The diagram shows the wire placement platform 4 and the wire bending device 5 before and after the bending operation.
[0046] The following will refer to Figure 9-19 Describe the structure and operation of the bending device 5.
[0047] The wire bending device 5 includes a wire bending shaft 8 having a vertical axis 8A. Electric motor M ( Figure 13 The bending shaft 8 is driven to rotate around axis 8A by the reducer R. The motor M and the reducer R are securely supported by the fixed bracket 9.
[0048] In this invention, the bending shaft 8 has an upper flat end face 8B (especially see...). Figure 16 This is used to support the wire W in the bending point area during the bending operation. A center pin 80 extends from the upper end face 8B, allowing the wire W to bend around the center pin 80 (see...). Figure 10 and 12 ).
[0049] A bending element 15 is mounted on the bending shaft 8, which in this invention is a freely rotatable roller, formed by the cavity 81 of the bending shaft 8. Figure 16 The bracket 15A extending from the ) Figure 17 Bearing capacity. The position of the support 15A relative to the bending axis can be adjusted radially, thus the distance between the bending element (15) and the axis (8A) can be adjusted.
[0050] During the bending operation, the rotation of the bending shaft 8 causes the bending element 15 to rotate circumferentially around the bending shaft 8A, thereby bending the wire W and bending the wire around the center pin 80 of the bending shaft. During the bending operation, the rear part of the wire W remains clamped in the groove 4E of the wire placement platform 4 by the gripper 4D to prevent it from moving.
[0051] Figure 16 The sliding component 10 is mounted on the bending shaft 8 so that it can be driven to rotate together with the bending shaft 8, while being able to slide relative to the bending shaft in a direction 10A orthogonal to the shaft 8A. The sliding component 10 is in the form of a plate, having a main part 10B (see...). Figure 16 The sliding member 10 has two parallel arms 10C, which extend from the main part 10B and are spaced apart from each other. The two parallel arms 10C of the sliding member 10 are slidably engaged in the two opposite side grooves 8C of the bending shaft 8 so that they can slide relative to the shaft 8 in the direction 10A, while being driven to rotate together with the bending shaft 8.
[0052] Figure 16 A T-shaped anti-warping element 11 is installed on the sliding component 10, parallel to the shaft 8A and maintained at a certain distance from the shaft. The T-shaped pin 11 has an enlarged upper head 11A, which, during bending operations (see...), prevents warping. Figure 12 The head fits against the wire W from above to prevent the wire W from deviating from the bending plane during the bending operation.
[0053] According to the invention, the device further includes a cam mechanism located between the fixed support structure 9 and the sliding member 10. The cam mechanism is configured to cause the sliding member 10 to perform a given sliding motion along the sliding direction 10A, while being driven to rotate together with the bending shaft 8. The cam mechanism includes a bracket 12 supported by the fixed support structure 9, the bracket having a shaped groove 13 (see...). Figure 12 The cam follower 14 carried by the sliding component 10 is guided in the slot (see also) Figure 16 In the invention, the cam follower 14 is a freely rotatable roller supported by the sliding member 10.
[0054] The irregular groove 13 on the bracket 12 has a curved shape, which is intended to bring a certain sliding motion to the sliding component 10 when it rotates with the bending axis 8.
[0055] With this arrangement, the anti-warping element 11 moves to a position relative to the wire W during the bending operation, where the enlarged head 11A of the anti-warping element 11 protrudes above the wire 11, thereby preventing the wire from warping.
[0056] Figures 18A-18D The different stages of the bending operation are shown in a plan view. As can be seen from the conductor W, in... Figure 18A In the initial state, head 11A is not above the conductor W, but in the subsequent stage, head 11A moves relative to the conductor W, so in the final part of the bending operation ( Figure 18C and 18D The head 11A portion is superimposed on the conductor W.
[0057] Due to the above structure and operation, the bending device 5 of the present invention can perform precise and reliable bending operations to obtain the desired wire shape, while achieving extremely high production speed.
[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, the operations related to the single bending operation described above can be repeated to perform various bending operations at points W2 and W3 on the wire section, thereby ultimately obtaining the desired two-dimensional hairpin shape.
[0059] Of course, while the principles of the present invention remain unchanged, the structural details and specific embodiments of the present invention may differ from those described above without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for bending a conductor (W) for shaping the conductor into a hairpin shape during the manufacture of an electric motor stator, the apparatus comprising: A wire bending device (5) and a wire support and feeding device (4) are provided for supporting the wire (W) and feeding it into the wire bending device (5). The wire bending device (5) includes a bending shaft (8) with an axis (8A) and a motor (M) for driving the bending shaft (8) to rotate around the axis (8A). The bending element (15) is carried by the bending shaft (8) and is kept at a certain distance from the axis (8A). The rotation of the bending shaft (8) causes the bending element (15) to rotate around the axis (8A) and come into contact with the wire (W). The wire (W) is supported on the upper end face of the bending shaft (8) so as to bend the wire (W) around the bending shaft (8). The device is characterized by including an anti-warping element (11) with an enlarged head (11A) positioned to protrude above the wire portion (W) to prevent the wire portion (W) from warping due to deviation from the bending plane during the bending operation. The anti-warping element is supported by a sliding member (10) mounted on the bending shaft (8) so that the sliding member (10) can be driven to rotate together with the bending shaft (8) and can slide relative to the bending shaft (8) along a sliding direction (10A) orthogonal to the axis (8A). The device also includes a cam device located between the fixed support structure (9) and the sliding component (10). After assembly, the cam device (13, 14) allows the sliding component (10) to move along the sliding direction (10A) and is driven to rotate together with the bending shaft (8), so that the anti-warping element (11) moves relative to the wire (W) during the bending operation, so that the enlarged head (11A) of the anti-warping element (11) protrudes from the wire (11).
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cam device includes a bracket (12) supported by the fixed support structure (9), the bracket (12) having a groove (13), and a cam follower (14) supported by the sliding member (10) and guided within the groove (13).
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sliding component (10) is a plate orthogonal to the bending axis (8). This plate has a main body (10B) and two side arms (10C) that extend from the main body (10B) and are spaced apart from each other, and slidably engage in opposite side grooves of the bending axis (8). Thus, the two side arms (10C) can be driven to rotate by the bending axis (8) while simultaneously sliding relative to the bending axis (8) along the sliding direction (10A) orthogonal to the axis (8A).
4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The anti-warping element (11) is a T-pin.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bending shaft (8) has an upper flat end face (8B) for supporting the wire (W) during the bending operation, and a center pin (80) protruding from the upper end face (8B) around which the wire (W) can be bent.
6. The device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bending element (15) is supported by the bending shaft (8) via a support (15A) extending from the bending shaft (8). The position of the support (15A) relative to the bending shaft is adjustable, thereby adjusting the distance between the bending element (15) and the shaft (8A).
7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wire placement table (4) has an upward-facing groove (4E) for receiving and supporting the wire (W); and has a wire feeding device (4C) comprising at least one jaw (4D) for clamping the wire (W) onto the wire placement table (4) and advancing the wire (W) to a position for bending by the wire bending device (5).
8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that... It includes a processing device (6) for picking up wires (W) from the wire stacking mechanism (3) and placing the picked-up wires (W) on the wire placement platform (4).
9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that... The processing device is a robot (6) equipped with a gripper (7) which includes multiple suction cups (7A).