Transformer core manufacturing method and robot system

Abstract

To propose a production device for producing transformer cores and a robot system, both of which enable cost-effectiveness of the transformer cores, at hand.SOLUTION: In a facility (10) equipped with a production device (11) for producing transformer cores (12), metal sheets (16) used to assemble transformer cores are received on at least two stacking tables (18) by a multi-axis robot (22) of a robot system. The metal sheets are supplied to the multi-axis robot and are stacked adjacently to the multi-axis robot by a conveyor device (29) at least at two supply positions (31) for different metal sheets. Both the multi-axis robot and the conveyor device are controlled by a control device (17). The metal sheets are gathered from the supply positions and stacked on the stacking tables by the multi-axis robots positioned between and above the stacking tables.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing method and a robot system for manufacturing a transformer core. [Background technology]

[0002] State-of-the-art known installations for the manufacture of transformer cores are constructed in such a way that the metal sheets for the transformers are first cut by a cutting device from a sheet metal strip. The sheet metal strip is supplied in the form of a strip roll held at a reel head of a reel. The reel can have several reel heads with strip rolls, so that different sheet metal strips can be supplied at the cutting device on demand. The sheet metal strip is exchanged or fed to the cutting device, for example by hand or via a conveyor belt. However, exchanging the sheet metal strip or the strip roll or both takes a lot of time.

[0003] The metal sheets cut by the cutting device must have different shapes, since transformer cores are often assembled from metal sheets of different shapes. The metal sheets are removed from the cutting device by a conveyor belt and are subsequently stored and / or stacked for further processing. The transformer cores are assembled from the metal sheets on a so-called stacking table. On the stacking table, the through-bolts and / or the metal sheet abutments are mounted as fixed positioning aids, and the metal sheets are assembled and / or stacked against the through-bolts and / or the metal sheet abutments in order to assemble the transformer cores. At least two positioning aids are always required to be able to position the metal sheets. In particular, the metal sheets have perforations and / or cutouts in which the through-bolts can be inserted. The metal sheets are stacked on the through-bolts and / or along the metal sheet abutments. This ensures that the metal sheets are precisely positioned relative to one another. Usually the metal sheets are stacked by hand, but automated stacking is also possible. It is essential that a sufficient number of different metal sheets for the assembly of e.g. transformer cores is always available in order to avoid work stoppages. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since a stacking table is always assembled for a transformer core with the position of the positioning aids replaceable by the guide rails, the stacking table can always only be used after updating the positioning aids for the production of a certain type of transformer core. If different types of transformer cores could be produced using one facility, a corresponding number of stacking tables would be required for cores with outer shapes within the offset range for the positioning aids which must be kept available.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a manufacturing device and a robotic system for manufacturing transformer cores, both of which allow for a cost-effective production of said transformer cores in a handy manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 and by a robot system having the features of claim 14.

[0007] In the method for manufacturing a transformer core using a robot system according to the present invention, metal sheets for assembling the transformer core are subjected to at least The metal sheets are accommodated on two stacking tables. The metal sheets are fed to the robot and stacked adjacent to the robot by a conveyor system at at least two feed positions for different metal sheets. The robot and the conveyor system are controlled by a control system. The metal sheets are collected from the feed positions and stacked on the stacking tables by the robot located between and above the stacking tables.

[0008] The metal sheets are first cut from a sheet-like metal strip by a cutting device and are fed by a conveyor device, which may be a conveyor belt, a roller belt or the like. The conveyor device is realized in such a way that the metal sheets are arranged or stacked in at least two feed positions. In this case, it is provided that homogeneous metal sheets having the same basic shape are fed to the feed positions, respectively. In this way, only essentially uniform stacks of metal sheets are formed at the feed positions, despite the possibility of different metal sheets being stacked at the feed positions. The feed positions are arranged in relation to the robot in such a way that the robot can collect the metal sheets or stacks of metal sheets from the feed positions. The robot and the conveyor device are controlled by a control device. In this way, the robot has access at all times to the feed positions at which metal sheets are actually available. Since at least two stacking tables and at least two feed positions are available, there is no risk of idle times of the robot due to empty feed positions. In this case, the robot can remove the metal sheets from the still full feed positions and further stack the removed metal sheets on the stacking tables. In the event that a metal sheet is in an otherwise empty feed position, the robot may continue stacking metal sheets from still-full feed positions on other stacking tables. This also helps to prevent idle time for the robot when no metal sheets are moving in a feed position. The appropriate allocation of the metal sheets available in the individual feed positions to the stacking tables is controlled via the control device. In the feed positions, the conveyor device may include means for associating multiple metal sheets for this purpose.

[0009] Furthermore, the progress of work on the metal sheets stacked on the stacking table, or rather on the individual transformer cores, may be determined by the control device according to the work steps performed by the robot. By including a control device associated with at least two feed positions and at least two stacking tables, idle times can be prevented very effectively and therefore the production of transformer cores can be made more cost-efficient.

[0010] Thus, the control device may adjust the stacking sequence of the metal sheets on the stacking table as a function of the availability of metal sheets at the feed position. The control device may have means for data processing, such as a computer, or may be a stored program control (SPC) or both. The shape of the transformer core to be manufactured may result from the desired physical properties and dimensions, which are determined, or rather calculated, using a core configurator for the transformer core. In particular, the core configurator may be software. Similarly, the dimensions of the metal sheets in the transformer core may be obtained from said core configurator, which can be used simultaneously by the control device to calculate the stacking shape or the stacking sequence or both.

[0011] The robot may remove a metal sheet or a bundle of metal sheets from a supply position. The robot may thus have available at the supply position, for example, a bundle of metal sheets having a predetermined number of metal sheets. The robot may then remove and set down this bundle of metal sheets, or rather stack it on a stacking table. The robot may have, for example, a robot arm arranged at one end with a vacuum exhaust device, or even a suitable gripping device.

[0012] Additionally, the robot may be made to assemble multiple transformer cores on one stacking table, and in particular, if a control system is available for the facility that manufactures the transformer cores, the control system may calculate the optimal distribution of the transformer cores on the stacking table.

[0013] The robot may place at least two through-bolts or sheet metal abutments or both as positioning aids for the metal sheets in suitable positions on the positioning surface of the respective stacking table or may remove them from the positioning surface or both. After positioning the through-bolts or sheet metal abutments or both, the robot may assemble the metal sheets using the through-bolts or sheet metal abutments or both as support. In this way, the holding system for fixing the through-bolts on the stacking table is realized in such a way that a normal free positioning and position-independent fixing of the through-bolts or sheet metal abutments or both is possible at any position on the positioning surface. Thus, the position of the exemplary through-bolts is no longer bound to a fixed position, either of which is intended for the stacking table, i.e. intended for the fixed list. This allows a flexible and arbitrary arrangement of the through-bolts on the stacking table that is adapted to the shape of the transformer core to be manufactured. The robot allows assembling stacking tables as required for different types of transformers, by the possibility of positioning them at any position on the stacking table, or rather at any position on the positioning surface of the stacking table. Position-independent fixing of the through-bolts is not common, and these stacking tables no longer have to be prepared in large quantities, since they are directly equipped with the through-bolts via a positioning system before stacking the transformer cores. After removing the completed transformer cores from the stacking table, the through-bolts may be removed from the stacking table again by the robot. They can also be repositioned if necessary to assemble transformer cores with deviating shapes. The production of different transformer cores can therefore usually only use one stacking table. As the number of stacking tables can be drastically reduced, the effort of updating the through-bolts or the metal sheet abutments or both is smaller, and the costs of producing different transformer cores are drastically reduced.

[0014] A control command may be sent to the controller from a control system of the facility for manufacturing the transformer core as a function of the part data describing the transformer core. For example, the control system may include a core configurator. The control system may furthermore control the entire facility for manufacturing the transformer core. The part data of the transformer core available to the control system may be converted into a control command sent to the controller. The control system may determine and / or calculate the position of the through-bolt on the positioning surface and send a control command to the controller for arranging the stacking table with the through-bolt in the calculated position. The control system may also comprise data processing means, for example a computer with software. The part data may relate to the stacking sequence of the different metal sheets.

[0015] The positioning of the through-bolts or the metal sheet abutments on the stacking table or both, the feed positions for the individual metal sheets and / or the cutting sequence in the cutting device for the metal sheets can be linked by a control system. At the same time, it is also possible, for example by means of the control system, for the different workstations in the installation for manufacturing transformer cores to cooperate with one another. This allows an optimal material flow with low processing times. The number of cuts in the cutting device for the metal sheets can, for example, be adapted to the amount of metal sheets at the feed position of the robot. Thus, a sufficient amount of metal sheets is always available at the feed position. Furthermore, more than one feed position can be used if transformer cores are assembled from a number of different metal sheets. Moreover, idle times of the installation, in particular of the robot system, are eliminated to the greatest extent possible, so that the control system can be used to the greatest extent possible. The material flow can be optimized. Furthermore, the stacking table may be arranged with exemplary through bolts so that certain transformer cores can be manufactured as a function of the material flow. For example, if a roll of strip required for the manufacture of a transformer core is no longer available, the control system may start the manufacture of other transformer cores that are fully available. The control system may send control commands to the control device to update the stacking table and may manufacture and supply the corresponding metal sheets.

[0016] A robot system according to the invention for manufacturing transformer cores comprises a multi-axis robot, at least two stacking tables for receiving metal sheets from which transformer cores can be assembled, a conveyor device for feeding the metal sheets and a control device for controlling the robot and the conveyor device. The conveyor device comprises at least two feed positions intended for different metal sheets and adjacent to the robot. The individual metal sheets can be fed to the feed positions and can be stacked at the feed positions. The robot is arranged between and above the stacking tables. The individual metal sheets can be collected from the feed positions by the robot and can be stacked on the stacking tables. Regarding the advantages of the robot system, reference is made to the advantageous description of the manufacturing method according to the invention.

[0017] The robot may be positioned between two parallel rows of one or more of the two rows of stacking tables. If more than two rows of stacking tables are used, it is advantageous to position the stacking tables in parallel rows and to appropriately position the robot between the parallel rows, so that the robot has access to both the feed position and the stacking tables.

[0018] If the working area of ​​the robot is not sufficient for the length of the parallel rows, the robot may be realized so that it can be displaced in parallel to each row. The robot is usually arranged between and above the stacking tables so that it can stack the metal sheets from above onto the stacking tables, and the conveyor device may be arranged between two stacking tables, or even below between the parallel rows.

[0019] Depending on the number of stacking tables, the robot system may have several robots displaceably arranged between and above the rows of feed positions. If a sufficient number of metal sheets are fed to the feed positions, the assembly of transformer cores from the metal sheets can be further facilitated by using several robots.

[0020] The conveyor device may form one feed position per stacking table, which may be arranged adjacent to the stacking table, so that the transport path of the metal sheets from the feed positions to the stacking table can be minimized, whereby the robot can be used particularly efficiently.

[0021] The feed positions may be realized with abutments and / or centering devices for accurate positioning of the metal sheets. Accurate positioning of the metal sheets is advantageous for accurate insertion of the metal sheets on the stacking table. Furthermore, it becomes easier to load the metal sheet bundles together on the feed positions without further correction of the metal sheets of the metal sheet bundle with respect to their position with respect to each other. The conveyor device may also be realized in such a way that the feed positions can be loaded onto or unloaded from the conveyor belt for the metal sheets, for example automatically as required. The metal sheets may simply be associated with the conveyor belt by image processing means, and at the same time the said metal sheets can be unloaded into the respective feed positions by corresponding conveyor means.

[0022] The stacking table comprises at least two stacking tables each serving as a positioning aid for the metal sheets. The stacking table may include one through-bolt or sheet metal abutment receiver or both. The stacking table forms a locating surface for the through-bolt or sheet metal abutment receiver or both and is fitted with the through-bolt or sheet metal abutment receiver or both.

[0023] The stacking table and the through-bolts and / or the sheet metal abutments may be realized in such a way that a free positioning and position-independent fixing of the through-bolts and / or the sheet metal abutments in any position of the positioning surface is possible. At the same time, the suitable position of the exemplary through-bolts is no longer bound to a fixed position or to a fixed list. Either the fixed position or the fixed list is left to the stacking table, which allows a flexible and arbitrary positioning of the through-bolts on the stacking table that matches the shape of the transformer core to be manufactured. The possibility of positioning the through-bolts in any position on the stacking table, or rather on the positioning surface of the stacking table, makes it possible to assemble stacking tables for different types of transformers as required.

[0024] The stacking table may be transported by a self-propelled cart of the robotic system, the stacking table may be controlled by a controller according to the specifications of the core configurator and may approach a designated position as the production progresses, and the strip roll may be transported to the reel by said cart.

[0025] Further advantageous embodiments of the robot system result from the features of the dependent claims, which refer back to claim 1 .

[0026] In the following, embodiments according to the invention will be further described with reference to the attached drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a facility for manufacturing transformer cores. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] 1 is a schematic illustration of a facility 10 with a manufacturing device 11 for manufacturing a transformer core 12. The facility 10 includes a control system 13 providing control to the facility 10. Parts data 14 describing the transformer core 12 are processed by means of the control system 13 by a so-called core configurator 15. Thereby, metal sheets 16 for assembling the transformer core 12 are calculated with its dimensions. The control system 13 sends control commands and / or manufacturing data of the transformer core 12 to a control device 17, which then starts the manufacturing of the transformer core 12 with the corresponding control commands.

[0029] The manufacturing device 11 comprises, among other elements, a number of stacking tables 18 with a holding system 19 for holding together the metal sheets 16. The holding system 19 comprises at least two through-bolts 20 and, as shown in this embodiment, a substructure 21 for arranging the metal sheets 16. The metal sheets 16, in this case realized with drillings not shown, are placed and / or inserted into the through-bolts 20. The metal sheets 16 are placed on the through-bolts 20, or rather on the stacking table 18, by a robot 22 of a robot system 23. The through-bolts 20 are also placed in the appropriate position on a positioning surface 26 at the stacking table 18 by a robot 24 of a positioning system 25. The positioning surface 26 is flat, so that on the positioning surface 26 a free positioning and position-independent fixing of the through-bolts 20 may be performed according to the specifications of the control system 13. The through-bolts 20 are stored in a magazine 27 and are placed on the positioning surface 26 by the robot 24 or removed therefrom. For this reason, the stacking table 18 , transported by a self-propelled cart 28. The cart 28 transports the stacking table 18 to the illustrated robotic system 23, where the robotic system 23 assembles the transformer cores 12 at the stacking table 18 where the metal sheets 16, or rather the stacked metal sheets 16, are arranged. After the transformer cores 12 are stacked, the stacking table 18 is transported away from the robotic system 23 by the cart 28.

[0030] A number of metal sheets 16 are fed from a cutting device 30 by a conveyor device 29 to the robot system 23, where in each case a different metal sheet 16 is stacked by an adjacent respective robot 22 at two feed positions 31. The robot 22 or the feed positions 31 or both are also controlled by the control device 17. The robot 22 grabs the metal sheets 16 from the respective feed positions 31 and appropriately positions the metal sheets 16 on the through-bolts 20 on the stacking tables 18 until the transformer core 12 is assembled. The robot 22 may be displaced above the conveyor device 29, whereby the robot 22 can load the metal sheets 16 onto four stacking tables 18 at the same time.

[0031] The cutting device 30, which is merely a schematic example, serves to cut the metal sheet 16 and is controlled by the control device 17. In the cutting device 30, a sheet metal strip (not shown) is cut so as to produce the metal sheet 16. The sheet metal strip (not shown) is fed to the cutting device 30 from a steel strip roll.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a transformer core (12) by a robotic system (23), comprising the steps of: The metal sheets (16) for assembling the transformer core are received on at least two stacking tables (18) by a multi-axis robot (22) in the robot system (23); The metal sheets are fed to the multi-axis robot and stacked adjacent to the multi-axis robot by a conveyor device (29) in at least two feed positions (31) for different metal sheets, The multi-axis robot and the conveyor device are controlled by a control device (17) using control commands; the metal sheets are collected from the supply location and stacked on the stacking table by the multi-axis robot positioned between and above the stacking table; The stacking tables (18) each include at least two through bolts (20) serving as positioning aids for the metal sheets (16); The stacking table forms a locating surface (26) for the through-bolt and is fitted with the through-bolt; the stacking table (18) and the through-bolts (20) are realised in such a way that a free positioning and position-independent fixing of the through-bolts is possible in the positioning surface (26) at any position of said positioning surface, The method of claim 1, wherein the control commands are based on component data describing the transformer core and are transmitted to the controller (17) by a control system (13) of a facility (10) that manufactures the transformer core (12).

2. 10. The method of claim 1 , 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the control device (17) adjusts the stacking sequence of the metal sheets (16) on the stacking table (18) as a function of the availability of the metal sheets at the feed position (31).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The method according to claim 1, wherein the multi-axis robot (22) removes one of the metal sheets or a stack of metal sheets from the supply location (31).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a plurality of said transformer cores (12) are assembled on said stacking table (18).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a robot (24) for placing at least two through-bolts (20) or metal sheet abutments or both as positioning aids for the metal sheets (16) on appropriate positions on positioning surfaces (26) of the respective stacking tables (18) and / or removing them from the positioning surfaces (26); The method according to claim 1, wherein the robot (24) positions the through-bolts or the metal sheet abutments or both, and then assembles the metal sheets using the through-bolts or the metal sheet abutments or both as support.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the positioning of the through bolts or metal sheet abutments or both on the stacking table (18), the supply positions (31) for the individual metal sheets (16) and / or the cutting sequence in a cutting device (30) for the metal sheets are linked by the control system (13).

7. A robot system (23) for manufacturing a transformer core (12), comprising: The method includes the steps of: a multi-axis robot (22); at least two stacking tables (18) for accommodating metal sheets (16) for assembling a transformer core; a conveyor device (29) for supplying the metal sheets; and a control device (17) for controlling the multi-axis robot and the conveyor device using control commands; said conveyor device comprising at least two feed positions intended for different metal sheets and arranged adjacent to said multi-axis robot, The individual metal sheets are fed to the feed location and stacked at the feed location; the multi-axis robot is positioned between and above the stacking tables; The metal sheets are collected from the supply location by the multi-axis robot and stacked on the stacking table; The stacking tables (18) each include at least two through bolts (20) serving as positioning aids for the metal sheets (16); The stacking table forms a locating surface (26) for the through-bolt and is fitted with the through-bolt; the stacking table (18) and the through-bolts (20) are realised in such a way that a free positioning and position-independent fixing of the through-bolts is possible in the positioning surface (26) at any position of said positioning surface, The control command is based on part data describing the transformer core and is transmitted to the control device (17) by a control system (13) of a facility (10) that manufactures the transformer core (12).

8. The robot system according to claim 7, A robot system, characterized in that the multi-axis robot is in each case arranged between two parallel rows of at least two or more of the stacking tables (18).

9. The robot system according to claim 8, A robot system, characterized in that the multi-axis robot is realized so as to be displaceable in parallel with respect to each of the rows.

10. The robot system according to claim 8 or 9, The robot system further comprises a plurality of the multi-axis robots (22) displaceably disposed between and above the rows at the supply position (31).

11. The robot system according to any one of claims 7 to 10, The conveyor device (29) forms one of the supply positions (31) for each stacking table (18), the supply positions being located adjacent to the stacking tables.

12. The robot system according to any one of claims 7 to 11, A robotic system, characterized in that said feed position (31) is realized with abutments and / or centering devices for accurate positioning on said metal sheet (16).

13. The robot system according to any one of claims 7 to 12, The stacking tables (18) each further include a metal sheet abutment serving as a positioning aid for the metal sheets (16); The stacking table forms a locating surface (26) for both the through-bolt and the sheet metal abutment receiver, and is equipped with both the through-bolt and the sheet metal abutment receiver.

14. The robot system according to claim 13, A robot system characterized in that the stacking table (18) and both the through-bolts (20) and the metal sheet abutment holders are realized in such a way that free positioning and position-independent fixing of both the through-bolts and the metal sheet abutment holders is possible within the positioning surface (26) at any position of said positioning surface.

15. The robot system according to any one of claims 7 to 14, The stacking table (18) is transported by a self-propelled cart (28) of the robot system (23).

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