I-Pin Containment Assembly for Small-Diameter Winding Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The insertion of I-pins into stator or rotor windings is challenging, especially for small-diameter windings, due to interference with robotic grippers and complex movement requirements, leading to increased cycle times and limited I-pin end length.
Innovation Solution
A containment system with retractable radial fingers and cam-shaped guides allows for stable positioning and insertion of I-pins into windings, eliminating the need for robotic grippers and enabling simultaneous multiple I-pin insertion, with the system comprising central and annular containment assemblies that rotate to guide I-pins into place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a robotic gripper is used to insert I-pins into small-diameter windings, then automation is achieved, but the gripper interferes with the winding and other assembly elements, increasing cycle time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the I-pin from the robotic gripper and places it into a dedicated containment system with slots that hold multiple I-pins. The containment system is then rotated to present I-pins for insertion, eliminating the need for the robotic gripper to directly handle and position each I-pin individually. This separation of functions resolves the interference problem while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment system acts as an intermediary between the I-pin storage and the insertion point. It holds multiple I-pins in slots, rotates to present them, and guides them into the winding. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the need for complex robotic gripper movements and reduces cycle time while maintaining automated insertion.
2Extent of automation
If a robotic gripper is used to insert innermost I-pins, then automation is achieved, but the gripper movement becomes too complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex positioning task from the robotic gripper by extracting the I-pin handling function and placing it in the containment system. The containment system's simple rotation mechanism replaces the complex multi-axis gripper movements, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining automated insertion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the robotic gripper moving to each I-pin position, the containment system rotates to bring the I-pins to the insertion point. This inversion of the movement approach simplifies the mechanism from complex gripper positioning to simple rotational movement, reducing device complexity.
3Extent of automation
If a robotic gripper is used for I-pin insertion, then automation is achieved, but the end portion length of the I-pin is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The containment system serves as an intermediary that supports I-pins of any length during the insertion process. The slots in the containment system accommodate I-pins regardless of their end length, and the rotation mechanism safely presents them for insertion without the length limitations imposed by robotic gripper reach and manipulation constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method for inserting I-pins into a stator or rotor winding assembly are provided. The system has a cylindrical containment for hairpins and a circular inner containment axially inserted into the cylindrical containment for hairpins having a set of radial slots, an upper circular plate with one or more upper cam recesses, a lower circular plate with one or more lower cam recesses, and a vertical wall extending from the upper circular plate to the lower circular plate and rotatably mounted relative thereto. The upper and lower cam recesses accommodate a leg of the I-pins. The vertical wall has one or more voids positioned so that, upon rotation of the vertical wall with respect to the upper and lower circular plates, the upper and lower outlets lead into the voids releasing the leg in a radial slot of the cylindrical containment for hairpins.