Parallel Winding Stations With Selective Guide Finger Inactivation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing winding machines waste materials and reduce productivity due to the inability to separate the movement of a single guide finger from others, leading to defective or missing support issues, causing wire breakage and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A method and machine design where guide fingers and clamps can move between active and neutral positions independently, allowing defective or missing support stations to be temporarily inactivated, preventing wire waste and breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single actuator device moves all guide fingers together, then the machine structure is simplified and operation is easier, but productivity is reduced when defective or missing supports are encountered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the common actuator device into multiple independent actuators, each controlling a specific guide finger. This segmentation allows individual guide fingers to be deactivated when their corresponding support is defective or missing, while other guide fingers continue operating normally, thus maintaining high productivity without compromising operational simplicity.
2Device complexity
If guide fingers are coupled together on a common operating support, then device complexity is reduced, but material waste increases due to unavoidable wire consumption on defective supports
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control mechanism so that each guide finger has its own independent actuator, enabling selective deactivation. When a support is detected as defective or missing, only the corresponding guide finger is deactivated, preventing wire waste on that specific station while other stations continue to produce normally, thus minimizing material loss without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a detection system that monitors the presence and quality of supports in real-time. When a defective or missing support is detected, the system provides feedback to deactivate the corresponding guide finger and actuator, preventing wire waste. This feedback mechanism ensures that material loss is minimized while maintaining efficient production on unaffected stations.
3Productivity
If all guide fingers operate simultaneously, then productivity is maximized under normal conditions, but reliability decreases when supports are defective or missing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the winding system into independent modular units, each with its own actuator and guide finger. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliability by isolating defects to individual modules while other modules continue to operate reliably, thus preserving overall system stability and productivity even when some supports are defective or missing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors support quality and dynamically adjusts the operation of each guide finger. When a defective or missing support is detected, the system automatically deactivates the corresponding guide finger to prevent wire breakage and system failures, thereby maintaining high reliability. This feedback control ensures that productivity is maximized under normal conditions while reliability is preserved when anomalies occur.
4Productivity
If the machine continues operating with missing supports, then productivity is maintained, but wire breakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a real-time detection and feedback system that monitors the presence of supports at each winding station. When a missing support is detected, the system immediately deactivates the corresponding guide finger and actuator, preventing wire breakage. This feedback mechanism allows the machine to maintain continuous production on unaffected stations while ensuring wire integrity by stopping operation only at the specific station with the missing support.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and a machine to manufacture windings (2) around respective supports (3). The following are provided: at least two different winding stations (1) operating in parallel; a main conveyor configured to feed two supports (3) to the two winding stations (1); two guide fingers (9), each arranged in a respective winding station (1) and configured to engage a wire (4) in a sliding manner and, hence, move the wire (4) so as to wind the wire (4) around the respective support (3) in order to manufacture a series of turns making up the winding (2); a same common operating body (12) which supports both guide fingers (9); a first actuator device (13) configured to move the operating body (12) so as to subject the two guide fingers (9) to the same law of motion; and a second actuator device (15) configured to move a guide finger (9) relative to the operating body (12) if a respective winding (2) does not have to be manufactured in the corresponding winding station (1).