GB1268846A - Apparatus for helically winding a wire on an annular core - Google Patents

Abstract

1,268,846. Coiling toroidal helices. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. 10 July, 1969 [17 July, 1968], No. 34807/69. Heading B3E. Apparatus for helically winding a wire on an annular transformer core comprises a rotatable arcuate member to support the wire to be wound, means to support the core between the spaced ends of the arcuate member, means for feeding wire through the core and for holding a portion of the wire exterior of the arcuate member during its rotation, and means to cause relative rotation between the arcuate member and the core about the centre of the core to helically wind the wire around the core, the arcuate member including resilient means for holding the wire therein to lightly wrap the wire on the core, said resilient means being rendered ineffective at a predetermined angular position of the arcuate member during each revolution thereof. In an embodiment the apparatus for automatically winding a multi-strand wire 11 on an annular core 14, includes a vibratory core handler 15, a core carrier 17 supported on a finger 18 of a rotary plate 19 and a vibratory loader 21 for feeding plugs along a tube 22 into the core for retaining it on the carrier. As the plate rotates the finger is positioned at various stations 25 to 29. At station 25 the strands of the wire extending from the core are separated or severed from the top of the core and at station 26 from the bottom of the core. At these stations the separated wires are soldered to the carrier 17 which may be a printed circuit board. A wire trim station 27 removes those portions of the wires remaining within the finger clamps. Stations 28 and 29 are test and reject stations respectively. If satisfactory the carrier 17, the plug 20 and the core 14 are not removed from the finger 18 until the loading station 24 is reached. Feed rollers 38, 39 (Fig. 2) supply the wire to the shuttle 90 from a spool 12 via a spring-loaded tensioning roller 33 which control the supply of wire to the winder. A spring- loaded knife 46 mounted in the winder block 44 (Fig. 4) is actuated by a rocker arm 48 to sever the wire when it has been completely wound on the core. An arcuate tube 50 leads the wire to a reciprocable plunger tip 54 which moves into and through the core supported between clamps carried by a rotatable yoke 72. The circular shuttle 90 has internal gear teeth for engaging drive gears and its ends are spaced apart so that the core may be disposed between said ends. The shuttle is rotated through gearing by a motor 97 and a magnetic clutch 117 connects the drive to the yoke 72 thus rotation of the core in the yoke is synchronized with the rotation of the shuttle to prevent overlapping or twisting of the wire. The revolutions of the shuttle are counted by a photo-electric cell in co-operation with an apertured plate 124 (Fig. 9). At stations 25 and 26 a motor 164 (Fig. 21) during each actuation of a solenoid operated clutch rotates cams 168, 169 and 170 mounted on a shaft 167. The cam 168 and its follower 192 controls a wire soldering means 171, the cam 169 and its follower 193 regulates the movement of a wire retaining means 172 and the cam 170 and its follower 194 governs the positioning of a wire separating means 173. A wire positioning assembly 197 is continuously urged relative to a slide 196 counterclockwise by a spring 207, this ensures that jaws move the wire into the plane of a carrier 17 so that pads 211 on the slide 196 engage the wire to enable separating means 173 to separate the strands. The separating means includes a block 218 (Fig. 24) having three core pointed cutting blades 219, 220 and 221 which penetrate the adhesive material bonding the strands. A wedge 224 (not shown) maintains even tension in the outer and inner strands to ensure a constant length being sheared. The slide 196 carries a hot air jet to soften the thermoplastic resin of the bond. The soldering means 171 comprises an electrode holder 257 carrying a soldering electrode 258 both vertically reciprocable by a rod 255 operated by a camoperated spring-loaded lever 252. Automatic operation is controlled by a solenoid 188 which is only energized when one of the ends of the wire 11 is properly positioned for engagement by the wire positioner assembly 197 and the wire separating means 173. Thus the control of the rotary index plate 19 and the solenoid 188 are correlated to each other through the control circuitry. Stations 25 and 26 may be dispensed with and the core winder used to wind single strand wire if desired.