TW202003133A - Machine for production of spring with selectable configuration for processing tools and method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for using machine for production of spring, the method includes analyzing data of a spring structure; determining at least one manufacturing tool based on the data of the spring structure; installing the manufacturing tool onto an installation position of the machine; and determining by a controller a movement schedule for the manufacturing tool based on the data of the spring structure and the installation position of the manufacturing tool in order to process a wire within a base position and form the spring. In one embodiment, said installation position and movement schedule are defined by an x-y coordinate system.

Description

Spring manufacturing machine with selective tooling configuration and method of use

The invention relates to a spring manufacturing machine, in particular to a spring manufacturing machine with selective tooling configuration and a method of using the same.

According to the press, the assembly of the current spring manufacturing machine is mainly to install a plurality of tooling tools for forming springs on the base according to the spring pattern, and drive the tooling tools to cooperate with each other to perform spring production in a cam manner. However, the design of the existing pedestal limits the various order production of the spring manufacturing machine. For example, in the assembly of a conventional spring manufacturing machine, the space configuration of several tools is designed according to the spring pattern. These tools are not a modular design, and the configuration is generally directed to the wire guide in a radial-like manner. However, the movement stroke of the tool is fixed to the base to manufacture a single style of spring, so that the conventional spring manufacturing machine can only manufacture a single type of spring. Once the springs of different styles have to be responded to, the tooling of the conventional spring manufacturing machine needs to be redesigned. With the complexity of the spring structure or the mixing of different styles of processing and production, the number of tooling used is large and each tool is considered. In the movement work space (including horizontal and vertical displacement) that does not interfere with each other, it will be difficult to arrange the installation position of the tool, and it is difficult to solve this problem. Therefore, the use of a conventional spring manufacturing machine is not conducive to a variety of small or mixed sample processing processes, nor can it meet the needs of smart manufacturing in Industry 4.0 in the future.

In view of this, in order to improve the efficiency and convenience of using a spring manufacturing machine, it is of industrial utility to develop a spring manufacturing machine with different installation platform designs and its use method.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a method of using a spring manufacturing machine, in particular, the spring manufacturing machine has a plurality of independent operating installation platforms. The spring manufacturing machine includes: a base with a front and a back; a wire guide integrated with the base and configured to continuously introduce a wire into a base point position of the front of the base; a plurality of mounting platforms, They are respectively slidably arranged to the front of the base and surround the position of the base point; and, a plurality of driving units are configured to drive the corresponding mounting platforms. The method includes: analyzing structural data of a spring; determining at least one tool for forming the spring according to the structural data of the spring; installing the tool to a mounting position of at least one mounting platform; and according to the spring The structural data and the installation position of the processing tool on the mounting platform are controlled by a controller to drive a plurality of drive units to slide the mounting platform to determine a movement stroke of the processing tool for processing the wire at the base point to form the spring. In a specific embodiment, the configuration of the spring manufacturing machine is formulated according to the x-y coordinate system, which means that the installation position and the movement stroke are defined by the x-y coordinate.

In a specific embodiment, the method further includes: determining a plurality of tools for forming the spring according to the structural data of the spring; installing the tools to the respective installation positions of the mounting platforms respectively; and according to The structural data of the spring and the installation positions of the processing tools on the installation platforms are controlled by the controller to drive the plurality of drive units in sequence along the x-direction and/or y-direction to determine the processing steps. The movement stroke of the tool is used to process the wire at the base point to form the spring.

In a specific embodiment, the spring is a tension spring or a compression spring.

In a specific embodiment, each of the installation platforms includes a plurality of installation sections, and each installation section includes a plurality of positioning holes arranged along at least one direction.

In a specific embodiment, the installation position is at least one positioning hole of one of the installation sections of the installation platform.

In a specific embodiment, the controller records displacement parameters related to all positioning holes of each mounting section of the mounting platforms.

In a specific embodiment, the controller determines the movement stroke of the tool according to the positioning hole where the tool is installed on the mounting platform.

In a specific embodiment, the controller receives one or more input parameters and determines the movement stroke of the processing tool according to the input parameters, wherein the input parameters and the type of the processing tool and the processing tool are installed in The installation position of the installation platform (such as the position in the x direction and the y direction) is related.

In a specific embodiment, the controller is configured to determine the movement stroke of the tool according to a sensing signal of a sensor. The sensor is fixed on the base and senses the relative displacement of the tool and the base point to generate the sensing signal.

In a specific embodiment, the structural data of the spring includes a description about whether the spring is a compression spring or a tension spring, wire diameter, inner diameter, outer diameter, length, spacing and number of turns.

Referring to the first figure and the second figure, respectively are front and back views of a processing component in an embodiment of a spring manufacturing machine of the present invention. The first figure shows that the spring manufacturing machine has a body (10). The body (10) has a length, a width and a height, thereby defining the body (10) to have six faces. The body (10) is the main support structure of the spring manufacturing machine and can be properly designed to allow various tools and components to be installed and integrated into it. The first figure only shows that the processing components used to manufacture the spring are disposed on one side of the body, and other components that are not the subject of the present invention (such as power system, central processor, power supply device, transmission device, etc.) It will not be repeated here.

The processing component includes a base (1), which can be integrated on one side of the body (10) by known means. As shown in the first and second figures, the base (1) is a flat plate with a front face (1A) and a back face (1B), where the front face (1A) faces the outside of the body (10), and the back face (1B) ) Towards the inside of the body (10). The front surface (1A) of the base (1) also provides sufficient space for installation of various processing components for making springs. The base (1) is generally provided with a wire guide (101) at the center, which is integrated into the flat plate to continuously guide the wire used for making the spring from the back (1B) of the base (1) to the front (1A) A base point position. The position of the base point is a small distance away from the front surface (1A) of the base (1) (as shown in the z direction), such as a position after the wire leaves the guide (101), which may be a tool and wire A space or a point of contact. The wire guide (101) can rotate relative to the base (1). The back (1B) of the base (1) shown in the second figure is provided with a rotary drive (102), which may include a stepping motor (1021) and a belt or chain connecting the motor (1021) and the wire guide (101) (1022), so that the guide (101) can be driven to rotate. The stepping motor (1021) can be controlled by a controller to rotate to different processing positions and change the direction of the processing wire. The wire guide (101) can be operatively coupled with other wire delivery components, and the description is omitted here.

Referring to the first and third figures, the front surface (1A) of the base (1) is also provided with a plurality of movable components surrounding the wire guide (101) and the position of the base point, each of which can be controlled to Relative to the base (1), a horizontal direction (such as the x direction shown in the figure) and a longitudinal direction (such as the y direction shown) are moved. In this embodiment, the movable component includes two first movable components (11) and a second movable component (12). The first movable components (11) are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the wire guide (101) and face each other via the wire guide (101), so that the wire guide (101) is interposed between the pair of first movable components ( 11) Between. The second movable component (12) is disposed above the wire guide (101), which means that the second movable component (12) is located diagonally above the first component (11). Although there are only three movable components in this embodiment, the arrangement of special positioning holes can still provide sufficient tool installation options. This advantage will be described later.

Any one of the pair of first movable components (11) includes a mounting platform (111), a first track group (112), a second track group (113), a first drive unit (114) and a first Two drive units (115). The mounting platform (111) includes two parts, a base (1111) and a mounting base (1112). The first track set (112) is disposed on the front surface (1A) of the base (1) and extends in a longitudinal direction (as shown in the y direction). The base (1111) is slidably connected to the first track group (112) by known means. The mounting seat (1112) is slidably connected to the base via a second track group (113), wherein the second track group (113) extends in a transverse direction (x direction as shown) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the first movable component (11) includes a longitudinally movable part and a laterally movable part. According to this, the mounting platform (111) can move longitudinally and laterally relative to the base point position. The position of the first movable component (11) can be defined according to a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate (such as x-y coordinate shown) defined by the first track group (112) and the second track group (113). In another embodiment, the directions of the first rail group (112) and the second rail group (113) are interchangeable, so that the base (1111) moves in the lateral direction, and the mounting seat (1112) is in the longitudinal direction mobile.

The first drive unit (114) is configured to drive the longitudinal movement of the base (1111), and the second drive unit (115) is configured to drive the lateral movement of the mount (1112). The driving unit (114, 115) may adopt known means, such as a general stepping motor with a screw to mechanically couple the track set or the base (1111) and the mounting seat (1112). As shown in the figure, the screws extend from the respective stepping motors and extend between the base (1) and the base (1111) and between the base (1111) and the mounting seat (1112). The driving unit (114, 115) can be moved accurately under the control of a controller.

One surface of the mounting base (1112) (or the side close to the wire guide) has a plurality of mounting positions for mounting tools. The fourth figure shows the front view of the mount (1112). The mounting base (1112) has a front end (20) facing the wire guide (101) as shown in the first figure and a rear end (21) opposite to the front end (20). The structure of the mounting seat (1112) extends between the front end (20) and the rear end (21). The installation base of the present invention has a plurality of installation sections, and each installation section includes a plurality of positioning holes arranged along at least one direction. In this embodiment, the surface near the front end (20) has a first mounting section (22) and a pair of second mounting sections (23). The first mounting section (22) has a first positioning groove (221) for tool positioning, which is slightly recessed from the surface. The first mounting section (22) is also formed with a plurality of positioning holes (222) with different sizes and shapes. These positioning holes (222) are on both sides of the mounting seat (1112) in one direction (different from the front end and the rear End). The first positioning groove (221) also includes the positioning hole (222), and due to the slightly concave relationship of the first positioning groove (221), the positioning hole here is lower than other adjacent positioning holes. The positioning holes (222) of the first mounting section (22) are arranged to allow the mounting tool to extend substantially toward the normal direction of the front end (22) (as shown in the fifth figure). The installation position may be determined according to the positions of the positioning holes (222) relative to the coordinates.

Any one of the second mounting section (23) extends diagonally from both ends of the first mounting section (22) to both sides and to the rear end (21), so that the second mounting section (23) and the first The extending direction of the mounting section (22) presents an angle, about 135 degrees. The second mounting section (23) has a second positioning groove (231), which extends continuously from the first positioning groove (221). The second mounting section (23) is formed with a plurality of positioning holes (232) of different shapes and sizes and arranged along the extending direction of the second mounting section (23). The positioning holes (232) of the second installation section (23) are arranged to allow the installation tool to extend in non-longitudinal and non-transverse directions (as shown in the fifth figure). In this embodiment, since the angle between the first mounting section (22) and the second mounting section (23) is 135 degrees, the phase of the first movable assembly (11) and the second movable assembly (12) The two adjacent second installation sections (23) are substantially parallel.

Referring back to the first figure, similarly, the second movable assembly (12) includes a mounting platform (121), a first track group (122), a second track group (123) and a first drive unit (124) And a second driving unit (125). The mounting platform (121) includes two parts, a base (1211) and a mounting base (1212). The first track group (122) is disposed on the front surface (1A) of the base (1) and extends in a lateral direction (as shown in the x direction). The base (1211) is slidably connected to the first track group (122) by known means. The mounting seat (1212) is slidably connected to the base (1211) via a second track group (123), wherein the second track group (123) is in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction (as shown in the y direction) extend. Therefore, the second movable component (12) includes a vertically movable portion and a laterally movable portion. The position of the second movable component (12) can be defined according to a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate (such as the x-y coordinate shown) defined by the first rail group (122) and the second rail group (123). In another embodiment, the directions of the first rail group (122) and the second rail group (123) are interchangeable, so that the base (1211) moves along the longitudinal direction, and the mounting base (1212) moves along the lateral direction mobile.

Similarly, the first drive unit (124) is configured to drive the lateral movement of the base (1211), and the second drive unit (125) is configured to drive the longitudinal movement of the mount (1212). The driving unit (124, 125) can be mechanically coupled to the track set or the base and the mounting base by a known means, such as a general stepping motor with a screw. As shown in the second figure, the screw of the first driving unit (124) extends from the stepping motor and extends to the back (1B) of the base (1) and is coupled to the base (1211). Similarly, the driving unit (124, 125) can be precisely moved under the control of a controller.

The fifth and sixth figures show the mounting platforms (111, 121) of the movable assembly (11, 12), which are respectively equipped with one or more processing tools (3). According to the spring structure to be formed, the processing tool (3) may be a combination of various functions such as guiding, positioning, rotating, bending, cutting and the like. The mounting platform (121) of the second movable assembly (12) in the sixth figure is driven to move the tool (3) installed in the mounting base (1212) downward and reach the base point position of the wire for processing. As can be seen from the fifth and sixth figures, since the second mounting section (23) of the mounting base (1112, 1212) is diagonally designed relative to the first mounting section (22), the mounting base (1112, 1212) ) In the limited use area, the first installation section (22) and the second installation section (23) can be assembled with a larger number of tools than some conventional designs, and also provide multiple inclined directions for Add tools (3) to install.

Although not shown in the figure, the body of the tool (3) may include a structure that cooperates with the positioning grooves (221, 231) to provide alignment installation of the tool (3). The first positioning groove (221) of the mounting seat (1112, 1212) provides multiple installation positions of the tool (3) and a first installation direction, and the second positioning groove (231) provides multiple installation positions of the tool (3) And a second installation direction and a third installation direction. The first, second and third installation directions are different.

The seventh and eighth figures show another embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention, which is suitable for manufacturing coil springs or other similar products. Similarly, the spring foundation includes a body (40), which may have a length, a width, and a height, thereby defining the body (40) to have six faces (only one side is shown in the figure). The body (40) is the main support structure of the spring manufacturing machine and can be properly designed to allow the installation and integration of various tools and components. The seventh figure only shows that the processing component used to manufacture the spring is arranged on one side of the body (40), or a mounting surface (410, like the front face of the base (1A) in the first figure), while the other is not The components that are the subject of the present invention (such as power system, central processor, power supply device, transmission device, etc.) are not repeated here.

A part of the mounting surface (410) is appropriately configured for assembling a wire guide (420). The wire guide (420) is used to guide a wire from outside the mounting surface (410) to the mounting surface (410) and move along the mounting surface (410) to a base point position for processing the wire. The base point position is a short distance from the mounting surface (410), such as a position not far after the wire leaves the guide (420), which may be a space or a point where the tool and the wire contact. The wire guide (420) has an input end (421) coupled to a wire stock and an output end (422) close to the base point. The wire guide (420) is arranged with a plurality of horizontal side-by-side roller sets (423) between the input end (421) and the output end (422), which are synchronized and driven at a constant speed by one or more drive units to supply horizontally Wire to the base point. The wire guide (420) defines a conveying direction of the wire, which is substantially horizontal (such as the x-axis direction). The configuration of the wire guide (420) of this embodiment is not only used for wires, it can also be used for conveying materials such as metal bars or metal sheets.

The base point position is equipped with a pair of movable components (430) on the other side relative to the wire guide (420), which is substantially symmetrical to the conveying direction of the wire guide (420), that is, the position of the pair of movable components (430) It is divided into two upper and lower symmetric movable components (430) on the right side of the base point position. Each of the pair of movable components (430) includes a mounting platform (431) and a track set (432). The mounting platform (431) is in the shape of a flat plate, which is slidably coupled to the mounting surface (410) via a track set (432). The rail set (432) extends substantially in a horizontal direction (as shown in the x direction), whereby the mounting platform (431) can be horizontally approached or away from the base point position. Each of the installation platforms (431) provides a plurality of installation positions for the installation of additional tools. As shown in the seventh figure, each installation platform (431) is equipped with a plus tool (433). The eighth picture shows the appearance of the installation platform (431) with tools removed. The moving position of the mounting platform (431) can be determined by a lateral coordinate (such as x coordinate shown in the figure) defined by the rail set (432) and/or the driving unit.

The ninth figure shows a perspective view of the front (431A) of the upper half of the mounting platform (431). The mounting platform (431) has a front end (4311) and a rear end (4312) opposite to the front end (4311). The platform is a plate body extending laterally between the front end (4311) and the rear end (4312), where the front end (4311) is close to the base point. The mounting platform (431) also has an upper end (4313) and a lower end (4314), wherein a gap (4315) is formed between the front end (4311) and the lower end (4314), which is configured to surround or avoid the base point position . The front of the installation platform (431A) has multiple installation sections, providing multiple installation location options. The installation section or installation position is determined by at least a plurality of positioning holes (4316). The installation position may be determined according to the positions of the positioning holes (4316) relative to the lateral coordinate and/or an imaginary longitudinal coordinate (such as the y coordinate shown). A positioning groove (4317) is also formed on the front surface (431A) of the mounting platform, which extends between the front end (4311) and the rear end (4314). The positioning groove (4317) is slightly recessed inwards compared to the front of the mounting platform (431A). The positioning groove (4317) has a turning point (4318), which defines that the positioning groove (431) has two sections with different extending directions, thereby respectively defining two different installation directions of the platform. Furthermore, according to the turning point (4318), the positioning holes are divided into a group of arrays (4316A) near the front end (4311) and another group of arrays (4316B) near the lower end (4314). The alignment direction of the positioning holes (4316A) is substantially parallel to the positioning groove (4317) near the front end (4311), and the alignment direction of the positioning holes (4316B) is substantially parallel to the positioning groove (4317) near the lower end (4314). Of course, in other embodiments, the positioning holes and positioning slots may have similar configurations. Although only the upper half of the mounting platform (431) is shown, it should be understood that the lower half of the mounting platform has a similar configuration according to the symmetry.

The tenth figure shows the installation platform (431) in the upper half and the tool (433) installed to one of the installation positions. The tool (433) mainly includes a structural arm (4331) and a processing portion (4332), wherein the structural arm (4331) is fixed on the surface of the mounting platform (431) by a known means to a positioning hole near the front end (4311) of the platform (4316) And across the positioning groove (4317), the processing portion (4332) is attached to a mounting surface (4333) of the structural arm (4331) by detachable known means. As shown in the figure, a part of the structural arm (4331) is configured with a plurality of similar positioning holes (4334), which are used to provide multiple installation positions for the installation of the processing portion (4332). The processing portion (4332) holds a guide pin (4335) for forming a spring structure, which is configured to point to the base point position. The guide pin (4335) is used to guide the winding of the advancing wire. It can be seen that, according to the position of the mounting platform (431) on the rail group (432), the position of the tool (433) on the mounting platform (431), and the position of the processing portion (4332) on the structural arm (4331), The relative relationship between the guide pin (4335) and the position of the base point can be determined. Although not shown in the figure, the structural arm (4331) may include a telescopic means, whereby the guide pin (4335) may be located closer or farther away from the base point. As for the lower half of the mounting platform, the tooling system has a symmetrical configuration, as shown in Figures 13A and 13B.

The eleventh and twelfth figures show different perspectives of the upper half of the installation platform (431) and the uninstalled tool (433). The positioning hole (4316A) and the positioning groove (4317) of the mounting platform (431) near the front end (4311) determine the installation direction of a tool (433), so that the tool (433) is fixed to the mounting platform in an inclined manner On (431). The inclination is compared to the wire conveying direction. As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, there is an angular relationship between the up and down tool (433) and the advancing direction of the wire. The twelfth figure shows that the bottom structure of the tool (433) extends from a bottom surface, and includes a plurality of positioning pins (4336) and a positioning protrusion (4337). The positioning bolt (4336) can be configured to be correspondingly inserted into the corresponding positioning hole (4316) of the mounting platform (431), and the positioning protrusion (4337) is configured to correspond to the positioning groove (4317) of the mounting platform (431). Of course, in other embodiments, the installation method of the tool can be replaced by other means.

Referring back to the seventh and eighth figures, the spring making machine of the present invention is also equipped with a cutting arm (440), which generally includes one or more drive units (not shown) and one or more rotations controlled by a controller Or pivoting mechanism. As shown in the figure, the cutting arm (440) is arranged substantially above the base point, and the top end of the cutting arm (440) has a mounting shaft (441) and holds a cutting tool relative to the bottom end of the mounting shaft ( Unlabeled). The cutting tool is arranged close to the position above the base point, and can move along a closed trajectory through the action of the cutting arm (440), the closed trajectory can pass through the base point position, so that the cutting tool will be shaped at the base point The spring part is separated from the wire part. Generally speaking, the cutting arm (440) can be composed of a plurality of components, including the main bracket structure constituting the cutting arm (440), various movable connection mechanisms, a holder for holding a cutting tool, and a mounting shaft (441) with an eccentric structure And one or more drive motors, etc., these are not repeated one by one here. Thereby, the cutting arm (440) has a specific movement mode to give the cutting tool movement along the closed trajectory, and the closed trajectory can also be changed by the mechanical adjustment. In this embodiment, the cutting arm (440) can be mounted on the mounting surface (410) of the body (40) by a lifting means. For example, the mounting surface (410) of the body (40) may be provided with a mounting groove (412) for a portion of the cutting arm (440) to be correspondingly installed therein, and the mounting groove (412) also provides enough space to allow the cutting arm (412) 440) Move up and down. Although not shown in the figure, the cutting arm (440) can be coupled to the mounting surface (410) of the machine body (40) by a similar lifting mechanism near the mounting shaft (441). With this lifting adjustment, the cutting arm (440) can be longitudinally separated or approached relative to the base point position, making the adjustment of the cutting tool more flexible.

Below the position of the base point, another cutting arm (450) is also equipped, and its configuration is similar to the above-mentioned upper cutting arm (440). However, according to the manufacturing strategy of the spring, the cutting tools of the cutting arm (450) can also be replaced with tools with other functions, such as other auxiliary tools for spring forming, such as spring winding interval forming tools.

Figures 13A and 13B are further enlarged views of this embodiment, showing the change of the position of the tool away from and entering the base point, respectively. One or more spacing tools (424) may be disposed between the output end of the wire guide (420) and the base point position, which extend obliquely and point to the base point position. The spacing tool (424) has a special structure to form a fixed spacing between the wound spring coils. During the forming of the spring, the spacing tool (424) can also change the spacing of the spring structure by controlling the distance from the base point position. In other words, the pitch plus tool (424) is a mold that forms the spring pitch.

As shown in the figure, before the spring forming is completed, the cutting tool of the upper cutting arm (440) rests in a ready position. After the spring is formed, the cutting tool of the cutting arm (440) enters the base point position as described above to separate the spring part from the wire part. In addition, the cutting arm (450) as described above can replace its cutting tool with other auxiliary tools, such as a tool similar to the aforementioned spacing plus tool, and enter the base point position between the spring formation to promote the formation of the spring spacing. Of course, in other embodiments, there may be only one spacing plus tool utilized during spring forming.

The upper and lower guide pins (4335) are located to the right of the base point position and point to the base point position in a specific tilt direction. As shown in Figure 13A, the upper and lower mounting platforms (431) can be driven horizontally (as shown in the x-axis direction) to move the guide pin (4335) away from the base point position. According to the spring structure, the upper and lower mounting platforms (431) are driven horizontally to approach the base point until the tip of the guide pin (4335) is accurately positioned on the trajectory for wire winding, as shown in Figure 13B . Generally speaking, the angle between the upper and lower guide pins (4335) is ninety degrees, and the distribution of the guide pins (4335) relative to the base point determines the diameter of the formed spring. In this embodiment, the diameter of the upper and lower mounting platform (431) relative to the position of the base point can be determined by data to determine the diameter, instead of replacing the size of the tool. In addition, since there are multiple mounting positions defined by the positioning holes (4316A) on the mounting platform (431), the choice of tool positions is more flexible.

Unlike the base point position, this example may also include another base point position for manufacturing other kinds of springs. As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, there is a reserved space (460) between the base point position of the installation plane (410) (the position to which these tools point) and the upper and lower installation platforms (431) , To assemble a plus tool. The reserved space (460) is located in the delivery direction of the wire guide (420), so that the wire can be advanced to another base point position provided by the reserved space (460). In one application, the reserved space (460) may be equipped with a rotatable tool for manufacturing a coil spring, which may receive the wire or sheet supplied from the output end of the wire guide (420) and pass the material through Rotate to form a vortex structure, and then use a cutting tool to separate the formed spring from the material. Of course, the reserved space (460) can be equipped with a suitable tool according to the type of spring to be formed, and the position of the base point changes depending on the choice of the tool.

The reserved space (460) and its corresponding base point are located between the upper and lower installation platforms (431). The installation platform (431) of this embodiment is designed to partially surround the reserved space (460) and its corresponding base point position, and does not interfere with the base point position. Referring also to the ninth figure, the mounting platform (431) has a gap (4315) formed between the front end (4311) and the lower end (4314), which is inwardly recessed relative to other surrounding structures of the mounting platform. The two gaps (4315) of the upper and lower installation platforms (431) are configured so that the base point positions corresponding to the reserved space (460) or its assembly plus tools are exposed to the installation surface (410) without being leveled by the installation platform (431) Covered by moving. According to this, the design of the mounting platform provided in this embodiment allows its mounting tool to be moved in a lateral direction to select an appropriate processing position, and the structure of the mounting platform also allows the selection of two base point positions for spring forming, And the two do not overlap each other. In summary, the design of this embodiment gives the spring manufacturing machine more flexibility in setting hardware.

Figure 14 shows a block diagram of the spring making machine of the present invention. The spring manufacturing machine of the present invention may further include control means for the movable mechanism. As shown, the present invention includes a controller (50). The controller (50) can be regarded as a single, physical processor, with related operating software and one or more database and application software. The controller (50) also includes a memory (501) for storing control commands and related control parameters. More specifically, the memory (501) may include computer program code in a machine-readable form and executable by a computer, or may be a computer-readable storage medium for storing data in a physical or fixed manner. As used herein, memory (501) or computer-readable storage media refers to physical or physical storage (relative to signals), and includes not limited to volatile, non-volatile, removable, and non-removable Removable media, which can be implemented by any method or technology for the actual storage of information, or any other information that can be used to physically store the required information or data or instructions, and can be accessed by a computer or processor Physical or material media.

The controller (50) has one or more input terminals and output terminals, wherein the input terminal is communicatively coupled with an input parameter unit (51). Typically, the input parameter unit (51) includes a user input interface that provides user input for various parameters and/or data for operating the spring making machine. The input parameter unit (51) may be a computer operation interface, including a screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a user graphical interface, and other software and hardware combinations that assist in signal generation and transmission. The input various parameters are stored in the memory (501), so that the control command can be executed according to one or more of these parameters. The parameters mainly include parameters related to displacement and position, parameters related to the spring to be formed, and parameters related to the tool.

The displacement parameter is related to the moving range of the movable component (11, 12, 430) and the mounting platform (111, 121, 431). As described above, the horizontal (x-direction) and/or longitudinal (y-direction) track groups (112, 113, 122, 123, 432) of the movable component of the embodiment of the present invention can define a two-dimensional coordinate or a horizontal coordinate (such as (Xy coordinates shown), so that the displacement of the movable component and the mounting platform can be quantified as a parameter and stored in the memory (501). The controller (50) controls the drive units (114, 115, 124, 125) that drive the movable components and the mounting platform based on these displacement parameters. In other embodiments, parameters defined by three-dimensional coordinates or other coordinate systems may be included in the displacement parameters. The displacement parameters may further include parameters related to the wire guides (101, 420), which are used to determine the travel distance of the wire, such as distance, speed, and angle.

The parameters related to the spring to be formed can be derived from the input spring structure data, including the type, material and specifications of the spring. Figure 14 illustrates the structure of a compression spring. The spring structure data can include descriptions of wire diameter (T), inner diameter (D1), outer diameter (D2), length (L), spacing (G) and number of turns . Of course, the springs applicable to the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention are not limited to compression springs, and other structural data such as tension springs and coil springs are also applicable to the present invention.

The parameters related to the tool are related to the type and installation position of the tool. That is to say, each different processing tool itself has corresponding processing parameters, and if the processing tool is installed in different installation positions, different new processing parameters will be generated according to the different installation positions. The installation position is determined by one or more positioning holes (222, 232, 4316). According to the previously defined coordinates, the position of each positioning hole can also be parameterized and pre-stored in the memory (501). For example, the closed trajectory of the aforementioned cutting arm (440) can also be converted into parameters based on a coordinate system. Of course, the invention is not limited to this, more or less parameters may be included.

The spring making machine of the present invention may optionally include one or more sensors (52) configured to detect the condition of forming the spring at the base point. Typically, the sensor (52) is an optical sensor, such as a laser sensor, which can be mounted on the base or the mounting platform (111, 121, 431) through a fixing means and the light source is An appropriate direction is projected to the base point position to sense the relative displacement of the tool in the base point position and accordingly generate a sensing signal. The controller (50) is configured to receive the sensing signal from the sensor (52), which can be used to decide or change one or more movable components (11, 12, 430) or add tools based on the various previously stored parameters Wait for a movement of the movable mechanism. The motion stroke refers to a combination of the direction, distance, direction, speed, and sequence of one or more movable components or tooling tools controlled by the controller (50) in a direction required for a specific spring structure. In other words, the motion stroke may describe the actions performed by a single or all movable mechanism during the formation of a spring. The induction signal can be determined by the processing of the controller (52) to determine whether the moving stroke of the tool or the formed spring is in the correct position, thereby judging whether there is a need for correction.

The output end of the controller (50) generates one or more control signals to the drive unit according to the determined motion stroke, such as the horizontal (x direction) and vertical (y direction) drive units of the movable component (53), accordingly The spring manufacturing machine of the present invention forms at least one spring structure during the beginning and end of the movement stroke.

Figure 16A shows the method of the present invention using a spring making machine. The spring manufacturing machine includes at least a base as shown in the first and seventh figures, a wire guide that continuously guides the wire to a base point position, and a plurality of slidably arranged to the base and partially surrounding the base point position The installation platform and a plurality of drive units that drive the corresponding installation platform. The method includes steps S100 to S130.

Step S100, analyze the structural data of a spring. According to the type, specific structure and specifications of the spring to be formed, the structural data of a spring can be generated, which can be stored in the memory (501) of a controller (50) via the input parameter unit (51) as shown in Figure 14 before the production ). The structural data can be converted into many parameters used to determine the aforementioned motion strokes through processing. As shown in the fifteenth figure, the structural data of the spring can include the wire diameter (T), inner diameter (D1), and outer diameter (D2 ), length (L), spacing (G) and number of turns. For example, the controller (50) may determine one of the wire guide advances based on at least the wire diameter (T), inner diameter (D1), outer diameter (D2), length (L), pitch (G), and number of turns The length of the wire is used to accurately control the corresponding drive unit. In addition, step S100 further analyzes a common point and an end point of the spring structure, and a plurality of vectors between the starting point and the end point represent the shape of the 3D structure of the spring, and the wire guide (101) continues to introduce a wire into the base The base point position of the seat means from the start point of the spring to the end point.

In step S110, at least one tool for forming the spring is determined according to the structural data of the spring. The memory (501) of the controller (50) may pre-store a spring database, which not only contains structural data of various springs, but also further describes the classification of springs and the selection of tool types applicable to each classification. The selection is based on the shape of the three-dimensional structure of the spring, such as the size of the cutting tool, the shape of the guide pin, the distance plus the size of the tool, and so on. According to this, the controller (50) analyzes and determines or recommends at least one additional tool according to the structural data or its corresponding parameters. The selection or decision of the tool can be presented through a display interface. Furthermore, according to the movable components mounted on the spring manufacturing machine, such as the movable component (11, 12) in the first picture or the movable component (430) in the seventh picture, the controller (50) may decide at least one plus based on the structural data of the spring to be formed The tool and at least one installation position on the movable component.

In addition, the three-dimensional structure shape of the spring is represented by a plurality of vectors. When the wire guide (101) continues to introduce a wire into the base point position of the base, the three-dimensional structure shape of the spring from the start point to the end point A vector will pass through the base point position, and when several vectors pass through the base point position, the controller (50) decides which tool will enter the base point position to contact the wire, and in which vector passes the base point In the position, the controller (50) determines which tool will leave the base point position, and the controller (50) determines a movement stroke of the tool during the time when the tool enters the position away from the base point, the movement The stroke causes the tool to machine the wire to form a partial three-dimensional structure of the spring. Until the last vector reaches the end point, the controller (50) will control the cutter to cut the wire to complete the process of the spring. Therefore, after the controller (50) collects the 3D structural shapes of various springs and the process data of the selected tool, it can analyze the process data by using big data to establish the movement stroke of various tools for processing The database of the 3D structures of the springs makes the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention have the intelligent manufacturing of Industry 4.0, and efficiently handles the process planning of various quantities, various quantities and mixed sample processing.

Step S120: Determine (or install) the determined tool to an installation position of at least one installation platform. The operator of the spring manufacturing machine can select at least one plus tool determined by the controller (50) or at least one plus tool determined by the controller (50) according to the result obtained in the previous step. The tool is mounted to the spring manufacturing machine. As the fifth figure illustrates an embodiment of the tool installation option, the tool (3) with various functions such as guiding, positioning, rotating, bending or cutting is installed on the corresponding installation platform (1112, 1212). The installation position, wherein the installation position is defined by positioning grooves (221, 231) and positioning holes (222, 232) in different directions as shown in the fourth figure. As shown in the seventh figure, another tool installation option of another embodiment is shown. The tool (433) with a guide pin is installed symmetrically on the installation positions of the upper and lower installation platforms (431), wherein the installation position is determined by As defined by the positioning grooves (4317) in different directions and the positioning holes (4316A, 4316B) in different mounting sections in the ninth figure. The result of the previous step may further include one or more movable components or installation positions corresponding to the tool. For example, the determined cutting tool can correspond to the upper cutting arm (440) or the lower cutting arm (450) as shown in the seventh figure for the operator to choose to install. In another example, when the determined tool is a mold dedicated to forming a spiral spring or a rotating tool, the tool corresponds to the installation/basic point position of the reserved space (460) as shown in Figures 13A and 13B. It is not near the base point of the output end of the wire. In other words, a result of determining at least one additional tool and/or its installation position also determines a base point position for spring forming. Step S120 ends with the confirmation of the tool and its installation location. The confirmation result can be input to the controller via the input parameter unit (51) and processed into a plurality of parameters for determining the movement stroke and stored in the memory (501) .

Step S130, at least according to the structural data of the spring and the installation position of the tool on the installation platform, the controller (50) controls the corresponding driving unit to drive the wire guide, the movable component, the installation platform, etc. to determine the at least A movement stroke of a plus tool for processing the wire at the base point to form the spring. The motion stroke refers to the direction, distance, direction, angle, speed and movement of one or more movable components or tools or other components involved in manufacturing controlled by a controller (50) for a specific spring structure The combination of order. The input or confirmed structural data of the spring, the at least one additional tool and its installation position are converted into various parameters and stored in the memory (501). These parameters are created together with the control commands of the memory (501). For a motion stroke that performs an action or behavior, the relevant drive unit of the spring manufacturing machine sequentially drives the respective movable parts based on the motion stroke to obtain a product that matches the spring structure data.

In an embodiment, the controller (50) may be configured to create a product model and store it in the memory (501) based at least on the relevant parameters of the structural data of the spring. Similarly, the controller (50) can create a simulation model based on at least the determined parameters of at least one tool and its installation location and store it in the memory (501). Further, the controller (50) can determine whether the currently arranged or selected tool and its installation position can successfully manufacture the spring according to the (similarity or consistency) of the product model and the simulation model, or whether it is required Adjustment. For example, the adjustment includes changing the installation position of the tool or changing the type of tool.

The controller (50) may be configured to record relevant position parameters of the base point position, which may be a point or a range. The controller (50) may be configured to record displacement parameters related to all positioning holes of each installation section of the installation platform, where each positioning hole corresponds to a displacement parameter, and the parameters of different positioning holes are different. For example, the displacement parameter of the positioning hole can be expressed as (X, Y) according to the two-dimensional coordinate system, and the related parameter of the processing tool can also be expressed similarly. The controller (50) may be configured to receive and record one or more input parameters and determine the movement stroke of the at least one processing tool according to the input parameters, wherein the input parameters and types of processing tools and the processing tools are installed at The installation location of the installation platform is related. That is, the controller (50) will determine which actions the corresponding movable component should perform according to the parameters defined by the processing tool itself and the positioning hole parameters of the installation position, so that the processing tool enters or exits the base point position at an appropriate timing. According to this, the controller (50) may determine the movement stroke of the tool according to the positioning hole of the at least one tool added to the mounting platform. In addition, during one cycle of the forming spring, the position of the base point may vary with the design of the movement stroke of the tool, and it is not only fixed at one point.

In the practice of using a spring manufacturing machine, the operator will change the type of tool and/or its installation position to meet the manufacturing of different springs, or calibrate and adjust the tool and related motion strokes to find the best motion stroke. Referring to FIG. 15, the control method of the present invention further includes steps S200 to S210.

In step S200, the controller (50) may be configured to determine the movement stroke of the drive unit or tool according to the addition and/or deletion of control parameters. For example, one or more of the installed tools are replaced in the installation position to meet the adjustment or correction requirements of the spring manufacturing machine. For the controller, the parameters corresponding to the installation position of the tool are sequentially deleted and the new installation of the new tool is added Parameters of location. Or if the installation position of the tool is fixed but the tool is replaced, for the controller, the parameters corresponding to the tool are sequentially deleted and the parameters corresponding to another tool are added. In other words, whether it is a tool change, a change in the installation position, or even a change in the structural data of the spring and the characteristics of the wire, the controller updates the recorded parameters accordingly and determines a new motion stroke, ending this step.

The new movement stroke can be simulated to determine whether the spring manufacturing machine can successfully manufacture the spring as defined by the spring structure data. As mentioned above, the comparison between the product model defined by the spring structure data and the simulation model defined by the motion stroke can determine whether the arrangement of all parameters has been optimized, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the product. Of course, the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention can also ensure product accuracy through dynamic supervision. In step S210, the controller (50) may be configured to determine the movement stroke of each of the driving units according to a sensing signal. As shown in Figure 14, the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention may include one or more sensors (52), such as light sensors, for sensing the movement of the tool and the wire in the base point position. If the tool or the wire does not meet the expected deviation in the position of the base point, the sensor (52) outputs the related sensing signal. The controller (50) can be configured to receive and process the sensing signal, and modify or determine the running motion stroke or stop the manufacturing process according to the processing result.

According to the above description, the various configurations and installations of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention are realized with the definition, selection, and combination of corresponding parameters, and accordingly, the related motion strokes of the spring manufacturing are determined, and the use efficiency of the spring manufacturing machine is promoted.

The above description of the various embodiments of the claimed subject matter is provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be comprehensive, or to limit the claimed subject matter to the precise form disclosed. For those skilled in the art, various improvements and changes are obvious. Specifically, although the concept of "components" is used in the embodiments of the system and method described above, it is obvious that this concept can be used in conjunction with such concepts as classes, methods, types, interfaces, modules, object models, and others Equivalent concepts such as appropriate concepts are used interchangeably. The embodiments are selected and described in order to best describe the subject matter of the present invention and its practical application, thus enabling those skilled in the relevant art to understand the claimed subject matter, the various embodiments, and the various modifications that are suitable for the specific uses under consideration.

1‧‧‧Base 1A‧‧‧Front 1B‧‧‧Back 10‧‧‧Body 101‧‧‧Wire guide 102‧‧‧Rotary drive 1021‧‧‧Stepper motor 1022‧‧‧Belt/chain 11‧ ‧‧ First movable component 111‧‧‧ Mounting platform 1111‧‧‧Base 1112‧‧‧Mounting base 112‧‧‧ First track group 113‧‧‧ Second track group 114‧‧‧ First drive unit 115‧‧ ‧Second drive unit 12‧‧‧Second movable assembly 121‧‧‧Installation platform 1211‧‧‧Base 1212‧‧‧Mount base 122‧‧‧First track group 123‧‧‧Second track group 124‧‧‧ The first driving unit 125‧‧‧ the second driving unit 20‧‧‧ front end 21‧‧‧ rear end 22‧‧‧ first mounting section 221‧‧‧ first positioning groove 222‧‧‧ positioning hole 23‧‧‧ Second mounting section 231‧‧‧Second positioning slot 232‧‧‧Locating hole 3‧‧‧Add tool 40‧‧‧Body 410‧‧‧Installation surface 412‧‧‧Installation slot 420‧‧‧Wire guide 421 ‧‧‧Input 422‧‧‧output 423‧‧‧wheel set 424‧‧‧spacing plus tool 430‧‧‧movable assembly 431‧‧‧installation platform 4311‧‧‧front 4312‧‧‧rear 4313‧‧ ‧Upper 4314‧‧‧Lower 4315‧‧‧Notch 4316‧‧‧Locating hole 4316A‧‧‧Locating hole 4316B‧‧‧Locating hole 4317‧‧‧Locating groove 4318‧‧‧Steering point 432‧‧‧Track group 433‧ ‧‧Add tool 4331‧‧‧Structure arm 4332‧‧‧Processing part 4333‧‧‧Mounting surface 4334‧‧‧Locating hole 4335‧‧‧Guide bolt 4336‧‧‧Locating bolt 4337‧‧‧Locating bump 440‧ ‧‧Cutting arm 441‧‧‧Mounting shaft 450‧‧‧Cutting arm 50‧‧‧Controller 501‧‧‧Memory 51‧‧‧ Input parameter unit 52‧‧‧Sensor 53‧‧‧Moveable component T‧‧ ‧Wire diameter D1‧‧‧Inner diameter D2‧‧‧Outer diameter G‧‧‧Pitch L‧‧‧Length S100-S130‧‧‧Step S200-S210‧‧‧Step

The first figure is a perspective external view of an embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention.

The second figure is a perspective view of a part of the internal structure of an embodiment of the spring making machine of the present invention.

The third figure is a front view of the processing area of an embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention.

The fourth figure is the distribution of the positioning holes of the mounting platform according to an embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention.

The fifth figure shows that the spring manufacturing machine of the third figure is equipped with a tool.

The sixth figure shows a front view of spring processing according to an embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention.

The seventh figure is a front view of another embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention.

The eighth figure is a front view of another embodiment of the spring manufacturing machine of the present invention (removed part of the tool).

The ninth figure is a perspective view of the seventh figure mounting platform.

The tenth figure is a front view of the mounting platform and the tool according to the seventh figure.

The eleventh picture shows the seventh picture installation platform and tools.

The twelfth picture shows the seventh picture of the installation platform and tools (another perspective).

Figures 13A and 13B show the position of the tool away from and entering a base point of spring manufacturing, respectively.

Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of the spring making machine of the present invention.

Figure 15 shows the structure of a spring.

Figure 16 is a flow chart of the method of the present invention using a spring manufacturing machine.

Figure 17 is a flow chart of a further method of using a spring making machine of the present invention.

S100-S130‧‧‧Step

Claims (16)

A method of using a spring manufacturing machine including: a base having a front and a back; a wire guide integrated with the base and configured to continuously introduce a wire into the front of the base Base point position; a plurality of mounting platforms slidably arranged to the front of the base and surrounding the base point position; and a plurality of drive units configured to drive the corresponding mounting platform, the method includes: analyzing the structure of a spring Data; determine at least one tool for forming the spring based on the structural data of the spring; install the tool to a mounting position on at least one mounting platform; and according to the structural data of the spring and the tool on the mounting platform At the installation position, a controller controls a plurality of drive units to slide the installation platform to determine a movement stroke of the tool for processing the wire at the base point to form the spring. The method as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: based on the structural data of the spring, determining a plurality of tools for forming the spring; installing the tools to the respective installation positions of the installation platforms respectively ; And according to the structural data of the spring and the installation position of the tooling on the mounting platform, the controller controls a plurality of drive units to sequentially slide the mounting platform to determine the movement stroke of the tooling Processing the wire at the base point to form the spring. The method as described in item 1 of the patent application, wherein the spring is a tension spring or a compression spring. The method as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein each of the installation platforms includes a plurality of installation sections, and each installation section includes a plurality of positioning holes arranged along at least one direction. The method according to item 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the installation position is at least one positioning hole of one of the installation sections of the installation platform. The method as described in item 4 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller records displacement parameters related to all positioning holes of each installation section of the installation platforms. The method as described in item 6 of the patent application scope further includes: the controller determines the movement stroke of the processing tool according to a positioning hole where the processing tool is installed on the mounting platform. The method as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller receives one or more input parameters and determines the movement stroke of the tool according to the input parameters, wherein the input parameter and the type of the tool It is related to the installation position where the tool is installed on the installation platform. The method as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: the controller is configured to determine the movement stroke of the tool according to a sensing signal of a sensor. The method as described in item 9 of the patent application range, wherein the sensor is fixed to the base and senses the relative displacement of the tool and the position of the base point to generate the sensing signal. A method of using a spring manufacturing machine including: a base having a front and a back; a wire guide integrated with the base and configured to continuously introduce a wire into the front of the base Base point position; a plurality of mounting platforms are slidably arranged to the front of the base and surround the base point position, and each mounting platform has a plurality of mounting positions for installing at least one additional tool; a plurality of driving units, through Configured to drive the corresponding installation platform; and a controller for controlling the driving units, the method includes: receiving and analyzing structural data of a spring by the controller; and by the controller, based on the structural data of the spring With the mounting position of the tool on the mounting platform, the drive units are controlled to slide the mounting platform to determine a movement stroke of the tool for processing the wire at the base point position to form the spring. The method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller records displacement parameters related to the installation positions of the installation platforms. The method described in item 12 of the patent application scope further includes: the controller is installed on the installation position of the installation platform according to the processing tool to determine the movement stroke of the processing tool. The method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller receives one or more input parameters and determines the movement stroke of the tool according to the input parameters, wherein the input parameters and the type of the tool It is related to the installation position where the tool is installed on the installation platform. The method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope further includes: the controller is configured to determine the movement stroke of the tool according to a sensor signal of a sensor, the sensor signal and the tool at the base position Displacement related. The method as described in item 11 of the patent application, wherein the structural data of the spring includes a description about whether the spring is a compression spring or a tension spring, wire diameter, inner diameter, outer diameter, length, spacing and number of turns .

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