Abstract:
An improved needle solution is provided for winding wire coils onto dynamo-electric machine components such as electric motor stators and armatures. The improved needle solution decreases the opportunity for collision between the needle apparatus and the machine component onto which wire coils are being wound and enables the winding of machine components with small interior hollows that may not allow conventional needle solutions to pass through. The improved needle solution further provides increased accuracy in wire coil stratification by stabilizing the stratification motion of the apparatus using guide structures that engage the needle arm. The needle solution further provides open access to the wire being fed through the apparatus for winding onto the machine component. Multiple needles may be accommodated by the apparatus to simultaneously wind multiple wire coils onto a machine component using the improved needle solution.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 60/389,529, filed Jun. 17, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present application concerns improved solutions for winding coils of wire onto dynamo-electric machine components such as stators and armatures. More particularly, the solutions of the present application provide improved needle equipment for accomplishing the winding of wire coils around poles of a stator core where the wire turns of the coils need accurate stratification.  
           [0003]    Accurate stratification of the wire turns normally requires placing wire turns in predetermined positions along the radially extending sides of the poles. The solutions of this invention make it possible to wind coils at high winding speeds without incurring vibration of the wire dispensing needles that cause unwanted wire turn disposition and wire tension variation within the coils.  
           [0004]    Furthermore, the solutions of this invention allow wire dispensing needles to move with respect to the stator core in extremely narrow gaps (e.g., the gaps existing between poles of the stator core) at high speed and with a lower risk of the wire dispensing needles colliding with the surrounding parts. Using the solutions of this invention, these achievements are possible for stator cores having very small hollow interiors that would not allow passage of conventional needle equipment during relative winding motion with respect to the stator core.  
           [0005]    These and other objects of the present invention will be more apparent in view of the following drawings and detailed description. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a partial section view of one embodiment of the present invention as seen from direction  1 - 1  of FIG. 2;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is an axial end view of one embodiment of the present invention as seen from direction  2 - 2  of FIG. 1 that omits some parts shown in FIG. 1 for clarity;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a view of the guide structure of one embodiment of the present invention from direction  3 - 3  of FIG. 1;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention as seen from direction  4  of FIG. 2;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a partial section view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention as seen from direction  5 - 5  of FIG. 6;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is an axial end view of the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 5 from direction  6  of FIG. 5;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the alternate embodiment from direction  7  of FIG. 6; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the needle support structure from direction  8  of FIG. 5 that omits all other elements of the apparatus for clarity. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    The solutions of the present application are related to those described in Becherucci et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,208 and Stratico et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/960,550, filed Sep. 20, 2001, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.  
         [0016]    Stator core  10  of FIG. 1 is shown sectioned and positioned for winding with wire W to form coils C extending around poles  10   a . Needle  11  is a hollow cylindrical member for allowing passage of wire W so that wire W is delivered from extremity  11   a  of needle  11 . Needle  11  needs to be provided with relative motions T 1 , T 2 , R 1 , R 2 , S 1  and S 2  with respect to stator core  10  in order to wind wire W to form coils C. Relative motions T 1  and T 2  are forward and backwards translations which cause needle  11  to traverse the internal hollow portion of stator core  10 . Rotations R 1  and R 2  are rotary motions with respect to central axis  10   b  of the stator core, and are accomplished when the needle has been brought beyond the end extremities  10   c  and  10   d  of the stator core.  
         [0017]    As is well known to those in the art, a combination of motions in a progressive order (e.g., first T 1 , then R 1 , then T 2  and then R 2 ) cause the needle to wind wire W around a pole for one turn of the coil. Translation motions S 1  or S 2 , which are usually perpendicular to translations T 1  and T 2 , are normally accomplished to obtain stratification of the wire turns. The length and occurrence of motions S 1  or S 2  is usually programmable and dependent on the desired turn disposition around the pole.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 shows that the present invention makes it possible to simultaneously wind a plurality of poles using additional needles such as needles  12 ,  13  and  14 . Each of needles  11 ,  12 ,  13  and  14  is normally provided with the motions previously described for needle  11 . Each needle may wind a respective coil C around a respective pole  10   a  of the stator core by delivering wire W in the manner described for needle  11 . Note that FIG. 2 shows needles  11 ,  12 , and  13  at their most radially proximal locations and needle  14  at its most radially distal location. This is a composite illustration for the purpose of showing the range of motion of needles  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14 .  
         [0019]    As shown in FIG. 1, needle  11  can be fixed perpendicularly to needle arm  15  by receiving the radially proximal end of needle  11  in bore  15   a  of needle arm  15 . Grub screw  11   b  can be used to secure the radially proximal end of needle  11  in bore  15   a . Needle arm  15  normally extends parallel to longitudinal axis  10   b  of the stator core as shown in FIG. 1. Extreme portion  15   b  of the needle arm can be spaced from needle  11  a distance L sufficient to allow needle  11  to be outside the stator core at one end of the stator core (e.g., end  10   d  of FIG. 1) while extreme portion  15   b  is outside the opposite end of the stator core (e.g., end  10   c  of FIG. 1). This condition is represented in FIG. 1 and normally corresponds to the end of a translation stroke like T 2  and just before a rotation like R 2 . Extreme portion  15   b  includes a guide portion  15   c . Guide portion  15   c  guides needle arm  15  during stratification motions like S 1  and S 2 , as will be more fully described in the following.  
         [0020]    External member  16  can be provided with relative rotation motions R 1  and R 2  with respect to stator core  10 . Guide support member  17  is flanged to the end of external member  16  by means of bolts  18 . Guide support member  17  can have upright portions  17   a  to receive guide portion  15   c  of needle arm  15 . Cover member  19  can be flanged to guide support member  17  by means of bolts  20 . Cover member  19  can have upright portions  19   a  configured to be adjacent and forward of upright portions  17   a . When cover member  19  is flanged to guide support member  17 , portions  17   a  and  19   a  can form a guide way  15   e  that receives guide portion  15   c . Guide way  15   e  can be configured perpendicular to longitudinal axis  10   b  in order to guide stratification motions S 1  and S 2 . Upright portions  19   a  can be provided with apertures  19   b  to allow passage of needle arm  15  through cover member  19  during stratification motions.  
         [0021]    Disk member  21  can be assembled coaxially within external member  16 , and can be provided with relative rotation motions R 3  or R 4  with respect to external member  16 . Bearings  22  can be provided between disk member  21  and external member  16  to allow the relative rotation motions R 3  or R 4  around axis  10   b . The frontal end of disk member  21  can be provided with spiral grooves  21   a , which can act as constraining guide ways for pin  23  partially received therein, as shown in FIG. 1. Pin  23  is fixed to needle arm  15  by being also partially received in bore  15   d  of needle arm  15 . A grub screw  23   a , located in the interior of guide portion  15   c  can secure pin  23  in bore  15   d . By means of this assembly in which pin  23  is engaged in a spiral groove  21   a , and by means of the relative motions R 3  and R 4 , the needle arm is driven to accomplish stratification motions S 1  and S 2 .  
         [0022]    As shown in FIG. 2, lid member  26  is flanged to casing member  24  by means of bolts  27 . Casing member  24  is flanged to guide support member  17  by means of bolts (not shown). Lid member  26  has slits  26   a  (shown in FIG. 1) for receiving needle arms  15 . Slits  26   a  are in directions parallel to stratification motions S 1  and S 2  of needle arms  15  to enable stratification motions S 1  and S 2  to occur. Circular rib  26   b  reinforces lid member  26 . Slits  26   a  (shown in FIG. 1) also allow needle arms  15  to project axially beyond lid member  26 .  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 shows that inserts  25  are bolted to the end face of lid member  26  by means of bolts  28 . Inserts  25  partially close slits  26   a  with their sides  25 ′ which become extremely proximate to needle arms  15 . In this way inserts  25  act as lateral support surfaces for needle arms  15 , and at the same time guide the unimpeded motion of needle arms  15  in directions parallel to the stratification motions S 1  and S 2 . Pins  29  act as anti-rotation members for inserts  25  in order to keep the sides  25 ′ of inserts  25  parallel to the sides of needle arms  15 .  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 shows that casing member  24  can have an empty area  24   a  for allowing passage of needle arm  15 , while casing member  24  needs to be materially structured in area  24   b  to provide sufficient extension length to reach the end of the apparatus where lid member  26  needs to be flanged by way of bolts  27 . This extension length guarantees that a portion of the needle equipment for the stratification motion is outside of one end of the stator core (e.g., end  10   c  in FIG. 1) when needle  11  is beyond the opposite end of the stator core (e.g., end  10   d  in FIG. 1) at the end of a translation motion such as T 2 . This condition is particularly required when the interior of the stator is not large enough to allow passage of a portion of the needle equipment as shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0025]    Bore  24   c  of member  24  can be foreseen to reduce the weight of member  24 . Wires W run through hollow interiors  24   d  (of member  24 ) and  21   b  (of member  21 ) to reach needle  11 . Wire W can be easily inserted through needles  11  by an operator because of the free access area that exists below the end of needle  11 .  
         [0026]    [0026]FIGS. 3 and 4 show how multiple needles can be arranged to wind wires W to form coils C around poles like  10   a . Each needle will be assembled with parts and principles that can be identical to those described for needle  11 . In this case, disk member  21  can be provided with a spiral slot  21   a  for each of pins  23  to cause each of needles  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14  to accomplish stratification motions S 1  and S 2  during relative rotations R 3  and R 4  of disk member  21  with respect to the external member. Alternately, multiple pins  23  may be engaged within a single spiral slot  21   a  to accomplish sequential stratification motions for the multiple needles. Note, similar to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a composite illustration for the purpose of showing the range of motion of needles  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14 .  
         [0027]    To accomplish relative motions T 1 , T 2 , R 1  and R 2  of the needles with respect to the stator core, either stator core  10 , or external member  16  can be provided with any of such motions. Motions T 1 , T 2 , R 1 , and R 2  of the stator core or external member  16  can be achieved using apparatus described in the previously incorporated references. It will be appreciated that each needle  11  may deliver more than one wire W by passing additional wires W through hollow portions  21   b ,  24   d , and needle  11 .  
         [0028]    In an alternate embodiment, the needle solution provides open access to the wires W that need to be fed through the needles  50  from where they are dispensed for placement around the poles of the stator core.  
         [0029]    As shown in FIG. 5, needles  50  extend from respective portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54 , which are similar to trunk portions  315 ,  316  and  317  of the previously incorporated Stratico et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/960,550. Portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54  have pins like  55  which engage in respective spiral grooves like  56  of disk member  57 . Portions  51 ,  52 ,  53 , and  54  also have respective apertures  51 ′,  52 ′,  53 ′, and  54 ′ within their respective bodies (shown in FIG. 8). Disk member  57  extends rearwards by means of a cylindrical portion  57 ′. Cylindrical portion  57 ′ and disk  57  are supported on bearings  69  and are capable of relative rotations R 3  and R 4  around longitudinal axis  49  with respect to casing tube  58 .  
         [0030]    Casing tube  58  is coaxial and external to cylindrical portion  57 ′ and is provided with relative reciprocations T 1 , T 2 , and relative rotations R 1  and R 2  with respect to the poles of the stator core. A cylindrical support member  59  is coupled to casing tube  58  by means of a bolted flange surface connection in  58 ′. Respective grooves  60  of support member  59  receive portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54 . The sides like  60 ′ of grooves  60  act as guide surfaces for portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54  when radial stratification motions like S 1  and S 2  are required on behalf of needles  50  to stratify the wires. Lid  61  is connected to support member  59  by means of a bolted flange connection at location  61 ′ in order to stack portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54  between face  59 ′ of support member  59  and lid  61 . More particularly, face  59 ′ and surface  61 ″ of lid  61  act as shoulder surfaces to locate portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54  along axis  49 . Lid  61  is provided with slits  65 , the sides of which allow passage of portions like  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54  to accomplish radial stratification motions like S 1  and S 2 .  
         [0031]    Tube  62  is made to pass through apertures  51 ′,  52 ′,  53 ′, and  54 ′ (shown in FIG. 8) of respective portions  51 ,  52 ,  53  and  54  in order to reach terminal end  57 ″ of portion  57 ′. Disk  57  is caused to rotate with respect to support member  59  by means of equipment like those described in the previously incorporated references. End  62 ″ of tube  62  is received in bearing  66 , which is disposed within an inner portion  63  of portion  57 ′. This configuration allows relative rotation of tube  62  with respect to disk member  57  and portion  57 ′. Tube  62  is fixed to lid  61  by means of bolt  64 . Wires W run through tube  62  to reach needles  50 . Tube  62  has flared end portion  62 ′ to provide smooth running of wires W. By means of the foregoing arrangement of the needle solution, open access is provided to the wires at area  64 ′.  
         [0032]    Thus, improved needle solutions for winding wire coils and stratifying wire turns are provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for the purpose of illustration and not of limitation.