Method and apparatus for connecting intermediate stator coil leads

Methods and apparatus are provided for generating and connecting an intermediate lead wire extending between multiple portions of a coil wound on a pole of a stator core to a slotted terminal mounted on the stator core. Such stator cores, wound by coil winding shuttles, are used in electric motors, generators and similar devices. An intermediate lead wire extending between multiple portions of a coil is first captured by a hook mechanism, aligned with a slotted terminal, and then inserted in the terminal by a wire insertion device. The wire is then held in engagement with the terminal while the next portion of the coil is begun, producing an intermediate lead wire connection wherein a first portion of the lead wire is engaged within a slot in the terminal and the portion extending from the terminal to the next coil portion is wrapped tightly against the exterior of the terminal, with no cutting of the intermediate lead wire required.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for making stators for 
electric motors and similar machines such as generators. Although the 
invention is described herein in the context of its application to 
electric motor stators, it will be understood that it is equally 
applicable to other types of stators having intermediate lead wires 
extending from multiple coil portions wound on each stator pole. 
Intermediate terminals extending from multiple coil portions wound on a 
stator pole are frequently required on electric motors for commutating 
motor speed and for other requirements. While in recent years machines 
have been developed to automatically wind stator coils and to connect the 
lead wires to terminal boards mounted on the stator core, for example, 
Pearsall U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,418, these machines cannot be used to 
automatically mount intermediate lead wires on the terminal board. Other 
methods and apparatus for automatically mounting the ends of stator 
windings to terminal boards are described in several patents, such as 
Fischer U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,113, Fischer U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,319, and 
Reiger, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,764. While all of these devices have in 
common the capability to mount the ends of the stator coil windings to the 
terminal boards, none is capable of automatically mounting intermediate 
lead wires. Prior to this invention, intermediate lead wires were 
generated by interrupting the automatic operation of the winding machine 
and grasping a strand of wire between the coil portions mounted on a 
stator. When the winding operation was complete, the strand of wire was 
manually secured to the terminal board. 
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide 
methods and apparatus for automatically connecting the intermediate lead 
wires from multiple coil portions wound on a stator pole to terminal means 
mounted on the stator terminal board. 
Another problem is that the previously known machines described in the 
above patents had to be designed and built for specific configurations of 
terminal means mounted on the terminal board. None of these relatively 
complex machines could be readily adjusted to handle a wide variation in 
the location of the terminal means mounted on the stator terminal board. 
It is therefore another object of this invention to provide an apparatus 
for automatically connecting the intermediate lead wires from multiple 
coil portions wound on a stator pole to terminal means mounted on the 
stator terminal board wherein the apparatus can be readily adjusted to 
account for variation in the placement of the terminal means on the 
terminal board. 
Another problem with the existing method of generating intermediate lead 
wires is that after the winding is complete, the further manual step of 
cutting the intermediate lead wires and permanently affixing the wires to 
the terminal board is required. In addition to requiring manual effort, 
this latter step also involves some waste of wire. 
In view of these considerations, it is still another object of this 
invention to provide methods and apparatus for permanently affixing the 
intermediate lead wires to the stator terminal board in a single 
operation, and with a minimum of wire waste. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance 
with the principles of the invention by automatically connecting the 
intermediate lead wires extending between multiple coil portions wound on 
a pole of a stator core to terminal means located on the stator terminal 
board in a single operation requiring no further manual effort and which 
conserves wire relative to existing methods. As will be apparent from the 
following description, the apparatus of the invention is located at the 
winding machine. 
The present invention is described with reference to terminal means 
generally having a hollow housing with a slot extending transversely 
through and axially down opposite walls of the housing, the walls defining 
a slot which is relatively wide at the top and tapered to a narrow base, 
so that a wire inserted transverse to the slots is frictionally engaged. 
Such terminal connection means are widely known in the field as AMP style 
terminals. The terminals are mounted on an electrically nonconducting 
terminal board which is mounted on an end face of the stator core. 
Once a predetermined number of turns of coil wire have been wound on a 
stator pole by a coil winding shuttle, the apparatus of this invention 
yieldably grasps the strand of wire extending between the coil and the 
winding shuttle and positions the wire within a slot in the terminal means 
located on the stator terminal board. The apparatus retains the strand in 
engagement with the terminal means so that when the winding shuttle 
resumes operation the strand of wire is wrapped tightly against the 
exterior of the terminal means. The apparatus includes wire grasping and 
positioning means which cooperate with the coil winding shuttle and which 
are movable along three axes relative to the stator terminal board, so 
that the intermediate lead wires may be connected to terminal means 
located in any position and with any orientation relative to the stator 
core that is desirable for the specific stator application. 
This invention includes method steps performed in sequence for generating 
the intermediate lead wires and for connecting the wires to the terminal 
means. In accordance with the principles of this invention, no cutting of 
the intermediate lead wire is involved in connecting the intermediate lead 
wire to the terminal means. 
Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will 
be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed 
description of the preferred embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 shows an axial end view of an illustrative embodiment of a stator 
30. Coils of wire 50 are wound on each of the upper and lower poles 32 of 
stator 30. An electrically nonconducting terminal board 31 is affixed to 
each end of stator core 30, and has terminal means 40 mounted at 
predetermined positions on terminal board 31. Terminal means 40 is 
preferably of the AMP style, having a slot 41 which for purposes of 
illustration is aligned parallel to the vertical edge of stator 30. Each 
coil 50 has a start lead 51 and an end lead 52. An intermediate lead wire, 
generally designated 53, and having portions 53a, 53b, and 53c as shown in 
FIG. 1, has been connected to terminal means 40 in accordance with the 
principles of this invention such that no cutting of the intermediate lead 
wire is involved. 
FIG. 2 shows a terminal means 40 having its slot 41 aligned substantially 
radially with respect to the center of stator core 30. As will be 
described below, the apparatus of the present invention can be used with 
the terminal means 40 positioned at any location with respect to the 
horizontal (Y1) and vertical (Xl) axes of the stator and with slot 41 at 
any angular orientation (.THETA.). 
Referring to FIG. 3, a first portion of coil 50 has been wound on stator 
pole 32 by oscillatory and reciprocatory movement of winding shuttle 
needle 60. The shuttle needle 60 is stopped adjacent the end of stator 
core 30 which supports terminal means 40. Hook mechanism, generally 
designated 70, carries an elongated rod 71 having at one end a hook 72 
with a groove 73 (see also FIG. 10). Rod 71 moves translatingly and 
rotatingly from a first position 71 shown in solid lines to a second 
position 71a shown in phantom lines. Shuttle needle 60 then rotates 
counterclockwise to a vertical position 60a shown in phantom lines, so 
that the strand of wire 53 extending from the first portion of coil 50 to 
shuttle needle 60 can be engaged by groove 73 of hook 72 at position 71a 
when hook 72 retracts. 
Referring now to the solid lines in FIG. 4, rod 71 has been retracted from 
its extended position 71a shown in FIG. 3 back to its original position 
71, so that the tip of hook 72 abuts against support member 100 of hook 
mechanism 70. The strand of wire 53 is not gripped by hook 72, but is 
capable of sliding movement relative to hook 72, so that additional wire 
53 may be drawn from shuttle needle 60a. Referring now to the phantom 
lines in FIG. 4, hook mechanism 70 is translated laterally with respect to 
stator terminal board 31 to a position 71b, and shuttle needle 60a is 
rotated clockwise back to its original position 60. These movements 
uncross wire 53 and move the portion of wire strand 53 between hook 72 and 
shuttle needle 60 out of the way of the wire insertion device, hereinafter 
described, to a position 53' adjacent terminal means 40. 
As shown in FIG. 7, wire insertion device 80 is centered on terminal means 
40. Insertion device 80 has a pair of wire guide bars 81 carried on the 
opposite ends of a diameter of a cylindrical sleeve 82. Sleeve 82 is 
capable of rotating about its axis, as well as translational movement 
relative to the stator terminal board 31. A shaft 90 is disposed slidingly 
and concentrically within sleeve 82, and has a hollow sleeve portion 91 at 
one end with wire insertion tool 92 mounted at the center of sleeve 91, so 
that the centers of guide bars 81 and insertion tool 92 lie along a 
diameter of wire insertion device 80. The inner diameter of the sleeve 91 
is greater than that of the outer diameter of terminal means 40, while the 
diameter of wire insertion tool 92 is sized to freely enter the hollow 
portion of terminal means 40. Sleeve portion 91 of shaft 90 has a bevel 93 
on its outer surface. 
As depicted in FIG. 5 (which includes elements taken along the line 5--5 in 
FIG. 7), wire insertion device 80 has been moved into proximity with the 
stator terminal board so that guide bars 81 extend on opposite sides of 
the strand of wire 53 and before wire insertion device 80 is centered on 
terminal means 40. 
In FIG. 6 wire insertion device 80 has been moved to a position centered on 
terminal means 40. Centering of wire insertion device 80 on terminal means 
40 can be achieved, for example, by a numerically controlled three-axis 
platform such as that shown in FIG. 15 and generally designated 300. 
Platform 300 is preprogrammed for a predetermined location and orientation 
of terminal means 40 on terminal board 31, which programming may be 
readily modified by conventional methods for variation in the terminal 
means placement on the terminal board. In a first embodiment of the 
present invention, the hook mechanism need only be capable of sweeping 
movement relative to the stator terminal board, in which case wire 53 is 
engaged by guide bars 81 before wire insertion device 80 is centered on 
the terminal means. In an alternate embodiment, the hook mechanism 70 may 
be mounted on the slide 301 of platform 300, so that rod 71 is capable of 
movement in an arcuate path. In this second embodiment, the wire insertion 
device, which must be centered on the terminal means, need only be capable 
of translational movement toward and away from the stator terminal board 
31. 
Sleeve 82 is rotated through a predetermined arc to bring wire 53 into 
alignment with the slot 41 of terminal means 40 by action of wire 53 
bearing against guide bars 81. During this rotation of sleeve 82 an 
additional length of wire 53 is drawn from shuttle needle 60, wire 53 
freely sliding through the groove 73 of hook 72 and against guide bars 81. 
Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, wire insertion device 80 is translated 
toward terminal means 40 so that wire 53 is partially inserted in the 
opening of the slot 51 of terminal means 40 by the urging of sleeve 82. 
For clarity in the further description of this invention, the wire may now 
be referred to as having the three portions described with respect to FIG. 
1: a first portion 53a tautly extending from a first portion of coil 50 to 
terminal means 40; a second portion 53b disposed within terminal means 
slot 51; and a third portion 53c extending from terminal means 40 to a 
second portion of coil 50. In FIG. 9 shaft 90 is translated toward 
terminal means 40 so that the sleeve portion 91 of shaft 90 surrounds the 
exterior of terminal means 40 while insertion tool 92 extends into the 
interior of terminal means 40, whereby insertion tool 92 urges wire 
portion 53b to the base of slot 41. 
After the wire has been inserted in the slot 41 of terminal means 40, wire 
portion 53c is released from hook mechanism 70, described hereinafter. The 
sleeve 91 of shaft 90 urges wire portion 53b toward the base of the slot 
41 of terminal means 40, while the bevel 93 of sleeve 91 prevents wire 
portion 53c from becoming wrapped inadvertantly around sleeve 91. Wire 
insertion tool 92 holds wire portion 53b in engagement with slot 41 of 
terminal means 40 while shuttle 60 is positioned to begin winding the next 
coil portion of coil 50 on pole 32. Shaft 90 and sleeve 82 are then 
translated away from terminal means 40 and winding shuttle 60 resumes 
winding of a second portion of coil 50 on stator pole 32, causing strand 
53c to become wrapped tightly against the exterior surface of terminal 
means 40. This sequence of events results in a completed intermediate lead 
connection as shown in FIG. 1. 
FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 show sectional views and details of hook mechanism 70. 
Hook mechanism 70 includes a support member 100 having a bore extending 
therethrough with a first portion 101 and a second portion 102, such that 
the second portion of the bore has a larger diameter than the first 
portion. Support member 100 is mounted to air cylinder 104 by fastening 
means such as bolts 105. Air cylinder 104 is mounted to a platform capable 
of movement in either one or three directions, such as platform 300 of 
FIG. 15, depending upon the specific embodiment selected from those 
described heretofore. A sleeve 110 having a groove 111 on its inner 
surface comprised of straight portions 111a and helical portions 111b, as 
shown in FIG. 11, is fixedly mounted in the first portion of bore 101 of 
support member 100 by fastening means, such as a screw 112. A pin 113 
extending through rod 71 slides in groove portions 111a and 111b as rod 71 
is translated through sleeve 110, whereby the helical portion 111b of the 
groove causes rod 71 to rotate about its axis to achieve the desired 
orientation relative to the stator terminal board, for example position 
71a in FIG. 3. The straight portions 111a of the groove are designed so 
that rod 71 rotates only after wire 53 is captured in the groove 73 of 
hook 72. 
Rod 71 has a pair of slots 120 and 121 through its thickness at two 
locations as shown in FIG. 10. A pair of plates 130 are positioned on 
opposite sides of rod 71 as shown in FIG. 13, the plates being joined by 
pins 131 and 132 extending through the slots 120 and 121 so that the 
plates are slideably movable relative to rod 71. Plates 130 have a sloped 
surface 133 near the groove 73 in hook 72 and recesses 134 located near 
the end opposite hook 72. 
Bell-shaped member 140 is affixed to the end of rod 71 opposite the hook 
end 72, member 140 being fixedly secured to the end of rod 71 with a 
retainer ring 141. An outer race of bearing 142 is fixedly secured to 
member 140 by a retainer ring 143. The inner race of bearing 142 is 
fixedly secured to the piston rod 144 of air cylinder 104 by a suitable 
fastener, for example, a nut 145. This arrangement permits the 
translational movement of piston rod 144 of air cylinder 104 to be 
converted into translational and rotational movement of rod 71 as it 
slides along groove 111 of sleeve 110. 
Rod 71 has a bore 75 extending inward from the end affixed to member 140 to 
a depth at least as deep as the end of slot 121. A compression spring 150 
is disposed within the bore 75 of rod 71, with one end of the spring fixed 
to a screw 151 mounted in bore 75 and the other end urging pin 132 against 
the end of the slot 121 nearest the hook end 72. Spring 150 therefore 
biases plates 130 to a position clear of wire engaging hook 72. 
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 14, a forked bell crank 160 is pivotally mounted 
in an opening 103 of support member 100 by pin 161. A first end of forked 
bell crank 160 is pivotally secured to a piston arm 170 of an air cylinder 
171 by a pin 172. A second end of the forked bell crank extends into the 
second portion of the bore 102 in support member 100 through opening 103. 
The tips 162 of the second end of the forked bell crank engage recesses 
134 in plates 130. The tips 162 of the second end of the forked member 160 
are shown in FIG. 14 engaged in the recesses 134 of plates 130. 
Referring again to FIG. 10, when the wire 53 is engaged in the groove 73 of 
hook 72 during the wire insertion phase, air cylinder 104 keeps piston rod 
144 retracted, so that the tip of hook 72 bears against support member 100 
of hook mechanism 70. Spring 150 keeps plates 130 clear of the groove 73 
of hook 72 during the movement of rod 71 to capture wire 53. During the 
wire-engaging operation of the hook mechanism, forked bell crank 160 
remains in the position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 10. Once the wire 
is inserted in terminal means 40, hook 72 must release wire portion 53c. 
First, piston arm 170 is retracted in cylinder 171 so that forked bell 
crank 160 rotates until its tips 162 are disposed within the recesses 134 
of plates 130. Piston rod 144 of cylinder 104 is then slowly extended, 
thereby extending rod 71 and plates 130 in unison. However, after a short 
distance of travel the tips 162 of forked member 160 engage the ends of 
recesses 134 and prevent further extension of plates 130, while rod 71 
continues to extend until pins 131 and 132 abut against the ends of slots 
120 and 121. The relative motion between plates 130 and rod 71 results in 
the configuration shown in FIG. 12, such that wire 53 slides off the 
sloped surface 133 of plates 130 when winding shuttle 60 resumes winding 
the second portion of coil 50. 
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the structure of wire insertion device 80 is 
shown, wherein sleeve 82 and shaft 90 are carried in support member 180 to 
perform the functions heretofore described. Support member 180 is mounted 
to a pair of cylinders 190 and 200 by bolts 181. Cylinders 190 and 200 are 
in turn mounted on support plate 210 by bolts 211. Depending upon the 
specific embodiment of the wire insertion device selected from those 
heretofore discussed, support plate 210 may be mounted on a slide 301 by 
bolts 212 which slide may be movable along three axes, as in FIG. 15, or 
simply capable of translation from a first position near the stator 
terminal board to a second position away from the stator terminal board. 
Support member 180 has three bores 182, 183, and 184 leading from its front 
face to a void 185. Rod extensions 191 and 201 mounted on the piston rods 
192 and 202 of air cylinders 190 and 200, respectively, are slideably 
supported in the bores 182, 183 in support member 180. Sleeve 82 carrying 
guide bars 81 and shaft 90 is supported in bore 184 for sliding and 
rotating movement about its axis. Sleeve 82 has a groove 83 comprising 
straight and helical portions located on its inner bore 84. A pin 93 fixed 
on shaft 90 is slideably engaged in groove 83. Sleeve 82 also has a 
circumferential notch 85 near the end of sleeve 82 opposite the end on 
which the guide bars 81 are mounted. Arm 220 mounted on the rod extension 
201 of piston arm 202 has a projection disposed in the notch 85 of sleeve 
82 so that translational movement of piston arm 202 imparts translational 
and rotational movement to sleeve 82 as groove 83 slides along pin 93. A 
first straight portion of groove 83 provides translational movement of 
sleeve 82 towards stator terminal board 31; the helical portion of groove 
83 rotates sleeve 82 and guide bars 81 to align the wire 53 with the slot 
41 in terminal means 40. Thus, by changing the helical pitch of the groove 
83 in sleeve 82, the wire 53 can be aligned for any predetermined 
orientation of the slot 41 of terminal means 40. 
Arm 230 connects shaft 90 at the end opposite wire insertion tool 92 to the 
rod extension 191 of piston arm 192. Shaft 90 is mounted in a collar 231 
of arm 230 by a nut 232, so that shaft 90 is capable only of translational 
movement. Sleeve 82 may be employed solely to align wire 53 with the slot 
41 of terminal means 40, or may additionally act to partially insert the 
wire 53 into the slot 41 of terminal means 40. Shaft 90 is extended by the 
action of piston arm 192 through arm 230 to complete the insertion of the 
wire 53 into slot 41. Shaft 90 and sleeve 82 remain in position while hook 
mechanism 70 releases wire portion 53c and shuttle 60 is positioned to 
begin winding the next portion of coil 50 on stator pole 32. At this 
point, wire 53 is loosely wrapped around terminal means 40, but positioned 
so that it will not disengage from terminal means 40 when shaft 90 and 
sleeve 82 are retracted. Shaft 90 and sleeve 82 are retracted only when 
shuttle 60 resumes winding the next portion of coil 50, resulting in wire 
portion 53c being drawn tautly against the exterior of terminal means 40. 
In the embodiment of wire insertion device 80 wherein the wire insertion 
device is centered on terminal means 40, hook mechanism 70 captures wire 
53 and positions it so that when sleeve 82 of wire insertion device 80 is 
translated toward wire 53, guide bars 81 will pass on opposite sides of 
wire 53 (similar to FIG. 5, but centered and at some distance away from 
terminal means 40). In this case, piston 200 is actuated to advance sleeve 
82, whereby pin 93 will cause sleeve 82 to first translate, rotate, and 
then translate as groove 83 travels along pin 93. At the conclusion of 
this movement, the guide bars 81 of sleeve 82 have not yet engaged wire 
53, but are simply positioned on opposite sides of wire 53. Piston 192 is 
then actuated to translate shaft 90 forward. Because of the engagement of 
pin 93 in groove 83, the outwards translation of shaft 90 will cause 
sleeve 82 to rotate once again, thereby aligning wire 53 with slots 41 of 
terminal means 40. As shaft 90 completes its forward translation, 
insertion tool 92 contacts wire 53, inserts it into slot 41 and then urges 
wire 53 toward the base of slot 41 of terminal means 40. In this 
embodiment, sleeve 82 serves only to align wire 53 and does not assist in 
inserting wire 53 into slot 41. 
In the embodiment of the wire insertion device wherein the wire insertion 
device is not centered on the terminal means, for example, as is shown in 
FIG. 5, it is necessary to have the base of cylinder 200 mounted on an 
additional cylinder in order to impart further translational movement to 
wire insertion device 80 to insert the wire 53 into the slot 41 of 
terminal means 40. This further translation must be performed after the 
wire insertion device has been aligned with terminal means 40, otherwise 
guide bars 81 might abut against terminal means 40 during the step of 
centering the wire insertion device on the slot 41. In this instance, the 
guide bars 81 of sleeve 82 engage and rotate wire 53 to the correct 
orientation while at some distance away from and while not yet centered on 
the terminal means. Wire insertion device 80 is then centered on the 
terminal means. This is followed by translation of wire device 80 towards 
stator terminal board 31 by actuating the additional cylinder (so that the 
end face of sleeve 82 is brought adjacent to terminal means 40), thereby 
preventing wire 53 from slipping off guide bars 81 during the successive 
insertion stage. Finally, piston 192 is actuated to translate shaft 90, 
thereby inserting wire 53 into the slot 41 of terminal means 40. In this 
instance, the stroke of piston 192 is only long enough to cause pin 93 to 
slide in the first straight portion of groove 83, and thereby avoids 
rotating sleeve 82 again. An alternative is to accomplish the additional 
translation toward the terminal means 40 by movement of the platform 300 
of FIG. 15 towards the terminal board after guide bars 81 have been 
rotated to align the wire 53 with slot 41. 
An alternate embodiment of the present invention, for use where orientation 
of the slot 41 in terminal means 40 does not require that sharp changes in 
the direction of the wire be made, includes a second hook mechanism and a 
guide placed over the terminal means. The second hook mechanism is located 
on a platform 300, such as that shown in FIG. 15, so that the hook 
mechanism is movable along three axes. After the wire strand 53 has been 
uncrossed, as shown by the phantom lines in FIG. 4, the second hook 
mechanism captures the wire and aligns it with a guide placed over the 
terminal means by moving parallel to the stator terminal board. The second 
hook mechanism then moves inward toward the terminal board so that the 
wire contacts the guide and is partially inserted in the slot 41 of 
terminal means 40. Wire insertion device 80 then completes the wire 
insertion. 
In another alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 18, a guide rod 250 is 
positioned near the slot 41 in terminal 40. After the hook mechanism has 
captured the strand of wire 53, the hook mechanism moves parallel to the 
stator terminal board so that the wire contacts guide rod 250. Further 
movement of the hook mechanism parallel to the stator terminal board 
aligns the wire 53 with the slot 41 in terminal means 40. The hook 
mechanism then moves inward toward the stator terminal board, causing the 
wire 53 to become partially inserted in slot 41. Wire insertion is 
completed by wire insertion device 80. For the purposes of this 
embodiment, guide bar 250 can be an integrally molded portion of terminal 
means 40.