Device for producing reinforcement cages

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for producing reinforcement cages having multiple longitudinal rods around which a wire, being welded to the longitudinal rods, runs, in particular for concrete tubes, wherein the device comprises a longitudinal rod guidance arrangement having multiple guidance elements and multiple radial guidances. To enable varying the shape of the cross-section of the reinforcement cage, the radial guides each comprise a spindle arrangement having at least one spindle, and at least two guidance element drives are provided which are configured to move one of the guidance elements each independently along the associated radial guidance.

Claims

1. A device for producing reinforcement cages comprising multiple longitudinal rods around which a wire, being welded to the longitudinal rods, runs, the device including a longitudinal rod guidance arrangement having multiple guidance elements and multiple radial guidances, each of said multiple radial guidances guiding one of said multiple guidance elements, each of said multiple radial guidances including a spindle arrangement having at least one spindle, further including at least two guidance element drives, each of said at least two guidance element drives being configured to move one of said multiple guidance elements independently along the associated one of said multiple radial guidances, wherein said guidance element drives are implemented as spindle drives, and wherein each spindle drive is an electrical spindle drive, and a current supply for each spindle drive comprises one or more slip rings.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said spindle drives is provided at an outer end of an associated one of said spindles.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein each said spindle passes through a spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein each said spindle nut is connected to an associated one of said guidance elements via a rotational bearing, and for each of said spindle nuts a guidance element drive is implemented as an associated spindle nut drive so as to drive the associated spindle nut.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said spindles are rotationally supported, and a central spindle drive is provided so as to synchronously drive the spindles.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein an additional spindle is provided for each of said guidance elements.

7. The device of claim 2 wherein an additional spindle is provided for each of said guidance elements.

8. The device of claim 3 wherein an additional spindle is provided for each of said guidance elements.

9. The device of claim 4 wherein an additional spindle is provided for each of said guidance elements.

10. The device of claim 6 wherein each of said additional spindles passes through an associated additional spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

11. The device of claim 7 wherein each of said additional spindles passes through an associated additional spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein each of said additional spindles passes through an associated additional spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

13. The device of claim 9 wherein each of said additional spindles passes through an associated additional spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

14. The device of claim 10 wherein each of said additional spindles passes through an associated additional spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

15. The device of claim 11 wherein each of said additional spindles passes through an associated additional spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed to an associated one of said guidance elements.

16. The device of claim 4 wherein an additional spindle and an additional spindle nut is provided for each of said guidance elements, each of said additional spindle nuts is connected to an associated one of said guidance elements via an additional rotational bearing, and each of said additional spindle nuts is drivable by a spindle nut drive which is configured to additionally drive the associated one of said spindle nuts of the associated one of said guidance elements.

17. The device of claim 5 wherein an additional spindle and an additional spindle nut is provided for each of said guidance elements, each of said additional spindle nuts is connected to an associated one of said guidance elements via an additional rotational bearing, and each of said additional spindle nuts is drivable by a spindle nut drive which is configured to additionally drive the associated one of said spindle nuts of the associated one of said guidance elements.

18. A device for producing reinforcement cages having a longitudinal rod guidance arrangement around which a wire, being welded to the longitudinal rods, runs, comprising: multiple guidance elements and multiple radial guidances, each of said multiple radial guidances guiding one of said multiple guidance elements, each of said radial guidances including a spindle arrangement having at least one spindle, and at least two guidance element drives being provided which are configured to move one of said guidance elements independently along an associated one of said radial guidances.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying figures, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the following, the invention is described with reference to the drawings in more detail, in which:

[0024] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a device for producing reinforcement cages;

[0025] FIG. 1B shows a perspective detail view which illustrates the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement;

[0026] FIG. 2A shows a front view of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement;

[0027] FIG. 2B shows a cut view of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement along the A-A line from FIG. 2A;

[0028] FIG. 2C shows a back view of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement;

[0029] FIG. 3A shows a schematic view of a first embodiment of a spindle arrangement;

[0030] FIG. 3B shows a schematic view of a second embodiment of a spindle arrangement;

[0031] FIG. 3C shows a schematic view of a third embodiment of a spindle arrangement;

[0032] FIG. 3D shows a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of a spindle arrangement;

[0033] FIG. 3E shows a schematic view of a fifth embodiment of a spindle arrangement;

[0034] FIG. 3F shows a schematic view of a sixth embodiment of a spindle arrangement; and

[0035] FIG. 3G shows a schematic view of a seventh embodiment of a spindle arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a device for producing reinforcement cages. FIG. 1B shows a perspective detail view which illustrates the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement from FIG. 1B. The device for producing reinforcement cages comprises a rotatable longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and a rotatable longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2. The longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 have a shared rotational axis. The longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 is accommodated in a cylindrical frame 3. A longitudinal rod guidance arrangement drive 4 is configured to rotate the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 around its rotational axis. A longitudinal rod clamping arrangement drive 5 is configured to rotate the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 2 around its rotational axis. The longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 are movable relative to each other along their shared rotational axis. The longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 is provided on a clamping arrangement carriage 18. The clamping arrangement carriage 18 is movable along the shared rotational axis of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 on an axial guidance 6 having two opposing rails 7, wherein the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 is driven by a clamping arrangement carriage drive 8. The longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 comprises multiple radially movable guidance elements 9 (for illustrational purposes, here twelve guidance elements are depicted. Actually, many more guidance elements may be present, for example 24) which each pass through a radial slit 10 in a bezel 11 and are drivable along a radial guidance by a guidance element drive (see FIG. 2A). A welding arrangement 12 is provided on a welding arrangement carriage 19 which is movable transversally in respect to the shared rotational axis on a transversal guide 20, wherein the welding arrangement carriage 19 is driven by a welding arrangement drive 17. A wire 13 is guided by a wire guidance arrangement 14 which is provided at the welding arrangement 12. The welding arrangement 12 comprises a welding electrode 15. A corresponding counter welding electrode 16 is implemented on the guidance elements 9, respectively.

[0037] FIG. 2A shows a front view of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement. FIG. 2B shows a cut view of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 along the A-A line from FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C shows a rear view of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1. In FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, for clarity purposes, only one radial guidance 21 of the multiple radial guidances and one of the guidance elements 9 of the multiple guidance elements, each being in formation along one of the radial slits 10 in the bezel 11 and having an associated guidance element drive 27, are shown. The radial guidances 21 and guidance elements 9 are substantially identical or implemented identically and are only arranged in another manner (angularly offset). The radial guidances 21 each include a rotatable spindle 23 and two guidance columns 24. The rotatable spindle 23 passes through the guidance element 9 and a spindle nut which is mounted rotationally fixed on the guidance element 9. The guidance columns 24 also pass through the bores in the guidance element 9. Each guidance element 9 includes a guidance tube 22 through which a longitudinal rod is passed, respectively. At the front end of the guidance pipe 22, a counter welding electrode 16 is provided with which a longitudinal rod being passed through the guidance tube 22 is in touch, respectively. Laterally, adjacent to the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1, a longitudinal rod guidance arrangement drive 4 is provided which rotates the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 in a cylindrical frame 3 around its rotational axis. The longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 includes multiple slip rings 25 extending around the longitudinal guidance arrangement 1 and being part of the current supply or of signal conductors of the guidance element drives 27. These slip rings 25 are contacted by associated slip contacts which are provided on the cylindrical frame 3. The signal conductors and current supply conductors and their electrical connections to the slip rings 25, the slip contacts 26 and the guidance element drives 27 are not depicted as they are obvious for the person skilled in the art and they would render the illustration confusing.

[0038] During production of reinforcement cages, longitudinal rods are passed through the guidance tubes 22 of the guidance elements 9 and clamped in a clamping arrangement (not shown) of the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2, respectively. The longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 is then moved on the clamping arrangement carriage 18 along the shared rotational axis of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and of the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2. Following this, the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 are turned synchronously by the same angle which corresponds to the angular distance between two longitudinal rods. Then, the guidance elements 9 can be moved radially. The welding arrangement carriage 19 is moved so that it is in the suitable position for the welding process of the welding arrangement 12. During the welding, the welding electrode 15 pushes the wire 14 and one of the longitudinal rods (not shown) against one of the counter welding electrodes 16. Then, the welding process is performed and the production method continues from the moving of the clamping arrangement carriage 18 along the shared rotational axis of the longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 and of the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2, as described, until the end of the production. The longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 4, the longitudinal rod clamping arrangement drive 5, the moving arrangement drive 8, the welding arrangement drive 17, the welding arrangement 12, and the guidance element drives are controlled by a central controller (not shown). Current supply conductors and control conductors are not shown or not shown completely in the figures either so as to prevent confusion.

[0039] In the FIGS. 3A to 3G, different embodiments of a radial guidance are schematically shown. Elements having the same function are referenced to with the same reference numeral.

[0040] FIG. 3A shows a schematic view of a first embodiment of a radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises a spindle 23 which is mounted rotatably and passes through a spindle nut 30. The spindle 23 is driven by a spindle drive 27. The spindle nut 30 is mounted rotatably fixed to the guidance element 9. A respective guidance column 24 is provided on two opposite sides of the spindle 23. The first embodiment corresponds to the embodiment depicted in the previous figures.

[0041] FIG. 3B shows a schematic view of a second embodiment of a radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises a spindle 23 which is mounted rotatably and passes through a spindle nut 30. The spindle 23 is driven by a central spindle drive 31 via a gear 29. Via the gear 29, at the same time, the spindles of the further radial guidances are driven synchronously by the central spindle drive 31. The spindle nut 30 is mounted rotatably to the guidance element 9. The spindle nut 30 is driven by a spindle nut drive 28. This allows to move the guidance elements 9 radially by a different amount while they are moved radially by the spindle drive 27 by the same amount. A respective guidance column 24 is provided on two opposing sides of the spindle.

[0042] FIG. 3C shows a schematic view of a third embodiment of a third radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises a spindle 23 which is mounted rotatably fixed and passes through a spindle nut 30. The spindle nut 30 is mounted rotatably to the guidance element 9. The spindle nut 30 is driven by a spindle nut drive 28. A respective guidance column 24 is provided on two opposite sides of the spindle.

[0043] FIG. 3D shows a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of a radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises two spindles 23 which are each mounted rotatably and pass through a spindle nut 30. Both spindles 23 are driven by the same spindle drive 27. The spindle nuts 30 are mounted rotatably fixed to the guidance element 9.

[0044] FIG. 3E shows a schematic view of a fifth embodiment of a radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises two spindles 23 which are each mounted rotatably and pass through a spindle nut 30. Both spindles 23 are driven by two different spindle drives 27. The spindle nuts 30 are mounted rotatably fixed to the guidance element 9.

[0045] FIG. 3F shows a schematic view of a sixth embodiment of a radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises two spindles 23 which are mounted rotatably fixed and each pass through a spindle nut 30. The spindle nuts 30 are mounted rotatably to the guidance element 9. The spindle nuts 30 are driven by a spindle nut drive 28.

[0046] FIG. 3G shows a schematic view of a seventh embodiment of a radial guidance. The radial guidance comprises two spindles 23 which are mounted rotatably fixed and each pass through a spindle nut 30. The spindle nuts 30 are mounted rotatably to the guidance element 9. The spindle nuts 30 each are driven by a spindle nut drive 28.

[0047] Thus, it will be seen that the improvements presented herein are consistent with the objects of the invention described above. While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention is determined not by the embodiments illustrated or the physical analyses motivating the illustrated embodiments, but, rather, by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0048] longitudinal rod guidance arrangement 1 [0049] longitudinal rod clamping arrangement 2 [0050] cylindrical frame 3 [0051] longitudinal rod guidance arrangement drive 4 [0052] longitudinal rod clamping arrangement drive 5 [0053] axial guidance 6 [0054] rails 7 [0055] clamping arrangement carriage drive 8 [0056] guidance element 9 [0057] radial slit 10 [0058] bezel 11 [0059] welding arrangement 12 [0060] wire 13 [0061] wire guidance arrangement 14 [0062] welding electrode 15 [0063] counter welding electrode 16 [0064] welding arrangement drive 17 [0065] clamping arrangement carriage 18 [0066] welding arrangement carriage 19 [0067] transversal guidance 20 [0068] radial guidance 21 [0069] guidance tube 22 [0070] spindle 23 [0071] guidance column 24 [0072] slip ring 25 [0073] slip contact 26 [0074] spindle drive 27 [0075] spindle nut drive 28 [0076] gear 29 [0077] spindle nut 30 [0078] central spindle drive 31