DEVICE FOR BENDING AT LEAST ONE CONDUCTOR ELEMENT WHICH IS U-SHAPED IN AN INITIAL STATE, AND A CORRESPONDING METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for bending at least one conductor element which is U-shaped in an initial state, wherein the device includes a first pivot unit having a first limb-receiving means, a second pivot unit having a second limb-receiving means and a guide assembly comprising a first guide element having a first shaping surface and a second guide element having a second shaping surface, and a corresponding method for bending at least one conductor element which is U-shaped in an initial state.

Claims

1. Device for bending at least one conductor element which is U-shaped in an initial state and which, in an initial state, consists of a first straight limb, a second straight limb and an arcuate connecting portion which connects the two limbs, wherein the device comprises: a first pivot unit having a first limb-receiving means which is designed to be pivotable about a first pivot axis on a first circular path and which is designed for clampingly receiving the first limb of the conductor element, a second pivot unit having a second limb-receiving means which is designed to be pivotable about a second pivot axis, which is arranged at a distance from the first pivot axis, on a second circular path and which is designed for clampingly receiving the second limb of the conductor element, wherein the first limb-receiving means and the second limb-receiving means can be pivoted away from one another in the same pivoting direction on the respective circular paths, a guide assembly comprising a first guide element having a first shaping surface and a second guide element having a second shaping surface, wherein the two guide elements are arranged or can be arranged in such a way that the arcuate connecting portion of a conductor element to be deformed or of a plurality of conductor elements to be deformed and to be arranged one next to the other, in the initial state thereof, can be arranged between the two guide elements in such a way that said conductor elements are guided between the shaping surfaces or can be moved therewith.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first guide element and the second guide element can be moved toward and away from one another relative to one another, in particular in a guide direction.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises a first guide surface, which is curved and arranged on the first guide element, the first guide surface being arranged and designed in such a way that when the first pivot unit is pivoted, a deformed portion of the first limb, which extends from the part of the first limb received in the first limb-receiving means in the direction of the connecting portion, is bent against the first guide surface, so that a contour of the first guide surface is at least partially impressed on the deformed portion of the first limb.

4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device (10) comprises a second guide surface, which is curved and is preferably arranged on the second guide element, the second guide surface being arranged and designed in such a way that when the second pivot unit is pivoted, a deformed portion of the second limb, which extends from the part of the second limb received in the second limb-receiving means in the direction of the connecting portion, is bent against the second guide surface, so that a contour of the second guide surface is at least partially impressed on the deformed portion of the second limb.

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises at least one shaping element which has a contact surface, the shaping element being arranged and designed in such a way that the contact surface thereof can be pressed against the deformed portion of the first limb or against the deformed portion of the second limb by a movement of the shaping element in the guide direction so that a contour of the contact surface is at least partially impressed on the deformed portion of the first limb or the deformed portion of the second limb.

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the shaping element is arranged and designed in such a way that the contact surface of the shaping element and the first guide surface or the contact surface of the shaping element and the second guide surface can be moved toward and away from one another relative to one another.

7. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first pivot unit is arranged and designed in such a way that the first pivot unit is designed to be movable in a direction parallel to the first pivot axis and/or in that the second pivot unit is arranged and designed in such a way that the second pivot unit is designed to be movable in a direction parallel to the second pivot axis.

8. Method for bending at least one conductor element which is U-shaped in an initial state or a conductor element assembly which comprises a plurality of conductor elements arranged one next to the other and which comprises a first straight limb, a second straight limb and an arcuate connecting portion which connects the two limbs, wherein the conductor elements of the conductor element assembly are formed having an identical connecting portion, wherein the method comprises the following steps: arranging the arcuate connecting portion within a guide assembly, receiving the first limb in a first limb-receiving means in a clampingly fixed manner, receiving the second limb in a second limb-receiving means in a clampingly fixed manner, pivoting the part of the first limb received in the first limb-receiving means on a first circular path about a first pivot axis in a pivoting direction, pivoting the part of the second limb received in the second limb-receiving means on a second circular path about a second pivot axis in the pivoting direction, wherein the arcuate connecting portion of the conductor element is deformed and displaced parallel to the pivot axes, wherein part of the connecting portion is held in its orientation by the guide assembly.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that when the part of the first limb received in the first limb-receiving means is pivoted, a deformed portion of the first limb, which extends from the part of the first limb that is received in the first limb-receiving means in the direction of the connecting portion, is bent against a first guide surface, so that a contour of the first guide surface is at least partially impressed on the deformed portion of the first limb.

10. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that when the part of the second limb received in the second limb-receiving means is pivoted, a deformed portion of the second limb, which extends from the part of the second limb that is received in the second limb-receiving means in the direction of the connecting portion, is bent against a second guide surface, so that a contour of the second guide surface is at least partially impressed on the deformed portion of the second limb.

11. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that when the part of the first limb received in the first limb-receiving means is pivoted, the first limb-receiving means is moved in a direction parallel to the first pivot axis and/or in that when the part of the second limb received in the second limb-receiving means is pivoted, the second limb-receiving means is moved in a direction parallel to the second pivot axis.

12. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the method further comprises the step of: pressing a contact surface against the deformed portion of the first limb and/or against the deformed portion of the second limb, so that a contour of the contact surface is at least partially impressed on the deformed portion of the first limb and/or the deformed portion of the second limb.

13. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that a device is used when carrying out the method, wherein the device comprises: a first pivot unit having a first limb-receiving means which is designed to be pivotable about a first pivot axis on a first circular path and which is designed for clampingly receiving the first limb of the conductor element, a second pivot unit having a second limb-receiving means which is designed to be pivotable about a second pivot axis, which is arranged at a distance from the first pivot axis, on a second circular path and which is designed for clampingly receiving the second limb of the conductor element, wherein the first limb-receiving means and the second limb-receiving means can be pivoted away from one another in the same pivoting direction on the respective circular paths, a guide assembly comprising a first guide element having a first shaping surface and a second guide element having a second shaping surface, wherein the two guide elements are arranged or can be arranged in such a way that the arcuate connecting portion of a conductor element to be deformed or of a plurality of conductor elements to be deformed and to be arranged one next to the other, in the initial state thereof, can be arranged between the two guide elements in such a way that said conductor elements are guided between the shaping surfaces or can be moved therewith.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Further features, details and advantages of the invention can be found in the wording of the claims and in the following description of the embodiment with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0051] FIG. 1 is a side view of a conductor element in an initial state;

[0052] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a device according to the invention in an initial state;

[0053] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a device according to FIG. 2;

[0054] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a device according to FIG. 2 in a pivoted state and

[0055] FIG. 5 is a plan view of three conductor elements bent by means of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] In the following description and in the figures, corresponding components and elements have the same reference signs. For the sake of clarity, not all of the reference signs are shown in all of the figures.

[0057] FIG. 1 is a side view of a conductor element 12 in an initial state. The conductor element is U-shaped in the initial state. It has a first limb 14 and a second limb 16. These are connected to one another via an arcuate connecting portion 18. The connecting portion 18 lies above the boundary to the limbs 14 and 16, which is shown by a broken line in FIG. 1.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a device 10 according to the invention in an initial state. In the present case, three conductor elements 12 are shown received in the device 10 in the U-shaped initial state.

[0059] The device 10 comprises a first pivot unit 20 and a second pivot unit 26. The first pivot unit 20 has a first limb-receiving means 22 and the second pivot unit 26 has a second limb-receiving means 28 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0060] The first limbs 14 of the three conductor elements 12 are received in the first limb-receiving means 22 in a clampingly fixed manner and the second limbs 16 thereof are received in the second limb-receiving means 28 in a clampingly fixed manner.

[0061] The device 10 comprises a guide assembly 32. This consists of two guide elements in the present case: a first guide element 34 and a second guide element 36.

[0062] The device 10 further comprises a first shaping surface 35 and a first guide surface 38, the first shaping surface 35 and the first guide surface 38 both being arranged on the first guide element 34.

[0063] The device 10 further comprises a second shaping surface 37 and a second guide surface 42, the second shaping surface 37 and the second guide surface 42 both being arranged on the second guide element 34.

[0064] In the present case, the shaping surfaces 35, 37 are designed as flat surfaces and the guide surfaces 38, 42 are curved.

[0065] Before the conductor elements 12 are bent, they or the guide elements 34, 36 are arranged and aligned relative to one another in such a way that the shaping surfaces 35, 37 are at least partially flush with the sides of the two lateral conductor elements 12. In the present case, the two guide elements 34, 36 are arranged in such a way that the two shaping guide surfaces 35, 37 are aligned parallel to one another.

[0066] For this purpose, the two guide elements 34, 36 are arranged such that they can move in the guide direction 39. They can be moved toward and away from one another in the guide direction 39. This means the relative movement of both guide elements 34, 36, so that, for example, the first guide element 34 can be held while the second guide element 36 is moved, or vice versa, or both guide elements 34, 36 are moved simultaneously.

[0067] In addition, the device 10 has a shaping element 46 having a contact surface 48. The shaping element 46 is also arranged such that it can be moved in the guide direction 39. In the present case, this is by means of a screw thread 62 into and out of which a threaded rod 66, on which the shaping element 46 is arranged, is screwed in or out by means of a crank 64.

[0068] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a device 10 according to FIG. 2. Here, too, the device 10 is in the initial state, i.e. before bending of the conductor elements 12 and before pivoting of the two pivot units 20 and 26.

[0069] The first pivot unit 20 is arranged so as to be pivotable about a first pivot axis 24 on a circular path. The second pivot unit 26 is arranged so as to be pivotable about a second pivot axis 30 on a circular path. The two pivot axes 24 and 30 are indicated by two dashed lines.

[0070] The two pivot units 20, 26 can, for example, be pivoted manually by an operator using a first lever 50 and a second lever 52.

[0071] In the present case, the first pivot unit 20 is arranged so as to be movable along the first pivot axis 24. For this purpose, the first pivot unit 20 has a roller 54. During the pivoting of the first pivot unit 20 in the pivoting direction 56, the roller 54 runs on a spirally rising ramp 60. The roller 54 therefore rolls up the ramp 60 and moves the first pivot unit 20 in the vertical direction.

[0072] In the present case, the second pivot unit 26 is designed to be immovable in the vertical direction, i.e. parallel to the second pivot axis 30. However, it is conceivable that the second pivot unit 26 is also designed to be movable in the vertical direction, analogously to the first pivot unit 20.

[0073] In the present case, the two pivot axes 24, 30 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart from one another.

[0074] In order to bend the conductor elements 12, the two pivot units 20, 26 are pivoted in the pivoting direction 56 by means of the levers 50, 52. As a result, the limbs 14 and 16 which are received in the two limb-receiving means 22, 28 in a clampingly fixed manner are moved on the respective circular paths about the pivot axes 24, 30.

[0075] Since the first pivoting device 20 performs an upward movement along the first pivot axis 24 by means of the roller 54 and the ramp 60 during pivoting, this upward movement is also transmitted to the first limb-receiving means 22 and the first limbs 14 of the conductor elements 12 received therein in a clampingly fixed manner.

[0076] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a device 10 according to FIG. 2 in a pivoted state. The pivot units 20, 26 have each been pivoted in the pivoting direction 56 from the initial state shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen from this, the limbs 14 and 16 have been pivoted with the pivot units 20, 26 and their limb-receiving means 22, 28. The conductor elements 12 and in particular their limbs 14, 16 were bent on the two guide surfaces 38, 42 in the process.

[0077] The contour of the first guide surface 38 was impressed on a deformed portion 40 of the first limb 14 and the contour of the second guide surface 42 was impressed on a deformed portion 44 of the second limb 16. For the sake of clarity, the two deformed portions 40, 44 are labeled in FIG. 5.

[0078] After the two pivot units 20, 26 have been pivoted, they are locked in their pivoted position since they could otherwise spring back counter to the pivoting direction 56. In the present case, this is implemented by means of stoppers 70 which engage behind the levers 50, 52 and prevent them from swinging back.

[0079] After the two pivot units 20, 26 have been pivoted, the shaping element 46 is displaced in the guide direction 39, so that the contact surface 48 is pressed onto the deformed portion 44 of the second limb 16 of the conductor elements 12. In the process, the contour of the working surface 48 is transferred to the deformed portion 44. The deformation of the deformed portion 44 of the second limb 16 thus corresponds to a superimposition of the contours of the working surface 48 and the second guide surface 42.

[0080] During the pivoting or bending of the conductor elements 12, the connecting portions 18, which are arranged between the shaping surfaces 35, 37, move downward in the vertical direction, parallel to the pivot axes 24, 30. In FIG. 3, this corresponds to a direction pointing into the plane of the drawing.

[0081] This vertical displacement in the vertical direction is performed by all the connecting portions 18 equally. In addition, however, the individual connecting portions 18 of the respective conductor elements 12 are displaced in an orientation direction 58. This is directed perpendicularly to the direction described above which points into the plane of the drawing in FIG. 4.

[0082] The displacement of the connecting portions 18 in the orientation direction 58 is different for the individual connecting portions 18. The connecting portions 18 are displaced between the shaping surfaces 35, 37, which represent a guide in the orientation direction 58 for the connecting portions 18.

[0083] This displacement results from the fact that a plurality of conductor elements 12 are arranged one next to the other and are bent. The more conductor elements 12 are arranged next to one another and bent, the greater the offset between the displacements of the conductor element 12 shown on the far left in FIG. 4 and the conductor element 12 shown on the far right in FIG. 4.

[0084] By pulling apart the first and the second limbs 14, 16 of the conductor elements 12 by pivoting as described above, the connecting portions 18 must be moved in the direction of the limbs 14, 16 and/or the limbs 14, 16 must be moved in the direction of the connecting portions 18 in order to make a length adjustment.

[0085] In the present case, this is implemented by means of two movements. On the one hand, the connecting portions 18 move in the direction of the two limbs 14, 16 between the two guide elements 34, 36 by the connecting portions 18 slipping out in the direction of the two limbs 14, 16, in particular guided by the shaping surfaces 35, 37. On the other hand, the first pivot unit 20 is moved in the direction of the connecting portion 18 by means of the ramp 60 described above, and therefore so are the first limbs 14 of the conductor elements 12.

[0086] FIG. 5 is a plan view of three conductor elements 12 bent by means of the device 10. The connecting portions 18 and respective deformed portions 40, 44 of the limbs 14, 16 are shown.

[0087] Central regions 68 on the connecting portions 18 are indicated by dashes. In the U-shaped initial state of the conductor elements 12 shown in FIG. 1, these correspond to one another and lie on a line. After the conductor elements 12 have been bent, the connecting portions 18 are displaced relative to one another, as can be seen from the displaced central regions 68.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0088] 10 device [0089] 12 conductor element [0090] 14 first limb [0091] 16 second limb [0092] 18 connecting portion [0093] 20 first pivot unit [0094] 22 first limb-receiving means [0095] 24 first pivot axis [0096] 26 second pivot unit [0097] 28 second limb-receiving means [0098] 30 second pivot axis [0099] 32 guide assembly [0100] 34 first guide element [0101] 35 first shaping surface [0102] 36 second guide element [0103] 37 second shaping surface [0104] 38 first guide surface [0105] 39 guide direction [0106] 40 deformed portion of the first limb [0107] 42 second guide surface [0108] 44 deformed portion of the second limb [0109] 46 shaping element [0110] 48 contact surface [0111] 50 first lever [0112] 52 second lever [0113] 54 roller [0114] 56 pivoting direction [0115] 58 orientation direction [0116] 60 ramp [0117] 62 screw thread [0118] 64 crank [0119] 66 threaded rod [0120] 68 central region of the connecting portion [0121] 70 stopper