METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING A CORRECT WINDING OF A WIRE ON A SPOOL

Abstract

Method for implementing a correct winding of a wire on a spool (100). The method also comprises a step for calculating the angular speed of a motor (43) displacing the wire dispensing device (40) according to the wire winding step and according to the dancer error, detected by a position sensor (35) that provides an analogical signal with respect to a zero position and to a tolerance value, in order to determine the presence of a possible valley error, or of a possible peak error. In this method, if during the spool winding, a valley error or a peak error is detected, the control device decides whether to slow down or to increase the speed of the wire dispensing device (40) with the aim of filling the depression or skipping the peak.

Claims

1. Method for implementing a correct winding of a wire on a spool, said method comprising the following steps: (f1) setting the main geometrical data of the spool on an operation panel of the electronic control unit (by means of dedicated formulas or by means of manually entered data); (f2) loading a spool on the machine; (f3) acquiring the position of the spool flanges by means of a sensor; (f4) calculating the actual spool position and comparing it with the spool data set in advance in the electronic control unit in order to check whether the spool loading was successful and whether the spool is consistent with what expected; (f5) keeping on if the check is positive; or stopping and reporting the problem by means of an alarm signal; (f6) manually binding the wire to the spool; an operator starts the production by activating a specific command; (f7) detecting the dancer position and transforming the measured value into a measure of wire tension based on the geometry and structure of the dancer; (f8) calculating the servodiameter according to the spool data, the production data and the dancer position; and (f9) calculating the speed of the spool motor according to the servodiameter with the aim of maintaining a constant winding tension; said method being characterized in that it comprises a further step for calculating the angular speed of a motor displacing the wire dispensing device according to the wire winding step and according to the dancer error, detected by a position sensor that provides an analogical signal with respect to a zero position and to a tolerance value, in order to determine the presence of a possible valley error, or of a possible peak error; and in that if during the spool winding a valley error or a peak error is detected, the control device decides whether to slow down or to increase the speed of the wire dispensing device with the aim of filling the depression or skipping the peak.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a further step wherein the inversion of the wire dispensing device is calculated according to the spool flange position detected by the sensor during the spool loading and according to a detected dancer error; said error being used to determine the presence of a valley or of a peak, and therefore to increase or to reduce the inversion.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a further step for calculating the length of the wire wound on the spool.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least a step of cable data transmission, or wireless transmission, to remote units for controlling the machine and/or the production line.

5. Machine for winding a wire on a spool, characterized in that it can implement a method for a correct winding of a wire on a spool according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0041] The present invention, concerning a method, will be best understood upon perusal of the following description, with reference to a drawing that shows, in a schematic manner, a machine to wound a wire on a spool. As we will explain more in detail below, this machine is fitted with sensors, which are designed to control the method according to the present invention.

FAVOURITE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0042] In the accompanying figure, number 10 indicates a machine to wind a wire on a spool 100, on which the method according to the present invention can be implemented.

[0043] The machine 10 comprises the following devices arranged in line:

[0044] (a) a feeding device 20 to feed a wire (not shown) to be wound around a spool 100; this feeding device 20 comprises, as it is known, a drawing die 21, which is caused to rotate by a synchronous electric motor 22 (for example, a brushless motor) by means of a pair of wheels 23, 24, which are connected to each other by a belt 25; the synchronous electric motor 22 is associated with a relative encoder 26 and is controlled by an electronic board 27;

[0045] (b) a dancer 30 comprising, in turn, a cam 31, which is mounted on a shaft 32, which pivots on a lever 33, on which there is mounted, in a rotary manner, a wire transmission pulley 34; the sensor 35 is not in contact with the surface of the cam 31; the sensor 35 provides an analogical signal, which depends on the distance of its reading head from the surface of the cam 31; therefore, the variation of the signal generated by the sensor 35 measures the variation of the distance of the surface of the cam 31;

[0046] (c) a wire dispensing device 40 comprising a worm screw 41 controlling the displacement of a pulley of the wire dispensing device along an axis (X1) and according one of the two directions defined by arrows (F1) and (F2); the worm screw 41 is caused to rotate by a synchronous electric motor 43 (for example, a brushless motor) by means of a pair of wheels 44, 45, which are connected to each other by a belt 46; the synchronous electric motor 43 is associated with a relative encoder 47 and is controlled by an electronic board 48;

[0047] (d) a spool assembly 50 comprising the above-mentioned spool 100, on which the wire (not shown) is wound so as to form a wire hank (not shown); the spool assembly 50 comprises, furthermore, a relative synchronous electric motor 51, which causes the spool 100 to rotate (around an axis (X2)arrow (R)) by means of a pair of wheels 52, 53, which are connected to each other by means of a belt 54; the synchronous electric motor 51 is associated with a relative encoder 55 and is controlled by an electronic board 48; and

[0048] (e) a sensor 60, which is designed to read the position of the spool 100 and the conformation of its wire containing flanges; in particular, preferably, though not necessarily, the sensor 60 is not mounted on the wire dispensing assembly 40.

[0049] Incidentally, it should be pointed out that each electronic board 27, 48, 56, coupled to the respective encoder 26, 47, 55, fulfils both power control functions (since it is used to turn direct current into alternating current) and mere software control functions concerning the data received/sent from/to the respective encoder 26, 47, 55.

[0050] In a preferred solution of the invention, a DC bus architecture is used.

[0051] However, with greater construction complexities, the same operation might be obtain booth with DC motors and AC/DC converters ans with AC motors and AC/AC converters.

[0052] The electronic boards 27, 48, 56, the analogical sensor 35 and the spool control sensor 60 are electronically connected to an electronic control unit (CC), which can be integrated in the machine 10 or not and manages all the functions used to control the components of the machine 10.

[0053] The method according to the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0054] (f1) setting the main geometrical data of the spool on an operation panel of the electronic control unit (by means of dedicated formulas or by means of manually entered data);

[0055] (f2) loading a spool on the machine;

[0056] (f3) acquiring the position of the spool flanges by means of a sensor;

[0057] (f4) calculating the actual spool position and comparing it with the spool data set in advance in the electronic control unit in order to check whether the spool loading was successful and whether the spool is consistent with what expected;

[0058] (f5) keeping on if the check is positive; or stopping and reporting the problem by means of an alarm signal;

[0059] (f6) manually binding the wire to the spool; an operator starts the production by activating a specific command;

[0060] (f7) detecting the dancer position and transforming the measured value into a measure of wire tension based on the geometry and structure of the dancer;

[0061] (f8) calculating the servodiameter according to the spool data, the production data and the dancer position; and

[0062] (f9) calculating the speed of the spool motor according to the servodiameter with the aim of maintaining a constant winding tension.

[0063] The method comprises a further step for calculating the angular speed of a motor displacing the wire dispensing device according to the wire winding step and according to the dancer error, detected by a position sensor that provides an analogical signal with respect to a zero position and to a tolerance value, in order to determine the presence of a possible valley error, or of a possible peak error. In this method, if, during the spool winding, a valley error or a peak error is detected, the control device decides whether to slow down or to increase the speed of the wire dispensing device with the aim of filling the depression or skipping the peak.

[0064] The main advantage of the method according to the present invention lies in its reliability. Furthermore, in order to implement the method according to the present invention, it is sufficient to have a winding machine, in which a small number of sensors is provided. In addition, the solution according to the present invention prevents the operator of the winding machine from having to continuously/frequently correct the inversion parameters of the wire dispensing device, thus reducing the time that the operator has to spend working on a single machine. In this way, each single operator can increase the number of widning machines that he/she can manage.