GB2179475A - Improvements relating to control systems for coil winding machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A coil winding machine control system comprising a microprocessor [8] for controlling the operation of the winding machine in accordance with a program arranged to be stored in said microprocessor from control system programming means [16] which is adapted to be temporarily coupled to the microprocessor of the control system for the transfer of a specific program appertaining to a particular winding construction into program storage means of the microprocessor, said program having been derived from common program generating means responsive to specific information imported thereto for generating a program for winding a specific form of coil. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to control systems for coil winding machines This invention relates to control systems in or for coil winding machines.

For the purpose of controlling the operation of coil winding machines in dependence upon the specific form or construction of coils to be wound it is already known for the control system of such machines to embody microprocessors which are arranged to be programmed by an operator according to predetermined winding requirements.

This programming operation commonly involves keying numerical information into the microprocessor, such numerical information comprising a series of digits or groups of digits the location of which in the series signifying a particular feature of the winding operation according to a predetermined coding procedure. For example a particular digit in a series may correspond to the instruction "start position" and a succeeding group of digits may then define the position of the mandrel relative to the headstock of the winding machine.

Whilst the codes are relatively easy for an operator to learn from an instruction manual the procedure of keying in the numerical information is not only laborious but may need to be repeated many times in the case of a multiplicity of winding machines being involved in the production of identical coils and/or where the specific construction of coils being wound needs to be changed at frequent intervals in the case of relatively short production runs.

The present invention at least alleviates the aforesaid disadvantage of known machine control systems employing microprocessors by providing a winding machine control system comprising a microprocessor for controlling the operation of the winding machine in accordance with a program arranged to be stored in said microprocessor from control system programming means which is adapted to be temporarily coupled to the microprocessor of the control system for the transfer of a specific program appertaining to a particular winding construction into program storage means of the microprocessor, said program having been derived from common program generating means responsive to specific information imported thereto for generating a program for winding a specific form of coil.

The programming means preferably comprises a portable programming module which is adapted to be connected to the microprocessor for the transfer of the specific program and then disconnected.

It will readily be appreciated that the use of portable control system programming means enables a number of winding machines to be quickly programmed by simply connecting the programming means in turn to the microprocessors appertaining to the respective machines and, moreover, it may be arranged that the programming means retains the program therein for further use at some future time when the production run for the specific coil concerned may need to be repeated. Thus, in practice, a control system programming means may be provided in respect of each specific form of coil which it may be required to wind.

The microprocessor may be permanently programmed with some data common to the production of coils of all forms to be wound on the machine (e.g. data for controlling and monitoring the winding motor speed and number of revolutions etc.). The program transferred to the microprocessor from the portable programming means however will contain data specific to a particular coil to be wound on the machine and will identify such features as required motor speed, the requisite number of turns on coil and other information needed by the machine operator.

In order to assist the winding machine operator a visual display unit is preferably provided in association with the winding machine and forming part of the control system and this display unit may provide all or some of the following information before and/or during winding operations.

a) Initial information concerning the particular form of coil to be wound such as the gauge of wire to be used and the winding tool identities.

b) Information during winding concerning the total number of winding turns required and the actual number wound.

c) During and between winding operations, instructions for operations concerning coil wire-to-bobbin terminal connections, sleeve colours for coil ends and insulating tape turns between and/or over windings.

This and other information displayed by the display unit may be fed to the unit from the microprocessor and/or other parts of the winding machine and its control system. The operator instructions indicated at c) above are particularly useful to an operator when winding complex coils having many winding taps and sleeves etc. This is particularly important for short production runs of complex windings where an operator would otherwise need to memorise winding connections etc. or refer to an instruction manual or drawing for such information.

By way of example the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coil winding machine and control system therefor; Figure 2 is a block schematic diagram showing the machine control system; and, Figure 3 is a flow diagram representing various steps performed by the control system and winding machine during a winding operation.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1 of the drawings and then also to Fig. 2 the coil winding machine illustrated comprises a coil winder including a bench-mounted motor 1 having an associated clutch 2 and brake system 3. The coil winder also includes a headstock which along, or in combination with a benchmounted adjustable tailstock 5 serves for mounting an appropriate coil winding tool or former 6 located beneath an adjustable wire de-reeling/tensioning assembly indicated at 7.

This coil winder is of generally conventional construction.

For the control of the coil winder during a winding operation and to provide an operator with information required during coil manufacture for the performance of various manufacturing tasks (e.g. the connection of winding ends to bobbin terminal pins and the attachment of coloured sleeves to winding ends etc.) a winding machine microprocessor controller 8 is provided. This microprocessor controller 8 which in the present example is contained within a housing 9 conveniently mounted below one end of a machine bench 10, as shown, so as not to impede an operator sitting at the bench during winding operations, comprises a general winding controller 11 which operates according to a permanent program stored in the memory store thereof and a specific winding controller 12 arranged to be programmed according to the specific form of coil which is to be wound.The general winding controller 11 serves to control and monitor the speed and number of revolutions the winder motor 1 has made during a winding operation, the operation of an operator's foot switch 13 and an ON/OFF switch 14 and the controller 11 also provides a number of outputs from the microprocessor to an operators visual display unit 15. This display unit 15 may comprise a 32 character X four lines LCD alpha-numeric dot matrix display but it is also envisaged that the display unit could comprise a small black and white or colour monitor or visual display unit or equivalent having programmable graphics capability and providing control by and/or of video reproduction equipment.

The specific winding controller 12, however, is adapted to be programmed according to the specific requirements for winding a particular form of coil on the winding machine. The controller program will define the speed of the winding motor 1 the number of turns to be wound and specific information to be displayed on the operator's visual display unit 15.

The general and specific winding controllers 11 and 12 are interfaced with a motor speed controller 19 through a digital to analogue converter 20.

The specific winding controller 12 is programmed in the present example by connecting it to a portable programming module 16.

After the program data has been read into the memory store of the controller 12 the programming module 16 will be removed with the program normally being retained in the module for future use with the same machine for another production run of the specific winding, or with other winding machines. The specific winding cdntroller 12 which includes battery power means 17 for the retention of the stored program when the mains power supply 18 is switched off is thus programmed. Once programmed, this controller 12 will control the winding machine to wind a particular form of coil until production of a different coil is required.At that time a further portable programming module containing a different winding program will be connected up to the specific winding controller 12 of the microprocessor 8 in order to erase the previous program stored in the controller 12 before the new program is read therein. The winding machine will then be ready for winding the new coil product.

The programming module 16 may comprise an EPROM (e.g. 2K or 4K) with protected circuitry mounted in a portable robust case (e.g.

plastics) and having connector means for connecting the module 16 to inputs of the specific winding controller 12 to effect programming of the latter. For the purpose of creating and introducing the program into the programming means the following procedure may be followed.

A block of program data for controlling the winding machine for winding a specific coil product may be created by a computer in response to information fed to it by an engineer when interrogated by the computer concerning winding speeds, coil turns, position of winding former and information to be displayed on the operator's visual display unit 15. The computer converts the information fed to it into a machine-readable form and may, in addition to providing a hard copy of the program itself, be directly interfaced with an EPROM burner to transfer the information or program data into a memory chip of the programming module 16.

Once the specific winding controller 12 has been programmed, a winding operation may then be initiated by switching on mains power to the winding machine and its control system. The programs stored in the general winding controller 11 and the specific winding controller 12 will accordingly set in motion a sequence of interrogative and operational procedures, including the display of appropriate manufacturing information on the operator's display unit 15 before, during and after winding operations.

It will of course be appreciated that these procedures may vary widely according to specific requirements but purely by way of example, Fig. 3 shows a typical flow diagram for a coil winding operation which illustrates to those skilled in the art the kind of procedures that the machine microprocessor will be programmed to perform.

Whereas in the specific embodiment of the present invention the programming means takes the form of a portable programming module 16, it should be understood that the specific winding controller 12 as well as the corresponding controller of other winding machines and even the general controllers 11 of such machines could be arranged to be appropriately programmed from a remote master computer over appropriate data highways.

Whatever programming arrangement is employed, however, the invention avoids inter alia the labourious programming of individual machine control microprocessors by an operator keying information into an individual machine each time the machine is to be utilised for the production of a different coil product.

Claims (7)

1. A coil winding machine control system comprising a microprocessor for controlling the operation of the winding machine in accordance with a program arranged to be stored in said microprocessor from control system programming means which is adapted to be temporarily coupled to the microprocessor of the control system for the transfer of a specific program appertaining to a particular winding construction into program storage means of the microprocessor, said program having been derived from common program generating means responsive to specific information imported thereto for generating a program for winding a specific form of coil.

2. A coil winding machine control system as claimed in claim 1, in which the programming means comprises a protable programming module adapted to be connected to the microprocessor for the transfer of the specific program and then disconnected.

3. A coil winding machine control system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the microprocessor is permanently programmed with some data common to the production of coils of all forms to be wound on the machine whilst the program transferred to the microprocessor from the portable programming means contains data specific to a particular coil to be wound on the machine (e.g. motor speed and number of coil turns).

4. A coil winding machine control system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a visual display unit to provide the machine operator with visual information before and/or during winding operations.

5. A coil winding control system as claimed in claim 4, in which the visual information comprises initial information concerning the particular form of coil to the wound and/or information during winding concerning the number of winding turns required and the actual number wound and/or instructions during and between operations concerning coil wireto-bobbin terminal connections, sleeve colours for coil ends and insulating tape turns between and/or over windings.

6. A coil winding machine control system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A coil winding machine having a control system as claimed in any preceding claim.