JPH0220346B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (a) Industrial Application Field This application is filed in the United States Patent Application No. 9, March 1934.
This is a continuation-in-part application of No. 586867.

The field of the invention relates to a method for assembling an internal spring structure of a retracted coil spring, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

(b) Prior Art and its Problems For many years, retractable coil springs have been used in the assembly of internal spring structures. This coupling of coil springs has evolved from earlier designs in which links and notch rings were used to secure adjacent springs together. US Pat. No. 6,985,29 and US Pat. No. 2,320,153 disclose such structures. Use of the ring requires the operator to not only place the coil in place, but also to install the ring by punching a hole in the pocket surround while holding the wire that defines the helix at the top of the coil spring. This makes the work slow and costly.

A manufacturing method has been developed which has superior efficiency to that of placing lengths of connected retractable coil springs in a sinusoidal configuration on a rack. The springs are connected by pulling the strands across each row of retractable springs. The strands are then separated by the operator. The tightness of the spring structure depends on the skill of the operator. This method is still in use today, and equipment has been developed for it. US Pat. No. 4,393,792 discloses an apparatus that improves the efficiency of the basic method.

More recently, U.S. Pat.
Apparatus has been developed for forming structures such as those shown in No. US Pat. No. 4,401,501 discloses such a device.

(c) Structure and operation of the invention According to the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided for manufacturing internal spring structures in a manner that is very different from that hitherto used commercially for retracted coil springs. be done. An internal spring structure is provided that includes a plurality of coupled stowed coil spring rows, a bonded portion is formed by a linear adhesive or a bonding material, and in this text, both are used interchangeably. It is preferable to use a thermofusible material for bonding the rows.

The device includes a support surface on which a retracted coil spring coupled in a row is mounted. An applicator is provided for moving across the row of coil springs and applying a selected amount of adhesive to the encasing material surrounding each spring. This adhesive is applied in a selected amount and form. Apparatus is provided for adhesively joining another row of retracted coil springs by moving them into contact with the treated row. Adhesive is reapplied to the exposed surfaces of the last row added. Still other rows are moved into position and processed until the internal spring structure of the required dimensions is completed. A new configuration can be started by simply omitting one application of adhesive so that two adjacent rows do not join.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support surface of the device is substantially horizontal and the spring rows are fixed relative to each other in an upright position. to ensure accurate positioning of the adhesive applicator as it traverses it and to create a sufficient amount of pressure between the treated row and the new row moved into contact therewith;
Each row is slightly compressed between two plates.

(d) Embodiment An apparatus 10 for assembling a row 12 of retractable coil springs 14 into an internal spring structure is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Each row is preferably manufactured in accordance with US Pat. No. 4,234,983, which is incorporated herein by reference. The structure of this patent includes a plurality of coil springs disposed between layers of folded fiber strips. Individual pockets for each spring are formed by ultrasonically sealing the fiber strips at preselected intervals. An apparatus for forming such a coil array is disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,439,977.

Device 10 includes a frame 16 having a pair of housings 18 for housing various electronic controls. The frame supports a generally horizontal platform 20 having a smooth top surface. 1
A pair of guide bars 22 and a pair of support members 24 are mounted below the platform. An elongate member 26 having bearings 28 fixed at each end is slidably mounted to the guide bar 22. As shown in FIG. This bar 22 fits within each bearing.

A mount 30 that compresses the coil spring is attached to member 26 by a pair of mount plates 32 that extend through a pair of points (not shown) in platform 20.
Fixed to . The fittings each extend from a pair of pneumatically actuated cylinders 36.
A pair of piston rods 34 cause back and forth movement relative to the platform. This cylinder is pivotally mounted to the horizontal plane 38 of the frame by a bracket 40. Both ends of the piston rod 34 are connected to a second pivot bracket 42.
It is pivotally connected to the elongated member 26 by.
The operation of the cylinder is based on the front apron part 4 of the frame.
A pair of buttons (not shown) attached to 4
controlled by. Once this button is pressed, a series of sequential steps are performed by the device. These steps are discussed in detail below.

The push fixture 30 is specifically configured to move an upright row of coils from the platform 20 to the coupling station. The fixture has a generally vertical front wall surface 46 from which a plurality of separation members 48 extend. The separating member extends generally perpendicularly from the front wall and defines a plurality of sections therewith. As shown in Figure 3,
Each separation member 48 is separated by a distance that approximates the diameter of each coil spring 14. If a barrel coil spring is used, this distance will approximate its maximum diameter.

Each separation member 48 has a length of approximately half the coil diameter so that it fits between each stowed coil spring 14 in a row 12. The construction of the pressure fixture 30 is such that the upright rows of coils are held in a straight line and moved while preventing any spring rotational displacement. Therefore, each coil spring is
It is precisely positioned with respect to the corresponding coil spring in the previous row.

In FIG. 2, each row 12 of retractable coil springs is delivered to a bonding station where it is processed by a hot melt applicator 50. In FIG. The station has a generally horizontal surface that may be defined by a portion of the platform 20. The station also includes a generally horizontal push plate 52 having vertically extending side portions 54. This plate is height adjustable for different coils by means of a nut/washer assembly. These assemblies are mounted in slots 58 in the vertical sides 54 and are retained by holes (not shown) in the frame 16 of the device. The front end 60 of the pressing plate is connected to the platform 20.
An upwardly beveled angle is provided to facilitate insertion of the coil array 12 into the longitudinal opening defined between the coil array 12 and the pressure plate 52. To ensure that each coil row is held in place while in the coupling station, the distance from the platform to the pressure plate is preferably slightly less than the height of the retracted coil springs to be placed therebetween. The length of the pressure plate must also be sufficient to hold at least two coil rows between it and the support. This causes the incoming coil row to be sufficiently pressed against the row already treated by the coating device 50. A sufficient number of coil rows shall be maintained between these members at any given time to increase the pressure between the coil rows and maintain them in positive contact for a sufficient period of time to ensure sufficient bonding. desirable. The hot melt material applicator 50 has a plurality of spray nozzles 62, each of which is rotatable so that the hot melt material can be applied to a selected portion of each retracted coil spring. A highly flexible heating tube 6 for supplying hot melt material to the applicator from a heating reservoir (not shown) placed at the top of the frame.
4 are provided. This tube 64 must have sufficient slack to allow movement of the applicator from one side of the apparatus to the other.

Applicator 50 is mounted to a block 66 having first and second cylindrical passages therethrough.
A pair of smooth stationary guide bars 68 extend within the two passages and are secured to brackets 70, 72 on opposite sides of frame 16. Within each passage are linear motion supports (not shown) to minimize friction between these and the smooth bar 68.
or other equivalent structures may be provided.

Mounting 7 includes a belt-driven pulley 74 mounted on one side of frame 16 and a bearing or bushing (not shown) mounted on the opposite side.
A ball screw 73 extends between the ball screw 6 and the ball screw 73. A ball/nut assembly 78 is fixed to block 66 and moves back and forth along the ball screw as it is rotated by pulley 74. Screw 73 has a pitch of approximately 11/4 inches. The speed at which the block, and therefore the applicator 50, moves is a function of the pitch of the screw and the speed of rotation about its longitudinal axis. Both variables can be adjusted as necessary.

The rotational speed of the ball screw is controlled by a timing belt 80 coupled between pulleys 74 and 82 driven by an electric motor 84. Ball/nut assembly 78, and therefore block 66 and applicator 50, are moved at a selected speed. When the applicator reaches either end of its path, the motor 84 is reversed and the ball screw 73 is driven in the opposite direction.

Vertical positioning of applicator 50 is accomplished by loosening clamp 86 that secures it to rod 88. The hot melt material 90 is applied in a series of horizontal lines, the horizontal position of which is controlled by the position of the applicator and the orientation of the nozzle 62 thereon. The thickness of each line is exaggerated in FIG. 3 for illustrative purposes. The length of each line is controlled by the period during which each nozzle is energized as it passes through the array of springs. This period is controlled by a beam switch 92 mounted to the block. This switch is
The presence or absence of a series of dark vertical striations 94 on a long bar 96 across frame 16 is detected. The nozzle may be energized immediately upon detection of such a streak, or may be activated with some delay. The use of a delay circuit allows the horizontal positioning of the hot melt material to be controlled by adjusting the delay time. Alternatively, the opposite side of the bar 96 is provided with vertical striations of different conditions. The forward horizontal positioning of the hot melt material can be changed to another location by simply removing the bar and installing it on the opposite side. The length of each piece 90 of hot melt material is proportional to the width of each filament 94.

The internal spring assembly is manufactured according to the invention by first making the necessary adjustments to accommodate the dimensions of the coil spring used. The height of the pressure plate 52 relative to the fixture 30 is set such that it holds each row of springs in place by compressing them slightly. The vertical position of the hot melt applicator and the orientation of the nozzle thereon are also set to apply the hot melt material to the appropriate location on each retracted coil spring. The nozzle is approximately 12.7 mm from the cloth cover around each spring.
It is within the range of 19.1 mm (1/2 to 3/4). Such distance may vary according to the viscosity of the hot melt material used.

A suitable push fitting 30 is used having separation members 48 separated by a distance approximately equal to the maximum diameter of the coil spring. Several such fixtures may be maintained on each device to allow each device to assemble coil springs of various sizes.

A bar 96 having filaments 94 separated by a selected distance to be detected by beam switch 92 is attached to the frame. If the coil spring rows 12 used are narrower than the width of the device, the bar 96 need only have threads 94 corresponding to the actual number of coil springs in each row.

The hot melt material reservoir (not shown), supply tube 64, and applicator 50 are all heated to facilitate flow of the hot melt material. A polyamide-based heat-melting material can be used for the polypropylene nonwoven fabric that is placed over the coil spring. DUON fabric, a trademarked product of Phillips Fibers, Greenville, California, USA, can be treated with hot melt materials without heat damage and is therefore a good spring storage material.

As shown in FIG. 3, a first row 12 of retractable coil springs is mounted on platform 20 in an upright position to a fixture 30. Cylinder 36 is energized to move the coil array between platform 20 and pusher plate 52. Upon reaching this position, the fixture 30 is automatically or manually retracted to its original position. The second coil bank 12 is then installed against the fixture 30. A button is pressed to energize electric motor 84, which rotates the ball screw, thereby causing applicator 50 to traverse spring row 12. If four nozzles 62 are used (as shown), a series of four horizontal lines of hot melt material are formed on the encasing material surrounding each coil spring. Each nozzle is energized when the beam switch detects the presence of dark streak 94 on light bar 96. When the applicator reaches the opposite end of its path, it opens a switch (not shown), thereby deenergizing motor 84. For this purpose,
Microswitches are positioned near each end of bar 68.

Upon completion of the hot melt application, a second pair of switches (not shown) located near each end of the bar 68 are energized, which energizes the cylinder 36 and causes the second coil array to be energized. 12 between the pusher plate 52 and the platform 20, the first coil row is ejected. The compressed state of the springs therebetween creates a frictional resistance to ejection of one row.
Each new coil row 12 is pressed against the previous coil row with sufficient force to ensure a good bond. As the fixture 30 is retracted, another coil bank 12 is placed against it and the process described above is repeated. Upon pressing the button again, the ball screw is rotated in the opposite direction to its previous movement.

The above process combines a sufficient number of coil rows to define an internal spring structure of selected dimensions. The next construction is started by skipping the application of hot melt material during one cycle of the device. Therefore, two adjacent coil rows defining the ends of a pair of internal spring structures are not coupled together.

One advantage of the present invention is that each row of retracted coil springs does not necessarily have interconnected pockets. Although retractable coil springs are typically formed with this structure, it can result in failure occurring in a shorter period of time than is actually required. Although such coil banks cannot be used in most previously known methods of internal spring assembly, the present invention provides for the use of a portion of the coil bank or individual coil springs between the separation members 48 of the fixture 30. Even a coil can be placed in place and can be coupled to a previously processed coil array. Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1A and 1B are front views showing the left and right sides of an apparatus for manufacturing internal spring structures, respectively; Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the apparatus; and Figure 3 is a part of the apparatus. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Assembly device, 12... Spring row, 14... Retractable coil spring, 16... Frame, 18... Housing, 2
0... Platform, 22... Guide bar, 24...
Support member, 26... Elongated member, 28... Bearing, 30... Mounting device, 32... Mounting plate, 34... Piston rod, 36... Pneumatically actuated cylinder, 38
...Horizontal surface, 40... Bracket, 42... Pivot bracket, 44... Front apron portion, 48... Separation member,
50... Coating device, 52... Pressing plate, 54... Side part, 58... Slot, 60... Front end, 62... Nozzle, 64... Heating tube, 66... Block, 68
... Guide bar, 70 ... Bracket, 72 ... Bracket, 73 ... Ball screw, 74 ... Belt drive pulley, 76 ... Mounting tool, 78 ... Ball/nut assembly, 80 ... Timing belt, 82 ... Pulley, 84 ... Electric motor, 86... Clamp, 88... Rod, 90... Heat melting material, 92... Beam switch, 94... Line,
96...bar.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. One coil spring is stored in a cylindrical bag formed from a piece of fiber to constitute a storage type coil spring, and a plurality of the storage type coil springs are arranged in a row by connecting their cylindrical parts. An internal spring structure manufacturing device for manufacturing an internal spring structure by bonding a plurality of rows of stowed coil springs formed in a pressing plate disposed on the support plate, parallel to the support plate and adjustable in distance from the support plate, and forming an opening together with the support plate; a retractable coil spring row fixing device that has a wall surface perpendicular to and is movable on a support plate while pressing the retractable coil spring row; a moving device for moving the retractable coil spring row fixing device; a vertically movable applicator for applying adhesive to the retractable coil spring array; a moving device for moving the applicator in the longitudinal direction of the retractable coil spring array supported on the support plate; An internal spring structure manufacturing apparatus comprising: a control device for controlling adhesive application time by the application device. 2. Manufacturing an internal spring structure according to claim 1, wherein the retractable coil spring row fixing device is provided with separation members arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction perpendicular to the wall surface thereof. Device. 3. The internal spring structure manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive application device includes a plurality of spray nozzles. 4. Claim 1, characterized in that the adhesive application device is arranged so as to be able to apply the adhesive to the array of retracted coil springs inserted into the opening formed by the pressure plate and the support plate. Section and 3rd
The internal spring structure manufacturing device described in 2. 5. The moving device of the coating device includes a guide shaft arranged above the support plate in parallel with the support plate, a moving piece that fits and moves on the shaft and has the coating device fixed to the lower part, and a screw threaded into the moving piece. 2. The internal spring structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a screw shaft for moving the movable piece by joint rotation, and a drive device for driving the screw shaft. 6 A control device that controls the adhesive application time of the application device includes a sign placed near the screw shaft;
The internal spring structure according to claim 1, comprising a sign detection device attached to the moving piece, and a device that energizes the adhesive spray of the applicator according to the detected sign. Body construction equipment. 7 Claims 1 and 6, characterized in that the adhesive is a heat-melting agent.
The internal spring structure manufacturing device described in Section 1. 8 A storage device in which one coil spring is stored in a cylindrical bag formed from a piece of fiber to form a storage type coil spring, and a plurality of the storage type coil springs are formed in a row by connecting their cylindrical parts. A first stowable coil spring row of the type coil spring rows is provided in an upright state, and one row is fixed so that the storage bags are spaced at a predetermined distance;
applying an adhesive to the first retractable coil spring row;
Next, a second stowable coil spring row is provided in an upright state, and it is brought into contact with the first stowed coil spring row and bonded together. By repeating this procedure, a plurality of stowable coil spring rows are formed. A method for manufacturing an internal spring structure, characterized by manufacturing the internal spring structure by bonding. 9. The method of manufacturing an internal spring structure according to claim 8, wherein the adhesive is applied in parallel lines to the array of stowed coil springs.