US3384006A

US3384006A - Coil binder

Info

Publication number: US3384006A
Application number: US543335A
Authority: US
Inventors: Heliigrath Fritz; Riedel Otto; Ziems Walter
Original assignee: Beteiligungs und Patentverwaltungs GmbH
Current assignee: Beteiligungs und Patentverwaltungs GmbH
Priority date: 1965-04-30
Filing date: 1966-04-18
Publication date: 1968-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1985-05-21
Also published as: GB1146921A; BE680142A; BR6678339D0; DE1277737B; NL6605834A

Description

May 21, 1968 Filed April 18, 1966 F. HELLIGRATH ET AL 3,384,006

COIL BINDER 4 Sheets-Sheet l 116a MM 11% Frifz He/Iigrafh Offo Riedel Walfgr Ziems BY giarl TKO Attorney In venlors:

May 21, 1968 HELUGRATH ET AL 3,384,006

COIL BINDER Filed April 18, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Frifz Helligrafh O'Ho Riec/el WaI-rer Ziems In venfors.

0 By gfl Attorney May 21, 1968 Filed April 18, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fritz HeI/igrafh OH'O Riedel Wal-l'er Ziems In ven zors.

Y gfp May 1, 1968 F. HELLIGRATH ET AL 3,384,006

COIL BINDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 18. 1966 Frifz Helligrafh Offo Riedel Walfer Ziems I In ven furs.

4 5S 3- Attorney United States Patent 0 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coil-tying device wherein the binder tongs are supplied with a binder wire and are pivotally mounted upon a rotatab e support and have cutters adapted to sever lengths of the binder wire which is guided through tubes between the binder tongs, the pairs of tongs being swingable on an arm jointly toward and away from the coil of wire.

Our present invention relates to a device for the binding of coils of wires with elongated tie elements such as tie Wires into compacted packages with the aid of binder tongs adapted to affix the ends of a binder wire about the coil.

It has been proposed heretofore to provide bindertong arrangements of this general type (i.e. wherein the binder tongs are adapted to draw a tie wire around the coil and, for the most part, the binder tongs co-operate with clamping means or the like to compact the turns of the coils and the strands thereof during the binding operation. While it has been proposed to accele ate and simplify the binding operation by the provision of binder tongs of certain constructions designed to effect a compaction of the coil concurrently with tying or with the aid of the tie wire stretched therearound. Most systems are relatively slow and unreliable.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved device for the tying of wire coils with binder elements such as tie wires which operates in a simplified manner by comparison with earlier systems, is free from breakdowns and requires a minimum of attention and supervision.

A further object of this invention is to provide a binder device for tying Wire coils which is capable of accelerating the coil-tying process.

These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, are attained in accordance with the present invention, by the provision of two pairs of binder tongs having respective axes generally parallel to the axis of the coil and parallel to one another for joint disp acement relatively to the wire coil and to a tie-wire feed means t opposite sides of the coil. This arrangement, wherein the pairs of binder tongs are displaceable toward and away from the coil to engage the tie wires. draw them around the coil at these diametrically opposite locations and twist or otherwise fasten the respective ends of the wires, has the advantage that the coil is bound at diametrically opposite locations simultaneously and that the apparatus is greatly simplified by the use of a common swingable support means for both sets of binder tongs. Thus, in accordance with the principles of the present invention. the swingable support for the binder tongs is pivotally mounted for displacement about an axis parallel to the plane of the axis of the binder tongs and the plane of the coil to advance the pai s of binder tongs toward and away from the latter. A coil-binding operation can then be effected in a single step. The fastening operation can be carried out by rotating the pairs of binder tongs about their respective axes to twist the ends of the tie wires together or by welding these ends to one another with the aid of electrodes carried by the arms of the binder tongs. For the twisting action, the pairs of binder arms are advantageously provided with respective shafts extending generally perpendicularly to the plane of the coil and parallel to one another and connected via suitable transmissions to a common drive mechanism. This arrangement ensures a simplicity of construction and operation, especially when the common support for the pairs of binder tongs also carries a drive motor for rotating the shafts of these arms and intertwining the ends of the respective tie wires. It has been found to be of special advantage to form the arms of each pair of binder tongs so that they overlap or crossover in the closed position, especially when each arm is provided with a clamping device for gripping the respective end of the tie wire. Thus, prior to rotation of the pairs of binder tongs about their respective axes, the ends of the tie wire held by the arms of each pair of tongs are closed to facilitate the twining operation. The twist imparted to the ends of the tie Wires is thus relatively neat and free from difliculties.

According to a further feature of this invention, the feed means for supplying the tie wires to the respective pairs of binder tongs are constituted by a pair of linearly extending guides which define paths for the respective length of the tie wire parallel to the plane of the coil and perpendicular to the axes of the pairs of binder tongs and thus also parallel to the axes about which the support means for the pair of binder tongs is swingable. The guide path for the tie wires can thus lie along a diameter of the coil and can consist of two guides adapted to feed respective lengths of the tie wire from opposite sides of the coil along a common diameter thereof, corresponding to the intersection of the plane through the axes of the binder-tong shafts and a plane parallel to the coil. Each of the tubular guides can be aligned with the respective pair of binder tongs and is advantageously slotted or open longitudinally in the direction of the binder tongs whereby the arms thereof can seize the respective length of the tie wire and draw them around corresponding but diametrically opposite portions of the coil. The guide tubes are advantageously disposed just behind the coil to facilitate the grasping of the tie wires by the arms of the binder tongs.

Each of the guide tubes is provided, in accordance with this invention, with means for advancing the respective tie wires therethrough, the guide tubes being spaced apart so that respective arms of the binder tong can engage the free extremities of the tie wires as they emerge from the respective tubes longitudinally within the window defined by the interior of the coil. The feed means is, moreover, provided with means (e.g. for raising and lowering the guides) whereby the other arms of each pair of binder tongs can engage the corresponding end of the tie wire. The guides are, moreover, preferably disposed at a receiving surface for the coils so that they lie against the rear surface of a coil to be tied opposite that side of the coil upon which the binder tongs are disposed. This arrangement has been found to greatly facilitate the supply of the tie wire to the binder tongs when the latter must, as a consequence of the cross-sectional area or width of the region of the coil to be tied, be open to such extent that the coplanarity of the tongs would be affected.

According to a further feature of this invent-ion, the tie-wire guide means comprises a pair of half shells springloaded against one another and coupled together via swinging or pivoted links so that the link axes a e parallel to the tie wire and the guide path thereof. The springloaded half shells permit the automatic removal of the tie wire by the binder tongs and also allow the length of binder wire to be severed from a supply coil with the aid of clamping arid/or cutting means upon the binder arms. Thus, in accordance with this invention, each of the arms of the binder tongs are provided with a pair of clam-ping jaws engageable with the respective ends of the tie wire and cutting surfaces outwardly of these clamping jaws at least on the side of the guide path proximal to the supply reel for severing the length of wire for the particular binding operation. The provision of the cutting means upon the clamping jaws of the binder tongs ensures that bending of the wire during a severing operation will be minimized and, if it occurs, cannot influence the twisting or tying step. Moreover, the length of the tie wire is always determined by the opening of the binder arms and thus corresponds to the length of the tie wire required for the particular operation.

Still another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a plurality of supply reels for at least two tie-wire strands which, rearwardly of the guide tube, are twisted together in order to strengthen the binder element used for tying the coil and constituting same of a plurality of strands. For this purpose, the plurality of supply reels, which can thus supply relatively thin and weak strands, can be spun upon a common holder about an axis centered on the feed path to yield a twisted tie wire on increased tensile strength, bending resistance, etc.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front-elevational View, partly in diagrammatic form, of a wire-tying device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device, partly broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side-elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the binder tongs of a modified coil-tying device with the coil in a horizontal or prone position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the clamping portion of one of the binder arms of the device of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a view taken generally along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

In FIGS. l3, we show a coil-tying device 180, comprising a pair of binder-tong arrangements In and lb mounted upon a common support 110, comprising a pair of upright arms in and 212 respectively carrying the binder tongs 1a and 1b at their upper ends and connected together by a cross bar 111 forming a pedestal 112 for a motor 4 Whose drive pulley 113 is connected by belts 114a and 11% with the driven

pulleys

115a and 115b of the shafts 5a and 5b of the respective binder tongs whose axes are represented at 5a and 5b in FIGS. 2 and 3. The support 119 is swingably mounted via its arms 2:: and 2b between a pair of trunnions 116a and 1161) via the pin 117 extending in a plane P (FIG. 3) of the coil 7 which is held in place by support means not shown. Such support means can consist of a clam-ping device or hanging conveyor from which the coil 7 is suspended from above so that its rear surface 7:: lies against the guide tubes 9a and 92; (FIGS. 2 and 3) which are described in greater detail hereinafter. The

arms

2a and 2b are interconnected between the trunnions 116a and 1161: via a sleeve 118 through which the pin 117 passes.

The means for displacing the support 119 and the binder tongs 1a and 1b carried thereby includes a pair of hydraulic cylinders 3a and 36 respectively hinged at their lower extremities to lugs 119a and 1191') of channel irons 129a and 12Gb embedded in the foundation F of the device. The pistons 3a and 3b of the hydraulic cylinders and 3b are pivotally connected to plates 121a, 1211) fixed to the

arms

2a and 2b (FIGS. 1 and 3) while a further hydraulic cylinder 3c is swingably mounted at 122 to a channel iron 123 disposed between the

channel irons

126a and 12% in the foundation F of the device. A connection plate 124 depends from the cross bar 111 and is formed with :1 lug 25 to which the piston rod 30 is articulated. Fluid-operated dampers 126a and 1261) support the arms 2a and 2!) against clockwise movement (FIG. 3) during the return stroke of the device,

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that each of the binder tongs la and 1b comprises a respective shaft 13% and 13% received rotatably in respective bearings 131a and 1351b and carrying the pulleys 115a and 1151: respectively. The pulleys 115a and 1151) are each mounted upon a rotatable head 132a, 1321; in which the arms of the binder tongs are pivotally mounted. Thus, the binder-tong arms, represented generally at 6, are each swingably connected at 6' to the respective head and, as indicated at the right-hand side in FIG. 2, showing the outlines of these arms, can overlap in their closed condition to cross the binder wire 14a prior to the twisting operation. Upon the upper side of one of the arms 6' and the underside of the other arm of each of the binder tongs, we provide clamping jaws 8 which are articulated to the respective arm 6 at pivots 8 and co-operate with the tips of these arms so that the latter constitute the counterjaws of a pincer-type clamping device. The jaws 8 are actuated by hydraulic cylinders 8" carried by the arms and may be formed with cutting edges as described in greater detail in FIGS. 4-6. The arm 6 can be swung by a rack or worm arran ement (see FIGS. 4-6 wherein a worm 259, driven at 25 by conventional means, meshes with rack teeth 252 of the arms 2% and, upon rotation of the worm (arrow 256) swings the arms) or via hydraulic means 50 as desired about their respective pivots 6'.

The tie-wire feed system comprises a pair of channelshaped guide tubes 9a and 9b open in the direction of the respective binder tongs 1a and 1b and lying along the rear surface 7a of the coil 7. The tubes 91: and 9b, which are mutually aligned, are thus disposed along an axis of the coil 7 and are parallel to the pivot shaft 117 but perpendicular to the axes 5a and 5b of the binder tongs 1a and 1b. The tie wires are supplied to the tubes 9a and 9b whose slots are represented at 11, 9b, by means of feed rollers 19a and 19b driven by motors 19a and 10b and carried by supports 135a and 1355, Between the pairs of drive rollers 16a, 19b and the respective guide tubes 9a, 9b, we provide a respective severing arrangement 11a, 1111. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the severing devices 11a and 1112 are each actuated by a respective hydraulic cylinder 11a, 11b on the respective support 135a and 1155b. The rollers lilo and Iiib advance the respective tie wires from suitable reels not shown) through the respective guide tubes and 9b until the free ends of these tie wires are exposed centrally of these guide tubes. The wire-feed device is then elevated via a rack 12 and a pinion 12a (FIG. 3) until the tubes 9a and b lie along the diameter of the coil 7 (FIG. 3). The support 11th is then advanced by the hydraulic cylinders 3a-3c in the counterclockwise direction (FIG. 3) with the binder tongs in their open condition (left-hand side of FIG. 2) until the arms 6 engage the respective tie wires at the opposite ends of the respective guide tubes. The clamps 8 of these arms then grip the tie wires, the severing devices having cut the respective lengths in the lower positions of the guide tubes so that the free ends of the tie wires extend from the tubes When they are elevated and the cutting devices cannot encumber the gripping procedure. With the ends of the respective tie wire grasped by the clamping devices 3, the support is swung in the clockwise sense (FIG. 3) to draw the tie wires from the respective tubes around the coil 7. The arms 6 are then closed until they overlap or cross over (right-hand side of FIG. 2) and the pairs of binder tongs are then rotated via motor 4 about the respective axis 50' and 5b to twist the ends of the tie wires. The tubes 9a and 91) carried by the racks 12 are then lowered to receive fresh lengths of tie wire while the coil 7 can be carried elf by an overhead conveyor or the like.

In FIGS. 46, we show a modified Wire-feed system which, it will be understood, can be used in conjunction with the binder tongs of FIGS. 1-3 and, conversely, a set of binder tongs which may be employed with the feed device of the latter figures. Thus, it can be seen that the feed device of FIGS. 4-6 comprises a pair of reels 1 6' and 16" from which the strands of the tie wire 16a and 16b are passed between the feed rollers 10 which correspond to the rollers 10:: and 10b of FIGS. 13. The

reels

16 and 16 are rotatable about their respective axes upon a reel carrier which is journaled upon an axis 14 corresponding to the path of the twisted wires. As the strands 16a and 16b are passed between the rollers 10, they are twisted together and are led by a guide 2 11 into the

tubes

17a and 17b assigned to the binder tongs 201a and 20111 respectively. The guide tubes 17 (as represented in FIG. 6 for either of the tubes) each include a pair of halfshells 17' and 17" in a scissor linkage which are urged toward one another by a spring 17", the half-

shell

17 and 17" being pivotally connected at 18 for swinging movement parallel to the tie wire 14a passing therethrough. The arms 206 of the binder tongs are provided with clamping

shoes

19 and 20 engageable with the tie wire 14a as indicated in FIG. 4. The clamping shoe 19 which is constituted as a jaw, is swingably mounted upon a pivot 19a 0n the arm 206 and has a level 19b coupled with a hydraulic cylinder 190 for actuating this jaw. counterclockwise rotation of the jaw 19 about its pivot 19a by the hydraulic cylinder 19c brings the jaw 19' to ward the counterjaw 20 of the arm for the clamping op eration. To sever the desired length of tie wire from the twisted strand 14a, each

clamp

19, 20 is provided with a stamping blade 21 outwardly of the

respective tube

17a or 17b and adapted to sever the tie wire just prior to engagement of the

jaw

19 and 20 therewith. Thus, the proper length of tie wire is retained between the arms 206 of the binder tongs and can be drawn about the coil 7 without diriiculty. The rollers 10 can then advance the twisted strands through the

guide tube

17a and 17b which spring closed after the respective length of tie Wire has been withdrawn therefrom in the direction of arrows 217. The remainder of the tying operation is effected in a manner previously described.

The invention described and illustrated is believed to admit of many modifications within the ability of persons skilled in the art, all such modifications being considered within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim: 1. A device for tying coils at diametrically opposite locations, comprising:

a support; two pairs of spaced-apart binder tongs mounted upon said support and adapted to draw respective lengths of tie wire about a coil confronting said binder tongs at diametrically opposite locations of said coil, said pairs of binder tongs having mutually parallel axes generally perpendicular to the plane of said coil;

feed means for supplying respective lengths of tie wire to said binder tongs; means for advancing said support means and both pairs of binder tongs toward and away from said coil for simultaneous fastening of the respective lengths of tie wire therearound, said pairs of binder tongs having respective shafts rotatable about the respective axes of said binder tongs and at least one pair of openable and closable arms mounted upon each shaft;

common drive means on said support and coupled with said shafts for concurrently rotating same to twist the respective length of tie wires around said coil at said location upon closure of the respective arms, said support including a pivot extending generally parallel to said plane; and further comprising hydraulic means coupled with said support for swinging same about said pivot.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said arms is provided with a respective clamping jaw engageable with the corresponding end of the respective length of tie wire and the arms of each pair of binder tongs are pivotable about mutually parallel axes in overlapping relationship for crossing the respective ends of the respective lengths of tie wire prior to rotation of the respective shaft to twist the ends together.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said feed means includes at least one guide tube respectively confronting each of said binder tongs and extending perpendicularly to the respective binder-tong axis but parallel to said plane and behind said coil for receiving a respective length of tie wire with the ends thereof projecting beyond each tube for engagement by respective arms of each pair of binder tongs, said tubes having longitudinal outlets for said lengths of tie wire facing said binder tongs, and mechanism for advancing the tie wire through said tubes.

4. A device for tying coils at diametrically opposite locations, comprising:

feed means for supplying respective lengths of tie wire to said binder tongs;

means for advancing said support means and both pairs of binder tongs toward and away from said coil for simultaneous fastening of the respective lengths of tie wire therearound, said pairs of binder tongs having respective shafts rotatable about the respective axes of said binder tongs and at least one pair of openable and closable arms mounted upon each shaft;

common drive means on said support and coupled with said shafts for concurrently rotating same to twist the respective length of tie wires around said coil at said location upon closure of the respective arms, said feed means including at least one guide tube respectively confronting each of said binder tongs and extending perpendicularly to the respective bindertong axis but parallel to said plane and behind said coil for receiving a respective length of tie wire with the ends thereof projecting beyond each tube for engagement by respective arms of each pair of binder tongs, said tubes having longitudinal outlets for said lengths of tie wire facing said binder tongs, and mechanism for advancing the tie wire through said tubes,

cutting means on each of said arms for severing the respective length of tie wire upon engagement with the wire passing through the respective tube.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said tubes is formed from a pair of half-shells springloaded for closure of the respective outlet.

6. A device for typing coils at diametrically opposite locations, comprising:

a support;

two pairs of spaced-apart binder tongs mounted upon said support and adapted to draw respective lengths of tie wire about a coil confronting said binder tongs at diametrically opposite locations of said coil, said pairs of binder tongs having mutually parallel axes generally perpendicular to the plane of said coil;

feed means for supplying respective lengths of tie wire to said binder tongs;

means for advancing said support means and both pairs of binder tongs toward and away from said coil for simultaneous fastening of the respective lengths of tie wire therearound, said pairs of binder tongs having respective shafts rotatable about the respective axes of said binder tongs and at least one pair of openable and closable arms mounted upon each shaft; and

common drive means on said support and coupled with said shafts for concurrently rotating same to twist the respective length of tie wires around said coil at said location upon closure of the respective arms, said feed means including at least one guide tube respectively confronting each of said binder tongs and extending perpendicularly to the respective bindertong axis but parallel to said plane and behind said coil for receiving a respective length of tie wire with the ends thereof projecting beyond each tube for engagement by respective arms of each pair of binder tongs, said tubes having longitudinal outlets for said lengths of tie wire facing said binder tongs, and mechanism for advancing the tie wire through said tubes, said mechanism including at least two reels for respective tie-wire strands, common support means for said reels rotatable about an axis for twisting the strands paid off said reels, and supply means between said reels and said tubes for advancing twisted strands from said reels into said tubes.

feed means for supplying respective lengths of tie wire to said binder tongs;

means for advancing said support means and both pairs ceiving said pairs of binder tongs, said pairs of binder tongs having respective shafts journaled in said bearing means; a drive motor mounted upon said support member; transmission means respectively coupling said drive 7. A device for typing coils at diametrically opposite locations, comprising:

a support;

two pairs of spaced-apart binder tongs mounted upon said support and adapted to draw respective lengths location upon closure of the respective arms, said feed means including at least one guide tube respectively confronting each of said binder tongs and of tie wire about a coil confronting said binder tongs motor with said shafts for joint rotation, each of at diametrically opposite locations of said coil, said said shafts having a respective head and a pair of pairs of binder tongs having mutually parallel axes binder tong arms carried by the respective head and generally perpendicular to the plane of said coil; pivotable thereon about mutually parallel axes for feed means for supplying respective lengths of tie wire swinging movement thereahout between open posito said binder tongs; tions in which the arms of each head straddle said means for advancing said support means and both pairs coil at the respective tying location and closed posiof binder tongs toward and away from said coil for tions in which the arms of each head are crossed over, simultaneous fastening of the respective lengths of said arms each being provided with a respective tie wire therearound, said pairs of binder tongs havclamping jaw engageable with a respective extremity ing respective shafts rotatable about the respective of a length of tie wire for drawing same about said axes of said binder tongs and at least one pair of coil at the respective tying location, said feed means openable and closable arms mounted upon each shaft; including a pair of guide tubes open in the direction common drive means on said support and coupled with of the respective pair of binder tongs and disposed said shafts for concurrently rotating same to twist the behind said coil, said tubes being shiftable from a respective length of tie wires around said coil at said position wherein they lie substantially along a diameter of said coil connecting said locations into a position in which said tubes are remote from said tying locations; and

mechanism for feeding a tie wire to said tubes at the extending perpendicularly to the respective binderlast-rnentioned position thereof.

tong axis but parallel to said plane and behind said coil for receiving a respective length of tie wire with the ends thereof projecting beyond each tube for engagement by respective arms of each pair of binder tongs, said tubes having longitudinal outlets for said References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS lengths of tie wire facing said binder tongs, and A 3325 u mechanism for advancing the tie wire through said 2901966 9/1959 Bocher 1OO 12 tubes, said mechanism being disposed at a location 8/1966v fggi offset from the regions at which said tongs engage 33O496O 2/1967 Keuqemagn at X the respective lengths of tie wire; and i u means for shifting said tubes between positions of align- FOREIGN PATENTS ment with said mechanism and with the respective 615 650 2/1961 C d tongs- 1,355,475 2/1964 France.

8. A device for typing coils at diametricaly opposite locations, comprising:

a support;

BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner.