US3924665A

US3924665A - Spring core assembly machine

Info

Publication number: US3924665A
Application number: US557669A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter Spuhl
Original assignee: Spuehl AG
Current assignee: Spuehl AG
Priority date: 1974-03-19
Filing date: 1975-03-12
Publication date: 1975-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-09
Also published as: DE2413033B1; DE2413033A1; GB1461737A

Abstract

A spring core assembly arrangement in which a substantially large number of clamping jaw pairs are arranged next to one another in a row for holding together the end coils of adjacent coil springs, while they are connected to one another by threading through wire coils. A cut-off and loop forming device cuts off the wire coils on at least one clamping jaw pair, and forms the cut-off wire coils into loops. A pair of knives are provided in the cut-off and loop forming device for cutting the wire coil. The cut-off and loop forming device is located between two adjacent clamping jaw pairs of the assembly arrangement. Each clamping jaw pair, furthermore, has an associated pair of knives and a device for forming the loop. Between two clamping jaw pairs, there is a catcher duct for the cut-off wire coil remainder which can be turned about an axis normal to its longitudinal direction.

Description

United States Patent Spuhl [45] Dec. 9, 1975 SPRING CORE ASSEMBLY MACHINE Primary Examiner-Lowell A. Larson [75] Inventor: Walter spfihl St Gallen Attorney, Agent, or FirmWaters, Schwartz & Nissen Switzerland 73 Assignee: Spuhl AG, St. Gallen, Switzerland [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Man 12 1975 A spring core assembly arrangement in which a substantially large number of clamping aw pairs are ar- PP 557,669 ranged next to one another in a row for holding together the end coils of adjacent coil springs, while 30 F A E they are connected to one another by threading I orelgn pp canon Prmmy Data through wire coils. A cut-off and loop forming device Mar. 19, 1974 Germany 2413033 cuts off the wire coils on at least one clamping j pair, and forms the cut-off wire coils into loops. A pair 140/ 22 319273 2 of knives are provided in the cut-off and loop forming o u t t t [58] Field Of Search l40/i4CA, 92.3, 92.7, 92.8, forming device is located between two adjacent 0/9294 81/907 clamping jaw pairs of the assembly arrangement. Each clamping jaw pair, furthermore, has an associated pair [56] References Clted of knives and a device for forming the loop. Between UNITED STATES PATENTS two clamping jaw pairs, there is a catcher duct for the 3,048,203 8/1962 Hunter 140/107 utff wire coil remainder which can be turned about 3,122,177 2/1964 Kamp l40/92.7 an axis normal to its longitudinal direction. 3,648,737 3/1972 Dull l40/92.7

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 9, 1975 US. Patent Dec. 9, 1975 Sheet 2 on 3,924,665

U.S. Patent Dec. 9, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,924,665

SPRING CORE ASSEMBLY MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION wire coils. A cut-off and loop formation device cuts off the wire coils on at least one clamping jaw pair and forms them into loops. This device has a pair of knives for cutting the wire coil and parts for forming the loop.

Assembly machines for spring cores for mattresses of this type are known in the art from German Patent Application No. 1,552,149. It is also known in connection with these machines, to provide at the two outermost clamping jaw pairs, a cut-off and loop formation device so as to prevent the wire coil from being threaded through after loop formation. In this manner, spring cores for mattresses of standard width can be manufactured. Cut-off and loop formation devices by themselves are already known in the art. Such a device has been described, for example, in German application GM. No. 1,883,01 1. It has a fixed and a movable knife, as well as an anvil and a movable rammer as loop formation elements.

With the spring core assembly machines known so far it was possible only to manufacture spring cores for mattresses of standard width economically. But for a variety of reasons, there is a considerable demand for spring cores for narrow mattresses. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to modify a known spring core assembly machine of the initially described type in such a way that also spring cores for narrow mattresses can be economically produced by them. This requires the provision of additional devices for socalled mid-way loop formation, that is, for cutting off the wire coil and for loop formation in the center of the spring core of standard width. 1

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of the foregoing character which is simple in design and construction, and may be easily fabricated.

A further object of the present invention is to provide aspring core assembly arrangement, as described, in which the parts of the machine are readily accessible for service, and the machine has a substantially long operating life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects of the present invention are achieved by providing that the cut-off and loop formation device is located between two adjacent clamping jaw pairs of the assembly machine. To each clamping jaw pair, there is assigned a pair of knives and an element for loop formation. Also, between the two clamping jaw pairs there is located a catcher duct for the cut-off wire coil remainder. This catcher duct canbe swiveled about an axis or shaft at right angles to its longitudinal dimension and can be lifted in the direction of this shaft. In the lifted position it is located in the area of the mouth of a blow-out line for the wire coil remainder.

In accordance with another embodiment of this invention, a bent piece of wire is located at the swivelable catcher duct in such a way that in the catching position is transversely penetrates the catcher duct, but in the swiveled position does not enter into the catcher duct.

2 Due to this design, the cut-off wire coil remainder is held in the catcher duct till the latter is swiveled to the blow-out position.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both asto its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 shows a top view of those sections of a spring core assembly machine pertaining to the invention in an operating position, with the clamping jaws closed and with the wire coil not yet cut;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail of the drive of the movable knife;

FIG. 3 shows a top view as FIG. 1, but after actuating the knives and forming of the loops;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged section of FIG. 3 with the catcher or collecting duct and the cut-off wire coil reniainder;

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged top view of the left-hand pair of knives with the loop already formed;

FIG. 6 shows a top view in accordance with FIG. 1, but with the clamping jaws opened and with the catcher duct swung to the blow-out position; and

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the device for Iifting the catcher duct into the blow-out position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In referring to the drawing, the machine shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 for assembling spring cores for mattresses shows a row of clamping jaw carriers 1. Each carrier 1 mounts a fixed clamping jaw 2 and a movable clamping jaw 3. The movable clamping jaw 3 is moved back and forth in the operating rhythm of the machine between the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the opened position shown in FIG. 6 in a manner already known, and not shown. The pairs of clamping jaws, 2, 3 are shaped in such a way that they can receive at any one time the

lower end coils

4, 5 of two adjacent coil springs. In the closed position, the clamping jaw pairs 2, 3 at the same time constitute a guide for a wire coil 6, which in FIG. 1, for example, is screwed from the right-hand through all clamping jaw pairs so that the

end coils

4, 5 of the coil springs are connected with one another. A machine of this type is already known in the art and has been described in detail in the German Patent Application No. 1,552,149. To provide for such a machine at the two outermost clamping jaw pairs, hence at the extreme left-hand and extreme right-hand clamping jaw pair, a cut-off and loop formation device for the wire coil 6 is already known in the art. In this manner, spring cores for mattresses of standard width can be manufactured. FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 show only the lower clamping jaw carriers 1 of the machine. It is self-understood that symmetrically identical clamping jaw carriers are present to connect the upper end coils of the coil springs.

In order to manufacture with the same machine spring cores for narrow mattresses in an economic manner, the wire coils between the two middle clamping jaw carriers 1' or 1' must also be cut and provided with loops. For this purpose, two devices for cutting the wire coil 6 and for forming loops are located between the two middle clamping jaw carriers shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6. Their design is basically similar to the devices located at the outermost clamping jaw carriers but their dimensions are smaller. The exact construction of such a device is known, for example, from the German Patent Application No. 1,883,011.

To each of the

clamping jaw pairs

2', 3 or 2", 3" of the

middle carriers

1 and 1 there is assigned a device for cutting and loop formation of the wire coil 6. This device has a fixed knife 7 and a movable knife 8 each of which is held by a knife support 9 (FIGS. 2 and The drive for the movable knives 8 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The

piston rod

11a or 11b, of a compressed-air cylinder aggregate 102 or b, respectively, actuates a lever l2a or 12b, which, in turn, actuates the movable knife 8 via a twoarm rocking lever 13 (FIG. 2).

As is evident from FIG. 5 and from the above-mentioned German Patent GM No. 1,883,01 1, parts of the movable knife 8 at the same time constitute a rammer, and parts 3a of clamping jaw 3 constitute an anvil for forming loop 6a which connects the

end coils

4, 5.

FIGS. 3 and S'show the position of the parts after cutting through the wire coil 6 and after forming the loop. Hence, there remains between the clamping jaws of carriers 1, 1 a cut-off wire coil remainder 6b. So that the latter "can be removed from the machine, it must be held and fed to a collector. For this purpose, there is located between the knives a catching device which is shown enlarged in FIGS. 4 and 7. It has a catcher duct 15 which can be swiveled on a tubelike carrier about a pivot 17 by 90. A second pivot 18 of the catcher duct 15 actuates a rod 19, which, as indicated by the double arrow 23, can be moved back and forth axially, controlled by the machined drive. This movement causes a swing of the catcher duct 15 by 90 (see the position indicated by a dot-dash line). At the loop 18a which is also connected to rod 19, contact is made with a bent piece of wire, 20 which enters the catcher duct 15 through

openings

21, 22. The piece of wire 20 is bent in such a way that it does not prevent the swinging of the catcher duct, and its length is such that its end 20a does not protrude into the catcher duct when it is in the swiveled position. The piece of wire 20 has the task of holding the cut-off wire coil remainder 6b till it can be blow out, as will be described later. The piece of wire 20 does not prevent the threading through of the wire coil 6 through the catcher duct 15.

7 FIG. 6 shows an operational phase of the assembly machine with the clamping

jaws

2, 3 open and the loops 6'ajforrned at

the'end coils

4, 5. The catcher duct has already been swung by 90. The wire coil remainder 6b is still in the catcher duct 15. At this point in time, the carrier 16 is lifted into a blow-out position. The necessary device is shown in FIG. 7. To a holder 25, rigidly connected to the machine, a pivot trunnion 26 is fastened to'which the tubelike carrier is swiveled. The carrier 16 is connected via a rod 29 to a two-arm lever 28 which is driven by a machine element 27 moving back and forth against the tensile forceof a spring 24. At the knife support 9 (only indicated in FIG. 7) there is a tube 30 that ends in a nozzle 31. When the end of the carrier 16 is in the lifted position shown in FIG. 7, compressed air is introduced into tube 30 as indicated by arrow 32. This air blows the wire coil remainder 6b through the hollow carrier 16 into a catcher duct 30 which terminates in a collector. Now carrier 16 returns to its initial position. The catcher duct 15 is swiveled back. A new set of coil springs is supplied to the still

open clamping jaws

2, 3.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapted for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A spring core assembly machine comprising, in combination, a plurality of clamping jaw pairs arranged next to one another in a row for holding together the end coils of adjacent coil springs while said springs are connected to one another by threading through wire coils; cut-off and loop forming means for cutting off wire coils on at least one clamping jaw pair and forming the cut-off wire coils into loops, said cut-off and loop forming means being located between two adjacent clamping jaw pairs and having a pair of knives for each respective clamping jaw pairs for cutting said wire coils.

2. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said loop forming means includes a loop forming element for each respective clamping jaw pairs.

3. The machine as defined in claim 2 including duct means for catching the cut-off wire coil remainder.

4. The machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said cut-off wire coil remainder is tumable about an axis normal to the longitudinal direction of said wire coil remainder.

5. The machine as defined in claim 4 including rod means linked to said duct means and movable reciprocably for rotating said duct means by substantially 6. The machine as defined in claim 5 including supporting means for said duct means, said duct means being rotatable about said angle by said rod means on said support means.

7. The machine as defined in claim 4 including means for holding the looped wire so that when said duct means is turned about said axis substantially normal to the longitudinal direction thereof, said looped wire does not enter said duct means, said looped wire passing transversely through said duct means when said duct means remains in a nonturned position.

8. The machine as defined in claim 7 including tubeshaped support means for said duct means, said duct means being pivotable on said support means between a position for catching the cut-off wire coil remainder and in a position where said duct means is cleared.

9. The machine as defined in claim 8 wherein said tube-shaped support means has an-exit duct for the wire coil remainder cleared from said duct means, said support means having a rear opening in the clearing position directed toward an entrance opening of said duct means.

Claims

4. The machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said cut-off wire coil remainder is turnable about an axis normal to the longitudinal direction of said wire coil remainder.

5. The machine as defined in claim 4 including rod means linked to said duct means and movable reciprocably for rotating said duct means by substantially 90*.

6. The machine as defined in claim 5 including supporting means for said duct means, said duct means being rotatable about said angle by said rod means on said support means.

8. The machine as defined in claim 7 including tube-shaped support means for said duct means, said duct means being pivotable on said support means between a position for catching the cut-off wire coil remainder and in a position where said duct means is cleared.

9. The machine as defined in claim 8 wherein said tube-shaped support means has an exit duct for the wire coil remainder cleared from said duct means, said support means having a rear opening in the clearing position directed toward an entrance opening of said duct means.