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United States Patent 5,090,632
Lace February 25, 1992
Apparatus for forming electrical coil assemblies

Abstract

Apparatus, for winding coils of various geometric configuration, includes a rotary spindle provided with a mounting face on which a segmented core spool assembly is mounted. This assembly is thus fixed by a clamping flange extending a tongue into the spindle. A cam and a swash plate on the spindle then articulate a pivoted arm on which a wire guide is fixed. The cam is then useful in minimizing the dynamic components of the wire wound onto an irregular shape while the swash plate controls the winding lace.

Inventors: Lace; Donald A. (5041 Galway Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92649)
Appl. No.: 497682
Filed: March 23, 1990

Intern'l Class: H01B 011/04
Field of Search: 29/605 226/113,119 242/7.13,7.14,7.15,147 R,154

References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2595332May., 1952Chapman et al.242/7.
2605973Aug., 1952Roane242/7.
3771736Nov., 1973Theander242/7.
3989200Nov., 1976Bachi242/7.
4141480Feb., 1979Calzini226/119.
4649308Mar., 1987Kranzler242/7.
Foreign Patent Documents
455382Apr., 1975SU242/7.

Primary Examiner: Stodola; Daniel P.
Assistant Examiner: Riggs, Jr.; Charles T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bak-Boychuk; I. Michael
Claims


What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for winding coils onto an irregularly shaped spool assembly comprising:

a rotary spindle mounted for rotation and including a face plate formed in one end thereof, said face plate being provided with a rectangular recess extending into said spindle;

a clamping fixture characterized by a flange and a tongue extending from one face of said flange, said tongue being conformed for receipt in said rectangular recess;

securing means formed on said spindle for securing said tongue within said rectangular recess;

a cam formed on said spindle;

a pivoted arm deployed adjacent said spindle and urged to contact said cam proximate a free end thereof;

wire spool means mounted for rotation adjacent said arm for storing wire thereon, said arm including guide means conformed to receive said wire extending from said spool means; and

a core assembly comprising a plurality of channel segments spaced from each other by insulative spacers received in clamped engagement between said flange and said face plate.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a swash plate affixed to said spindle; and

engagement means extending from said arm for sliding contact along said swash plate for flexing said arm along the axis of said spindle.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

tensioning means interposed between said spool and said guide means for maintaining tension in said wire.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein:

each said segment includes separated projections conformed for wrapping said wire thereon.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein:

said segments each include insulative coating.
Description


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the method and apparatus for winding coils and more particularly to a method and structure for forming geometrically varied coil assemblies.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,578 I have described an acoustic pickup assembly which, amongst its other features, includes an elongate electrical winding. This winding, and other windings of complex geometric form, present some difficulty in assembly.

In a typical prior art setting, coils are often wound in automated processes, particularly when dimensional limits and miniaturization are contemplated. Simply, coil windings often entail very thin wire sizes, small winding dimensions and the consequent limits on winding tension and wrapping that these present. These precise limits and physical constraints are often beyond the limits of manual facility and thus are, of necessity, automated. Accordingly, various automatic winding assemblies have been devised in the past which accommodate these limitations without the necessity of manual control.

These automated winding schemes, however, contain plate regular bobbins or shapes for the coil assembly. Irregular shapes, in distinction, present various wire force transients in the course of rotary winding. Thus, the convenience of automatic coil assembly available for regular shapes is not effective for novel geometries.

I have found that various novel results are obtainable from irregular coil geometries. For example, the core pieces of the coil may be set in isolation and thus become useful as the electrical terminals. Thus, by segmenting and isolating core pieces plural windings may be achieved which separately or in combination produce the desired results. These and other results are obtainable in a geometry which is concurrently useful in winding and it is one example thereof that I now set out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the general object and purpose of the present invention to provide a novel winding arrangement for geometrically irregular electrical coils.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a coil assembly useful in defining a plurality of overlaid windings.

Yet further objects of the invention are to provide a coil winding method of universal application.

Briefly, these and other objects are accomplished within the present invention by conforming a core piece for an elongate coil by way of a plurality of channel segments of integer segment dimension, such that one channel segment is coterminous with one or more other channel segments laid along side thereof. Preferrably, the channel members each include perforations in the respective spines thereof, such perforations being spaced in equal intervals along the channel length. A plurality of insulative spacers is then provided with conforming posts engaged in the perforations. Thus the insulators interlock the segments into a single integral assembly. In this form the core assembly may be mounted onto the winding post of a rotary fixture by way of a retainer extending a tongue through the gap between adjacent spacers. This tongue is then secured in the fixture compressing the core assembly therebetween.

It will be noted that the resulting core assembly is generally elongate in shape. When rotated along with the fixture the ends of the core assembly describe a varying linear rate relative any wire guide. This varying velocity, in turn, results in a varying kinematic effect (acceleration) which varies the winding tension on the core assembly. To reduce this kinematic variable a wrapping guide is positioned just outside the arc of the core assembly and geared to move transversely across the core at a selected multiple of the core rotation. Thus, only a short length of the wire strand is in free response, limiting the mass contribution on the wire tension.

Each core segment comprising the core assembly may be coated with an insulative coating on its interior and may be plated, coated, or otherwise prepared at the ends for electrical contact. Thus, the ends of each segment may be formed as a tooth-like projection around which the wound wire is terminated or wrapped.

In this manner convenient termination of each winding may be easily achieved in an assembly which is conformed for automated winding.

Of course, various tensioning mechanisms may be employed in the course of winding including spring-tensioned pulleys and friction devices along the wire path. These then may be adjusted in tension and may be geared with the tongue direction of the retainer for a modulated tension profile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration, separated by parts, of an inventive winding assembly;

FIG. 2 is an end view, in section, of a winding core mounted in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a side view, in section, of a core mounted for winding in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIGS. 1-3 the inventive winding assembly, generally designated by the numeral 10, comprises a rotary mount 11 provided with a circular mounting boss 12 fixed adjacent a bilobed cam 14 on a spindle 15. A rectangular pocket 16 extends from the exposed face of the boss 12 through the cam 14 and into the interior spindle 15. This rectangular pocket 16 is conformed to receive an elongate, rectangularly, sectioned tongue 18 extending from the flange 19 at one end thereof. The other face of the flange 19 may be shaped to include a conical tie down 20 to which one end of a wire W may be affixed.

Spindle 15 is then driven in rotation, across a gear train 25, by an electrical motor 26. As thus rotated, spindle 15 also advances in rotation cam 14 against a roller 31 at the free end of a spring loaded arm 32. A jeweled guide 33 at the end of this arm then translates the turning angle of the wire W to move with the motion of the roller.

In this form the winding assembly 10 is useful in receiving an elongate core assembly generally shown at 50, and comprising a first elongate channel segment 51 adjacent to a second and third segment 52 and 53. Preferrably each of the segments is generally of a C-shaped section with the spines perforated at even increments with paired holes 55. A plurality of rectangular insulative separators 56 is then placed between the spines of segment 51 and segments 52 and 53, each separator being provided with posts 57 conformed for indexed receipt in holes 55.

Segments 52 and 53 may be of a length of integer division of the length of segment 51. Thus, the combination of segments 51, 52 and 53 and the separators 56 cooperate to form an integral core or spool assembly around which the wire W is to be wound. This is effected by insertion of the tongue 18 into the common interspace between the segments to compress the assembly by the opposition of the flange 19 and the face of the boss 12. Once thus compressed a set screw 39 extending into spindle 15 fixes the tongue 18 in position.

One should note that in this arrangement the lobes 14L of the cam 14 may be shaped and aligned to lead the advancement of the ends of the core assembly 50. The cam shaping and lead may be selected to minimize the dynamic loading of the wire W as it is laid up into the combined interior of segments 51, 52 and 53. This dynamic loading may be further minimized by way of spring loaded take up rollers 61 and 62 in the wire path from a spool 63. Moreover, by selecting an arm length for the arm 32 for minimal geometric effects a virtually even and consistent wire force can be applied insuring an even wrapping onto the core assembly.

The wrapping lace or pattern may be further controlled by a swash plate 37 formed around the boss 12 against which a finger 36 from the arm 32 is pressed. Thus, arm 32 may be transversely flexed, in the manner of a derailleur, along with its pivotal motion on the cam, both to minimize wire loading transients and to effect the necessary lacing.

Each of the segments 51, 52 and 53, moreover, may be insulatively coated on their interior, preferrably to a thickness of 0.003 to 0.005 inches, each segment including corresponding end fingers 51a, 52a, and 53a around which the wire W may be electrically terminated by wrapping or soldering. Thus, each segment 51, 52, and 53 also forms an electrical terminal with the size convenience for miniaturized implementation.

In this form one or more windings may be overlaid onto a core spool of a varying geometric arrangement where the segments of the core spool also provide the electrical terminals for the thin wire (40-53 gauge) wound thereon. In each instance the tapered end of the retainer is useful for the beginning wire tie down which then can be variously reconnected on electrical assembly.

Segments 51, 52 and 53, moreover, each comprise ferromagnetic material structure which is characterized by substantial thermal mass and conductivity. Thus, upon completion of a winding the wire filament W wrapped onto the termination fingers 51a, 52a and 53a is geometrically fixed to a localized path, allowing for soldered termination at which sufficient heat is applied to melt and vaporize the thin insulative coating normally on the filament. In this manner the core segment arrangement and geometry render convenient the winding coils thereabout while also providing a convenient soldering terminal for electrical connection.

Obviously many modifications and changes may be made to the foregoing description without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be determined solely on the claims appended hereto.

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