Leggett & Platt, Inc.

Frank L. Wells Company

Other

Horst F Wentzek

Henry Zapletal

George M Chembakaffery

Michael E Andrea

Wayne D Jaworski

Stuart C Hamill

Michael L Kozak

Jeffrey H Hoff

George T Vattakattu

Elvin E Adams

Tom J Wells

Marty J Zugel

James W Grygera

Disclosed herein is a coil spring forming head which is periodically operative to at least partially form coil springs having a plurality of coils and which includes a wire feed advancing mechanism operative to feed the wire which is formed into coil springs, a pitch control mechanism operative to control the diameter of the coils of the coil springs being formed, a diameter control mechanism operative to control the pitch of the coils of the coil springs being formed, and a control including a storage area containing instructions for operation of the wire feed advancing mechanism, the pitch control mechanism, and the diameter control mechanism, a wire feed controller connected to the wire feed advancing mechanism to control operation thereof, a pitch controller connected to the pitch control mechanism to control operation thereof, a diameter controller connected the diameter control mechanism to control operation thereof, and a programmable switching device connected to the wire feed controller, to the pitch controller, and to the diameter controller and selectively connectable to the storage area to afford forwarding of selected instructions from the storage area to the wire feed controller, to the pitch controller, and to the diameter controller.

Coil spring forming and conveying assembly

Disclosed herein is a dynamometer control for a dynamometer including a control field coil and an air gap, which dynamometer control includes a main current line connected to the control field coil and including an electronic switch, means for generating a crossing signal incident to a sinusoidal crossing associated with current flow in the main line, and a micro-processor connected to the crossing signal generating means and to the electronic switch and including a counter which is operable to count between a given count and a zero count at a given counting rate, which includes means for adjusting the given count to provide an adjusted given count, which is operable, when the count is zero, to render the counter inoperable and to output a signal which turns on the electronic switch so as to provide current flow to the control field coil of the dynamometer until the counter is again activated, and which is operable, in response to receipt of the crossing signal, to activate the counter, to load the counter with the adjusted given count, to decrement the counter from the adjusted given count to the zero count at the counting rate, and to turn off the electronic switch so as to halt current flow to the control field coil of the dynamometer until arrival at the zero count, whereby the control field coil is deenergized for a time period determined by the adjusted given count.

Digital control for dynamometer

Disclosed herein is a coil spring forming machine and transfer conveyor assembly comprising a transfer conveyor operable through a succession of operational cycles and including and endless conveyor assembly and a conveyor drive servo-motor drivingly connected to the conveyor assembly and operative, upon each energization thereof, to drive the conveyor assembly through one operational cycle. A control system operative to automatically and non-selectively cause energization of the conveyor drive servo-motor.

Disclosed herein is apparatus for fabricating a coil spring including axially opposite end convolutions having respective ends respectively knotted to the associated end convolutions, which apparatus comprises a frame, a coil forming device mounted on the frame and operative to initially form a coil spring including axially opposite end convolutions having respective free ends, a tempering device mounted on the frame and operative to temper the initially formed coil spring, a knotting mechanism mounted on the frame and operative to respectively knot the free ends of the tempered coil spring to the associated end convolutions, and a transport mechanism mounted on the frame and operative to transport the initially formed coil spring to the tempering device, and to transport the tempered coil spring to the knotting mechanism. Also disclosed herein is a method of fabricating a coil spring including an end convolution having an end knotted to the end convolution, which method comprises steps of initially forming a coil spring including an end convolution having a free end, tempering the initially formed coil spring, and knotting the free end of the initially formed and tempered coil spring to the end convolution.

Method and apparatus for tempering knotted coil springs

Apparatus for cutting, from a continuously extending sinuously formed wire, a variably selected predetermined length thereof having a plurality of sinuously formed generally identical coils, which apparatus comprises a frame, a mechanism on said frame for severing the sinuously formed wire, a track on said frame for guiding travel of the sinuously formed wire to the wire severing mechanism, and a control connected to the wire severing mechanism and including a sensing circuit for generating countable electrical pulses in response to wire travel relative to the wire severing mechanism, and a counting circuit operable to receive the countable electrical pulses and, in response to receipt of a predetermined number thereof, to generate an actuating signal effective to cause action of the wire severing mechanism to sever the wire.

Severance control for sinuous wire forming machine

Disclosed herein is a coil spring knotting machine comprising a frame, a support arm mounted on the frame for movement between a knot-tying position and a retracted position, a camshaft rotatably mounted on the frame about an axis fixed relative to the frame, a rocker-arm moveably mounted on the frame and operably connected to the camshaft and to the support arm for displacing the support arm between the knot-tying and retracted positions in response to rotation of the camshaft, a first servo motor rotatably drivingly connected to the camshaft to selectively effect rotation thereof, a knot-tying member rotatably mounted on the support arm, a second shaft rotatably mounted on the frame about a second axis fixed relative to the frame, a coupling drivingly connected to the second shaft and to the knot-tying member for rotating the knot-tying member in response to rotation of the second shaft, notwithstanding movement of the support arm between the knot-tying and retracted positions, a second servo motor drivingly connected to the second shaft to effect rotation thereof, and an electronic control unit connected to the first and second servo motors to cyclically rotate the camshaft so as to displace the support arm between the knot-tying and retracted positions and to cyclically rotate the second shaft so as to rotate the knot-tying member when the support arm is in the knot-tying position.

Knot-tying mechanism

A resilient member handling apparatus comprising a frame, a mechanism on the frame for bowing successive resilient members, and a mechanism on the frame for forming a nested complement of the resilient members, the mechanism for forming including a first cage member stationarily mounted on the frame, and defining a primary chamber adapted to receive a resilient member, a second cage member stationarily mounted on the frame, and defining a secondary chamber adapted to receive a plurality of the resilient members, a mechanism for feeding resilient members one at a time into the primary chamber from the mechanism for bowing, and a mechanism for transferring the resilient members one at a time from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber.

Resilient member nesting apparatus

Disclosed herein is apparatus for stacking loop springs which include a series of oppositely oriented U-shaped loops, which apparatus comprises a frame, a storage chamber on the frame for temporary and one-at-a-time storage of the springs, guide elements located on the frame below the spring storage chamber for guiding and supporting the springs into an aligned stack, and movable elements on the frame and operative independently of the guide elements for effecting spring discharge from the storage chamber and onto the guide elements.

Loop spring stacking machine

A machine for connecting successive rows of coil springs together into a coil spring assembly. The machine, in preferred form, initially picks up a row of coil springs by inserting a pick up finger into the barrel of each coil and moving the springs onto a support platen. In the course of transporting the coils between pick up and the support platen, the pick up fingers change the spacing of the coils. The springs are then compressed against the support platen to a desired height through use of a reciprocable compression bar. Thereafter, and through use of rotatable transfer fingers on a transfer shaft, the springs are removed from under the compression bar, and are moved into clamping dies. Leading rotary transfer fingers on the transfer shaft first pull the row of springs out from under the compression bar, and trailing rotary fingers then push the springs into the downstream one of upper and lower clamping dies. If a leading row of coil springs are already present in the clamping dies, the rows of clamping dies clamp together the upper and lower end loops of the leading and trailing rows of coil springs. The rows of springs are then connected together by helical lacing wires while clamped between the clamping dies. After the rows of coil springs are connected, the clamping dies open and upper and lower indexing hooks grab the connected coils and index the connected rows of coils in the machine's downstream direction so as to permit a next trailing row of spring to be fed into the clamping dies and connected to the previously assembled row. When the desired number of rows of springs have been connected, a feed-out mechanism is cycled to draw the spring assembly away from the machine's clamping dies and indexing hook stations.

Coil spring assembly machine

A machine for connecting rows of coil springs together into a coil spring assembly. The machine initially picks up a row of coil springs by inserting a pick up finger into the barrel of each coil and moving the springs onto a support platen. While transporting the coils, the pick up fingers change the spacing of the coils. The springs are then compressed against the support platen to a desired height through use of a reciprocable compression bar. Thereafter, rotatable transfer fingers remove the springs from under the compression bar, and move them into clamping dies. Leading rotary transfer fingers on the transfer shaft first pull the row of springs out from under the compression bar, and trailing rotary fingers then push the springs into the downstream one of upper and lower clamping dies. The rows of clamping dies clamp together the upper and lower end loops of the leading and trailing rows of coil springs. The rows of springs are then connected together by helical lacing wires while clamped between the clamping dies. After the rows of coil springs are connected, the clamping dies open and upper and lower indexing hooks grab the connected coils and index the connected rows of coils in the machine's downstream direction. When the desired number of rows of springs have been connected, a feed-out mechanism is cycled to draw the spring assembly away from the machine's clamping dies and indexing hook stations.

A machine for connecting successive rows of coil springs together into a coil spring assembly. The machine, in preferred form, initially picks up a row of coil springs by inserting a pick up finger into the barrel of each coil and moving the springs onto a support platen. In the course of transporting the coils between pick up and the support platen, the pick up fingers change the spacing of the coils. The springs are then compressed against the support platen to a desired height through use of a reciprocable compression bar. Thereafter, and through use of rotatable transfer fingers on a transfer shaft, the springs are removed from under the compression bar, and are moved into clamping dies. Leading rotary transfer fingers on the transfer shaft first pull the row of springs out from under the compression bar, and trailing rotary fingers then push the springs into the downstream one of upper and lower clamping dies. If a leading row of coil springs are already present in the clamping dies, the rows of clamping dies clamp together the upper and lower end loops of the leading and trailing rows of coil springs. The rows of springs are then connected together by helical lacing wires while clamped between the clamping dies.

Growing community of inventors

Kenosha, WI, United States of America

Horst F Wentzek