US3119536A

US3119536A - Wire feeding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3119536A
Application number: US110516A
Authority: US
Inventors: Laurence J Berkeley
Original assignee: Berkeley Davis Inc
Current assignee: Berkeley Davis Inc
Priority date: 1961-05-16
Filing date: 1961-05-16
Publication date: 1964-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1981-01-28

Description

Jar.. 28, 1964 L. J. BERKELEY WIRE FEEDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16. 1961 NNNNN mw.

L; E WWU mum IN VEN TOR. laurence J` Berkel j BY v A rrd/QA/f/ Jan. 28, 1964 l.. J. BERKELEY WIRE FEEDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1961 INV EN TOR. Laurence J` Berkel ej V/ 'w/ /W A UFA/2 United States Patent O 3,119,536 WIRE FEEDNG APPARATUS Laurence I. lerkeiey, La Sella, Calif., assigner to Berkeley-Davis, Inc., Danville, 1li. Fiied May 16, 1961, Ser. No. 116,516 Claims. (Ci. 226-110) The present invention relates to a wire feeding device, more particularly to a device for individually and selectively feeding a plurality of wires, and the principal object of the invention is to provide new and improved devices of the character described.

While the present device was developed for use in seam welding equipment wherein one or more consumable Welding wires are adapted to be fed to the material being Welded, it will readily be apparent that the invention is not limited to such use but will find utility in various fields where one or more wires must selectively be fed.

Heretofore, devices of the same general type have been employed; however, none have been as simple, effective nor as compact as the present invention. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description and from the drawings appended hereto.

In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application there is shown, for purpose of illustration, an embodiment which the invention may assume, and in such drawings:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a head for individually and selectively feeding a plurality of wires, herein shown to be six in number,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view generally corresponding to the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view generally corresponding to the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded, fragmentary perspective view of certain details seen in FIGURES 2 and 3.

With reference first to FIGURE l, there is illustrated a head formed of a housing 11 through which pass the wires (herein shown to be six 12, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4 and 12.5) which are to be fed. Briefly, housing 11 rotatably supports a plurality of roll pairs 13, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4 and 13.5, each forming a pass for a respective wire. Each roll pair is presently identical, roll pair 13 comprising rolls 14, having their peripheries in adjoining relation and the remaining roll pairs comprising identical rolls identified by the same reference characters but with the appropriate suflix .l through .5.

Hereinafter and unless a contrary meaning is specified, it is to be understood that a reference, for example, to roll pair 13, roll 14 or roll 15 also refers respectively to roll pairs 13.1 through 13.5, rolls 14.1 through 14.5 or rolls 15.1 through 15.5.

Rolls 14, 15 are preferably identical (with the exception of their centers as will later appear) and as best seen in FIGURE 4, each has a portion formed with a peripheral annular groove 16 for receiving the wire 12. Adjacent to each portion providing the groove 16 is a gear portion 17. In the present embodiment, the roll and gear portions are shown formed of the same piece in order to reduce the number of parts and thus simplify the disclosure; however, it will be apparent that manufacturing economies or the like may dictate that such portions be separately formed and then bolted, welded, pinned or otherwise suitably fastened together to form a structurally integral assembly. As illustrated, the gear portions 17 of respective rolls 14, 15 are intermeshed so that simultaneous rotation of the rolls is insured.

With reference to FIGURE 2, the rolls 14 through 14.5 are presentely keyed in side-by-side, abutting relation to a drive shaft 18 journaled in suitable bearings 19 for ro- ICC tation in the housing 11. Although not shown, a suitable motor may be connected to an extension of shaft 18 for rotating the latter in either direction depending upon the desired direction of wire feed.

As previously mentioned, the gear portion 17 of roll 15 is meshed with the gear portion of roll 14 and, for supporting roll 15 in position, a non-rotatable shaft 20 is mounted within the housing. For reasons to appear, shaft 20 is non-circular in cross-section to provide ilat, parallel sides 21 (see FIGURE 4) and is spaced transversely of the shaft 18 but parallel therewith.

Mounted upon the shaft 20 is a sleeve 22 having an elongated slot 23 for closely spanning the shaft sides 21. The arrangement is such that while sleeve 22 is nonrotatably supported by the shaft 20, the elongated sleeve slot 23 provides for limited sleeve movement in a direction toward and away from the axis of drive shaft 18. The round exterior of sleeve 22 is proportioned to rotatably fit within the bore 24 of the roll 15, the latter thus being rotatable about the sleeve 22 and also being shiftable with the sleeve toward and away from the axis of the shaft 18. As will be clear, the rolls 15.1 through 15.5 are provided with respective sleeves 22.1 through 22.5 which are identical with the above described sleeve 22.

In order to bias each of the sleeves 22 through 22.5 in a direction away from the axis of shaft 18 for a purpose to appear, respective coil springs 25 through 25.5 seat within recesses in the shaft 2t)v and bear against the bottoms of respective sleeve slots as shown.

As above mentioned, springs 25 through 25.5 normally bias the sleeves 22 through 22.5 and thus their rolls 15 through 15.5 in a direction away from rolls 14 through 14.5 an amount sufficient to release respective wires 12 through 12.5. Therefore, even though drive shaft 18 and all of the interconnected roll pairs are rotating, none of the wires will be fed. Independent, selective feeding of the wires 12 through 12.5 is effectuated by shifting the appropriate roll 15 through 15.5 against the urging of its spring toward the axis of drive shaft 18 so as to grip the wire in the roll pass. When the wire is thus gripped between the rotating rolls of its pass, it will be fed therethrough. In order to carry out the above-mentioned movement of rolls 15 through 15.5, the following structure is provided, it being understood that a description of roll pair 13 is equally applicable to roll pairs 13.1 through 13.5 with one exception later to be pointed out.

Engaged with the periphery of roll 15 of roll pair 13 in opposed relation to the roll pass is a back-up roll 26 rotatably carried by an intermediate portion of a lever 27. One end of lever 27 is pivotally supported by a shaft 28 mounted within the housing while the other end of the lever carries a roller 29. A back-up roll and lever is provided for each roll pair; however, for reasons to appear, the levers 27 through 27.5 are alternately arranged. As viewed in FIGURE 3, the levers 27, 27.2 and 27.4 are pivotally supported by the shaft 28 which, in the position of parts shown, is disposed on the left side of the roll pairs 13 through 13.5 while the levers 27.1, 27.3 and 27.5 are each pivotally supported by a shaft `30 disposed on the right side of the roll pairs. Thus, the rollers carried by the free end of respective levers 27, 27.2 and 27.4 are disposed on the right side of the roll pairs while the rollers carried by the free ends of respective levers 27.1, 27.3 and 27.5 are disposed on the left side of the roll pairs.

The means provided for shifting the levers 27 through 27.5 about their pivots presently comprises a liuid motor 31 of the diaphragm type for each lever. As best seen in FIGURE 3, each motor 31 has a piston rod 32 engaged with the roller carried Iby the free end of respective lever.

In operation, when fluid pressure is admitted to respective -uid motors through respective conduits 33, the piston rod will move down (in the position of parts shown) to bias the lever and thus the 4back-up roll to urge the upper roll of the engaged roll pair toward the lower roll to grip and thus feed the appropriate wire. When uid pressure is exhausted from the fluid motor, the upper roll will once again be biased by its spring as before described to release the wire and thus feeding thereof will cease. Obviously, 'any combination of wires may be fed depending -upron which of the duid motors are exposed to the pressurized fluid.

It is to -be understood that while individual rolls 13 through 13.5 are herein shown keyed to the drive shaft 18, such rolls and ltheir gear portions could be formed as an integral unit with the drive shaft.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the tart that I have accomplished at least the principal object of my invention and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable yof uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

l. A wire feeding device, comprising a pair of rotatably mounted trolls having their peripheries in adjoining relation, one o-f said rolls being mounted for movement toward and away from the other roll to provide a variable size pass between said peripheries, a movably mounted back-up roll having its periphery in rolling engagement with said one roll, means for moving said one roll and said bacloup roll in a direction away from said other roll to open up said pass and interrupt driving engagement with a wire disposed therein, and means for moving said back-up roll and said :one roll toward said other roll to close said pass on said interposed wire and thereby feed the same.

2. A wire feeding device, comprising a pair of rotatably mounted rolls having their peripheries in adjoining relation, one of said rolls being mounted for movement toward and away from the other roll to provide a variable size pass between said peripheries, resilient means normally urging said one roll in a direction -away from said other roll to open said pass and interrupt driving engagement with a wire disposed therein, ya movably mounted back-up roll having its periphery in rollin-g engagement with said one roll at a point opposed to sa-id pass, and

means for moving said lback-up roll and consequently said one roll against the urging force of said resilient means in a direction toward said other roll to close said pass on said interposed wire and thereby feed the same.

3` A device for feeding two wires in independent relation, comprising a rotatable drive shaft, a first pair of rolls secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a support parallel to but spaced from said shaft, a second pair of rolls carried by said support for rotation and. aligned with said iirst pair of rolls to prov-ide corresponding sets of rolls, the pair of rolls in each set having their peripheries adjoining to form a wire pass therebetween, each of said second pair `of rolls lbeing mounted on said support for independent movement so that its periphery may be moved toward or away from the periphery of its corresponding roll in said first pair of rolls, and means for independently moving each of the rolls in said second pair so that the respective pass may be selectively closed upon the wire disposed therein to drive the same, including a pair of back-up rolls aligned and having peripheral engagement with respective ones of said second pair of rolls.

4. A device for feeding wire, comprising a drive shaft, a first roll secured to` said shaft for rotation therewith, a non-circular support spaced from said drive shaft, a sleeve carried on said support for movement toward and away from said shaft, a second roll rotatably carried by said sleeve and having its periphery adjoining the periphery of said iirst roll to form a wire pass therebetween, resilient means urging said sleeve in a direction away from said drive kshaft to open said pass and interrupt driving of wire lthe-rein, and a back-up roll having its periphery in rolling engagement with said second roll, said back-up roll being rotatably carried by -a power actuated lever and being adapted to force said sleeve toward said shaft to close said pass on the wire therein to drive the latter.

5. A compact device for feeding a pair of wires in in'- dependent relation, comp-rising a housing having spaced opposed walls, a rotatable drive shaft carried by and extending between said -wa-lls, a rst pair of rolls secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a non-circular support carried lby and extending between said walls, said support being parallel to but spaced from said drive shaft, a pair of sleeves non-rotatably carried #by said support and slidable therein for independent movement toward and away from said drive shaft, a second pair of rolls rotatably carried by respect-ive sleeves and aligned with said iierst pair of rolls to provide corresponding sets of rolls having their peripheries in adjoining relation to form a wire pass therebetween, a spring for each sleeve operable to yurge the latter and the roll carried thereby away from the corresponding roll to open the pass and interrupt driving engagement with the wire disposed in such pass, a pair of lever shafts carried by and extending beltween said walls, a lever swingable about each lever shaft, each lever rotatably carrying a lback-up roll which is aligned with and has peripheral engagement with a respective one of said second pair of rolls, and power means for independently swinging said lever shafts in a direction to press said xback-up rolls against respective rolls of said second pair of rolls and in turn press the latter toward corresponding ones of said first pair of rolls to independently close the respective pass on a wire and drive the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,185,260 Stine May 30, 1916 1,798,316 Dreisbach Mar. 31, 1931 2,032,1260 Chapman Feb. 25, 1936 2,836,415 Rohdin May 27, 1958 2,935,037 Card May 3, 1960

Claims

1. A WIRE FEEDING DEVICE, COMPRISING A PAIR OF ROTATABLY MOUNTED ROLLS HAVING THEIR PERIPHERIES IN ADJOINING RELATION, ONE OF SAID ROLLS BEING MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHER ROLL TO PROVIDE A VARIABLE SIZE PASS BETWEEN SAID PERIPHERIES, A MOVABLY MOUNTED BACK-UP ROLL HAVING ITS PERIPHERY IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ONE ROLL, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ONE ROLL AND SAID BACK-UP ROLL IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID OTHER ROLL TO OPEN UP SAID PASS AND INTERRUPT DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH A WIRE DISPOSED THEREIN, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BACK-UP ROLL AND SAID ONE ROLL TOWARD SAID OTHER ROLL TO CLOSE SAID PASS ON SAID INTERPOSED WIRE AND THEREBY FEED THE SAME.