US2652986A - Wire guide - Google Patents

Description

5. B. SCOTT WIRE GUIDE Filed Mar'ch 18, 1949 Sept. 22, 1953 Inventor: Benjamin B/Scott,

His Attorney,

strands along the winding axis. along this axis'can be caused by initial nonperpendicularity of the pulley pitch line with respect to its axis of rotation. Circumferential -wear on the pulley axle causes a progressive cause a cumulative axial displacement.

Patented Sept. 22, 1953 WIRE GUIDE Benjamin B. Scott, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 18, 1949, Serial No. 82,112

4 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for guiding a moving wire or like strand.

"length of the whole resistance, so that great care is taken to place-the turns as the resistance is wound. For accuracy, a wire guide must be :placed asclose as possible to the resistance being wound;

When resistance wire is wound upon a cylindrical supporting member, the path of the wire being wound from the guide is a straight line tangent to the supporting member, but when wire is wound upon flat supporting members the wire at the supporting member oscillates in a direction perpendicular to the winding axis as the supporting member is rotated. To allow for this oscillation, a winding guide to be positioned "close enough to the member to be effective must be in the form of a pulley or a slot.

Pulleys have proven less satisfactory than is desired for guides for the winding of strands of elongated material because of several characteristics, all of which result in displacement of Displacement similar axial error in the pulley pitch line. Initial tolerance in pulley shaft length and wear on the end of a pulley shaft also combine to All of these displacements are additive and result in inaccuracy of placement of resistance turns by a pulley guide. As opposed to pulleys, slot guides allow no movement in the direction of the winding axis if constructed with an opening equal to the nominal overall dimension of the wire strand plus insulation but an oversize wire section jams ina slot constructed with such an opening and breaks the wire.

The objectof my invention is to'provide a guide that can be mounted close to the resistance being wound and that will direct the strand to its winding position without movement in the direction of the winding axis despite movement of the strand perpendicular to the winding axis and despite variation in overall cross-section of the strand.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention in its relative position of mounting with respect to a wire winding machine; Fig. 2 is a partial view of a'section 2-4 looking in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of section 2-2 showing the passage through the device of a length of wire strand having a greater than nominal diameter.

Referring to the diagram, the wire I, maintained under tension to keep it taut, passes from a reel (not shown) over the pulley-2 pivoted on the winding head 3 of the winding machine '4 operated by the motor 4a and provided with the gear box 42). The motor is connected through the gearing in the box 41) to turn a card 5 about its longitudinal center line as a winding axis. As the wire is wound on the supporting member or card 5, the winding head 3 is moved along by the lead screw .6 of the winding machine operated by a separate motor means (not shown) to position each new turn being wound. An arm 1 of the winding head 3 slides along the guide member 8.

The rectangular bars 9 and ID are adjacently mounted on the plate II which is adjustably mounted on the base l2, of the winding head 3. The bolts l2 threaded into the base l2 project through the slots ll so that the plate H can be adjusted up or down the length of the slots II to conform with the widths of the resistances being wound before the bolts are tightened to hold plate I l in place.

The sides of the slot l3 between the bars are formed by the flat surfaces l4 and [5 of the bars. Equal bevel surfaces It and I1, oppositely extending more than half the width of the bars, relieve the slot sides between the spacers l8 and I9 mounted near the ends of the bars.

Insulated wire is designated by a nominal diameter of the metal of the wire and it has a corresponding nominal thickness of insulation.

Both nomina1 wire diameters and nominal insulation thicknesses are subject to tolerances. Inthis application "normal diameter will be used for the overall diameter of a bare wire of actual diameter equalto nominal diameter and of an insulated wire having an actual diameter equal to nominal diameter and covered with an insulation of nominal thickness. The spacers l8 and I9 separate the surfaces l4 and IS a distance 20 slightly greater than the normal diameter of the wire being wound and form the ends of the slot l3. The bevel surfaces It and I! are spaced apart a distance 2| which is greatscrew guided by the surfaces l4 and [5 without movement in the direction of the winding axis as shown in Fig. 2. A length of wire of less than normal diameter is directed. to a position on the supporting member within the limits of the position that would be taken by a wire of normal diameter. A length of wire of diameter 23 greater than normal diameter can pass through the bars with a slight bend as shown in Fig. 3. As it leaves the guide as shown by 23' and is positioned upon thesupporting member; its centeris. displaced by a distance equal. to one half vthe amount by which the wire diameter is oversize. The arrows 20' and 23 show the relative positions of a normal diameter wire section and of, an oversize wire section leaving the guide.

While I have shown a particular embodiment ,ofmy invention, it will be understood, of course,

that I do not wish to be limited thereto since vmany modifications can be made, and I therefore contemplate by the appended claims-to cover any such: modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of myinvention.

What I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United, States is:

1-..A winding device having, in combination, winding means to wind wire on a supporting gmember and-a guiding: device provided with a slot for guiding said wire to a predetermined position 0112 said: member comprising a plate mounted uponthe winding head; ofv said winding means, :said plate being provided with mounting means adjustable for the width ofsaid supporting member, rectangular bars forming the sides of said =slotvadjacently mounted upon-said plate and disposed perpendicularly tothe axis of. rotation ofsaid member and spacers forming the. endsiof said. slot mounted between said bars and near the ends of. said bars to space apart the facing surfaces of said. bars a distance slightly greater than the normal diameter of the wire being wound said bars being provided with beveled relief surfaces between said spacers extending anorethan half the widthof saidbars:and disposed oppositely along said wire, said beveled surfaces being. spaced apart a distance. greater than said normale diameter and the portions of said facing surfaces between said spacers being separated along said wire a distance greater than vsaid normal diameter, to allow lengths of wire having diameters greater than said normal diameter. to pass through said device;

} 2;. A, wire guide. for directing moving taut wire to a predetermined position upon a supporting member inv combination with a winding machine 1 winding. resistance wire upon said supporting member comprising a. plate mounted upon the winding head ofsaid winding machine, said plate being provided with mounting holes. elongated in a direction perpendicular to the winding axis of said machine for adjustment according to the width of said supporting member, a pair of rectangular bars adj acently mounted upon said plate disposed in a direction perpendicular to said winding axis and a pair of spacers mounted between and near the ends of said bars to maintain the facing surfaces of said bars parallel and separated by a. distance slightly greater than the normal diameter of saidmoving wire, the segments of said facing surfaces lying between said spacers forming the sides of a slot to guide said wire into a predetermined position along said winding axis while allowing movement of said wire perpendicular to said axis, said spacers forming the ends of said slot, said bars being provided with equal bevel surfaces adjoining said sides extending oppositely along the direction of 'travel of said wire and separated by a distance greater than said normal diameter, said sides being separated along said wire a distance greater than said normal diameter so that lengths of said wire of diameters up to said normal diameter pass through said slot and are directed to a predetermined position upon said supporting member within the limits of the position that would be occupied by a wire length of said normal diameter, and lengths of said wire of greater than said normal diameter are directed to positions upon said supporting member with minimum deflection along said winding axis.

3. In a wire winding machine, a guide of the slot type for positioning the wire as it is wound comprising at least two members including. guide surfaces defining a slot perpendicular to the axis of winding and transverse to the direction of. wire travel, said guide surfaces respectively lying in planes perpendicular. to the axis of winding, said planes having a fixed separation at least as great as the normal outer diameter of the wire to be guided, said guide surfaces being displaced. from one another in the direction of wire travel in order to provide for passage of wire sections of a diameter greater than said. fixed separation 4..A resistor winding machine having a resistor wire guide of the slot type including two plane parallel guide surfaces perpendicular to the winding axis defining a slot transverse to the direction of the wire path, said guide surfaces having a fixed. separation in a direction perpendicular to the wire path at least as great as the. normal outer dimension of the wire to be guided and a separation alongthe direction of the wire path to. provide'for passageof wire sections of larger than normal outer dimensions said guide being spaced in proximity to therotational path of the radially outermost portion of a support on which the wire is to be wound.

BENJAL'IIINB. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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