Plate roll bending machine with roll position feedback contained within roll positioning cylinder
AssigneeMega Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorMichael Fabianek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulic roll bending machine includes a frame and a hydraulic cylinder supporting a bending roll such that extension or retraction of the rod changes a height of the bending roll relative to the frame. A hydraulic system includes a valve disposed to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid on at least one side of the hydraulic cylinder, and a controller operates to provide a command signal to a valve channeling hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic system to the cylinder. A sensor is integrated with the hydraulic cylinder, within the bore of the housing, and is disposed to sense a distance of the plunger relative to one end of the housing and provide a signal indicative of the distance to the controller.
Claims20
A hydraulic roll bending machine, comprising:
- a frame;
- a hydraulic cylinder having a housing forming a bore and a plunger slidably and sealably disposed within the bore of the housing, the plunger being connected to a rod extending past one end of the housing such that motion of the plunger within the bore of the housing causes the rod to extend or retract relative to the housing, wherein a first end of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to the frame;
- a bending roll rotatably connected to a second end of the hydraulic cylinder such that extension or retraction of the rod changes a height of the bending roll relative to the frame;
- a hydraulic system that includes a valve disposed to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid on at least one side of the plunger within the bore of the housing;
- a controller operating to provide a command signal to the valve;
- and
- a sensor integrated with the hydraulic cylinder, the sensor being integrated within the bore of the housing and disposed to sense a distance of the plunger relative to one end of the housing and to provide a signal indicative of the distance to the controller;
- and
- a magnet associated with the sensor and arranged to provide a non-contacting magnetic signal to the sensor;
- wherein the signal indicative of the distance is based on the non-contacting magnetic signal.
A hydraulic roll bending machine for bending metal plates, comprising:
- a controller;
- upper and lower gripping rolls rotatably and drivably mounted on a frame, wherein a plate to be bent is arranged to pass between the upper and lower gripping rolls, and wherein a height of at least one of the upper and lower gripping rolls relative to the frame is adjustable by two cylinders;
- a bending roll rotatably mounted on the frame through two additional cylinders operating to adjust a height of first and second ends of the bending roll relative to the frame independently and in response to command signals provided by the controller;
- wherein the controller is programmed and operates to adjust a position of each of the two cylinders and the two additional cylinders independently and based on a respective position signal provided by a respective sensor disposed in each of the two cylinders and the two additional cylinders;
- and
- wherein each respective position signal is provided by each respective sensor having sensing elements that are entirely disposed within the respective one of the two cylinders and the two additional cylinders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.