Computer numerical control assembly or processing of components
AssigneeTransformix Engineering Inc.
InventorsKenneth Wayne NICHOLSON, Philip David MUNROE, Martin George SMITH, Robert David ALMAS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to an automated method of assembling or processing components using computer numerical controlled drives to decouple the stages of delivering components to a tool, into a series of separately programmable stages, namely, a component loading stage, a component separating stage, an accelerating stage and a delivery stage, wherein the timing, position, speed, velocity, and acceleration of each component during each stage is selected through programming of the computer numerical controls.
Claims42
An automated device comprising:
- a first delivery device including:
- a first component presentation tool;
- and
- a first dedicated computer numerically controlled tool drive for loading, separating, accelerating and delivering a first component, from an intake position at a leading end of a stream of like first components, to output the first component at a predetermined delivery time, output position, speed, acceleration and trajectory;
- and
- a first receiving device including:
- a tool for receiving and processing the first component;
- and
- a tool drive for moving the tool between:
- the output position of the first component presentation tool;
- and a finished piece ejection position;
- wherein the first dedicated computer numerically controlled tool drive includes programmable controls to independently select the time, position, speed, acceleration and trajectory of the first component during a series of independently programmable first component stages, comprising:
- a loading stage;
- a separating stage;
- an accelerating stage;
- and a delivery stage.
A method comprising:
- loading a first component at an intake position at a leading end of a stream of like first components;
- separating the first component from the like first components;
- accelerating the first component;
- delivering the first component at a predetermined delivery time, delivery position, delivery speed and moving along delivery trajectory using a first component presentation tool;
- receiving the first component at a processing tool moving along a processing tool trajectory configured to permit transfer of the first component at the delivery position from the first component presentation tool to the processing tool, the delivering of the first component and the receiving of the first component being electronically synchronized;
- processing the first component;
- and
- moving the first component to an ejection position.
A system comprising:
- a component presentation tool configured to:
- load a first component at an intake position at a leading end of a stream of like first components;
- separate the first component from the like first components;
- accelerate the first component;
- and deliver the first component at a predetermined delivery time, delivery position, delivery speed and moving along a delivery trajectory;
- a processing tool configured to:
- receive the first component while the processing tool moves along a processing tool trajectory configured to permit transfer of the first component at the delivery position from the component presentation tool to the processing tool;
- process the first component;
- and move the first component to an ejection position;
- a data processor;
- and
- a medium comprising machine-readable instructions executable by the data processor and configured to cause the data processor to generate signals useful in the synchronization of the delivery of the first component by the component presentation tool and the receipt of the first component by the first component processing tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.