Robotic winding system and method
AssigneeRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
InventorKenneth B. Bubeck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A winding system for winding a filament includes a winder having a winder support with a rotatably winding head. A spool for scoring filament is rotatably mounted on the head and the head is provided with a filament dispensing eye which can be rotated in a circular path for winding a mandrel. The mandrel is held at a fixed location. A robot mnaipulator arm is connected to the winder and indexes the winder to a plurality of positions around the fixed mandrel. At each selected position, the winding head is rotated by a selected amount to achieve any complex or simple winding cofiguration, in a plurality of planes.
Claims21
A method of winding a filament on a mandrel using a winder, having a winder support and a rotatable winding head for feeding a filament in a circular path and a filament eye, for dispensing filament, connected to the winding head, positionable in a radial direction with respect to the winding head, the method comprising the steps of:
- indexing the winder to a first selected position with respect to the mandrel with the winding head facing the mandrel, said indexing being accomplished using a robot manipulator having at least four degrees of freedom and being controllable for indexing the winder to a plurality of selected positions with respect to the mandrel;
- rotating the winding head by a selected amount for at least partly winding a filament around the mandrel;
- positioning the filament eye in a radial direction with respect to the winder head;
- indexing the winder to a second position with respect to the mandrel;
- again rotating the winding head for at least partly winding filament on the mandrel;
- again positioning the filament eye in radial direction with respect to the winder head;
- maintaining the mandrel at a selected location and in a selected position with respect to the winder, the winder being indexed to a plurality of locations around the mandrel, the winding head being rotated with respect to the winder support and the filament eye being positioned with respect to the winding head, for winding filament on the mandrel in a selected pattern.
A winding system for winding a filament on a mandrel, comprising:
- a winder support;
- a winding head rotatably mounted to said support for dispensing a filament;
- drive means connected to said winding head for rotating said winding head;
- a filament eye connected to said winding head;
- means for moving said filament eye radially with respect to said winding head;
- robot means having a manipulator connected to said winder support for indexing said winder support to a plurality of winder locations around a mandrel for winding a mandrel with filament in a selected pattern, said manipulator comprising a base and a plurality of manipulator limbs articulated to each other and to said base for a plurality of degrees or freedom, said winder support being connected to one or said manipulator limbs;
- and
- a mandrel support for supporting a mandrel at a selected location with respect to said robot means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.