Apparatus and method for forming a winding for a stator of a dynamoelectric machine

The method of forming a coil, which includes a plurality of turns of wire, for subsequent application to a stator of a dynamoelectric machine comprising:

• providing a source of wire;
• providing a form defining an annular wire receiving region, the form comprising two form sections that are movable toward and away from each other;
• producing relative motion between the source of wire and the form so that wire from the source wraps around the wire receiving region to produce a succession of turns of wire for the coil;
• and
• modifying the form to change the annular distance around the wire receiving region during formation of the succession of turns of wire so that at least some turns in the succession have different length than other turns in the succession.

An apparatus for forming a winding for a stator of a dynamoelectric machine, comprising;

• a supporting structure,
• a form carried by the supporting structure, on which a wire is to be wound for forming the winding,
• a rotating unit, rotatably supported by the supporting structure around a form central axis, for winding the wire around said form in order to form the winding,
• wherein said form comprises two form sections that are movable toward and away from each other along a direction orthogonal to the form axis,
• characterized in that said apparatus further includes motorized means for controlling the relative displacement of the two form sections toward and away from each other, said motorized means being able to be activated while the winding unit is being rotated.

Apparatus for forming turns of wire for subsequent application to a stator of a dynamoelectric machine comprising:

• a form defining an annular wire receiving region having a plurality of subregions of respective different annular sizes spaced along a form axis about which the wire receiving region is annular, the form including a plurality of parts that are movable toward or away from one another transverse to the form axis to change the annular sizes of the subregions;
• a source of wire mounted for rotation annularly about the annular wire receiving region to wind turns of wire on any one of the subregions during movement of the form parts toward or away from one another transverse to the form axis to thereby produce turns of different lengths;
• a shaft structure including a first substructure for supporting the form and a second substructure movable relative to the first substructure for producing movement of the form parts toward or away from one another transverse to the form axis;
• a first actuator mechanism for selectively moving the first substructure to position any one of the subregions adjacent to the source of wire to enable the source of wire to wind turns of wire on that subregion;
• a second actuator mechanism for selectively moving the second substructure relative to the first substructure to produce movement of the form parts toward or away from one another transverse to the form axis;
• and
• a linkage between the first and second actuator mechanisms for causing the second substructure to move with the first substructure in response to the first actuator mechanism when the second actuator mechanism is not operating to move the second substructure relative to the first substructure.