US 6,318,251 B1Granted

Automatic control system for a truss fabricating machine

OwnerJack A. Schulzinventor

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Abstract

A truss fabrication machine has processing circuitry for partially automating the fabrication of trusses. One or more workers place in jig stops on the tabletop a set of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates that get seated at the joints therebetween. The machine has a pressing head for seating the connector plates, which rides on a gantry above the tabletop in generally a Y-axis, wherein the gantry rides on a track generally along an X-axis. There are drivers to drive the gantry along the track and the pressing head along the gantry, as well an actuator for the pressing head. The processing circuitry is reliant on X- and Y-axis sensors for reckoning position on the tabletop. The processing circuitry is given control over the gantry, the pressing-head driver and actuator for coordinating movement of the gantry and pressing head between one given X and Y position to succeeding X and Y positions, and then actuating or not the actuating means. Alternatively the pressing head might pause in a standby mode following completion of a given truss sufficiently long to allow a worker to remove the completed truss and place back in the jig stops the loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates, and so on, which will allow the fabrication of a succeeding truss, repetitively.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A truss fabrication machine comprising:

a table, having a tabletop defined with a given X-axis and a transverse Y-axis;
jig means on the tabletop for establishing the arrangement of manually-placed sets of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates at the joints therebetween for at least a single truss;
a pressing unit, including an extensible and retractable pressing head, and operable to extend said head toward and onto said tabletop and to retract it;
a gantry above said tabletop for carrying the pressing unit along said gantry as generally parallel to the Y-axis;
track and carriage means for carrying said gantry to travel along said track and carriage means as generally parallel to the X-axis;
gantry moving means for moving said gantry along said track and carriage means;
pressing-unit moving means for moving said pressing unit along said gantry;
actuating means for actuating said pressing unit whereby said pressing head extends to seat the connector plates into the truss members;
X-axis sensing means for sensing X-axis displacement of one of the gantry or the pressing unit;
Y-axis sensing means for sensing Y-axis displacement of the pressing unit;
and,
processing circuitry linked to at least one instruction-set storage device stored with at least one given instruction set, and having at least a RUN mode including a PAUSE mode;
wherein said processing circuitry is given control over said gantry moving means, pressing-unit moving means and actuating means concurrently while in the RUN mode responding to the X-axis and Y-axis sensing means for running in accordance with the given instruction set by • coordinating movement of said gantry and pressing unit and thereby positioning the pressing unit from one given X and Y coordinate to another, succeeding X and Y coordinate, and then • actuating or not the actuating means, or pausing in the PAUSE mode sufficiently to allow a worker to remove one or more completed trusses and place back in the jig means sets of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates therefor for repetitive fabrication of succeeding trusses.

10 more elements

A truss fabrication machine comprising:

a table, having a tabletop defined with a given X-axis and a transverse Y-axis;
jig means on the tabletop for establishing the arrangement of manually-placed sets of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates at the joints therebetween for at least a single truss;
a pressing unit including an extensible and retractable pressing head and operable to extend said head toward and onto said tabletop and to retract it;
a gantry above said tabletop for carrying the pressing unit for travel along said gantry as generally parallel to the Y-axis;
track and carriage means for carrying said gantry to travel along said track and carriage means as generally parallel to the X-axis;
gantry moving means for moving said gantry along said track and carriage means;
pressing-unit moving means for moving said pressing unit along said gantry;
actuating means for actuating said pressing unit whereby said pressing head extends to seat the connector plates into the truss members;
X-axis sensing means for sensing X-axis displacement of one of the gantry or the pressing unit;
Y-axis sensing means for sensing Y-axis displacement of the pressing unit;
computer-implemented control circuitry linked to at least one instruction-set storage device for storing at least one instruction set, and having at least RECORD and PLAYBACK modes as well as including a PAUSE mode;
and,
manual command means for electrically controlling the gantry moving means pressing-unit moving means and actuating means, and including a manually-operated control having electrical outputs and signal delivery means for delivering signals at said outputs representative of movement of said manual control corresponding to desired X and Y directions of movement of the gantry and pressing unit, responsive means for responding to said signals for driving said gantry moving means and pressing-unit moving means, and a manual switch for actuating the actuating means;
wherein said computer-implemented control circuitry is further linked to said manual command means and the X-axis and Y-axis sensing means for recording in the RECORD mode a given instruction set corresponding to the manually-inputted movements entered by the manual command means of said gantry and pressing unit movements from one given X and Y coordinate to another, succeeding X and Y coordinate, and then associating each X and Y coordinate with an instruction to actuate the actuating means or not, or pausing in the PAUSE mode;
and,
wherein said computer-implemented control circuitry in the PLAYBACK mode is given control over said gantry moving means, pressing-unit moving means and actuating means concurrently while responding to the X-axis and Y-axis sensing means for playing back the given instruction set as well as including pausing in the PAUSE mode during which a worker might remove one or more completed trusses and place back in the jig means sets of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates therefor, for repetitive fabrication of succeeding trusses during corresponding to play backs of the given instruction set.

13 more elements

A truss fabrication machine comprising:

a table having a tabletop having a given X-axis and a transverse Y-axis;
jig means on the tabletop for establishing positions of manually-placed sets of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates at the joints therebetween for at least a single truss;
a pressing unit including an extensible and retractable pressing head, and operable to extend said head toward and onto said tabletop and to retract the same;
a gantry above said tabletop for carrying the pressing unit for travel along said gantry as generally parallel to the Y-axis;
track and carriage means for carrying said gantry to travel along said track and carriage means as generally parallel to the X-axis;
gantry moving means for moving said gantry along said track and carriage means;
pressing-unit moving means for moving said pressing unit along said gantry;
actuating means for actuating said pressing unit whereby said pressing head extends to seat the connector plates into the truss members;
X-axis sensing means for sensing X-axis displacement of one of the gantry or the pressing unit;
Y-axis sensing means for sensing Y-axis displacement of the pressing unit;
and,
processor circuitry operative in accordance with a processor-coded profile of the diverse X- and Y-positions at which the pressing head is actuated for the fabrication of at least one truss;
wherein said processing circuitry is given control over said gantry moving means, pressing-unit moving means and actuating means concurrently while responding to the X-axis and Y-axis sensing means for running a given profile by • coordinating movement of said gantry and pressing unit and thereby positioning the pressing unit from one given X and Y position to succeeding X and Y positions, and then • actuating or not the actuating means, or pausing in a standby mode following completion of the given profile sufficiently long to allow a worker to remove one or more completed trusses and place back in the jig means sets of loose pre-cut truss members and the connector plates therefor for repetitive fabrication of succeeding trusses.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.