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US 7,489,412 B2Granted
Method and device for determining the spatial geometry of a curved extruded profile
AssigneeFraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
InventorsRalf Wamemünde, Dirk Berndt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices and methods for bending an extruded section of material held in a feed and fixing unit to yield a material with one or more bends and yielding a three-dimensional shape. In addition, devices and methods for further determining the three-dimensional geometry of the bent extruded section of material after one or more bending operations.
Claims21
A method for determining the three-dimensional geometry of a bent extruded section comprising:
- holding the extruded section in a feed and fixing unit in a region along a first rectilinear center axis (A) of the extruded section;
- bending the extruded section through a predeterminable bending angle α by means of a bending device;
- wherein the region of the first rectilinear center axis (A) adjoins one side of a bent region of the extruded section which has been produced by the bending operation;
- wherein a region having a second rectilinear center axis (B) adjoins the opposite side;
- wherein the three-dimensional position of the second rectilinear center axis (B) is determined relative to the known three-dimensional position of the first rectilinear center axis (A) of the extruded section while the extruded section is being held in a three-dimensional fixed position by the feed and fixing unit and the bent region of the extruded section is being released from the bending device;
- wherein the bending angle α is determined by forming a section between the two axes (A) and (B);
- wherein the extruded section is displaced and/or rotated along the feed and fixing unit;
- wherein a further bending operation is carried out at a further location comparable to the first bending operation in the region along the first rectilinear center axis (A) of the extruded section;
- wherein a bending angle α′ obtained by the further bending operation is determined,
- wherein the advance of the extruded section along the feed and fixing unit between two successive bending operations is recorded;
- and
- wherein the rotation angle through which the extruded section is rotated between two successive bending operations is recorded.
9 more elements
A device for bending an extruded section and determining the three-dimensional geometry thereof, comprising:
- a feed and fixing unit by means of which the extruded section can be supplied as a rectilinear product provided by the meter and can be fixed in place;
- a bending device arranged downstream of the feed and fixing unit along a rectilinear center axis (A) of the extruded section;
- the bending device having a bending head comprising at least two bending bodies;
- the bending head at least partially surrounding the extruded section which is to be bent during the bending operation with the local application of force;
- wherein the bending head can be transferred into an open position which releases the extruded section;
- a measurement sensor which is in a fixed three-dimensional relationship with respect to the feed and fixing unit and/or with respect to the bending device;
- the sensor recording the three-dimensional position of a rectilinear center axis (B) of the extruded section in the region which directly follows the bending device as seen in the feed direction of the extruded section;
- a storage and evaluation unit in which measured values for the measurement sensor can be stored and evaluated in such a manner that it is possible to determine a bending angle α, which is included by the center axes (A) and (B);
- a distance-measuring unit in the region of the rectilinear center axis (A) to record a length advance of the extruded section relative to the feed and fixing unit;
- a rotation angle-measuring unit in the region of the rectilinear center axis (A) to record a rotation angle through which the extruded section is rotated relative to the rectilinear center axis (A);
- and
- wherein measured values from said distance-measuring unit and said rotation angle-measuring unit can be stored and evaluated in said storage and evaluation unit in such a manner that if the bending angle α is known it is possible to determine the entire three-dimensional geometry of the extruded section.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.