Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – With control means energized in response to activator...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-12
2003-12-16
Hong, John C. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
With control means energized in response to activator...
C029S700000, C029S054000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06662436
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a machine for assembly a blower wheel assembly and methods of manufacturing the same. In particular, the invention relates to a machine for assembling a blower wheel assembly with a ring, a cylindrical blade strip, a backplate, and a hub wherein the ring and backplate are securely attached to the cylindrical blade strip, and the hub is securely attached to the backplate of the blower wheel assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1
illustrates a prior art blower wheel comprising a blade strip assembly stamped from a continuous sheet of metal. The blade strip assembly permits a simplified manufacturing process for assembling the blower wheel, as compared to other types of blower wheels comprising separate, individual blades. The blade strip assembly is formed into a cylinder, and placed into a blower wheel assembly machine, wherein the cylinder is rotated while a ring is crimped to one end of the cylinder and a backplate is crimped to another end of the cylinder. A hub is furthermore attached to the backplate as a means for coupling the blower wheel to a shaft for rotation thereof.
The assembled blower wheel
100
comprises a plurality of blower wheel components
110
, such as a ring
112
, a blade strip cylinder
114
, a backplate
116
, and a hub
118
. In the assembled blower wheel
100
, the ring
112
is crimped onto a first end
120
of the blade strip cylinder
114
, and the backplate
116
is crimped onto an opposing second end
122
of the blade strip cylinder while the blower wheel components
110
are rotated in a blower wheel assembly machine (not shown).
For clarity purposes,
FIG. 2
more clearly illustrates the blower wheel
100
in an exploded view. A first flange
124
of the ring
112
is crimped onto the first end
120
of the blade strip cylinder
114
, and a second flange
126
of the backplate
116
is crimped onto the second end
122
of the blade strip cylinder. In general, the ring
112
and the backplate
116
are crimped onto the cylindrical blade strip
114
while a machine rotates the blower wheel components
110
under moderate compression. The hub
118
is furthermore attached to the backplate
116
by deforming a lip
128
of the hub onto the backplate. This deformation typically is performed utilizing a pressing operation at a separate pressing machine, whereby the hub
118
is joined to the backplate
116
.
FIG. 3
illustrates an exemplary prior art blower wheel assembly machine
150
. The blower wheel assembly machine
150
comprises a base
152
, whereon the blower wheel components
110
are placed for assembly. A motor
154
drives a shaft
155
attached to the base
152
, thereby defining an axis
156
, and resulting in a drive rotation R
DRIVE
of the shaft, base, and blower wheel components
110
about the axis. An actuator
157
applies a clamp
158
onto the blower wheel components
110
to radially and axially constrain the blower wheel components during assembly, thereby rotationally coupling the base
152
to the clamp
158
via the blower wheel components. The drive rotation R
DRIVE
is therefore transferred to the clamp
158
via the blower wheel components
110
, thereby resulting in a driven rotation R
DRIVEN
of the clamp. During the rotation of the blower wheel components
110
, one or more crimping assemblies
160
crimp the first flange
124
and the second flange
126
onto the blade strip cylinder
114
, thereby generally attaching the ring
112
and the backplate
116
to the blade strip cylinder, respectively.
Coupling the base
152
to the clamp
158
via the blower wheel components
110
, however, can cause a twisting of the blade strip cylinder
114
due to inertial forces from the clamp. Inertial forces from the clamp
158
and blower wheel components
110
must be overcome during both a start and a stop to the drive rotation R
DRIVE
. Since the driven rotation R
DRIVEN
of the clamp is driven via the blower wheel components
110
, the rotational inertia of the clamp
158
and blower wheel components
110
may cause an inequality between the drive rotation R
DRIVE
and the driven rotation R
DRIVEN
, thereby causing an undesirable twisting of the blade strip cylinder
114
.
In the industry, an emphasis has been placed on decreasing thicknesses of sheet metal used in the fabrication of the blade strip cylinder
114
to reduce material cost, as well as to decrease the overall weight of the blower wheel components
110
. Furthermore, a discrepancy between the drive rotation R
DRIVE
rotation and the driven rotation R
DRIVEN
during starting and stopping of the rotation of the blower wheel components
110
will tend to increase when thinner sheet metals are utilized, thus increasing the undesirable effects of twisting the blade strip cylinder
114
.
In the assembly of a blower wheel
100
of
FIG. 1
, a sturdy connection of the hub
118
to the backplate
116
is also necessary in order to avoid slippage of the backplate with respect to the hub during operation of the blower wheel, wherein the hub is attached to a rotating shaft (not shown). In the prior art, the hub
118
is typically pressed or deformed into the backplate
116
by a press as a separate operation to the assembly of the backplate and ring
112
to the blade strip cylinder
114
. Operations at multiple assembly machines increases an amount of time required to produce the blower wheel
100
, and increases a cost of the blower wheel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The present invention relates generally to a machine and a method of manufacturing blower wheels. The machine comprises a drive motor rotatably coupled to a first die, whereon a plurality of blower wheel components, such as a ring, a cylindrical blade strip, a backplate, and a hub, reside. A second die is oppositely disposed from the first die, and is operable to engage one or more of the plurality of blower wheel components. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a transfer gear assembly rotatably couples the first die and the second die together, wherein a rotation of the first die generally transfers to the second die via the transfer gear assembly, and wherein the rotations of the first die and the second die are generally synchronized.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a press is coupled to the first die and the second die, wherein the second die is axially moveable with respect to the first die, and wherein the press is operable to axially compress the blower wheel components between the first die and the second die. A first crimping member and a second crimping member are further disclosed, wherein the first crimping member and the second crimping member are operable to crimp the ring and the backplate, respectively, to the cylindrical blade strip. Furthermore, a control system is disclosed for controlling the drive motor, the press, the first crimping member, and the second crimping member.
According to one exemplary aspect of the present invention, the second die further comprises a deforming member, wherein the deforming member is operable to deform the hub during the compression of the blower wheel components. According to another aspect of the invention, one or more springs couple the second die to the press, wherein the second die is operable to axially translate with respect to the press. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the press further comprises a two-stage press, further comprising a first pressure stage and a second pressure stage. During the first pressure stage, a first compressive axial forc
Andulics Joseph H.
Resar Mark S.
Beckett Air Incorporated
Eschweiler & Associates LLC
Hong John C.
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