US2447197A - Battery core machine and method - Google Patents

Description

+ 1 17, 1948. 5, MAY

BATTERY CORE MACHINE AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18, 1945 I INVENTOR Begjamm May 5r Y A M B BATTERY CORE MACHINE AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1945 INVENTOR Bey 61min 5/ A TTORNE Y Patented Aug. 17, 1948 UNITED STATES 2,447,197 BATTERY CORE MACHINE AND METHOD Benjamin May, New York, N. Y., assignor to May Machine Company, New York, N. Y., a copartnership Application June 18, 1945, Serial No. 600,045

9 Claims.

This invention relates to machines and methods for making the cores of battery cells and relates particularly to the means and method for inserting the carbon pole into the bobbin of the core.

In machines of this character, suitable powdered material is compressed to form the bobbin which is then pierced and the carbon rod inserted with the rod projecting from the bob-bin.

I have found that the mere insertion of the carbon rod into the bobbin by methods heretofore used do not hold the rod firmly enough to prevent it from becoming loose. The rod therefore does not make good electrical contact and sometimes falls out of the bobbin. Nor do previous methods and machines compress the powdered material of which the bobbin is made sufiiciently to produce a homogeneous core principally because the greatest pressure isput upon the powder at the surfaces where it is in direct contact with the die whereby the central portion of the bobbin is not compressed to the same extent as the outermost part thereof.

My invention therefore contemplates the provision of a machine and a method for remedying the above-pointed out difiiculties.

My invention further contemplates the provision of mechanism for supporting the carbon rod during the entire period of its insertion into the bobbin, said mechanism also centering the rod accurately in proper axial alignment with the bobbin.

My invention further contemplates the provision of mechanism operating independently of the rod-inserting means for compressing the bobbin around the rod during the final part of the inserting movement of the rod whereby the rod acts as a die to compress the interior or central portion of the bobbin to the same extent as the outer portions thereof are compressed thereby to form a homogeneous product and at the same time to hold the rod firmly in place against possibility of dislocation or loss, said means being operated at relatively high speed to deliver a sharp blow to the bobbin.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a method of inserting the rod into the bobbin in such a manner that chipping of the parts is prevented, the parts are firmly held together and a homogeneous product is assured, the method being carried out by a hammering or compressing operation at higher speed than that of the inserting movement of the rod into the bobbin.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a battery .cell core making machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section thereof taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the compressed bobbin as it appears before the hole is pierced therethrough.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the pierced bobbin.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the pierced bobbin and the rod as they appear at the beginning of the rod inserting operation.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the same showing the position of the parts during the final part of the rod inserting movement.

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the parts in the positions assumed thereby at the completion of the rod inserting and bobbin compressing operations.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation partly broken away of the means for performing the additional bobbin compressing operation and for guiding and supporting the rod.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 showing particularly the means for supporting the rod during its insertion into the bobbin.

Fig. 10 is a vertical section of the rod supporting and centering hammer.

In the practical embodiment of the invention as shown by way of example and referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the turret II is intermittentiy rotated to carry it to four different stations at which the various operations are performed. At the station indicated by the numeral I2 of Fig. 2, powder is supplied to a suitable preforming device and the powder is compressed into a bobbin in a manner more fully explained hereinafter. At the station indicated by the numeral l3, the bobbin is pierced while the turret is at rest. At the station marked M, a carbon rod is inserted into the pierced bobbin and the additional hammering or compressing operation forming an important feature of the present invention, is performed. At the station marked l5, the completed core is ejected from the machine. The turret iis mounted upon the shaft l7 passing through the bearing I8 and carrying the Geneva Wheel l9. Cooperating with said wheel is the Geneva pawl 20 on the shaft 2| which also carries the bevel gear 22 meshing with the cooperating bevel gear 23 on the drive shaft; 24. Said shaft 24 being rotated by any suitable means causes rotation of the shaft 2| whereby the turret is rotated intermittently from station to station.

Suitable tools are provided for performing the various operations in cooperation with the turret while the turret is at rest. Said tools are carried by the reciprocating tool holder or cross head slidable in the guides 26, 21 and carried by the reciprocating shaft 28. Reciprocation of the shaft is effected through the crank 29 on the drive shaft 24 and the .connecting rod 30 the end 3i of which is supported for horizontal movement in the guides 32, 33 and is connected to an end of the shaft 28. It will thus be seen that on each revolution of the drive shaft 24 the tool holder 25 is reciprocate'd at the proper time after which the turret H is rotated to its next position through a quarter turn.

Carried by the tool holder 25 is the initial bobbin compressing rod 34. Said rod compresses the powder deposited in the form 35 by any suitable means such as a hopper or the like well known for that purpose and hence not shown. As, best shown in Fig. 2, the powder is deposited in'a suitable semi-cylindrical cavity as 33 in the f orm 35 whereaftei: the member 31 having a complefriehtary semi-cylindrical recess as 38 therein is moved downwardly, as shown by the arrow of Fig. 2, into the form 35 to mold the powder roughly into a cylinder 43. When the rod 34 passes through the recesses 36, 38 it inserts the powder into the die 39 carried by the turret and compresses the powder against the fixed member '41; supported by the frame 41 secured to the bed '42 of the machine. The cylindrical mass '43 of powder (Fig. 1) is compressed into the cylindrical bobbin 44 (Fig. '3). "On the retraction of the 'toolholder 25 and thesubsequent rotation of the turret ll to its next station, the bobbin 44 is carried to the station l3 and the tool holder 2531s again reciprocated to carry the'piercin-g 'rod "45 thereon through th'ebobbin 'to form the hole '46, the removed material falling through the opening 41 of the fixed member 48, it being un- 'de'fstoodthat at the same time the member '34 is operative to form a bobbin at thestation l2. At the next station, my'imp'roved mechanism 15pmvided for inserting the rod 49 into the bobbin aswillbe seen from Figs. 5, '6, and 7,;the mechanism for. this purpose being operatedindepend- 'ently ofthetool holder or cross head "25 and be- 'iri'g an important feature of the present invention. Such mechanism will now be described'in detail.

As best seen in Figs. 2 and 8, the shaft 24 car- 'rie's the cam 50 providedwithfthe groove '5 I'. Said groove is circular through the greater part of its circumference and is provided with a portion 5 2designed to cause the cam follower 53 to reciprocate quickly thereby to cause the rod support and hammer 54 to move quickly and with considerable force into contact with the bobbin 44 during a relatively small part drone revolution of the shaft 24. The connections between the cam follower 53 and the hammer 54 comprise the forked member 55 straddling the shaft 24 and upon which the cam follower ismounted, the reciprocating link 56 suitably supported and guided for reciprocatory movement "as by the bearings 51, "58, the connecting member '59 securing the members 55 and 56 together-for movement as a pain and the arm 0 secured 'to one end of the 'link'5i as by means ofthe tapered pin 6'3an'd carrying the hammeri l. As best shown in Fi'g lO, said hammer 'is provided with the ma opening 6| therethrough accurately aligned axially with the hole 46 of the bobbin. The outer end 62 of the opening BI is flared so that should the rod 49 fail to be accurately aligned with the opening the walls of the flared part 62 will urge the rod into the opening and thereby accurately center the rod. The member 54 is retained in a suitable hole in the link 60 as by means of the bolt 64 having a recess 65 into which part of said hammer is fitted, a locking action being secured by the rotation of the bolt as far as it can go relatively to the ham- 'mer member. The carbon rods 49 are suitably fed one at a time to the preferably inclined surface 66 of the rod slide 61 'by any suitable feeding mechanism well known in the art. The rod is aligned in its position substantially axially of the bobbin as by means of the rear Wall 58 of the slide ready to be inserted into the hammer and bobbin by means of the inserting rod 69 carried by the tool holder 25.

On the reciprocation of the tool holder, the inserting rod 39 engages the end of the carbon rod 49 and pushes said rodolf the slide'fil and into the hammer 54, said hammer supporting said rod 49 during the major part of the time that the rod is being forwarded into-the bobbin. It will be noted that the flared end 62 of the hammer serves also to center the rod accurately with thehole 46 "and the hammer being of hardened materiaL'it is not likely to wear sufficiently to cause anyina'ccuracy in alignment as might occur by wearing action of the carbon rods uponthe slide Sur'faceG'G. Said rod remains supported by the hammer during the major part of the inserting movement and the hammer remains stationary during that time. However, preferably though not necessarily, when the carbon rod is almost completely in"- serted into the bobbin and during the l'as't part of the inserting movement (Fig. '6) ,the hammer is moved rapidly by thecam 50 to again receive an end part of the rodj'49 and to strike't-he end of the bobbin around the rod with considerable force (Fig. '7). The material of the kbobbin 'is thereby again "compressed'b'etween the die '39 and the carbon rod and also betw'e'en'the'fixed mem ber 10 and the hammer, thereby not only packin the bobbin material *around the red, but also compressing said material substantially in all directions and with substantially equal pressure throughout'the mass the'reo'f to form a product much morehomogeneoxis than is possible without the presence of the rod. The rod is also bound 'firmly by the highly-compressed material and adequately held in place.

My machineis designed to operate upon cell cores and rods of different-sizes. Adjustment of the machine for a core of --a different size is readily attained "by -loo'senin'g and slightly turning the bolt 34 to release the hammer and permitting the substitution of a different hammer of the proper "size and bore, then again tightening the hammer. The dies 39 are also replaced with others oft-he desired size. Because of the difference insize of-the substituted parts, it may be necessary toadju's't'the position of the hammer. This is readily done by adjusting the effective length of the link 56 as by replacing the tubular spacer "1| (Fig 8) anda'dding or withdrawing shims "I2 as may be necessary between the member-"53 and theshoulder 13 o'f'the link'56.

It will be seen'tna't Ihave'p'rovided a machine and method capable of effectively accomplishing the purposes of theinveiition, remedying the difficulties heretofore encountered as abo've pointed out, and -co'nstitutin'g a substantial 'advance'in the art.

While certain specific aspects of the invention have been described and illustrated, various changes may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a drive shaft, a tool holder, means on the shaft to reciprocate the tool holder, means on the tool holder and reciprocating therewith for compressing and piercing a bobbin of powdered material, means on the tool holder and reciprocating therewith for inserting a rod into the pierced bobbin, and reciprocating means mounted independently of the rod-inserting means and of the toolholder and operative positively during the final part of and at greater speed than the movement of the rod-inserting means to further compress the bobbin by a blow delivered to the bobbin just prior to the moment when the rod reaches its final position in the bobbin, said independently mounted reciprocating means comprising a cam on the shaft, a cam follower engaging the cam, a guiding and centering member for the rod constituting a hammer, and a hammer-supporting connection secured at one end to the hammer and at the other end secured to the cam follower.

2. In a machine of the character described, a continuously rotating drive shaft, a tool holder carrying means for compressing and piercing a bobbin of powdered material and carrying means for inserting a rod into the pierced bobbin, means operated by the shaft to reciprocate the tool holder, a hammer supported independently of the tool holder and provided with a passage therethrough for the rod, and cam-actuated means operated by the shaft and supporting the hammer for reciprocating the hammer on each rotation of the shaft through a stroke less than that of the tool holder and at greater speed than the speed of movement of the rod into the bobbin to strike the bobbin around the rod inserted thereinto, said cam-actuated means terminating at a point between the shaft and the tool holder.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the means for reciprocating the hammer comprises a revoluble grooved cam, a cam follower, a connecting rod connected to the hammer and to the follower and maintaining the follower in the groove of the cam, and means for constraining the connecting rod to move in a straight line path, the cam groove being shaped to operate the follower during a minor fraction of a revolution of the cam and the shaft and during a minor fraction of the movements of the rod inserting means and the means for compressing and piercing the bobbin.

4. In a machine of the character described, a revoluble turret carrying at least four circumferentia-lly spaced bobbin dies, means for rotating the turret including a shaft and operative connections between the shaft and the turret, a tool holder reciprocated by the shaft, the turret being arranged between the shaft and the tool holder, means on the tool holder and cooperating with a first one of the dies for compressing powder to form a bobbin, means on the tool holder and cooperating with a second one of the dies for piercing the bobbin, means on the tool holder and cooperating with a third one of the dies for inserting a rod into the bobbin, a hammer having a rod passage therethrough arranged coaxially of a fourth one of the dies and of the rod-inserting means between the turret and the tool holder, said hammer being supported independently of the tool holder .and of the rod-inserting means, and cam-actuated means for reciprocating the hammer positively at a greater speed than that of the rod-inserting means to strike against the outer surface of the bobbin in the fourth one of the dies when the hammer is moved in one direction by said hammer-reciprocating means thereby to further compress the bobbin, said hammer supporting the rod until the greater partof the rod has entered the bobbin, said hammer-reciprocating means positively retracting the hammer faster than the speed of the retracting movement of the rodinserting means and comprising a cam on the shaft, a reciprocating support for the hammer. terminating at a point between the turret and the tool holder, and a reciprocating cam follower engaging the cam and secured to the support.

5. The method of producing a homogeneous bobbin of powdered material with a rod projecting centrally therefrom and held firmly by the bobbin comprising inserting the ,rod into a pierced compressed bobbin and during the movement of the rod into the bobbin and before said movement is completed further compressing the bobbin around the rod by a single momentary blow delivered at relatively high speed.

6. The method of producing a homogeneous bobbin of powdered material with a frangible rod accurately centered therein, firmly held by and projecting from the bobbin, comprising compressing powdered material into a bobbin, piercing the bobbin, moving the rod into the pierced bobbin while supporting and accurately centering the rod, during the final part of the movement of the rod and before the rod is completely inserted into the bobbin but while the rod is moving further compressing the bobbin in all directions by a sudden hammer-like blow at relatively high speed thereby to compress the material of the bobbin axially and expanding the bobbin radially and tightly around the rod and continuing the inserting movement of the rod to completion and without interruption after the blow.

7. In a machine of the character described, a cross head, means for reciprocating the cross head including a revoluble shaft and an operative connection between the shaft and the cross head, means carried by the cross head for compressing and piercing a bobbin of powdered material and for inserting a rod into the pierced bobbin, said means operating at substantially the speed of the cross head, a hammer provided with a passage therethrough for the rod, and means in spaced relation to and independent of the cross head for reciprocating the hammer at a greater speed and through a shorter stroke than that of the cross head to strike the bobbin around the rod momentarily and thereby further to compress the bobbin, said last-mentioned means comprising a cam on the shaft, a reciprocating fork straddling the shaft at a point adjacent the cam, a cam follower on the fork and engaging the cam, and a connecting rod secured at one end to the fork and at the other end to the hammer.

8. In a machine of the character described, a continuously rotatable drive shaft, a reciprocating cross head, operative connections between the cross head and the shaft to reciprocate the cross head on each revolution of the shaft, means on and reciprocating with the cross head for initially compressing and piercing a bobbin of powdered material, means on and reciprocating with the cross head for inserting a rod into thepierced bobbin, a bobbin-striking hammer between the shaft and the cross head andarranged coaxially of the rod-inserting means and provided with a passage therethrough for the rod, and means operative during part of a revolution of theshaft for reciprocating the hammer at a greater speed in both directions than the speed of reciprocation of the cross head, the hammer-reciprocating means comprising a cam on and rotatable with theshafL-the cam having an operative portion extending through a part only of the circumference of the cam, a cam follower engaging the cam and reciprocated thereby, and operative connections to and between the cam follower and the hammer, said connections being reciprocated by the cam follower on each rotation of the shaft.

9. A machine according to claim 8 in which the operative connections between the cam follower and the hammer are independent of the cross head and independent of the operative con- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 Number Name Date 859,640 Bright July 9, 1907 1,185,177 Casella 1- May 30, 1916 1,205,782 Powell Nov. 21, 1916 1,291,400 Casella Jan. 14, 1919 20 1,302,237 Sokolow et a1 Apr. 29, 1919 1,302,722 Sokolow et al. May 6, 1919 1,318,882 Kipniss et al. Oct. 14, 1919 2,333,056 Thoreson et a1 Oct. 26, 1943

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