Patents by Inventor Massimo Lombardi
Massimo Lombardi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 5373623Abstract: A pallet system for supporting a workpiece (such as an electric motor stator or rotor) during processing of the workpiece includes a pallet member on which a workpiece holder can be removably placed. The workpiece holder may have multiple workpiece-engaging sites, each of which is adapted to hold a differently configured workpiece, and multiple pallet-engaging sites, each of which is associated with a respective one of the workpiece-engaging sites and any one of which can be used to engage the pallet so that the workpiece holder can hold a workpiece of the appropriate configuration at the associated workpiece-engaging site. Methods and apparatus for storing and manipulating the workpiece holders are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 1993Date of Patent: December 20, 1994Assignee: Axis S.p.A.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5369877Abstract: A wire winding machine is provided that allows the connection of electric motor armature coil leads to slot-type commutators. The machine uses rotations of a flyer and rotations of the armature to perform much of the needed movement during the lead attachment process. The system uses a guide member to guide the wire into the commutator slots during rotation of the flyer. The guide member guides wire from the flyer toward the slots during both the initial insertion of the wire and the subsequent process of forming a loop in the wire.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 1992Date of Patent: December 6, 1994Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Sabatino Luciani, Massimo Ponzio, Graziano Quirini
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Patent number: 5360177Abstract: Methods and apparatus for changing the collet assembly or armature-holding assembly of an armature winding machine are provided. The apparatus permits the collet assembly and selected sleeves of the armature-holding assembly to rotate about a longitudinal axis, while preventing undesirable translation along the axis. The apparatus permits translation of at least one other sleeve. The collet assembly may be removed from the armature-holding assembly to accommodate armature shafts of various diameters. Alternatively, the entire armature-holding assembly may be removed and replaced as a single unit, to accommodate commutators of various diameters. The change-over process can be automated.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1993Date of Patent: November 1, 1994Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Gianluigi Pisani
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Patent number: 5346058Abstract: A pallet for carrying workpieces having different dimensions is provided having first and second support members that are movably located on the pallet and which may be repositioned throughout a range of adjustment to accommodate differently dimensioned workpieces. The pallet includes an aperture through which a removal member may pass to contact and translate the workpiece onto and off of the pallet. The first and second support members are adjustably mounted on the pallet so that they do not obscure the aperture or otherwise interfere with the operation of the removal member.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1993Date of Patent: September 13, 1994Assignee: Axis U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5316228Abstract: A machine for winding two-pole stators includes a revolving table around which are located at least three working stations: a station to feed the machine with unwound stators from a conveyor placed alongside the machine and for returning the wound stators to the conveyor; a winding station where one or more winding needles with alternating translatory and angular motion wind the stator; and a terminating station with means to anchor the coil leads to the stator. The revolving table carries a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator housings, each stator housing having stator-containing means. The stator housings and table are equipped with mechanical, reciprocally meshing means, those on the table being located between the winding station and the load/unload station for rotating the stator housings about the horizontal axis tangentially to the table between a position in which the axis of the stator-containing means is vertical and a position in which that axis is horizontal.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 1992Date of Patent: May 31, 1994Assignee: Axis S.p.A.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5310124Abstract: A wire tensioner maintains wire in a winding machine at a substantially constant tension during the process of winding coils for electrical components such as armatures. The tensioner has a pulley wheel that is driven by a bidirectional drive unit. During operation, the pulley wheel either feeds wire toward a workpiece or draws wire back, depending on the nature of the tension correction required.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1992Date of Patent: May 10, 1994Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Linari, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5291649Abstract: An auxiliary member is provided with gripping means for temporarily securing the leads of wire coils wound around the poles of a stator. When the stator reaches the winding station of the manufacturing process, both the stator and the auxiliary member can be transferred to the winding machine, where the leads of the stator coils are gripped by the gripping means. When winding has been completed, the stator and the auxiliary member are transferred to a terminating station where the coil leads are finally anchored to the terminal receptacles of the stator.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 1993Date of Patent: March 8, 1994Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Sabatino Luciani
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Patent number: 5288088Abstract: A wire gripper which facilitates insertion of a wire and which retains wires of varying thickness. The wire gripper includes a first member biased towards a second member so that the first and second members are tangent to one another until a wire is inserted. An inserted wire rests on a receiving member beyond the point of tangency of the two members. The two members are resiliently urged together to prevent the inserted wire from leaving the wire receiving member.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 1992Date of Patent: February 22, 1994Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5257744Abstract: Methods and apparatus for changing the collet assembly or armature-holding assembly of an armature winding machine are provided. The apparatus permits the collet assembly and selected sleeves of the armature-holding assembly to rotate about a longitudinal axis, while preventing undesirable translation along the axis. The apparatus permits translation of at least one other sleeve. The collet assembly may be removed from the armature-holding assembly to accommodate armature shafts of various diameters. Alternatively, the entire armature-holding assembly may be removed and replaced as a single unit, to accommodate commutators of various diameters. The change-over process can be automated.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1992Date of Patent: November 2, 1993Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Gianluigi Pisani
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Patent number: 5257745Abstract: Structures which facilitate changing the shrouds which are used to guide armature coil wires into the slots in electric motor armatures during armature coil winding are shown. The shrouds may need to be changed when armatures of different sizes are to be wound. The disclosed structures provide secure mounting of the shrouds, but also allow the shrouds to be removed and replaced without the need for tools. Other elements which are needed for operating on the armature may also be removably mounted, or may be mounted on the shroud so that when the shroud is changed, these other elements are also automatically changed.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 1990Date of Patent: November 2, 1993Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Gianluigi Pisani
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Patent number: 5257689Abstract: Multiple electric motor parts are processed simultaneously by apparatus which removes the parts from a conveyor (on which the parts are side by side in a substantially horizontal plane), repositions the parts so that they are vertically above one another, processes the parts while they are thus repositioned, and then returns the parts to the conveyor in their original side by side relationship in a horizontal plane. In addition, a gripper apparatus for electric motor components that can be used to grip components of different sizes, and that can rotationally index electric motor components of different sizes, is provided. The gripper apparatus has two oppositely facing gripper arms with complementary V-shaped faces sized to accommodate a range of sizes of components. The arms are moved together in unison to center and grip the component. After the component has been gripped, an indexing pawl rotates the component.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 1992Date of Patent: November 2, 1993Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Luciano Santandrea
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Patent number: 5255778Abstract: An apparatus for automatically adjusting the distance between two support members for carrying workpieces of different dimensions. The support members are mounted on guides that are fitted to pallets that travel on conveyor transport systems for automatic production/assembly lines. In one embodiment the support members have locking elements that frictionally secure the support members in place on the pallet and can be unlocked for movement along the guide. A positioning unit engages the pallet so that the locking elements is unlocked and the support members are engaged and translated to the desired locations under the control of the drive. In a second embodiment the support members are translated along and under the control of a threaded bar. A positioning unit engages the pallet to activate the threaded bar by rotating it to translate the support members to the desired locations. The support members are independently translated using one threaded bar and the drive for each support member.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 1992Date of Patent: October 26, 1993Assignee: Axis S.p.A.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5240235Abstract: A pallet system for supporting a workpiece (such as an electric motor stator or rotor) during processing of the workpiece includes a pallet member on which a workpiece holder can be removably placed. The workpiece holder may have multiple workpiece-engaging sites, each of which is adapted to hold a differently configured workpiece, and multiple pallet-engaging sites, each of which is associated with a respective one of the workpiece-engaging sites and any one of which can be used to engage the pallet so that the workpiece holder can hold a workpiece of the appropriate configuration at the associated workpiece-engaging site. Methods and apparatus for storing and manipulating the workpiece holders are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 1991Date of Patent: August 31, 1993Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5241486Abstract: Methods and apparatus for marking and identifying a commutator hook of an electric motor are provided. A preselected commutator hook is marked by deforming the hook while the armature is in a winding machine, with a known angular position. The marked hook is identified by apparatus which determines whether or not the hook has been deformed while in the winding machine, and thereby recognizing the hook.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 1992Date of Patent: August 31, 1993Assignee: Axis U.S.A., Inc.Inventors: Sabatino Luciani, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5178428Abstract: An armature gripping machine for transferring an armature of an electric motor or similar machine from one location to another, to load or unload a processing station of a production line is provided. The collet and surrounding tube of the gripping machine can be changed quickly and automatically, to accommodate a differently sized armature shaft. A fluid-fed piston mechanism within the gripping machine translates the collet tube along a longitudinal axis, causing the collet to grip or release an armature shaft. The collet may be removed from the gripping machine and replaced with a differently sized collet to accommodate armature shaft of various diameters. Alternatively, the collet and surrounding tube may be removed and replaced as a single unit to accommodate larger variations in armature shaft diameters. The change-over process can be automated.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 1992Date of Patent: January 12, 1993Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Gianluigi Pisani
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Patent number: 5149000Abstract: A machine for winding two-pole stators includes a revolving table around which are located at least three working stations: a station to feed the machine with unwound stators from a conveyor placed alongside the machine and for returning the wound stators to the conveyor; a winding station where one or more winding needles with alternating translatory and angular motion wind the stator; and a terminating station with means to anchor the coil leads to the stator. The revolving table carries a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator housings, each stator housing having stator-containing means. The stator housings and table are equipped with mechanical, reciprocally meshing means, those on the table being located between the winding station and the load/unload station for rotating the stator housings about the horizontal axis tangentially to the table between a position in which the axis of the stator-containing means is vertical and a position in which that axis is horizontal.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 1990Date of Patent: September 22, 1992Assignee: Axis S.p.A.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5145052Abstract: Multiple electric motor parts are processed simultaneously by apparatus which removes the parts from a conveyor (on which the parts are side by side in a substantially horizontal plane), repositions the parts so that they are vertically above one another, processes the parts while they are thus repositioned, and then returns the parts to the conveyor in their original side by side relationship in a horizontal plane.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 1991Date of Patent: September 8, 1992Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5137221Abstract: Apparatus for holding a stator (e.g., during stator processing steps such as the winding of coils on the stator) includes a first jaw member removably insertable in a housing and a second jaw member movably mounted on the first jaw member for releasably gripping a stator between the first and second jaw members. When stators of different sizes are to be held, the first and second jaw members can be readily removed, as a unit, from the housing and replaced by a differently configured first and second jaw member unit.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 1990Date of Patent: August 11, 1992Assignee: Axis USA, Inc.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi
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Patent number: 5127594Abstract: Methods and apparatus for changing the collet assembly or armature-holding assembly of an armature winding machine are provided. The apparatus permits the collet assembly and selected sleeves of the armature-holding assembly to rotate about a longitudinal axis, while preventing undesirable translation along the axis. The apparatus permits translation of at least one other sleeve. The collet assembly may be removed from the armature-holding assembly to accommodate armature shafts of various diameters. Alternatively, the entire armature-holding assembly may be removed and replaced as a single unit, to accommodate commutators of various diameters. The change-over process can be automated.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 1990Date of Patent: July 7, 1992Assignee: Axis U.S.A., Inc.Inventors: Massimo Lombardi, Gianluigi Pisani
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Patent number: RE34195Abstract: A machine for driving and variable length cutting of the paper used in the armature of an electric motor rotor. The machine comprises a feed distance covered by the paper between shaping rollers, over which a pressure wheel is located which pushes the paper against a ledge and then slips. A paper cutting blade is inserted between the wheel and the ledge. Transfer devices located between the blade and the ledge transfer the cut paper to a bending fixture, which gives the paper the shape of the rotor slot. The paper is pushed into the rotor slot by inserting devices. The rotor is moved from the conveyor on which it is supplied to a suitable position to receive the paper. Locking elements connected to the ledge vary the length of the cut paper with respect to the height of the rotor slots where the paper is inserted.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 1991Date of Patent: March 16, 1993Assignee: Axis S.p.A.Inventors: Luciano Santandrea, Massimo Lombardi