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Sommaire du brevet 3148003 

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Disponibilité de l'Abrégé et des Revendications

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  • lorsque la demande peut être examinée par le public;
  • lorsque le brevet est émis (délivrance).
(12) Demande de brevet: (11) CA 3148003
(54) Titre français: ONDULEUSE VARIABLE
(54) Titre anglais: VARIABLE CORRUGATOR
Statut: Demande conforme
Données bibliographiques
(51) Classification internationale des brevets (CIB):
  • B29C 48/13 (2019.01)
  • B29C 48/09 (2019.01)
  • B29C 48/25 (2019.01)
  • B29C 48/265 (2019.01)
  • B29C 48/30 (2019.01)
  • B29C 48/32 (2019.01)
(72) Inventeurs :
  • BAUMEISTER, FLORIAN (Allemagne)
  • MIENER, CHRISTIAN (Allemagne)
(73) Titulaires :
  • FRANKISCHE INDUSTRIAL PIPES GMBH & CO. KG
(71) Demandeurs :
  • FRANKISCHE INDUSTRIAL PIPES GMBH & CO. KG (Allemagne)
(74) Agent: NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT CANADA LLP/S.E.N.C.R.L., S.R.L.
(74) Co-agent:
(45) Délivré:
(86) Date de dépôt PCT: 2020-07-27
(87) Mise à la disponibilité du public: 2021-02-18
Licence disponible: S.O.
Cédé au domaine public: S.O.
(25) Langue des documents déposés: Anglais

Traité de coopération en matière de brevets (PCT): Oui
(86) Numéro de la demande PCT: PCT/EP2020/071097
(87) Numéro de publication internationale PCT: EP2020071097
(85) Entrée nationale: 2022-01-19

(30) Données de priorité de la demande:
Numéro de la demande Pays / territoire Date
10 2019 212 130.6 (Allemagne) 2019-08-13

Abrégés

Abrégé français

L'invention concerne une onduleuse (10), comportant des séquences de mâchoires de formage circonférentielles, au moins un dispositif de changement (16, 18), qui est conçu pour échanger une mâchoire de formage, et un dispositif d'approvisionnement (30), qui est conçu pour équiper le dispositif de changement (16, 18) avec une mâchoire de formage prédéterminée dans une position d'attente (WP1, WP2) à partir d'une pluralité de mâchoires de formage (36) disposées à l'extérieur des séquences de mâchoires de formage disposées de manière circonférentielle au niveau de l'onduleuse (10) et/ou pour retirer une mâchoire de formage disposée dans la position d'attente (WP1, WP2) et pour amener ladite mâchoire de formage vers une pluralité de mâchoires de formage (36) disposées à l'extérieur des séquences de mâchoires de formage disposées de manière circonférentielle au niveau de l'onduleuse (10).


Abrégé anglais

The invention relates to a corrugator (10), comprising sequences of circumferential shaping jaws, at least one changing device (16, 18), which is designed to exchange a shaping jaw, and a provisioning device (30), which is designed to provide the changing device (16, 18) with a predetermined shaping jaw in a waiting position (WP1, WP2) from a plurality of shaping jaws (36) arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged circumferentially at the corrugator (10) and/or to remove a shaping jaw provided in the waiting position (WP1, WP2) and to feed said shaping jaw to a plurality of shaping jaws (36) arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged circumferentially at the corrugator (10).

Revendications

Note : Les revendications sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.


CA 03148003 2022-01-19
Claims
1. Corrugator (10) for the manufacture of pipes, in particular corrugated
pipes,
comprising
5 at least two sequences of rotating shaping jaws, each having at least one
shaping
surface, wherein two shaping jaws in each case rest against one another in a
predetermined region (A) of the corrugator (10) in such a way that their
shaping
surfaces form a shape for forming a pipe,
at least one changing device (16, 18) which is designed to exchange a shaping
10 jaw of the corresponding sequence of shaping jaws for a shaping jaw
provided
in a waiting position (WP1, WP2) assigned to the changing device (16, 18),
wherein the changing device (16, 18) is further designed to change the shaping
jaw while the sequence of shaping jaws is being advanced on the corrugator
(10),
and
15 wherein the corrugator (10) further comprises a provisioning device (30)
which is
designed to remove a predetermined shaping jaw from a plurality of shaping
jaws (36), which plurality of shaping jaws is arranged outside the sequences
of
shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator (10) and to
provide
the changing device (16, 18) with said shaping jaw in the waiting
position (WP1, WP2) and/or to remove a shaping jaw provided in the waiting
position (WP1, WP2) and to feed this shaping jaw to the plurality of shaping
jaws (36) arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a
rotating
manner at the corrugator (10).
2. Corrugator (10) according to claim 1,
characterised in that the plurality of the shaping jaws (36) arranged outside
the
sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator (10)
are arranged in a region which, in particular, is located completely outside a
portion of the corrugator (10), which portion is defined by the sequence of
rotating
shaping jaws, and/or is located outside a portion of the corrugator (10),
which
portion is arranged in a direction perpendicular to a rotational plane of a
sequence of shaping jaws above and/or below the portion defined by the
sequence of rotating shaping jaws.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
16
3. Corrugator (10) according to either claim 1 or claim 2,
characterised in that the provisioning device (30) is designed to feed a
shaping
jaw removed from the waiting position (WP1, WP2) to a storage position (SP)
which is assigned to the plurality of shaping jaws (36) arranged outside the
sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator
(10).
4. Corrugator (10) according to claim 3,
characterised in that the storage position (SP) is an individual storage
position (SP) for a corresponding type of shaping jaw or for each shaping jaw
in
a storage device (34).
5. Corrugator (10) according to claim 3,
characterised in that the storage position (SP) is the same position of a
storage
device (34) for all shaping jaws which are removed from the waiting
position (WP1, WP2) by the provisioning device (30) and are fed to the
plurality
of shaping jaws (36) arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged
in a rotating manner at the corrugator (10).
6. Corrugator (10) according to claim 5,
characterised in that the storage position (SP) is assigned a transport
apparatus which is designed to transport a shaping jaw provided by the
provisioning device (30) at the storage position (SP) away from the storage
position (SP) and/or to transport a shaping jaw from the plurality of shaping
jaws (36) arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a
rotating
manner at the corrugator (10) to the storage position (SP) so that these
shaping
jaws can be removed from the provisioning device (30).
7. Corrugator (10) according to any of the preceding claims, optionally
according to
claim 3,
characterised in that the provisioning device (30) comprises at least one
robot
arrangement (30, 32) which is designed to detect at least one shaping jaw and
to displace it between the waiting position (WP1, WP2) and the plurality of
shaping jaws (36) arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in
a rotating manner at the corrugator (10), in particular the storage position
(SP).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
17
8. Corrugator (10) according to claim 7,
characterised in that the robot arrangement (30, 32) is designed to be
displaceable along precisely two axes, in particular along two axes that are
perpendicular to one another.
9. Corrugator (10) according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the changing device (16, 18) is further designed to move
during the changing process of the shaping jaws in parallel, and in particular
at
a substantially identical speed, to the displacement (U) of the sequence of
rotating shaping jaws in the region of the changing device (16, 18).
10. Corrugator (10) according to claim 9,
characterised in that the changing device (16, 18) is further designed to
return,
after changing the shaping jaws, to a starting position immediately before
changing the shaping jaws, so that the shaping jaw recently removed from the
sequence of rotating shaping jaws is arranged at the waiting position (WP1,
WP2).
11. Corrugator (10) according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the changing device (16, 18) comprises at least two, in
particular exactly two, waiting positions (WP1, WP2) and in that the
provisioning
device (30) is designed to optionally remove shaping jaws from each of the two
waiting positions (WP1, WP2).
12. Corrugator (10) according to claim 11,
characterised in that the changing device (16, 18) comprises a linearly
operable
sliding apparatus (20) which is designed to push a shaping jaw to be removed
from the sequence of rotating shaping jaws in a direction (pl , p2)
substantially
parallel to a rotational plane of this sequence of shaping jaws, out of the
sequence, or to push it into this sequence.
13. Corrugator (10) according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the corrugator (10) comprises a plurality of changing
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
18
devices (16, 18), in particular three or four changing devices (16, 18).
14. Corrugator (10) according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that each sequence of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating
manner at the corrugator (10) can be assigned at least one separate
provisioning
device (30) and at least one separate changing device (16, 18).
15. Corrugator (10) according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the plurality of shaping jaws which are arranged outside
the sequence of shaping jaws (36) arranged in a rotating manner at the
corrugator (10) comprises at least the same number of shaping jaws as the
number of shaping jaws of the sequence(s) arranged in a rotating manner at the
corrugator (10), which sequence(s) is/are assigned to the plurality of shaping
jaws.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

Description

Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.


CA 03148003 2022-01-19
1
VARIABLE CORRUGATOR
Description
The invention relates to a corrugator for the manufacture of pipes, in
particular
corrugated pipes.
Corrugators are used, for example, to manufacture corrugated pipes. In this
case, for
example, a plastics material is introduced into the corrugator and is caused
by
overpressure and/or underpressure to come into contact with shaping surfaces
which
are formed on shaping jaws of the corrugator in order to thereby form the
corrugated
pipe. The corrugator usually comprises a plurality of shaping jaws that
include the
shaping surfaces. The shaping jaws typically move on the corrugator in a
rotating
manner, so that, depending on the rotational speed, number and size of the
shaping
jaws, one and the same shaping jaw repeatedly passes a defined position on the
corrugator after a predetermined period of time.
If the aim is to manufacture corrugated pipes having a uniform diameter but
different
lengths, the corrugator may be equipped with shaping jaws in such a way that
all the
shaping surfaces of the shaping jaws are identical to one another. In this
way, it is
possible to manufacture an endless corrugated pipe having a uniform diameter.
In a
subsequent processing step, this endless corrugated pipe may then be cut to
the
desired lengths.
If, on the other hand, the aim is to manufacture corrugated pipes which have a
variable
diameter over their length, for example a region having an enlarged diameter
compared to the rest of the corrugated pipe, the corrugator may then be
equipped with
shaping jaws which allow manufacture of corrugated pipe portions having a
small
diameter, manufacture of corrugated pipe portions having an increasing
diameter,
manufacture of corrugated pipe portions having a large diameter and
manufacture of
corrugated pipe portions having a decreasing diameter. However, due to the
system,
i.e. due to the operating principle of the corrugator, it is possible to
manufacture only
an endless corrugated pipe in which the enlarged diameter occurs in a constant
periodic sequence. If, for example, corrugated pipes are desired which include
exactly
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
2
one portion having an enlarged diameter, then these can only be manufactured
in a
single length without generating relatively large amounts of material waste.
However, if the aim is to manufacture different corrugated pipes which, for
example,
include a different number of portions having an enlarged diameter, but the
same
overall length, it is laborious to reconfigure the fittings of the corrugator
for each
corrugated pipe. The corrugator is usually equipped by hand or using complex
additional units. The process must be interrupted in this case; in particular
a corrugator
must be brought to a standstill.
Due to this high expenditure of time and costs for re-equipping a corrugator,
small
sequences or even single unit production of specific corrugated pipes is often
not
possible.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a corrugator
which makes
it possible to flexibly adapt a design of a corrugated pipe to be manufactured
during
the production process and to thereby reduce the set-up costs of the
corrugator.
This object is achieved by a corrugator for the manufacture of pipes, in
particular
corrugated pipes, comprising
at least two sequences of rotating shaping jaws, each having at least one
shaping
surface, wherein two shaping jaws in each case rest against one another in a
predetermined region of the corrugator in such a way that their shaping
surfaces form
a shape for forming a pipe,
at least one changing device which is designed to exchange a shaping jaw of
the
corresponding sequence of shaping jaws for a shaping jaw provided in a waiting
position assigned to the changing device,
wherein the changing device is further designed to change the shaping jaw
while the
sequence of shaping jaws is being advanced on the corrugator, and
wherein the corrugator further comprises a provisioning device which is
designed to
remove a predetermined shaping jaw from a plurality of shaping jaws, which
plurality
of shaping jaws is arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in
a
rotating manner at the corrugator, and to provide the changing device with
said
shaping jaw in the waiting position and/or to remove a shaping jaw provided in
the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
3
waiting position and to feed this shaping jaw to the plurality of shaping jaws
arranged
outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the
corrugator.
In this way, it is possible for the provisioning device to remove a
corresponding shaping
jaw from a storage device and provide it at the waiting position. If a shaping
jaw of the
rotating sequence of shaping jaws, which shaping jaw is to be removed from the
sequence of shaping jaws on the basis of a previous determination, passes
through
the changing device, the changing device can remove this shaping jaw from the
sequence of shaping jaws and at the same time insert the shaping jaws provided
in
the waiting position into the sequence of shaping jaws.
After the changing process, the extracted shaping jaw can be removed from this
corresponding waiting position by the provisioning device and stored, for
example, in
the storage device of the plurality of shaping jaws which are not part of the
sequence
of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator.
In order to be able to ensure an exact exchange of the shaping jaws, it can be
advantageous that the changing device is designed to apply a first
predetermined
force, for example a predefined pressure, against the sequence of rotating
shaping
jaws as soon as the shaping jaw to be removed enters the changing device. If
the
shaping jaw to be removed has then completely entered the changing device, the
changing device can be designed to carry out the changing process with a
second
predetermined force, for example a pressure. In particular, the second
predetermined
force can be greater than the first predetermined force. The use of an, in
particular
electronically controlled, force path is also conceivable in this case.
Furthermore, the
changing device can be designed in such a way that a receiving width of the
changing
device, i.e. a width of the portion of the changing device which receives a
shaping jaw
to be removed, removes said shaping jaw from the sequence of rotating shaping
jaws
and inserts a shaping jaw provided in the waiting position into the sequence
of rotating
shaping jaws, substantially corresponds to the width of a single shaping jaw.
In other
words, the "width" of an individual shaping jaw or the changing device is a
dimension
which is measured along a direction of advance of the sequence of shaping jaws
on
the corrugator.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
4
However, since it is almost impossible to manufacture all the shaping jaws of
the
corrugator with an exactly identical width, a play compensation unit can also
be
provided on the corrugator, which play compensation unit is designed, in the
event
that the shaping jaw to be removed has a greater width than the shaping jaw to
be
inserted, to close a gap between adjacent shaping jaws and, in the event that
the
shaping jaw to be removed has a smaller width than the shaping jaw to be
inserted, to
allow pushing apart of the two shaping jaws adjacent to the shaping jaw to be
removed,
in order to be able to insert the wider shaping jaw between these two adjacent
shaping
.. jaws. The play compensation unit can electromechanically detect and
compensate for
play between adjacent shaping jaws after the changing process.
The play can be compensated by changing the length of the rotational path. For
this
purpose, corrugators can consist of a plurality of modules arranged next to
one
another, there being start and/or end modules which contain a curved region of
the
rotational path and/or intermediate modules which form a straight region of
the
corrugator. To set the play, the start and/or end modules can be moved towards
or
away from the intermediate modules. However, only the end module, which is
also
referred to as the "outlet module", is preferably adjusted since a drive unit
for driving
the shaping jaws in the corrugator can be located directly on the start
module, which
is also referred to as the "inlet module". The start and/or end modules can
advantageously run in a guide (for example a T-slot or a dovetail guide)
introduced
into the base plate of the corrugator.
The local change of the module can take place via at least one motor-driven
spindle.
The electrical signal for adjustment for this can come from a computer unit
which, on
the basis of a previously measured play between the shaping jaws, can
determine a
corresponding angular rotation of the spindle and thus a displacement of the
start
and/or end modules. For this purpose, the play can be detected using a
measuring
device, for example an optical unit which comprises a light-emitting and a
light-
receiving unit and/or a camera designed to detect a distance between two
shaping
jaws. The measuring device can preferably be arranged in an inlet region of
shaping
jaws in the corrugator or in front of the drive unit since a corresponding
play can reach
a maximum size shortly before this drive unit. This is because the drive unit
for driving
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
the shaping jaws in the corrugator can push them in their direction of
rotation so that
the shaping jaws can rest against one another in the direction of rotation
after the drive
unit. In order to detect the shaping jaws, in particular markings can be
attached to the
shaping jaws.
5
As an alternative or in addition to optical detection, detection using RFID or
QR code
can also be carried out. Thus, even when using RFID or QR technology, a
sequence
of successive shaping jaw types can be detected at the same time and, for
example,
be compared with a predetermined sequence of shaping jaw types. A discrepancy
between the detected and the predetermined sequence of shaping jaws can be
output
as an error signal, for example.
Furthermore, the shaping jaws can run in a largely closed channel at least
along a
portion of a "return", i.e. a portion of the rotational path of a
corresponding sequence
of shaping jaws, which portion does not belong to the predetermined region of
the
corrugator in which the pipe is formed. The largely closed channel can,
however, have
openings through which an exchange of air present in the channel with ambient
air
and/or a removal of foreign bodies present in the channel is made possible. In
the
region of the changing device, the largely closed channel can have further
interruptions, on the one hand, to allow the changing process of shaping jaws
by the
changing device and, on the other hand, to allow the removal and provision of
shaping
jaws from the waiting position by the provisioning device. The further
interruptions can
be permanently open or can be opened during operation and/or substantially
closed
by a portion of the changing device.
In a development of the present invention, the plurality of the shaping jaws
arranged
outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the
corrugator
can be arranged in a region which, in particular, is completely outside a
portion of the
corrugator, which portion is defined by the sequence of rotating shaping jaws,
and/or
is located outside a portion of the corrugator, which portion is arranged in a
direction
perpendicular to a rotational plane of a sequence of shaping jaws above and/or
below
the portion defined by the sequence of rotating shaping jaws. If a
corresponding
sequence of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator forms
a
horizontal circuit that is substantially oval or 0-shaped, the plurality of
the shaping jaws
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
6
arranged outside can neither be inside the 0 shape nor vertically above or
below the
region defined by the 0 shape. In this way, it is possible that the
installation space
required by the corrugator according to the invention is substantially
identical to a
similar conventional corrugator. A storage device for the plurality of shaping
jaws
arranged outside can be removed from an assigned sequence of shaping jaws
arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator or can be arranged directly
adjacent
to the corresponding sequence. In particular, a corresponding storage device
for
shaping jaws, which storage device is assigned to a corresponding sequence of
rotating shaping jaws, can be arranged in a common horizontal plane with this
sequence of rotating shaping jaws.
Furthermore, the provisioning device can be designed to feed a shaping jaw
removed
from the waiting position to a storage position which is assigned to the
plurality of
shaping jaws arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a
rotating
manner at the corrugator. The storage position is not limited to a single
local location
of a storage device which is connected to the storage position, but rather two
shaping
jaws removed one after the other from the waiting position can be fed to a
storage
position at different locations of a common storage device.
The storage position can be an individual storage position for a corresponding
type of
shaping jaw or for each shaping jaw in a storage device. In other words, in
the storage
device, each shaping jaw can be assigned a storage position of its own, which
can be
uniquely identified, for example, by a row number and column number.
Alternatively
or additionally, the storage device can be divided into regions in which
shaping jaws
are only stored separately according to different types of shaping jaws, for
example
according to the shaping surface of the shaping jaw having a small diameter,
according to the shaping surface of the shaping jaw having a large diameter,
according
to the shaping surface of the shaping jaw having an increasing diameter and
according
to the surface of the shaping jaw having a decreasing diameter. In this way,
the same
storage positions can be filled with different shaping jaws of the same type,
so that the
overall space requirement of the storage device can be reduced. Of course,
other
known storage methods are also conceivable in this case, such as what is known
as
chaotic storage, in which free storage spaces are filled with shaping jaws
regardless
of the design of the shaping jaws. The shaping jaws can also be distinguished
from
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CA 03148003 2022-01-19
7
one another by an individual and/or type-based identifier by a corresponding
unit, for
example using RFID, barcodes or other codes, such as corresponding mechanical
markings at predetermined positions.
Alternatively, the storage position can be the same position of a storage
device for all
shaping jaws which are removed from the waiting position by the provisioning
device
and are fed to the plurality of shaping jaws arranged outside the sequences of
shaping
jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator. Thus, the provisioning
device
can always feed a shaping jaw removed from the waiting position, regardless of
the
design of the shaping jaw, to the same storage position of the storage device.
Because
the provisioning device only has to be designed to displace shaping jaws
between a
single storage position and the waiting position(s) of the assigned changing
device,
the provisioning device can be designed in a significantly simplified manner.
The storage position is assigned a transport apparatus which is designed to
transport
a shaping jaw provided by the provisioning device at the storage position away
from
the storage position and/or to transport a shaping jaw from the plurality of
shaping
jaws arranged outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating
manner
at the corrugator to the storage position, so that these shaping jaws can be
removed
from the provisioning device. In this way, the shaping jaws fed to the storage
position
of the storage device can be transported to the respective storage locations,
as
already described above. It is also conceivable that the transport apparatus
is
designed as a drag chain or the like, which displaces the plurality of shaping
jaws
arranged in the storage device, or at least a subset thereof, in a rotating
manner. The
drag chain can, when it is engaged with a shaping jaw stored at the storage
position
by the provisioning device, be displaced in such a way that a free portion of
the drag
chain is again assigned to the storage position, so that a shaping jaw can be
picked
up again from the storage position. Furthermore, the drag chain or an
associated drive
device can receive a corresponding signal from a control unit in order to
provide a
predetermined shaping jaw of the drag chain at the storage position of the
storage unit
so that this shaping jaw can be removed by the provisioning device. For this
purpose,
the drag chain can in particular be drivable both forwards and backwards.
In a development of the present invention, the provisioning device can
comprise at
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CA 03148003 2022-01-19
8
least one robot arrangement which is designed to detect at least one shaping
jaw and
to displace it between the waiting position and the plurality of shaping jaws
arranged
outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the
corrugator, in particular the storage position. For this purpose, the robot
arrangement
can comprise at least one gripper which is designed to grasp at least one
corresponding shaping jaw, and an arm via which the at least one gripper can
be
displaced between the storage position and a waiting position.
The robot arrangement can advantageously be designed to be displaceable along
precisely two axes, in particular along two axes that are perpendicular to one
another.
This very simply designed robot arrangement can thus be designed to displace
the
gripper of the robot arrangement vertically upwards from a waiting position,
then
horizontally in the direction of a storage device and there vertically
downwards to a
storage position. Such a robot arrangement can be implemented in a very space-
saving manner, so that, if necessary, a plurality of these robot arrangements
can be
placed closely adjacent to one another.
The changing device can also be designed to move during the changing process
of
the shaping jaws in parallel, and in particular at a substantially identical
speed, to the
displacement of the sequence of rotating shaping jaws in the region of the
changing
device. If a shaping jaw is exchanged for another shaping jaw during
operation, i.e.
while the sequence of rotating shaping jaws continues to move, the shaping
jaws of
the sequence of rotating shaping jaws that follow the shaping jaws to be
exchanged
press against the changing device during the changing process. This can result
in an
interruption of the continuous rotating sequence of shaping jaws or even
result in
damage to parts of the corrugator. In order to avoid this, the changing device
can be
mounted on the corrugator in such a way that it can be displaced over a
predetermined
portion together with the sequence of rotating shaping jaws. For this purpose,
the
changing device can be actively driven together with the movement of the
sequence
of rotating shaping jaws, or it can also be passively "dragged along" by the
sequence
of rotating shaping jaws.
The changing device can furthermore be designed to return, after changing the
shaping jaws, to a starting position before changing the shaping jaws, so that
the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
9
shaping jaw recently removed from the sequence of rotating shaping jaws is
arranged
at the waiting position. In particular, in order to be able to combine a two-
axis robot
arrangement with a changing device that can be displaced parallel to the
movement
of the sequence of rotating shaping jaws, it can be advantageous to displace
the
changing device back to a starting position after a changing process, so that
a waiting
position accessed by the provisioning device is always arranged at the same
position
of the corrugator.
Furthermore, the changing device can comprise at least two, in particular
exactly two,
waiting positions and the provisioning device can be designed to optionally
remove
shaping jaws from each of the two waiting positions. It should be mentioned at
this
point that, as far as applicable, the above-mentioned text passages which
refer to
"the/a waiting position" can be applied to each of the waiting positions of a
corresponding changing device.
In particular, the changing device can comprise a linearly operable sliding
apparatus
which is designed to push a shaping jaw to be removed from the sequence of
rotating
shaping jaws in a direction substantially parallel to a rotational plane of
this sequence
of shaping jaws, out of the sequence, or to push it into this sequence. For
example,
the changing device can comprise a sliding apparatus which has two
compartments,
each of which can accommodate a shaping jaw. These two compartments can each
be passed through by the sequence of rotating shaping jaws as if they formed a
portion
of the above-mentioned channel in which the sequence of rotating shaping jaws
is
displaced. As a result, the two compartments can be designed to be open on
opposite
sides in the feed direction of the sequence of rotating shaping jaws in order
to allow
the shaping jaws to enter/exit. In the case of two waiting positions of the
changing
device, the sliding apparatus can comprise three partition walls which extend
substantially in the width direction of the changing device and which define
the two
compartments. Thus, when the changing device is not actuated, one of the
compartments can always be in a pass-through position, in which this
compartment is
passed through by the sequence of rotating shaping jaws. In this state, the
corresponding other compartment forms a first waiting position in which a
shaping jaw
can be removed from the compartment or can be provided in the compartment. If
the
changing device is actuated, the compartment arranged in the first waiting
position
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
moves into the pass-through position and the compartment arranged in the pass-
through position prior to actuation moves into a second waiting position at
which the
shaping jaw arranged in this compartment can again be exchanged. In a changing
device designed in this way, the feed direction of the sequence of rotating
shaping
5 jaws runs substantially perpendicular to an actuation direction of the
changing device
and parallel to the plane which is defined by the sequence of rotating shaping
jaws.
Furthermore, the corrugator can comprise a plurality of changing devices, in
particular
three or four changing devices. In this way, it is possible, during a single
cycle of the
10 sequence of rotating shaping jaws on the corrugator, to exchange a
corresponding
entire sequence of rotating shaping jaws for another entire sequence of
rotating
shaping jaws which has a different sequence/configuration of shaping surfaces.
Each sequence of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator
can
be assigned at least one separate provisioning device and at least one
separate
changing device. In conventional corrugators, in which two sequences of
shaping jaws
are arranged in a rotating manner with opposite directions of rotation, one or
more
provisioning devices and one or more changing devices can be arranged on each
return of the shaping jaws. In comparison to the fact that a provisioning
device has to
serve both returns of the sequences of rotating shaping jaws, this can allow
for a less
complex provisioning device and/or a faster change of shaping jaws.
In particular, the plurality of shaping jaws which are arranged outside the
sequence of
shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator can comprise at
least
the same number of shaping jaws as the number of shaping jaws of the
sequence(s)
arranged in a rotating manner at the corrugator, which sequence(s) is/are
assigned to
the plurality of shaping jaws. In this way, all of the shaping jaws that are
currently
contained in a sequence of rotating shaping jaws can be completely exchanged
for
shaping jaws that are still arranged in a corresponding storage device at this
point in
time. It is thus possible that a wide variety of pipes can be manufactured in
a seamless
transition on the corrugator. In this way, set-up times can be shortened and
manufacturing costs can be reduced.
In the following, the present invention will be described in greater detail
using an
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
11
embodiment making reference on the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a partially exposed corrugator according to
the present
invention;
Fig. 2 shows a changing device of the corrugator according to the
invention in
a first position; and
Fig. 3 shows the changing device from Fig. 2 in a second position.
In Fig. 1, a corrugator according to the invention is generally denoted with
reference
sign 10. The corrugator 10 has a first half I and a second half II, which
halves are
adjacent to one another along a centre plane A. A sequence of shaping jaws
(not
shown) is arranged on each of the halves I and II of the corrugator 10, which
shaping
jaws are arranged in a rotating manner along the arrows U at the corresponding
halves I, II of the corrugator 10. In a region in which the shaping jaws of
the two
halves I, II of the corrugator 10 are displaced along the plane A, the shaping
jaws lie
against one another in pairs so that a pipe defined by the shaping surfaces of
the
shaping jaws can be formed along the plane A. At the end of the pipe formation
region,
the shaping jaws are shifted away from each other and are fed to a
corresponding
return 12, 14, at the end of which the shaping jaws are displaced towards one
another
again in order to rest against one another again along the plane A. Since the
two
sequences of shaping jaws of halves I and II of corrugator 10 include the same
number
of shaping jaws which are advanced on both halves I and II of corrugator 10 at
the
same speeds, the same shaping jaws strike one another again after one complete
cycle along the arrows U, in order to rest against one another in pairs and
consequently form the same pipe portion.
It can therefore be seen that a pipe manufactured by the corrugator 10 so as
to be
endless repeats itself periodically at the latest after one complete cycle of
the two
sequences of shaping jaws. In order to be able to manufacture pipes of
different
lengths with different designs in a completely flexible manner during
continuous
operation of the corrugator 10, it is necessary to remove shaping jaws from
the
sequences of shaping jaws and to exchange them for shaping jaws of different
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
12
designs.
For this purpose, a changing device 16, 18 is arranged on each return 12, 14
of the
corrugator 10 according to the invention, via which changing device a
corresponding
sequence of shaping jaws is displaced.
Referring now to Fig. 2, the changing device 16 of half I of the corrugator 10
is shown
in detail, whereby it should be pointed out here that the changing device 16
and the
changing device 18 are designed identically, so that an analogous description
of the
changing device 18 is omitted.
The changing device 16 comprises a sliding apparatus 20 which is connected to
a
drive 22 in such a way that the sliding apparatus 20 can be displaced between
the
position shown in Fig. 2 and the position shown in Fig. 3. The drive 22 can be
designed, for example, as a pneumatically operated piston-cylinder arrangement
or as
an electric drive having a linear axis or spindle drive. On the sliding
apparatus 20 of
the changing device 16, three partition walls 24 are arranged which run
substantially
along a width direction B of the changing device 16 or parallel to a feed
direction U of
the sequence of shaping jaws passing through the changing device 16. The three
partition walls 24 define a first compartment 26 and a second compartment 28
on the
sliding apparatus 20. In the position shown in Fig. 2, the first compartment
26 is in a
pass-through position DP through which the corresponding sequence of shaping
jaws
runs without the sequence of shaping jaws being impaired. In the position of
the sliding
apparatus 20 shown in Fig. 2, the second compartment 28 is in a first waiting
position WP1.
Referring back to Fig. 1, it can be seen that the compartments 26 and 28 are
open on
their upper side, i.e. on a side above the plane of the sheet in Fig. 1. Thus,
a shaping
jaw arranged in the second compartment 28 of the sliding apparatus 20, which
shaping
jaw is located in the first waiting position WP1 in Fig. 1, can be detected by
a
provisioning device 30 which in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is designed as
a robot
arrangement 30 having a gripper 32, and can be displaced to a storage position
SP of
a storage device 34 assigned to half I of the corrugator 10 or the sequence of
rotating
shaping jaws arranged thereon. From the storage position SP, the shaping jaw
can
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
13
then be fed to a plurality of shaping jaws 36, which plurality of shaping jaws
is arranged
outside the sequences of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner at the
corrugator
10. The expression "outside at the corrugator 10" is intended to mean in this
context
that the corresponding plurality of shaping jaws 36 is not arranged in a
region spanned
by the arrows U or in a region arranged above or below it perpendicular to the
plane
of the sheet. Of course, the half II of the corrugator 10 can be assigned an
analogous
provisioning device and storage device, in which respect reference is made to
the
descriptions for the half I of the corrugator 10 for the sake of clarity.
A new shaping jaw from the plurality of shaping jaws 36 arranged outside the
corrugator 10 can then be fed to the storage position SP, which shaping jaw is
transported from there by the provisioning device 30 to the waiting position
WP1.
If a predetermined shaping jaw from the sequence of shaping jaws arranged in a
rotating manner at half I of the corrugator 10 is to be exchanged for the
shaping jaw
provided in the waiting position WP1, the changing device 16 changes at the
moment
at which the predetermined shaping jaw has completely entered the first
compartment 26, from the position shown in Fig. 2 into the position shown in
Fig. 3.
The predetermined shaping jaw arranged in the first compartment 26 has, as
shown
in Fig. 3, been displaced to a second waiting position WP2, whereas the
shaping jaw
provided in the second compartment 28 has been displaced into the pass-through
position DP, so that this shaping jaw has been inserted in place of the
removed
shaping jaw as part of the sequence of rotating shaping jaws.
The provisioning device 30 can now remove the shaping jaw from the second
waiting
position WP2, feed it to the storage position SP, then remove a new shaping
jaw from
there and make it available at the second waiting position WP2 for a new
changing
process.
The drive 22 is advantageously designed or controlled in such a way that, as
soon as
a shaping jaw to be exchanged enters the pass-through position DP of the
sliding
apparatus 20 of the changing device 16 (shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2),
the sliding
apparatus 20 is displaced with a first force or a first pressure p1 against
the sequence
of rotating shaping jaws in the alternating direction (i.e. either from the
position shown
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

CA 03148003 2022-01-19
14
in Fig. 2 into the position shown in Fig. 3 or vice versa). If the shaping jaw
to be
exchanged has completely entered the first compartment 26 arranged in the pass-
through position DP (shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3), the sliding
apparatus 20 is
displaced with a second force or a second pressure p2, which is greater than
the first
force or the first pressure p1, in the alternating direction, so that the
shaping jaw
(shown by the dashed lines in Fig. 3) arranged in the second compartment 28 is
fed
to the sequence of shaping jaws arranged in a rotating manner along the arrows
U at
the pass-through position DP.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19

Dessin représentatif
Une figure unique qui représente un dessin illustrant l'invention.
États administratifs

2024-08-01 : Dans le cadre de la transition vers les Brevets de nouvelle génération (BNG), la base de données sur les brevets canadiens (BDBC) contient désormais un Historique d'événement plus détaillé, qui reproduit le Journal des événements de notre nouvelle solution interne.

Veuillez noter que les événements débutant par « Inactive : » se réfèrent à des événements qui ne sont plus utilisés dans notre nouvelle solution interne.

Pour une meilleure compréhension de l'état de la demande ou brevet qui figure sur cette page, la rubrique Mise en garde , et les descriptions de Brevet , Historique d'événement , Taxes périodiques et Historique des paiements devraient être consultées.

Historique d'événement

Description Date
Inactive : Page couverture publiée 2022-03-10
Lettre envoyée 2022-02-16
Inactive : CIB en 1re position 2022-02-16
Exigences applicables à la revendication de priorité - jugée conforme 2022-02-15
Exigences quant à la conformité - jugées remplies 2022-02-15
Inactive : CIB attribuée 2022-02-14
Inactive : CIB attribuée 2022-02-14
Demande de priorité reçue 2022-02-14
Inactive : CIB attribuée 2022-02-14
Demande reçue - PCT 2022-02-14
Inactive : CIB attribuée 2022-02-14
Inactive : CIB attribuée 2022-02-14
Inactive : CIB attribuée 2022-02-14
Exigences pour l'entrée dans la phase nationale - jugée conforme 2022-01-19
Demande publiée (accessible au public) 2021-02-18

Historique d'abandonnement

Il n'y a pas d'historique d'abandonnement

Taxes périodiques

Le dernier paiement a été reçu le 2023-07-17

Avis : Si le paiement en totalité n'a pas été reçu au plus tard à la date indiquée, une taxe supplémentaire peut être imposée, soit une des taxes suivantes :

  • taxe de rétablissement ;
  • taxe pour paiement en souffrance ; ou
  • taxe additionnelle pour le renversement d'une péremption réputée.

Les taxes sur les brevets sont ajustées au 1er janvier de chaque année. Les montants ci-dessus sont les montants actuels s'ils sont reçus au plus tard le 31 décembre de l'année en cours.
Veuillez vous référer à la page web des taxes sur les brevets de l'OPIC pour voir tous les montants actuels des taxes.

Historique des taxes

Type de taxes Anniversaire Échéance Date payée
Taxe nationale de base - générale 2022-01-19 2022-01-19
TM (demande, 2e anniv.) - générale 02 2022-07-27 2022-07-18
TM (demande, 3e anniv.) - générale 03 2023-07-27 2023-07-17
Titulaires au dossier

Les titulaires actuels et antérieures au dossier sont affichés en ordre alphabétique.

Titulaires actuels au dossier
FRANKISCHE INDUSTRIAL PIPES GMBH & CO. KG
Titulaires antérieures au dossier
CHRISTIAN MIENER
FLORIAN BAUMEISTER
Les propriétaires antérieurs qui ne figurent pas dans la liste des « Propriétaires au dossier » apparaîtront dans d'autres documents au dossier.
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Description du
Document 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Nombre de pages   Taille de l'image (Ko) 
Description 2022-01-18 14 739
Revendications 2022-01-18 4 158
Abrégé 2022-01-18 1 18
Dessins 2022-01-18 3 157
Dessin représentatif 2022-01-18 1 76
Page couverture 2022-03-09 1 66
Courtoisie - Lettre confirmant l'entrée en phase nationale en vertu du PCT 2022-02-15 1 587
Rapport de recherche internationale 2022-01-18 6 188
Demande d'entrée en phase nationale 2022-01-18 8 294
Modification - Abrégé 2022-01-18 2 96