Wire Tie Systems and Methods

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63/571,153 filed on Mar. 28, 2024 and titled “WIRE TIE SYSTEMS AND METHODS,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Embodiments relate generally to wire production and more particularly to wire tie systems and methods.

Wire ties are often employed in baling processes to secure bales of loose material. In the recycling industry, for example, materials like cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, or textiles are often compressed and compacted into individual bales that are wrapped using wire ties. Wire ties used for baling are sometimes referred to as “bale ties” or “bale wire ties.” Wire ties are often made of galvanized steel, high-strength plastic, or similarly strong materials to enable tight wrapping and securing of bales of material. By securely bundling bales with wire ties, the risk of material spillage, shifting, or damage during handling and transport is minimized, promoting safety and efficiency. Additionally, wire ties can improve overall organization and management of materials by helping to maintain bale size and shape, which facilitates handling and storage. As such, wire ties can play a crucial role in material baling, storage, transportation, and handling.

Wire ties (or “bale ties” or “bale wire ties”) are typically secured (or “wrapped”) about bales manually or with the help of automated wire tying machines, depending on the scale of operations. Manual application often involves workers using hand tools to wrap and secure wire ties around bales. Automated wire tying typically employs one or more special purpose machines that wrap and secure wire ties around bales, which can be especially helpful to streamline the baling process for larger volumes.

A wire tie is typically formed with a looped end that facilitates securing the wire tie ends. A single loop wire tie refers to a wire tie having one looped end. For example, a single loop wire tie may have one of its ends folded back on itself and twisted to generate a preformed opening (or “end loop”). During a baling process, the other end of the wire tie can be passed through the end loop and be folded back on itself and twisted to secure the ends together and, in turn, secure the wire tie about a bale. A double loop wire tie refers to a wire tie having two looped ends. For example, a double loop wire tie may have each of its two ends folded back on itself and twisted to generate preformed openings (or “end loops”). During a bailing process, a wire tie can be passed through the end loops and be folded back on itself and twisted to secure the ends together and, in turn, secure the wire tie about a bale.

Manufacturing wire ties typically involves several steps to generate a finished wire tie. For example, manufacturing single-loop wire ties may involve some or all of the following series of steps: (1) sourcing wire of an appropriate size and material (e.g., galvanized steel wire or high-strength plastic) based on factors such as desired cost strength, durability, and corrosion resistance; (2) shaping the wire (e.g., drawing the sourced wire through a series of dies to reduce its diameter to a desired size and ensure that the wire has a uniform diameter and smooth surface finish); (3) finishing the wire (e.g., galvanizing or coating shaped steel wire to enhance corrosion resistance or heat-treating or additive-treating shaped plastic wires for improved strength and durability); (4) cutting the wire (e.g., cutting a long strand of wire into individual wires of relatively shorter lengths); (5) looping the wire (e.g., forming a loop at one or both ends of the wire by bending the wire back on itself and twisting the bent wire to form a looped end on each individual wire); (6) quality checking (e.g., conducting visual inspections, dimensional measurements, strength and durability testing, or the like at one or more stages of the process); and (7) packaging and distribution (e.g., packaging generated looped wire ties into bundles for shipment to customers for use in securing bales of material).

Provided in some embodiments is a loop wire tie manufacturing technique that provides for efficient and effective forming of looped wire ties. In some embodiments, a looping system is operable to receive individual lengths wire, and bend and twist the ends of each of the lengths of wire to form respective looped wires. In certain embodiments, the looping system includes a twist cylinder having a looping member (or “pin” or “peg”) protruding radially therefrom, and a bend cylinder having a bending member (or “pin” or “peg”) that is operable to engage and bend an end of a wire about the looping member (e.g., to generate a bend that includes a distal end of the wire looped back to a position proximate an adjacent portion of the wire), where the twist cylinder is operable to rotate, with the length of wire bent about the looping member, to twist the distal end about the adjacent portion of the wire to form a looped end on the length of wire. The looped wires may, for example, be subsequently discharged from the looping system as they are formed and then be gathered into bundles of looped wires for packaging and distribution.

In some embodiments, the twist cylinder includes a semicylindrical member, having an exterior surface defined by a semicircular face and a planar face, with the looping member (or “peg”) extending from the planar face, and the looping system further includes a proximity sensor that is disposed proximate the twist cylinder and operable to sense proximity of an edge formed by the intersection of the semicircular portion and the planar face portion of the exterior surface of the twist cylinder. During operation, the proximity sensor may generate a signal indicative of the edge being located at or near the proximity sensor, and a rotational position of the twist cylinder (e.g., an angular position of the twist cylinder about its longitudinal axis) may be correlated to the location of the proximity sensor. Such locating may be used to determine and calibrate the angular position of the twist cylinder which can, for example, be used for determining and coordinating positioning of the twist cylinder during a wire tie looping operation. For example, in response to receiving a signal from the proximity sensor indicating that the edge located at the intersection of the semicircular portion and the planar face portion of the exterior surface of the twist cylinder is at or near the proximity sensor (e.g., a spike or drop-off in a proximity sensor signal), it may be determined that the twist cylinder is located at a “home” angular position, where the edge is aligned with the proximity sensor, and this home angular position may be used as a reference (or “home”) point for conducting subsequent movement of the twist cylinder. For example, where it is desirable to rotate the twist cylinder to an angular position that is angularly offset by 15 degrees clockwise from the home angular position, in response to receiving a proximity sensor signal indicating that the edge is at or near the proximity sensor, the looping system may control a motor controller to operate a twist motor to rotate the twist cylinder clockwise by 15 degrees. This may provide a “homing” routine that includes determining an angular position for use as a reference for subsequent movements, and applying an angular offset that rotates the twist cylinder into a desired position based on the determined angular position.

In some embodiments, the twist cylinder is positioned to bend lengths of wire in a given plane (e.g., a vertical plane) and the proximity sensor is angularly offset from the plane to enable bending of the wire without physical interference by the proximity sensor. For example, where the bending of the wire about the peg involves maintaining the twist cylinder in a vertical orientation (e.g., an angular position that includes the planar face oriented vertically), the proximity sensor may be angularly offset from vertical (e.g., by a given distance or angle, such as 45 degrees) to enable loading or bending of the wire in the vertical plane without physical contact of the end of the wire with the proximity sensor. In such an embodiment, a homing routine may be conducted (e.g., prior to looping of each wire tie) that includes rotating the twist cylinder to a “home” defined by an angular position (e.g., 15 degrees counter clock-wise from vertical) at which the proximity sensor provides a signal indicating that the edge at the transition from the semicircular face to the planar face is at or near the sensor (e.g., a spike or drop off in a sensing signal), determining that the twist cylinder is located at the “home” angular position (e.g., 15 degrees counter clock-wise from vertical), and controlling the twist cylinder to rotate it by an offset (e.g., clockwise 15 degrees) to position the planar face vertical for subsequent, receipt, bending or twisting of a length of wire to form a looped wire tie.

Provided in some embodiments is a wire tie looping system, including: a twist cylinder including: an elongated semicylindrical member including: a cylindrical face portion; and a planar face portion; and a looping peg extending transverse from the planar face portion, the twist cylinder adapted to rotate about a twist axis defined by a longitudinal axis of the elongated semicylindrical member; a bend cylinder including: a bending peg extending therefrom, the bend cylinder adapted to: rotate about a bend axis that is oriented transverse to the twist axis; and translate along the bend axis; an edge sensor adapted to sense proximity of an edge defined by an intersection of the cylindrical face portion and the planar face portion, the edge sensor laterally offset from the twist axis to enable a length of wire to pass vertically into a looping position including the length of wire adjacent the planar face portion oriented vertically; an index wheel adapted to rotate about an index axis to guide lengths of wire into and out of a looping position, the index axis oriented parallel to the twist axis; a twist motor adapted to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; a bend motor adapted to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis; a bend slide motor adapted to drive translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis; an index motor adapted to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis; a wire tie control system adapted to: drive rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; monitor, during rotation of the twist cylinder, a proximity signal output by the edge sensor; determine, based on the monitoring of the proximity signal, that the twist cylinder is at a first angular position including the planar face portion oriented at an angle relative to vertical; drive, in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position, rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to a second angular position including the planar face portion oriented vertically; drive, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to deposit a length of wire into a looping position, the looping position including the length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent the planar face portion of the twist cylinder, and adjacent the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the length of wire extends to a first side of the looping peg and a central portion of the length of wire extends to a second side of the looping peg; drive, in response to depositing the length of wire into the looping position, the bend slide motor to drive translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis toward the planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move the bending peg proximate the length of wire; drive, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the length of wire, rotation of the bend motor to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the length of wire; drive, in response to bending of the end of the length of wire about the looping peg, rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the length of wire about the central portion of the length of wire to form a looped end on the length of wire; and drive, in response to forming of the looped end on the length of wire, rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the length of wire out of the looping position.

In some embodiments, the wire tie control system further adapted to: in response to ejection of the length of wire out of the looping position: drive rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; monitor, during rotation of the twist cylinder, the proximity signal output by the edge sensor; determine, based on the monitoring of the proximity signal, that the twist cylinder is at the first angular position including the planar face portion oriented at an angle relative to vertical; drive, in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position, rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to the second angular position including the planar face portion oriented vertically; drive, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to deposit a second length of wire into the looping position, the looping position including the second length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent the planar face portion of the twist cylinder, and adjacent the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the second length of wire extends to the first side of the looping peg and the central portion of the second length of wire extends to the second side of the looping peg; drive, in response to depositing the second length of wire into the looping position, the bend slide motor to drive translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis toward the planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move the bending peg proximate the second length of wire; drive, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the second length of wire, rotation of the bend motor to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the second length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the second length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the second length of wire; drive, in response to bending of the end of the second length of wire about the looping peg, rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the second length of wire about the central portion of the second length of wire to form a looped end on the second length of wire; and drive, in response to forming of the looped end on the second length of wire, rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the second length of wire out of the looping position.

Provided in some embodiments is a wire tie looping system, including: a twist cylinder including: an elongated semicylindrical member including: a cylindrical face portion; and a planar face portion; and a looping peg extending transverse from the planar face portion, the twist cylinder adapted to rotate about a twist axis defined by a longitudinal axis of the elongated semicylindrical member; a bend cylinder including: a bending peg extending therefrom, the bend cylinder adapted to: rotate about a bend axis that is oriented transverse to the twist axis; and translate along the bend axis; an edge sensor adapted to sense proximity of an edge defined by an intersection of the cylindrical face portion and the planar face portion, the edge sensor laterally offset from the twist axis to enable a length of wire to pass vertically into a looping position including the length of wire adjacent the planar face portion oriented vertically; an index wheel adapted to rotate about an index axis to guide lengths of wire into and out of a looping position, the index axis oriented parallel to the twist axis; a wire tie control system adapted to: drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; monitor, during rotation of the twist cylinder, a proximity signal output by the edge sensor; determine, based on the monitoring of the proximity signal, that the twist cylinder is at a first angular position; drive, in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to a second angular position; drive, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to deposit a length of wire into a looping position, the looping position including the length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent the planar face portion of the twist cylinder, and adjacent the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the length of wire extends to a first side of the looping peg and a central portion of the length of wire extends to a second side of the looping peg; drive, in response to depositing the length of wire into the looping position, translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis toward the planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move the bending peg proximate the length of wire; drive, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the length of wire, rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the length of wire; drive, in response to bending of the end of the length of wire about the looping peg, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the length of wire about the central portion of the length of wire to form a looped end on the length of wire; and drive, in response to forming of the looped end on the length of wire, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the length of wire out of the looping position.

In some embodiments, the wire tie control system further adapted to: in response to ejection of the length of wire out of the looping position: drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; monitor, during rotation of the twist cylinder, the proximity signal output by the edge sensor; determine, based on the monitoring of the proximity signal, that the twist cylinder is at the first angular position; drive, in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to the second angular position; drive, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to deposit a second length of wire into the looping position, the looping position including the second length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent the planar face portion of the twist cylinder, and adjacent the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the second length of wire extends to the first side of the looping peg and the central portion of the second length of wire extends to the second side of the looping peg; drive, in response to depositing the second length of wire into the looping position, translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis toward the planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move the bending peg proximate the second length of wire; drive, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the second length of wire, rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the second length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the second length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the second length of wire; drive, in response to bending of the end of the second length of wire about the looping peg, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the second length of wire about the central portion of the second length of wire to form a looped end on the second length of wire; and drive, in response to forming of the looped end on the second length of wire, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the second length of wire out of the looping position. In certain embodiments, further including: a twist motor adapted to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; a bend motor adapted to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis; a bend slide motor adapted to drive translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis; and an index motor adapted to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis, the wire tie control system further adapted to: drive rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; drive rotation of the bend motor to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis; drive rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis; drive the bend slide motor to drive translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis. In some embodiments, the first angular position includes the planar face portion oriented at an angle relative to vertical. In certain embodiments, the second angular position includes the planar face portion oriented vertically. In some embodiments, the length of wire is sized, heat-treated, and coated wire. In certain embodiments, the controller is adapted to operate a cutter to cut the length of wire from a strand of wire. In some embodiments, including a bale of material secured by way of the length of wire having the looped end.

Provided in some embodiments is a method of producing looped wire ties, including: driving rotation of a twist cylinder about a twist axis, the twist cylinder including: an elongated semicylindrical member including: a cylindrical face portion; and a planar face portion; and a looping peg extending transverse from the planar face portion, the twist cylinder adapted to rotate about the twist axis defined by a longitudinal axis of the elongated semicylindrical member; monitoring, during rotation of the twist cylinder, a proximity signal output by an edge sensor, the edge sensor adapted to sense proximity of an edge defined by an intersection of the cylindrical face portion and the planar face portion, the edge sensor laterally offset from the twist axis to enable a length of wire to pass vertically into a looping position including the length of wire adjacent the planar face portion in a vertical orientation; determining, based on the monitoring of the proximity signal, that the twist cylinder is at a first angular position; driving, in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to a second angular position; driving, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of an index wheel about an index axis to deposit a length of wire into a looping position, the looping position including the length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent the planar face portion of the twist cylinder, and adjacent the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the length of wire extends to a first side of the looping peg and a central portion of the length of wire extends to a second side of the looping peg, the index wheel adapted to rotate about the index axis to guide lengths of wire into and out of the looping position, the index axis oriented parallel to the twist axis; driving, in response to depositing the length of wire into the looping position, translation of a bend cylinder along a bend axis toward the planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move a bending peg proximate the length of wire, a bend cylinder including: the bending peg extending therefrom, the bend cylinder adapted to: rotate about the bend axis, the bend axis oriented transverse to the twist axis; and translate along the bend axis; driving, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the length of wire, rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the length of wire; driving, in response to bending of the end of the length of wire about the looping peg, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the length of wire about the central portion of the length of wire to form a looped end on the length of wire; and driving, in response to forming of the looped end on the length of wire, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the length of wire out of the looping position.

In some embodiments, the method further including: in response to ejection of the length of wire out of the looping position: driving rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; monitoring, during rotation of the twist cylinder, the proximity signal output by the edge sensor; determining, based on the monitoring of the proximity signal, that the twist cylinder is at the first angular position; driving, in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to the second angular position; driving, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to deposit a second length of wire into the looping position, the looping position including the second length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent the planar face portion of the twist cylinder, and adjacent the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the second length of wire extends to the first side of the looping peg and the central portion of the second length of wire extends to the second side of the looping peg; driving, in response to depositing the second length of wire into the looping position, translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis toward the planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move the bending peg proximate the second length of wire; driving, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the second length of wire, rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the second length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the second length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the second length of wire; driving, in response to bending of the end of the second length of wire about the looping peg, rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the second length of wire about the central portion of the second length of wire to form a looped end on the second length of wire; and driving, in response to forming of the looped end on the second length of wire, rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the second length of wire out of the looping position. In certain embodiments, the method further including: driving rotation of a twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis; driving rotation of a bend motor to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the twist axis; driving rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis; driving the bend slide motor to drive translation of the bend cylinder along the bend axis. In some embodiments, the first angular position includes the planar face portion oriented at an angle relative to vertical. In certain embodiments, the second angular position includes the planar face portion oriented vertically. In some embodiments, the method further including sizing, heat treating, and coating the length of wire. In certain embodiments, the method further including operating a cutter to cut the length of wire from a strand of wire. In some embodiments, the method further including securing a bale of material using the length of wire having the looped end. In certain embodiments, the method further including transporting the bale of material secured using the length of wire having the looped end.

While this disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail. The drawings may not be to scale. It should be understood that the drawings and the detailed descriptions are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed, but rather to disclose modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims.

Provided in some embodiments is a loop wire tie manufacturing technique that provides for efficient and effective forming of looped wire ties. In some embodiments, a looping system is operable to receive individual lengths wire, and bend and twist the ends of each of the lengths of wire to form respective looped wires. In certain embodiments, the looping system includes a twist cylinder having a looping member (or “pin” or “peg”) protruding radially therefrom, and a bend cylinder having a bending member (or “pin” or “peg”) that is that operable to engage and bend an end of a wire about the looping member (e.g., to generate a bend that includes a distal end of the wire looped back to a position proximate an adjacent portion of the wire), where the twist cylinder is operable to rotate, with the length of wire bent about the looping member, to twist the distal end about the adjacent portion of the wire to form a looped end on the length of wire. The looped wires may, for example, be subsequently discharged from the looping system as they are formed and the be gathered into bundles of looped wires for packaging and distribution.

In some embodiments, the twist cylinder includes a semicylindrical member, having an exterior surface defined by a semicircular face and a planar face, with the looping member (or “peg”) extending from the planar face, and the looping system further includes a proximity sensor that is disposed proximate the twist cylinder and operable to sense proximity of an edge formed by the intersection of the semicircular portion and the planar face portion of the exterior surface of the twist cylinder. During operation, the proximity sensor may generate a signal indicative of the edge being located at or near the proximity sensor, and a rotational position of the twist cylinder (e.g., an angular position of the twist cylinder about its longitudinal axis) may be correlated to the location of the proximity sensor. Such locating may be used to determine and calibrate the angular position of the twist cylinder which can, for example, be used for determining and coordinating positioning of the twist cylinder during a wire tie looping operation. For example, in response to receiving a signal from the proximity sensor indicating that the edge located at the intersection of the semicircular portion and the planar face portion of the exterior surface of the twist cylinder is at or near the proximity sensor (e.g., a spike or drop-off in a proximity sensor signal), it may be determined that the twist cylinder is located at a “home” angular position, where the edge is aligned with the proximity sensor and this home angular position may be used as a reference (or “home”) point for conducting subsequent movement of the twist cylinder. For example, where is desirable to rotate the twist cylinder to an angular position that is angularly offset by 15 degrees clockwise from the home angular position, in response to receiving a proximity sensor signal indicating that the edge is at or near the proximity sensor, the looping system may control a motor controller to operate a twist motor to rotate the twist cylinder clockwise by 15 degrees. This may provide a “homing” routine that includes determining an angular position for use as a reference for subsequent movements, and applying an angular offset that rotates the twist cylinder into a desired position based on the determined angular position.

In some embodiments, the twist cylinder is positioned to bend lengths of wire in a given plane (e.g., a vertical plane) and the proximity sensor is angularly offset from the plane to enable bending of the wire without physical interference by the proximity sensor. For example, where the bending of the wire about the peg involves maintaining the twist cylinder in a vertical orientation (e.g., an angular position that includes the planar face oriented vertically), the proximity sensor may be angularly offset from vertical (e.g., by a given distance or angle, such as 45 degrees) to enable loading or bending of the wire in the vertical plane without physical contact of the end of the wire with the proximity sensor. In such an embodiment, a homing routine may be conducted (e.g., prior to looping of each wire tie) that includes rotating the twist cylinder to a “home” defined by an angular position (e.g., 15 degrees counter clock-wise from vertical) at which the proximity sensor provides a signal indicating that the edge at the transition from the semicircular face to the planar face is at or near the sensor (e.g., a spike or drop off in a sensing signal), determining that the twist cylinder is located at the “home” angular position (e.g., 15 degrees counter clock-wise from vertical), and controlling the twist cylinder to rotate it by an offset (e.g., clockwise 15 degrees) to position the planar face vertical for subsequent, receipt, bending or twisting of a length of wire to form a looped wire tie.

is a diagram that illustrates a wire tie environmentin accordance with one or more embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, wire tie environmentincludes a wire tie looping systemoperable to receive one or more incoming wires, cut the incoming wire(s)into respective lengths of wire, and conduct wire tie looping to loop ends of the lengths of wireto generate looped wire ties (or “looped bale ties”).

In some embodiments, wire tie looping systemincludes a wire intake system, a wire cutting system, a wire looping system, and a wire tie collection system.

In the illustrated embodiment, wire intake systemincludes wire intake racksthat each have wire alignment holesarranged to support and align a respective incoming wire. Wire tie cutting systemincludes a wire cutteroperable to cut incoming wiresinto lengths of wire. Wire tie looping systemincludes a wire guide, a wire indexer system, and a wire bend and twist system. Wire tie collection systemincludes a bundling trayoperable to collect looped wire ties.

In some embodiments, wire intake systemis operable to receive one or more incoming wiresand provide (or “feed”) the one or more incoming wiresfor cutting by wire cutting system. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, each of the four illustrated incoming wires(e.g., wiresand) may be provided (or “threaded” or “fed”) (e.g., in the direction of arrow) through a respective set of wire alignment holes(e.g., wire alignment holesand) that arrange the wiresin a feeding position, where the wiresare aligned in parallel on a first side of wire cutter(with spacing corresponding to spacing of wire alignment holes). The four illustrated incoming wiresmay, for example, be strands of wire that are fed from respective spools of wire. As described, the strands may, for example, be pre-sized, treated, coated or the like. The four illustrated incoming wiresmay be further advanced (e.g., pushed or pulled by a roller or the like in the direction of arrow), from feeding positionto a cutting positionwhere the far right ends of the wiresextend to a second side of wire cutter. With the incoming wiresadvanced into cutting position, wire cuttermay cut the incoming wiresto produce four corresponding straight (or “un-looped”) lengths of wire(e.g., lengths of wire,and). Wire cuttermay, for example, include a guillotine-style blade that is advanced to cut through incoming wires. The length of wireadvanced into the cutting positionmay correspond to a desired length of produced looped wire ties (or “looped bale ties”). For example, where a 20 foot looped wire tieis desired and approximately 1 foot of wire is required to form a looped end, the wireadvanced into the cutting positionmay extend approximately 21 feet to the right of wire cutter. Once cut, the resulting lengths of wiremay drop (e.g., by gravity) (as illustrated by arrow) into wire guide, which operates to catch and direct the falling lengths of wireto a queuing position, just above wire indexer system. The lengths of wiremay remain in queuing positionuntil they are individually advanced into wire bend and twist system, for example, by wire indexer system(as illustrated by arrow). Wire guidemay, for example, include a y-shaped funnel that directs the falling lengths of wireto queuing position. Once a length of wireis advanced by wire indexer system(as illustrated by arrow) into a looping position, wire bend and twist systemmay operate to bend and twist the length of wireto form a loop at one end, forming a corresponding looped wire tie. Once looped, the resulting looped wire tiemay be advanced (or “ejected”), for example, by wire indexer system(as illustrated by arrow), into bundling trayof wire tie collection system. Here, the looped wire tiesmay be collected and packaged for transport.

Although, certain embodiments illustrate and describe simultaneous intake and processing of four lengths of wirefor the purpose of explanation, embodiments may employ any suitable number of wiresto generate a corresponding number of lengths of wire(e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or the like). Such lengths of wiremay be produced at regular intervals by way of wire advancement and cutting. For example, wherelooped wire tiesare produced per hour (e.g., a looped wire tieevery 6 seconds) and four lengths of wireare generated simultaneously, four lengths of wiremay be advanced and cut about every 24 seconds. Continuing with the above example, each incoming wiremay be advanced at a rate of about 21 feet per 24 seconds (e.g., at about 0.88 feet/second) to synchronize with the desired rate of generation of lengths of wireand looped wire ties. As described here, incoming wiresmay be pre-sized, treated, and coated.

In some embodiments, wire indexer systemincludes an indexer wheelthat is operable to capture a length of wire, feed the length of wireto the bend and twist systemfor looping to create a looped wire tietherefrom, and advance the looped wire tieto wire tie collection system. For example, indexer wheelmay include a disc-shaped member oriented in a vertical plane and having four index notches disposed evenly about its perimeter (e.g., a disc with notches at adegree spacing about its perimeter). During the wire tie looping process, the indexer wheelmay be rotated about an index axisoriented generally parallel to the lengths of wire, to capture, advance, and eject lengths of wireand corresponding looped wire ties. For example, indexer wheelmay be oriented vertically, with its four notches oriented at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions, respectively. One of the lengths of wireheld in queuing positionmay be directed by wire guideand gravity, for example, into the first notch oriented at 12 o'clock (or “top” or “load”) position. With the length of wirecaptured within the first notch, an index motormay drive rotation of indexer wheelby 90 degrees about index axis(e.g., in the direction of arrow), to rotate the first notch, and the length of wirecaptured within the first notch, to the 9 o'clock (or “side” “or “loop”) position. With the indexer wheelin the side position, the length of wiremay be manipulated by wire bend and twist systemto form a corresponding looped wire tie. The length of wiremay, for example, be bent and twisted by wire bend and twist system(as described here) to form a loop in the end of the length of wire(a looped end) to form a corresponding looped wire tie. With the newly formed looped wire tieengaged with the first notch of indexer wheel, index motormay drive rotation of indexer wheelby an additional 90 degrees (e.g., 90 degrees counter-clockwise, in the direction of arrowabout an index axis) to rotate the first notch, and the looped wire tiecaptured within the first notch, to the 6 o'clock (or “down” or “eject”) position, where, for example, gravity causes the looped wire tieto fall downward (in the direction of arrow) into wire tie collection system(e.g., bundling traythat collects and holds multiple looped wire ties). In some instances, multiple looped wire tiesare bundled for packaging and transport. For example, where it is desirable to generate wire tie bundles that include sets of 25 looped wire ties, after 25 looped wire tiesare collected in wire tie collection system, the 25 looped wire tiescollected may be bundled (e.g., wrapped in cellophane or the like) and the bundled set of 25 looped wire tiesfurther bent/coiled along their length into a large circular loop that is deposited in a container for transport.

In some embodiments, wire indexer systemoperates to capture, advance, and eject lengths of wireand generated looped wire tiessequentially and simultaneously. For example, while the first notch of indexer wheeloriented in the 9 o'clock (or “side” or “loop”) position, a second notch is oriented at the 12 o'clock (or “top” or “load”) position to receive a second length of wiretherein. As indexer wheelis rotated to move the first notch to the 6 o'clock (or “down” or “eject”) position to eject the first looped wire tie, the second notch rotates into the 9 o'clock (or “side” “or “loop”) position, to deliver the second length of wireto wire bend and twist systemfor bending and twisting to form a corresponding second looped wire tie, while a third length of wireis received in a third notch oriented at the 12 o'clock (or “top” or “load”) position. Subsequent rotation of indexer wheelmoves the second notch to the 6 o'clock (or “down” or “eject”) position to eject the second looped wire tie, the third notch rotates into the 9 o'clock (or “side” “or “loop”) position to feed the length of wireto wire bend and twist systemfor bending and twisting to form a corresponding third looped wire tie. Such a process may continue iteratively to form any number of looped wire ties.

In some embodiments, bend and twist systemis operable to generate a looped endon a length of wireto form a looped wire tie. For example, bend and twist systemmay bend (or “fold”) an end of a length of wireback on itself, and subsequently twist the bent end about a body portion proximate the bend in the length of wireto form a looped end on the length of wireto form a looped wire tie.

illustrate various views of components of wire tie looping system, including components of bend and twist system, in accordance with one or more embodiments.illustrate perspective and end views of the relative positioning of a twist cylinder, a bend cylinder, and a twist cylinder position sensing system, including an edge position sensor (or “edge sensor”)and an edge position sensor mountoperable to fix a position of edge position sensorrelative to twist cylinder.illustrate perspective, end and top views of components of wire tie looping system, similar to those of, but with edge position sensor mountnot shown for purpose of enhanced visualization of components.illustrate perspective and end views of bend cylinder(and a twist peg of twist cylinder) to illustrate aspects of bending of a length of wireby bend cylinder(about the twist peg of twist cylinder).

Referring to, twist cylinderincludes an elongated cylindrical bodyhaving a cylindrical portionand a semicylindrical portiondefined by a cylindrical face portionand a planar face portion. Twist cylinderis operable to rotate about a twist axisthat is, for example, coincident with the longitudinal axis of elongated cylindrical body. During a bend and twist operation, twist axismay, for example, be generally parallel to a length of wirefed to bend and twist systemfor end looping. Twist cylinderfurther includes a cylindrical twist member (or “peg” or “looping peg”)extending from and transverse to planar face portion. Further, during a bend and twist operation, a length of wiremay be bent about twist memberby rotation of bend cylinderabout a bend axisthat is coincident with a longitudinal axis of twist memberand transverse to twist axis. With the length of wirebent about twist member, twist cylindermay be rotated about twist axisto twist the bent end of the length of wireto form a looped end on the length of wireand, thereby, form a corresponding looped wire tie.

Referring to-D, bend cylinderincludes an elongated cylindrical bodyhaving an end defined by a planar face portion. Bend cylinderis operable to rotate about bend axisthat is, for example, coincident with the longitudinal axis of twist member. During a bend and twist operation, bend axismay, for example, be generally perpendicular to a length of wirefed to bend and twist systemfor end looping. Bend cylinderfurther includes a cylindrical bend member (or “peg” or “bending peg”)extending from and transverse to planar face portion. During a bend and twist operation, bend cylindermay be rotated about bend axisto cause bend memberto engage and bend a length of wireabout twist member. For example, referring to, a length of wiremay be lowered into position (in the direction of arrow) to be disposed atop twist member(e.g., adjacent planar face portion), bend cylindermay be advanced along bend axistoward planar face portionof twist cylinder(in the direction of arrow) to capture length of wirebetween planar face portionof bend cylinderand planar face portionof twist cylinder(e.g., with a distal end of twist memberdisposed in a recess of planar face portionof bend cylinder). Bend cylindermay be rotated about bend axis(as illustrated by arrowsandof) to cause bend memberto engage and bend of a length of wireabout the twist member, such that a first (“end”) portionof length of wireinitially disposed on a first side of twist memberis wrapped around twist membersuch that it is disposed adjacent a second (“body”) portionof length of wiredisposed on a second/opposite side of twist member. As described, with the length of wirebent about twist member, twist cylindermay be rotated about twist axisto twist the bent end portionof the length of wireabout the second (“body”) portionof the length of wireto form a looped end on the length of wireand, thereby, form a corresponding looped wire tie.

In some embodiments, a bend and twist (or “looping”) operation includes advancing planar face portionof twist cylinderinto a desired orientation to facilitate bending of a length of wireabout twist member. For example, it may be desirable to have planar face portionoriented transverse (e.g., perpendicular) to bend axisto facilitate a smooth and complete bend of a length of wireabout twist member. If, for example, planar face portionis not oriented transverse to bend axis, then, as bend cylinderrotates about bend axis, the distance between the tip of twist memberand planar face portionmay vary, which, if too small, may lead to physical contact therebetween, or, if too large, may create a large enough gap between the tip of twist memberand planar face portionto allow the length of wireto slip off of twist member. Thus, for example, where bend axisis oriented horizontally, it may be desirable to orient planar face portionof twist cylinderin a vertical orientation, at least during a bend portion of a bend and twist (or “looping”) operation.

In some embodiments, twist cylinder position sensing systemis operable to detect the orientation of twist cylinder. This may, for example, enable accurate determination of the orientation of twist cylinder, which can, in turn, be used as a basis for precise movement of twist cylinder, such as movements to orient planar face portionof twist cylindervertically. Referring to, twist cylinder position sensing systemincludes an edge position sensorsuspended relative to twist cylinderby way of an edge position sensor mount. In, twist cylinderis positioned in a desired orientation, with planar face portionoriented vertically (as illustrated by plane). Further, edge position sensoris laterally and angularly offset from vertical plane. Such an angular and lateral offset may provide for detection of the location of an edgedefined by an intersection of the cylindrical face portionand the planar face portion, while allowing a length of wireto pass vertically (e.g., as illustrated by arrow) into a looping position comprising the length of wireadjacent vertically oriented planar face portion. As described, in some embodiments, during rotation of twist cylinder, a proximity signal output by edge sensoris monitored to determine when twist cylinderis at a first angular position (e.g., “home” angular position where edgeis aligned with edge sensor), and where the first angular position is offset by a given angle from the desired orientation (e.g., with planar face portionoriented 15 degrees counter-clockwise from vertical), rotate twist cylinderabout twist axisby the first angular offset (e.g., 15 degrees clockwise) to orient twist cylinderto the desired orientation (e.g., with planar face portionoriented vertical). Such a homing routine may be conducted regularly (e.g., after each looping operation or after a given number of looping operations, such as every second, third, fourth, or fifth looping operation or the like), to provide accurate and precise orienting of twist cylinderand its planar face portionfor the associated bend and twist operations. In the illustrated embodiment, position sensor mountincludes a vertically oriented facethat is generally aligned with vertical planeand the vertically oriented planar face portion. Facemay, for example, be aligned with a guide element of wire guide. Such a facemay serve as a guide that helps to direct length of wireinto queuing positionand to looping position.

In some embodiments, edge sensoris a proximity sensor capable of detecting the presence of nearby objects without physical contact between them. For example, edge sensormay be an inductive-type proximity sensor that is operable to detect the presence of nearby metals, and output a signal (e.g., a direct current (DC) voltage) that is indicative of the presence of nearby metals. The voltage of the signal may, for example, be relatively high when metals are nearby and relatively low when metals are farther away. In some embodiments, as edgepasses by edge sensor, a change in the voltage of the signal may indicate that edgeis nearby (or “aligned”) with edge sensor, and it can be determined that twist cylinderis oriented with its edgealigned with edge sensor. For example, where twist cylinderis rotating clockwise, as edgepasses in front of edge sensorthere may be a sharp, detectable increase in the voltage of the signal (e.g., to a level above a threshold voltage), and it may be determined that that twist cylinderis oriented with its edgealigned with by edge sensorat the moment of the increase in the voltage (e.g., to a level above the threshold voltage). Similarly, where twist cylinderis rotating counterclockwise, as edgepasses in front of edge sensorthere may be a sharp, detectable decrease in the voltage of the signal (e.g., to a level below a threshold voltage), and it may be determined that that twist cylinderis oriented with its edgealigned with by edge sensorat the at the moment of the decrease in the voltage (e.g., to a level below the threshold voltage). This orientation may be used as a “home” position and subsequent movements may be based on angular offsets from the home position.

illustrates aspects of bend and twist systemof wire tie looping system, including positioning of edge position sensorrelative to twist cylinder, in accordance with one or more embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, edge sensoris oriented at an angle (θ) (e.g., 45 degrees) relative to vertical, laterally offset by a distance (D) (e.g., 1-25 mm) from the vertically oriented face portion(or twist axis), and vertically offset a distance (H) (e.g., 25-75 mm) from the vertically oriented face portion(or twist axis), such that edge sensoris positioned at a sensing distance (S) (e.g., 1-25 mm) from cylindrical portionwhen present. In some embodiments, sensing distance (S) may be a minimal distance that places edge position sensoras close as reasonably possible to the path of cylindrical face portionwithout causing a significant risk of collision between edge position sensorand cylindrical face portion, or another portion of twist cylinder. The location and orientation of edge sensormay be defined by orientation and location of the center of tipof a sensing elements of edge sensor. In the illustrated embodiment, edge sensoris positioned such that detection beamof edge sensoris directed toward a point on cylindrical face portionslightly counterclockwise from vertical (e.g., where it intersects cylindrical face portionjust to the left of the vertical plane passing through twist axisand a vertically oriented planar face portion) and does not pass through twist axis. Embodiments may employ any suitable positioning of edge sensor. For example, edge sensormay be positioned such that detection beamof edge sensoris directed to pass through twist axis. Referring to the illustrated embodiment, edge sensormay, for example, be positioned to left and down/lower from its illustrated position, such that detection beamof edge sensoris directed to pass through twist axis.

illustrate operational aspects of bend and twist systemof wire tie looping system, including rotation and orientation of twist cylinder, in accordance with one or more embodiments. Referring to, during a homing operation, twist cylindermay be rotated clockwise (as indicated by arrow) while a proximity sensor signal (e.g., a voltage) generated by edge sensorand the corresponding orientation of twist cylinderare monitored. The voltage may, for example, be relatively low as a detection beamof edge sensoris generally directed to a location where the cylindrical face portionis not yet present. Referring to, as a result of continued clockwise rotation (as indicated by arrow) edgemay align with detection beamof edge sensorand, as a result, the voltage of proximity sensor signal may, for example, increase from below to above a threshold voltage, and the orientation of twist cylinderat the time of the sensed transition may be determined as the home orientation associated with a given angle (α) relative to vertical. The angle (α) may for example be determined based on prior testing that includes measuring the angle (α) of planar face portionrelative to vertical when the voltage of the proximity sensor signal increases past the threshold voltage. For example, where prior testing and measurement reveals that planar face portionis oriented at angle (α) of 15 degrees counterclockwise when the voltage of the proximity sensor signal increases from below, to above the threshold voltage, in response to detecting the voltage of the proximity sensor signal increases from below, to above the threshold voltage the associated orientation of twist cylindermay be determined to be 15 degrees counterclockwise (or at an angular position of-15 degrees). With the current orientation determined based on the proximity sensor signal, twist cylindermay be moved relative to the determined orientation, into a desired orientation. For example, in response to determining that twist cylinderis oriented 15 degrees counterclockwise (or-15 degrees) and that it is desired for twist cylinderto be oriented at 0 degrees (e.g., where planar face portionis oriented vertically), twist cylindermay be rotated clockwise by 15 degrees (as indicated by arrowand angle (α)), to orient twist cylinderat 0 degrees (e.g., with planar face portionoriented vertically). Such a homing routine may ensure the accuracy and precision of the orientation of twist cylinderand planar face portion. Continuing with the example and referring to, with twist cylinderat 0 degrees (e.g., with planar face portionoriented vertically), a length of wiremay be lowered into position (in the direction of arrow) and be disposed atop twist member(e.g., adjacent planar face portion). Referring to, bend cylindermay be advanced along bend axistoward planar face portionof twist cylinder(in the direction of arrow) to capture length of wirebetween planar face portionof bend cylinderand planar face portionof twist cylinder(e.g., with a distal end of twist memberdisposed in a recess of planar face portionof bend cylinder), and bend cylindermay then be rotated about bend axisto cause bend memberto engage and bend a length of wireabout the twist member(as illustrated by arrow), such that a first (“end”) portionof length of wireinitially disposed on a first side of twist memberis wrapped around twist membersuch that it is disposed adjacent a second (“body”) portionof length of wire, which is disposed on a second/opposite side of twist member(e.g., as illustrated and described with regard to). Referring to, with the length of wirebent around twist member, bend cylindermay be retracted along bend axisaway from planar face portionof twist cylinder(in a direction opposite that of arrow), and twist cylindermay be rotated about twist axis(as illustrated by arrows) to twist the bent end portionof the length of wirearound the second (“body”) portionof the length of wireto form a looped end on the length of wireand, thereby, form a corresponding looped wire tie. Referring to, the looped wire tiemay be subsequently ejected (e.g., by way of indexer system) (as illustrated by arrows) and, for example, be collected by way of wire tie collection system. In such an embodiment, a subsequent looping operation may be conducted, for example, repeating the homing, bending, and twisting operations described with regard to, to produce a next looped wire tie, and so forth.

Referring to, in some embodiments rotation of twist cylinderis driven by a twist motor, rotation of bend cylinderis driven by a bend motor, translation of bend cylinderis driven by a bend slide motor, rotation of indexer wheelis driven by an index motor, and advancement of wire cutteris driven by a cutter motor. In some embodiments, wire tie looping systemincludes a controller(or other wire tie control system) operable to control operation of various components of wire tie looping system. For example, controllermay provide twist, bend, slide, index and cut control (or “drive”) signals that are operable to drive movement (e.g., rotation or translation) of respective ones of twist motor, bend motor, bend slide motor, index motor, and cutter motor. Controllermay include a computer system that is the same or similar to computer systemdescribed with regard to.

In the illustrated embodiment, twist axisintersects and is transverse to bend axis, twist axisis parallel to index axis, twist axisis laterally offset from index axis. Additionally, index axisis transverse to bend axis, and twist axis, bend axisand index axisare co-planar, being located in the same horizontal plane.

is a flowchart diagram that illustrates a method of producing wire tiesin accordance with one or more embodiments. Some or all of the procedural elements of methodmay be performed, for example, by wire tie looping systemor by another entity or person.

Methodmay include orienting a twist member (block). In some embodiments, orienting a twist member includes positioning a twist cylinder into a desired angular position for executing a bend operation. This may include driving rotation of a twist motor to drive rotation of a twist cylinder about a twist axis, monitoring (during rotation of the twist cylinder) a proximity signal output by an edge sensor, determining (based on the monitoring of the proximity signal) that the twist cylinder is at a first angular position, and driving (in response to determining that the twist cylinder is in the first angular position) rotation of the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis by a given angular offset to rotate the twist cylinder to a second, desired angular position. Such orienting a twist member may, for example, be the same or similar to that described with regard to. For example, orienting a twist member may include controllerconducting a twist cylinder homing operation that includes, while monitoring the voltage of the proximity sensor signal provided by edge sensor, providing a drive signal to twist motorto drive rotation of twist cylinderabout twist axisand, in response to detecting the proximity sensor signal rising above (or falling below) a threshold level, determining that twist cylinderis in a home position that includes edgeof twist cylinderaligned with by edge sensor(e.g., with planar face portionis oriented at angle (α) of 15 degrees counterclockwise). Where the home position is known to be angularly offset counterclockwise by the given angle (α) from a desired orientation that includes planar face portionoriented vertically, the orienting further includes providing a drive signal to twist motorto drive further rotation of twist cylinderby 15 degrees clockwise about twist axis, to rotate twist cylinderinto the desired vertical orientation.

Methodmay include loading a length of wire (block). In some embodiments, loading a length of wire includes positioning a length of wire proximate a twist member of a twist cylinder oriented in a desired angular position for executing a bend operation. This may include driving, in response to rotation of the twist cylinder to the second angular position, rotation of an index motor to drive rotation of an index wheel about an index axis to deposit a length of wire into a looping position that includes the length of wire oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent a planar face portion of the twist cylinder and a looping peg of the twist cylinder such that an end of the length of wire extends to a first side of the looping peg and a central portion of the length of wire extends to a second side of the looping peg. Such loading of a length of wire may, for example, be the same or similar to that described with regard to advancement of a length of wire (in the direction of arrow) as described with regard to. For example, loading a length of wire may include controllerconducting a load operation that includes providing a drive signal to index motorto drive rotation of indexer wheelabout the index axisto deposit a length of wireinto a looping position where the length of wireis oriented parallel to the twist axis, adjacent planar face portionof twist cylinder, and adjacent the twist memberof twist cylindersuch that such that a first (“end”) portion ofof the length of wireextends on a first side of twist memberand a second (“body”) portionof the length of wireextends on a second/opposite side of twist member.

Methodmay include bending a length of wire (block). In some embodiments, bending a length of wire includes bending a length of wire positioned proximate a twist member. This may include driving, in response to depositing the length of wire into the looping position, a bend slide motor to drive translation of a bend cylinder along a bend axis toward a planar face portion of the twist cylinder to move a bending peg proximate the length of wire, and driving, in response to moving the bending peg proximate the length of wire, a bend motor to drive rotation of the bend cylinder about the bend axis to cause the bending peg of the bend cylinder to bend an end of the length of wire about the looping peg of the twist cylinder such that the end of the length of wire wraps around the looping peg to extend to the second side of the looping peg and is positioned proximate the central portion of the length of wire. Such bending of a length of wire may, for example, be the same or similar to that described with regard to bending of a length of wire (in the direction of arrow) as described with regard to. For example, bending a length of wire may include controllerconducting a bend operation that includes providing a drive signal to bend slide motorto drive, in response to depositing the length of wireinto the looping position, translation of the bend cylinderalong bend axistoward the planar face portionof twist cylinderto move bend memberproximate the length of wire, and providing a drive signal to bend motor, in response to moving bend memberproximate length of wire, to drive rotation of bend cylinderabout bend axisto cause bend memberof bend cylinderto bend first (“end”) portion ofof length of wireabout twist memberof twist cylindersuch that the first (“end”) portion ofof length of wirewraps around twist memberto extend to the second side of twist memberand is positioned proximate the second (“body”) portionof the length of wire.

Methodmay include twisting a length of wire (block). In some embodiments, twisting a length of wire includes twisting a bent length of wire to form a looped end on the length of wire. This may include driving, in response to bending of the end of the length of wire about the looping peg, the twist motor to drive rotation of the twist cylinder about the twist axis to cause twisting of the end of the length of wire about the central portion of the length of wire to form a looped end on the length of wire. Such twisting a length of wire may, for example, be the same or similar to that described with regard to twisting of a length of wire (in the direction of arrows) as described with regard to. For example, twisting a length of wire may include controllerconducting a twist operation that includes providing a drive signal to twist motorto drive, in response to bending of end of the length of wireabout the looping peg, rotation of twist cylinderabout twist axisto cause twisting of the first (“end”) portion ofof length of wireabout the second (“body”) portionof the length of wireto form a looped endon the length of wire, to form a looped wire tie.

Methodmay include ejecting a length of wire (block). In some embodiments, ejecting a length of wire includes ejecting a looped wire tie that is a length of wire having a looped end. This may include driving, in response to forming of the looped end on the length of wire, rotation of the index motor to drive rotation of the index wheel about the index axis to eject the length of wire out of the looping position. Such ejection of a length of wire may, for example, be the same or similar to that described with regard to ejection of a length of wire (in the direction of arrows) as described with regard to. For example, ejecting a length of wire may include controllerconducting an eject operation that includes providing a drive signal to index motorto drive, in response to forming of the looped endon the length of wire, rotation of indexer wheelabout the index axisto eject the length of wire(looped wire tie) out of the looping position and into a bundling trayof wire tie collection systemthat is operable to collect looped wire ties.

In some embodiments, some or all of the operations of methodare repeated to produce multiple looped wire ties. For example, methodmay further include, after ejecting a length of wire (block), returning to orienting a twist member (block) (as illustrated by the dashed line) to repeat the above-described processes to produce a next looped wire tie, and so forth.

In some embodiments, the described wire tie looping process is one of multiple operations. For example, a wire production process may be performed to produce incoming wire, and the described wire tie looping process may be performed on incoming wireto produce lopped wire ties, which may then be packaged and transported, for example, to a distributor or customer. In some embodiments, the wire production process includes providing multiple rolls of raw wire (e.g., four rolls of wire rod), sizing the raw wire to generate gauged wire (e.g., drawing four elements of wire rod from the four rolls of wire rod and passing the four elements of wire rod through a respective roller to generate four wire elements of a desired gauge), annealing the gauged wire to generate annealed wire (e.g., passing the four wire elements of a desired gauge through a furnace to generate four annealed wire elements), quenching the annealed wire to generate quenched wire (e.g., passing the four annealed wire elements through a quenching bath to generate four quenched wire elements), and coating the quenched wire to generate coated wire (e.g., passing the four quenched wire elements through a cleaning and painting process to generate coated wire). In some embodiments, the wire production process is conducted on continuous strands of wire pulled from multiple rolls of raw wire, with the resulting strands of heat-treated and coated wire provided as incoming wirefor the described wire tie looping process.

is a diagram that illustrates an example computer system (or “system”)in accordance with one or more embodiments. Systemmay include a memory, a processorand an input/output (I/O) interface. Memorymay include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)), volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)), or bulk storage memory (e.g., CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, hard drives). Memorymay include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructionsstored on the medium. Program instructionsmay include, for example, program modulesthat are executable by a computer processor (e.g., processor) to cause the functional operations described, such as those described with regard to controlleror method.

Processormay be any suitable processor capable of executing program instructions. Processormay include one or more processors that carry out program instructions (e.g., the program instructions of program modules) to perform the arithmetical, logical, or input/output operations described. Processormay include multiple processors that can be grouped into one or more processing cores that each include a group of one or more processors that are used for executing the processing described here, such as the independent parallel processing of partitions (or “sectors”) by different processing cores to generate a simulation of a reservoir. I/O interfacemay provide an interface for communication with one or more I/O devices, such as a joystick, a computer mouse, a keyboard, or a display screen (e.g., an electronic display for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI)). I/O devicesmay include one or more of the user input devices. I/O devicesmay be connected to I/O interfaceby way of a wired connection (e.g., an Industrial Ethernet connection) or a wireless connection (e.g., a Wi-Fi connection). I/O interfacemay provide an interface for communication with one or more external devices, computer systems, servers or electronic communication networks. In some embodiments, I/O interfaceincludes an antenna or a transceiver.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the embodiments. It is to be understood that the forms of the embodiments shown and described here are to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described here, parts and processes may be reversed or omitted, and certain features of the embodiments may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the embodiments. Changes may be made in the elements described here without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described in the following claims. Headings used here are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description.

It will be appreciated that the processes and methods described here are example embodiments of processes and methods that may be employed in accordance with the techniques described here. The processes and methods may be modified to facilitate variations of their implementation and use. The order of the processes and methods and the operations provided may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, and so forth. Portions of the processes and methods may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Some or all of the portions of the processes and methods may be implemented by one or more of the processors/modules/applications described here.

As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (meaning must). The words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to. As used throughout this application, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “an element” may include a combination of two or more elements. As used throughout this application, the term “or” is used in an inclusive sense, unless indicated otherwise. That is, a description of an element including A or B may refer to the element including one or both of A and B. As used throughout this application, the phrase “based on” does not limit the associated operation to being solely based on a particular item. Thus, for example, processing “based on” data A may include processing based at least in part on data A and based at least in part on data B, unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. As used throughout this application, the term “from” does not limit the associated operation to being directly from. Thus, for example, receiving an item “from” an entity may include receiving an item directly from the entity or indirectly from the entity (e.g., by way of an intermediary entity). Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion, it is appreciated that throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or the like refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic processing/computing device. In the context of this specification, a special purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic processing/computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical, electronic or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic processing/computing device.