JP7487708B2 - Welding Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a welding device that forms windings for rotating electrical machines.

Conventionally, in the welding used for manufacturing a stator core of a rotating electric machine, a component called a power line is joined to a workpiece by arc welding. The welding is performed by chucking the part to be welded with an electrode that is driven horizontally relative to the workpiece.
To ensure the quality of the weld, it is necessary to clamp the part to be welded at a fixed size, temporarily fix the welding position, and press with a constant pressure to eliminate any gaps in the weld.

The welding apparatus for rotating electric windings described in Patent Document 1 includes a setup device that moves and positions an earth electrode for earthing the welding point in the radial direction of the annular arrangement of the welded parts, and a pulley disk that revolves the earth electrode together with the setup device at a setup position positioned at the same diameter as the diameter of the annular arrangement of the welded parts.
In conventional welding devices, it has been difficult to perform a horizontal welding approach on a workpiece that is located at a height where the power lines interfere with the welding position.

JP 2016-054579 A

There is a demand for a welding method that can perform welding in extremely small spaces without interfering with power lines and that can accommodate changes in product types.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a welding device that can handle multiple and diverse types of workpieces.

The welding apparatus of the present invention is configured to include a base (5) having a space (47) for welding, a welding unit (10) provided adjacent to the base and including a welding torch that can approach and move away from a workpiece (2) in a vertical direction, a jig body (42) that forms holes (48, 49) for the approach of the welding torch and is detachable from the base and replaceable depending on the type of workpiece, an outer electrode (33) that is rotatably supported on the jig body and can abut against the portion of the workpiece to be welded, an inner electrode (53) that is rotatably supported on the jig body and can abut against the portion of the workpiece to be welded, and a lifting unit (12) on which the workpiece can be placed and that can move the workpiece up and down and rotate it.

According to the welding device of the present invention, the electrode jig unit (11) comprising the jig body, the outer electrode, and the inner electrode is detachable from the base and replaceable according to the type of workpiece.
Therefore, one welding device can be used to handle a wide variety of workpieces with different heights, sizes, outer diameters, power line positions, etc.

The replaceable electrode jig unit does not have a drive unit and is replaceable relative to the base. This allows it to be adapted to a wide variety of workpieces and a wide range of welding positions required by the workpieces.

The workpiece is raised and lowered relative to the base, and the part of the workpiece to be welded is approached vertically from top to bottom. This makes it possible to insert the electrode without interfering with the power lines.

When positioning the part to be welded, the outer electrode on the outside diameter and the inner electrode on the inside diameter that chuck (sandwich) the part to be welded in the circumferential direction are configured to be rotatable around the central axis of the workpiece. This allows for high-quality welding even in the extremely small space around the part to be welded.

For the electrodes close to the welding position, the outer electrode rotates and the inner electrode rotates in the opposite direction to the outer electrode rotation, chucking (clamping) the part to be welded at a fixed size, and then clamping (pushing) the inner electrode radially outward against the outer electrode with a constant pressure. This allows the welding position to be aligned with high precision.

The electrode for welding can be inserted in a wide range of spaces for multiple and diverse types of workpieces. When the welding electrode is brought close to the workpiece body, obstacles such as interfering power lines can be avoided, and the welding electrode can be inserted by making effective use of the space.

Therefore, by selecting an electrode jig unit that corresponds to the characteristics of the workpiece and attaching this electrode jig unit to the base, it is possible to accurately weld even the smallest details of workpieces that differ in size, height, weight, and outer diameter with high precision.

The welding device of the present invention uses a vertical welding approach, so even workpieces with power lines at the same height as the welding position can be welded without interference from the power lines.

1 is a partial perspective view of a welding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a partial front view of a welding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a workpiece showing a welded portion and a power line according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrode jig unit of a welding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electrode jig unit of the welding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the electrode jig unit of the welding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of an electrode driving unit of a welding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of an electrode drive unit of the welding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the electrode driving unit of the welding apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from a different angle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electrode jig unit attached to a base according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view illustrating the operation of the outer electrode and the inner electrode according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a welding device and a workpiece according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a possible range of power lines for various types of workpieces according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV shown in FIG. 13. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a welding method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a welding device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The welding device of this embodiment is intended to manufacture a workpiece used when manufacturing a stator core for a rotating electrical machine.
3, the workpiece 2 to be manufactured corresponds to a stator core 46 having a cylindrical basic shape and windings wound around teeth (not shown) of the stator core. The windings have not yet been connected to wire, and conductor segments 81 and 82 (described later) of the wire protrude from one end face 461 of the stator core 46 as welded portions 31.

When TIG welding is performed in the space in the radially inward direction of the power line 7 protruding radially outward from the upper end of the workpiece 2, the outer electrode 33 is inserted into the electrode insertable range indicated by the reference numeral 85.
The welding device of this embodiment joins the ends of conductor segments 81, 82 together to form a winding for a stator core of a rotating electric machine.
1, the welding apparatus includes a carry-in/out section 3 and a processing section 4. A workpiece 2 is carried from the carry-in/out section 3 to the processing section 4, and is carried out from the processing section 4 after welding. Reference numeral 9 denotes an operator.

The loading/unloading section 3 loads the workpiece 2 placed on a pallet 17 moving on guide rails 15, 16 into the processing section 4, and unloads the workpiece 2 after welding by the welding unit 10 from the processing section 4 in the unloading direction.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the processing section 4 includes a base 5 , a welding unit 10 , an electrode jig unit 11 , and a lifting unit 12 .

The welding unit 10 includes a welding torch for TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, a filler rod, a shielding gas supply device, and the like (not shown) that is provided in the vicinity of the base 5. The welding torch TIG welds the welded portions where the ends of the conductor segments abut against each other.
As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the base 5 is equipped with two electrode jig positioning cylinders 24. The electrode jig unit 11 shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 is attached to this base 5. Figures 2 and 10 show the state in which the electrode jig unit 11 is attached to the base 5.

The electrode jig unit 11 is selected according to the characteristics of the workpiece having the conductor segments to be welded.
The electrode jig unit 11 includes a plate-shaped jig body 42 having holes 48, 49 that form a space for welding, and an outer electrode 33 and an inner electrode 53 that are rotatable independently of each other with respect to the jig body 42. The holes 48, 49 function as relief holes for the approach of a welding torch.

The electrode jig positioning cylinder 24 has a piston (not shown) that moves up and down as the cylinder operates. The height position of this piston is determined, and a pin (not shown) is inserted into the connecting pin insertion hole 40 of the jig body 42 of the electrode jig unit 11 shown in FIG. 4 to position the jig body 42 relative to the base 5. This makes the electrode jig unit 11 detachable from the base 5. When the electrode jig unit 11 is attached to the base 5, the earth connection part 41 formed on the jig body 42 is electrically connected to the base 5, and the base 5 and the electrode jig unit 11 are mechanically connected and earthed.

The base 5 has holes 47 which provide spaces for welding, as shown in FIGS.
10, the base 5 is provided with two work positioning servo motors 23 on the underside. The work positioning servo motors 23 are operated to press the cam follower 37 against the side surface of the work 2 to be welded. This positions the center of the work 2.
The base 5 also has a workpiece rotation direction determining cylinder 28 on its underside. The movable part of the workpiece rotation direction determining cylinder 28 moves back and forth to press a rotation stopper claw 36 against the groove of the workpiece 2. This positions the workpiece 2 in the rotation direction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the base 5 is provided with an outer electrode operating cylinder 26 and an outer electrode operating guide rail 35 that guides the outer electrode 33. The outer electrode operating cylinder 26 drives the outer electrode 33 and positions it in the rotational direction.

When the movable part of the outer electrode operating cylinder 26 moves back and forth, the cam follower 38 shown in FIG. 10 moves. In response, the connected outer electrode 33 rotates along the outer electrode operating guide rail 35, and is positioned in the rotational direction.

The outer electrode 33 has an inner claw 331, which corresponds to the inner claw described in the claims, that unchucks and chucks the conductor segments 81 and 82 described below. This allows for the electrode position to be adjusted to accommodate differences in the type or diameter of the workpiece.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the base 5 is equipped with a servo motor 21 for operating the inner electrode and a cylinder 25 for the swing lever. By driving the servo motor 21 for operating the inner electrode, the cylinder 25 for the swing lever drives the inner electrode 53 and positions it in the rotational direction.

The constant pressure chuck and unchuck oscillating lever 30 shown in Figures 4 and 5, which is linked to a cam follower (not shown) by the drive of the oscillating lever cylinder 25, can rotate around the rotation axis 55.

In FIG. 8, when the cam follower (not shown) moves in the clamping direction due to the driving of the rocking lever cylinder 25, the compression coil spring 56 shown in FIG. 12 is compressed, and the rocking lever 30 for constant pressure chuck and unchuck rotates the conductor segments 81 and 82 in the clamping direction by the inner electrode outer claw 531, which corresponds to the outer claw of the inner electrode 53.

The rotor 32 and one end of the constant pressure chuck unchuck swing lever 30 are fixed to the rotating shaft 55 that can rotate relative to the jig body 42. The other end 301 of the constant pressure chuck unchuck swing lever 30 is connected to the swing lever cylinder 25.

The jig body 42 supports the outer electrode 33 and the inner electrode 53 so that they can rotate. As shown in FIG. 11(A), the outer electrode 33 has an outer electrode inner claw 331 that extends in a radially inward direction and can abut against the conductor segments 81, 82 that correspond to the welded parts of the work. The inner electrode 53 has an inner electrode outer claw 531 that extends in a radially outward direction and can abut against the conductor segments 81, 82 from the surface opposite to the surface that abuts against the outer electrode inner claw 331. The outer electrode inner claw 331 and the inner electrode outer claw 531 clamp (chuck) the conductor segments 81, 82 to be welded in the wire of the work 2, and can be temporarily fixed as described above.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting unit 12 places the work 2 carried from the loading/unloading section 3 on a platform 45 and can move up and down to a height where the work 2 approaches the electrode jig unit 11. The lifting unit 12 can also rotate to temporarily fix the welding position of the work 2.

Next, the process of positioning the workpiece 2 using the electrode jig unit 11 before TIG welding will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

As shown in FIG. 11(A), when welding conductor segment 82 corresponding to the welded portion 31 shown in FIG. 3 to conductor segment 81, the outer electrode 33 is inserted perpendicularly to the workpiece 2, and the conductor segments 81, 82 corresponding to the welding position of the workpiece 2 are inserted between the inner electrode outer claw 531 and the outer electrode inner claw 331.

Next, the outer electrode 33 is rotated in the direction of arrow 91 relative to the temporarily fixed workpiece 2 to the position shown in FIG. 11(B).

Then, the inner electrode 53 is rotated in the direction of arrow 92 from the position shown in FIG. 11(B) to the position shown in FIG. 11(C) relative to the temporarily fixed workpiece 2. This causes the conductor segments 81 and 82 to be clamped (chucked) at a fixed size.

Then, from the position shown in Figure 11(C) in the direction of arrow 93 shown in Figure 11(D), the inner electrode 53 is pressed (clamped) radially outward against the outer electrode inner claws 331 of the outer electrode 33 with constant pressure, temporarily fixing the positions of the conductor segments 81, 82 and improving the accuracy of the welding position. By operating the inner electrode constant pressure chuck and the unchuck swing lever 30, the inner electrode 53 clamps the conductor segments 81, 82 with constant pressure.

Next, the procedure of the welding process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when a workpiece is carried into the processing section 4 from the carry-in/out section 3, the lifting unit 12 raises the workpiece (S61) and positions the workpiece in its rotational direction (S62). The rotation stopper claws 36 temporarily fix the workpiece (S63).

Next, the outer electrode is chucked (S64), the inner electrode is chucked (S65), and they are clamped at a constant pressure (S66).
TIG welding is performed by the welding unit 10 (S67). The inner electrode is unclamped (S68), the inner electrode is unchucked (S69), the outer electrode is unchucked (S70), and the temporary fixation of the workpiece is released (S71).

Next, the workpiece is lowered by the lifting unit 12 (S72). The workpiece is then removed by the carry-in/out unit 3, and the process is completed.
According to this embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

As shown in FIG. 2, the work 2 is lifted by the lifting unit 12 and inserted upward into the electrode jig unit 11 and welding unit 10, so that the work 2 can be placed at the welding position without interfering with the power line 7.
In a workpiece in which the power line 7 protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the stator core 46 , the workpiece 2 can be moved up and down and rotated relative to the base 5 by the lifting unit 12 .

TIG welding can be performed in a small space on a wide variety of workpieces, including workpieces with different heights, outer diameters, and various positions of power lines.

In addition, since the conductor segments can be temporarily fixed, high-precision TIG welding can be performed on workpieces with small gaps and a variety of outer diameters, heights, and power line positions.

Depending on the height, outer diameter, and weight of the workpiece, the electrode jig unit is replaced with one equipped with an outer electrode and an inner electrode that correspond to the type of workpiece.

By not providing a drive unit in the electrode jig unit and making it replaceable, it is possible to accommodate changes in the welding position due to changes in the type of workpiece.

4 to 9, the electrode jig unit does not include a driving cylinder or actuator. When the detachable electrode jig unit is attached to the welding device body, the electrode jig unit is connected to an electrode driving section.
Therefore, one welding device can be used to weld a wide variety of workpieces with simple operations.

In Figures 13 and 14, the shaded areas 50 and 51 indicate the possible range of the work power line.

According to this embodiment, by selecting the electrode jig unit, the position of the power line is allowed in a wide range of areas 50 and 51 indicated by height h and radial length d relative to the position of the stator core of the workpiece 2. By replacing with an appropriate electrode jig unit, conductor segments can be welded for a wide variety of workpieces.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

2 Work,
3. Loading and unloading area,
4 Processing section,
5. Foundation,
7 power lines,
10 welding unit,
11 Electrode jig unit,
12 lifting unit,
21 inner electrode operating servo motor,
23 Work positioning servo motor,
24 Electrode jig positioning cylinder,
25 Cylinder for rocking lever,
26 outer electrode operating cylinder,
28 Cylinder for determining work rotation direction,
30 Inner electrode constant pressure chuck and unchuck swing lever,
31 welded part,
32 rotor,
33 outer electrode,
35 Outer electrode operating guide rail,
36 anti-rotation claws,
37, 38 Cam follower,
40 connecting pin insertion hole,
42 Jig body,
47, 48, 49 Hole (space)
50 regions,
51 regions,
53 inner electrode,
81, 82 Conductor segment (welded portion),
85 External electrode insertion range,
331 Outer electrode inner claw (inner claw),
531 Inner electrode outer claw (outer claw).

Claims (10)

A base (5) having a space (47) for welding;
a welding unit (10) provided adjacent to the base and including a welding torch that can approach and move away from the workpiece (2) in a vertical direction;
a jig body (42) that is detachable from the base and replaceable depending on the type of the workpiece, and that has holes (48, 49) for the approach of the welding torch;
An outer electrode (33) that is rotatably supported by the jig body and can contact a portion to be welded of a workpiece;
An inner electrode (53) that is rotatably supported by the jig body and can contact a portion to be welded of a workpiece;
A welding device comprising: a lifting unit (12) on which a workpiece can be placed and which can move the workpiece up and down and rotate the workpiece. The welding device according to claim 1, wherein the outer electrode has inner claws (331) that extend radially inward and can abut against the part to be welded of the workpiece. 3. The welding device according to claim 2, wherein the base includes an outer electrode operating cylinder (26) that abuts the inner claw against a portion to be welded of a workpiece to temporarily fix the portion to be welded. The welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inner electrode has an outer claw (531) extending radially outwardly so as to be able to abut against the portion of the workpiece to be welded. The welding device according to claim 4, wherein the base is provided with a servo motor (21) for operating the inner electrode, which brings the outer claw into contact with the part to be welded of the workpiece to temporarily fix the part to be welded. The welding device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the jig body is provided with an inner electrode constant pressure chuck and an unchuck swing lever (30) that apply or release the constant pressure by the outer jaws. The welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the base is provided with a cam follower (37) capable of contacting the workpiece, and a workpiece positioning servo motor (23) that transmits power to the cam follower. A welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base is provided with a rotation-stopping claw (36) that can come into contact with the workpiece, and a workpiece rotation direction-determining cylinder (28) that transmits power to the rotation-stopping claw. The welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base is provided with an outer electrode operating guide rail (35) that guides the outer electrode that is rotatably supported on the jig body. The welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a carry-in/out section ( 3 ) for carrying in a workpiece before welding to the lifting unit and carrying out a workpiece after welding to the lifting unit.

Images