JP2002175788A - Crimper device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a crimper device capable of adjusting a punch sleeve in up and down directions without misalignment between upper and lower punch members so as to prevent sealing failure which occurs when a machined object inclines and is crimped, and prevent damage of such as a driving hole and a groove by the punch members. SOLUTION: The crimper device 21 includes a pair of punch members 22, 23, a punch sleeve 24, a die member 50, and a holder 25, and presses a lithium battery 13 to the die member 50 and crimps the battery 13 by moving the pair of the punch members 22, 23 which sandwiches the lithium battery 13. A screw shaft part 41 is provided on the punch sleeve 24, a screw block 26 having a screw hole part 42 for screwing into the screw shaft part 41 is provided, and the screw block 26 is supported by a holder 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for clamping a workpiece, such as a coin-type battery or a cylindrical battery, by clamping the opening with a pair of punch members and pressing the die member against the die member. More particularly, the present invention relates to a crimper device that can easily perform centering by aligning the center lines of a pair of punch members and that can adjust the punch member in the axial direction in the centered state. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional crimper of this type, for example, the one shown in FIG. 7 is known. This crimper device 1 seals an opening portion by caulking an opening side peripheral portion of a positive electrode can of a coin-type battery via a negative electrode can and an insulating gasket. The crimper device 1 includes a pair of upper and lower punch members 2 and 3 and an upper punch member 2.
And a holder 5 for supporting the punch sleeve 4 slidably in the axial direction. The upper punch member 2 is slidably supported in the axial direction, that is, in the vertical direction, by a punch sleeve 4 via a punch rod that does not appear in the drawing.

On the outer periphery of the punch sleeve 4, a first screw portion 4a for adjusting the advance / retreat stroke of the upper punch member 2 and the height of the punch sleeve 4 with respect to the holder 5 are adjusted in order from the top in FIG. Second and third screw portions 4b and 4c, a hexagonal portion 4d for rotating the punch sleeve 4, and a fourth screw portion provided below the hexagonal portion 4d and not appearing in the figure. Is provided. A cap nut 6 and a lock nut 7 are screwed into the first screw portion 4 a of the punch sleeve 4, and an upper portion of the punch rod 8 protrudes from a central hole of the cap nut 6.

The second and third screw portions 4b and 4c of the punch sleeve 4 are provided at appropriate intervals in the vertical direction, and these screw portions 4b and 4c are provided at two places of the holder 5. The first and second screw portions 9a and 9b are screwed. Therefore, the two screw portions 4b and 9a and the screw portion 4
Due to the engagement of c and 9b, the punch sleeve 4 is supported by the holder 5 so as to be rotatable and movable in the axial direction. By fitting and turning a tool on the hexagonal portion 4 d of the punch sleeve 4, the height of the punch sleeve 4 can be adjusted by rotating the punch sleeve 4 with respect to the holder 5. Further, a die holder 1 is provided on the fourth thread portion of the punch sleeve 4.
0 is screwed, and inside the die holder 10,
Die not shown is attached.

The holder 5 is composed of a combination of two holder divisions 5a and 5b divided from the center, and a punch sleeve 4 is provided at the center of the two overlapped holder divisions 5a and 5b. A through-hole 5c is provided. The inner diameter of the opening on both sides of the central hole 5c is reduced so that a female screw is cut into the screw hole 9a, 9b.
Are formed. The pair of holder divided bodies 5a, 5b
, Four clamp levers 11 can be attached. The holder 5 is formed by tightening and integrating the pair of holder divided bodies 5a and 5b with the four clamp levers 11.

[0006] Thus, the coin-type battery 12 to be processed is transported above the lower punch member 3 by the transport means (not shown). The coin-type battery 12 is transported with the opening of the battery can on the positive electrode side facing upward, and in the opening, pellets, lithium, a battery lid on the negative electrode side, and holding this battery lid. An insulating gasket and the like are stored.

When the coin-type battery 12 reaches above the lower punch member 3, the lower punch member 3 first rises to lift the battery can. As a result, the battery cover is
, The upper and lower punch members 2 and 3 are synchronously moved up integrally. During this ascent, the peripheral edge of the opening side of the battery can is pressed against the processing surface of the die, and is crimped inward along the processing surface. As a result, the coin-type battery 12 in which the opening of the battery can is sealed with the battery lid or the like and the pellets, the electrolyte, and the like are sealed is manufactured.

[0008]

However, in such a conventional crimper device, the punch sleeve 4 is inserted into the center hole 5c of the holder 5, and the screw portions 9a and 9b of the holder 5 and the screw portion of the punch sleeve 4 are inserted. 4b and 4c are screwed together, and the position of the axis of the upper punch member 2 is determined by fitting these screw portions 4b and 4c and 9a and 9b. Therefore, both screw parts 4b, 4c
If the center lines of the thread portions 4b and 4c of the punch sleeve 4 do not match the center lines of the thread portions 9a and 9b of the holder 5 in the support state where the upper punch member 2 and 9a and 9b are screwed together, A misalignment occurs between the axis and the axis of the lower punch member 3.

In this case, the screw portion 9 is provided at the center of the central hole 5c.
It is extremely difficult to machine the threaded parts 9a, 9b, 4b, 4c so that the centers of the threaded parts 9a, 9b and the threaded parts 4b, 4c coincide with each other. 9b or the screw portions 4b and 4c
In general, it is formed so as to be deviated from the center of c. Therefore, the punch sleeve 4 is inserted into the central hole 5c.
Is inserted, there is a misalignment between the axis of the upper punch member 2 supported by the punch sleeve 4 and the axis of the lower punch member 3.

When the battery can and the battery lid sandwiched by the upper and lower punch members 2 and 3 having the misalignment are pressed against the die member, the lower surface of the upper punch member 2 shifts and comes into contact with the surface of the battery lid. Will be. As a result, there is a problem in that the surface of the battery lid is made uneven by the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the upper punch member 2, and the surface of the battery lid is scratched such as a hole or a groove.

Such a misalignment between the upper and lower punch members 2 and 3 can be adjusted by, for example, changing the tightening force of the four clamp levers 11 in adjusting the position during assembly. However, when the misalignment is adjusted in this manner, when the punch sleeve 4 is rotated to adjust the height of the upper punch member 2 thereafter, the punch sleeve 4 and the Upper punch member 2
Is deviated, and a misalignment of at most twice the misalignment amount occurs. As a result, as described above, the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the upper punch member 2 damages the surface of the battery lid, causing the same problem that a hole or a groove is formed.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and a supporting portion for supporting a punch sleeve in a holder and a screw portion for vertically adjusting the punch sleeve are separately provided. By adopting a structure that allows the vertical adjustment to function independently without affecting the support portion of the punch sleeve, the vertical adjustment of the punch sleeve can be performed without causing misalignment between the upper and lower punch members. It is another object of the present invention to provide a crimper device in which an object to be processed is not inclined and crimped to cause a poor sealing, and a punch member does not damage a hole or a groove.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and the like, and to achieve the above object, the crimper device of the present invention is capable of holding a workpiece, and holding the workpiece. A pair of punch members movable integrally in a state, a punch sleeve that supports one of the pair of punch members slidably in the axial direction, A die member through which the punch member is slidably penetrated, and a holder for supporting the punch sleeve so as to be movable in the axial direction. The die is formed by moving a pair of punch members holding the workpiece. In a crimper device that presses and crimps a member, a screw portion is provided on a punch sleeve, and a screw block having a screw portion screwed to the screw portion is provided.
The screw block is supported by a holder.

[0014] With the above configuration, the crimper device of the present application is provided with a screw block having a screw portion to be screwed to the screw portion provided on the punch sleeve, and the screw block is supported by the holder. Thus, the punch sleeve can be firmly supported by the support portion, and the amount of advance and retreat of the punch sleeve can be adjusted without causing misalignment.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a main part of an embodiment of the crimper device in partial cross section, and FIG. 2 is a view of the crimper device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a cross-section of an embodiment of an object to be used in the crimper device, and FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of the processing object shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of the processing object similarly.

First, a coin-type battery showing a specific example of the object to be processed by the crimper device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 shows a specific example of a coin-type battery, and is an explanatory view in which a central portion of a lithium battery 13 is vertically sectioned. The lithium battery 13 includes a battery can 14 serving as a positive electrode member, a battery cover 15 serving as a negative electrode member, metallic lithium 16, a separator 17 and a pellet 18 housed in the battery cover 15, and a battery can 14. Battery cover 15
Is provided with a gasket 19 and the like for sealing the space between them.

The battery can 14 is made of a conductive metal such as iron Fe or aluminum alloy Al.
The battery can 14 is formed of a disk-shaped container body having a shallow bottom, and a battery cover 15 is housed in an opening of the battery can 14 via a gasket 19. The battery cover 15 is formed of a carbon material such as coke or an organic polymer fired body capable of doping or dedoping lithium or lithium ions. The battery lid 15 is also formed of a disk-shaped container body having a shallow bottom, and has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the battery can 14 and is configured to be fitted inside the gasket 19. The battery can 14, the battery cover 15, and the gasket 1
9 form a disk-shaped outer shape called a coin shape.

In the opening of the battery cover 15, metal lithium 16, separator 17, and pellet 1 are sequentially arranged from the bottom side.
And the battery can 14 outside the pellet 18.
Is arranged. Metal lithium 16 is used for separator 1
7 surrounds the bottom of the battery cover 15. The separator 8 is inserted between the electrodes so that the positive electrode and the negative electrode do not come into contact with each other and separates the two. Is used. The separator 8 is filled with an electrolytic solution. In addition, pellet 18
Also, a predetermined amount of electrolyte is injected.

A gasket 19 is attached to the opening-side peripheral portion of the battery cover 15 in which the pellets 18 and the like are stored. The gasket 19 clamps the peripheral portion of the separator 17 and is fixed to the inner surface of the battery cover 15. Have been.
The battery cover 15 with the gasket 19 attached thereto is
The lithium battery 13 is housed in the concave portion, and the opening side portion is crimped to seal the opening and keep the inside liquid-tight.

The lithium battery 13 can be manufactured, for example, as follows. 5A to 5E and 6
F to J illustrate steps for manufacturing the lithium battery 13, wherein the upper part is a perspective view, and the lower part is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to the upper part.

FIG. 5A shows that the metal lid 16 is
5 shows a lithium insertion step of inserting a. In the lithium insertion step A, the battery lid 15 supplied in a dried state over a predetermined time is turned over and the opening is turned upward, and the metal lithium is placed on the bottom in the concave portion of the battery lid 15 in the inverted state. 16 is crimped.

Next, the process proceeds to the punching and inserting steps shown in FIG. 5B. This separator punching and insertion process B
, The separator 17 is punched into a predetermined size, and the separator 17 is superimposed on the metallic lithium 16 pressed to the bottom of the battery lid 15. Next, the process proceeds to the gasket insertion step shown in FIG. 5C. In the gasket insertion step C, a ring-shaped insulating gasket 19 is fitted into the peripheral edge of the battery cover 15 on the opening side, and the gasket 19 is mounted on the battery cover 15.

Next, the process proceeds to a first electrolytic solution injection step shown in FIG. 5D. In the first electrolytic solution injection step D, a predetermined amount of electrolytic solution is injected and filled in the separator 17. Next, the process proceeds to the pellet inserting step shown in FIG. 5E.
In the pellet insertion step E, the pellets 18 are superimposed on the separator 17 filled with the electrolytic solution.
The inside of the gasket 19 is filled with the pellets 18.

Next, the process proceeds to a second electrolyte injection step shown in FIG. 6F. In the second electrolytic solution injection step F, the electrolytic solution 20 is dropped on the pellet 18 fitted inside the gasket 19, and a predetermined amount of the electrolytic solution 20 is injected and filled into the pellet 18. Next, the process proceeds to a battery can mounting process shown in FIG. 6G. In this battery can mounting step G, the battery can 14 is put on the battery lid 15 on which the gasket 19 is mounted,
The opening side of the battery cover 15 is closed.

Next, the process proceeds to the first crimping step shown in FIG. 6H. In the first crimping step H, the opening side peripheral portion 14a of the battery can 14 is slightly narrowed, and a first temporary crimping process is performed. Next, the process proceeds to the second crimping step shown in FIG. 6I. In the second crimping step I, the opening side peripheral portion 14a of the battery can 14 is completely narrowed, and the final crimping is performed. After this final crimp, a cleaning liquid is sprayed on the crimp portion and its peripheral portion to wash away dirt due to the crimp process. Thereafter, hot air is blown onto the washed battery can 14 and the like to dry the portion wet by the washing liquid.

Thus, the manufacture of the lithium battery 13 in which the opening of the battery can 14 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner by the battery lid 15 and the gasket 19 is completed. Such a manufacturing process A
6 through J, a lithium battery 13 as a final product as shown in FIG. 6J is obtained. Then, the lithium battery 13 as a product is placed on a product tray and transported to the next, for example, a packaging process or the like.

In the manufacturing process of such a lithium battery 13, the crimping device 21 of the present invention is used in the first crimping step H and the second crimping step I. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the crimper device 21 includes a pair of vertically opposed punch members 22 and 23,
A punch sleeve 24 that supports the upper punch member 22 slidably in the axial direction, a holder 25 that supports the punch sleeve 24, a screw block 26 held by the holder 25, and fixedly supports the upper punch member 22. It is configured to include a punch rod 27 and the like.

The holder 25 is constituted by a combination of two holder divided bodies 28 and 29 having a shape obtained by dividing a cube into two in the vertical direction. The two holder divided bodies 28 and 29 are openably and closably connected by a hinge 30 arranged on the side, and are in a closed state where they are overlapped with each other as shown by a solid line in FIG. It can be set to the open state in which it is separated. The hinge 30 is a specific example of a hinge means, and includes two support members 30a and 30b,
A pair of connecting pieces 30c and 30d and three connecting pins 3
0e, 30f, and 30f.

The first support 30a of the hinge 30 is attached to the first holder divided body 28 by an attachment screw 31 showing one specific example of the fixing means, and the second support 30b is similarly attached to the first holder 30 by the attachment screw. It is attached to the second holder divided body 29. Further, one side of one connection piece 30c is rotatably connected to one support 30a by a connection pin 30f, and the other connection piece 30c is connected to the other support 30b.
One side of d is rotatably connected by a connecting pin 30f. The other side portions of both connecting pieces 30c and 30d are rotatably connected by connecting pins 30e.

The pair of holder divided bodies 28 and 29 connected via such a hinge 30 are provided with substantially quadrangular concave portions 28a and 29a which are opened on mutually overlapping surfaces. In each of the recesses 28a and 29a, there is provided a shape having a shape obtained by dividing a cube into two in the vertical direction.
The block divided bodies 32 and 33 are arranged in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 (in FIG.
That. ). The screw block 26 is constituted by a combination of the two block divided bodies 32 and 33.

The thickness of the two block divided bodies 32 and 33 in the front-rear direction is determined by the concave portions 28a and 29a in which these are accommodated.
Is formed to be smaller than the depth of the spring storage portions 34a, 34b in the recesses 28a, 29a. These spring storage portions 34a and 34b include:
Four elastic bodies 35 each composed of a combination of two washers 35a and two disc springs 35b are stored.
The elastic body 35 is arranged so that two disc springs 35a are sandwiched between two washers 35b. A total of eight sets of elastic members 35 are provided with connecting screws 36 that pass through through holes 28b, 29b provided on the surface opposite to the surface on which the concave portions 28a, 29a of the holder divided members 28, 29 are opened. Are inserted individually.

That is, four through holes 28b or 29b are provided in each of the pair of block divided bodies 32 and 33, and the four through holes 28b or 29b are provided at four corners of the block divided bodies 32 and 33. It is arranged so as to face the screw hole provided. The connecting screw 36 includes a shaft portion 36a having a smooth circular cross section, a head portion 36b formed continuously on one side in the axial direction of the shaft portion 36a, and a shaft portion 36a.
And a threaded portion 36c formed continuously on the other side in the axial direction of. The connecting screw 36 is a specific example of a connecting member, and is shown as an example.

The shaft portion 36a of the connecting screw 36 is slidably inserted into a through hole 28b provided on the front surface of the first holder divided body 28, and is provided on the back surface of the second holder divided body 29. Slidably inserted through the through hole 29b. Most of the screw portion 36c of the connection screw 36 is screwed into the screw hole of the block divided bodies 32 and 33, and the elastic body 35 is arranged from the screw portion 36c to the shaft portion 36a. The surface is in contact with the counterbore surfaces of the through holes 28b and 29b.

Each of the divided blocks 32 and 33 is normally urged in the direction of coming out of the recessed portions 28a and 29a by the spring force of the elastic body 35. The elastic body 35 is pressed and contracted against the spring force. The head 36 of the connecting screw 36
b protrudes from the through holes 28b and 29b.

Such a pair of holder divided bodies 28 and 29
Are four clamp levers 3 showing one specific example of the fixing means.
8 enables fastening and unlocking.
The clamp lever 38 has a head 38a formed of a cylindrical body,
The head 38a includes a screw shaft portion 38b formed continuously on one side in the axial direction, and a handle portion 38c provided on the other side in the axial direction of the head portion 38a. Handle part 38
c is provided so as to protrude obliquely from the corner of the head 38a. Screw shaft part 38 of this clamp lever 38
b through which the first holder divided body 28 is inserted.
And a screw hole 29 into which a screw portion at the tip is screwed.
c is provided on the second holder divided body 29.

The four through holes 28c are formed at four corners when viewed from the front side of the first holder divided body 28, and the second holder divided body 2 corresponds to these through holes 28c.
9 are provided with screw holes 29c at four corners. Reference numeral 39 shown in FIG. 3 is a passage for supplying a lubricant such as grease to a sliding surface between the holder divided bodies 28 and 29 and the block divided bodies 32 and 33. On the back surface of the second holder divided body 29, an ant 29d, which is one of the ants, is provided. By using a fixing member (not shown) having a dovetail groove to be fitted with the dovetail 29d, the holder 25 is attached and fixed at a position where the fixing member is fixed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, upper and lower joint surfaces of the pair of holder divided bodies 28 and 29 are
Support holes 40a and 40b, which are support portions into which the reference shaft portions 24a and 24b of the punch sleeve 24 are fitted, are provided. Therefore, the upper and lower support holes 40a and 40b are each formed of one concave portion having a semicircular smooth surface provided in the first holder divided body 28 and a semicircular smooth surface provided in the second holder divided body 29. Each is formed by combination with the other concave portion. Between the upper and lower support holes 40a, 40b,
The screw block 26 described above is provided.

A screw hole engaged with a screw shaft portion 41 provided between the reference shaft portions 24a and 24b of the punch sleeve 24 is provided on a joint surface of the pair of block divided bodies 32 and 33 as the screw block 26. A part 42 is provided. Accordingly, the screw hole portion 42 is formed between the one semicircular concave portion provided with the thread groove provided in the first block divided body 32 and the other semicircular concave portion provided with the thread groove provided in the second block divided body 33. It is formed by a combination.

The punch sleeve 24 is formed of a cylindrical member provided with a through hole 44 penetrating the center portion in the axial direction. In addition to the upper and lower reference shaft portions 24a and 24b and the screw shaft portion 41, the punch sleeve 24 has a screw portion 24c for adjusting the amount of protrusion of the upper punch member 22, and a hexagonal outer peripheral surface. Hexagonal portion 24d and small-diameter screw portion 24e into which cap-shaped die holder 45 is screwed
Are provided. Screw part 24c is punch sleeve 2
4 is disposed on one side in the axial direction, the upper reference shaft portion 24a is disposed next to the one side, and the screw shaft portion 41 of the lower reference shaft portion 24b is disposed.
A hexagonal portion 24d is arranged on the opposite side, and a small-diameter screw portion 24e is arranged on the other side.

The through-hole 44 of the punch sleeve 24
Is a large-diameter portion 44a that opens at the end face on the screw portion 24c side,
And a small-diameter portion 44b that is open at the end face on the small-diameter screw portion 24e side. The screw portion 2 of the large diameter portion 44a of the through hole 44
Both ends of the 4c side and the small diameter portion 44b side have two bearings.
The individual bearing sleeves 46a and 46b are fitted and fixed by fixing means such as press fitting. This bearing sleeve 46
A punch rod 27 is slidably fitted in and supported by the punch rods 27a and 46b.

The punch rod 27 has a first shaft 27a, a second shaft 27b, a third shaft 27c, and a fourth shaft 27d whose outer diameters are gradually increased from one end in the axial direction. ,
It has a small-diameter shaft portion 27e having the smallest outer diameter connected to the fourth shaft portion 27d. The first shaft portion 27a of the punch rod 27 is slidably fitted to the first bearing sleeve 46a, and the third shaft portion 27c is slidably fitted to the second bearing sleeve 46b. Then, the second shaft portion 27b
Is in contact with the upper surface of the first bearing sleeve 46a,
The step of the fourth shaft 27d is in contact with the upper surface of the second bearing sleeve 46b.

The first shaft portion 27 of the punch rod 27
a is provided with an engagement hole 47 having one end opened at its end face and the other end extending in the axial direction. The mounting shaft portion 22a of the upper punch member 22 is fitted into the engagement hole 47. An annular groove 22b cut in a tapered shape is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting shaft portion 22a. This annular groove 22b
The upper punch member 22 is fixed to the first shaft portion 27a by engaging the tip end of a set screw 48a to the upper shaft member 27a, and the upper punch member 22 is configured to be able to move integrally with the punch rod 27.

The lower portion of the upper punch member 22 penetrates the small diameter portion 44b of the through hole 44 of the punch sleeve 24, and further penetrates the center hole of the die member 50 disposed on the lower surface of the small diameter screw portion 24e. It is protruding. The die member 50 is
The punch sleeve 24 is held by a die holder 45 screwed into the small diameter screw portion 24e. Then, by the tightening force of the set screw 48b screwed to the die holder 45,
The die member 50 is fixed to the die holder 45. The die member 50 is a tool for performing ring-shaped caulking provided with a central hole through which the upper punch member 22 is penetrated. Below the central hole, a battery can 14 of the lithium battery 13 to be processed is provided. A processing surface 50a for crimping by crimping the opening side peripheral portion is provided.

Below the upper punch member 22, a lower punch member 23 is disposed with its axis centered vertically. The lower punch member 23 is formed of a rod-shaped member having an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the upper punch member 22. The mounting shaft 2 which is the lower part of the lower punch member 23
A cam mechanism (not shown) is connected to 3a. The upper end of the lower punch member 23 is slidably fitted in a punch hole of the table 51. The workpiece 13 is transported slidably on the upper surface of the table 51 by transport means (not shown), and is placed on the upper surface of the lower punch member 23.

The lower ends of the two connecting rods 52, 52 arranged on the side of the holder 25 are exposed to the cam mechanism. The two connecting rods 52 extend vertically so as to be parallel to each other, and are integrally moved up and down by the operation of the cam mechanism. A thread portion is provided at the upper end of the two connecting rods 52, and two lock nuts 53 are screwed into each thread portion. These connecting rods 52
Are engaged with engaging portions 54a formed of notches provided at both ends of a connecting arm 54 extending in the horizontal direction.
It is fastened and fixed from both upper and lower sides by individual lock nuts 53.

At the center of the connecting arm 54, a fitting hole 54b opening on the lower surface, and a bolt hole 54c having a lower end communicating with the fitting hole 54b and an upper end opening on the upper surface are provided. The small-diameter shaft portion 27e of the punch rod 27 is fitted in the fitting hole 54b of the connecting arm 54, and the small-diameter shaft portion 27e is provided with a screw hole opened on the end face side. A bolt hole 54 is provided in the screw hole of the small diameter shaft portion 27e.
The screw portion of the fixing screw 55 inserted into the screw c is screwed, and the connecting arm 54 and the punch rod 27 are integrally fixed by tightening the fixing screw 55.

Further, the punch rod 27 has a small diameter shaft portion 27e.
Penetrates a through hole 57a provided at the center on the end face side of the adjustment nut 57 formed in a cap nut shape. The threaded portion 57b of the adjustment nut 57 is formed by the punch sleeve 2 described above.
4 is screwed to the screw portion 24c. Inside the adjustment nut 57, a lock nut 58 similarly screwed to the screw portion 24c is arranged. This adjustment nut 57
The lock nut 58 and the screw portion 24c constitute an adjusting means for adjusting the amount of advance and retreat of the upper punch member 22.

Crimper device 2 having such a configuration
According to the first aspect, the occurrence of misalignment between the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 can be reliably prevented, and caulking is performed by always using the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 with their axes aligned. It can be performed. The centering of the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 of the crimper device 21 is automatically performed by supporting and fixing the punch sleeve 24 on the holder 25, and even when the height of the punch sleeve 24 is adjusted thereafter, Centering is automatically performed at the adjustment position.

According to the crimper device 21, for example, the centering between the upper and lower punch members 22, 23 is performed as follows. In this case, the axis of the lower punch member 23 is made to coincide with the center line of the support holes 40a and 40b provided in the holder 25. This matching method includes:
This can be performed by adjusting the height, length, and the like of a support member (not shown) that supports the holder 25 with an ally.

First, the four clamp levers 38 are loosened and removed, and the first holder divided body 28 is pivoted around the hinge 30.
To open the support holes 40a and 40b. At this time,
The first block divided body 32 is held in the recessed portion 28a of the first holder divided body 28 and is opened integrally, and the second block divided body 33 is formed in the recessed portion 29 of the second holder divided body 29.
a. The punch sleeve 24 is provided in the concave portions of the second holder divided body 29 and the second block divided body 33.
Is set, the first holder divided body 28 is returned to the original position, and is superposed on the second holder divided body 29.

At this time, the two support holes 4 of the holder 25
The two reference shaft portions 24a and 24b of the punch sleeve 24 are aligned with 0a and 40b, and four clamp levers 38 are mounted in this aligned state. Thereafter, the punch sleeve 24 is attached to the holder 25 by tightening the four clamp levers 38. As a result, the centering of the upper punch member 22 with respect to the lower punch member 23 is
This is inevitably performed by the two support holes 40a and 40b of the holder 25, and there is no misalignment between the punch members 22 and 23.

At this time, when the four clamp levers 38 are tightened, the front and rear block divided bodies 3 supported by the front and rear holder divided bodies via the elastic body 35 and the connecting screw 36 are provided.
2 and 33 are urged to the punch sleeve 24 by the spring force of the elastic body 35. Thereby, each block divided body 3
2, 33 screw hole portions 42 are pressed against the screw shaft portion 41 of the punch sleeve 24, and the unevenness of the screw of the screw hole portion 42 is engaged with the unevenness of the screw of the screw shaft portion 41. As a result, the punch sleeve 24 is screwed and held by the screw block 26.

When the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 are crimped and caulked in a state where the axes of the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 are aligned with each other, the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 can be abutted in a straight line. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem that caulking is performed in a state where the battery can 14 of the lithium battery 13 is inclined, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the gasket from being locally insufficiently compressed and prevent the caulking failure. Thus, the lithium battery 13 that has no or little risk of liquid leakage can be manufactured.

When the crimper device 21 is used for manufacturing the lithium batteries 13 having different sizes, it can be simply and economically handled by the following method. Such a modification of the object to be processed will be described for the case where the thickness (height) of the lithium battery 13 is different. The modified example of the processing object will be described separately for a case where the replacement of the upper punch member 22 is unnecessary and a case where the replacement is necessary.

First, the case where the replacement of the upper punch member 22 is unnecessary will be described. In this case, the case where the advance / retreat amount of the upper punch member 22 is adjusted without changing the fixing position of the punch sleeve 24 and the case where the height is adjusted by directly moving the punch sleeve 24 can be divided.

The adjustment of the advance / retreat amount of the upper punch member 22 without moving the punch sleeve 24 can be performed by using an adjusting means. First, after the lock nut 58 screwed into the screw portion 24c provided on the upper part of the punch sleeve 24 is loosened, the adjustment nut 57 is rotated in a required direction. That is, when the amount of advance / retreat (the amount of movement in the axial direction) of the upper punch member 22 is reduced, the adjustment nut 57 is used.
Is rotated in the direction of tightening, and conversely, when the amount of advance and retreat is increased, the adjustment nut 57 is rotated in the direction of loosening. Then, when the adjustment nut 57 is rotated to a desired position, the lock nut 58 is tightened to lock the adjustment nut 57.

As a result, the distance between the bottom surface of the adjustment nut 57 and the end surface of the fourth shaft portion 27d of the punch rod 27 on the side of the small-diameter shaft portion 27e is changed.
Can be adjusted. At this time, the die member 50 may be replaced at the same time. To replace the die member 50, the set screw 48b is loosened, and then the die holder 45 is loosened and removed.
Replace 0 with another die member. Then, the die holder 45
Is screwed into the small diameter screw portion 24e, and then the set screw 48b is tightened to complete the replacement operation.

On the other hand, when directly moving the punch sleeve 24, the four clamp levers 38 tightening the holder 25 are slightly loosened so that the punch sleeve 24 can be rotated. And punch sleeve 2
A wrench is fitted to the hexagonal portion 24d of No. 4, and the punch sleeve 24 is rotated in a desired direction via the wrench.
That is, assuming that the screw shaft portion 41 of the punch sleeve 24 is, for example, a right-hand thread, the punch sleeve 24 rises by rotating the hexagonal portion 24d clockwise, and conversely, rotating the hexagonal portion 24d counterclockwise. As a result, the punch sleeve 24 descends.

In this case, a screw hole portion 42 of the screw block 26 is screwed into the screw shaft portion 41 of the punch sleeve 24, and the screw block 26 is held by the holder 25 so as to be vertically moved (the punch sleeve 24). In the axial direction), the punch sleeve 2 is moved in accordance with the rotation direction.
4 goes up or down. At this time, the punch sleeve 24
Means that the reference shaft portions 24a, 24b have the supporting holes 40a, 40b.
b, the supporting holes 40a, 4
Ob is guided by the inner peripheral surface of Ob, and is rotated on substantially one axis.

On the other hand, a pair of block divided bodies 32 and 33 constituting the screw block 26 are pressed against the screw shaft 41 of the punch sleeve 24 so as to be sandwiched from both sides by the spring force of the elastic body 35. Therefore, the screw shaft 41
When the pressing force is larger than the spring force of the elastic body 35, the block pressing members 32 and 33 are pushed back in the direction away from the punch sleeve 24 by the pressing force. as a result,
Even when the center axes of the reference shaft parts 24a and 24b of the punch sleeve 24 do not match the center axes of the screw shaft parts 41 and the center is misaligned, the punch is performed without concern for the misalignment. The height can be adjusted by rotating the sleeve 24.

Next, a case where the upper punch member 22 is replaced will be described. In this case, first, the lock nut 53
And the upper ends of the connecting rods 52, 52 arranged on both sides of the holder 25 are engaged with the engaging portions 54a of the connecting arms 54.
Remove from Then, after removing the fixing screw 55,
The connecting arm 54 is removed. Then, lock nut 58
And then remove the adjustment nut 57. Thereby, the fourth shaft portion 27d having the largest outer diameter among the plurality of shaft portions of the punch rod 27 is exposed. Therefore, the punch rod 27 is pulled out along the axis.

As a result, the upper punch member 22 is pulled out of the punch sleeve 24 integrally with the punch rod 27. Therefore, the upper punch member 22 can be separated and taken out from the punch rod 27 by loosening the set screw 48a and releasing the engagement with the annular groove 22b. After that, after replacing the upper punch member 22 with a desired length, the upper punch member 22 can be assembled to the punch sleeve 24 integrally with the punch rod 27 by performing an assembling operation reverse to the above-described disassembling operation. Yes (in this case,
It is assumed that the outer diameter of the upper punch member 22 does not change.) By exchanging the upper punch member 22 in this manner, the advance / retreat amount of the upper punch member 22 can be adjusted without performing the above-described stroke adjustment.

When the punch rod 27 and the punch sleeve 24 are replaced together with the upper punch member 22, as described above, it is the same as the case of assembling the punch sleeve 24, and the description is omitted. in this case,
Generally, the lower punch member 23 also needs to be replaced similarly, but the description of the replacement operation is omitted.

In this manner, the upper and lower punch members 22, 23
According to the crimper device 21 in which the centering is performed, the lithium battery 13 can be crimped as follows. First, the workpiece before crimping is transported onto the table 51 by the transporting means from the previous step. Then, the battery can 14 is placed on the upper surface of the lower punch member 23 with the opening side of the battery can 14 facing upward.

Next, the lower punch member 23 is raised by the operation of a cam mechanism (not shown), and the battery can 14 is lifted and sandwiched between the upper punch member 22 and the battery can 14. Next, by operating the cam mechanism, the upper punch member 22 is integrally raised in synchronization with the operation of the lower punch member 23. At this time,
The connecting rods 52, 52 are pushed up by the cam mechanism, and the connecting arm 54 is pushed by the pushing force of the connecting rod 52.
, The punch rod 27 is pulled up. As a result, the upper punch member 22 held at the tip of the punch rod 27 is raised in synchronization with the lower punch member 23.

As the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 rise, the battery can 1 held between the punch members 22 and 23
4 is pressed against the processing surface 50a of the die member 50 (crimp). As a result, the opening side peripheral edge of the battery can 14 is caulked inward over the entire peripheral edge in the circumferential direction, the gasket 19 is compressed by the peripheral edge, and the space between the battery can 14 and the battery lid 15 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner. .

In this case, there is no misalignment between the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23, and the upper and lower punch members 22 and 23 are positioned substantially in a straight line. The gasket 19 that seals the opening of the battery can 14 can be sufficiently compressed without being inclined and caulked, thereby preventing the occurrence of caulking failure. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture the lithium battery 13 with sufficient caulking,
Therefore, the electrolyte can be prevented from leaking even under severe conditions, long-term use, or the like, or the leak of the electrolyte can be reduced to improve the battery life.

Next, when the crimping by the die member 50 is completed, the upper and lower punch members 22 and
23 are simultaneously lowered with the lithium battery 13 held therebetween. Then, first, after the upper punch member 22 stops descending, the lower punch member 23 descends to a predetermined position, and the operation of the cam mechanism is stopped. At this time, the lithium battery 13
Is placed on the table 51 and transported to the next step by the transport means. At the same time, the next lithium battery 13 before crimping is supplied to the upper surface of the lower punch member 23, and the above-described crimping step is repeated.

By using such a crimper device 21, even if the processing target has a different outer diameter and a different thickness,
Since there is no misalignment between the punch members, it is possible to manufacture a product in which the sealing portion is sufficiently caulked. In addition, since the pair of punch members 22 and 23 can be replaced for each holder 25, even when the workpiece is changed,
The change can be promptly dealt with without taking much time for component replacement or the like, and productivity can be improved.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which a lithium battery is used as a processing object has been described. Not only can it be applied to primary batteries such as silver batteries, alkaline manganese batteries, and zinc-air batteries, but even rechargeable secondary batteries,
Any object can be applied as long as the object can be crimped and sealed around the opening side peripheral portion of the battery can. Further, the present invention provides
The present invention is not limited to the manufacture of coin-type batteries, but can be applied to cylindrical batteries and prismatic batteries. Further, the present invention is also applicable to a canned sealing tube which is closed by caulking.

Also, in the above embodiment, 4 is used as the fixing means.
Although the example using the individual clamp levers 38 has been described, for example, a fixing means such as a patch lock may be used. Furthermore, an example in which four sets of elastic bodies 35 are used as means for urging the block divided bodies 32 and 33 has been described. The number of sets may be one as long as it has the number of sets, and the number of sets is not limited to the four sets in the above-described embodiment. As described above, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

[0072]

As described above, according to the crimper device of the present application, a screw block having a screw portion screwed to a screw portion provided on a punch sleeve is provided, and the screw block is supported by the holder. As a result, the punch sleeve can be firmly supported by the support,
The advance / retreat amount of the punch sleeve can be adjusted without causing misalignment. Therefore, there is no occurrence of misalignment between the pair of punch members, and the pair of punch members can be disposed so as to face each other substantially in a straight line. As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect that the machined portion of the object to be machined is not inclined and caulked, and the machined portion can be satisfactorily caulked and crimped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional explanatory view showing a main part of an embodiment of a crimper device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the crimper device of the present invention, and is an explanatory view showing a cross section of a main part.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of the crimper device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a lithium battery as one embodiment of a processing object manufactured using the crimper device shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a manufacturing process of the lithium battery shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, wherein FIG. A is a lithium insertion process, FIG. FIG. 7E shows a single electrolyte injection step and a pellet insertion step.

6 (A) and 6 (B) illustrate a manufacturing process of the lithium battery shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 (F) shows a second electrolytic solution injecting process, FIG. 6 (G) shows a battery can mounting process, FIG. FIG. I shows a second crimping step, and FIG. J shows a lithium battery as a product.

FIG. 7 shows a conventional crimper device, and is an explanatory view in which a part is sectioned.

[Explanation of symbols]

13 lithium battery (workpiece), 14 battery can,
15 Battery cover, 19 Gasket, 21 Crimper device, 22 Upper punch member, 23 Lower punch member, 24 Punch sleeve, 24a, 24b Reference shaft portion, 25 Holder, 26 Screw block, 27
Punch rod, 28, 29 Split holder, 30
Hinge (hinge means), 32, 33 divided block, 35 elastic body, 36 connecting screw, 38 clamp lever, 40a, 40b support hole (support portion), 4
1 screw shaft part, 42 screw hole part, 45 die holder, 50 die member, 51 table

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A pair of punch members capable of holding an object to be processed and being integrally movable while holding the object to be processed, and one punch member of the pair of punch members. A punch sleeve that is slidably supported in the axial direction; a die member that is fixed to the punch sleeve and through which one of the punch members is slidably penetrated; and supports the punch sleeve slidably in the axial direction. A crimper device, comprising: a holder; and a crimping device that presses the workpiece against the die member by moving the pair of punch members that sandwich the workpiece, and provides a screw portion to the punch sleeve. A crimper device comprising: a screw block having a screw portion to be screwed into the screw portion; and the screw block supported by the holder. 2. The holder and the screw block are respectively composed of two holder divided bodies and two block divided bodies divided into two from a central portion, and each block divided body is held by the holder divided body. A support portion for supporting the punch sleeve is provided between the joining surfaces of the two holder divided bodies, and the screw portion is provided between the joining surfaces of the two block divided bodies. Claim 1
A crimper device as described. 3. The two holder divided bodies and the two block divided bodies are connected to each other by a connecting member so as to be relatively movable, and an elastic body is provided between the holder divided body and the block divided body. 3. The crimper device according to claim 2, wherein the two block divided bodies are respectively urged toward the punch sleeve side with an interposition. 4. The crimper device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic body is a spring made of spring steel. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising hinge means for connecting said two holder divided bodies so as to be overlapped, and fixing means for detachably fixing said two holder divided bodies. The crimper device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein 6. The support part of the two holder divided bodies and the screw part of the two block divided bodies are provided substantially on the same axis, and are supported by the support part of the punch sleeve. 6. The crimper device according to claim 2, wherein an outer diameter of the support shaft portion is larger than an outer diameter of a screw shaft portion screwed to the screw portion of the punch sleeve. 7. The crimper device according to claim 2, wherein said punch sleeve is provided with adjusting means for adjusting an amount of advance or retreat of said one punch member.