JP2003205371A - Joining device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joining device which controls a pressurizing force easily, surely, finely and also automatically. <P>SOLUTION: The device is equipped with a driving means 41 for driving a movable electrode transfer means 40, an operating means 43 for transmitting a signal for instructing the operation of the driving means 41, and a controller 42. The controller 42, on the basis of the signal transmitted from a sensor 15 for detecting a set pressurizing force and from the operating means 43, controls the operation of the driving means 41 for driving the movable electrode transfer means 40, in a manner enabling a movable electrode 12 to stop at each of the retreat position the joining position and the temporary stop position set before the joining position on a path going from the retreat position to the joining position. The controller 42 also has the ability to automatically change at least the joining position of the movable electrode 12, on the basis of a detection signal from the sensor 15 for detecting a set pressurizing force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joining device suitable for joining components under pressure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a joining apparatus capable of joining parts which are materials to be joined under pressure. Examples of such a joining device include a resistance welding device used for spot welding (spot welding) and seam welding (sewn welding), a reflow soldering device, and the like.

On the other hand, the resistance welding device is, for example, a component of a small electronic device, specifically, a thickness of 2 in a small assembled battery.
It is used for joining between the same-polarity electrodes of a plurality of batteries with a lead wire of about 0 μm, and for joining small parts such as small electronic parts such as coils for small motors. , The parts made of metal to be joined are overlapped or abutted, and a single or a plurality of movable electrodes are brought into contact with the joint with a predetermined pressure so that the movable electrode and the fixed electrode or the plurality of movable electrodes A current (welding current) is caused to flow through the joints by energizing them, and the resistance heat generated at that time is used to melt and pressurize the joints for joining.

The other soldering device is used for electrical connection between parts of a small electronic device such as a mobile phone, and terminals of the electronic parts are connected to corresponding lands of a printed circuit board. The terminals and the lands are soldered together by contacting a heating chip as a pressure head with a predetermined pressure from above and melting the solder supplied to the lands, and both are electrically and physically It is designed to be joined.

In such a joining apparatus, the pressure applied when the electrode (movable electrode) is brought into contact with the joining portion is important. That is, when the applied pressure is too large, there arises inconvenience that the joint portion is displaced, the joint portion is dented, or seriously, there is a hole in the joint portion. Therefore, there is a need for a technique capable of correctly applying a predetermined pressing force to the joint. Generally, the pressure applied for joining the small-sized components is controlled to about 1.0 to 1.5 kg, and the accuracy of the pressure is controlled in units of 100 g.

By the way, in the case of mass production, the conventional joining apparatus can use a dedicated machine having a dedicated design corresponding to a work (material to be joined), so that no problem occurs, but high-mix low-volume production is possible. In the case of joining products for manufacturing or products having a short life cycle, inexpensive products having general design specifications with versatility that are manually operated are used.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a resistance welding device as a conventional welding device having general versatility.

As shown in FIG. 10, a resistance welding apparatus 1 as a conventional welding apparatus includes a workbench 2 (only a part of which is shown in FIG. 10) and an electrode support base disposed on the upper surface of the workbench 2. Three
And have. Further, in the resistance welding device 1, the right side in FIG. 10 is the front side FS that the worker faces when performing the welding operation, and the left side in FIG. 10 is located on the opposite side to the front side FS. It is used as the back side BS. The electrode support base 3 includes a table mounting portion 3 a attached to the upper surface of the workbench 2 and the table mounting portion 3 a.
The head support portion 3b is provided upright from the end of the rear surface BS on the upper surface of a to form a substantially L shape on the front surface. The base portion 4a of the fixed electrode holder 4 is fixed to the front end of the upper surface of the one table mounting portion 3a.
A fixed electrode 5 formed in a rod shape is detachably fixed to the front end of the fixed electrode holder 4 with its tip facing upward. On the front side surface of the other head support portion 3b,
A slide guide 6 is fixed with its longitudinal direction oriented vertically, and the slide guide 6 has a slide 7
Are movably supported along the slide guide 6.

A left side wall 8L of a welding head 8 formed in an inverted U shape is fixed to the front side surface of the slide 7. A pair of left and right movable electrode holder support shafts 9L and 9R are vertically pierced through a lower wall 8D of the welding head 8 through a bearing metal 10 which is a slide bearing and are reciprocally supported. These movable electrode holder support shafts 9L and 9R are arranged at an interval in the front-rear direction, and the base portions 11a of the movable electrode holders 11 are stretched over the lower ends of the welding heads 8 projecting downward. The rod-shaped movable electrode 12 is attached to the front end of the movable electrode holder 11 so that the tip of the movable electrode 12 faces the tip of the fixed electrode 5 and can be attached and detached downward. It is fixed. The movable electrode holder support shaft 9L on one back side BS is short, and the upper end thereof protrudes inside the welding head 8, more specifically, between the upper wall 8U and the lower wall 8D of the welding head 8 in FIG. Front side FS
The movable electrode holder support shaft 9R is long, and its upper end projects and projects above the welding head 8, more specifically, above the upper wall 8U of the welding head 8. The upper end surface of the movable electrode holder support shaft 9L on the back side BS and the middle part of the movable electrode holder support shaft 9R on the front side FS, which is at the same height as this, are connected to each other by a connecting plate 13. Further, the connection plate 13 of the movable electrode holder support shaft 9R on the front side FS
A pressure spring 14 composed of a compression coil spring is mounted on the outer periphery of the upper position. In the pressure spring 14, the two movable electrode holder support shafts 9 (reference numeral 9 collectively refers to a pair of left and right movable electrode holder support shafts 9L and 9R) are welded to the welding head 8.
On the other hand, when it moves upwards and rises, its axial length is flexed so that a compressive force consisting of a spring force is generated, and it becomes possible to obtain a pressing force by this compressive force. ing.

A set pressing force detection sensor for detecting the timing when the pressing force reaches a predetermined value is provided in the intermediate portion of the upper surface of the lower wall 8D of the welding head 8 where the two movable electrode holder support shafts 9 are arranged. The micro switch 15 is provided. This micro switch 15 is a CP not shown.
Work W that is a component used for joining the movable electrode 12 that is electrically connected to a control unit including U and a memory and that is connected to the two movable electrode holder support shafts 9L and 9R.
In the state where the movable electrode 12 is in contact with the fixed electrode 5 via the contact point, that is, in the state where the movable electrode 12 is held in the joint position where the movable electrode 12 is in contact with the joint portion of the work W with a predetermined pressing force (not shown), the connecting plate The contactor 15a operates due to the rise of 13 to detect the timing at which the pressurizing force generated by the bending of the pressure spring 14 so as to contract so that the axial length of the pressing spring 14 reaches a predetermined value, and to output the detection signal. It can be sent to the control unit.

Below the table surface 2a of the workbench 2, a driven link 17 and a foot pedal 19 which integrally rotate around a drive shaft 18 in a bell crank shape are connected. The tip and the lower end of the welding head 8 are connected by a connecting link 16. This allows
By operating the foot pedal 19 to depress it, the welding head 8 can be moved downward. The operating position of the foot pedal 19 is controlled by a stopper (not shown), which causes the bottom dead center of the welding head 8, that is, the movable electrode 12 to move to the work W.
The joining position where the joining portion abuts with a predetermined pressing force is regulated.

A movable electrode moving means 20 for moving the movable electrode 12 to and from the fixed electrode 5 is constituted by the slide guide 6, the slide 7 and the welding head 8 arranged on the electrode support base 3. .

Further, the connecting link 16, the driven link 17,
The drive shaft 18 and the foot pedal 19 constitute drive means 21 for driving the movable electrode moving means 20.

A welding power source (not shown) is electrically connected to both electrodes 5 and 12, and a welding current can be supplied between both electrodes 5 and 12.

In the welding operation by the resistance welding apparatus 1 as the conventional welding apparatus having such a structure, the work W, which is a component to be welded, is placed on the tip of the fixed electrode 5 in a state of being superposed. As shown in the timing chart 11 of FIG. 11, a foot pedal 19 (which is referred to as a pedal in FIG. 11) that constitutes a part of the driving means 21 by the operator's foot.
Is started by, for example, operating from the origin shown by the solid line in FIG. 10 to the position of the moving end shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. When the foot pedal 19 is depressed from t00, the drive shaft 18 rotates clockwise. By the clockwise rotation of the drive shaft 18, the right end of the driven link 17 rotates clockwise around the drive shaft 18, and the connection link 16 connected to the tip of the driven link 17 moves downward. . The downward movement of the connecting link 16 causes the welding head 8 to move downward from the position shown in FIG. At this time, the slider 7 fixed to the welding head 8 is moved to the slide guide 6
By moving the welding head 8 downward along the path, the movement locus of the welding head 8 can be reliably controlled so that the tip of the movable electrode 12 contacts the tip of the fixed electrode 5. Then, by moving the welding head 8 downward, the movable electrode 12 (see FIG.
1) is moved downward from the retracted position (denoted as the origin in FIG. 11), which is the origin shown in FIG. 10, toward the tip of the fixed electrode 5, and the joining portion of the workpiece W (work in FIG. 11). Contact the surface) (t01
At the time), the movable electrode 8 reaches the contact position where it contacts the work surface from the origin. At this time, the pressure spring 14 is not compressed and is in a flexed state.

However, in practice, the microswitch 15
When the switch is turned on, the connecting plate 13 and the spring holding member 51 have a length previously adjusted by the adjusting knob 50 (with a predetermined amount of deflection) so that a predetermined pressing force is obtained.
The pressure spring 14 is held between and. Therefore,
The above-mentioned non-deflected state is not a state in which it is not deflected at all, but indicates that it is not deflected from the length adjusted by the adjusting knob 50.

Further, even after the movable electrode 12 reaches the contact position, the downward movement of the welding head 8 continues (at t02),
Only the welding head 8 descends with the tip of the movable electrode 12 held in contact with the joint of the workpiece W. As a result, the movable electrode 12 approaches the welding head 8 (at t02 to t03). At this time, the movable electrode holder support shaft 9 relatively moves upward with respect to the welding head 8, and the connecting plate 13 fixed to the movable electrode holder support shaft 9 moves in a direction away from the contact 15a of the microswitch 15. To do. By the movement of the connecting plate 13, the pressure spring 1
4 is compressed and contracted in the axial direction, and the pressure spring 14 bends. Then, after the compression force of the pressure spring 14 reaches a predetermined magnitude (at time t04) and the deflection becomes the required deflection, the compression force of the pressure spring 14 becomes maximum and becomes a deflection. At (t05), the welding head 8 reaches the bottom dead center and its downward movement is stopped. Further, when the compression force of the pressure spring 14 reaches a predetermined value (at t03), the contactor 15a of the microswitch 15 operates, whereby the axial length of the pressure spring 14 contracts. The pressing force generated by the bending is detected and the detection signal is sent to the control unit. Then, the control unit that has received the pressure detection signal transmitted from the microswitch 15 transmits a welding start signal (at time t03a). Then, when the welding start signal is sent, after the squeeze time set by the welding power source has elapsed, welding current is applied between the electrodes 5 and 12 (at t04), and the work W is joined. . When the welding current is applied, the joint portion of the work W is melted, so that the position of the movable electrode 12 is lowered by the pressing force of the pressure spring 14 by the amount of the melted work surface (at t05). ). Also, the foot pedal 19 is
By the urging force of a spring (not shown), the welding head 8 always reaches the top dead center, the movable electrode 12 is held at the retracted position farthest from the fixed electrode 5, and when the joining of the joints of the workpiece W is completed. By removing the foot from the foot pedal 19, each part returns to its original state.

[0018]

By the way, in the resistance welding apparatus 1 as the conventional welding apparatus, the thickness of the welding portion changes depending on the type of the workpiece W which is a component (material to be welded) to be welded. It is necessary to properly apply a predetermined pressing force to the joint for each thickness of the joint. For this reason, it is necessary to adjust the position of the stopper for controlling the stepped position of the foot pedal 19 for regulating the position of the bottom dead center of the welding head 8, which causes a problem that setup change takes time. . Further, the position adjustment of the stopper is also necessary due to the consumption of the electrodes 5 and 12. That is, it is necessary to adjust the position of the stopper during the work. Therefore, in reality, the welding work is performed depending on the intuition of the operator without adjusting the position of the stopper. As a result, there is a problem in that the welding pressure varies depending on the joining of the components due to the skill level of the workers, individual differences among the workers, and the joining quality of the components varies.

Also in the soldering device as the joining device, the position of the stopper for controlling the stepped position of the foot pedal for regulating the position of the bottom dead center of the pressure head on which the heating tip which is the electrode is arranged. Had to be adjusted, and there was a problem similar to that of the resistance welding apparatus 1.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a joining device capable of easily, reliably, finely and automatically controlling a pressing force.

[0021]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the joining device of the present invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that at least one of the plurality of electrodes is a movable electrode. The movable electrode moving means for moving the electrode toward and away from the material to be welded and the set pressure detection sensor for detecting the timing when the pressure applied by the movable electrode reaches a predetermined value are provided. A driving device for driving the movable electrode moving means in a joining device that presses the joining portion with a predetermined pressing force and supplies a current between the movable electrode and another electrode through the joining portion to perform the joining. And a control means for transmitting a signal for instructing the operation of the drive means, and a control section for controlling the operation of each section. The control section is based on the signals transmitted from the set pressurizing force detection sensor and the operation means. Mobile phone Is a retracted position separated from the joint of the materials to be welded, a joint position where the movable electrode is in contact with the joint of the materials to be welded with a predetermined pressing force, and a joint position on the forward path from the retracted position to the movable electrode. The operation of the drive means for driving the movable electrode moving means is controlled so that the movable electrode moving means can be stopped at each of the temporary stop positions provided in front of the It is configured so that it can be changed automatically based on the detection signal of the pressing force. By adopting such a configuration, the position of the movable electrode can be automatically controlled based on the signals sent from the set pressure detection sensor and the operating means, so that the pressure can be applied easily and reliably. It can be finely controlled.

Further, the welding device of the present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the movable electrode, the movable electrode moving means for moving the movable electrode to and from the material to be welded, and the pressure applied by the movable electrode is predetermined. It has a set pressure detection sensor that detects the timing of reaching the value, and the movable electrode presses the joint part of the material to be joined with a predetermined pressure, and the movable electrode is heated to join the joint device. It has a driving means for driving the electrode moving means, an operating means for sending a signal instructing the operation of the driving means, and a control section for controlling the operation of each section. And a retracted position in which the movable electrode is separated from the joint of the materials to be joined, and a joint position in which the movable electrode is in contact with the joint of the materials to be joined with a predetermined pressing force, based on a signal sent from the operating means, Movable electrode retracts The operation of the drive means for driving the movable electrode moving means is controlled so that the movable electrode moving means can be stopped at each of the temporary stop position provided in front of the welding position on the outward path from the position to the welding position. It is configured such that the joining position can be automatically changed based on the detection signal of the pressing force from the set pressing force detection sensor. By adopting such a configuration, the position of the movable electrode can be automatically controlled based on the signals sent from the set pressurizing force detection sensor and the operating means, so that the pressurizing force can be easily and reliably obtained. It can be finely controlled.

Further, the joining device of the present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in claim 1 or 2, the operating means is a two-step foot switch, and the controller is a two-step foot switch. The first step is to move the movable electrode from the standby position to the temporary stop position, and the second step is to move the movable electrode from the temporary stop position to the joining position. By adopting such a configuration, the movable electrode can be held at the temporary stop position, so that the positional relationship between the electrode and the joint portion of the component can be visually recognized.

Further, a feature of the joining device of the present invention according to claim 4 is that in any one of claims 1 to 3, the driving means is a motor. By adopting such a configuration, the movable electrode moving means can be easily driven.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The same components as those of the conventional one described above are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a joining device according to the present invention. The joining apparatus of the present embodiment is configured to easily and reliably finely control the low pressing force and apply the joining force to the joining portion of the work W which is a small component as a material to be joined to perform joining. A resistance welding device in which one of them is a fixed electrode and the other is a movable electrode is illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 1, a resistance welding device 31 as a joining device of this embodiment includes a workbench 2 (only a part of which is shown in FIG. 1) and electrodes arranged on the upper surface of the workbench 2. It has a support base 33. This resistance welding device 31 is shown in FIG.
The right side in Fig. 1 is the front side FS that the worker faces when performing the welding operation, and the left side in Fig. 1 is the back side BS located on the opposite side to the front side FS.

The electrode support base 33 is erected upward from the table mounting portion 33a attached to the upper surface of the workbench 2 and the end of the rear surface BS on the upper surface of the table mounting portion 33a. Head support portion 33b and head support portion 33
The motor mounting portion 33c is formed so as to extend from the upper end edge of b toward the front side FS, and is formed in a substantially inverted U-shape in front of FIG.

The base portion 4a of the fixed electrode holder 4 is fixed to the front end portion of the upper surface of the table attachment portion 33a, and the fixed electrode holder 4 has a rod-shaped fixed electrode at the front end portion. 5 is detachably fixed with its tip facing upward.

A slide guide 6 is fixed to the right side surface in FIG. 1 located on the front side FS of the head support portion 33b with the longitudinal direction of the slide guide 6 oriented vertically. Are movably supported along the slide guide 6.

On the upper surface of the motor mounting portion 33c, a motor as a driving means for driving a movable electrode moving means 40 described later, more specifically, a servo motor 41 is attached. This servo motor 41 has an output shaft 41 that can move forward and backward.
a, the tip of the output shaft 41a penetrates the motor mounting portion 33c in the vertical direction and projects below the motor mounting portion 33c. The servo motor 41 is electrically connected to the control unit 42, and the output shaft 4 is output at a predetermined timing according to a control command sent from the control unit 42.
1a is formed to be movable up and down.

The drive means may be electrically driven or pneumatically driven, and further, the output shaft such as a reciprocating actuator or the like reciprocates, or the output shaft such as a rotating actuator or the like is rotationally driven. It may be one. When using a rotary actuator, for example, a rotary actuator whose output shaft rotates, such as a stepping motor, the output shaft is reciprocated in the axial direction by a linear motion mechanism that can convert the rotary motion of a ball screw into a linear motion. It is preferable to use a structure for moving or a structure in which the output shaft that is rotationally driven and the welding head 8 are connected using a linear motion mechanism capable of converting rotational motion such as a ball screw into linear motion.

On the front side surface of the slide 7, a left side wall 8L of a welding head 8 formed in an inverted U shape is fixed. The back side BS of the upper surface of the upper wall 8U of the welding head 8
An end of an output shaft 41a of the servo motor 41 is fixed to the. Therefore, the welding head 8 is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the vertical direction by driving the servo motor 41.

On the lower wall 8D of the welding head 8, a pair of left and right movable electrode holder support shafts 9L and 9R are vertically pierced through a bearing metal 10 which is a slide bearing and are reciprocally supported. . These movable electrode holder support shafts 9L and 9R are arranged at intervals in the front and rear, and the base portions 11a of the movable electrode holders 11 are stretched over the lower ends of the welding heads 8 projecting downward. The rod-shaped movable electrode 12 is attached to the front end of the movable electrode holder 11 so that the tip of the movable electrode 12 faces the tip of the fixed electrode 5 and can be attached and detached downward. It is fixed.

The movable electrode holder support shaft 9L on one back side BS is short, and its upper end is projected inside the welding head 8, more specifically, between the upper wall 8U and the lower wall 8D of the welding head 8 in FIG. The movable electrode holder support shaft 9R on the other front side FS is long, and its upper end is above the welding head 8.
More specifically, the welding head 8 is projected through the upper wall 8U. The movable electrode holder support shaft 9 on the back side BS
The upper end surface of L and the middle part of the movable electrode holder support shaft 9R on the front side FS which is at the same height as L are connected to each other by a connecting plate 13.

A pressure spring 14 composed of a compression coil spring is mounted on the outer periphery of the movable electrode holder support shaft 9R on the front side FS above the connecting plate 13. The length of the pressure spring 14 is adjusted by the adjusting knob 50 so that a predetermined pressure is applied when the micro switch 15 is turned on, and the pressure spring 14 is held between the connecting plate 13 and the spring holding member 51. . The two movable electrode holder support shafts 9 (reference numeral 9 is a pair of left and right movable electrode holder support shafts 9).
L, 9R collectively) moves upward with respect to the welding head 8 and rises, so that the axial length thereof contracts to generate a compressive force of a spring force. It is possible to obtain the pressing force by.

A set pressurizing force detection sensor for detecting the timing when the pressurizing force reaches a predetermined value is provided in the intermediate portion of the upper surface of the lower wall 8D of the welding head 8 where the two movable electrode holder supporting shafts 9 are provided. The micro switch 15 is provided. The micro switch 15 is electrically connected to the control unit 42 and includes two movable electrode holder support shafts 9
The movable electrode 12 connected to L and 9R is in contact with the fixed electrode 5 via the work W, which is a component used for joining, that is, the movable electrode 12 is applied to the joint portion of the work W with a predetermined pressing force. When the connecting plate 13 is held at the contacting contact position, the contactor 15a, which is in contact with the lower surface of the connecting plate 13 when the connecting plate 13 is lifted, is separated from the connecting plate 13, and thus the pressing spring 14 is axially moved. It is possible to detect the timing when the pressurizing force generated by the flexing of the length so that it reaches a predetermined value, and send the detection signal to the control unit 42.

The set pressure detection sensor is not limited to the contact type micro switch 15, and may be a non-contact type sensor such as a proximity switch or an optical sensor.

A movable electrode moving means 40 for moving the movable electrode 12 to and from the fixed electrode 5 is constituted by the slide guide 6, the slide 7, and the welding head 8 arranged on the electrode support base 33. .

The control section 42 of the present embodiment has an I / O interface (not shown) used to connect the CPU, a memory formed by a ROM, a RAM, etc., each having an appropriate capacity, and each section of the resistance welding apparatus 31. ) And have.
The control unit 42 includes a micro switch 15, a servo motor 41, a two-step foot switch 43, and a control power supply 4.
4. An unillustrated welding power source and operation panel are electrically connected. Then, the control panel 44
An on / off switch, a touch panel used for setting a pause position and various displays are provided.

The two-step foot switch 43 functions as an operating means for sending a signal instructing the operation of the servomotor 41.

In the memory of the control unit 42, the movable electrode 12 is moved from the fixed electrode 5 to the fixed electrode 5 on the basis of the signals sent from the micro switch 15 as the set pressure detection sensor and the two-step foot switch 43 as the operating means. For example, the retracted position most distant from each other, the joining position where the movable electrode 12 abuts the joining portion of the workpiece W with a predetermined pressing force, and the movable electrode 12 is provided in front of the joining position on the outward path from the retracted position to the joining position. The operation of the servomotor 41 for driving the movable electrode moving means 40 is controlled so that the movable electrode moving means 40 can be stopped at each of the temporary stop positions, and at least the bonding position of the movable electrode 12 is detected by the microswitch 15 It stores a program that can be changed automatically based on a signal. Further, in the memory of the control unit 42, the movable electrode 12 is moved from the standby position to the temporary stop position by the first step depression operation of the two-step foot switch 43, and the movable electrode 1 is moved by the second step depression operation.
A program for controlling the operation of the servo motor 41 so as to move 2 from the temporary stop position to the joining position is stored.

A welding power source (not shown) is electrically connected to both electrodes 5 and 12, and the welding current is supplied after the squeeze time has elapsed based on the welding start signal sent from the control unit 42. Is to be done. This squeeze time is set by the welding power source.

Further, the resistance welding device 31 of the present embodiment may be provided with a retracted position detecting sensor for detecting the retracted position of the movable electrode 12. By providing this retracted position detection sensor, the movable electrode 12, that is, the top dead center of the welding head 8 is reliably detected by the detection signal from the retracted position detection sensor, and the position of the welding head 8 at the time of the returning operation is always constant. It can be stopped automatically and reliably at the position.

Furthermore, the two-step type depression switch 43
Is a speed-sensitive type capable of sending out two different ON signals corresponding to the stepping speed. When the stepping is fast, the driving speed of the servo motor 41 is fast, and when the stepping is slow, the driving speed of the servo motor 41 is slow. It may be configured to do so.

Further, the fixed electrode 5 and the movable electrode 12 can be arranged so that the moving direction of the movable electrode 12 is an arbitrary direction such as a horizontal direction, depending on the design concept and the like.

Still further, a structure in which a temporary stop position sensor is provided may be adopted. In this case, a simple depression switch can be used as the operating means.

Furthermore, the number of fixed electrodes 5 or movable electrodes 12 may be two or more.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a standby state before welding of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of this embodiment. In this standby state, as shown before T00 of the timing chart of FIG. Two-step foot switch 43 as means
Is not operated and the two-step foot switch 43 is OF
It is said to be F. Further, the servo motor 41 as a driving means is not driven and is located at the origin, and holds the welding head 8 at the top dead center. Then, the movable electrode 12
Holds the retracted position (referred to as the origin in FIG. 2) farthest from the fixed electrode 5. Further, the pressure spring 14
Is adjusted to a predetermined length by an adjusting screw 50 and is held between the connecting plate 13 and the spring holding member 51. Further, the control unit 42 sets the movable electrode 12 to the retracted position most distant from the fixed electrode 5 based on the signals sent from the micro switch 15 as the set pressure detection sensor and the two-step foot switch 43 as the operating means. The welding start signal and welding current of the welding power source
It is controlled to be FF.

In the welding operation of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of the present embodiment, the work W, which is a component to be joined, is placed on the tip of the fixed electrode 5 in a superposed state, and the two-step foot switch 43 is set. Start by depressing and turning on the first step (at T00).

Next, when the welding operation is started (after T00), the control unit 42 sends a drive command for the servo motor 41, the output shaft 41a of the servo motor 41 extends downward, and the welding head moves. , Moves downward from the position shown in FIG. At this time, the slider 7 fixed to the welding head 8 moves downward along the slide guide 6, so that the movement locus of the welding head 8 moves.
The tip of is securely controlled so as to contact the tip of the fixed electrode 5. Then, by moving the welding head 8 downward,
The tip of the movable electrode 12 (referred to as an electrode in FIG. 2) is shown in FIG.
Retracted position, which is the origin shown in (shown as the origin in Fig. 2)
Moves downward from the fixed electrode 5 toward the tip of the fixed electrode 5. Then, the servomotor 41 temporarily stops the lowering of the welding head 8 at a temporary stop position (referred to as a set position in FIG. 2) provided in front of the retracted position on the outward path of the movable electrode 12 from the retracted position to the joining position. (At T01).

In this way, at the temporary stop position, the welding head 8,
Specifically, by holding the movable electrode 12, it is possible to easily visually confirm the positional relationship between the electrode 12 and the joint portion of the component and the state of the work W. At this time, if the position of the work W is misaligned, the misalignment can be corrected.
Welding defects can be eliminated. This resistance welding equipment 31
FIG. 3 shows a temporarily stopped state in which the movable electrode 12 is held at the temporarily stopped position.

Then, when the two-step foot switch 43 is further depressed to turn on the second step (at T02), the control section 42 sends a drive command for the servo motor 41, and the output shaft 41a of the servo motor 41 is Further extending downward, the welding head moves further downward from the temporary stop position shown in FIG. 3 to come into contact with a joint portion (referred to as a work surface in FIG. 2) of the work W, and the movable electrode 8 Reaches the contact position where the tip contacts the work surface from the origin (T03
Time). At this time, the pressure spring 14 is in a flexed state without being compressed with the length adjusted by the adjusting screw 50 as it is. The movable electrode 8 of this resistance welding device 31
FIG. 4 shows a contact state in which the abutting contact the joint portion of the work W.

Then, the welding head 8 continues to move downward even after the movable electrode 12 reaches the contact position (T03-
At T04), the movable electrode 12 is immovable by the servo motor 41 being further driven in a state where the tip of the movable electrode 12 is kept in contact with the joint portion of the workpiece W.
Only the welding head 8 descends. Thereby, the movable electrode 1
2 is closer to the welding head 8. At this time, the movable electrode holder support shaft 9 moves upward relative to the welding head 8, and the connecting plate 13 fixed to the movable electrode holder support shaft 9 moves in a direction away from the contact 15a of the microswitch 15. To do. By the movement of the connecting plate 13, the pressure spring 14 is compressed and contracted in the axial direction, so that the pressure spring 14 bends. Then, when the compression force of the pressure spring 14 reaches a predetermined magnitude and the deflection becomes the required deflection (T04), the contact 1 of the microswitch 15
5a operates away from the ring plate 13, and the microswitch 15 sends an ON signal, which is a detection signal when the pressurizing spring 14 has caused a required deflection to generate a predetermined pressing force, to the control unit 42. Then, the control unit 42, which has received the ON signal which is the detection signal of the pressing force sent from the micro switch 15, stops the driving of the servo motor 41 and holds the welding head 8 at the bottom dead center. FIG. 5 shows a welding start state in which the movable electrode 8 of the resistance welding device 31 holds the welding position where it is brought into contact with the welding portion of the work W by a predetermined pressing force.

Since the control unit 42 is configured to determine the joining position of the movable electrode 12 based on at least the detection signal of the pressing force sent from the microswitch 15, the work which is a component to be joined is joined. Even if the thickness of the joint changes depending on the type of W, the joint position can always be detected accurately. Therefore, even if the thickness of the joining portion changes depending on the type of the work W that is a component to be joined, the joining position, which is the position of the movable electrode 12, is automatically changed based on the detection signal of the pressing force from the microswitch 15. It is configured to be possible.

Then, the welding head 8 reaches the bottom dead center,
When the movable electrode 8 is in contact with the joint of the work W with a predetermined pressure, the control unit 42 that receives the ON signal which is the detection signal of the pressure sent from the microswitch 15
Send a welding start signal (at T05). When the welding start signal (from T05 to T08) is sent, the squeeze time set by the welding power source has passed (at T06).
After that, welding current is applied between both electrodes 5 and 12 (T
From 06 to T07), the work W is joined. When the welding current is applied, the joint portion of the work W is melted, so that the position of the movable electrode 12 is lowered by the pressing force of the pressure spring 14 by the amount of the work surface melted (T06-). At T09). FIG. 6 shows the welding in progress of the resistance welding apparatus 31.

Then, when the joining of the joining portions of the work W is completed (at T09), by removing the foot from the two-step foot switch 43, each portion returns to its original state (at T10),
One cycle of the welding operation (at T00 to T10) is completed.

It should be noted that before the movable electrode 12 returns beyond the temporary stop position to the retracted position (the micro switch 15 is turned off).
By turning ON the first step of the two-step foot switch 43 after T09a which becomes FF, the next work W can be joined. Thereby, the cycle time required for joining one work W can be forcibly shortened.

As described above, the resistance welding apparatus 3 of this embodiment is used.
According to 1, the movable electrode 1 is based on the signals sent from the micro switch 15 and the two-step foot switch 43.
Since the position 2 can be automatically controlled, the pressing force can be easily and reliably controlled finely and automatically. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the variation in the joining quality of the work W and always keep it high.

In addition, 2 of the resistance welding device 31 of the present embodiment
According to the step type foot switch 43, it is easy to hold the movable electrode 12 in the temporary stop position.
The positional relationship between 12 and the joint portion of the work can be visually confirmed. As a result, the work W can be prevented from being displaced in advance, so that it is possible to easily eliminate defective welding.

Furthermore, the resistance welding device 3 of the present embodiment.
According to the first motor, specifically, the servomotor 41, the movable electrode moving means 40 can be easily driven.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the joining device according to the present invention. The joining apparatus of the present embodiment is capable of finely controlling the low pressing force easily and surely and applying it to the joining portion of the work W, which is a component of a small article as a material to be joined, to perform joining. The resistance welding apparatus using the movable electrode 12 is illustrated. In the resistance welding apparatus 31A as the joining apparatus of the present embodiment, the fixed electrode holder 4 of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of the first embodiment described above is provided at the front end of the upper surface of the table attachment portion 33a of the electrode support base 33A. A work support base 33d is provided on the upper surface of the work support base 33d so as to project upward.
Is supported from below. At the front end of the movable electrode holder 11A, two movable electrodes 12 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 7) formed in the shape of a rod as an electrode are placed downward so that the tips of the movable electrodes 12 face the work support 33d. It is fixed so that it can be removed. That is, at the front end of the movable electrode holder 11A of the present embodiment, a pair of left and right movable electrodes 12 as viewed from the front FS are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. There is.

The rest of the configuration is similar to that of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of the first embodiment described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, the welding operation by the resistance welding apparatus 31A of the present embodiment is also similar to that of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of the first embodiment described above, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the resistance welding device 31A as the joining device of the present embodiment having such a configuration, the same effect as that of the resistance welding device 31 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. That is, the microswitch 1 as a set pressure detection sensor
5 and the position of the movable electrode 12 can be automatically controlled based on the signal sent from the two-step foot switch 43 as the operating means, so that the pressing force can be controlled easily and surely and finely. .

8 and 9 show a third embodiment of the joining device according to the present invention. The joining apparatus of the present embodiment exemplifies a reflow type soldering apparatus that solders the joint portion of the work W by the electrode heating tip as the movable electrode. In the soldering device 31B as the joining device of the present embodiment, the above-mentioned first portion is provided on the front end of the upper surface of the table attachment portion 33a of the electrode support base 33B.
Instead of the fixed electrode holder 4 of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of the embodiment, a work support base 33d is provided so as to project upward, and the work W is supported from below by the upper surface of the work support base 33d. Has become. An electrode tip (heating tip) 12B serving as a movable electrode is detachably fixed to the front end of the movable electrode holder 11B so that its tip faces the work support 33d. . The electrode tip 12B is used in accordance with the joint (not shown) of the workpiece W that is the material to be joined, and may be selected from various types according to the size and shape of the joint. Has become. Further, as the electrode tip 12B, as shown in FIG.
When viewed from above, the upper part thereof is divided into right and left by a slit or an insulating member, and a structure in which power is supplied from a power supply device (not shown) is generally used for each upper part.

The other construction is the same as that of the resistance welding apparatus 31 of the first embodiment described above, and therefore its detailed description is omitted. Also, the soldering operation by the joining device of the present embodiment is substantially the same as that of the resistance welding device 31 of the first embodiment described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the soldering device 31B as the joining device of the present embodiment having such a configuration, the same effect as that of the resistance welding device 31 of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. That is, the micro switch 15 as the set pressure detection sensor and the two-step foot switch 43 as the operating means.
Since the position of the electrode tip 12B as the movable electrode can be automatically controlled on the basis of the signal sent from, the pressing force can be easily and surely controlled finely.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but various modifications can be made as necessary. For example, the temporary stop position is not limited to one, and may be provided at a plurality of positions. For example, the movable electrode may be moved to the bonding position after being temporarily stopped twice. The present invention can also be applied to seam welding using a rotating (roller) electrode.

[0070]

As described above, according to the bonding apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to achieve an extremely excellent effect that the pressing force can be controlled easily, reliably, finely and automatically.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part of a welding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a standby state.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of the bonding apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a temporary stop state of the joining apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a contact state of the welding device of FIG.

5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a welding start state of the joining device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a welding intermediate state of the joining device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the main part of the second embodiment of the joining device according to the present invention in a paused state.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the main part of the third embodiment of the joining device according to the present invention in a paused state.

9 is a front view showing an example of an electrode chip of the bonding apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a main part of a resistance welding device as a conventional joining device.

11 is a timing chart showing the operation of the resistance welding apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Fixed electrode holder 5 fixed electrode 6 Slide guide 7 slides 8 welding head 9 Movable electrode holder support shaft 11, 11A, 11B Movable electrode holder 12 movable electrodes 12B electrode tip 13 Connection plate 14 Pressure spring 15 micro switch 31, 31A, 31B Resistance welding equipment 33, 33A, 33B electrode support 33d work support 40 Movable electrode moving means 41 Servo motor 42 Control unit 43 Two-step foot switch FS front side BS back side W work

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. At least one of a plurality of electrodes is a movable electrode, and movable electrode moving means for moving the movable electrode to and from a material to be joined and a pressure applied by the movable electrode to a predetermined value. And a bonding force between the movable electrode and another electrode while pressurizing the bonding part of the material to be bonded by the movable electrode with a predetermined pressing force. In a bonding apparatus for supplying a current through a connector to perform bonding, drive means for driving the movable electrode moving means, operation means for sending a signal instructing the operation of the drive means, and control of operation of each part And a retracted position in which the movable electrode is separated from the joining portion of the materials to be joined, based on a signal sent from the set pressure detection sensor and the operating means. A joining position where the movable electrode is in contact with the joining portion of the materials to be joined with a predetermined pressing force, and a temporary stop position where the movable electrode is provided in front of the joining position on the outward path from the retracted position to the joining position. The operation of the drive means for driving the movable electrode moving means is controlled so that each of them can be stopped, and at least the joining position of the movable electrode is based on the detection signal of the applied pressure from the set applied pressure detection sensor. A joining device characterized by being configured so that it can be automatically changed. 2. A movable electrode, a movable electrode moving means for moving the movable electrode toward and away from a material to be joined, and a set pressure detection sensor for detecting the timing when the pressure applied by the movable electrode reaches a predetermined value. In the joining apparatus for pressing the joining portion of the materials to be joined by the movable electrode with a predetermined pressing force, and heating the movable electrode to perform joining, for driving the movable electrode moving means. A driving unit, an operating unit that sends out a signal instructing the operation of the driving unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, and the control unit is configured to detect the setting pressure detection sensor and the operating unit. A retracted position in which the movable electrode is separated from the joint of the members to be joined based on the signal sent out, and a joint position in which the movable electrode is in contact with the joint of the members to be joined with a predetermined pressure. The operation of the driving means for driving the movable electrode moving means is controlled so that the movable electrode can be stopped at each of the forward path from the retracted position to the bonding position and the temporary stop position provided in front of the bonding position. In addition, at least the joining position of the movable electrode is configured to be automatically changeable based on the detection signal of the pressing force from the set pressing force detection sensor. 3. The operation means is a two-step foot switch, and the controller is one of the two-step foot switch.
It is configured such that the movable electrode is moved from the standby position to the temporary stop position by the stepping operation of the second step, and the movable electrode is moved from the temporary stop position to the joining position by the second step operation. The joining device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The joining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is a motor.