JP2005135803A - Ultrasonic welding device and ultrasonic welding method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic welding device and an ultrasonic welding method capable of improving productivity, without producing defective products, by aligning with high precision. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic welding device 10 comprises a holder 15 on which a terminal arranged on a palette 14 is mounted, a holder pushing plate 16 moving the holder in the vertical direction, a lateral guide pressure holding the terminal 13 to align its position in the vertical direction on the holder 15, a standard drawing member 18 performing positioning of the terminal 13 in a wire axis direction, and a wire-clamping member 19 putting the terminal 13 on a conductor part 12, and performs the ultrasonic welding by using an anvil 20 and a horn. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic welding apparatus and an ultrasonic welding method used for welding a conductor portion of an electric wire to a terminal by ultrasonic vibration.

  As an example of a conventional ultrasonic welding apparatus and ultrasonic welding method, there are known an ultrasonic welding apparatus and an ultrasonic welding method for welding workpieces while a pallet containing workpieces to be welded is sequentially conveyed (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

In such an ultrasonic welding apparatus and ultrasonic welding method, not only the welding receiving part is separated from the pallet, but also the pallet comes into direct contact with the workpiece stored in the pallet by moving up and down. Stable welding is performed regardless of variations in processing accuracy for each pallet, using a welding receiving portion that can be commonly received from the lower surface side and a horn at the tip of the welding head.
JP 2002-160299 A (FIG. 1, pages 3 to 4)

  However, in the ultrasonic welding apparatus and the ultrasonic welding method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the positioning between the workpiece and the welded portion cannot be adjusted. Therefore, there is a risk that many defective products that are welded while being displaced are manufactured.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic welding apparatus capable of improving productivity without producing defective products by performing highly accurate positioning, and It is to provide an ultrasonic welding method.

1) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is provided with an anvil that is in contact with a lower side of a terminal on which a conductor portion is placed, and an upper side of the conductor portion that is placed on the terminal. A horn that performs ultrasonic welding by sandwiching the conductor portion and the terminal with an anvil, a wire holding member that holds an electric wire and places the conductor portion on the terminal, and a variety of the conductor portion of the electric wire. An ultrasonic welding apparatus for fixing the terminal to the shape, the holder for placing the terminal, a holder pressing plate for pressing and moving the holder in the vertical direction, and the holder moved by the holder pressing plate And a lateral guide for pressing and holding the terminal to position the terminal in the vertical direction.
2) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is the ultrasonic welding apparatus described in 1) above, wherein the positioning of the terminals in the direction of the wire axis is performed by the reference member in a state in which the pressing by the lateral guide is released. It is characterized by that.

  Here, ultrasonic welding is performed by generating vibration energy of ultrasonic vibration from a horn through a transducer and applying pressure simultaneously with a conductor and a terminal sandwiched between a horn and an anvil. An example is a method of joining by generating strong frictional heat between the conductor part and the terminal, and melting the part to be joined. Moreover, as an electric wire, the power wire and the grounding wire which equipped the conductor part made from a multiple core aluminum alloy can be illustrated. And as a holder, what is formed in plate shape so that a terminal can be mounted, for example, what moves to an up-down direction by the holder pushing plate through the cylinder which generate | occur | produces pressure by hydraulic pressure, air pressure, etc. can be illustrated.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above configuration, the terminal is placed on the holder, the holder is pressed and moved in the vertical direction by the holder pressing plate, and the terminal is pressed by the lateral guide on the holder moved by the holder pressing plate. In a state where the terminal is held and positioned in the up-and-down direction and the pressing by the lateral guide is released, the terminal is positioned in the electric wire axial direction by the reference member and is pressed again by the lateral guide. Then, the electric wire holding member that holds the electric wire places the conductor portion on the terminal where the positioning in the electric wire axial direction by the reference member has been completed, and the anvil is brought into contact with the lower side of the terminal on which the conductive portion is placed. The ultrasonic welding is performed by sandwiching the conductor portion and the terminal with the anvil by the horn disposed on the upper side of the conductor portion placed on the terminal. Therefore, after the positioning of the terminal in the vertical direction and the wire axis direction is performed on the holder, the conductor part of the wire is arranged in accordance with the position, so that defective products can be manufactured by performing high-precision positioning. Therefore, productivity can be improved.

  3) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the ultrasonic welding apparatus described in 1) above, the holder is arranged to be movable up and down on the pallet via a return spring.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above-described configuration, the holder is stably held by the return spring when the holder is pressed and moved in the vertical direction by the holder pressing plate, so that positioning can be performed at a stable position of the holder. it can.

  4) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is the ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of 1) to 3) above, wherein the holder has a through-hole for allowing the anvil to pass therethrough. The welding portion of the terminal is placed corresponding to the through hole.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above configuration, the anvil is brought into contact with the welded portion of the terminal through the through hole of the holder, so that the anvil is reliably brought into contact with the welded portion of the terminal to perform ultrasonic welding. be able to.

  5) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is the ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of 1) to 4) above, wherein the holder pressing plates are disposed in a pair above the holder. It is characterized by.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above configuration, the holder on which the terminal is placed is pressed and moved by the pair of holder pressing plates. Therefore, when the holder is moved for positioning, the holder can be stably arranged by the pair of holder pressing plates.

  6) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is the ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of 1) to 5) above, wherein the pair of lateral guides are arranged on the holder, and the terminals are formed by knock pins. It is characterized by being movable toward.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above-described configuration, the terminal is held by the pair of lateral guides arranged on the holder. Therefore, when the terminal is pressed and held on the holder moved by the holder pressing plate to position the terminal in the vertical direction, the terminal is reliably positioned without being displaced by the lateral guide that moves toward the terminal by the knock pin. Is done.

  7) The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention is the ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of 1) to 6) above, wherein the reference member has a terminal pressing portion corresponding to a variety of terminals. It is characterized by that.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above-described configuration, positioning in the direction of the electric wire axis is performed by the reference member having the terminal pressing portions corresponding to the terminals having various shapes. Therefore, when positioning the terminal in the direction of the electric wire axis in a state in which the pressure by the lateral guide is released, a single-type reference member can be used for various types of terminals. There is no need to create a gathering member, and an increase in man-hours can be avoided.

  8) The ultrasonic welding method according to the present invention is moved by the first step of placing the terminal on the holder, the second step of pressing and moving the holder in the vertical direction by the holder pressing plate, and the holder pressing plate. A third step of pressing and holding the terminal by a horizontal guide to position the terminal in the vertical direction on the holder, and the axial direction of the terminal by the reference member in a state in which the pressing by the horizontal guide is released The conductor portion of the electric wire is placed on the terminal on which the positioning in the wire axial direction by the reference member has been completed by the fourth step of positioning the wire and the electric wire holding member that holds the electric wire having the conductor portion made of aluminum alloy. And a horn disposed on the upper side of the conductor portion placed on the terminal, with the anvil in contact with the lower side of the terminal on which the conductor portion is placed, A sixth step of performing sandwiched by ultrasonic welding and the terminal and the conductor portion at the anvil, and characterized in that it consists of.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus having the above configuration, the terminal is placed on the holder in the first step, the holder is pressed and moved in the vertical direction by the holder pressing plate in the second step, and moved by the holder pressing plate in the third step. On the holder, the terminal is pressed and held by the lateral guide, and the terminal is positioned in the vertical direction. Then, in the state where the pressing by the lateral guide is released in the fourth step, the terminal is positioned in the direction of the wire axis by the reference abutting member, and in the fifth step, the positioning of the wire axis direction by the reference abutting member is performed by the wire clamping member. The conductor portion of the electric wire is placed on the completed terminal. Then, the anvil is brought into contact with the lower side of the terminal on which the conductor portion is placed in the sixth step, and the horn disposed on the upper side of the conductor portion placed on the terminal is used to connect the conductor portion and the terminal with the anvil. Ultrasonic welding is performed with a sandwiched between them. Therefore, after the positioning of the terminal in the vertical direction and the wire axis direction is performed on the holder, the conductor part of the wire is arranged in accordance with the position, so that defective products can be manufactured by performing high-precision positioning. Therefore, productivity can be improved.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the productivity without producing defective products by positioning the terminals in the vertical direction and the wire axis direction with high accuracy.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 is an overall side view of an ultrasonic welding apparatus showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic welding apparatus and ultrasonic welding method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a main part of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an external perspective view around a holder used in the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b), and 6 (c) are shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the reference member used in the ultrasonic welding apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 8 is a front view of the first step of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 is a first view of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view of the third step of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 11 is a front view of a fourth step of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 12 is a side view of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a front view of the sixth step of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an ultrasonic welding for fixing a conductor portion 12 of an electric wire 11 having a conductor portion 12 made of an aluminum alloy to various terminals 13. It is an apparatus, and is provided on a pallet 14 that is transported and moved in the process, and includes a holder 15 on which a terminal 13 is placed. In addition, the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 for pressing and moving the holder 15 in the vertical direction, and the terminal 13 is pressed and held on the holder 15 moved by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 to position the terminal 13 in the vertical direction. Guides 17 (shown in FIG. 2) 17 are provided. Further, the reference abutting member 18 for positioning the terminal 13 in the direction of the electric wire axis in a state where the pressure applied by the lateral guides 17 and 17 is released, and the terminal for which the electric wire 11 is gripped and the positioning in the direction of the electric wire axis by the reference abutting member 18 is finished 13 are provided with electric wire holding members 19 and 19 on which the conductor portion 12 is placed. Further, the anvil 20 that is in contact with the lower side of the terminal 13 on which the conductor portion 12 is placed, and the conductor portion 12 that is disposed on the upper side of the conductor portion 12 that is placed on the terminal 13, A horn (shown in FIG. 3) 21 that performs ultrasonic welding with the terminal 13 interposed therebetween is provided.

  The electric wire 11 is, for example, a power supply line or a grounding wire for automobiles, which includes a multi-core conductor portion 12 made of an alloy using aluminum, iron, copper, or the like, and is a coating that covers the conductor portion 12. When 22 is peeled off by a predetermined amount (predetermined dimension, predetermined weight), it is conveyed to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 with the conductor portion 12 exposed. At this time, the wire pinching members 19 and 19 are used for transporting the wire 11. The electric wire holding members 19 and 19 are held by the upper cylinder 23 and the lower cylinder 24 so as to face each other from above and below to hold the electric wire 11 and are welded to the terminal 13. The electric wire sandwiching members 19 and 19 supply two end portions of one electric wire 11 to two continuous pallets 14 and 14, and respectively connect the terminals 13 to the conductor portions 12 and 12 at the two end portions. Used to fix.

  The terminal 13 is formed using a conductive material such as iron or copper as a raw material. The terminal 13 has a welded portion 13A having a U-shaped cross-sectional view at the center, and is bent into a substantially cylindrical shape at the tip. It has a molded contact portion (shown in FIG. 5) 13B and a distal end bent portion (shown in FIG. 5) 13C that is bent at the end of the contact portion 13B. A foot portion (shown in FIG. 5) 13D to be crimped to the coating 22 is provided.

  The pallet 14 has two shafts 26, 26, 26, 26 erected on the bottom plates 25, 25 divided into two in a quadrangular shape, and a torsion coil is provided outside the shafts 26, 26, 26, 26. Spring-like return springs 27, 27, 27, 27 are arranged. Eight pallets 14 are arranged side by side in the process of the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 and are sequentially transported and moved by a pallet moving mechanism (shown in FIG. 2) 28 to be used for continuous welding. A holder 15 is assembled on the pallet 14.

  The holder 15 is a plate formed in an H-shape, and a through hole 29 for allowing the anvil 20 to be inserted is formed at the center, and this through hole 29 portion is a terminal mounting portion (shown in FIG. 2). ) It is 30. The holder 15 is locked to the upper ends of the four shafts 26, 26, 26, 26 of the pallet 14 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and is urged upward by return springs 27, 27, 27, 27. Yes. Therefore, when it is pressed downward by the holder pressing plates 16, 16, it is moved downward while maintaining the horizontal state by the return springs 27, 27, 27, 27, and when it is not pressed by the holder pressing plates 16, the return spring The elastic repulsive force of 27, 27, 27, 27 moves back upward while maintaining a horizontal state. Since the holder 15 is stably held by the return springs 27, 27, 27, 27 when the holder 15 is pressed and moved by the holder pressing plates 16, 16, the terminal 13 is positioned at the stable position of the holder 15. It can be performed. Further, since the anvil 20 is brought into contact with the welded portion 13A of the terminal 13 through the through-hole 29 of the holder 15, the anvil 20 is reliably brought into contact with the welded portion 13A of the terminal 13 through the through-hole 29 so that the ultrasonic wave Welding can be performed. The holder 15 is provided with lateral guides 17 and 17 (shown in FIG. 2) corresponding to both sides of the through hole 29.

  The lateral guides 17, 17 are arranged in a protruding manner on both sides of the through hole 29 of the holder 15 and are biased upward by return springs 31, 31 toward the through hole 29. And pieces 32 and 32 that can be moved back and forth in an oblique direction. The pieces 32 and 32 advance toward the through-hole 29 by pressing with knock pins (shown in FIG. 3) 33 and 33, thereby pressing and holding the side of the welded portion 13A of the terminal 13 placed on the terminal mounting portion 30. To do. Therefore, when the terminal 13 is pressed and held on the holder 15 moved by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 and the terminal 13 is positioned in the vertical direction, the pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 are moved by the knock pins 33 and 33. By holding the terminal 13, the terminal 13 can be reliably positioned without being displaced. For positioning at this time, the position of the terminal 13 is sensed by a laser sensor (not shown), and is stopped when the positional deviation exceeds, for example, 0.3 mm.

  The holder pressing plates 16, 16 are arranged one above the other above the holder 15, and the cylinders 34 press the holder 15, on which the terminal 13 is placed on the terminal mounting portion 30, downward. Since the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 press the outer end portion of the holder 15, the holder 15 can be stably moved and can be stably disposed at that position.

  The reference member 18 is disposed on the side of the holder 15, and moves forward and backward in the direction of the electric wire axis by the drive mechanism 35. The reference member 18 presses and moves the holder 15 to a predetermined position by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16, and then positions the terminal 13 in the direction of the wire axis in a state where the pressing by the pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 is released. Used to perform At the tip end portion of the reference member 18, there is a terminal pressing portion 18 </ b> A corresponding to various types of terminals 13. Since the terminal pressing portion 18A is formed in accordance with the shape of the terminal 13, when the positioning of the terminal 13 in the wire axial direction is performed with the pressing by the pieces 32, 32 of the lateral guides 17, 17 being released, The terminals 13, 36 (shown in FIG. 6B) and 37 (shown in FIG. 6C) can be positioned in a single shape. Therefore, it is not necessary to create a plurality of types of reference members, and an increase in man-hours can be avoided. For positioning at this time, the position of the terminal 13 is sensed by a photo sensor (not shown), and is stopped when the positional deviation exceeds, for example, 0.3 mm.

  The anvil 20 is disposed below the through hole 29 of the holder 15. The horn 21 is disposed at the center of the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 and is lowered by a cylinder (not shown) when the vertical positioning of the terminal 13 on the holder 15 and the positioning in the electric wire axial direction are completed. The And the conductor part 12 of the electric wire 11 and the welding part 13A of the terminal 13 are inserted | pinched between the anvil 20, the vibration energy of an ultrasonic vibration is generated via a transducer (not shown), and an applied pressure is applied with the anvil 20 As a result, strong frictional heat is generated between the conductor portion 12 and the terminal 13, and the welded portion 13A of the conductor portion 12 and the terminal 13 is melted to perform bonding.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pallet moving mechanism 28 includes a lead shaft 39 rotated by a motor 38 and a nut member 40 meshed with the lead shaft 39, and the nut member 40 is connected to the pallet 14. Has been. The wire holding members 19 and 19 are moved to a position parallel to the lead shaft 39 by the cylinder 41 in the same manner as the pallet moving mechanism 28.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the knock pins 33, 33 are arranged on the sides of the holder pressing plates 16, 16, and the cylinders 42, 42 pass the pieces 32, 32 of the lateral guides 17, 17 through the through holes 29. Make progress toward.

  As shown in FIG. 5, bolts 43, 43, 43, 43 are inserted into the shafts 26, 26, 26, 26 of the pallet 14, and the bolts 43, 43, 43, 43 are screwed into the bottom plates 25, 25. It is. Since the holder 15 is always urged upward by the return springs 27, 27, 27, 27, the holder 15 is pressed downward by the holder pressing plates 16, 16, so that the holder 15 is bolted 43, 43, While being supported by 43 and 43, it is moved down stably. Further, the tops of the pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 are supported by the piece holders 44 and 44. The terminal 13 has a welded portion 13A having a U-shape in cross section at the center, a contact portion 13B at the distal end is bent into a substantially cylindrical shape, and the distal bent portion 13C is in contact with the terminal 13. It is bent at the end of the portion 13 </ b> B, and the foot 13 </ b> D at the base end is crimped to the coating 22 of the electric wire 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, the terminal pressing portion 18A of the reference member 18 has a groove portion 18C between the two plate portions 18B and 18B. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the terminal 13 has a tip bent portion 13C that is bent at the end of the contact portion 13B, the terminal pressing portion 18A has one tip bent portion 13C. When the plate portion 18B is brought into contact, the terminal 13 is pressed in the electric wire axial direction to perform positioning in the electric wire axial direction. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the case of the terminal 36 formed in a flat plate shape, the terminal 36 is pressed in the direction of the electric wire axis by inserting the tip portion into the groove 18C, and the electric wire Position in the axial direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), in the case of the terminal 37 having a connection end portion 37A that is bent at the tip end and formed with a screw hole 37B, both plate portions 18B, The terminal 13 is pressed in the electric wire axial direction by the contact of 18B, and positioning in the electric wire axial direction is performed.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 7, in the first step, the terminal 13 is placed on the holder 15 (step S1). That is, as shown in FIG. 8, in the first step, the terminal 13 is placed on the terminal placement portion 30 of the holder 15. At this time, the holder 15 is at the return position A1, and the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 and the electric wire holding members 19 and 19 holding the electric wire 11 are arranged apart from the holder 15 and are in a standby state. Further, the anvil 20 is disposed below the through hole 29 of the holder 15. The pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 are also arranged at the return position B 1 away from the through hole 29. That is, the terminal 13 is only placed on the terminal placement unit 30 by an operator or an automatic machine, and is not positioned.

  Next, in the second step, the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 are lowered, and the holder 15 is pressed down (steps S1 to S2 shown in FIG. 7). That is, as shown in FIG. 9, when the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 are lowered, the holder 15 is pressed down from the return position A1 to the positioning position A2. Thereby, the terminal 13 is also lowered together with the holder 15, and the anvil 20 comes into contact with the lower surface of the welded portion 13 </ b> A of the terminal 13 through the through hole 29 of the holder 15. At this time, the electric wire holding members 19 and 19 are placed apart from above the holder 15 and are in a standby state, and the pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 are also in the return position B 1 away from the through hole 29.

  Next, in the third step, the lateral guides 17 and 17 are pressed by the knock pins 33 and 33 to hold the terminal 13, and the terminal 13 is positioned in the vertical direction (steps S1 to S3 shown in FIG. 7). That is, as shown in FIG. 10, since the pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 are pressed by the knock pins 33 and 33 in the state where the holder 15 is at the positioning position A2, the pieces 32 and 32 are moved to the return position B1. To the first positioning position B2 to press and hold the side of the welded portion 13A of the terminal 13, and the vertical direction of the terminal 13 is positioned at the position C1. At this time, the electric wire clamping members 19 and 19 are arranged apart from the holder 15 and remain in the standby state.

  Next, in the fourth step, the pressing force of the knock pins 33, 33 is lowered, and the reference member 18 is brought into contact with the terminal 13 to position the terminal 13 in the electric wire axis direction (steps S1 to S4 shown in FIG. 7). . That is, as shown in FIG. 11, by reducing the pressing force applied to the pieces 32, 32 by the knock pins 33, 33, the pieces 32, 32 are moved upward from the first positioning position B2 to the second positioning position B3 to be connected to the terminals. 3 is released. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, in this state, the one plate portion 18B of the reference member 18 is brought into contact with the distal end bent portion 13C, whereby the terminal 13 is pressed and moved in the electric wire axial direction. Positioning in the direction of the electric wire axis is performed. Then, the pieces 32 and 32 of the lateral guides 17 and 17 are pressed again by the knock pins 33 and 33. At this time, the electric wire clamping members 19 and 19 are arranged apart from the holder 15 and remain in the standby state.

  Next, in the fifth step, the conductor portion 12 of the electric wire 11 held by the electric wire holding members 19 and 19 is placed on the terminal 13 (steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG. 7). That is, as shown in FIG. 13, on the holder 15, the wire clamping members 19, 19 are released after being moved downward with respect to the terminal 13 positioned in the vertical direction and the wire axial direction, and the welded portion 13 </ b> A is opened. The conductor part 12 is mounted on top.

  And in a 6th process, the conductor part 12 and the terminal 3 are ultrasonically welded by the anvil 20 and the horn 21 (step S1-S6 shown in FIG. 7). That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the horn 21 has been moved downward, and on the holder 15, the welded portion 13 </ b> A of the terminal 13 positioned in the vertical direction and the wire axial direction is disposed on the welded portion 13 </ b> A. The conductor portion 12 is sandwiched between the horn 21 and the anvil 20. Therefore, by generating vibration energy of ultrasonic vibration in the horn 20 and applying pressure with the anvil 20, strong frictional heat is generated between the conductor portion 12 and the terminal 13, and the welded portion between the conductor portion 12 and the terminal 13. 13A is melted and joined.

  After the sixth step, a step (not shown) of caulking the foot portion 13D of the terminal 13 to the coating 22 of the electric wire 11 is executed, and a payout step (not shown) for discharging the completed electric wire with terminal is executed.

  According to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 of this embodiment described above, the terminal 13 is placed on the holder 15, the holder 15 is pressed and moved in the vertical direction by the holder pressing plates 16, 16, and the holder pressing plates 16, 16 are used. On the moved holder 15, the terminal 13 is pressed and held by the lateral guides 17 and 17, and the terminal 13 is positioned in the vertical direction. The terminal 13 is positioned in the direction of the electric wire axis by the reference abutting member 18 in a state in which the pressing by the lateral guides 17 and 17 is released, and the electric wire shaft by the reference abutting member 18 is grasped by the electric wire clamping members 19 and 19 holding the electric wire 11. The conductor portion 12 is placed on the terminal 13 for which the positioning in the direction has been completed. The anvil 20 is brought into contact with the lower side of the terminal 13 on which the conductor portion 12 is placed, and the horn 21 arranged on the upper side of the conductor portion 12 placed on the terminal 13 is connected to the conductor portion with the anvil 20. Ultrasonic welding is performed with the terminal 12 and the terminal 13 interposed therebetween. Therefore, after the positioning of the terminal 13 in the vertical direction and the electric wire axial direction is performed on the holder 15, the conductor portion 12 of the electric wire 11 is arranged in accordance with the position. Productivity can be improved without producing good products.

  Further, according to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the holder 15 is stably held by the return springs 27 and 27 when the holder 15 is pressed and moved in the vertical direction by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16, Positioning can be performed at a stable position of the holder 15.

  Further, according to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the anvil 20 is brought into contact with the welding portion 13 </ b> A of the terminal 13 through the through hole 29 of the holder 15. Therefore, ultrasonic welding can be performed by reliably bringing the anvil 20 into contact with the welded portion 13A2 of the terminal 13.

  Moreover, according to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the holder 15 on which the terminal 13 is placed is pressed and moved by the pair of holder pressing plates 16 and 16. Therefore, when the holder 15 is moved for positioning, the holder 15 can be stably arranged by the pair of holder pressing plates 16 and 16.

  Further, according to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the terminals 13 are held by the lateral guides 17, 17 arranged on the holder 15 as a pair. Therefore, when the terminal 13 is pressed and held on the holder 15 moved by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 to position the terminal 13 in the vertical direction, the lateral guide 17 that moves toward the terminal 13 by the knock pins 33 and 33, The terminal 13 is reliably positioned by 71 without being displaced.

  Further, according to the ultrasonic welding apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, positioning in the wire axis direction is performed by the reference member 18 having the terminal pressing portions 18A corresponding to the various shapes of the terminals 13, 36, and 37. Therefore, when positioning the terminal 13 in the direction of the electric wire axis in a state in which the pressure applied by the lateral guides 17 and 17 is released, the single-type reference member 18 is provided corresponding to the various shaped terminals 13, 36, and 37. Since it can be used, there is no need to create a plurality of types of reference members, and an increase in man-hours can be avoided.

Further, according to the ultrasonic welding method of the embodiment, the terminal 13 is placed on the holder 156 in the first step, and the holder 15 is pressed and moved by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 in the second step, and the third step. The terminal 13 is pressed and held by the lateral guides 17 and 17 on the holder 15 moved by the holder pressing plates 16 and 16 in the process, and the terminal 13 is positioned in the vertical direction. Then, the terminal 13 is positioned in the direction of the electric wire axis by the reference abutting member 18 in a state in which the pressure applied by the lateral guides 17 and 17 is released in the fourth step, and the reference abutting is performed by the wire clamping members 19 and 19 in the fifth step. The conductor portion 12 of the electric wire 11 is placed on the terminal 13 where the positioning in the electric wire axial direction by the member 18 has been completed. Then, the anvil 20 is brought into contact with the lower side of the terminal 13 on which the conductor portion 12 is placed in the sixth step, and the anvil 20 is disposed by the horn 21 disposed on the upper side of the conductor portion 12 placed on the terminal 13. Then, ultrasonic welding is performed by sandwiching the conductor portion 12 and the terminal 13.
Therefore, after the positioning of the terminal 13 in the vertical direction and the electric wire axial direction is performed on the holder 15, the conductor portion 12 of the electric wire 11 is arranged in accordance with the position. Productivity can be improved without producing good products.

  The ultrasonic welding apparatus and ultrasonic welding method of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications and improvements can be made. For example, the number of shafts of the pallet is not limited to four, and may be a plurality of four or more, and a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or a damper may be used instead of the return spring for assembly with the holder.

  Further, the transverse guide piece is not limited to the rectangular shape shown in the figure, and may be, for example, a round bar shape or a square bar shape, and the knock pin may be extended to hold the terminal.

1 is an overall side view of an ultrasonic welding apparatus showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic welding apparatus and an ultrasonic welding method according to the present invention. It is a top view of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a principal part enlarged front view of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3. It is an external appearance perspective view around the holder used for the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. (A) is an enlarged side view for explaining a contact relationship with a terminal of a reference member used in the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a terminal and a reference member having a shape different from (a). FIG. 6C is an enlarged side view for explaining the contact relationship between the terminal and the reference member, which is further different from FIG. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the 1st process of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the 2nd process of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the 3rd process of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the 4th process of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of FIG. It is a front view of the 5th process of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the 6th process of the ultrasonic welding method performed using the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic welding apparatus 11 Electric wire 12 Conductor part 13 Terminal 13A Welding part 14 Pallet 15 Holder 16 Holder pushing plate 17 Lateral guide 18 Reference member 18A Terminal pressing part 19 Electric wire clamping member 20 Anvil 21 Horn 27 Return spring 29 Through-hole 33 Knock pin 36 terminals 37 terminals

Claims (8)

An anvil that is in contact with the lower side of the terminal on which the conductor is placed;
A horn that is disposed above the conductor portion placed on the terminal and performs ultrasonic welding by sandwiching the conductor portion and the terminal with the anvil;
An electric wire holding member that holds the electric wire and places the conductor portion on the terminal; and
An ultrasonic welding apparatus for fixing the conductor part of the electric wire to the terminals having various shapes,
A holder placed on a pallet that transports and moves in the process, and places the terminal;
A holder pressing plate for pressing and moving the holder in the vertical direction;
An ultrasonic welding apparatus comprising: a lateral guide that presses and holds the terminal on the holder moved by the holder pressing plate and positions the terminal in the vertical direction.   The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning of the terminal in the electric wire axial direction is performed by a reference member in a state in which the pressing by the lateral guide is released.   The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder is arranged on the pallet so as to be vertically movable via a return spring.   The said holder has a through-hole for allowing the said anvil to pass through, and the welding part of the said terminal is mounted corresponding to the said through-hole. The described ultrasonic welding apparatus.   The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holder pressing plates are arranged in a pair above the holder.   The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lateral guides are arranged in a pair on the holder and are movable toward the terminal by a knock pin.   The ultrasonic welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reference member has a terminal pressing portion corresponding to various types of terminals. A first step of placing the terminal on the holder;
A second step of pressing and moving the holder in the vertical direction by a holder pressing plate;
A third step of pressing and holding the terminal by a lateral guide on the holder moved by the holder pressing plate to position the terminal in the vertical direction;
A fourth step of positioning the terminal in the direction of the electric wire axis by a reference member in a state in which the pressing by the lateral guide is released;
A fifth step of placing the conductor portion of the electric wire on the terminal on which the positioning in the electric wire axial direction by the reference approaching member has been completed by an electric wire sandwiching member that grips an electric wire having a conductor portion made of aluminum alloy; and
The anvil is brought into contact with the lower side of the terminal on which the conductor portion is placed, and the conductor portion and the terminal are connected to the anvil by a horn disposed on the upper side of the conductor portion placed on the terminal. A sixth step of performing ultrasonic welding by sandwiching between the two and the ultrasonic welding method.

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