JP2019006002A - Thermal caulking device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a thermal caulking device capable of reliably thermally caulking a work-piece so as to have a predetermined height.SOLUTION: In a thermal caulking device 100, a work-piece W10 formed of a thermoplastic resin is pressed by a heater head 110 which generates heat, and the work-piece is melted and crushed. When it is detected that a moving distance of the heater head after contacting the work-piece is equal to or larger than a design value difference dH of a height of the work-piece before and after the thermal caulking, a pressing of the work-piece by the heater head is canceled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal caulking device.

  Conventionally, thermal caulking is known as a technique for joining a resin part and another part (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In heat caulking, a part of a work that is a resin part is passed through a through hole formed in another part, and the work is pressed while being heated by the heater head at that part. As a result, the workpiece is deformed to a size larger than the diameter of the through hole formed in the other part, and the resin part and the other part are coupled.

  At this time, for example, for the purpose of obtaining sufficient bond strength, it is preferable to crush the workpiece to a predetermined height, and as an example for such a predetermined height, the pressing time by the heater head Is defined as a predetermined time or more.

JP 2005-343064 A

  However, when the height is controlled by specifying the pressing time, the pressing is performed when the determined time has passed, even though the workpiece has not reached the predetermined height due to the influence of the atmospheric temperature, material variations, etc. Since the process ends, the workpiece may be higher than a predetermined height.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a subject, and it aims at providing the thermal crimping apparatus which can carry out the thermal crimping reliably so that a workpiece | work may become predetermined | prescribed height.

  In order to achieve the above object, a thermal caulking device according to the present invention presses a work formed at a predetermined first height with a thermoplastic resin by a heater head that generates heat, and presses the work into a first lower than the first height. Melt to a second height and crush. The thermal caulking device includes a first support part, a second support part, a drive part, and a detection part. The 1st support part is attached to the opposite side to a work to a heater head. The second support part is connected to the first support part via an elastic body at a position separated in the height direction of the workpiece. A drive part advances a 2nd support part so that a heater head may approach a workpiece | work by moving a 2nd support part to the height direction of a workpiece | work. In addition, after the heater head comes into contact with the workpiece, the driving unit further advances the second support portion to stop the elastic body in a compressed state, and the heater head works by the elastic force of the compressed elastic body. Press. The detection unit detects whether or not the heater head has moved beyond the difference between the first height and the second height after contacting the workpiece. When the detection unit detects that the moving distance of the heater head after coming into contact with the workpiece is greater than or equal to the difference between the first height and the second height, the drive unit moves the second support unit backward. Then, release the workpiece pressure by the heater head.

  According to the heat caulking apparatus having the above-described configuration, heat caulking can be reliably performed so that the workpiece has a predetermined height.

It is the schematic of the heat crimping apparatus of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the proximity | contact of the heater head to a workpiece | work. It is a figure which shows compression of the elastic body after a heater head contact | abuts to a workpiece | work. It is a figure which shows the press of the workpiece | work using an elastic force. It is a figure which shows the design value of the height of the workpiece | work before and behind heat crimping, and its difference. It is a figure which shows cancellation | release of the press of a workpiece | work.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the dimension ratio of drawing is exaggerated on account of description, and is different from an actual ratio.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the heat caulking device 100 according to the embodiment includes a heater head 110, a bracket 120 (first support portion), a spring 130 (elastic body), a bracket 140 (second support portion), and a cylinder 150 (drive portion). ) And stage 160. The thermal caulking device 100 includes a detection unit 170, a switch 180, and a timer 190.

  The thermal caulking device 100 couples a workpiece W10 formed of a thermoplastic resin with another component W20 by thermal caulking. Before heat caulking, the workpiece W10 is protruded through a through hole formed in another component W20, and is placed on the stage 160 in that state.

  The workpiece W10 is a spacer, for example, and the other component W20 is a single cell having a flat shape, for example. A spacer is attached to the end of the unit cell by heat caulking. The present invention is not limited to this example, and a resin component other than the spacer may be attached to a component other than the single battery by heat caulking.

  The heater head 110 includes a heating wire such as a nichrome wire, and is electrically connected to a power source (not shown). The tip of the heater head 110 has a curved concave shape.

  The bracket 120 is attached to the heater head 110 on the side opposite to the workpiece W10. The bracket 120 has a protruding portion 121 that protrudes from an arm that extends toward the bracket 140. The overhang portion 121 overhangs at a position beyond the bracket 140.

  The bracket 140 is connected to the bracket 120 via a spring 130, and they can be moved close to and away from each other according to the expansion and contraction of the spring 130. For example, rubber may be used instead of the spring 130.

  The cylinder 150 is connected to the bracket 140, and moves the bracket 140 forward and backward in the height direction of the workpiece W10 using, for example, fluid pressure such as hydraulic pressure as a power source.

  The stage 160 supports the workpiece W10 in a state where the workpiece W10 protrudes from the other component W20, and has a rigidity capable of withstanding the pressure from the heater head 110.

  The detection unit 170 is, for example, a computer including a storage device such as a RAM, a ROM, and a hard disk, and a CPU.

  The switch 180 is provided in the bracket 140 and faces the overhanging portion 121. The switch 180 is electrically connected to the detection unit 170. The switch 180 is, for example, a non-contact type proximity switch, but is not limited thereto, and may be a contact type switch.

  The timer 190 is electrically connected to the detection unit 170, starts measuring time in response to a signal from the detection unit 170, and notifies the detection unit 170 when a predetermined time has elapsed. Communicate as a signal.

  Next, the operation of the heat caulking device 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the thermal caulking device 100, first, the cylinder 150 advances the bracket 140. Accordingly, the bracket 120 also moves forward while maintaining the relative positional relationship with the bracket 140, and the heater head 110 approaches the workpiece W10 molded at the first height H1, which is a predetermined design value. To do.

  During this time, the overhanging portion 121 is close to the switch 180, and the switch 180 remains in the ON state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, even after the heater head 110 contacts the workpiece W10, the cylinder 150 continues to advance the bracket 140 until a predetermined stroke is reached.

  At this time, since the heater head 110 and the bracket 120 are stationary and blocked by the work W10, the spring 130 is compressed and contracted as the bracket 140 advances.

  Further, since the switch 180 moves together with the bracket 140, the switch 180 is separated from the stationary overhanging portion 121, and the switch 180 is turned off.

  When the switch 180 is turned off, the heater head 110 starts to generate heat. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the heater head 110 may generate heat before that.

  The cylinder 150 stops operating when a predetermined stroke is reached, and stops the bracket 140 in a state where the spring 130 is compressed. At this time, the detection unit 170 sends a signal to the timer 190 and starts the timer 190 to measure the elapsed time since the bracket 140 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 4, after the bracket 140 is stopped, the heater head 110 presses the work W <b> 10 by the elastic force of the compressed spring 130. The heater head 110 crushes the work W10 while melting it with heat.

  As the heater head 110 crushes the workpiece W10, the spring 130 that has been compressed is restored, and the bracket 120 moves forward together with the heater head 110. Further, as the bracket 120 advances, the overhanging portion 121 approaches the switch 180, and the switch is turned on when the height of the workpiece W10 is crushed to the second height H2, which is a predetermined design value. 180 turns ON.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the switch 180 is turned on or off according to the distance between the heater head 110 and the bracket 140.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the distance between them changes from L1 to L2 (L1> L2), the switch 180 changes from ON to OFF. Based on this change, the detection unit 170 sends a signal to a control unit such as a computer that controls the operation of the entire heat caulking device 100 so that the heater head 110 starts to generate heat.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the separation distance changes from less than L1 (L2), which is a separation distance when the movement distance of the heater head 110 after contacting the workpiece W10 is equal to or more than a predetermined distance, to more than L1. In doing so, the switch 180 transitions from OFF to ON.

  From this state transition, the detection unit 170 considers that the moving distance of the heater head 110 after coming into contact with the workpiece W10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance.

  That is, when the change in the separation distance between the heater head 110 and the bracket 140 becomes a predetermined distance or more, the detection unit 170 determines that the movement distance of the heater head 110 after contacting the workpiece W10 becomes a predetermined distance or more. I reckon.

  Here, the predetermined distance or more is, as shown in FIG. 5, a first height H1 that is a design value of the height of the work W10 before thermal caulking and a design value of the height of the work W10 after thermal caulking. A difference from a certain second height H2 (difference between the first height and the second height) is dH or more.

  When it is detected that the moving distance of the heater head 110 after coming into contact with the workpiece W10 is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance dH, the detection unit 170 may, for example, heat caulk so as to release the pressing of the workpiece W10 by the heater head 110. A signal is sent to a control unit such as a computer that controls the operation of the entire apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cylinder 150 moves the bracket 140 backward, and the heater head 110 moves away from the workpiece W10, thereby releasing the pressure on the workpiece W10.

  Such release of the pressure is basically executed when the moving distance of the heater head 110 becomes a predetermined distance dH or more as described above. In this embodiment, the timer 190 measures a predetermined time or more before that. In this case, the pressure on the workpiece W10 is released. In that case, the detection unit 170 receives a signal from the timer 190 and sends a signal to, for example, a control unit that controls the operation of the entire heat caulking device 100 so as to release the pressing of the workpiece W10.

  Here, the fixed time measured by the timer 190 is longer than the time assumed to be sufficient to heat the workpiece W10 to a predetermined height.

  Next, the function and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing of the workpiece W10 is not released until the movement distance of the heater head 110 after contacting the workpiece W10 is detected to be equal to or greater than the predetermined distance dH, and the workpiece W10 reaches a predetermined height. Heat caulking is continued. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, heat caulking can be reliably performed so that the workpiece W10 has a predetermined height.

  In the present embodiment, since the movement distance of the heater head 110 is determined based on a simple ON / OFF state transition of the switch 180, an expensive sensor such as a position sensor that detects an absolute position is used. It is unnecessary. Therefore, according to this embodiment, apparatus cost can be suppressed.

  In addition, by providing the timer 190, heat caulking during an abnormal time is interrupted, so that the trouble can be dealt with quickly.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the heater head 110 is considered to have moved by a predetermined distance dH or more based on the state transition of the switch 180 from OFF to ON as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4. It is not limited to. On the contrary, it may be determined that the heater head has moved a predetermined distance or more based on the state transition of the switch from ON to OFF.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the switch 180 is provided in the bracket 140 (2nd support part), it is not limited to this, The switch 180 is provided in the overhang | projection part 121 of the bracket 120 (1st support part). May be.

100 heat caulking device,
110 heater head,
120 bracket (first support),
121 overhang,
130 Spring (elastic body),
140 bracket (second support part),
150 cylinders (drive unit),
160 stages,
170 detector,
180 switches,
190 timer,
H1 Design value (first height) of workpiece height before heat caulking,
H2 Design value of workpiece height after heat crimping (second height),
dH Difference in design value of workpiece height before and after thermal caulking (difference between first height and second height),
L1 A separation distance (reference distance) between the heater head and the bracket (second support portion),
L2 The distance between the heater head and the bracket (second support portion),
W10 work,
W20 Other parts joined to the workpiece by thermal caulking.

Claims (4)

A heat caulking device that presses a work formed at a predetermined first height with a thermoplastic resin with a heater head that generates heat, melts the work to a second height lower than the first height, and crushes the work. There,
A first support attached to the heater head on the opposite side of the workpiece;
A second support part connected to the first support part via an elastic body at a position spaced in the height direction of the workpiece;
The second support portion is moved in the height direction of the workpiece to advance the second support portion so that the heater head approaches the workpiece, and after the heater head contacts the workpiece, 2 a drive unit that advances the support part to stop the elastic body in a compressed state, and presses the workpiece with the heater head by the elastic force of the elastic body that is compressed;
A detector that detects whether or not the heater head has moved beyond the difference between the first height and the second height after contacting the workpiece;
When the detection unit detects that the moving distance of the heater head after contacting the workpiece is greater than or equal to the difference between the first height and the second height, (2) A heat caulking device that retreats the support portion and releases the pressing of the work by the heater head.   When the change in the separation distance between the heater head and the second support portion is greater than or equal to the difference between the first height and the second height, the detection unit detects the movement distance of the heater head as described above. The thermal caulking device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal caulking device is considered to be greater than the difference in height. A switch that is turned on or off in accordance with a separation distance between the heater head and the second support part;
In the switch, the separation distance changes from less than a reference distance, which is the separation distance when the moving distance of the heater head is equal to or greater than the difference between the first height and the second height, to a reference distance or more. State transition from ON to OFF, or from OFF to ON,
The thermal caulking device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit considers that the movement distance of the heater head is equal to or greater than a difference between the first height and the second height from the state transition. A timer for measuring an elapsed time from the stop of the second support part;
If the timer measures more than a certain time before the moving distance of the heater head exceeds the difference between the first height and the second height, the drive unit moves the second support unit backward. The thermal caulking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressing of the workpiece by the heater head is released.