JP2023148955A - Heating method, and heating system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a heating method and a heating system capable of suppressing dispersion of gaps between wires of a coil spring and dispersion of diameters of a coil formed by winding.SOLUTION: A heating method for hardening a coil spring includes a fixing step for mounting a coil spring on a support member and fixing one end of the coil spring to the outer peripheral surface of a rotatable first shaft member and the other end to the outer peripheral surface of a second shaft member, a heating step for energizing the first and second shaft members to heat the coil spring, and a rotation step for rotating the first shaft member to move one end of the coil spring to a predetermined location. Each axis of the first and second shaft members is located on the same straight line of an angle of 0 degree or more and 30 degrees or less to the horizontal direction. The coil spring fixed to the first and second shaft members and supported by the support member has the central axis parallel to the straight line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a heating method and heating system for, for example, hardening a coil spring.

Conventionally, quenching is performed in the process of manufacturing a coil spring. Hardening is performed, for example, to improve mechanical properties. As a heating method for hardening, a method is known in which an electrode is connected to the end of a coil spring and heated with heat generated by energization (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a coil spring is supported by a support plate, and the coil spring is placed horizontally with its central axis oriented in a substantially horizontal direction and heated.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-30246

However, in the heating method disclosed in Patent Document 1, after quenching, variations in the gap between the wires of the coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding may become large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a heating method and a heating system that can suppress variations in the gap between the wires of a coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, a heating method according to the present invention is a heating method for hardening a coil spring, in which the coil spring is placed on a support member, and the coil spring is heated. a fixing step of fixing one end to the outer circumferential surface of the rotatable first shaft member and fixing the other end to the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft member; and energizing the first and second shaft members to turn the coil spring. a heating step of heating; and a rotating step of rotating the first shaft member to move one end of the coil spring to a preset position, the shafts of the first and second shaft members being , the central axes of the coil springs are located on the same straight line forming an angle of 0 to 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction, are attached to the first and second shaft members, and are supported by the support member. , parallel to the straight line.

Further, in the heating method according to the present invention, in the above invention, the rotating step is performed when the temperature of the coil spring reaches a set temperature that is set to a temperature equal to or higher than the transformation point temperature of the material forming the coil spring. , the first shaft member is rotated.

Further, in the heating method according to the present invention, in the above invention, the fixing step fixes the coil spring at a position where the central axis of the coil spring is offset with respect to the straight line.

Further, the heating system according to the present invention is a heating system for hardening a coil spring, and is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the longitudinal direction, and includes a first shaft member that grips one end of the coil spring, and a first shaft member that grips one end of the coil spring. A second shaft member that extends in the axial direction and grips the other end of the coil spring, and a control device that controls energization of the first and second shaft members and rotation of the first shaft member. The rotation axis of the first shaft member and the longitudinal axis of the second shaft member are located on the same straight line forming an angle of 0 to 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction, and are attached to the first and second shaft members. The central axis of the coiled spring is parallel to the straight line, and the control device releases the rotation restriction of the first shaft member when starting heating the coiled spring, and by the end of the heating treatment, The present invention is characterized in that one end of the coil spring is moved to a preset position.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress variations in the gaps between the wires of the coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of main parts of a heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a heating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heating system according to Modification 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a heating method according to Modification 2 of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a heating method according to modification 3 of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Please note that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the ratio of the thickness of each part, etc. may differ from the actual one, and the dimensions may differ between the drawings. may include parts with different relationships and ratios.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A heating system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system for hardening a coil spring 100, for example. The heating system 1 includes a heating device 10 that holds and heats the coil spring 100, and a control device 20 that controls the heating device 10. The coil spring 100 is formed by winding a wire material helically around a predetermined axis (N ₁₀₀ in this case).

The heating device 10 includes a first shaft member 11, a second shaft member 12, and a support member 13.

The first shaft member 11 rotates around a rotation axis N ₁₁ that passes through the center of a shaft body 110 that extends in a cylindrical shape and extends parallel to the longitudinal direction. The shaft body 110 has a rotation mechanism that can freely rotate around the rotation axis N ₁₁ , and the rotation by the rotation mechanism is controlled by the control device 20 . The rotation mechanism is configured using, for example, a motor and a clutch. Furthermore, the rotation of the rotation mechanism can be electrically or mechanically regulated under the control of the control device 20.
Further, the first shaft member 11 is provided with a spring holding portion 111 that is fixed to the side surface of the shaft body 110 and holds one end of the coil spring 100. The spring holding portion 111 is provided with a gripping portion 112 that holds one end of the coil spring 100 between the outer circumferential surface of the shaft body 110. The spring holding portion 111 rotates integrally with the shaft body 110.

The second shaft member 12 extends under the control of the control device 20 in a cylindrical shape with the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ as the central axis. Further, the second shaft member 12 is provided with a spring holding portion 121 that is fixed to the side surface of the shaft body 120 and holds the other end of the coil spring 100. The spring holding part 121 is provided with a grip part 122 that holds the other end of the coil spring 100 between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body 120 and the other end of the coil spring 100 . Note that the shaft body 120 may be rotatable around the longitudinal axis _N12 . At this time, the spring holding portion 121 rotates integrally with the shaft body 120.

Regarding the rotational axis N ₁₁ of the first shaft member 11 and the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ of the second shaft member 12, a straight line extending one axis toward the other axis coincides with the other axis. That is, the rotation axis N ₁₁ and the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ are located on the same straight line. Note that the axis N11 and the axis N12 do not need to be on the same straight line as long as the rotation control of the coil spring 100 is not hindered.
Further, in a state in which the coil spring 100 is held by each gripping part (gripping parts 112, 122), the central axis N100 of the coiled spring ₁₀₀ is parallel to the rotational axis _N11 and the longitudinal axis _N12 , respectively. Note that although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the central axis N ₁₀₀ is offset from _the rotation axis N ₁₁ and the longitudinal axis N 12, the central axis N ₁₀₀ and the rotation axis N ₁₁ and the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ are offset. They may be arranged to match each other. When the central axis N ₁₀₀ is offset from the rotational axis N ₁₁ and the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ , the coil spring 100 rotates around axes that are parallel to the central axis N ₁₀₀ and located at different positions. On the other hand, when the central axis N ₁₀₀ , the rotational axis N ₁₁ and the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ are on the same straight line, the coil spring 100 rotates around the central axis N ₁₀₀ .
Note that the angles of the central axis N ₁₀₀ , the rotation axis N ₁₁ , and the longitudinal axis N ₁₂ with respect to the horizontal direction are set to 0 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less. This angle is set depending on the characteristics of the coil spring, etc. The horizontal direction here is a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity (vertical direction).

Further, the shaft body 110 of the first shaft member 11 and the shaft body 120 of the second shaft member 12 are formed using a conductive material. Further, each shaft body and the control device 20 are connected by electric wires (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of main parts of a heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the shaft body and the spring holding section. When the shaft body 110 rotates, the spring holding part 111 also rotates in conjunction with this rotation. At this time, the shaft body 110 reciprocates around the rotation axis _N11 . For example, the spring holding portion 111 is located at a position _PR rotated clockwise with respect to the reference position _PS , or at a position _PL rotated counterclockwise with respect to the reference position _PS . When the shaft body 110 and the grip portion 112 grip the coil spring 100, the end of the coil spring 100 also moves along the outer periphery of the shaft body 110 as the shaft body 110 rotates.
Note that the first shaft member 11 is configured such that the amount of rotation can be measured using an encoder or the like.

The support member 13 is a plate on which the coil spring 100 is placed and supports the coil spring 100. The support member 13 may be moved up and down in the vertical direction depending on the positions of the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12 and the size of the coil spring 100. Further, the support member 13 may have a structure that supports only a specific portion of the coil spring 100 (for example, the center portion of the coil spring 100).

Returning to FIG. 1, the control device 20 includes an input section 21, an output section 22, a setting section 23, a detection section 24, a control section 25, and a storage section 26.

The input unit 21 receives input of various signals related to the operation of the heating system 1 . The input unit 21 is configured using a keyboard, a mouse, a switch, a touch panel, and the like.

The output unit 22 displays images and outputs sound and light under the control of the control unit 25. The output unit 22 is configured using a display, a speaker, a light source, and the like.

The setting unit 23 sets heating conditions. The setting section 23 sets the heating temperature and heating time of the coil spring 100, the position of the grip section 112 after heating, and the shaft member based on, for example, the setting information received by the input section 21 and information stored in the storage section 26. Set the amount of electricity to be applied to.

The detection unit 24 detects the temperature of the coil spring 100. Note that the detection unit 24 may detect the temperature of each shaft member.

The control unit 25 controls the operation of each component of the heating system 1. Further, the control section 25 includes an energization control section 251 and a rotation control section 252. The energization control unit 251 turns on the energization to the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12, for example, when an instruction to start the heat treatment is input via the input unit 21. Further, the rotation control unit 252 executes rotation control of the first shaft member 11 during the heat treatment.

The setting unit 23, the detection unit 24, and the control unit 25 each use a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor such as various arithmetic circuits that execute a specific function such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). configured.

The storage unit 26 stores programs for the control unit 25 to execute various operations (for example, programs executed during heat treatment). The storage unit 26 also includes a heating condition storage unit 261 that stores heating conditions for hardening the coil spring 100, programs and parameters for heat treatment, and a heating condition storage unit 261 that stores heating conditions for hardening the coil spring 100, a heating treatment program, and parameters, and a heating condition storage unit 261 that stores heating conditions for hardening the coil spring 100, and a heating condition storage unit 261 for storing heating conditions for controlling the rotation of the coil spring 100, and rotation control for controlling the rotation of the coil spring 100. It has a rotation condition storage section 262 that stores programs and parameters. The storage unit 26 is configured using volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or a combination thereof. For example, the storage unit 26 is configured using a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or the like.

Next, the heating treatment of the coil spring 100 by the heating system 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a heating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following description assumes that each part operates under the control of the control device 20.

First, the coil spring 100 is set in the heating device 10 (step S101). Specifically, one end of the coil spring 100 is held by the grip part 112 and the shaft body 110, and the other end is gripped by the grip part 122 and the shaft body 120. Thereby, both ends of the coil spring 100 are fixed to the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12.

After setting the coil spring 100, the energization control unit 251 starts energizing the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12 (step S102). The energization control unit 251 starts energization control using the energization start instruction received by the input unit 21 as a trigger. When energized, current flows through the coil spring 100 through the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12, generating heat. This heat heats the coil spring. The energization control unit 251 controls the flow of current to the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12 such that the heating temperature of the coil spring 100 rises to the heating temperature set by the setting unit 23.

Further, the rotation control unit 252 releases the restriction on rotation of the first shaft member 11 about the rotation axis _N11 (step S103). As a result, the first shaft member 11 becomes free to rotate about the rotation axis _N11 .
Note that the processes in steps S102 and S103 may be executed simultaneously, or step S103 may be executed first. Further, if the first shaft member 11 is in a free rotation state at the time of proceeding to step S103, it is not necessary to execute this step S103.

During the heat treatment, the coil spring 100 is deformed due to tissue transformation or the like. At this time, the first shaft member 11 follows this deformation and rotates around the rotation axis _N11 . This rotation allows the load applied to the coil spring 100 during deformation to be released.

Then, the rotation control unit 252 determines whether the temperature of the coil spring 100 has reached the set temperature (step S104). If the rotation control unit 252 determines that the temperature of the coil spring 100 has not reached the set temperature based on the temperature detected by the detection unit 24 (step S104: No), it repeats checking the temperature. On the other hand, when the rotation control unit 252 determines that the temperature of the coil spring 100 has reached the set temperature (step S104: Yes), the process proceeds to step S105. Here, the set temperature is set to a temperature equal to or higher than the transformation point temperature of the material forming the coil spring 100.

In step S105, the rotation control section 252 rotates the shaft body 110 to move the position of the grip section 112 to a preset setting position. Here, the set position is, for example, a position where the coil spring 100 is attached before heating, or a position corresponding to the end position of the coil spring 100 held by the second shaft member 12.

Thereafter, the energization control unit 251 ends the energization of the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12, and ends the heat treatment (step S106).
Note that the end timing of energization and the execution timing of the rotation process may be simultaneous, or the rotation process may be executed first.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the ends of the coil springs are gripped and fixed on the outer circumferential surface of each shaft body, and the coil springs 100 are energized and heated through the shaft body. The member was made to rotate freely and rotated to follow the deformation of the coil spring 100 accompanying tissue transformation. According to this embodiment, the gap between the wires of the coil spring ( For example, variations in the gap S ₁ shown in FIG. 1) and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding (for example, the coil diameter R ₁ shown in FIG. 1) can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the coil spring 100 reaches the transformation point temperature, the first shaft member 11 is rotated to move the end position of the coil spring 100 to an appropriate position, so that the shape accuracy is improved. It can be made even higher.

(Modification 1)
Next, a first modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heating system according to Modification 1 of the present invention. A heating system 1A according to Modification 1 includes a heating device 10A instead of the heating device 10. Since the control device 20 has the same configuration as the embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

The heating device 10A includes a first shaft member 11, a second shaft member 12, and a support member 13A. The first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12 are the same as those in the embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The support member 13A supports the coil spring 100 on which the coil spring 100 is placed. The support member 13A is made up of a plurality of rod-like members 131 that extend in a rod-shape and support a portion of the coil spring 100 at their tips. The support member 13A may move each rod-shaped member 131 up and down in the vertical direction depending on the positions of the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12 and the size of the coil spring 100. Further, the support member 13A may have a structure that supports only a specific portion of the coil spring 100 (for example, the center portion of the coil spring 100).

The heating process of the coil spring 100 by the heating system 1A is performed in a flow similar to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3.

In the first modified example described above, the heat treatment is performed in the same manner as in the embodiment, so that the end position is changed at the end of heating while releasing the load due to the deformation of the coil spring 100 during the tissue transformation that occurs during energization heating. By moving it to the set position, it is possible to suppress variations in the gap between the wires of the coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding.

(Modification 2)
Next, a second modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heating system according to the second modification is the same as the heating system 1 according to the embodiment, but includes a measuring mechanism (not shown) that measures the temperature of the coil spring 100. In addition, in the modified example, the description will be made assuming that the detection unit 24 detects the energization time.

The heat treatment according to Modification 2 will be explained with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a heating method according to Modification 2.

First, in the same manner as steps S101 and S102 shown in FIG. Start (step S202).

Thereafter, the rotation control unit 252 releases the restriction on rotation of the first shaft member 11 about the rotation axis _N11 (step S203). During the heat treatment, it rotates around the rotation axis _N11 following the deformation of the coil spring 100.

Thereafter, the rotation control unit 252 determines whether or not the energization time has elapsed for a preset time (step S204). When the rotation control unit 252 determines that the energization time has not exceeded the set time based on the energization time detected by the detection unit 24 (step S204: No), the rotation control unit 252 repeats confirmation of the energization time. On the other hand, when the rotation control unit 252 determines that the energization time has elapsed for the set time (step S204: Yes), the process proceeds to step S205. The set time set at this time is, for example, the time required for the coil spring 100 to reach a temperature at which it becomes austenitized.

In step S205, the rotation control section 252 rotates the shaft body 110 to move the position of the grip section 112 to a preset setting position.

Thereafter, the energization control unit 251 ends the energization of the rotating shaft (step S206).

In the second modification described above, the heat treatment is performed in the same manner as in the embodiment, so that the end position is changed at the end of the heating while releasing the load due to the deformation of the coil spring 100 during the tissue transformation that occurs during energization heating. By moving it to the set position, it is possible to suppress variations in the gap between the wires of the coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding.

(Modification 3)
Next, a third modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heating system according to the third modification is the same as the heating system 1 according to the embodiment, but includes a measuring mechanism (not shown) that measures the temperature of the coil spring 100. In addition, in the modified example, the description will be made assuming that the detection unit 24 detects the amount of electric power (for example, the total amount of electric power from the start of energization).

The heat treatment according to Modification 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a heating method according to modification 3.

First, in the same manner as steps S101 and S102 shown in FIG. Start (step S302).

After that, the rotation control unit 252 releases the restriction on the rotation of the first shaft member 11 about the rotation axis _N11 (step S303). During the heat treatment, it rotates around the rotation axis _N11 following the deformation of the coil spring 100.

Thereafter, the rotation control unit 252 determines whether the amount of energized power has reached a preset amount of power (step S304). If the rotation control unit 252 determines that the amount of energized power has not reached the set amount of power based on the amount of energized power detected by the detection unit 24 (step S304: No), it repeats confirmation of the amount of energized power. On the other hand, when the rotation control unit 252 determines that the amount of energized power has reached the set amount of power (step S304: Yes), the process proceeds to step S305. The set amount of power set at this time is, for example, the amount of power (for example, the total amount of power) required for the coil spring 100 to reach the temperature at which it becomes austenitized.

In step S305, the rotation control section 252 rotates the shaft body 110 to move the position of the grip section 112 to a preset setting position.

Thereafter, the energization control unit 251 ends the energization of the rotating shaft (step S306).

In the third modified example described above, the heat treatment is performed in the same manner as in the embodiment, so that the end position is changed at the end of heating while relieving the load due to the deformation of the coil spring 100 during tissue transformation that occurs during energization heating. By moving it to the set position, it is possible to suppress variations in the gap between the wires of the coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding.

Up to this point, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described, but the present invention should not be limited only to the embodiments described above. In the embodiment, an example in which the second shaft member 12 does not rotate has been described, but a configuration may be adopted in which the second shaft member 12 is rotated, or both the first shaft member 11 and the second shaft member 12 are rotated. It may be configured freely. When both shaft members are configured to be rotatable, for example, in step S105, the position of the spring holding portion of one shaft member and the position of the spring holding portion of the other shaft member are set to correspond to the design. At least one shaft member is rotated.

As described above, the present invention may include various embodiments not described herein, and various design changes may be made within the scope of the technical idea specified by the claims. Is possible.

Further, in the embodiment and the modification example, an example has been described in which stopping or continuation is determined using one of temperature, heating time, and electric energy; however, the control is not limited to this, and is controlled by combining temperature, time, and electric energy. You may also do so.

As described above, the heating method and heating system according to the present invention are suitable for suppressing variations in the gap between the wires of a coil spring and variations in the diameter of the coil formed by winding.

1, 1A heating system 10, 10A heating device 11 first shaft member 12 second shaft member 13, 13A support member 20 control device 21 input section 22 output section 23 setting section 24 detection section 25 control section 26 storage section 251 energization control section 252 Rotation control section 261 Heating condition storage section 262 Rotation condition storage section

Claims (4)

A heating method for quenching a coil spring, the method comprising:
a fixing step of placing the coil spring on a support member, fixing one end of the coil spring to the outer peripheral surface of a rotatable first shaft member, and fixing the other end to the outer peripheral surface of a second shaft member;
a heating step of energizing the first and second shaft members to heat the coil spring;
a rotating step of rotating the first shaft member to move one end of the coil spring to a preset position;
including;
The axes of the first and second shaft members are located on the same straight line forming an angle of 0 to 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction,
A central axis of the coil spring attached to the first and second shaft members and supported by the support member is parallel to the straight line.
A heating method characterized by: The rotating step rotates the first shaft member when the temperature of the coil spring reaches a set temperature that is set to a temperature higher than the transformation point temperature of the material forming the coil spring.
The heating method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing step fixes the coil spring at a position where the central axis of the coil spring is offset from the straight line.
The heating method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A heating system for quenching a coil spring, the heating system comprising:
a first shaft member that is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the longitudinal direction and grips one end of the coil spring;
a second shaft member extending in the longitudinal axis direction and gripping the other end of the coil spring;
a control device that controls energization of the first and second shaft members and rotation of the first shaft member;
The rotational axis of the first shaft member and the longitudinal axis of the second shaft member are located on the same straight line that forms an angle of 0 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less with respect to the horizontal direction,
The central axes of the coil springs attached to the first and second shaft members are parallel to the straight line,
The control device releases rotation restriction of the first shaft member when heating the coil spring starts, and moves one end of the coil spring to a preset position by the end of the heating process.
A heating system characterized by:

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