JP3316696B2 - Ultrasonic welding equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic welding apparatus for welding fabrics using ultrasonic waves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a sewing machine is used to sew fabrics. There are many types of sewing machines, such as sewing machines that move the fabric while fixing the sewing machine main body, sewing machines that move the sewing machine body while fixing the fabric with an embroidery frame (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-32544). It is diverse.

[0003]

However, when sewing a fabric with a sewing machine, a thread is required, and the number of man-hours, such as replenishment of a lower thread and treatment for thread breakage during sewing, is large and very troublesome. For this reason, when it is used for industrial purposes, it hinders improvement in productivity and the like.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for welding fabrics by a simple method while preventing the above-mentioned adverse effects.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ultrasonic welding apparatus according to the present invention has a surface on which overlapping fabrics (A, B) are stretched.
Substrate a number of flow path through the surface to the rear surface (5) is distributed
(3); an ultrasonic generator (1) which presses the fabric (A, B) against the surface and irradiates the fabric (A, B) with ultrasonic waves;
8); moving means (19) for moving the ultrasonic generator (18) to the pressing position; a support member (17) for supporting the moving means (19);
A first direction support member (20) that movably supports the support member (17) in a first direction (X direction) parallel to the fabric (A, B); a first direction (X
Direction support member (1) that movably supports the support member (17) in a second direction (Y direction) parallel to the fabric in a direction perpendicular to the second direction.
5); a first direction driving means (Mx) for driving the support member (17) in a first direction (X direction); a second direction driving means (Mx) for driving the support member (17) in a second direction (Y direction). My); one end of the plurality of channels from the back surface of the substrate (3) (5) covering the guide member (9, 12); and, the other end of the guide member (9, 12) is connected, the number of A suction device (Mb) for sucking a gas flow (air) of the overlapping cloth on the surface of the substrate (3) through the flow path (5) to the back side;

Symbols in parentheses indicate corresponding elements or items in the embodiment shown in the drawings and described later.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the moving means (19) moves the ultrasonic generator (18) to a position where the cloth (A, B) is pressed.
The fabric (A) and the fabric (B) are brought into close contact. Then, since the ultrasonic wave is applied to the position where the ultrasonic wave generator (18) is in close contact, the contact position is locally heated and the cloth (A) and the cloth (B) are welded. This welding does not require any thread (upper thread, lower thread) unlike sewing with a sewing machine, so that it is not necessary to perform troublesome replenishment of the lower thread or measures against thread breakage during sewing, for example, and it is very simple. is there.

Further, since the ultrasonic generator (18) is movable parallel to the cloth surface, the cloth (A) and the cloth (B) can be welded at a predetermined position.

Furthermore, a plurality of channels penetrating from the surface to the rear surface to the substrate (3) (5) is provided, via a guide member (9, 12) from the back surface of the substrate (3) during welding Connected suction device (M
Since the gas flow (air) on the front surface side of the substrate (3) is sucked to the rear surface side by b), the fabric (A, B) is stretched more closely to the surface of the substrate (3). As a result, even the stretchable fabric (A, B) can be easily welded without displacement.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0011]

1 shows an appearance of an ultrasonic welding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a cross section taken along line WW of FIG. A base plate 3 is fixed to a table 2 on a gantry 1 by tightening screws 4a to 4d.
It is fixed at.

The base plate 3 is made of aluminum, and is provided with a plurality of suction holes 5 penetrating the front and back surfaces at the center. L-shaped guides 6a to 6d supporting two superposed fabrics A and B are fixed to the surface of the base plate 3 with tightening screws 7a to 7d. Each of the guides 6a to 6d has a long groove, and is slidable in a direction in which the long groove extends (6a, 6d).
c can be slid in the X direction, and 6b and 6d can be slid in the Y direction), thereby positioning the fabrics A and B in the XY directions. In this embodiment, the upper fabric A is a resin-based sheet, and the lower fabric B is a urethane foam.

An opening 8 is provided in the center of the table 2 on the back surface of the base plate 3 opposite to the suction hole 5, and a box 9 is provided below the table 2 via a packing 10 so as to cover the opening 8. The screws 11a to 11d (11b and 11d are not shown) are fixed. A guide 9a extending in the Z direction is provided at the center of the lower surface of the box 9, and one end of the pipe 12 is attached to the guide 9a. Pipe 12
Is connected to a blower motor M provided inside the gantry 1.
b. Thereby, the blower motor Mb
Is rotated, air is sucked from the front surface side to the back surface side of the base plate 3 through the plurality of suction holes 5, so that the fabrics A and B adhere to the base plate 3 and are displaced during ultrasonic welding described later. Not to be.

An orthogonal coordinate type robot comprising an X-direction guide unit 13 and a Y-direction guide unit 14 is fixed to the table 2 in the XY directions.

The Y-direction guide unit 14 includes a Y-direction ball screw 15 and a Y-axis motor My (DC motor). One end of the output shaft and the Y-direction ball screw 15 of the Y-axis motor My (Y _B side) pulley (not shown) are coupled respectively between said pulleys timing belt 16
It is wound around. The other end of the Y-direction ball screw 15 (Y _A
Side) is rotatably supported by the Y-direction guide unit 14 (not shown). A Y-axis moving table 17 is screwed to the Y-direction ball screw 15, and an air cylinder 19 that moves the ultrasonic welding machine 18 up and down in the Z direction is fixed to the Y-axis moving table 17. The Y-axis moving table 17 includes guide portions 17a, 1
7b, and the guide portions 17a, 17b are provided on guide rails 14a, 1 provided on the Y-direction guide unit 14.
4b.

[0016] Accordingly, Y-axis moving table 17 by positive energizing the Y-axis motor My is driven in the arrow Y _A direction together with the ultrasonic welder 18, an arrow Y _B direction by the reverse current to the Y-axis motor My Is driven. Note that the Y-direction unit 14 is in contact with the Y-axis
Detection switch Sy1 and Sy2 decide start position (arrow Y _B direction of the distal end) and the end position of the movement (the tip of the arrow Y _A direction) is installed.

The X-direction guide unit 13 includes an X-direction ball screw 20 and an X-axis motor Mx (DC motor). A pulley 21 is provided on the output shaft of the X-axis motor Mx,
A pulley 22 is connected to one end of the X-direction ball screw 20, and the pulley 21 and the pulley 22 are wound around a timing belt 23. The other end of the X-direction ball screw 20 is rotatably supported by the X-direction guide unit 13. An X-axis moving stage 24 is screwed to the X-direction ball screw 20, and the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is
A Y-direction guide unit 14 that is driven in the direction is fixed. A guide portion (not shown) is provided at a lower portion of the X-axis moving base 24, and the guide portion is an X-direction guide unit 1.
3 is fitted into a guide rail (not shown) provided at a lower portion of the lower rail 3.

[0018] Thus, X-axis moving table 24 by positive energizing the X-axis motor Mx, together with an ultrasonic welder 18 is driven in the arrow X _A direction arrow X _B by reverse energizing the X-axis motor Mx Driven in the direction. Note that the X direction guide unit 13, the X-axis moving table 24 determines the start position of the movement of the contact X-axis moving table 24 (arrow X _B direction of the distal end) and end position (tip of arrow X _A direction) detection switch S
x1 and Sx2 are mounted.

The air cylinders 19 are connected to air supply pipes 25 and 26 for sending air from a pump P stored in the gantry 1. The ultrasonic welding machine 18 is moved up and down by an air cylinder 19. At the time of welding, as shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is lowered to a position where the fabrics A and B are pressed, and is irradiated with ultrasonic waves. That is, the ultrasonic welding machine 18
The cloth A and the cloth B are brought into close contact with each other by pressing, and the ultrasonic wave is irradiated.
And the fabric B are welded. The heating temperature at this time is about 250 ° C. in this embodiment, and the heating time is about 1 second.

FIG. 4 shows a main part of an electric system for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG. This is CPU1
01, a main control board 100 composed of a RAM 102 and a ROM 103, an operation panel 200, a data input unit 30
0, motor drivers MDx and MDy for energizing the X-axis motor Mx and the Y-axis motor My, a motor driver MDp for energizing the motor Mp for the pump P for supplying air to the air cylinder 19, and a suction blower motor Mb. Urging motor driver MDb, ultrasonic welding unit 30, and
It is composed of a solenoid driver SD for turning on / off the welding 3-port switching valve.

On / off signals from the start detection switches Sx1 and Sy1 and the end detection switches Sx2 and Sy2 are input to the main control board 100 and the motor drivers MDx and MDy.

In the data input unit 300, a welding position and a program for driving the ultrasonic welding machine 18 by a rectangular coordinate robot at the welding position are input.

The ultrasonic welding unit 30 comprises an ultrasonic welding machine 18 having a vibrator and a high frequency power supply 31 for supplying a high frequency voltage to the vibrator.

The air pressure is supplied to the rod side of the air cylinder 19 through the three-port switching valve via the air supply pipe 26, while the air pressure on the head side is supplied from the three-port switching valve via the air supply pipe 25. The air cylinder 19 is retracted because it is released to the atmosphere. Here, when the solenoid is turned on, the three-port switching valve is simultaneously switched,
The air pressure is supplied from the three-port switching valve to the head side of the air cylinder 19, and the air pressure on the rod side is released to the atmosphere from the three-port switching valve, and the air cylinder 19 moves forward. Thereby, the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is lowered to the position where the fabrics A and B are pressed. When the solenoid is turned off, the three-port switching valve is simultaneously turned off, and the air cylinder 19 moves backward. As a result, the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is raised, so that the pressing of the fabrics A and B is released.

When using the ultrasonic welding apparatus of the embodiment described above, the operator first superimposes the cloth A and the cloth B to be welded and stretches them on the base plate 3. Then, when the operator selects a predetermined program in the data input unit 200 on the operation panel 200 and presses a start switch (not shown), the blower motor Mb rotates and the cloth A and the cloth B come into close contact with the base plate 3. It is sucked. And the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is an X-axis motor M
It is once returned to the home position (the position where the start-end detection switches Sx1 and Sy1 are turned on) via the x- and Y-axis motors My, and thereafter driven to the position determined by the selected program. Then, air is supplied to the head side of the air cylinder 19, and the ultrasonic welding machine 18 descends to a position where the cloth A and the cloth B are pressed, and the ultrasonic wave is irradiated to the pressed position for about 1 second. Thereby, the fabric A and the fabric B are welded. When welding is completed, the air cylinder 1
Air is supplied to the rod side of 9 and the ultrasonic welding machine 18 rises and the pressing is released. Then, the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is driven to the next welding position, and the same processing is repeated. When all welding in the program is completed, the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is returned to the home position.

In this embodiment, the ultrasonic welding machine 18 is used.
Is moved up and down by the driving force of the air cylinder 19, but may be driven by an electric motor or may be operated manually. Air cylinder 1
Reference numeral 9 denotes a double-acting cylinder using two 3-port switching valves. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a single-acting cylinder may be used in which one of the forward movements is operated by air pressure and the return is performed by a spring or the like.

[0027]

As described above, the welding by the apparatus of the present invention does not require any thread (upper thread, lower thread) unlike sewing by a sewing machine. It is very simple since there is no need to take any measures for cutting.

Also, during welding, the gas flow (air) on the front side of the substrate (3) is sucked to the back side by the suction device (Mb), so that the cloth (A, B) is on the front side of the substrate (3). Stretched more closely to
There is no displacement.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an ultrasonic welding apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line WW shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view showing a vertically moving state of the ultrasonic welding machine 18 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main part of an electric system for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic welding apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3: Base plate 5: Suction hole 9: Box 12: Pipe 15: Y-direction ball screw 17: Y-axis moving table 18: Ultrasonic welding machine 19: Air cylinder 20: X-direction ball screw A, B: Fabric Mb: Blower motor Mx : X-axis motor My: Y-axis motor

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] Claims: 1. An overlaid fabric having a surface on which it is stretched ,
A substrate on which a large number of flow paths penetrating from the front surface to the back surface are distributed ; an ultrasonic generator which opposes the front surface , presses the cloth against the front surface, and irradiates the cloth with ultrasonic waves; A moving member for moving to the pressing position; a supporting member for supporting the moving member; a first direction supporting member for movably supporting the supporting member in a first direction parallel to the fabric; in a direction perpendicular to the first direction; A second direction support member that movably supports the support member in a second direction parallel to the fabric; a first direction drive unit that drives the support member in a first direction; a second direction drive that drives the support member in a second direction A guide member having one end covering the plurality of flow paths from the back surface of the substrate; and the other end of the guide member being connected, and a gas flow on the cloth side overlapping the surface of the substrate via the plurality of flow paths. Suction device for sucking back to the back side That the ultrasonic welding device. 2. The method according to claim 2, wherein each of the superposed fabrics is on the substrate.
The L-shaped guide for positioning a side;
The ultrasonic welding device as described in the above.