WO2018088567A1 - Heat caulking device and heat caulking method - Google Patents

Abstract

A heat caulking device is provided with: a lens frame holding part that holds a lens frame having a first inner frame part and a heat caulking protrusion part; a horn part having a pressing surface that applies a pressing force with which the heat caulking protrusion part is foldable to an inner side of the first inner frame part; and a slide supporting part that supports at least one of the lens frame holding part and the horn part so as to be made relatively movable in a direction orthogonal to an axis by a component of the pressing force in the direction orthogonal to the axis.

Description

Thermal caulking device and thermal caulking method

The present invention relates to a thermal caulking device and a thermal caulking method.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-221480, filed Nov. 14, 2016, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Thermal caulking is used when assembling various members. For example, also when assembling an optical component such as a lens to a lens frame, thermal caulking may be used (see Patent Document 1).
In the thermal caulking device described in Patent Document 1, a lens frame in which a lens is inserted is fixed to a fixing jig. The pressing member heated by the heater head is pressed by the lens frame. As a result, the crimped portion of the lens frame is bent along the surface of the lens, so the lens is thermally caulked to the lens frame.
Depending on the lens unit, a movable gap may be provided between the lens and the inner peripheral surface of the lens frame. In this case, for example, as described in Patent Document 2, after the position of the lens is adjusted in the range of the gap, heat caulking is performed.

Japanese Patent No. 4764739 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2001-51175

However, the prior art as described above has the following problems.
For example, when fixing the lens to the lens frame by thermal caulking, if the contact position of the pressing member with respect to the caulking portion is shifted, the deformation of the caulking portion becomes uneven in the circumferential direction. In this case, the pressing force acting on the lens from the caulking portion during thermal caulking also varies in the circumferential direction. For this reason, the lens may move within the lens frame, or the lens holding power by the crimped portion after curing may vary in the circumferential direction. When the lens moves within the lens frame, the amount of eccentricity may increase and the optical characteristics may deteriorate. If the holding power varies in the circumferential direction, there is a concern that the lens may come off from the lens frame or rotate with time.
Furthermore, when the pressing force from the caulking portion varies in the circumferential direction, lens distortion is likely to occur at a portion where the pressing force is large, and the production yield may be reduced due to the optical characteristic failure.
If the position of the lens with respect to the optical axis is fixed by the pressing member during heat caulking as in the technique described in Patent Document 2, movement during heat caulking can be prevented. However, in this case, if thermal crimping is performed with the lens held at a position where the lens is decentered with respect to the center of the lens frame, the contact state of the crimped portion with respect to the lens will vary in the circumferential direction. Therefore, variations in holding power and lens distortion can not be eliminated.

For example, it is also conceivable to align the central axis of the lens frame with the central axis of the pressing member by supporting the fixing jig of the lens frame on the XY stage.
However, in the case of a lens unit including a plurality of lenses, the lens fixing position must be shifted from the center of the lens frame and fixed so that manufacturing errors of the lens and lens frame can be corrected in order to increase manufacturing yield. There is. In this case, since the fixed position of the lens needs to be precisely aligned with the target position, it takes a lot of adjustment time even if it has the adjusting mechanism. This increases the manufacturing cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and it is preferable that the protruding portions disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion of the assembly frame be thermally caulked uniformly in the circumferential direction It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal caulking device and a thermal caulking method that are easier.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the heat caulking device of the 1st mode of the present invention is arranged so that the frame part which an assembly member can insert, and the inner skin of the frame may be surrounded by thermoplastic resin. And a holder for holding the assembly frame having the formed protrusion, and the holder is provided so as to be movable relative to the holder in the axial direction along the first axis, and the protrusion is provided at the tip. A caulking horn having a caulking pressing surface for applying a pressing force capable of bending the protuberance to the inside of the frame when the coping portion can be heated and relatively moved in a direction approaching the holding table; The holding base and the caulking horn such that the holding base on which the assembly frame is held and the caulking horn can be relatively moved in the axial perpendicular direction by a component in a direction perpendicular to the first axis. Less of Also comprises a slide support for supporting one.

In the heat caulking device, the slide support portion includes a first substrate for fixing the holding table, a second substrate facing the first substrate in the axial direction, and the second substrate in the axial direction. And a slide moving unit that slidably supports the first substrate relative to two substrates.

In the heat caulking device, an axial driving portion for relatively moving the caulking horn and the holding base in the axial direction, a force component in a direction perpendicular to the axis received by the caulking horn or the holding base, the caulking horn and the holding By monitoring at least one of the relative position to the platform, whether the caulking pressing surface and the projecting portion are in contact with each other and whether the relative movement limit of the holding platform in the direction perpendicular to the axis has been reached. And a control unit that controls the operation of the axial drive unit, and the slide support unit is configured to detect the pressing force when the pressing force is released. It is provided to hold the position in the direction perpendicular to the axis at the time of release, and the control unit drives the axial direction drive unit to hold the crimp horn and the holding. And the contact operation for bringing the pressing surface for crimping and the protruding portion into contact with each other in the axial direction, and the pressing surface for crimping and the protrusion being contacted by the contact state detection unit. After the pressure detection surface and the projection are separated, the separation operation for moving the crimping horn and the holding base away from each other, and after the separation operation, the crimping horn and the holding base Are made close to each other in the axial direction, and the pressing operation is performed to press the protrusion by the pressing surface for caulking, and in the pressing operation, the relative movement limit is reached based on the information of the contact state detection unit And the separation operation, the pressing operation, and the pressing operation, when it is determined in the determination operation that the relative movement limit has not been reached. When it is determined that the relative movement limit has been reached by repeating the constant operation, the axial driving unit is driven to thermally caulk the projection, thereby driving the caulking horn and the holding base in the axial direction. And may be closer to each other.

In the heat caulking device, the control unit further controls the temperature of the caulking pressing surface, and until it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached, the glass transition of the material of the protruding portion is performed until the temperature reaches the relative movement limit. The temperature may be controlled to be higher than the glass transition temperature Tg after the temperature is controlled to be lower than the temperature Tg and it is judged that the relative movement limit is reached.

A thermal caulking method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a thermal caulking method for thermally caulking the caulking assembly by pressing the caulking horn in a heated state to the caulking assembly held by the holding table. The assembling is performed on the frame portion of the assembly frame having a frame portion into which the attachment member can be inserted, and a projecting portion which is disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion and is formed of a thermoplastic resin. The caulking assembly into which the member is inserted is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the holder in the axial direction along the first axis, and the protrusion can be heated at the tip and the holder Preparing a caulking horn having a caulking pressing surface for applying a pressing force capable of bending the protuberance to the inside of the frame when moving relatively to a direction approaching c. Supporting a solid body, the holding stand and the front Making at least one of the crimping horns relatively movable in the axis-perpendicular direction by the component in the direction perpendicular to the first axis in the pressing force and allowing relative movement of the holding base and the crimping horn; And relatively moving the holding base closer to each other in the axial direction, pressing the caulking pressing surface against the projection to align the relative positions of the caulking horn and the holding base in the direction perpendicular to the axis After the relative positions of the crimp horn and the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axis are aligned, the crimp horn in the heated state and the holder are further moved relative to each other in the axial direction so as to approach the protrusion Heat caulking the protuberance to the assembly member.

In the thermal caulking method, to align the relative positions of the caulking horn and the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axis means that the caulking horn and the holder are brought close to each other in the axial direction, and the pressing surface for caulking After the contact operation for bringing the protruding portion and the protruding portion into contact with each other and the protruding portion and the pressing surface for crimping contact each other, the crimping horn and the protruding portion are separated from each other. A separation operation for moving away from the holding table, and a pressing operation for moving the caulking horn and the holding table closer to each other in the axial direction after the separation operation and pressing the protrusion by the caulking pressing surface; Determining whether the relative movement limit of the holding base in the direction perpendicular to the axis has been reached in the pressing operation; When it is determined that the relative movement limit is not reached, the separation operation, the pressing operation, and the determination operation are repeated, and when it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached, the alignment is completed. Good.

In the thermal caulking method, the positioning causes the temperature of the caulking pressing surface to be less than the glass transition temperature Tg of the material of the projecting portion until it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached. Heat staking may include making the temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature Tg after it is determined that the relative movement limit has been reached.

According to the heat caulking device and the heat caulking method of the present invention, it becomes easier to uniformly heat caulk the protruding portions disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion of the assembly frame in the circumferential direction .

It is a typical front view showing an example of the heat caulking device of an embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale of A1, A2, B1, B2 part in FIG. It is a typical sectional view showing an example of a slide supporter of a heat caulking device of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical sectional view showing an example of a slide supporter of a heat caulking device of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing composition of a control system of a thermal caulking device of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the heat | fever crimping method of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the alignment operation | movement in the heat | fever crimping method of embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the heat | fever crimping apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the heat | fever crimping apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the heat | fever crimping apparatus of embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a thermal caulking device and a thermal caulking method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of a thermal caulking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of portions A1, A2, B1 and B2 in FIG. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic cross-sectional views showing an example of the slide support portion of the thermal caulking device of the embodiment of the invention.
Each drawing is a schematic drawing, and the shape and size are exaggerated (the same applies to the following drawings).

The thermal caulking device 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 fixes the assembling member to the assembling frame by thermally caulking the assembling frame into which the assembling member of an appropriate shape is inserted.
The shape of the assembly frame is as long as it has a frame portion into which the assembling member can be inserted, and a projecting portion disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion and formed of a thermoplastic resin. There is no particular limitation. For example, the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion can have various tubular shapes. For example, the inner circumferential surface of the frame may have a cylindrical shape, a cylindrical shape having a polygonal cross section, or the like.
Hereinafter, as an example, an example in which the assembly member is a lens and the assembly frame is a lens frame will be described.

The thermal caulking device 10, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a base 1 that supports the entire device. The thermal caulking device 10 includes a lens frame holding portion 6 (holding base), a slide supporting portion 7, a supporting portion 2, a pressing portion 3 (axial direction driving portion), a heating portion 4, and a horn portion 5 (crimping horn) ).

The lens frame holding portion 6 is a device for holding the assembly 53 (assembly for caulking) as shown in FIG.
The assembly 53 is configured by inserting the first lens 51 (assembly member) into the lens frame 52 (assembly frame). The assembly 53 is held by the lens frame holding portion 6 so that a heat caulking protrusion 52B (a protrusion) of the lens frame 52 described later is directed upward.
The holding central axis H of the lens frame holding portion 6 is parallel to a reference axis Z (first axis) of the thermal caulking device 10 extending in the vertical direction.

In the present specification, when a relative position of a member such as an axial or cylindrical member capable of specifying an axis such as an optical axis or a central axis is described, a direction along the axis is an axial direction, and a circumferential direction is a circumferential direction A direction along a line intersecting the axis in a plane orthogonal to the axis is referred to as a radial direction. Further, in particular, the direction along the optical axis may be referred to as the optical axis direction. Further, in the radial direction, a region farther from the axis with respect to the reference position may be referred to as a radially outer side, and a region closer to the axis may be referred to as a radially inner side.

Here, an example of the configuration of the first lens 51 and the lens frame 52 for fixing the first lens 51 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the first lens 51 has a first lens surface 51 a and a second lens surface 51 b. A lens side surface 51c which is a cylindrical surface coaxial with the optical axis O1 is formed on an outer peripheral portion between the first lens surface 51a and the second lens surface 51b.
The shapes of the first lens surface 51a and the second lens surface 51b are not particularly limited, and, for example, appropriate surface shapes such as a spherical surface, an aspheric surface, a free curved surface, and a flat surface can be adopted. The shapes of the first lens surface 51a and the second lens surface 51b may be any of a convex surface, a flat surface, and a concave surface. Furthermore, the first lens 51 may have a shape having a flange at its outer peripheral portion.
In the following, as an example, the first lens surface 51a of the first lens 51 is a convex spherical surface, and the second lens surface 51b of the first lens 51 is a plano-convex lens having a flat surface.

The material of the first lens 51 may be glass or synthetic resin, as long as it can be thermally crimped. The glass lens may be a polished lens or a glass molded lens.

The lens frame 52 is a member to which the first lens 51 is fixed by performing a thermal caulking method of the present embodiment described later in a state in which the first lens 51 is accommodated. 1 and 2 show the shape of the lens frame 52 before heat caulking.
However, in addition to the illustrated first lens 51, a second lens (not shown, the same applies hereinafter) is fixed to the lens frame 52. The second lens is disposed on the lens frame 52 after the thermal swaging of the first lens 51 is completed.
Similar to the first lens 51, the shape of the lens surface of the second lens is not limited, but the second lens has a cylindrical lens side surface. The outer diameter of the lens side surface of the second lens is larger than the outer diameter of the lens side surface 51c. In order to thermally caulk the second lens, in the thermal caulking device 10, the horn 5 to be described later may be replaced with another horn corresponding to the shape of the second lens and the shape of the protruding portion for fixing the second lens. Good.

Hereinafter, the shape of the lens frame 52 before heat caulking will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, on the outer periphery of the lens frame 52, a first outer frame 52a, a step 52b, and a second outer frame 52c are provided. The first outer frame 52a, the step 52b, and the second outer frame 52c are arranged in this order in the axial direction of the lens frame 52.
Below, among the both ends in the axial direction in the lens frame 52, the end where the first outer frame 52a is located is the first end E1, and the end where the second outer frame 52c is located is the second end E2. It is written as Furthermore, when the relative position along the axial direction of the lens frame 52 is described, the position closer to the second end E2 is the upper position than the first end E1 based on the disposition attitude to the lens frame holding portion 6 May be referred to as the lower side.

The first outer frame portion 52 a is a cylindrical member having a diameter larger than that of the first lens 51. The central axis of the outer peripheral surface of the first outer frame portion 52 a defines the central axis C of the lens frame 52. The inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the first outer frame portion 52a is smaller at the end on the upper side than the outer diameter of the second lens and larger than the lens effective diameter of the second lens.
A bottom surface 52d extends radially inward inside the first outer frame 52a at the first end E1. A through hole 52e passes through the central portion of the bottom surface portion 52d. The inner diameter of the through hole 52 e is smaller than the outer diameter of the first lens 51 and larger than the lens effective diameter of the first lens 51.

A first inner frame portion 52f is provided upright on the surface of the bottom surface portion 52d on the second end E2 side. The first inner frame portion 52 f is a frame portion for inserting the first lens 51.
As shown in FIG. 2, the first inner frame portion 52f includes an inner frame main body 52A and a thermal caulking protrusion 52B in this order from the bottom surface portion 52d side.

The inner frame main body 52 </ b> A detachably fits the first lens 51. The inner circumferential surface 52g of the inner frame main body 52A is a cylindrical surface slightly smaller in diameter than the outer diameter of the lens side surface 51c. Thereby, the inner frame main body 52A positions the first lens 51 in the radial direction in the lens frame 52.
The protruding height of the inner frame main body 52A from the bottom surface 52d is substantially the same (including the same case) as the length of the lens side surface 51c in the axial direction.
The upper surface of the bottom surface portion 52d inside the inner frame main body 52A constitutes a lens receiving surface for positioning the first lens 51 inserted in the inner frame main body 52A in the direction along the central axis C.

The thermal caulking projection 52B is a thermal caulking device that is thermally caulked by the thermal caulking device 10 in order to fix the first lens 51 to the first inner frame 52f. For this reason, the thermal caulking projections 52B are formed of a thermoplastic resin that can be thermally caulked. In the present embodiment, the entire lens frame 52 is formed of a thermoplastic resin. The lens frame 52 may be manufactured by resin molding or cutting.
However, if the thermal caulking projections 52B and the thermal caulking projections 52D to be described later are formed of a thermoplastic resin capable of thermal caulking, the other parts of the lens frame 52 may be formed of different materials. Good.
In the case where the lens frame 52 is formed by resin molding, an appropriate draft can be provided depending on the mold structure of the mold. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, a shape in which the draft required for forming is ignored is described. For example, in the following, when a cylindrical surface is referred to, in a molded product, the approximate shape of a cylindrical surface is also included, which should be called a conical surface strictly because of the draft.

The thermal caulking projection 52B protrudes in the direction along the central axis C from the upper end of the inner frame main body 52A. The thermal caulking projection 52 </ b> B may be configured of, for example, a plurality of projections (protrusions) separated in the circumferential direction. In this case, the plurality of protrusions may be formed at positions at the upper end portion of the inner frame main body 52A to equally divide the circumferential direction.
In the example shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the thermal caulking protrusion 52 B is a cylindrical protrusion that is continuous in the circumferential direction. In this case, the thermal caulking projections 52B, which are bent when thermal caulking, contact the first lens 51 evenly throughout the circumferential direction. The stress due to the bent thermal caulking protrusion 52B coming into contact with the first lens 51 is dispersed. As a result, in the first lens 51 fixed by the thermal caulking protrusion 52B formed of a cylindrical protrusion continuous in the circumferential direction, deterioration of the optical characteristics due to lens distortion is reduced.

The inner diameter of the inner circumferential surface 52i of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B may be the same as the inner diameter of the inner circumferential surface 52g, as shown in FIG.
However, the inner diameter of the inner circumferential surface 52i may be larger than the inner diameter of the inner circumferential surface 52g. When the diameter of the inner peripheral surface 52i is larger than that of the inner peripheral surface 52g, the inner peripheral surface 52i may be a tapered surface which is inclined radially outward from the lower end to the upper end. In this case, the insertion of the first lens 51 becomes easier.
The outer peripheral surface 52j of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B may be connected to the outer peripheral surface of the inner frame main body 52A without any level difference, as shown in FIG. However, the outer circumferential surface 52 j may have a step with respect to the outer circumferential surface of the inner frame main body 52 </ b> A.
The outer peripheral surface 52 j may be a tapered surface which inclines inward in the radial direction from the lower end to the upper end as in the example shown in FIG. 2.

The thickness in the radial direction of the thermal caulking projection 52B is thinner than the thickness in the radial direction of the inner frame main body 52A. The protruding height of the thermal caulking protuberance 52B from the inner frame main body 52A is such that a caulking margin necessary for thermal caulking can be secured, and in the state of being bent after thermal caulking, the first lens surface 51a The size is set outside the lens effective area.
The tip end surface 52 h in the protrusion direction of the thermal caulking protrusion 52 B is a plane orthogonal to the central axis C.

With such a configuration, the first inner frame portion 52f in the present embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole. The inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface 52g of the first inner frame portion 52f has a size that allows the first lens 51 to be detachably fitted. The gap between the inner circumferential surface 52 g and the lens side surface 51 c of the first lens 51 is more preferably smaller than the allowable eccentric error of the first lens 51.
An annular gap is formed between the first inner frame portion 52 f and the first outer frame portion 52 a as viewed in the axial direction. The size of the gap is such that the tip of the horn 5 described later can be inserted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stepped portion 52 b is a plate-like portion that protrudes outward in the radial direction from the upper end of the first outer frame 52 a.
A second inner frame 52k is provided upright on the surface of the step 52b on the second end E2 side.
The second inner frame portion 52k is a frame portion for inserting the second lens.
The second inner frame portion 52k includes an inner frame main body 52C and a thermal caulking protrusion 52D in this order from the step 52b side. The inner frame main body 52C is configured in the same manner as the inner frame main body 52A in the first inner frame portion 52f, except that the shape and the arrangement position are changed to hold the second lens, and the protrusion for thermal caulking 52D is comprised similarly to projection part 52B for heat caulking.
That is, the inner frame main body 52 </ b> C positions the second lens in the radial direction in the lens frame 52 by detachably fitting the second lens. The inner circumferential surface 52m is a cylindrical surface slightly smaller in diameter than the outer diameter of the second lens. The surface of the stepped portion 52b inside the inner frame main body 52C constitutes a lens receiving surface for positioning the second lens inserted in the inner frame main body 52C in the direction along the central axis C.
The thermal caulking projections 52D are projections made of thermoplastic resin that are thermally caulked by the thermal caulking device 10 in order to fix the second lens to the second inner frame 52k. However, as described above, the shape of the horn used is different from that of the horn 5 shown in FIG.

A second outer frame portion 52c is erected at the outer edge of the step 52b.
The second outer frame portion 52c is a cylindrical member larger in diameter than the second outer frame portion 52c. The outer peripheral surface of the second outer frame portion 52c is coaxial with the central axis C. The protruding height of the second outer frame portion 52c is set to an appropriate height according to, for example, the lens thickness of the second lens. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the height of the second outer frame portion 52c is higher than the height of the second inner frame portion 52k.
An annular gap is formed between the second outer frame portion 52c and the second inner frame portion 52k as viewed in the axial direction. The size of this gap is such that it can be inserted into the tip of the horn for heat crimping the second lens.

In the lens frame 52, the arrangement positions of the first inner frame portion 52f and the second inner frame portion 52k in the radial direction are determined such that the first lens 51 and the second lens can be arranged in the positional relationship necessary for design. ing.
For example, in the case where the first lens 51 and the second lens constitute a decentered optical system, the first inner frame portion 52f is arranged such that the optical axis O1 and the optical axis of the second lens are deviated by the necessary decentering amount in design. The placement position of is determined.
For example, when the first lens 51 and the second lens constitute a coaxial optical system, the arrangement position of the first inner frame 52f is determined so as to be coaxial with the optical axis O1 and the optical axis of the second lens. Be
However, in the lens unit, it may be known that a substantially constant decentration error occurs in the lens unit or a part of the lens frame for manufacturing reasons. In this case, it may be more economical to shift the position of the specific lens in the direction of reducing the decentering error of the lens unit rather than reducing the manufacturing error of each member causing the decentering error. Such correction may be effective particularly for a lens unit that requires high precision optical characteristics.
For this reason, even in the case of a lens frame of a coaxial optical system, there are cases where the central axis of the frame portion holding each lens is not coaxial.

In the lens frame 52, as an example, the central axis C2 of the inner peripheral surface 52m of the second inner frame 52k is coaxial with the central axis C. The central axis C1 of the inner circumferential surface 52i of the first inner frame portion 52f is offset by Δ from the central axis C1 (see FIG. 2). The amount of eccentricity Δ and the direction of eccentricity of the central axis C1 are set to values for correcting an eccentricity error due to a manufacturing error generated by the member of the lens unit. However, when the first lens 51 and the second lens constitute a decentered optical system, the amount of eccentricity Δ and the decentered direction may be set to design values in the decentered optical system.

Here, the description returns to the heat caulking device 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the lens frame holding portion 6 holds the outer peripheral surface of the first outer frame portion 52a of the lens frame 52 described above from the side and the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 52d from the lower side.
The lens frame holding portion 6 is disposed on the base 1 via the slide support portion 7.
The slide support portion 7 supports the lens frame holding portion 6 so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the reference axis Z (hereinafter, referred to as a direction perpendicular to the axis). The slide support portion 7 is an axis of a minute pressing force that acts from the contact portion with the thermal caulking protrusion 52B when the horn portion 5 described later is lowered with a pressing force lower than the pressing force at the time of thermal caulking. A configuration is used in which the lens frame holding portion 6 moves in the direction perpendicular to the axis by the perpendicular direction component.

The slide support 7 includes, for example, a first substrate for fixing the lens frame holding portion 6, a second substrate facing the first substrate in the direction along the reference axis Z, and a second substrate in a direction perpendicular to the axis. A configuration including a slide moving unit that slidably supports the first substrate with respect to the substrate may be used. As the slide moving portion, various bearing structures in which the friction force acting between at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is a low friction can be used.
Examples of the slide support portion 7 include an example of a compliance device movable in the XY axis direction, an XY stage from which a drive mechanism (micrometer head, tension spring, etc.) is removed, and the like. As a specific example of the compliance device, for example, a compliance module SHM62S (trade name; manufactured by Koganei Co., Ltd.) and the like can be mentioned.

An example of the slide support part 7 is shown to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. FIG. 3A shows the slide support 7 in the neutral position when no external force in the direction perpendicular to the axis acts. FIG. 3B shows a state in which an external force f in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction acts on the slide support 7 via a fixing portion with the lens frame holding portion 6 and slides.
The slide support 7 includes a first plate 7a (first substrate), a second plate 7f (second substrate), and rolling elements 7e (slide moving unit).

The first plate 7a is a substantially flat member in which the wall 7d is protruded from the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate. The lower surface surrounded by the wall portion 7d constitutes a guide surface 7c for guiding the rolling of a rolling element 7e described later. The guide surface 7c and the back surface 7b of the guide surface 7c are parallel to each other. The lower surface of the lens frame holding portion 6 can be fixed to the surface 7 b.
The second plate 7 f is a substantially flat member in which the wall 7 i is projected on the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate. The upper surface surrounded by the wall portion 7i constitutes a guide surface 7h for guiding the rolling of a rolling element 7e described later. The guide surface 7h and the back surface 7g of the guide surface 7h are parallel to each other. The surface 7 g is fixed to the upper surface of the base 1 of the thermal caulking device 10.
The plan view shape of the first plate 7a and the second plate 7f may be rectangular or circular. In the example shown to FIG. 3A, the planar view shape of the 1st plate 7a and the 2nd plate 7f is mutually identical.
As a material of the first plate 7a and the second plate 7f, a highly rigid material such as metal is used.
The protruding heights of the walls 7d and 7i may be different from each other, but the protruding heights are constant in each other. The sum of the projection heights of the wall portions 7d and 7i is less than the diameter of the rolling element 7e described later.

The rolling element 7e is a highly rigid ball having a diameter exceeding the sum of the projecting heights of the wall portions 7d and 7i. For example, a steel ball or the like may be used as the rolling element 7e.
A plurality of rolling elements 7e are provided apart from each other in a state of being sandwiched by the guide surfaces 7c and 7h. Although not shown, cages may be disposed between the plurality of rolling elements 7e so as to hold the rolling elements 7e in a rollable manner and to restrict the arrangement interval between the rolling elements 7e.

According to the slide supporting portion 7 having such a configuration, the plurality of rolling elements 7e sandwiched between the guide surface 7c of the first plate 7a and the guide surface 7h of the second plate 7f roll to form the second plate 7f. The first plate 7a is movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Since the first plate 7a receives only rolling friction by the rolling elements 7e, it can move in the direction perpendicular to the axis even if the external force f acting in the direction perpendicular to the axis is minute.

Although not shown, the slide support 7 has a lock mechanism that locks the first plate 7a and the second plate 7f so that they do not move in the direction perpendicular to each other. For example, the first plate 7a is fixed at the neutral position by bringing the lock mechanism into the locked state. By unlocking the lock mechanism, the first plate 7a can be moved in the direction perpendicular to the second plate 7f only by the application of a minute external force f in the direction perpendicular to the axis.
The lock mechanism may be configured to be operated directly by the operator, or may be operated under control of the control unit 11 described later by the operator performing an operation input on the operation unit 12 described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support unit 2 is an apparatus that arranges a pressing unit 3, a heating unit 4, and a horn unit 5 which will be described later, above the lens frame holding unit 6. The support portion 2 includes a plurality of columns erected on the base 1 and an upper structure such as a beam, a flat plate and the like installed between the columns.

The pressing unit 3 is a device that generates a pressing force for pressing the thermal caulking protrusion 52B. The pressing unit 3 includes a motor (not shown) as a drive source, and a load cell that detects a load received in the axial direction to detect a pressing force. The load cell may constitute a part of the contact state detection unit 8 described later.
The upper end portion of the pressing portion 3 is connected to the upper structure of the support portion 2. A heating unit 4 described later is connected to the lower end of the pressing unit 3.
The lower end portion of the pressing portion 3 can be advanced and retracted along the reference axis Z by a drive source (not shown).

The heating unit 4 is a device for heating the thermal caulking protrusion 52B via the horn unit 5 described later. The upper portion of the heating unit 4 is fixed to the lower end portion of the pressing unit 3. Therefore, the heating unit 4 is supported by the moving mechanism included in the pressing unit 3 so as to be movable along the reference axis Z. A horn unit 5 described later is fixed to the lower surface side of the heating unit 4.
The specific structure of the heating part 4 can employ | adopt an appropriate apparatus structure according to the system of heat caulking.
For example, when heat caulking is performed by heating the horn unit 5, the heating unit 4 includes a heater (not shown).
For example, when heat caulking is performed by applying ultrasonic vibration to the horn unit 5, the heating unit 4 includes an ultrasonic transducer (not shown).
For example, the heating unit 4 may include a heater in addition to the ultrasonic transducer.
Below, an example in case heating part 4 is provided with a heater is explained as an example.

The horn portion 5 heats and presses the heat caulking protuberance 52B of the lens frame 52, thereby softening and bending the heat caulking protuberance 52B. The bent portion 52 B for thermal caulking is formed along the shape of the tip of the horn 5.
In the present embodiment, the horn portion 5 is formed of a substantially cylindrical metal member. The horn portion 5 is fixed to the lower portion of the heating portion 4 so that the central axis thereof is coaxial with the reference axis Z.

As shown in FIG. 2, at the lower end portion of the horn portion 5, an annular tip end surface 5 a centered on the reference axis Z is formed.
A tip inner circumferential surface 5b (crimp pressing surface), a pressing surface 5c (crimp pressing surface), and a relief 5f are concentrically formed in this order from the inner edge of the tip surface 5a toward the reference axis Z in this order. Is formed.
The shapes of the tip inner circumferential surface 5b, the pressing surface 5c, and the relief portion 5f are axially symmetrical with respect to the reference axis Z in the present embodiment.

The tip inner circumferential surface 5b is a portion that covers the inner frame main body 52A from the outer side in the radial direction so that the resin that deforms when thermally caulking the heat caulking protrusion 52B does not escape to the outer side in the radial direction. The shape (inner diameter, taper) of the tip inner circumferential surface 5b may be substantially the same as the outer circumferential surface of the inner frame main body 52A in order to efficiently suppress the escape of the resin to the radially outer side. However, at least one of the tip inner circumferential surface 5b and the outer circumferential surface of the first inner frame portion 52f is formed with a taper which is inclined radially outward as it goes downward.
In order to effectively suppress the escape of the resin to the radially outer side, the shape of the tip inner circumferential surface 5b is made with respect to the inner frame main body 52A while the horn portion 5 is lowered to the position where the heat caulking is performed. It may be shaped to bite slightly inward in the radial direction. In this case, the tip inner peripheral surface 5b is formed with a taper having a larger inclination than the outer peripheral surface of the inner frame main body 52A so that the upper portion of the tip inner peripheral surface 5b bites particularly into the inner frame main body 52A. It may be

The pressing surface 5c bends the thermal caulking protrusion 52B inward on the upper side of the tip inner circumferential surface 5b, and the outer edge portion of the first lens surface 51a of the first lens 51 inserted in the first inner frame 52f. It is a part of horn part 5 which presses projecting part 52B for heat caulking towards.
The pressing surface 5 c is formed of a tapered surface having a shape substantially along the outer peripheral portion of the first lens surface 51 a of the first lens 51.

The relief portion 5 f is an inner peripheral surface that constitutes a hole that prevents contact between the horn portion 5 and the lens effective area of the first lens surface 51 a when heat caulking is performed.
The relief portion 5 f is formed of a tapered surface which decreases in diameter toward the upper side from the inner edge portion of the pressing surface 5 c. An upper end portion of the relief portion 5 f is connected to a cylindrical surface 5 g extending along the reference axis Z.

Next, the configuration related to the operation and control system of the thermal caulking device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal caulking device 10 further includes a contact state detection unit 8, an operation unit 12, a control unit 11, and a display unit 13.

In the thermal caulking device 10, the contact state detection unit 8 holds, for example, whether or not the pressing surface 5c and the thermal caulking protrusion 52B are in contact with each other (hereinafter referred to as contact detection). It is a device that detects whether the relative movement limit of the part 6 has been reached (hereinafter referred to as relative movement limit detection).

As will be described later, when the horn 5 is lowered to a certain extent with the positional relationship in which the upper end of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B enters the inside of the tip surface 5a of the horn 5 as viewed from the axial direction, the tip of the horn 5 is The inner circumferential surface 5b or the pressing surface 5c comes in contact with the tip of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B.
The contact state detection unit 8 monitors whether or not this contact has occurred, and sends out a detection signal to the control unit 11 when the contact is detected.
Examples of specific means for contact detection include a force detection sensor, a motion detection sensor, and the like.
When a force detection sensor is used, a force component in the axial direction generated at the time of contact can be detected by the horn 5 or the slide support 7. Specifically, a load cell in the pressing unit 3 or the like can be used.
Motion detection sensors include acceleration sensors, speed sensors, and position detection sensors. According to these sensors, it is possible to detect changes in acceleration, speed, and movement amount generated at the time of contact, so that contact detection is possible. These motion detection sensors may be provided on at least one of the horn 5 and the slide support 7. In particular, the use of a three-axis acceleration sensor is more preferable because minute changes in acceleration in the axial direction can be detected with high accuracy. The three-axis acceleration sensor can also detect a three-dimensional change in posture of the subject.

When the reference axis Z and the central axis C1 are offset in the radial direction, the tip of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B and the horn 5 may be in different parts depending on the amount of offset, but from the top to the bottom Point contact occurs at the tapered surface which inclines radially outward as it goes to the side. In this contact state, when the horn portion 5 is lowered, a pressing force component toward the inside in the radial direction is generated at the contact portion between the distal end portion of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B and the horn portion 5. When this pressing force component exceeds the frictional resistance in the slide support portion 7, the lens frame holding portion 6 can move in the direction perpendicular to the axis. The contact portion of the point contact in the thermal caulking protrusion 52B slides along the tapered surface, and as a result, the lens frame holding portion 6 moves in the direction toward the reference axis Z.
When the lens frame holding portion 6 moves until the reference axis Z and the central axis C1 become coaxial, the tip of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B contacts the pressing surface 5c of the horn 5 in a circular shape. At this time, since the component in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the pressing force acting on the lens frame holding portion 6 is balanced as a whole, the movement of the lens frame holding portion 6 in the direction perpendicular to the axis is completed. That is, the lens frame holding portion 6 reaches the movement limit in the direction perpendicular to the axis in the state of being in contact with the horn portion 5. At this time, the horn 5 reaches the limit of the downward movement in the axial direction under the condition that the thermal caulking protrusion 52B is not deformed in the axial direction.

Therefore, the relative movement limit of the lens frame holding portion 6 in the direction perpendicular to the axis is determined such that the central axis C1 of the lens frame holding portion 6 is coaxial with the reference axis Z, or the height of the horn portion 5 is a protrusion for thermal caulking It can detect by having reached the predetermined height circularly contacted with the tip of shape part 52B.
The contact state detection unit 8 monitors whether or not the lens frame holding unit 6 has reached the movement limit, and sends out a detection signal to the control unit 11 when detecting that the movement limit has been reached.
As a specific example of the relative movement limit detection, an appropriate sensor for detecting the position of the lens frame holding portion 6 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction or the position of the horn portion 5 in the axial direction, and displacement measurement means are used. For example, as a sensor for detecting the position of the lens frame holding portion 6 in the direction perpendicular to the axis, an image sensor, a laser displacement gauge, a contact displacement gauge, etc. may be mentioned. For example, as a sensor for detecting the position of the horn unit 5 in the axial direction, an encoder of a drive motor in the pressing unit 3, a laser displacement gauge, a contact displacement gauge, an image sensor, etc. may be mentioned.

The operation unit 12 is a device for performing an operation input for the operator to operate the thermal caulking device 10. The operation input from the operation unit 12 includes, for example, an operation input for controlling the lowering and rising of the horn unit 5 in the axial direction by the pressing unit 3, an operation input for heating the horn unit 5 by the heating unit 4 at an appropriate temperature, Operation input for automatically performing caulking is included.
The configuration of the operation unit 12 can include, for example, one or more appropriate operation means such as an operation button, an operation lever, a keyboard, and a mouse.

The control unit 11 controls the operation of the thermal caulking device 10 based on the operation input via the operation unit 12. The control unit 11 is communicably connected to the pressing unit 3, the heating unit 4, the contact state detection unit 8, the operation unit 12, and the display unit 13.
The control unit 11 includes a manual mode in which heat caulking is performed in accordance with the control of the operator, and an auto mode in which the heat caulking method of the present embodiment is automatically executed based on a preset procedure. The details of each control will be described in the operation description to be described later.

The display unit 13 displays character information, image information, and the like based on the information sent from the control unit 11. Examples of the information displayed on the display unit 13 include an operation screen used for a GUI, information on the amount of movement of the horn unit 5 for performing heat caulking, and heating temperature. Further, the display unit 13 displays information on contact detection by the contact state detection unit 8 and relative movement limit detection.

Next, the thermal caulking method of the present embodiment that can be performed using the thermal caulking device 10 having such a configuration will be described together with the operation of the thermal caulking device 10.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the alignment operation in the thermal caulking method of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the thermal caulking method according to the embodiment of the present invention. 7 to 9 are operation explanatory diagrams of the thermal caulking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The thermal caulking method of the present embodiment is performed by executing steps S1 to S5 in the order of flow as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
Hereinafter, an example in which the assembly 53 in which the first lens 51 is inserted into the first inner frame portion 52f of the lens frame 52 is used as a caulking assembly will be described. In this case, the horn unit 5 is used as the crimping horn.
In step S1, an assembly 53 which is a caulking assembly and a horn 5 which is a caulking horn are prepared. In this step, the assembly 53 is assembled, and the horn unit 5 is attached to the thermal caulking device 10.

After step S1, step S2 is performed. In this step, the holding assembly holds the caulking assembly. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the assembly 53 is held by the lens frame holding portion 6 of the thermal caulking device 10. At this time, the slide support 7 is in a locked state. For this reason, the assembly 53 is held by the lens frame holder 6 fixed on the slide support 7 in the neutral position. At the neutral position of the slide support portion 7, the holding central axis H of the lens frame holding portion 6 is coaxial with the reference axis Z of the thermal caulking device 10.
However, in this step, it is not essential to bring the slide support 7 into the locked state. For example, even if the slide support 7 is unlocked, the slide support 7 may be unlocked if the assembly 53 can be held by the lens frame holding unit 6 without any problem.

After step S2, step S3 is performed. In this step, the holding base can be moved in the direction perpendicular to the axis by the component in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the pressing force of the caulking horn. Specifically, the lock mechanism of the slide support 7 is unlocked.
The slide support 7 has, for example, a slide moving part such as the rolling element 7 e. Therefore, when the lock is released, the lens frame holding part 6 is opposed to the horn 5 by the component in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the pressing force of the horn 5. It is movable in the direction perpendicular to the axis.
However, as described above, when there is no problem in the operation of step S2, the execution timing of this step is not limited after step S2. This step may be executed any time before step S4 described later is started. In particular, when the slide support portion 7 is not provided with the lock mechanism, a specific operation for executing this step is not necessary.

After step S3, step S4 is performed. In step S4, an alignment operation of the relative position between the crimping horn and the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axis is performed. The alignment operation is performed by pressing the caulking pressing surface of the caulking horn against the projecting portion of the assembly frame.
The alignment operation may be performed in the manual mode of the thermal caulking device 10 or in the automatic mode. Hereinafter, an example of the operation in the auto mode will be described.
An example of a specific operation of step S4 is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

The alignment operation in step S4 is performed by sequentially executing steps S11 to S14 shown in the flowchart of FIG.
Throughout the whole of step S14, the temperature of the crimping pressure surface of the crimping horn is maintained at the alignment temperature. The alignment temperature is lower than the thermal caulking temperature described later. The alignment temperature is a temperature at which the projection is not plastically deformed by the pressing force received by the projection during the alignment operation described below. Specifically, the alignment temperature may be less than the glass transition temperature Tg of the material of the projection.
However, depending on conditions such as the heat conduction state at the time of contact between the crimping pressure surface and the protruding portion, the contact time, the magnitude of the pressing force, etc., the protruding portion may not be plastically deformed even at a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature Tg is there. In this case, the temperature for alignment may be equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature Tg of the material of the protruding portion.
In the following, an example in which the temperature of the pressing surface 5c is maintained between the glass transition temperature Tg ± 5 ° C. of the material of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B during the alignment operation will be described.
As described above, when the horn unit 5 is heated in the alignment operation, the temperature rise time of the horn unit 5 in the thermal caulking operation described later can be reduced as compared with the case where the heating is not performed. For this reason, the thermal caulking operation described later is performed quickly.

When the operator inputs an operation to start thermal caulking in the auto mode on the operation unit 12, the alignment operation is started.
The control unit 11 controls the temperature of the heating unit 4 to raise the temperature of the pressing surface 5 c to the glass transition temperature Tg ± 5 ° C. of the material of the thermal caulking protrusion 52 </ b> B.
In step S11, a contact operation is performed.
The contact operation is an operation of bringing the caulking horn and the holding table close to each other in the axial direction to bring the caulking pressing surface and the projecting portion into contact with each other.
Specifically, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the pressing unit 3 to lower the horn unit 5. The pressing unit 3 lowers the horn unit 5 at a preset speed. At the same time, the contact state detection unit 8 starts a monitoring operation for contact detection and relative movement limit detection. The monitoring operation is continued until the alignment operation is finished.

As shown in FIG. 7, as the descent of the horn portion 5 progresses, the point P of the tip of the thermal caulking projection 52B at which the distance from the reference axis Z becomes maximum is a point contact with the point p on the pressing surface 5c. Do. At this time, a point Q other than the point P at the outer edge of the tip of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B is separated from the pressing surface 5c. When the distance between the central axis C1 and the reference axis Z is larger than that shown in the drawing, the thermal caulking protrusion 52B may be in contact with the tip inner circumferential surface 5b. Also in this case, the thermal caulking protrusion 52B does not contact the pressing surface 5c except for the point P.
Thus, when the horn 5 and the thermal caulking protrusion 52B come into contact with each other, their interaction occurs, and the amount of force received by the horn 5 and the movement of the horn 5 change. As a result, the contact state detection unit 8 detects the occurrence of the contact. The contact state detection unit 8 sends a detection signal of contact detection to the control unit 11.
When receiving the detection signal, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the pressing unit 3 to stop the descent of the horn unit 5.
Above, step S11 is completed.

After step S11, step S12 is performed. In step S12, the separation operation is performed.
The separation operation is an operation to move the caulking horn and the holding base away from each other so that the caulking pressing surface and the protrusive part are separated after the caulking pressing surface and the protrusive part are in contact with each other.
Specifically, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the pressing unit 3 to raise the horn unit 5. The pressing unit 3 raises the horn unit 5 by a predetermined distance as in the horn unit 5B indicated by a two-dot chain line. The amount of rise of the horn portion 5B can be set to an appropriate size such that the pressing surface 5c and the thermal caulking projection 52B reliably come in non-contact with each other. The amount of rise of the horn portion 5B may be, for example, about 1 mm to 5 mm.
This is the end of step S12.

In step S11, due to the time required for detecting the contact detection, the time required for the detection signal to drop after receiving the detection signal, or the inertia of the horn unit 5, the horn unit 5 starts from the position at the start of contact like the horn unit 5A. Stop at a slightly lowered position.
When the pressing surface 5c and the first outer frame portion 52a can slide smoothly, a minute pressing force F applied to the thermal caulking protuberance 52B due to excessive travel of the horn 5 when the horn 5 descends. Occurs. The frictional force at the slide support 7 is sufficiently small. For this reason, substantially, the component force FH which is a component perpendicular to the axial direction of the pressing force F is larger than the component perpendicular to the axial direction of the frictional force generated at the contact portion between the pressing surface 5c and the thermal caulking projection 52B. In this case, the lens frame 52 and the lens frame holding portion 6 move in a direction perpendicular to the reference axis Z due to the difference between the component in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the frictional force and the component force FH (lens frame 52E and lens frame in FIG. 7). See holding unit 6A). In this case, the lens frame 52 and the lens frame holding portion 6 can move in the direction perpendicular to the axis even if the descent is continued.

However, for example, when the overshoot amount at the descent of the horn portion 5 is too large or the descent speed is too fast, the thermal caulking protrusion 52B is elastically deformed by the component force FV of the pressing force F in the axial direction. The contact area may increase. In this case, the adhesion between the pressing surface 5c and the first outer frame portion 52a may be strong, and the lens frame holding portion 6 may not easily move toward the reference axis Z. In such a case, the movement of the lens frame holding portion 6 and the lens frame 52 in the direction perpendicular to the axis proceeds because the deformation of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B progresses especially when the descent continues further, especially around the point P. May not progress. From this state, when the heat caulking operation described later is performed, the horn portion 5 is pressed against the heat caulking protrusion 52B in a state where the central axis C1 is deviated from the reference axis Z. In this case, the bent state of the thermal caulking projection 52B becomes uneven in the circumferential direction.
In the present embodiment, since the separation operation is performed in step S12, the pressing force 5c and the thermal caulking projection 52B are separated once the adhesion is released. The thermal caulking protuberance 52B returns to the shape before elastic deformation.

After step S12, step S13 is performed. In step S13, a pressing operation is performed.
The pressing operation is an operation of bringing the caulking horn and the holding stand close to each other in the axial direction after the separating operation, and pushing the protrusion by the caulking pressing surface.
Specifically, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the pressing unit 3 to lower the horn unit 5. The pressing unit 3 lowers the horn unit 5 by a predetermined lowering amount at a preset speed.
This is the end of step S13.

In the pressing operation, the pressing surface 5c comes into contact again with the thermal caulking protrusion 52B by lowering the horn 5 more than the amount of increase in step S12.
The descent amount in the pressing operation is equal to or more than the rising amount in step S12, and is set to a size that can smoothly slide on the pressing surface 5c according to the rigidity, material, etc. of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B. Ru.
That is, when the thermal caulking projections 52B are difficult to deform or when the friction coefficient of the material of the thermal caulking projections 52B with respect to the pressing surface 5c is small, the amount of descent may be large. On the contrary, when the thermal caulking projections 52B are easily deformed or when the coefficient of friction of the material of the thermal caulking projections 52B with respect to the pressing surface 5c is large, the lowering amount may be small.

The descent amount in the pressing operation may be calculated by the control unit 11 based on the current position in the axial direction of the horn unit 5 and the target value of the descent position after the pressing.
For example, assuming that the coordinate in the axial direction of the lowered position of the horn 5 in the contact operation is h1, and the coordinate in the axial direction of the lowered position of the horn 5 in the relative movement limit is h2 (where h1> h), one press The amount by which the alignment operation may end in the operation is h1−h2 or more. The amount of descent that may cause the alignment operation to end in n pressing operations is (h 1 −h 2) / 2 or more.

In the contact operation, the horn 5 descends from a position higher than the upper end of the lens frame 52. The lowering amount of the horn portion 5 in the contact operation is much larger than the lowering amount in the pressing operation. For this reason, if the lowering speed in the contact operation is too low, the operation time becomes too long.
However, since the descent amount is small in the pressing operation, the operating time does not become too long even if the descent speed is much lower than the descent speed of the contact operation. In the pressing operation, by lowering the lowering speed, the pressing surface 5c and the thermal caulking protrusion 52B can slide smoothly with each other during the lowering.
As a result, in the pressing operation, after the pressing surface 5c comes in contact with the thermal caulking protrusion 52B, the lens frame 52 and the lens frame holding portion 6 are set to the reference axis Z by moving slightly smaller than the contact position. A small amount of movement can be made in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the axis.

After step S13, step S14 is performed. In this step, the determination operation is performed.
The determination operation is an operation to determine whether or not the relative movement limit has been reached based on the information of the contact state detection unit in the pressing operation.
Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the detection signal in which the relative movement limit has been detected is transmitted from the contact state detection unit 8.
When the detection signal regarding relative movement limit detection is not received, it shifts to Step S12.
When the detection signal regarding relative movement limit detection is received, step S14 is ended and it transfers to step S5 of FIG.

As described above, in step S4, the separation operation, the pressing operation, and the determination operation are repeated until the lens frame 52 reaches the relative movement limit, so the lens frame 52 and the lens frame holding portion 6 Gradually move in the direction perpendicular to the limit of relative movement.
FIG. 8 shows a state in which the alignment operation is completed.
The point P on the thermal caulking protuberance 52B moves from the point p at the time of the first contact with the pressing surface 5c to a point p3 on the pressing surface 5c, which has moved radially inward by Δ in a direction perpendicular to the axis. There is. A point Q other than the point P at the outer edge of the tip of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B is in contact with the pressing surface 5c at a point q3 which is rotationally symmetrical to the point p3 with respect to the central axis C1.
In this way, the alignment operation of the relative positions of the crimping horn and the holding base in the direction perpendicular to the axis is completed.

As shown in FIG. 5, in step S5, after the positioning operation is completed, the caulking horn in a heated state and the holder move relative to each other so as to approach each other in the axial direction to thermally caulk the projecting portion to the assembling member. A heat caulking operation is performed.
Specifically, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the heating unit 4 and heats the horn unit 5 so that the temperature of the pressing surface 5 c becomes the temperature for thermal caulking set in advance. The temperature for thermal caulking is set to a temperature at which the thermal caulking protrusion 52B at least in contact with the horn 5 is softened. The thermal caulking temperature may be set to a temperature at which the thermal caulking projecting portion 52B can be deformed by the pressing force of the pressing portion 3. The temperature for thermal caulking can be determined according to the material characteristics of the resin material of the thermal caulking protuberance 52B. For example, the temperature for thermal caulking may be 20 ° C. or more higher than the glass transition temperature Tg of the material of the thermal caulking convex portion 52B.

When the pressing surface 5c reaches the thermal caulking temperature, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the pressing unit 3 to lower the horn unit 5 and thermally caulk the thermal caulking protrusion 52B.
When the control unit 11 lowers the horn unit 5 to an appropriate position, the control unit 11 stops the driving of the pressing unit 3. The proper position of the horn 5 is determined, for example, by detecting at least one of the lowered position of the horn 5 and the reaction force received by the horn 5 and comparing the detected position with a determination value stored in advance.
As shown in FIG. 9, in this stopped state, the thermal caulking protrusion 52B is brought into close contact with the outer edge outside the lens effective area on the first lens 51 by being pressed while being heated by the pressing surface 5c. .
At this time, in the first lens 51, the optical axis O1 of the first lens 51 is substantially coaxial with the central axis C1 within the range of an error corresponding to the size of the gap between the inner peripheral surface 52g and the lens side surface 51c. (Including the case of).
In the present embodiment, the thermal caulking projections 52B are continuous in the circumferential direction. Since the reference axis Z and the central axis C1 are aligned in the direction perpendicular to the axis, the bending of the thermal caulking projection 52B in the circumferential direction maintains the state of axial symmetry with respect to the reference axis Z and the central axis C1. Progress. For this reason, the pressing force acting on the first lens 51 from the thermal caulking protuberance 52B is also axially symmetrical with respect to the central axis C1 at the time of bending. As a result, even if the first lens 51 is offset inside the inner frame main body 52A before the thermal caulking operation, the central axis of the lens side surface 51c is the reference axis in the process of progress of the thermal caulking. It is easy to align toward Z and central axis C1.

When the crimped portion 54B is formed, the control unit 11 sends a control signal to the pressing unit 3 to raise the horn unit 5. The crimped portion 54B is cooled and cured in a bent state.
Above, step S5 is completed. Thereby, the heat caulking method of this embodiment using the heat caulking device 10 is completed.
The first lens 51 is fixed to the lens frame 52 by the caulking portion 54B. Thus, an assembly 53A in which the first lens 51 is fixed to the lens frame 52 is manufactured.

In order to thermally caulk the second lens to the assembly 53A by the thermal caulking method of this embodiment, the second inner frame portion 52k of the assembly 53A is replaced with the above-described caulking assembly and the caulking horn. An assembly for caulking in which two lenses are inserted and a horn portion for thermally caulking the projection 52D for thermal caulking are used. The heat caulking method of the present embodiment is performed in the same manner as described above except for the above. As a result, a lens unit in which the first lens 51 and the second lens are heat crimped to the lens frame 52 is manufactured.

As described above, according to the heat caulking device and the heat caulking method of the present embodiment, the lens frame holding portion 6 is supported by the slide support portion 7. Therefore, by repeatedly pressing and separating the pressing surface 5c of the horn portion 5 and the thermal caulking protrusion 52B, the positioning operation of the relative position in the direction perpendicular to the axis becomes possible. At that time, the reference axis Z in the thermal caulking device 10 and the central axis C1 of the thermal caulking protrusion 52B are positions where the pressing surface 5c or the tip inner circumferential surface 5b can contact the thermal caulking protrusion 52B. As long as they are related, they may be shifted in the direction perpendicular to the axis. As a result, in order to make the central axis C1 and the reference axis Z coaxial with each other, for example, an operation of precisely adjusting the axes of each other coaxially before the start of pressing with an XY stage or the like becomes unnecessary.
By performing heat caulking after this positioning operation, it becomes easier to uniformly heat caulk the protruding portions disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion of the assembly frame in the circumferential direction.
In particular, even if the central axis C1 is decentered with respect to the central axis C of the lens frame 52 as in the first inner frame portion 52f, the lens frame so that the reference axis Z and the central axis C1 are coaxial. It is not necessary to exactly align the 52 holding positions.
As described above, according to the heat caulking device and the heat caulking method of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the assembly efficiency (manufacturing efficiency) by heat caulking and the fixing performance by heat caulking.
According to the thermal caulking device and the thermal caulking method of the present embodiment, particularly when there are a plurality of frame portions whose central axes are not coaxial with each other, like the thermal caulking protrusions 52B and 52D in the lens frame 52, The manufacturing efficiency as a lens unit can be improved.

[Modification]
Next, a thermal caulking method of a modification of the present embodiment will be described.
In the heat caulking method of the above embodiment, the heat caulking method implemented in the auto mode in the heat caulking device 10 of the above embodiment has been described.
This modification is a thermal caulking method implemented in the manual mode of the thermal caulking device 10.
Hereinafter, differences from the above embodiment will be mainly described.

The thermal caulking method of this modification is different from the thermal caulking method of the above embodiment in that the operation automatically executed by the control unit 11 in the above embodiment is performed based on the operator's operation input. The description of each step in FIGS. 5 and 6 below is the description of the operation in this modified example unless otherwise specified.

Steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 5 are performed in the same manner as the above embodiment.

Step S4 is started by the operator using the operation unit 12 to input an operation to start thermal caulking in the manual mode.
In the present modification, the operator can select the temperature setting of the horn unit 5 in the alignment operation. For example, in the manual alignment operation, since the contact time between the thermal caulking protrusion 52B and the pressing surface 5c may be prolonged, the operator may heat the horn 5 by the heating unit 4 during the alignment operation. You may stop it. In this case, since the non-heated horn 5 is in contact with the thermal caulking projection 52B, the thermal caulking projection 52B is not softened by heating. As a result, the rigidity of the thermal caulking projection 52B at the time of contact is improved, and the sliding with the pressing surface 5c is also smooth.

In step S11, the contact operation is performed by the operator's operation input.
The operator operates the operation unit 12 to drive the pressing unit 3 to lower the horn unit 5. At this time, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 13 to display the moving amount of the horn unit 5 based on the driving amount of the pressing unit 3. Furthermore, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 13 to display at least a detection signal from the contact state detection unit 8. The control unit 11 may cause the display unit 13 to display information such as numerical values and graphs of sensor outputs of the contact state detection unit 8.
The operator adjusts the descent amount of the horn unit 5 while looking at the information displayed on the display unit 13, and brings the pressing surface 5c into contact with the thermal caulking protrusion 52B.
When the contact detection of the contact state detection unit 8 is confirmed, the operator operates the operation unit 12 to stop the descent of the horn unit 5.
Above, step S11 is completed.

After step S11, step S12 is performed. In step S12, the separation operation is performed by the operator's operation input.
The operator operates the operation unit 12 to raise the horn unit 5. The amount of increase may be input to the operation unit 12 by the operator. However, the operator may only use the operation unit 12 to input operation to start raising the horn unit 5. In this case, the increase amount of the horn unit 5 is automatically set by the control unit 11 to the same increase amount as step S12 of the above embodiment.
This is the end of step S12.

After step S12, step S13 is performed. In step S13, the pressing operation is performed by the operator's operation input.
The operator operates the operation unit 12 to lower the horn unit 5 to press the thermal caulking protrusion 52B. At this time, the operator may input the lowering amount to the operation unit 12. However, the operator may only use the operation unit 12 to input the start of lowering of the horn unit 5. In this case, the descent amount of the horn 5 is automatically set by the controller 11 to the same descent amount as that of step S13 in the above embodiment.
This is the end of step S13.

After step S13, step S14 is performed. In step S14, the determination operation by the operator is performed.
The operator determines whether the relative movement limit has been reached based on the information from the contact state detection unit 8 displayed on the display unit 13.
If it is determined that the relative movement limit has been reached, the process proceeds to step S12.
If it is determined that the relative movement limit has been reached, step S14 is ended and the process proceeds to step S5 of FIG.

In this way, the alignment operation of the relative positions of the crimping horn and the holding base in the direction perpendicular to the axis is completed.

As shown in FIG. 5, in step S5, after the alignment operation is completed, the thermal caulking operation is performed by the operation of the operation unit 12 by the operator.
The operator can appropriately set the temperature for thermal caulking, the amount of descent of the horn portion 5 and the descent speed in the thermal caulking by the operation portion 12. The operation unit 12 may be configured to be able to select a plurality of setting patterns.
However, the operator may only use the operation unit 12 to input the start of the thermal caulking operation of the horn unit 5. In this case, the temperature for thermal caulking, the lowering amount of the horn unit 5 and the lowering speed are automatically set by the control unit 11 under the same conditions as step S13 in the above embodiment.
Above, step S5 is completed. Thus, the thermal caulking method of the present modification in the manual mode using the thermal caulking device 10 is completed.

In the description of the above embodiment and the modification, the example in which two lenses are fixed to the assembling frame has been described as an example. However, one lens may be fixed to the assembly frame. The number of lenses may be fixed to one or three or more as long as they are fixed by heat caulking.

In the description of the above embodiment and the modification, the example in which the holding base is supported movably in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction by the slide support portion and the crimping horn is supported movably only in the axial direction has been described. However, the holder and the caulking horn may be provided so as to be movable relative to each other in the axial direction and the direction perpendicular to the axis. For this reason, at least one of the holding base and the caulking horn may be provided so as to be movable in the axial direction and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

In the description of the above-described embodiment and modification, an example in which step S14 is performed after step S13 has been described. However, when the control unit 11 receives the detection signal of relative movement limit detection during execution of step S13, the control unit 11 immediately stops the descent of the horn unit 5 and does not execute step S14, and step S4. You may complete the process.

In the description of the above-mentioned modification, the example in the case where the information from the contact state detection unit 8 is displayed on the display unit 13 in the manual mode has been described. However, in the manual mode, when the operator operates the thermal caulking device 10 based on visual observation or based on information of a measuring instrument, a sensor, etc. arranged separately from the thermal caulking device 10, The information of the contact state detection unit 8 may not be displayed on the display unit 13. In this case, in the thermal caulking device 10, the contact state detection unit 8 may be deleted.

In the description of the above embodiment and the modification, an example in which the separation operation is performed in the alignment operation has been described, but the assembly frame and the holding are continued by continuing the lowering after the crimping horn comes in contact with the projecting portion. When the table moves in the direction perpendicular to the axis, the pressing operation may be performed following the contact operation.
For example, if it is known that the assembly frame and the holding table move in the direction perpendicular to the axis by continuing the descent, the control unit may perform such control in the auto mode.
For example, when the control unit or the operator can confirm that the assembly frame and the holding base move in the direction perpendicular to the axis by the output of the movement state detection sensor at the time of contact, etc., the control unit or the operator The separation operation may be omitted.

The preferred embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and modifications. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of the configuration are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Further, the present invention is not limited by the above description, and is limited only by the appended claims.

According to the heat caulking device and the heat caulking method of the above-described embodiment, it is easier to heat caulk evenly the protruding portions disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion of the assembly frame in the circumferential direction It becomes.

3 Press part (axial direction drive part)
4 heating part 5, 5A, 5B horn part (crimped horn)
5b Inner surface of tip (Pressing surface for crimping)
5c Pressed surface (Pressed surface for crimping)
6, 6A Lens frame holder (holder)
7 Slide Support 7a First Plate (First Substrate)
7e Rolling element (slide moving part)
7f Second plate (second board)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Contact state detection part 10 Thermal caulking device 11 Control part 12 Operation part 13 Display part 51 Lens (assembly member)
52, 52E Lens frame (frame for assembly)
52B, 52D Projections for thermal crimping (projections)
52f 1st inner frame part (frame part)
52g, 52m Inner circumferential surface 52k Second inner frame (frame)
53, 53A assembly (assembly for caulking)
C, C1, C2 central axis F pressing force FH component force H holding central axis O1 optical axis Z reference axis (first axis)

Claims (7)

1. A holding base for holding an assembly frame having a frame portion into which the assembly member can be inserted, and a projecting portion disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion and formed of a thermoplastic resin;
   The projection is provided so as to be movable relative to the holder in an axial direction along the first axis, and the projection is formed when the projection is relatively moveable in a direction that allows heating of the projection and approaching the holder. A caulking horn having a caulking pressing surface for applying a pressing force capable of bending the part inside the frame part;
   The component in the direction perpendicular to the first axis in the pressing force allows the relative movement of the holding base holding the assembly frame and the caulking horn in the direction perpendicular to the axis by the component in the direction perpendicular to the first axis. A holder and a slide support portion for supporting at least one of the caulking horn;
   , A heat caulking device.
2. The slide support is
   A first substrate for fixing the holder;
   A second substrate facing the first substrate in the axial direction;
   A slide moving unit which slidably supports the first substrate with respect to the second substrate in the direction perpendicular to the axis;
   The thermal caulking device according to claim 1, comprising:
3. An axial drive unit for relatively moving the caulking horn and the holder in the axial direction;
   By monitoring at least one of the force component in the direction perpendicular to the axis received by the crimping horn or the holder and the relative position between the crimping horn and the holder, the pressing surface for crimping and the protruding portion come into contact And a contact state detection unit that detects whether the relative movement limit of the holding base in the direction perpendicular to the axis has been reached, and
   A control unit that controls the operation of the axial drive unit;
   And further
   The slide support portion is provided to maintain a position in the direction perpendicular to the axis when the pressing force is released when the pressing force is released.
   The control unit
   A contact operation of driving the axial direction drive unit to move the caulking horn and the holding table close to each other in the axial direction to bring the caulking pressing surface and the projecting portion into contact with each other;
   The crimping horn and the holding are arranged such that the crimping pressing surface and the projecting portion are separated after the contact state detecting unit detects that the crimping pressing surface and the projecting portion are in contact with each other. Move away from each other
   After the separation operation, the caulking horn and the holding base are brought close to each other in the axial direction, and the caulking pressing surface is used to press the projecting portion.
   In the pressing operation, a determination operation is performed to determine whether the relative movement limit has been reached based on the information of the contact state detection unit,
   In the determination operation, when it is determined that the relative movement limit is not reached, the separation operation, the pressing operation, and the determination operation are repeated,
   When it is determined that the relative movement limit has been reached, in order to thermally caulk the projecting portion, the axial driving unit is driven to further bring the caulking horn and the holding base closer to each other in the axial direction. The thermal caulking device according to item 1 or 2.
4. The control unit
   Further control the temperature of the pressure surface for crimping;
   The temperature is controlled to be less than the glass transition temperature Tg of the material of the protrusion until it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached,
   The thermal caulking device according to claim 3, wherein the temperature is controlled to the glass transition temperature Tg or more after it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached.
5. A thermal caulking method of thermally caulking the caulking assembly by pressing the caulking horn in a heated state to the caulking assembly held by the holding table,
   In the frame portion of an assembly frame having a frame portion into which an assembly member can be inserted, and a projecting portion disposed so as to surround the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion and formed of a thermoplastic resin, The caulking assembly into which the attachment member is inserted is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the holding base in the axial direction along the first axis, and the protrusion can be heated at the tip end and the holding is possible Preparing a caulking horn having a caulking pressing surface for applying a pressing force capable of bending the protrusion to the inside of the frame when moving relatively to a direction approaching the platform;
   Supporting the caulking assembly on the holding table;
   At least one of the holder and the caulking horn is configured such that the holder and the caulking horn can move relative to each other in the direction perpendicular to the axis by a component in a direction perpendicular to the first axis in the pressing force. And
   The crimping horn and the holder are moved relative to each other in the axial direction, and the pressing surface for crimping is pressed against the projecting portion to position the relative position between the crimping horn and the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axis. And adjusting
   After positioning the relative positions of the crimp horn and the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axis, the crimp horn and the holder in a heated state are further moved relative to each other in the axial direction to move the protruding portion And heat caulking the assembly member.
6. Aligning the relative positions of the caulking horn and the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axis is as follows:
   A contact operation in which the caulking horn and the holder are brought close to each other in the axial direction to bring the caulking pressing surface and the projecting portion into contact with each other;
   A separation operation of moving the crimping horn and the holding base away from each other so that the crimping pressing surface and the projecting portion are separated after the crimping pressing surface and the projecting portion come into contact with each other;
   After the separating operation, the crimping horn and the holder are brought close to each other in the axial direction, and the pressing operation of pressing the protruding portion by the crimping pressing surface;
   A determination operation of determining whether or not the relative movement limit of the holding base in the direction perpendicular to the axis has been reached in the pressing operation;
   Including
   In the determination operation,
   When it is determined that the relative movement limit is not reached, the separation operation, the pressing operation, and the determination operation are repeated,
   The thermal caulking method according to claim 5, wherein the alignment is ended when it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached.
7. The aligning includes bringing the temperature of the pressing surface for caulking below the glass transition temperature Tg of the material of the protrusion until it is determined that the relative movement limit has been reached,
   The thermal caulking method according to claim 6, wherein the thermal caulking includes setting the temperature to the glass transition temperature Tg or more after it is determined that the relative movement limit is reached.

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