Air cushion, welding equipment and welding method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of high-frequency welding machines, and specifically to an air cushion and its welding equipment and welding method. The air cushion includes an upper material and a lower material, and a plurality of hollow ventilation ducts arranged between the upper material and the lower material. The ventilation ducts penetrate the thickness direction of the air cushion to form through holes. Each ventilation duct has an upper flange and a lower flange extending radially inward at both ends. The upper flange is welded to the upper material, and the lower flange is welded to the lower material. The welding equipment and welding method are achieved by pre-sleeving the ventilation duct on the outside of the core mold, and then using two electrode modules to clamp the core mold up and down for welding, and removing the core mold after welding, so as to weld the ventilation duct to the upper material and the lower material into one. The embodiment of the present invention fundamentally solves the problem of through-hole deformation after the thick air cushion is inflated, and at the same time integrates the three steps of welding, hole opening, and waste removal into an automated action.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of high-frequency welding machines, and in particular to an air cushion and welding equipment and a welding method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Conventional air cushions with ventilation functions typically feature a series of through-holes distributed along a rectangular array throughout their thickness, serving as airflow channels. The mainstream production method involves using high-frequency welding technology to fuse the upper and lower layers of the cushion together using a ring-shaped electrode, forming a circular weld zone. Subsequently, the material within the weld zone is punched out to create the through-holes.

[0003] However, this traditional process has a significant drawback: it limits the effective thickness of the air cushion. When the air cushion is designed to be thicker, the material around the edges of the through-holes will shrink and deform significantly due to tension after inflation. This affects the regularity, aesthetics, and ventilation of the through-holes, and may even cause structural damage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air cushion and its welding equipment and welding method to solve the problem that traditional processes are difficult to produce an air cushion with a certain thickness and a series of through holes distributed along a rectangular array and running through its thickness direction.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention specifically provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] An air cushion comprises: an upper layer material and a lower layer material, and a plurality of hollow ventilation ducts arranged between the upper layer material and the lower layer material, wherein the ventilation ducts penetrate the thickness direction of the air cushion to form through holes, and each of the ventilation ducts has an upper flange and a lower flange extending radially inward at both ends, wherein the upper flange is welded to the upper layer material, and the lower flange is welded to the lower layer material.

[0007] Furthermore, the ventilation duct and the upper flange and the lower flange are an integrated structure.

[0008] Furthermore, the cross-sections of the through hole and the ventilation duct are elliptical, and the axial length of the ventilation duct is greater than the length of the major axis of its own cross-section.

[0009] A welding device for an air cushion, the welding device is used to produce an air cushion, the welding device includes an upper plate, a lower plate, a core mold located therebetween, and electrode modules symmetrically mounted on the upper plate and the lower plate respectively; wherein the end surface of the electrode module facing the welding area includes: a flat seam welding portion located on the outer ring, used to form a high-strength permanent weld; a tear seam welding portion located on the inner ring, arranged on the inner side of the flat seam welding portion, used to form a weld line that is easy to tear; the core mold is a flat elliptical cross-section cylinder, the thickness of the core mold is less than its own short axis dimension, and elliptical annular platforms are designed at both ends of the core mold, the elliptical annular platforms are used to provide support for the electrode module when welding the upper and lower materials, a first vacuum groove recessed inwardly is provided at one end of the core mold, and a first vacuum air nozzle connected to the first vacuum groove is provided at the other end of the core mold, a one-way air valve is provided inside the first vacuum air nozzle, and the one-way air valve does not allow air to flow from the first vacuum groove to the first vacuum air nozzle.

[0010] Furthermore, the end face of the electrode module also includes a second vacuum groove arranged in the inner area of ​​the tear seam welding portion, and a second vacuum air nozzle connected to the second vacuum groove, and the second vacuum air nozzle is connected to a vacuum pump so that the second vacuum groove can absorb waste during the welding process.

[0011] Furthermore, the welding equipment also includes a bracket for positioning multiple prefabricated components, wherein the prefabricated components are core molds pre-packaged with bags, and the bags are precursors of ventilation ducts. The bracket has a snap-fit ​​structure that matches the slots on the outer wall of the core mold to fix the prefabricated components on the lower plate.

[0012] A welding method for an air cushion, which is used to manufacture an air cushion and is performed by welding equipment. The welding method includes the following steps: Step 1, fabrication: placing the upper layer material and the lower layer material of the air cushion above and below a fixed prefabricated component array, respectively, wherein the prefabricated component is a core mold wrapped with a bag; Step 2, welding: starting the hydraulic press, the two electrode modules above and below the prefabricated component are closed, and the end face of each electrode module is designed with two concentric elliptical annular welding parts, wherein the outer circle is a flat seam welding part, which is used to perform high-strength permanent welding of the air cushion material to the top wall of the bag and the lower flange, and the inner circle is a tear seam welding part Part, used to form a prefabricated tear line that is easy to tear; Step three, synchronous vacuum suction of waste: on the inner side of the tear seam welding part, the two ends of the electrode module are respectively provided with a second vacuum groove and a second vacuum air nozzle, the second vacuum groove is in contact with the upper material or the lower material, and the second vacuum air nozzle is connected to an external vacuum pump. While welding, the vacuum pump is started, and the material inside the tear seam is adsorbed on the electrode surface through this vacuum groove; Step four, mold opening and hole forming: after the welding is completed, the mold is opened. Since the waste material is vacuum adsorbed on the electrode module, as the electrode module rises, the waste material is torn off along the preset tear seam, and the originally closed top of the bag forms the upper flange.

[0013] Furthermore, the welding method also includes the following steps: Step 5, removing the core mold: After welding and cooling are completed, the air cushion is formed, and the through hole with the upper flange and the lower flange supported by the ventilation duct is formed inside. At this time, the core mold is rotated 90 degrees around a horizontal axis at its center in the ventilation duct, and then rotated 90 degrees around another vertical horizontal axis to remove the core mold from the upper flange or the lower flange.

[0014] Furthermore, the welding method also includes a prefabrication process, which includes the following steps: Step 1, combination: insert the core mold from the opening of the lower flange of the bag, rotate it a certain angle inside the bag, so that the bottom wall of the core mold fits with the inner wall of the lower flange of the bag.

[0015] Furthermore, the prefabrication process also includes the following steps: Step 2, vacuum adsorption to form a prefabricated component: After placing the core mold into the interior of the bag, place it on the table of the vacuum equipment, and the vacuum equipment includes a vacuum tube. When the vacuum tube is inserted into the first vacuum air nozzle, it can push open the one-way air valve and extract the air inside the bag. Under the action of vacuum negative pressure, the flexible peripheral wall of the bag is compressed. At the same time, the inner wall of the closed end of the bag is tightly fitted with the elliptical ring platform at the other end of the core mold.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] The embodiment of the present invention fundamentally solves the problem of through-hole deformation after the thick air cushion is inflated through the built-in ventilation duct structure, and at the same time integrates the three steps of welding, hole opening, and waste removal into one automated action, greatly improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other implementation drawings based on the provided drawings without inventive effort.

[0019] Figure 1 A top view of an air cushion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an air cushion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 A top view of a core mold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a core mold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 A three-dimensional diagram of a core mold from one perspective of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 A three-dimensional diagram of a core mold from another perspective of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 A three-dimensional diagram of a core mold and a bag according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of a core mold, a bagging device, and a vacuum pumping device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 9 A side view of a welding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 10 is a three-dimensional diagram of a lower plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 11 This is an action diagram of the bracket being installed on the lower plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 12 A welding process diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 13 This is an action diagram after welding is completed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] The numbers in the figure represent the following:

[0033] 1-air cushion; 11-through hole; 12-upper material; 13-lower material; 14-ventilation duct; 141-upper flange; 142-lower flange; 2-prefabricated component; 21-core mold; 211-elliptical ring platform; 212-first vacuum groove; 213-first vacuum air nozzle; 214-one-way air valve; 215-clip slot; 22-bag; 4-vacuum equipment; 41-table; 42-vacuum tube; 5-upper plate; 6-lower plate; 61-clamp; 7-electrode module; 71-flat seam welding part; 72-tear seam welding part; 73-second vacuum groove; 74-second vacuum air nozzle; 8-bracket; 81-wavy support rod; 82-elliptical snap-fit ​​structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The core purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a new method and supporting equipment for manufacturing an air cushion 1 with a large thickness and a stable and non-deformed through hole 11 structure.

[0036] To achieve this purpose, the present invention proposes an innovative air cushion 1 structure and a corresponding manufacturing process.

[0037] (About Air Cushion 1)

[0038] Reference Figure 2 (Cross-sectional view of the air cushion 1). The upper layer material 12 and the lower layer material 13 of the air cushion 1 of the present invention are not directly welded to form the through hole 11. Instead, the through hole 11 is achieved by implanting and welding a number of prefabricated ventilation ducts 14. Each ventilation duct 14 is provided with a flange extending radially inward at both ends. Through high-frequency welding, the upper flange 141 is firmly connected to the upper layer material 12 of the air cushion 1, and the lower flange 142 is firmly connected to the lower layer material 13 of the air cushion 1.

[0039] This structure not only forms a stable airflow path, but more importantly, the ventilation duct 14 itself plays a structural support role, effectively resisting the internal tension after inflation, ensuring that even in the air cushion 1 with a larger thickness, the through hole 11 can maintain its designed shape and size and will not be deformed.

[0040] (About welding equipment)

[0041] In order to manufacture the air cushion 1 efficiently and accurately, the present invention designs a manufacturing process including a prefabrication process and a welding process, and develops a dedicated core mold 21 and welding equipment for this purpose.

[0042] Reference Figures 3 to 8 , Prefabrication process: vacuum combination of the core mold 21 and the bag 22.

[0043] The goal of the prefabrication process is to produce a standardized prefabricated component 2 (a core mold 21 and a bag 22 firmly bonded by vacuum) for subsequent welding.

[0044] refer to Figure 3 (Top view of core mold 21), Figure 4 (Cross-sectional view of core mold 21), Figure 5 (A perspective view of the core mold 21) and Figure 6 (A three-dimensional image of the core mold 21 from another perspective).

[0045] The core mold 21 is a flat elliptical cross-section cylinder with a thickness less than its short axis size. Elliptical annular platforms 211 are designed at both ends of the core mold 21 to support the upper material 12 and the lower material 13 of the air cushion 1 in subsequent processes. A micro vacuum system is integrated inside the core mold 21. The micro vacuum system includes a first vacuum groove 212 that is recessed inwardly and is arranged at one end of the core mold 21, and a first vacuum air nozzle 213 that is arranged at the other end of the core mold 21. The first vacuum air nozzle 213 contains a one-way air valve 214 inside, and the one-way air valve 214 does not allow air to flow one-way from the first vacuum groove 212 to the first vacuum air nozzle 213.

[0046] Reference Figure 7 (Three-dimensional view of the core mold 21 and the bag 22), the bag 22 is the precursor of the ventilation duct 14, and its shape is an elliptical cross-section soft bag with one end closed and the other end open. Its open end has a radially inward lower flange 142, and its axial length is greater than the long axis of the core mold 21.

[0047] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 (Cross-sectional view of core mold 21, bag 22 and vacuum equipment 4), the prefabrication process includes the following steps:

[0048] Step 1: Assembly: Insert the core mold 21 from the opening of the lower flange 142 of the bag 22. Taking advantage of its elliptical shape, rotate it a certain angle inside the bag 22 so that the bottom wall of the core mold 21 (the end with the first vacuum air nozzle 213) fits with the inner wall of the lower flange 142 of the bag 22.

[0049] Step 2, vacuum adsorption: Place the core mold 21 into the bag 22, and then place it on the table 41 of a dedicated vacuum equipment 4. The vacuum equipment 4 includes a vacuum tube 42. When the vacuum tube 42 is inserted into the first vacuum air nozzle 213, it can push open the one-way air valve 214 to extract the air inside the bag 22.

[0050] Step 3: Molding: Under the action of vacuum negative pressure, the peripheral wall of the flexible bag 22 is tightly compressed and firmly attached to the outer wall of the core mold 21. At the same time, the inner wall of the closed end of the bag 22 also fits tightly with the elliptical annular platform 211 at the other end of the core mold 21.

[0051] At this point, a core mold 21 and a bag 22 are formed into a solid, unified prefabricated component 2 through the vacuum effect, which is ready for the next welding process.

[0052] Reference Figures 9 to 13 , Welding process: integrated welding and automatic hole opening.

[0053] The goal of the welding process is to integrate the prefabricated component 2 with the upper material 12 and the lower material 13 of the air cushion 1 into one body, and to automatically form openings on the upper material 12, the lower material 13 and the cover bag 22 of the air cushion 1.

[0054] refer to Figure 9 (Side view of welding equipment), reference Figure 10 (stereoscopic view of lower plate 6) and Figure 11 (Action diagram of the bracket 8 being installed on the lower plate 6), the welding process relies on a new type of welding equipment, which includes a hydraulic press and a press frame, as well as a specially made upper plate 5, lower plate 6 and electrode module 7.

[0055] In order to accurately position multiple prefabricated components 2 between the upper plate 5 and the lower plate 6, the welding equipment includes several brackets 8, which are composed of two symmetrical wavy support rods 81. The elliptical clamping structure 82 formed between the two wavy support rods 81 is precisely matched with the preset clamping groove 215 on the outer wall of the core mold 21, and the two ends of the bracket 8 are fixed by the clamps 61 on the lower plate 6, thereby constructing a stable rigid array of "lower plate 6-bracket 8-core mold 21".

[0056] refer to Figure 12 (welding process) and Figure 13 (Welding is completed), the welding process includes the following steps.

[0057] Step 1: Fabric: Place the upper layer material 12 and the lower layer material 13 of the air cushion 1 above and below the fixed prefabricated component 2 array respectively.

[0058] Step 2: Welding: Start the hydraulic press, and close the two electrode modules 7 above and below the prefabricated component 2. The end face of each electrode module 7 is designed with two concentric elliptical annular welding parts, among which the outer circle is the flat seam welding part 71, which is used to perform high-strength permanent welding of the air cushion 1 material to the top wall and lower flange 142 of the bag 22 to form a firm sealed flat seam. The inner circle is the tear seam welding part 72, which has a lower welding strength and is a prefabricated tear line that is easy to tear.

[0059] Step 3, synchronous vacuum suction of waste: On the inner side of the tear seam welding part 72, a second vacuum groove 73 and a second vacuum air nozzle 74 are respectively provided at both ends of the electrode module 7. The second vacuum groove 73 is attached to the upper material 12 or the lower material 13, and the second vacuum air nozzle 74 is connected to an external vacuum pump. While welding, the vacuum pump is started, and the material inside the tear seam (including a small piece of air cushion 1 material and the top material of the bag 22) is firmly adsorbed on the surface of the electrode module 7 through this vacuum groove.

[0060] Step 4: Open the mold and make holes: After welding is completed, the mold is opened. Since the waste is firmly adsorbed on the electrode module 7 by the vacuum system, as the electrode module 7 rises, the waste will be cleanly and neatly torn off directly along the preset tear seam. This ingenious design combines the two steps of "welding" and "making holes" into one, and automatically completes the removal of waste. After tearing, the originally closed top of the bag 22 forms an upper flange 141.

[0061] Step 5. Remove the core mold 21: After welding and cooling are completed, the air cushion 1 has been formed, and a through hole 11 with an upper flange 141 and a lower flange 142 supported by the ventilation duct 14 is formed inside. At this time, the core mold 21 can be removed from the ventilation duct 14 by taking advantage of the fact that the thickness of the elliptical cross-section of the core mold 21 is smaller than the short axis. It is only necessary to rotate the core mold 21 90 degrees around a horizontal axis at its center in the duct, and then rotate it 90 degrees around another vertical horizontal axis, so that its posture can be removed from the elliptical upper flange 141 or the lower flange 142 without obstacles.

[0062] The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to the present invention within the spirit and scope of protection of the present invention, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions shall also be deemed to fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A welding device for an air cushion, the air cushion comprising: An upper layer material (12) and a lower layer material (13), and a plurality of hollow ventilation ducts (14) arranged between the upper layer material (12) and the lower layer material (13), wherein the ventilation ducts (14) penetrate the thickness direction of the air cushion (1) to form a through hole (11), and each of the ventilation ducts (14) has an upper flange (141) and a lower flange (142) extending radially inward at both ends, wherein the upper flange (141) is welded to the upper layer material (12), and the lower flange (142) is welded to the lower layer material (13); characterized in that: The welding equipment is used to produce the air cushion, and comprises an upper plate (5), a lower plate (6), a core mold (21) located therebetween, and an electrode module (7) symmetrically mounted on the upper plate (5) and the lower plate (6) above and below. Wherein, the end surface of the electrode module (7) facing the welding area includes: A flat seam weld (71) located on the outer ring for forming a high-strength permanent weld; A tear seam welding portion (72) located on the inner ring is provided on the inner side of the flat seam welding portion (71) and is used to form a welding line that is easy to tear; The core mold (21) is a flat elliptical cross-section cylinder. The thickness of the core mold (21) is smaller than the short axis size of the core mold (21). Elliptical annular platforms (211) are designed at both ends of the core mold (21). The elliptical annular platforms (211) are used to provide support for the electrode module (7) when welding the upper material (12) and the lower material (13). A first vacuum groove (212) recessed inwardly is provided at one end of the core mold (21), and a first vacuum air nozzle (213) connected to the first vacuum groove (212) is provided at the other end of the core mold (21). A one-way air valve (214) is provided inside the first vacuum air nozzle (213). The one-way air valve (214) does not allow air to flow from the first vacuum groove (212) to the first vacuum air nozzle (213).

2. The welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The end surface of the electrode module (7) further includes a second vacuum groove (73) arranged in the inner area of ​​the tear seam welding portion (72), and a second vacuum air nozzle (74) connected to the second vacuum groove (73), and the second vacuum air nozzle (74) is connected to a vacuum pump so that the second vacuum groove (73) can absorb waste during the welding process.

3. The welding equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that The welding device further comprises a bracket (8) for positioning a plurality of prefabricated components (2), wherein the prefabricated components (2) are core molds (21) pre-mounted with a bag (22), wherein the bag (22) is a precursor of a ventilation duct (14), and the bracket (8) has a snap-fit ​​structure that matches a slot (215) on an outer wall of the core mold (21) to fix the prefabricated components (2) on the lower plate (6).

4. A welding method of the welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding method is used to manufacture an air cushion, and the welding method comprises the following steps: Step 1, fabric: placing the upper layer material (12) and the lower layer material (13) of the air cushion (1) above and below the fixed array of prefabricated components (2), respectively, wherein the prefabricated components (2) are core molds (21) wrapped with bags (22); Step 2, welding: start the hydraulic press, close the two electrode modules (7) above and below the prefabricated component (2), and each end face of the electrode module (7) is designed with two concentric elliptical ring welding parts, wherein the outer circle is a flat seam welding part (71) for performing high-strength permanent welding of the air cushion (1) material with the top wall of the bag (22) and the lower flange (142), and the inner circle is a tear seam welding part (72) for forming a prefabricated tear line that is easy to tear; Step 3: Synchronous vacuum suction: On the inner side of the tear seam welding portion (72), the two ends of the electrode module (7) are respectively provided with a second vacuum groove (73) and a second vacuum air nozzle (74), the second vacuum groove (73) is attached to the upper layer material (12) or the lower layer material (13), and the second vacuum air nozzle (74) is connected to an external vacuum pump. While welding, the vacuum pump is started, and the material inside the tear seam is adsorbed on the electrode surface through the vacuum groove; Step 4: Opening the mold and forming holes: After welding is completed, the mold is opened. Since the waste is vacuum-adsorbed on the electrode module (7), as the electrode module (7) rises, the waste is torn off along the preset tear seam, and the originally closed top of the bag (22) forms the upper flange (141).

5. The welding method according to claim 4, characterized in that The welding method further comprises the following steps: Step 5, taking out the core mold (21): After welding and cooling are completed, the air cushion (1) has been formed, and a through hole (11) with the upper flange (141) and the lower flange (142) supported by the ventilation duct (14) is formed inside. At this time, the core mold (21) is rotated 90 degrees around a horizontal axis at its center in the duct, and then rotated 90 degrees around another vertical horizontal axis, and the core mold (21) can be taken out from the upper flange (141) or the lower flange (142).

6. The welding method according to claim 5, characterized in that The welding method further includes a prefabrication process, which includes the following steps: Step 1: Assemble: insert the core mold (21) from the opening of the lower flange (142) of the bag (22), and rotate it to a certain angle inside the bag (22) so that the bottom wall of the core mold (21) fits with the inner wall of the lower flange (142) of the bag (22).

7. The welding method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The prefabrication process also includes the following steps: Step 2: vacuum adsorption to form a prefabricated component (2): the core mold (21) is placed inside the bag (22) and then placed on the table (41) of the vacuum equipment (4), the vacuum equipment (4) includes a vacuum tube (42), and when the vacuum tube (42) is inserted into the first vacuum air nozzle (213), it can push open the one-way air valve (214) to extract the air inside the bag (22). Under the action of vacuum negative pressure, the flexible peripheral wall of the bag (22) is compressed, and at the same time, the inner wall of the closed end of the bag (22) is tightly fitted with the elliptical ring platform (211) at the other end of the core mold (21).

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