Manufacturing device for laminated iron core and manufacturing method for laminated iron core

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing device for a laminated iron core and a manufacturing method for laminated iron core, which can prevent delays in the production of laminated iron cores.SOLUTION: A manufacturing device includes a rotor press device 160 including a dowel forming unit that forms dowels in a workpiece W, a crimping hole forming unit that forms crimping holes in the workpiece W, and a punching unit that forms a laminated block 20 and discharges the laminated block 20 through a discharge port 164, a control unit 190 that controls the operation of the rotor press device 160, and a detection unit 210 that detects the discharge of the laminated block 20 through the discharge port 164. The control unit 190 determines an abnormality in the crimping hole forming unit when the detection unit 210 does not detect the discharge of the laminated block 20 within a predetermined detection time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a laminated core and a method for manufacturing a laminated core. [Background technology]

[0002] A laminated core used in a rotating electric machine is formed by laminating a plurality of core pieces punched out from a plate-shaped workpiece. Adjacent core pieces in the stacking direction of the laminated core are joined by crimping dowels that bulge out to one side in the plate thickness direction. A core piece having a crimping hole into which the dowel is fitted is disposed at one end of the laminated core in the stacking direction.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a laminated core in which a manufacturing device having multiple types of dies and punches is used to selectively form dowels and crimping holes in a workpiece, and then core pieces are punched out from the workpiece and stacked. A core piece having a crimping hole is joined to a core piece having a dowel punched out immediately after the core piece, but is not joined to a core piece having a dowel punched out immediately before the core piece. Therefore, a laminated core of a predetermined height is formed by punching out a core piece having a crimping hole every time a predetermined number of core pieces having dowels are stacked.

[0004] The laminated core is successively pushed into the die by the punch each time a new core piece is punched out. Since the laminated cores located inside the die are not joined to each other via the core pieces having the crimping holes, the laminated cores are ejected from below the die to the outside as they are pushed in by the punch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-87347 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when dowels are always formed in the workpiece and crimp holes are formed by selectively punching the dowels, if the punch for forming the crimp holes is damaged, the crimp holes will not be formed in the workpiece. As a result, dowels are formed in all of the core pieces. In this case, since the laminated cores are bonded together without being separated from each other, there is a risk that the laminated cores will not be discharged from below the die to the outside. This could cause a delay in the production of laminated cores. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A manufacturing apparatus for laminated iron cores for solving the above problems includes a press device including a dowel forming unit that forms a dowel in a plate-shaped workpiece, the dowel bulging on one side in the thickness direction of the workpiece, a crimp hole forming unit that selectively punches the dowel from the workpiece to form a crimp hole in the workpiece into which the dowel is inserted, and a punching unit that punches out the core pieces with the crimp hole formed therein and the core pieces with the dowel formed therein from the workpiece using a die and a punch and stacks them inside the die to form a laminate, and discharges the laminate through a discharge port connected to the die, a control unit that controls the operation of the press device, and a detection unit that detects the discharge of the laminate through the discharge port, and the control unit judges an abnormality in the crimp hole forming unit when the detection unit does not detect the discharge of the laminate within a predetermined detection time.

[0008] According to this configuration, when the detection unit does not detect the discharge of the laminated body through the discharge port within the detection time, an abnormality in the crimping hole forming unit is determined. Therefore, for example, an operator can notice that a crimping hole has not been formed in the core piece. Therefore, the operator can perform maintenance on the press machine early. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the production of laminated cores from being delayed.

[0009] A method for manufacturing a laminated core for solving the above problem includes a dowel forming process for forming a dowel in a plate-shaped workpiece that bulges on one side in the thickness direction of the workpiece; a crimp hole forming process for forming a crimp hole into which the dowel is inserted by selectively punching the dowel from the workpiece using a crimp hole forming part that forms the crimp hole into which the dowel is inserted; a stack forming process for punching out from the workpiece the core pieces in which the crimp hole is formed and the core pieces in which the dowel is formed using a die and a punch, and stacking them inside the die to form a stack; a discharge process for discharging the stack through a discharge port communicating with the die; a detection process for detecting the discharge of the stack through the discharge port; and an abnormality determination process for determining an abnormality in the crimp hole forming part based on the detection result in the detection process, wherein the abnormality determination process determines an abnormality in the crimp hole forming part if discharge of the stack is not detected within a predetermined detection time in the detection process.

[0010] According to this method, if the discharge of the laminate through the discharge port is not detected within the detection time, an abnormality in the crimp hole forming portion is determined. Therefore, for example, an operator can notice that a crimp hole has not been formed in the core piece. This allows the operator to perform early maintenance of the press machine. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a delay in the production of laminated cores. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a rotating electric machine including a laminated core in one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotor of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a laminated block constituting the rotor core and the stator core of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a stacked block that constitutes the first flow path in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a stacked block that constitutes the first flow path and the inner flow path in FIG. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a stacked block that constitutes the first flow path and the outer flow path in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a laminated core in one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the rotor press apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a workpiece whose thickness is to be measured by the thickness measuring device of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a stacked block transported by the transport mechanism. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(a) is a plan view showing stacked blocks sorted by a sorting member, and FIG. 11(b) is a plan view showing a dummy block passing through the sorting member. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a side view showing the stacked blocks and the dummy blocks sorted by the sorting member. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which the plate thickness measuring device of FIG. 7 faces the downstream end of the planned portion. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a state in which the plate thickness measuring device of FIG. 7 faces the upstream end of the planned portion. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a laminated block in which the number of laminated layers is adjusted. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the abnormality determination process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Fig. 1, the rotating electric machine M includes a rotor 10 and a stator 50. The rotor 10 and the stator 50 are each cylindrical. The stator 50 is fixed to a housing (not shown). The rotor 10 is configured to be rotatable inside the stator 50.

[0013] (Rotor 10) 2, the rotor 10 includes a rotor core 11, a plurality of magnets 30, and a plurality of resin materials 31. The rotor 10 is, for example, a magnet-embedded rotor.

[0014] Rotor core 11 has a generally cylindrical shape. Rotor core 11 is configured by laminating a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa, each of which has an annular shape and is punched out of an electromagnetic steel sheet. Rotor core 11 is an example of a laminated core.

[0015] Hereinafter, the lamination direction of rotor core 11 will be simply referred to as the lamination direction, the radial direction of rotor core 11 will be simply referred to as the radial direction, and the circumferential direction of rotor core 11 will be simply referred to as the circumferential direction.

[0016] Rotor core 11 has a central hole 12 into which shaft S is inserted, a plurality of magnet accommodating holes 14 in which magnets 30 are accommodated, and a plurality of cooling flow paths 15 through which a cooling medium such as oil flows. Central hole 12, magnet accommodating holes 14, and cooling flow paths 15 penetrate rotor core 11 in the stacking direction. That is, central hole 12, magnet accommodating holes 14, and cooling flow paths 15 open to bottom surface 11a, which is one end surface of rotor core 11 in the stacking direction, and top surface 11b, which is the other end surface.

[0017] 1, the central hole 12 has a substantially circular shape. Two keys 13 protruding opposite each other in the radial direction are provided on the inner surface of the central hole 12. The two keys 13 fit into key grooves (not shown) provided in the shaft S, thereby restricting relative movement between the rotor core 11 and the shaft S in the circumferential direction.

[0018] The magnet accommodating holes 14 are located radially outward of the central hole 12 and are spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The rotor core 11 has, for example, 20 magnet accommodating holes 14. The opening of the magnet accommodating holes 14 has, for example, a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. Two magnet accommodating holes 14 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are inclined in opposite directions to each other with respect to the circumferential direction.

[0019] The cooling passages 15 are located radially inward of the magnet accommodating holes 14 and are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The rotor core 11 has ten cooling passages 15, for example.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling passage 15 has a first passage 16 extending in the stacking direction and a second passage 17 extending in the radial direction. The first flow passage 16 opens to the lower surface 11 a and the upper surface 11 b of the rotor core 11 .

[0021] The second flow passage 17 is open to each of the first flow passage 16 and the inner circumferential surface of the central hole 12. That is, the second flow passage 17 communicates between the first flow passage 16 and the central hole 12. The second flow passage 17 has an inner flow passage 17a and two outer flow passages 17b.

[0022] The inner flow passage 17a is located in the center in the stacking direction of the rotor core 11 and extends in the radial direction. The inner flow passage 17a opens to the inner circumferential surface of the center hole 12 and communicates with a communication hole (not shown) formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft S.

[0023] The outer flow passage 17b branches off from an outer end of the inner flow passage 17a in the radial direction and extends in the radial direction. The outer flow passage 17b opens to the first flow passage 16. Therefore, the outer flow passage 17b opens to two places in the first flow passage 16 that are spaced apart from each other in the stacking direction.

[0024] The rotor core 11 is formed of a laminated body in which a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa are stacked. The laminated body has at least one laminated block 20 in which a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa are stacked. The rotor core 11 of this embodiment is formed by stacking six laminated blocks 20. Metal end plates for preventing the magnets 30 from jumping out of the magnet accommodating holes 14 may be welded to the lower surface 11a and the upper surface 11b of the rotor core 11.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the rotor core piece Wa has a plurality of dowels 18 formed to bulge on one side in the plate thickness direction. The plurality of dowels 18 are provided at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the rotor core piece Wa. The dowels 18 protrude from the upper surface 11b of the rotor core 11 toward the lower surface 11a.

[0026] Adjacent rotor core pieces Wa in the laminated block 20 are joined to one another by crimping the dowels 18. The rotor core piece Wa constituting one end of the laminated block 20 in the stacking direction has a plurality of crimp holes 19 penetrating in the stacking direction. The rotor core piece Wa having the dowel 18 and the rotor core piece Wa having the crimp hole 19 are joined to one another by fitting the dowel 18 into the crimp hole 19. In this way, the multiple rotor core pieces Wa constituting the laminated block 20 are integrated by being joined to one another.

[0027] In the laminated block 20, the rotor core piece Wa having the crimping hole 19 is not joined to the rotor core piece Wa of another laminated block 20 adjacent to the laminated block 20 having that rotor core piece Wa.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the dowel 18 and the crimping hole 19 are provided radially outward of the cooling passage 15 and between two magnet accommodating holes 14 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. 2, the six laminated blocks 20 constituting the rotor core 11 are formed by laminating rotor core pieces Wa punched out from a single electromagnetic steel sheet, and rotor core pieces Wa punched out from different electromagnetic steel sheets are not mixed together. This reduces variation in the thickness when multiple laminated blocks 20 are stacked, i.e., the lamination thickness of the rotor core 11.

[0029] Hereinafter, the first to sixth stacked blocks 20 counting from the bottom surface 11a of the rotor core 11 will be referred to as a first block 21, a second block 22, a third block 23, a fourth block 24, a fifth block 25, and a sixth block 26, respectively.

[0030] The first block 21 constitutes the lower surface 11a of the rotor core 11. The sixth block 26 constitutes the upper surface 11b of the rotor core 11. The first block 21, the second block 22, the fifth block 25, and the sixth block 26 have substantially the same layer thickness. The third block 23 and the fourth block 24 have substantially the same layer thickness and are smaller than the layer thicknesses of the other layered blocks 20.

[0031] The first flow passage 16 and the second flow passage 17 are formed by communication between through holes 15a to 15c (see FIGS. 4 to 6) having different shapes that are formed in the rotor core pieces Wa that constitute the blocks 21 to 26.

[0032] 4, the first block 21, the second block 22, the fifth block 25, and the sixth block 26 are configured by stacking rotor core pieces Wa having through holes 15a. The through holes 15a configure the first flow passage 16. The first block 21, the second block 22, the fifth block 25, and the sixth block 26 configure only the first flow passage 16 of the cooling flow passage 15.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2, 5, and 6, the third block 23 and the fourth block 24 are formed by stacking a rotor core piece Wa having a through hole 15b and a rotor core piece Wa having a through hole 15a and a through hole 15c. The through hole 15b forms the first flow passage 16 and the outer flow passage 17b of the second flow passage 17. The through hole 15c forms the inner flow passage 17a of the second flow passage 17. Therefore, the third block 23 and the fourth block 24 form the first flow passage 16 and the second flow passage 17 of the cooling flow passage 15. From the above, the second flow passage 17 is formed only by the third block 23 and the fourth block 24.

[0034] Hereinafter, the laminated block 20 constituting only the first flow path 16 of the cooling flow path 15 may be referred to as a first flow path block 20A. Also, the laminated block 20 constituting the first flow path 16 and the second flow path 17 of the cooling flow path 15 may be referred to as a second flow path block 20B. In this embodiment, the first block 21, the second block 22, the fifth block 25, and the sixth block 26 correspond to the first flow path block 20A. Also, the third block 23 and the fourth block 24 correspond to the second flow path block 20B.

[0035] 2, the magnet 30 has an elongated shape extending in the stacking direction. The cross-sectional shape of the magnet 30 perpendicular to the stacking direction is substantially rectangular. The length of the magnets 30 in the stacking direction may be the same as or shorter than the length of the magnet accommodating holes 14. The magnets 30 may be accommodated one by one in each magnet accommodating hole 14, or multiple magnets 30 may be accommodated in each magnet accommodating hole 14.

[0036] The magnet 30 is, for example, a permanent magnet. The resin material 31 is formed by solidifying resin that is filled inside the magnet accommodating holes 14 in which the magnets 30 are accommodated. The magnets 30 are fixed to the rotor core 11 by the resin material 31. The multiple laminated blocks 20 are fixed to each other by the resin material 31. The resin material 31 may cover, for example, both end faces of the magnets 30 in the laminate direction.

[0037] The resin material 31 is, for example, a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin. (Stator 50) As shown in FIG. 1, the stator 50 includes a stator core 51 and a plurality of coils 58.

[0038] Stator core 51 is configured by laminating a plurality of stator core pieces Wb punched out from electromagnetic steel sheets, similar to rotor core 11. Stator core 51 is another example of a laminated core.

[0039] The stator core 51 has a yoke 52, a plurality of teeth 53, and a plurality of slots 54. The yoke 52 is cylindrical. The plurality of teeth 53 protrude radially inward from the yoke 52 and are spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction. The slots 54 are formed between each pair of teeth 53 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction.

[0040] The stator core 51 has three fixing parts 57 protruding radially outward from the yoke 52. The three fixing parts 57 are fastened to a housing (not shown) by bolts (not shown), thereby fixing the stator core 51 to the housing.

[0041] The coil 58 is configured by, for example, three phase windings constituting a U phase, a V phase, and a W phase. Each phase winding is wound across a plurality of teeth 53. As shown in FIG. 3, stator core 51 is formed by stacking a plurality of laminated blocks 60, each of which has a plurality of stator core pieces Wb stacked on top of one another.

[0042] The stator core piece Wb has a plurality of dowels 55 formed to bulge on one side in the plate thickness direction. The plurality of dowels 55 are provided at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the stator core piece Wb.

[0043] The laminated block 60 is formed, similarly to the laminated block 20 that constitutes the rotor core 11, by stacking a plurality of stator core pieces Wb having dowels 55 and stator core pieces Wb having crimping holes 56.

[0044] (Laminated iron core manufacturing equipment) Next, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the rotor core 11 and the stator core 51 (hereinafter referred to as manufacturing apparatus 100) will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 12.

[0045] 7, the manufacturing apparatus 100 includes an uncoiler 110, a welding device 120, a thickness measuring device 130, a first oil supplying device 140, an application roller 150, a rotor press device 160, a stator press device 170, a second oil supplying device 180, and a control unit 190. The manufacturing apparatus 100 also includes a conveying mechanism 200, a detection unit 210, and a sorting member 220 (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0046] The rotor press device 160 forms a laminated block 20 by punching out rotor core pieces Wa from a workpiece W made of electromagnetic steel plate and laminating them. The stator press device 170 punches out stator core pieces Wb from the workpiece W and stacks them to form a laminated block 60. The stator press device 170 operates in synchronization with the rotor press device 160. The stator press device 170 is configured to punch out stator core pieces Wb concentrically with the punched-out portion on the outer circumferential side of the portion of the workpiece W where the rotor core pieces Wa have been punched out.

[0047] The control unit 190 controls the operations of, for example, the plate thickness measuring device 130, the first oil supplying device 140, the rotor press device 160, the stator press device 170, and the second oil supplying device 180. The control unit 190 controls the operation of the rotor press device 160 and the stator press device 170 at a predetermined SPM (Shots Per Minute). Note that SPM refers to the number of times the rotor press device 160 and the stator press device 170 punch the workpiece W per minute.

[0048] (Uncoiler 110) The uncoiler 110 rotatably supports the workpiece W wound in a roll shape. The workpiece W pulled out from the uncoiler 110 is intermittently transported by a feed device (not shown) and supplied to the rotor press device 160 and the stator press device 170.

[0049] Hereinafter, the transport direction of the workpiece W will be simply referred to as the transport direction. (welding equipment 120) The welding device 120 is disposed downstream of the uncoiler 110 in the conveying direction.

[0050] The welding device 120 joins by welding the end portion of the work W pulled out from the uncoiler 110 to the start portion of the work W that is to be supported by the uncoiler 110 next after the work W. The welding device 120 cuts off at least one end of each of the two workpieces W, and welds the end faces of the two workpieces W together. As a result, the two workpieces W are transported in an integrated state.

[0051] (Plate thickness measuring device 130) The plate thickness measuring device 130 is disposed downstream of the welding device 120 in the conveying direction. The plate thickness measuring device 130 is, for example, a non-contact sensor such as a laser displacement meter.

[0052] The plate thickness measuring device 130 constantly measures the plate thickness of the workpiece W. At this time, the plate thickness measuring device 130 acquires a plurality of measurement values ​​at a predetermined sampling period. Note that "the plate thickness measuring device 130 constantly measures the plate thickness of the workpiece W" refers to the plate thickness measuring device 130 continuing a state in which it is possible to acquire a measurement value.

[0053] 9, the thickness measuring device 130 measures the thickness of both the planned portions Wp of the work W where the rotor core pieces Wa and the stator core pieces Wb are to be punched out, and the thickness of the portions between the planned portions Wp, as the work W is transported. The portions between the planned portions Wp of the work W are portions that will become scrap of the work W, and are so-called feed rail portions.

[0054] The plate thickness measuring device 130 is disposed at a position where the downstream end in the conveying direction of the planned portion Wp faces the plate thickness measuring device 130 sequentially every time the movement of the intermittently conveyed workpiece W stops. The plate thickness measuring device 130 measures the plate thickness of the planned portion Wp at a plurality of measurement points m arranged along a virtual line V that extends in the conveying direction and passes through the center of the planned portion Wp.

[0055] The planned portion Wp includes a first planned portion Wp1 from which the rotor core piece Wa is to be punched out of the workpiece W, and a second planned portion Wp2 from which the stator core piece Wb is to be punched out. The first planned portion Wp1 and the second planned portion Wp2 have an approximately circular outer shape when viewed from the thickness direction of the workpiece W. The second planned portion Wp2 is a portion of the workpiece W that is located concentrically with the first planned portion Wp1 on the outer circumferential side of the first planned portion Wp1. For this reason, the thickness measuring device 130 measures the thicknesses of the first planned portion Wp1 and the second planned portion Wp2 at a plurality of measurement points m arranged radially of the first planned portion Wp1 and the second planned portion Wp2.

[0056] (First fuel supply device 140) As shown in FIG. 7, the first oil supply device 140 is disposed downstream of the plate thickness measuring device 130 in the conveying direction.

[0057] The first oil supply device 140 has an upper supply section 141 that supplies processing oil to an upper surface of the workpiece W, and a lower supply section 142 that supplies processing oil to a lower surface of the workpiece W. The upper supply unit 141 has a plurality of discharge ports 141a arranged at intervals in the width direction of the workpiece W and discharging the processing oil. The upper supply unit 141 discharges the processing oil from the discharge ports 141a through the operation of an oil pump (not shown) controlled through the control unit 190. The upper supply unit 141 supplies the processing oil to the upper surface of the workpiece W, for example, by intermittently dripping the processing oil from the discharge ports 141a.

[0058] The lower supply section 142 has a discharge port 142a that opens on the upper surface of the lower supply section 142 and discharges the processing oil. The lower supply section 142 discharges the processing oil from the discharge port 142a through the operation of an oil pump (not shown) controlled through the control section 190. The lower supply section 142 discharges the processing oil from the discharge port 142a, thereby forming an oil pool in which the processing oil is pooled on the upper surface of the lower supply section 142. The lower supply section 142 supplies the processing oil to the underside of the workpiece W by forming an oil pool at a position where the underside of the workpiece W being transported passes.

[0059] The first oil supplying device 140 is configured to increase or decrease the amount of processing oil supplied per unit time in accordance with an increase or decrease in the number of times the rotor core pieces Wa are punched per unit time in the rotor press device 160. The first oil supplying device 140 is configured to increase or decrease the amount of processing oil supplied per unit time in accordance with an increase or decrease in the SPM of the rotor press device 160, for example.

[0060] The first oil supplying device 140 increases or decreases the supply amount of processing oil based on a command from the control unit 190. When controlling the operation of the rotor press apparatus 160 at a specified SPM, the control unit 190 controls the operation of the first oil supplying device 140 so as to supply processing oil at a supply amount predetermined according to the SPM.

[0061] (Application roller 150) The application roller 150 is disposed downstream of the first oil supply device 140 in the conveyance direction.

[0062] The application roller 150 has an upper roller 151 that slides on the upper surface of the workpiece W, and a lower roller 152 that slides on the lower surface of the workpiece W. The upper roller 151 and the lower roller 152 are located on opposite sides of the workpiece W. The upper roller 151 and the lower roller 152 are configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the width direction of the workpiece W. The upper roller 151 and the lower roller 152 may be rotated by frictional force generated between them and the workpiece W when the workpiece W is transported, or may be rotated by a driving device.

[0063] When a portion of the workpiece W to which the processing oil supplied by the first oil supply device 140 is adhered passes between the upper roller 151 and the lower roller 152, the processing oil is spread on the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece W. As a result, the processing oil supplied to the workpiece W is spread by the application roller 150. Note that processing oil is not supplied to the application roller 150.

[0064] (Rotor press device 160) As shown in FIG. 8, the rotor press device 160 includes a progressive die for performing a plurality of processes such as punching on the workpiece W that is intermittently conveyed.

[0065] The rotor press device 160 includes a lower die 161 and an upper die 162 configured to be capable of advancing and retreating relative to the lower die 161. The lower die 161 is provided with dies D1 to D6 in this order from the upstream side in the conveying direction. The upper die 162 is provided with punches P1 to P6 at positions corresponding to the dies D1 to D6, respectively. Note that although a plurality of the dies D1 to D5 and punches P1 to P5 are provided on the same circle, for the sake of convenience, FIG. 8 illustrates one each of the dies D1 to D5 and punches P1 to P5 on the same cross section.

[0066] The upper die 162 is provided with a stripper plate 163 that presses the workpiece W against the lower die 161 when punching the workpiece W. The stripper plate 163 is urged toward the lower die 161 by an urging member (not shown). Each of the punches P1 to P6 penetrates the stripper plate 163.

[0067] The die D1 has a die hole D11 through which the punch P1 advances and retreats. The punch P1 cooperates with the die D1 to form a plurality of through holes 15a that form the first flow passage 16 in the workpiece W. The rotor core pieces Wa from which the portions in which the through holes 15a are formed are punched out form a first block 21, a second block 22, a fifth block 25, and a sixth block 26.

[0068] The die D2 has a die hole D21 through which the punch P2 advances and retreats. The punch P2 cooperates with the die D2 to form a plurality of through holes 15b that form the first flow passage 16 and the outer flow passage 17b in the workpiece W. The rotor core piece Wa from which the portion in which the through holes 15b are formed is punched out constitutes a part of the third block 23 and the fourth block 24.

[0069] The die D3 has a die hole D31 through which the punch P3 advances and retreats. The punch P3 cooperates with the die D3 to form a plurality of through holes 15c that form the inner flow passage 17a in the workpiece W. The rotor core piece Wa from which the portion in which the through holes 15c are formed is punched out constitutes a part of the third block 23 and the fourth block 24.

[0070] The die D4 has a die hole D41 through which the punch P4 advances and retreats. The punch P4 cooperates with the die D4 to form a dowel 18 in the workpiece W. The die D4 and the punch P4 constitute a dowel forming section A1.

[0071] The die D5 has a die hole D51 through which the punch P5 advances and retreats. The punch P5 cooperates with the die D5 to selectively punch out the dowel 18 from the workpiece W, thereby forming a crimping hole 19 in the workpiece W. The die D5 and the punch P5 constitute a crimping hole forming section A2.

[0072] The die D6 has a die hole D61 through which the punch P6 advances and retreats. The punch P6 cooperates with the die D6 to punch out rotor core pieces Wa from the workpiece W and stack them inside the die D6. The die D6 and the punch P6 form a punching section A3.

[0073] Inside the die D6, the rotor core pieces Wa are stacked with the dowels 18 joined together. Inside the die D6, a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa with dowels 18 formed therein are stacked on rotor core pieces Wa with crimping holes 19 formed therein, thereby forming a plurality of stacked blocks 20. The stacked blocks 20 are in contact with each other inside the die D6 but are not joined together.

[0074] The lower die 161 is provided with a discharge port 164 communicating with the die hole D61. The diameter of the discharge port 164 is preferably equal to or larger than the diameter of the die hole D61. The laminated block 20 located inside the die D6 is gradually pushed down and falls under its own weight as the rotor core pieces Wa are punched out one after another. This causes the laminated block 20 to be discharged from the discharge port 164. Therefore, the punching section A3 forms the laminated block 20 inside the die D6 and discharges the laminated block 20 to the outside of the lower die 161 through the discharge port 164.

[0075] Although not shown in the figure, the rotor press device 160 is separately provided with a die and a punch for forming a through hole constituting the magnet accommodating hole 14 and a through hole constituting the center hole 12 in the workpiece W.

[0076] Inside the upper die 162, a plurality of switching mechanisms 165 are provided which individually switch the states of the punches P1, P2, P3, P5 between a punching state in which the workpiece W can be punched and a non-punching state in which the workpiece W cannot be punched.

[0077] Hereinafter, the switching mechanisms 165 corresponding to the punches P1, P2, P3, and P5 may be referred to as a switching mechanism 165A, a switching mechanism 165B, a switching mechanism 165C, and a switching mechanism 165D, respectively, and may be distinguished from one another.

[0078] The switching mechanism 165 includes, for example, a slide member 166 and an actuator 167 that reciprocates the slide member 166 in the horizontal direction. The slide member 166 has an opposing surface 166a that faces the inclined surface Pa formed at the base end of the punches P1, P2, P3, and P5. The actuator 167 is, for example, an air cylinder. The operation of the actuator 167 is controlled by the control unit 190. When the actuator 167 moves the slide member 166 forward, it outputs an ON signal to the control unit 190. When the actuator 167 moves the slide member 166 backward, it outputs an OFF signal to the control unit 190.

[0079] Next, the switching mode of the switching mechanism 165 that switches the states of the punches P1, P2, P3, and P5 will be described using the switching mode of the switching mechanism 165A that switches the state of the punch P1 as an example. The switching mode of the switching mechanism 165 for the punches P2, P3, and P5 is the same as the switching mode for the punch P1, so the description will be omitted.

[0080] When the actuator 167 moves the slide member 166 forward, the opposing surface 166a of the slide member 166 presses the inclined surface Pa of the punch P1, so that a downward force acts on the punch P1. As a result, the punch P1 moves downward relative to the upper die 162. Thereafter, the lower surface of the slide member 166 comes into contact with the base end surface of the punch P1, so that the movement of the punch P1 relative to the upper die 162 is restricted. In this state, the upper die 162 descends, so that the through hole 15a is punched out of the workpiece W. That is, the slide member 166 moves forward, so that the punch P1 enters a punching state.

[0081] On the other hand, when the slide member 166 is moved backward by the actuator 167, the opposing surface 166a of the slide member 166 and the inclined surface Pa of the punch P1 face each other with a gap therebetween. When the upper die 162 descends in this state, the punch P1 is pressed against the workpiece W, and the punch P1 retreats into the gap. This brings the opposing surface 166a into contact with the inclined surface Pa. Therefore, even if the upper die 162 descends, the punch P1 does not punch the through hole 15a. In other words, when the slide member 166 is moved backward, the punch P1 enters a non-punching state.

[0082] The switching mechanism 165 switches the state of the punch P1 between a punching state and a non-punching state at a predetermined timing based on a command from the control unit 190. (Transport mechanism 200) 8 and 10, a transport mechanism 200 that transports the laminated block 20 is provided below the discharge port 164. The transport mechanism 200 faces the lower die 161 in the vertical direction.

[0083] The transport mechanism 200 is, for example, a belt conveyor. The transport mechanism 200 transports the stacked block 20 in a direction different from the direction in which the workpieces W are transported, for example. 11(a), the transport mechanism 200 has a first transport path 201 and a second transport path 202. The first transport path 201 extends linearly from below the discharge port 164. The second transport path 202 branches off from the first transport path 201 and extends at an angle relative to the first transport path 201.

[0084] (Detection unit 210) 10, a detection unit 210 that detects the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164 is provided diagonally above the transport mechanism 200. The detection unit 210 detects, for example, the stacked block 20 passing through a portion of the transport mechanism 200 adjacent to a portion facing the lower die 161 below the lower die 161.

[0085] The detection unit 210 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor. The detection unit 210 is configured to detect the upper surface of the stacked block 20. Therefore, the detection unit 210 can detect stacked blocks 20 having different stacking heights.

[0086] The detection unit 210 detects the presence or absence of the stacked block 20 transported by the transport mechanism 200, thereby detecting the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164. That is, the detection unit 210 indirectly detects the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164. When the detection unit 210 detects the stacked block 20, it outputs a detection signal to the control unit 190.

[0087] (Distribution member 220) 11(a) and 11(b), a sorting member 220 is provided on the first transport path 201 of the transport mechanism 200. The sorting member 220 sorts the stacked blocks 20 and dummy blocks 20d (described later) into different transport paths.

[0088] The sorting member 220 is located above the first transport path 201. The sorting member 220 is, for example, rod-shaped. The sorting member 220 has a guide surface 221 that extends in the transport direction of the second transport path 202.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 12, the height from the first transport path 201 to the sorting member 220 is set to be lower than the stack thickness of the stacked blocks 20 and higher than the stack thickness of the dummy blocks 20d.

[0090] The sorting member 220, for example, comes into contact with the stacked blocks 20 but does not come into contact with the dummy blocks 20d. More specifically, the sorting member 220 guides the stacked blocks 20 moving on the first transport path 201 to the second transport path 202 while allowing the dummy blocks 20d moving on the first transport path 201 to pass through. The stacked blocks 20 moving on the first transport path 201 come into contact with the guide surface 221, and thereby move from the first transport path 201 to the second transport path 202 along the guide surface 221.

[0091] (Stator press device 170) As shown in FIG. 7, the stator press device 170 includes a progressive die for performing a plurality of processes such as punching on the workpiece W that is intermittently conveyed.

[0092] The stator press device 170 has a similar configuration to the rotor press device 160. That is, the stator press device 170 includes a lower die 171, an upper die 172, and a stripper plate 173. Although not shown, the stator press device 170 also includes a plurality of dies, a plurality of punches, and a plurality of switching mechanisms.

[0093] The stator press device 170 switches the state of the punch using a switching mechanism, and punches out the stator core pieces Wb having the crimping holes 56 every time it punches out a predetermined number of stator core pieces Wb having the dowels 55. In this way, the stator press device 170 sequentially forms a plurality of laminated blocks 60.

[0094] The laminated block 60 formed by the stator press device 170 is transported by a transport mechanism (not shown) in the same manner as the rotor press device 160. (Second fuel supply device 180) The second oil supply device 180 is attached to the stator press device 170.

[0095] The second oil supplying device 180 has a discharge port 180a that opens on the lower surface of the stripper plate 173. The second oil supplying device 180 supplies the processing oil to the upper surface of the workpiece W by discharging the processing oil from the discharge port 180a. More specifically, the processing oil discharged by the second oil supplying device 180 spreads over the lower surface of the stripper plate 173. Therefore, the processing oil adheres to the upper surface of the workpiece W as the upper die 172 and the lower die 171 of the stator press device 170 are clamped together.

[0096] The second oil supplying device 180 is configured to increase or decrease the amount of processing oil supplied per unit time in accordance with an increase or decrease in the number of times the stator core pieces Wb are punched per unit time in the stator press device 170. The second oil supplying device 180 is configured to increase or decrease the amount of processing oil supplied per unit time in accordance with an increase or decrease in the SPM of the stator press device 170, for example.

[0097] The second oil supplying device 180 increases or decreases the supply amount of processing oil based on a command from the control unit 190. When controlling the operation of the stator press device 170 at a specified SPM, the control unit 190 controls the operation of the second oil supplying device 180 so as to supply processing oil at a supply amount predetermined according to the SPM.

[0098] (Control unit 190) The control unit 190 stores the plate thickness of each of the planned portions Wp measured by the plate thickness measuring device 130. The control unit 190 calculates the lamination thickness of the laminated block 20 by sequentially accumulating the plate thickness of each of the planned portions Wp. The control unit 190 calculates the lamination thickness of the rotor core 11 by accumulating the lamination thicknesses of the multiple laminated blocks 20.

[0099] The control unit 190 controls the operation of the rotor press device 160 to selectively punch out rotor core pieces Wa having crimp holes 19 to form a plurality of laminated blocks 20 so that the laminated thickness of the laminated blocks 20 falls within the range of the target thickness. Similarly, the control unit 190 controls the operation of the stator press device 170 to selectively punch out stator core pieces Wb having crimp holes 56 to form a plurality of laminated blocks 60 so that the laminated thickness of the laminated blocks 60 falls within the range of the target thickness.

[0100] The control unit 190 adjusts the number of laminations of the rotor core pieces Wa in the laminate block 20 so that the lamination thickness of the rotor core 11 falls within the range of the target thickness of the rotor core 11. Similarly, the control unit 190 adjusts the number of laminations of the stator core pieces Wb in the laminate block 60 so that the lamination thickness of the stator core 51 falls within the range of the target thickness of the stator core 51.

[0101] The control unit 190 judges an abnormality in the crimp hole forming unit A2 based on the detection result of the detection unit 210. The control unit 190 judges an abnormality in the crimp hole forming unit A2 when the detection unit 210 does not detect the discharge of the stacked block 20 within a predetermined detection time. An abnormality in the crimp hole forming unit A2 refers to, for example, a state in which the punch P5 is broken. When the crimp hole forming unit A2 is abnormal, the dowel 18 is not punched out of the workpiece W and the crimp hole 19 is not formed even though the slide member 166 of the switching mechanism 165D is moving forward.

[0102] When the dowel 18 is not punched out due to an abnormality in the crimping hole forming portion A2, the stacked blocks 20 are joined together inside the die D6. In this case, the stacked blocks 20 are not discharged from the discharge port 164, and therefore the transport mechanism 200 is no longer able to transport the stacked blocks 20. As a result, the detection unit 210 no longer detects the stacked blocks 20 within the detection time.

[0103] When the control unit 190 determines that there is an abnormality in the crimping hole forming portion A2, it stops the operations of the rotor press device 160 and the stator press device 170. (Manufacturing method of laminated core) Next, as a method for manufacturing a laminated core, a method for manufacturing rotor core 11 and a method for manufacturing stator core 51 will be described. The method for manufacturing stator core 51 can be applied mutatis mutandis to the method for manufacturing rotor core 11. Therefore, hereinafter, the method for manufacturing rotor core 11 will be mainly described, and a detailed description of the method for manufacturing stator core 51 will be omitted.

[0104] The manufacturing method of the rotor core 11 includes a plate thickness measuring step, an average plate thickness calculating step, a lamination thickness calculating step, a processing oil supplying step, and a coating step as pre-processing steps for processing the workpiece W by the rotor press device 160. The manufacturing method of the rotor core 11 includes a processing step, a dowel forming step, a crimping hole forming step, a lamination step, a processing determining step, and a dummy block forming step as steps for processing the workpiece W by the rotor press device 160. The manufacturing method of the rotor core 11 includes a discharging step, a transporting step, a detecting step, an abnormality determining step, and a sorting step as steps for processing the laminated block 20. The manufacturing method of the rotor core 11 includes a block body forming step of forming a block body B by laminating the laminated blocks 20.

[0105] (Plate thickness measurement process) As shown in FIG. 13, in the thickness measuring step, a thickness measuring device 130 measures the thickness of the planned portion Wp at a plurality of measurement points m arranged along an imaginary line V indicated by a dashed line.

[0106] The thickness measuring device 130 constantly measures the thickness of the workpiece W intermittently transported by a feed device (not shown), thereby measuring the thickness of the planned portion Wp at a plurality of measurement points m arranged in the transport direction. The thickness measuring device 130 measures the thickness of a portion of the workpiece W including the first planned portion Wp1 and the second planned portion Wp2 at a plurality of measurement points m. The thickness measuring device 130 measures the thickness of the first planned portion Wp1 at a plurality of measurement points m, and measures the thickness of the second planned portion Wp2 at a plurality of measurement points m.

[0107] The plate thickness measuring device 130 sequentially faces the downstream end of the second planned portion Wp2 in the conveying direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the downstream end of the second planned portion Wp2) every time the movement of the intermittently conveyed workpiece W stops.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 14, the plate thickness measuring device 130 faces the upstream end of the second planned portion Wp2 in the transport direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as the upstream end of the second planned portion Wp2) while the workpiece W is moving. In other words, while the workpiece W is moving, the upstream end of the second planned portion Wp2 passes through the measurement area of ​​the plate thickness measuring device 130. Therefore, the measurement value measured by the plate thickness measuring device 130 while the workpiece W is moving includes the plate thickness of the portion of the workpiece W between the downstream end and the upstream end of the second planned portion Wp2. The plate thickness measuring device 130 measures the plate thickness of the portion of the workpiece W between the downstream end of the second planned portion Wp2 and the downstream end of the next second planned portion Wp2 every time the workpiece W moves.

[0109] (Average plate thickness calculation process) In the average thickness calculation step, the control unit 190 calculates the average values ​​of the measurements taken by the thickness measuring device 130 in the planned portion Wp as the average thicknesses of the rotor core pieces Wa and the stator core pieces Wb.

[0110] The control unit 190 calculates the average value of the measurement values ​​acquired by the plate thickness measuring device 130 until the acquisition time has elapsed each time the workpiece W moves as the average plate thickness. The acquisition time is the time required from the start of the movement of the workpiece W until the upstream end of the planned portion Wp in the conveying direction passes through the measurement area of ​​the plate thickness measuring device 130. Therefore, the acquisition time is shorter than the time during which the workpiece W moves. The acquisition time is set to a value obtained by dividing the diameter of the second planned portion Wp2, which is the length of the planned portion Wp in the conveying direction, by the moving speed of the workpiece W. The plate thickness measuring device 130 faces the downstream end of the planned portion Wp when the movement of the workpiece W stops and when the movement of the workpiece W starts. Therefore, the measurement value acquired by the plate thickness measuring device 130 during the acquisition time is the plate thickness of the portion between the downstream end and the upstream end of the planned portion Wp.

[0111] The control unit 190 calculates the average value of the measured values ​​in each planned portion Wp as the average sheet thickness of both the rotor core pieces Wa and the stator core pieces Wb formed by punching out the planned portion Wp. Therefore, the average sheet thicknesses of the rotor core pieces Wa and the stator core pieces Wb punched out from one planned portion Wp have the same value.

[0112] (Layer thickness calculation process) In the lamination thickness calculation step, the control unit 190 calculates the lamination thickness of the laminated block 20 by integrating the average plate thicknesses of the multiple rotor core pieces Wa that constitute the laminated block 20.

[0113] The control unit 190 accumulates the average plate thickness every time the average plate thickness is calculated. Therefore, the control unit 190 calculates the lamination thickness of the laminated block 20 before all of the rotor core pieces Wa that constitute the laminated block 20 are punched out.

[0114] The control unit 190 calculates the lamination thickness of the rotor core 11, which is the sum of the lamination thicknesses of the multiple laminated blocks 20 that constitute the rotor core 11. In a similar manner, the control unit 190 calculates the lamination thickness of the stator core 51. The control unit 190 can also calculate the lamination thickness of a block body B, which will be described later.

[0115] (Processing oil supply process) As shown in FIG. 7, in the processing oil supplying step, a first oil supplying device 140 and a second oil supplying device 180 supply processing oil to the workpieces W that are intermittently transported.

[0116] The first oil supplying device 140 intermittently drips processing oil from an upper supply part 141 to supply processing oil to a plurality of locations on the upper surface of the workpiece W. In addition, the first oil supplying device 140 forms an oil pool by a lower supply part 142, and supplies processing oil to the underside of the workpiece W passing through the oil pool.

[0117] The second oil supply device 180 discharges processing oil from a discharge port 180a, thereby supplying the processing oil to the upper surface of the workpiece W as the stator press device 170 is clamped. The first oiling device 140 increases or decreases the amount of processing oil supplied per unit time in response to an increase or decrease in the SPM of the rotor press device 160. That is, when the SPM of the rotor press device 160 increases, the amount of processing oil supplied by the first oiling device 140 increases, and when the SPM of the rotor press device 160 decreases, the amount of processing oil supplied by the first oiling device 140 decreases. This also applies to the operation of the second oiling device 180 with respect to the stator press device 170.

[0118] The first oil supplying device 140 increases or decreases the supply amount of processing oil per unit time in response to an increase or decrease in the SPM of the rotor press device 160 during a lamination process described below, i.e., during the operation of the rotor press device 160. This also applies to the operation of the second oil supplying device 180 for the stator press device 170.

[0119] The processing and punching of the second planned portion Wp2 is performed by the stator press device 170 on the workpiece W in a state in which the rotor core piece Wa has been punched out. For this reason, when processing and punching the second planned portion Wp2, a smaller amount of processing oil can be supplied to the workpiece W compared to when processing and punching the first planned portion Wp1. The amount of processing oil supplied per unit time by the second oiling device 180 is set to be always less than the amount of processing oil supplied per unit time by the first oiling device 140.

[0120] (Coating process) In the application step, the application roller 150 spreads the processing oil supplied to the workpiece W by the first oil supply device 140 onto the workpiece W.

[0121] In the application process, the upper roller 151 and the lower roller 152 slide against the upper and lower surfaces of the moving workpiece W. As a result, the upper roller 151 spreads the processing oil on the upper surface of the workpiece W, and the lower roller 152 spreads the processing oil on the lower surface of the workpiece W.

[0122] (Processing process) In the processing step, the rotor press device 160 sequentially performs a plurality of types of processing on the planned portion Wp.

[0123] In the machining step, the through holes 15a-15c constituting the cooling flow passage 15 are selectively formed in the first planned portion Wp1. In the machining step, a process other than the formation of the through holes 15a-15c may be performed on the first planned portion Wp1. In the machining step, for example, through holes constituting the central hole 12 and the magnet accommodating hole 14 may be formed in the first planned portion Wp1.

[0124] As shown in Fig. 8, in the processing step, the upper die 162 descends, and the stripper plate 163 presses the workpiece W against the lower die 161. Thereafter, the upper die 162 further descends, and the punch P1 enters the inside of the die hole D11 of the die D1. As a result, the punch P1 and the die D1 form the through hole 15a in the first planned portion Wp1. The through hole 15b and the through hole 15c are formed in the first planned portion Wp1 in the same manner as the through hole 15a.

[0125] When the through-hole 15a is formed in the first planned portion Wp1, the control unit 190 controls the operation of each of the switching mechanisms 165A to 165C to set the punch P1 in a punching state and the punches P2 and P3 in non-punching states. That is, the first planned portion Wp1 in which the through-hole 15a is to be formed is machined by the punch P1, but is not machined by the punches P2 and P3.

[0126] When forming the through hole 15b in the first planned portion Wp1, the control unit 190 controls the operation of each of the switching mechanisms 165A to 165C to set the punch P2 in a punching state and the punches P1 and P3 in non-punching states. That is, the first planned portion Wp1 in which the through hole 15b is to be formed is machined by the punch P2, but is not machined by the punches P1 and P3.

[0127] When the through-hole 15c is formed in the first scheduled portion Wp1, the control unit 190 controls the operation of each of the switching mechanisms 165A to 165C to set the punch P3 in the punching state and the punches P1 and P2 in the non-punching state. That is, the first scheduled portion Wp1 in which the through-hole 15c is to be formed is machined by the punch P3 but is not machined by the punches P1 and P2.

[0128] In the processing step, the stator press device 170 may perform a plurality of types of processing sequentially on the second intended portion Wp2 in the same manner as the rotor press device 160. (Dowel formation process) In the dowel forming step, the dowel forming section A1 of the rotor press device 160 forms the dowel 18 in the planned portion Wp.

[0129] The dowel forming portion A1 forms the dowels 18 for all the first planned portions Wp1. In the dowel forming process, the upper die 162 descends, and the stripper plate 163 presses the workpiece W against the lower die 161. Thereafter, the upper die 162 descends further, and the punch P4 presses the first planned portion Wp1 into the inside of the die hole D41 of the die D4. As a result, the first planned portion Wp1 is half-punched, and the dowel 18 is formed in the first planned portion Wp1.

[0130] The stator press device 170 forms the dowels 55 in all the second predetermined portions Wp2 in the same manner as the rotor press device 160. (Caulking hole forming process) In the crimp hole forming step, the crimp hole forming section A2 of the rotor press device 160 selectively punches out the dowel 18 from the planned portion Wp to form the crimp hole 19.

[0131] The crimping hole forming portion A2 punches out the dowel 18 formed in the specific first planned portion Wp1 to form a crimping hole 19 in the first planned portion Wp1. In the crimping hole forming process, the upper die 162 descends, and the stripper plate 163 presses the workpiece W against the lower die 161. Thereafter, the upper die 162 further descends, and the punch P5 enters the inside of the die hole D51 of the die D5. As a result, the dowel 18 formed in the first planned portion Wp1 is punched out, and the crimping hole 19 is formed in the first planned portion Wp1.

[0132] The stator press device 170, in the same manner as the rotor press device 160, punches out the dowels 55 formed in the specific second predetermined portion Wp2, thereby forming the crimping holes 56 in the second predetermined portion Wp2.

[0133] (Lamination process) The lamination process includes a rotor punching process, a stator punching process, and a laminated block forming process. The rotor punching process is a process of punching rotor core pieces Wa from the workpiece W. The stator punching process is a process of punching stator core pieces Wb concentrically with the portion of the workpiece W from which the rotor core pieces Wa have been punched out, on the outer periphery of the portion. The laminated block forming process includes a process of forming a laminated block 20 by stacking a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa, and a process of forming a laminated block 60 by stacking a plurality of stator core pieces Wb. The lamination process is an example of a "lamination body forming process".

[0134] In the lamination step, the punching section A3 of the rotor press device 160 punches out a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa from the workpiece W and laminates them to form the laminated block 20. In the rotor punching process, the upper die 162 descends, and the workpiece W is pressed against the lower die 161 by the stripper plate 163. The upper die 162 then descends further, and the punch P6 enters the inside of the die hole D61 of the die D6. As a result, the rotor core piece Wa is punched out of the workpiece W by the punch P6 and the die D6.

[0135] In the laminated block forming process, the rotor press device 160 laminates a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa punched out from the workpiece W inside the die hole D61 with the dowels 18 joined to each other.

[0136] The rotor press device 160 punches out a rotor core piece Wa having a crimping hole 19 formed therein every time it punches out a predetermined number of rotor core pieces Wa having dowels 18 formed therein. In this way, the rotor press device 160 forms a plurality of stacked blocks 20 stacked to a predetermined stacking height inside the die hole D61. The rotor press device 160 forms, for example, a first block 21 to a sixth block 26 in this order.

[0137] The stator press device 170 , like the rotor press device 160 , punches out a plurality of stator core pieces Wb from the workpiece W and stacks them to form a laminated block 60 . As shown in FIG. 15, in the laminated block forming process, the rotor press device 160 adjusts the number of layers of the laminated block 20 based on the difference between the laminated thickness of the rotor core piece Wa obtained in the laminated thickness calculation process and the target value of the laminated thickness.

[0138] When forming the first block 21, which is located closer to the underside 11a of the rotor core 11 than the second block 22, the rotor press device 160 sets the number of stacked rotor core pieces Wa that make up the first block 21 to a predetermined constant number.

[0139] When forming the second block 22 adjacent to the third block 23 in the rotor core 11, the rotor press device 160 adjusts the number of laminations of the rotor core pieces Wa constituting the second block 22. The rotor press device 160 adjusts the number of laminations of the second block 22 so that the lamination thickness of the rotor core pieces Wa laminated between the lower surface of the first block 21 and the contact surface of the second block 22 with the third block 23 falls within a target range of the lamination thickness. In this case, the lamination thickness of the rotor core pieces Wa is the sum of the lamination thickness of the first block 21 and the lamination thickness of the second block 22.

[0140] When forming the third block 23 and the fourth block 24, the rotor press device 160 sets the number of stacked rotor core pieces Wa that constitute the third block 23 and the fourth block 24 to a fixed number.

[0141] When forming the fifth block 25 located between the sixth block 26 and the fourth block 24, the rotor press device 160 sets the number of laminations of the rotor core pieces Wa that make up the fifth block 25 to a fixed number.

[0142] When forming the sixth block 26 that constitutes the upper surface 11b of the rotor core 11, the rotor press device 160 adjusts the number of laminations of the rotor core pieces Wa that constitute the sixth block 26. The rotor press device 160 adjusts the number of laminations of the rotor core pieces Wa that constitute the sixth block 26 so that the lamination thickness of the rotor core pieces Wa that are laminated between the lower surface of the first block 21 and the upper surface of the sixth block 26 falls within a target range for the lamination thickness.

[0143] For the above reasons, the rotor press device 160 adjusts the number of stacked layers of the second block 22 and the sixth block 26, while keeping the number of stacked layers of the first block 21, the third block 23, the fourth block 24, and the fifth block 25 constant.

[0144] In the lamination process, the stator press device 170 forms a plurality of laminated blocks 60 that constitute the stator core 51 in the same manner as the rotor press device 160. The adjustment of the number of laminations in the laminated blocks 60 of the stator core 51 may be performed on any of the laminated blocks 60.

[0145] (Processing judgment process) In the processing determination step, the control unit 190 determines whether or not regular processing has been performed on the planned portion Wp. The processing determination step includes determining whether or not processing has been performed on a portion of the planned portion Wp that should be processed, and determining whether or not processing has been performed on a portion of the planned portion Wp that should not be processed.

[0146] 8, the control unit 190 determines whether or not regular processing has been performed on the first scheduled portion Wp1 based on the operation timing of the switching mechanism 165. The control unit 190 determines whether or not the switching mechanism 165 operates at a predetermined timing based on whether or not the ON signal and the OFF signal outputted from the actuator 167 of the switching mechanism 165 are outputted at a predetermined timing.

[0147] Next, as an example of the processing determination step, a case will be described in which the control unit 190 determines whether or not the through-hole 15a has been formed in the portion of the first planned portion Wp1 in which the through-hole 15a is to be formed.

[0148] The control unit 190 determines that the through hole 15a is correctly formed in the first planned portion Wp1 when an ON signal is output from the actuator 167 of the switching mechanism 165A at the timing when the through hole 15a should be formed in the first planned portion Wp1. On the other hand, the control unit 190 determines that the through hole 15a is not correctly formed in the first planned portion Wp1 when an OFF signal is output from the actuator 167 of the switching mechanism 165A at the timing when the through hole 15a should be formed in the first planned portion Wp1.

[0149] Next, a case where the control unit 190 determines whether or not the through-hole 15a has been formed in a portion of the first planned portion Wp1 where the through-hole 15a should not be formed will be described. When an ON signal is output from the actuator 167 of the switching mechanism 165A at a timing when the through hole 15a should not be formed in the first scheduled portion Wp1, the control unit 190 determines that the through hole 15a has been erroneously formed in the first scheduled portion Wp1. On the other hand, when an OFF signal is output from the actuator 167 of the switching mechanism 165A at a timing when the through hole 15a should not be formed in the first scheduled portion Wp1, the control unit 190 determines that the through hole 15a has not been formed in the first scheduled portion Wp1.

[0150] In the machining determination step, the stator press device 170, like the rotor press device 160, determines whether or not regular machining has been performed on the second planned portion Wp2. (Dummy block formation process) In the dummy block forming step, if it is determined in the processing determining step that the planned portion Wp has not been processed normally, the rotor press device 160 forms a dummy block 20d (see FIG. 12).

[0151] The rotor press machine 160 forms the dummy block 20d when it is determined in the machining judgment step that machining has not been performed on a portion of the first scheduled portion Wp1 that should not be machined. The rotor press machine 160 also forms the dummy block 20d when it is determined in the machining judgment step that machining has been performed on a portion of the first scheduled portion Wp1 that should not be machined.

[0152] The dummy block 20d is formed by stacking a plurality of rotor core pieces Wa, including a rotor core piece Wa formed by punching out the first planned portion Wp1 which has not been subjected to regular processing, to a stacking height different from the specified stacking height in the laminated block 20.

[0153] The rotor press device 160 adjusts the stacking height of the dummy block 20d by making the timing of forming the crimping holes 19 in the first planned portion Wp1 different from the timing of forming the regular laminated block 20. The rotor press device 160 forms the dummy block 20d, for example, so that the stacking height of the dummy block 20d is smaller than a predetermined stacking height of the laminated block 20. The stacking height of the dummy block 20d is smaller than the stacking heights of the third block 23 and the fourth block 24, for example.

[0154] In the dummy block forming step, when it is determined in the processing determination step that the second planned portion Wp2 has not been properly processed, the stator press device 170 forms a dummy block in the same manner as the rotor press device 160. The dummy block in this case is formed by stacking a plurality of stator core pieces Wb, including a stator core piece Wb formed by punching out the second planned portion Wp2 that has not been properly processed, at a stacking height different from the predetermined stacking height in the laminated block 60.

[0155] (discharge process) In the ejection step, the punching section A3 ejects the laminated block 20 and the dummy block 20d to the outside of the lower die 161 through the ejection port 164.

[0156] The laminated blocks 20 are stacked inside the die D6 without being bonded to each other. Therefore, when the laminated block 20 descends to a predetermined position as the rotor core pieces Wa are punched out of the workpiece W, it is discharged to the outside of the lower die 161 through the discharge port 164 by its own weight. The laminated block 20 discharged through the discharge port 164 falls onto the upper surface of the transport mechanism 200. The dummy block 20d is discharged in the same manner as the laminated block 20.

[0157] In the ejection step, the stator press device 170 ejects the laminated block 60 to the outside in the same manner as the rotor press device 160. (Transportation process) In the transport step, the transport mechanism 200 transports the stacked block 20 and the dummy block 20d. In the transport step, the stacked block 20 and the dummy block 20d discharged from the discharge port 164 are transported on the transport mechanism 200 with a gap between them.

[0158] In the transport step, the laminated block 60 is transported in the same manner as the laminated block 20. (Detection process) As shown in FIG. 10, in the detection step, the detection unit 210 detects the discharge of the laminated block 20 through the discharge port 164.

[0159] The detection unit 210 detects the presence or absence of the stacked block 20 transported by the transport mechanism 200, thereby detecting the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164. Therefore, in the detection process, the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164 is indirectly detected.

[0160] In this embodiment, the stacking height of the first flow path block 20A is greater than the stacking height of the second flow path block 20B. Therefore, the detection interval at which the detector 210 detects the stacked blocks 20 is longer when the first flow path block 20A is continuously transported than when the second flow path block 20B is continuously transported. Therefore, the maximum detection interval of the detector 210 is the detection interval when the first flow path block 20A is continuously detected.

[0161] In the detection step, the ejection of the laminated block 60 from the stator press device 170 is detected in the same manner as in the case of the laminated block 20 . (Abnormality determination process) In the abnormality determination step, the control unit 190 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the crimping hole forming portion A2 based on the detection result in the detection step.

[0162] The control unit 190 determines that there is an abnormality in the crimping hole forming unit A2 when the detection unit 210 does not detect the discharge of the laminated block 20 within a predetermined detection time. The detection time is set, for example, to a time longer than the maximum detection interval of the above-mentioned detection unit 210. The detection time is set, for example, to a time longer than the time required for three or more stacked blocks 20 to pass through the detection area of ​​the detection unit 210 on the transport mechanism 200.

[0163] If the crimping hole forming portion A2 is abnormal, the crimping hole 19 is not formed in the workpiece W, and the stacked block 20 is not discharged from the discharge port 164. As a result, the detection portion 210 does not detect the stacked block 20.

[0164] Next, the abnormality determination process of the control unit 190 in the abnormality determination step will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the control unit 190 starts a timer to begin measuring time (step S1).

[0165] Next, the control unit 190 determines whether or not the detection unit 210 detects the stacked block 20 (step S2). If the detection unit 210 detects the stacked block 20 (step S2: YES), the control unit 190 resets the timer (step S3). Thereafter, the control unit 190 executes the process of step S1 again. If the detection unit 210 does not detect the stacked block 20 (step S2: NO), the control unit 190 determines whether or not the detection time has elapsed (step S4).

[0166] If it is determined in step S4 that the detection time has elapsed (step S4: YES), the control unit 190 stops the operation of the rotor press device 160 and the stator press device 170 (step S5). If it is determined in step S4 that the detection time has not elapsed (step S4: NO), the control unit 190 executes the process of step S2.

[0167] In the abnormality determination process, if the discharge of the stacked block 60 is not detected within a predetermined detection time, the control unit 190 determines an abnormality in the part of the stator press device 170 that forms the crimping hole 56, in the same manner as the rotor press device 160.

[0168] (Sorting process) As shown in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b), in the sorting step, the sorting member 220 sorts the stacked blocks 20 and the dummy blocks 20d transported by the transport mechanism 200 into different transport paths.

[0169] 11(a), the stacked block 20 comes into contact with the sorting member 220 and is guided to the second transport path 202. As a result, the stacked block 20 is transported in a direction different from the transport direction before coming into contact with the sorting member 220.

[0170] As described above, the stacking height of the dummy block 20d is smaller than the stacking height of the stacked block 20. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 11(b), the dummy block 20d passes below the sorting member 220 without coming into contact with the sorting member 220. Therefore, the dummy block 20d is transported on the first transport path 201 without changing the transport direction.

[0171] In the sorting step, the dummy blocks and the laminated blocks 60 formed by the stator press device 170 are sorted into different transport paths in the same manner as the laminated blocks 20 and the dummy blocks 20d.

[0172] (Block body forming process) 15, in the block body forming step, a device or an operator (not shown) stacks a plurality of stacked blocks 20 to form a block body B. The block body B includes a first flow path block 20A and a second flow path block 20B.

[0173] In the block body forming step, two second flow path blocks 20B are stacked on the side opposite to the lower surface 11a of the rotor core 11, on two first flow path blocks 20A that include the first flow path block 20A constituting the lower surface 11a of the rotor core 11 and are stacked adjacent to each other. Then, two first flow path blocks 20A that include the first flow path block 20A constituting the upper surface 11b of the rotor core 11 and are stacked adjacent to each other are stacked on the two second flow path blocks 20B. In this embodiment, the first block 21 to the sixth block 26 are stacked adjacent to each other in this order to form the block body B.

[0174] In the block body forming process, the laminated blocks 20 may be laminated inside the rotor press device 160, or the laminated blocks 20 may be laminated on a jig that is inserted into the laminated blocks 20. In addition, in the block body forming process, a rotational stacking may be performed in which each laminated block 20 is rotated by a predetermined angle around the central hole 12 and stacked.

[0175] The block body B formed in the block body forming step is subjected to a predetermined treatment such as a pressure treatment or a heat treatment, whereby the rotor core 11 is formed. In the block body forming step, a plurality of laminated blocks 60 are laminated to form a block body in the same manner as in the laminated block 20.

[0176] The operation and effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) The manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a rotor press device 160, a control unit 190 that controls the operation of the rotor press device 160, and a detection unit 210 that detects the discharge of a laminated block 20 through a discharge port 164. The rotor press device 160 includes a dowel forming unit A1 that forms a dowel 18 in a workpiece W, a crimp hole forming unit A2 that forms a crimp hole 19 in the workpiece W, and a punching unit A3 that forms a laminated block 20 and discharges the laminated block 20 through the discharge port 164. The control unit 190 determines an abnormality in the crimp hole forming unit A2 when the detection unit 210 does not detect the discharge of the laminated block 20 within a predetermined detection time.

[0177] According to this configuration, when the detection unit 210 does not detect the discharge of the laminated block 20 through the discharge port 164 within the detection time, an abnormality in the crimp hole forming portion A2 is determined. This allows, for example, an operator to notice that a crimp hole 19 has not been formed in the rotor core piece Wa. This allows the operator to perform early maintenance of the rotor press device 160. This makes it possible to prevent a delay in the production of the rotor core 11.

[0178] (2) When the control unit 190 determines that there is an abnormality in the crimping hole forming unit A2, it stops the operation of the rotor press device 160. According to this configuration, when an abnormality is determined in the crimp hole forming portion A2, the operation of the rotor press device 160 stops. This makes it possible to prevent the rotor core pieces Wa from being continuously produced in a shape different from the desired shape.

[0179] (3) The detector 210 detects the presence or absence of the stacked block 20 transported by the transport mechanism 200, thereby detecting the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164. According to this configuration, the detection unit 210 can be disposed at a position where it can detect the presence or absence of the stacked block 20 transported by the transport mechanism 200. This makes it easier to dispose and maintain the detection unit 210 than when the detection unit 210 is disposed inside the rotor press device 160, for example.

[0180] (4) In the abnormality determination step, if the discharge of the laminated block 20 is not detected within a predetermined detection time in the detection step, an abnormality in the crimping hole forming portion A2 is determined. According to this method, if the discharge of the laminated block 20 through the discharge port 164 is not detected within the detection time, an abnormality in the crimp hole forming portion A2 is determined. This allows, for example, an operator to notice that a crimp hole 19 has not been formed in the rotor core piece Wa. This allows the operator to perform early maintenance of the rotor press device 160. This makes it possible to prevent a delay in production of the rotor core 11.

[0181] The above-described functions and effects can be appropriately interpreted as functions and effects related to stator core 51 and stator press device 170. <Example of change> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

[0182] The detection unit 210 may detect the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164 by photographing the stacked block 20 . The detection unit 210 may directly detect the discharge of the stacked block 20 through the discharge port 164 by detecting the stacked block 20 passing through the discharge port 164 .

[0183] The transfer mechanism 200 may be a transfer mechanism such as a robot arm that holds and transfers the stacked block 20 . When an abnormality is determined in the crimp hole forming portion A2 and the operation of the rotor press device 160 is stopped, the rotor press device 160 may form the crimp holes 19 in the workpiece W immediately after restarting. In this case, a laminated block 20 is formed that includes rotor core pieces Wa in which crimp holes 19 that should be formed were not formed. This laminated block 20 is preferably removed because it includes rotor core pieces Wa that have a shape different from the desired shape.

[0184] When the control unit 190 determines that there is an abnormality in the crimp hole forming portion A2, it may reduce the SPM of the rotor press device 160 and the stator press device 170, or cause the notification unit to issue an alarm, video, light, or the like to notify of the abnormality.

[0185] The laminated body constituting the rotor core 11 may be formed of a single laminated block. In this case, the rotor core piece Wa having the crimping hole 19 is provided only at one end of the rotor core 11 in the lamination direction.

[0186] The manufacturing apparatus 100 may punch out either the rotor core piece Wa or the stator core piece Wb from the workpiece W. When the portion of the workpiece W welded by the welding device 120 is included in the planned portion Wp, a dummy block including a rotor core piece Wa formed by punching out the planned portion Wp may be formed. The stacking height of this dummy block is preferably different from the predetermined stacking height of the laminated block 20. In this case, in the allocation step, the laminated block 20 and the dummy block can be allocated to different transport paths.

[0187] The above-described modified examples of the rotor press device 160 and the manufacturing method of the rotor core 11 can also be applied to the stator press device 170 and the manufacturing method of the stator core 51. [Explanation of symbols]

[0188] A1: Dowel forming section A2: Crimping hole forming part A3…Punching part B: Block letter D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6…Die m...Measurement point P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6...Punch V: Virtual line W…Work Wa…Rotor core piece Wb: Stator core piece Wp…Planning section Wp1…First Scheduled Section Wp2: Second Scheduled Section 11...Rotor core 11a…Bottom surface 11b…Top surface 15a, 15b, 15c...Through hole 16…First flow path 17…Second flow path 18,55…Dowel 19,56…Caulking hole 20,60…Laminated block 20A…First flow path block 20B…Second flow path block 20d…Dummy block 21…1st Block 22...Second Block 23…Third Block 24…4th Block 25…5th Block 26…6th Block 51…Stator core 100...Manufacturing equipment 130…Plate thickness measuring device 140…First fuel supply device 150...Applying roller 160...Rotor press device 164...Exhaust port 165, 165A, 165B, 165C, 165D...Switching mechanism 170... Stator press device 180…Second fuel supply device 190...Control unit 200...Transport mechanism 201…First transport route 202...Second transport path 210…Detection unit 220…Distribution member

Claims

1. a press device comprising: a dowel forming section that forms a dowel in a plate-shaped workpiece, the dowel bulging on one side in a thickness direction of the workpiece; a crimp hole forming section that selectively punches the dowel from the workpiece to form a crimp hole in the workpiece into which the dowel is inserted; and a punching section that punches out from the workpiece, using a die and a punch, a core piece with the crimp hole formed therein and a core piece with the dowel formed therein, and stacks them inside the die to form a laminate, and discharges the laminate through a discharge port that communicates with the die; A control unit for controlling an operation of the press device; A detection unit that detects the discharge of the stack through the discharge port, the control unit determines an abnormality in the crimping hole forming unit when the detection unit does not detect the discharge of the laminate within a predetermined detection time. Manufacturing equipment for laminated cores.

2. The control unit stops the operation of the press device when determining that an abnormality has occurred in the crimping hole forming portion.

2. An apparatus for manufacturing a laminated core according to claim 1.

3. a conveying mechanism for conveying the laminate discharged from the discharge port, the detection unit detects the presence or absence of the stack transported by the transport mechanism, thereby detecting the discharge of the stack through the discharge port; 3. An apparatus for manufacturing a laminated core according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A dowel forming process for forming a dowel on a plate-shaped workpiece so as to bulge on one side in a plate thickness direction of the workpiece; a crimp hole forming step of selectively punching the dowel from the workpiece using a crimp hole forming part that forms a crimp hole into which the dowel is inserted, thereby forming the crimp hole in the workpiece; a laminate forming process in which the core pieces having the crimping holes and the core pieces having the dowels are punched out of the workpiece using a die and a punch, and the punched pieces are stacked inside the die to form a laminate; a discharge step of discharging the laminate through a discharge port communicating with the die; a detection step of detecting discharge of the laminate through the discharge port; and an abnormality determination step of determining an abnormality in the crimping hole forming portion based on a detection result in the detection step, In the abnormality determination step, when the discharge of the laminate is not detected within a predetermined detection time in the detection step, an abnormality is determined in the crimp hole formation portion. Manufacturing method of laminated core.

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