Reuse method

Abstract

To provide a reuse method that can stabilize the quality of reused transformer terminals.SOLUTION: A method for reusing a terminal of a transformer includes cleaning a contact portion of the terminal, which is electrically connected by contact, by irradiating the contact portion with a laser beam.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a reuse method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology in which a battery information management device having an interface connected to a secondary battery module and a terminal device are connected via a network, and the battery information management device grades the secondary battery module for reuse based on battery information stored in the secondary battery module acquired by the battery information management device and the terminal device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-141464 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the transformer, as in the secondary battery module described above, parts attached to electric wires, such as so-called secondary bushing terminals, are subjected to a cleaning treatment to remove surface dirt and then reused.

[0005] However, since the cleaning process for such parts is performed by manual polishing, the quality of the cleaning process varies depending on the skill level of the worker, and since the polishing is performed while checking the polishing status visually, there is a risk of damaging not only the plating layer of the part but also the base material.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a reuse method that can stabilize the quality of reused transformer terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The reuse method according to the present invention is a method for reusing terminals of a transformer, in which contact portions of the terminals, which are brought into contact to pass electricity, are cleaned by irradiating them with a laser beam. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a reuse method can be provided that can stabilize the quality of reused transformer terminals. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transformer terminal according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a laser irradiation device, a control unit, and a plating device used in the reuse of transformer terminals. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart illustrating reuse of a transformer terminal using the reuse method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the transformer terminal after cleaning treatment of the contact portion. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a laser irradiation device, a control unit, a plating device, and a thickness measurement device used in the reuse of transformer terminals. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating reuse of a transformer terminal using a reuse method according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The reuse method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the reuse of a secondary bushing terminal for a transformer will be described below as an example. Hereinafter, the secondary bushing terminal for a transformer will be referred to as a transformer terminal.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transformer terminal 10 according to the first embodiment. Transformer terminal 10 is made of a conductive material such as copper, and has contact portion 1 that comes into contact with and is electrically connected to other components such as electric wires and other terminals, and non-contact portion 2 excluding contact portion 1.

[0012] The contact portion 1 has a generally rectangular plate shape, and has two through holes 3 formed in the center. The through holes 3 are circular, and are formed spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 1. In addition, a non-contact portion 2 is provided adjacent to one long side of the contact portion 1 in the middle in the longitudinal direction.

[0013] The non-contact portion 2 has a bottomed cylindrical portion 21 and a base portion 23, and the dimension of the base portion 23 in the thickness direction of the contact portion 1 increases toward the bottomed cylindrical portion 21. In addition, a circular protrusion 22 is provided at the center of the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical portion 21.

[0014] Such transformer terminal 10 is placed in an environment exposed to the atmosphere, and over time a dirt layer containing dust, oil stains, oxides, etc. forms on the surface of the transformer terminal 10. Such a dirt layer increases resistance and impedes current flow, so it needs to be removed.

[0015] In the reuse method according to the first embodiment, a cleaning process is performed on the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 using a laser beam, and the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 after the cleaning process is plated.

[0016] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a laser irradiation device 30, a control unit 40, and a plating device 50 used for reusing the transformer terminal 10. In FIG. 2, the symbol C indicates a dirt layer.

[0017] The laser irradiation device 30 and the plating device 50 are connected to a control unit 40, which controls the cleaning process of the laser irradiation device 30 and the plating process of the plating device 50.

[0018] The laser irradiation device 30 includes a housing 32 incorporating an oscillator, a light transmission tube 33 connected to the housing 32, and a laser head 31 connected to the tip of the light transmission tube 33. The housing 32 also includes an operation unit 34 that accepts settings for the laser irradiation process. An operator can start and stop laser beam irradiation, set the laser beam output, set the number of irradiations, the scanning direction and scanning range, the feed speed, the focal length of the lens, etc. by operating the operation unit 34. The control unit 40 receives such settings from the operator via the operation unit 34.

[0019] In the laser irradiation device 30, a laser beam is generated by the oscillator in the housing 32, and the laser beam is emitted from the laser head 31 to irradiate an object (transformer terminal 10). The control unit 40 controls the laser beam in accordance with settings received via the operation unit 34.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the reuse of the transformer terminal 10 using the reuse method according to embodiment 1. The transformer terminal 10 to be reused has been removed from a transformer, and has a dirt layer C on its surface (see Fig. 2).

[0021] As described above, the operator operates the operation unit 34 to set the laser irradiation process, and the control unit 40 receives the settings from the operator via the operation unit 34 (step S101).

[0022] The control unit 40 controls the laser beam based on the settings received via the operation unit 34, and the laser beam is emitted from the laser head 31 and irradiated onto the transformer terminal 10 (step S102). This removes the dirt layer C and performs a cleaning process on the transformer terminal 10.

[0023] At this time, the laser beam is irradiated only to the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10. That is, the cleaning process is performed only on the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10. As described above, since electrical connection through contact with other components is performed only at the contact portion 1, it is sufficient to perform the cleaning process only on the contact portion 1.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the transformer terminal 10 after the cleaning process of the contact portion 1. For comparison, the cleaning process has not been performed on a part of the contact portion 1 in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, the solid arrows point to the parts that have not been cleaned, and the hollow arrows point to the parts that have been cleaned.

[0025] It can be seen from FIG. 4 that the dirt layer C on the surface of the contact portion 1 has been removed by the cleaning process using a laser beam.

[0026] In this way, the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) from which the dirt layer C has been removed by the cleaning process is subjected to a plating process (step S103). For example, the plating device 50 applies a predetermined voltage to the transformer terminal 10 and immerses it in an electrolytic plating bath for a predetermined time, thereby forming a plating film of a metal such as nickel on the surface of the contact portion 1.

[0027] In this way, the transformer terminal 10, whose contact portion 1 has been subjected to cleaning and plating processes, can be reused, making it possible to utilize resources effectively and reduce the burden on the environment.

[0028] As described above, in the reuse method of embodiment 1, the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 is cleaned using a laser beam, so that the work time is shortened and productivity is increased compared to the case of manually polishing the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10. In addition, the base material is not damaged by laser beam control, and a uniform finish is obtained, thereby ensuring stable quality.

[0029] In the reuse method according to the first embodiment, as described above, the cleaning process is performed only on the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10, which can further improve the workability and reduce costs.

[0030] In the above, an example has been described in which the reuse method of embodiment 1 is used to reuse transformer terminals 10. However, the method is not limited to transformer terminals 10, and it goes without saying that the method can also be applied to bolts, nuts, and other metal fittings for transformer lids.

[0031] (Embodiment 2) In the reuse method of embodiment 2, a cleaning process is performed on the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 using a laser beam, and a determination is made as to whether or not plating is required for the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 after the cleaning process, and plating is performed depending on the result of such determination.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a laser irradiation device 30, a control unit 40, a plating device 50, and a thickness measurement device 60 used in the reuse of transformer terminal 10.

[0033] The laser irradiation device 30, plating device 50 and thickness measuring device 60 are connected to a control unit 40, which controls the cleaning process of the laser irradiation device 30, the plating process of the plating device 50 and the measurement process of the thickness measuring device 60. The thickness measuring device 60 measures the thickness (thickness of the plating layer) of the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 after the cleaning process, for example, by using X-rays. Measuring the thickness of the plating layer by using X-rays is a well-known technique, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] Fig. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the reuse of the transformer terminal 10 using the reuse method according to embodiment 2. The transformer terminal 10 to be reused is one that has been removed from a transformer, and has a dirt layer C on its surface (see Fig. 5).

[0035] As described above, the operator operates the operation unit 34 to set the laser irradiation process, and the control unit 40 receives the settings from the operator via the operation unit 34 (step S201).

[0036] The control unit 40 controls the laser beam based on the settings received via the operation unit 34, and the laser beam is emitted from the laser head 31 and irradiated onto the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 (step S202). This removes the dirt layer C on the contact portion 1, and cleans the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1).

[0037] In this manner, the control unit 40 judges whether or not plating is required for the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) from which the dirt layer C has been removed by the cleaning process (step S203). Based on the result of such judgment, plating is performed on the transformer terminal 10 after the cleaning process.

[0038] The determination as to whether plating is necessary or not is made using the thickness of the plating layer on the contact portion 1. More specifically, this is made by comparing the thickness of the plating layer on the contact portion 1 of the transformer terminal 10 after cleaning, measured by the thickness measuring device 60, with a predetermined threshold value determined based on the thickness of the plating layer on the contact portion 1 at the time of shipment. For example, the control portion 40 is provided with a display portion, and the control portion 40 outputs the result of the determination to the display portion.

[0039] For example, if the thickness of the plating layer on the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) after the cleaning process is thinner than the threshold value, it is determined that the plating layer on the contact portion 1 has peeled off or become thinner, and the control unit 40 determines that plating is necessary (step S203: YES).

[0040] If it is determined that plating is necessary, plating is performed by the plating device 50 as in the first embodiment (step S204). For example, the plating device 50 applies a predetermined voltage to the transformer terminal 10 and immerses it in an electrolytic plating bath for a predetermined time, thereby forming a plating film of a metal such as nickel on the surface of the contact portion 1. Thereafter, the transformer terminal 10, whose contact portion 1 has been subjected to cleaning and plating, is reused.

[0041] Furthermore, if the thickness of the plating layer on the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) after the cleaning process is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 40 determines that plating is not necessary (step S203: NO), and the process ends. Thereafter, the transformer terminal 10, the contact portion 1 of which has only been cleaned, is reused.

[0042] As described above, in the reuse method according to the second embodiment, the necessity of plating is determined for the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) after cleaning, and the transformer terminal 10 for which plating is determined not to be necessary is reused without plating. Therefore, by reducing the plating process, it is possible to reduce both the workload and the environmental burden.

[0043] As described above, in the reuse method according to the second embodiment, the thickness of the plating layer of the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) after cleaning is measured using the thickness measuring device 60, and the necessity of plating is determined based on the result of such measurement. Thus, a series of steps related to the reuse of the transformer terminal 10 can be automated.

[0044] As described above, in the reuse method according to the second embodiment, the case where the necessity of plating is determined based on the thickness of the plating layer of the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) after cleaning is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the necessity of plating may be determined based on the color of the contact portion 1 after cleaning.

[0045] Specifically, a camera may be used to capture a color image of the transformer terminal 10 (contact portion 1) after cleaning, an HSV hue judgment value may be calculated from the captured color image, a pixel color judgment process may be performed based on the hue (H), saturation (S), and value (V) calculated from the HSV hue judgment value, and a judgment as to whether plating is required may be performed based on the judgment result. That is, plating is performed only when the contact portion 1 after cleaning is a predetermined color or when the contact portion 1 (image) has a predetermined range of hue (H), saturation (S), and value (V).

[0046] The same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0047] The technical features (constituent elements) described in the first and second embodiments can be combined with each other, and by combining them, new technical features can be arrived at. The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims.

[0048] The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with each other. In addition, the independent claims and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any and all combinations regardless of the citation format. Furthermore, the claims use a format in which a claim cites two or more other claims (multiple claim format), but this is not limited to this. The claims may also be written in a format in which a multiple claim cites at least one other multiple claim (multi-multi claim). [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1: contact part, 2: non-contact part, 10: transformer terminal, 40: control part, 50: plating device, 60: thickness measuring device

Claims

1. A method for reusing a terminal of a transformer, comprising the steps of: The reuse method includes cleaning the contact portion of the terminal, which is electrically conductive due to contact, by irradiating it with a laser beam.

2. The reuse method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of subjecting the contact portion after cleaning to a plating treatment.

3. The reuse method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of determining whether or not the contact portion after the cleaning needs to be plated.

4. The reuse method according to claim 3 , wherein the determination of whether or not cleaning is required is made based on a thickness of a plating layer on the contact portion after the cleaning.

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