Air supply device of laser irradiation welding device

Abstract

To obtain an excellent joint quality by accurately and efficiently spraying welding fume generated at welded points in laser irradiation welding jointing a lengthy component.SOLUTION: An air supply device 12 of a laser irradiation welding device 10 sprays welding fume generated at welded points. The air supply device 12 comprises: air nozzles 26 whose air blow-out holes are arranged close to welded points set on a lengthy component (a bumper reinforcement 14); an air supply source 28 that supplies air to the air nozzles 26; and air supply passages 30 through which the air supply source 28 is connected to the air nozzles 26. The air blow-out holes of the air nozzles 26 are formed in a flat shape. One air nozzle 26 is arranged to be able to blow out air towards at least a plurality of welded points adjacent to each other. The plurality of air nozzles 26 are arranged continuously along a series of a number of continuous welded points W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding apparatus. Specifically, the present invention relates to an air supply device for blowing away welding fumes generated at welding points in a laser irradiation welding apparatus for joining long parts at a series of continuous and numerous welding points in the longitudinal direction.

Background Art

[0002] In ordinary vehicles such as automobiles, many steel plate members are used as vehicle body components, and structural members are often formed by welding and joining the steel plate members. And a laser irradiation welding apparatus is often used for the welding and joining. For example, a bumper reinforcement, which is a skeletal member constituting a bumper disposed at the front and rear of an automobile, is formed by welding and joining with a laser irradiation welding apparatus.

[0003] Laser irradiation welding is performed by irradiating a laser onto a welding point of a workpiece to be joined. When a laser is irradiated onto the workpiece to be joined in laser irradiation welding, welding fumes are generated. Therefore, there is a problem that the energy of the laser beam is reduced by the welding fumes, and the joining quality is deteriorated.

[0004] As a countermeasure against this problem, conventionally, air blowing has been performed from a laser irradiation device toward the welding point to suppress deterioration of the quality of the welding point. However, even in such a countermeasure, turbulence and variations occur in the air volume near the processing point due to the jig unit of the laser irradiation device, which may affect the joining quality. For this reason, a measure has been proposed to set an air supply port (air blowing hole) for blowing away welding fumes in the jig unit of the laser irradiation welding apparatus near the welding point (see Patent Document 1 below).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] However, in the conventional measures described above, when joining a long component such as a bumper reinforcement by a series of continuous laser irradiation welding points in the longitudinal direction, it has been difficult to accurately and efficiently blow away the welding fumes generated at the processing points. In particular, it has not been suitable for laser irradiation welding at the side surface position in the longitudinal direction of a long component such as a bumper reinforcement.

[0007] Thus, the present invention has been devised in view of the above points, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to surely, accurately, and efficiently blow away the welding fumes generated at the welding processing points in the laser irradiation welding of long components, and to perform laser irradiation welding with good joint quality. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the air supply device of the laser irradiation welding apparatus according to the present invention takes the following means.

[0009] The first invention of the present invention is an air supply device for blowing out welding fumes generated at the welding points in a laser irradiation welding device that joins long parts at a series of continuous and numerous welding points in the longitudinal direction. The air supply device includes an air nozzle in which air blowing holes are disposed in proximity to the welding points set on the long parts, an air supply source that supplies air to the air nozzle, and an air supply path that connects the air supply source and the air nozzle. The air nozzle has a flat-shaped blowing hole, and the flat-shaped blowing holes of one air nozzle are arranged so as to be able to blow out toward at least a plurality of adjacent welding points. A plurality of the air nozzles are continuously arranged along the series of continuous and numerous welding points. It is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

[0010] Note that in the present invention, it is noted that the air for blowing out the welding fumes generated at the welding points includes gas in its meaning.

[0011] The second invention of the present invention is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to the first invention described above, wherein the series of continuous and numerous welding points in the longitudinal direction are set at side positions in the longitudinal direction of the long parts. It is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

[0012] The third invention of the present invention is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to the first invention described above. The air nozzle is formed in a shape that expands from the air supply path toward the welding point direction, and the flat-shaped blowing holes are in a mesh shape so that air is evenly supplied toward the welding point. It is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

[0013] The fourth invention of the present invention is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to the third invention described above, wherein the shape of the air nozzle is a shape that expands from the air supply path toward the welding point direction. It is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

[0014] The fifth invention of the present invention is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding apparatus of the first invention described above, and is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding apparatus in which a flow rate adjusting device is installed in the air supply path.

[0015] The sixth invention of the present invention is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding apparatus of any one of the first to fourth inventions described above, and is an air supply device for a laser irradiation welding apparatus in which the long component is a bumper reinforcement.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the means of the present invention described above, it is possible to reliably, accurately, and efficiently blow off the welding fumes generated at the welding points in the laser irradiation welding of long components, and perform laser irradiation welding with good joint quality.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the air supply device 12 of the laser irradiation welding apparatus 10 according to the present invention is applied to the laser irradiation welding joint of the bumper reinforcement 14 will be described with reference to the drawings. Therefore, the long member referred to in the present invention is the bumper reinforcement 14 in this embodiment. In the description of the illustration, the direction indication such as the vertical direction is the direction in the illustration itself unless otherwise specified.

[0019] 〔Overall Arrangement Configuration of the Air Supply Device 12 of the Laser Irradiation Welding Apparatus 10〕 First, the overall arrangement configuration of the air supply device 12 of the laser irradiation welding apparatus 10 will be described. The overall arrangement configuration is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the bumper reinforcement 14 as a long member is arranged on the support jig 16, and FIG. 2 shows a state before the bumper reinforcement 14 is arranged. Although the laser irradiation equipment itself is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a general-purpose laser irradiation equipment is used in this embodiment. The laser irradiation equipment is arranged to irradiate toward the welding point W shown in FIG. 3 described later.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser irradiation welding apparatus 10 is installed on the base frame 18. Since the bumper reinforcement 14 is a long member, the base frame 18 is set to a long shape with a size capable of installing the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0021] A plurality of support jigs 16 are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the base frame 18 to support the bumper reinforcement 14. First, end position regulating supports 20 are arranged at both end positions in the longitudinal direction, and regulate the installation positions of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left end position of the bumper reinforcement 14 is regulated by the left end position regulating support 20L arranged at the left end, and the right end position of the bumper reinforcement 14 is regulated by the right end position regulating support 20R arranged at the right end.

[0022] In addition, in order to support both longitudinal side positions of the bumper reinforcement 14, side position supports 22 are arranged to grip the members of the bumper reinforcement 14 from above and below in the plate thickness direction to support the side positions. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left side position support 22L arranged on the left side supports the left side position of the bumper reinforcement 14, and the right side position support 22R arranged on the right side supports the right side position of the bumper reinforcement 14. The side position support 22 is composed of a support member U arranged at the upper position and a support member D arranged at the lower position, and the bumper reinforcement 14 is clamped and supported by both support members U and D.

[0023] Furthermore, in order to support the central position in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14, three central position supports 24 are arranged. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first central position support 24A, the second central position support 24B, and the third central position support 24C are arranged at equal intervals from the left side among the central position supports 24. Each of these central position supports 24A, 24B, and 24C is also composed of a support member U arranged at the upper position and a support member D arranged at the lower position, and grips and supports the central position in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14 from above and below in the plate thickness direction.

[0024] 〔Welding point position W〕 Next, the position of the welding point W of the bumper reinforcement 14 in the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the welding point W is set at the side position of the bumper reinforcement 14, which is the position indicated by the round mark. In the drawing, it is only the side position on one side of the bumper reinforcement 14, but in the present embodiment, it is set at the side positions on both sides. And a series of a large number of welding points W are continuously set at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0025] 〔Air supply device 12〕 Next, the air supply device 12 which is a feature of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air supply device 12 is composed of an air nozzle 26, an air supply source 28, and an air supply path 30. A flow rate adjusting device 32 is installed in the air supply path 30.

[0026] 〔Air nozzle 26〕 First, the air nozzle 26 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the air nozzle 26 is arranged such that the air blowing holes 34 are close to the welding points W set at the side positions in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14. FIG. 4 shows a single view of the air nozzle 26. The air blowing holes 34 of the air nozzle 26 are formed in a flat shape and have a mesh shape. And the flat shape of the air blowing holes 34 of the air nozzle 26 is arranged along a series of welding points W.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, the shape of the air nozzle 26 of this embodiment is formed in a schematic triangular shape of a wide-angle shape that spreads from the air receiving position 38 of the air supply path 30, which will be described later, toward the welding point W. That is, the overall three-dimensional shape of the air nozzle 26 is also formed in a flat shape similar to the shape of the air blowing holes 34.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the flat air blowing holes 34 of one air nozzle 26 are arranged so as to cover three adjacent points among the series of welding points W. In this embodiment, since the number of air nozzles 26 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is 11, the number of welding points W on one side in the longitudinal direction is 33.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air nozzle 26 is supported by the base machine 18 by the air nozzle support 36. The air nozzles 26 at both ends in the longitudinal direction are configured to be supported by one air nozzle support 36A, while the air nozzles 26 arranged at other central positions are configured to be supported by one air nozzle support 36B for every three air nozzles 26.

[0030] Air supply source 28 and air supply path 30 Next, based on FIGS. 1 and 2, the air supply source 28 and the air supply path 30 will be described. The air supply source 28 is a source that supplies air to the welding point W. In this embodiment, for example, it is an air tank. In this embodiment, the material supplied to the welding point W is air, but it may also be a gas. In that case, it will be a gas tank.

[0031] The air supply path 30 is an air delivery path that supplies air from the air supply source 28 to the air nozzle 26 in order to blow the air from the air nozzle 26 onto the welding point W. In this embodiment, this air delivery path is formed by a pipeline. The pipeline of the air supply path 30 first branches from the air supply source 28 and is piped into three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C. The three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C are joined to a common pipeline 30D. Then, from the common pipeline 30D, they are connected to the respective air nozzles 26 through distribution pipelines 30E, and air is supplied to the air nozzles 26. Note that in this embodiment, the common pipeline 30D is set by being divided into the above-mentioned three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C units.

[0032] Note that the three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C connected to the common pipeline 30D in the air supply path 30 are arranged at appropriate intervals. Thereby, the air pressure supplied from the air supply source 28 to the common pipeline 30D is made an equal pressure.

[0033] Also, in this embodiment, flow rate adjustment devices 32 are installed in the three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C in the air supply path 30. The flow rate adjustment device 32 variably adjusts the cross-sectional area of the flow path through which air flows. For example, the cross-sectional area of the flow path can be adjusted to be wider or narrower by screw adjustment or the like. Thereby, the flow rate of the air supplied to the common pipeline 30D is adjusted.

[0034] The functions and effects of this embodiment Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment described above will be described. First, the bumper reinforcement 14 of the long-shaped part, which is the member to be welded, is set on the support jig 16. The state of FIG. 2 is the state before the bumper reinforcement 14 is set on the support jig 16. From such a state, the bumper reinforcement 14 is set on the support jig 16 to obtain the state of FIG. 1.

[0035] In the state of FIG. 1, both end portions of the bumper reinforcement 14 are positioned and supported by the end position regulating supports 20. And the positions on both side portions in the longitudinal direction are supported by the side portion position supports 22. Further, the central portion position is supported by the central portion position support 24. The support of the side portion position support 22 and the central portion position support 24 is, as shown in FIG. 2, by the support member U arranged at the upper position and the support member D arranged at the lower position, sandwiching the bumper reinforcement 14 and supporting it as shown in FIG. 1.

[0036] In the state where the bumper reinforcement 14 is set on the support jig 16 as shown in FIG. 1, laser irradiation is performed on the welding point W of the bumper reinforcement 14 by a laser irradiation device (not shown) for laser welding. The welding point W is the position indicated by the round mark shown in FIG. 3 and is the side portion position in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14. In the present embodiment, welding points W are set on both sides in the longitudinal direction so as to strongly weld and join the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0037] In the above, when laser irradiation is performed on the welding point W for laser welding, welding fumes are generated. As also described in the background art, these welding fumes have the drawback of reducing the energy of the laser light and degrading the joining quality.

[0038] Therefore, in this embodiment, the air outlet holes 34 of the air nozzle 26 that blows air onto the welding point W are arranged at positions close to the welding point W. As a result, air can be reliably and accurately blown onto the welding point W, and welding fumes can be efficiently blown away. Consequently, the welding quality can be made good and stable.

[0039] Moreover, in this embodiment, the air outlet holes 34 of one air nozzle 26 are configured to cover the three welding points W. Thus, when a series of continuous welding points W are set in the longitudinal direction, such as in the case of a long component, the number of air nozzles 26 can be reduced, and the configuration of the air supply device 12 can be simplified.

[0040] In addition, a flow rate adjustment device 32 is installed in the air supply path 30 of the air supply device 12 in this embodiment. Thereby, the flow rate of the air supplied to each air nozzle 26 can be adjusted to an appropriate and equal amount.

[0041] Also, according to this embodiment, the air nozzle 26 is formed in a shape that expands from the air supply path 30 toward the welding point W. Thus, in this embodiment, one air nozzle 26 can cover the three welding points W and blow away the welding fumes.

[0042] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the air outlet holes 34 of the flat-shaped air nozzle 26 are in a mesh shape. Thereby, air can be evenly blown onto a plurality of welding points W. As a result, a highly accurate welded joint can be achieved.

[0043] Also, according to this embodiment, the shape of the air nozzle 26 is a roughly triangular shape with a wide-angle shape that expands toward the welding point W. Thereby, air can be smoothly supplied to the air outlet holes 34 of the air nozzle 26, and the welding fumes generated at the welding point W can be surely blown away.

[0044] 〔Other Embodiments〕 As described above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been explained, but the present invention can also be implemented in various other forms.

[0045] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the flow rate adjustment device 32 is installed in the air supply path 30 that connects the air supply source 28 and the air nozzle 26, but an embodiment in which the flow rate adjustment device 32 is not necessarily installed is also acceptable.

[0046] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the number of welding points W covered by one air nozzle 26 was three, but other cases are also acceptable. That is, two points or four points are also acceptable. Any embodiment that covers a plurality of welding points W is acceptable.

[0047] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the welding point W was set at the side position in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14, but other positions are also acceptable. For example, it may be set on the upper surface or the lower surface of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0048] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the long component was the bumper reinforcement 14, but other long steel plate components may also be used.

[0049] 〔Operational Effects of Each Invention Described in "Means for Solving the Problems"〕 Finally, the operational effects of each invention in the above-mentioned "Means for Solving the Problems" are appended.

[0050] First, according to the first invention, since it is a long-shaped part, a large number of a series of continuous welding points are set in the long direction. For this reason, the air supply device for blowing out the welding fumes generated at the welding points during laser irradiation welding generally has a complicated configuration. However, in the case of the present invention, since there is one air nozzle with a flat-shaped blowing hole and it is configured to blow out toward at least a plurality of adjacent welding points, the number of air nozzles can be made smaller compared to the number of welding points. As a result, despite the large number of welding points, the air supply device can be made to have a simple configuration.

[0051] Also, according to the first invention, since the blowing hole of the air nozzle is disposed close to the welding point, the welding fumes generated at the welding point of the laser irradiation welding can be accurately and efficiently blown out. As a result, for the welding of long-shaped parts, which has been difficult in the past, laser irradiation welding joining with good joint quality can be performed.

[0052] Next, according to the second invention, a series of continuous numerous welding points in the long direction are set at the side position of the long-shaped part. Thereby, the joining strength of the long-shaped part can be made strong. In particular, when the welding points are set at both side positions of the long-shaped part, it can be made stronger.

[0053] Next, according to the third invention, the air nozzle is formed in a shape that spreads from the air supply path toward the welding point direction. Thereby, it becomes possible to cover a large number of welding points and blow out the welding fumes.

[0054] Also, according to the third invention, the blowing hole of the flat-shaped air nozzle is in a mesh shape. Thereby, air can be evenly blown onto a plurality of welding points. As a result, welding joining with high accuracy is performed.

[0055] Next, according to the fourth invention, the shape of the air nozzle is configured to expand toward the direction of the welding point. Thereby, air can be smoothly supplied to the blowout holes of the air nozzle, and the welding fumes generated at the welding point can be surely blown away.

[0056] Next, according to the fifth invention, a flow rate adjusting device is installed in the air supply path. Thereby, the flow rate of the air supplied to the air nozzle can be adjusted to an appropriate amount.

[0057] Next, according to the sixth invention, the long-shaped component is a bumper reinforcement. Thereby, the bumper reinforcement can be accurately laser welded and joined.

Explanation of Signs

[0058] 10 Laser irradiation welding apparatus 12 Air supply device 14 Bumper reinforcement (long-shaped component) 16 Support jig 18 Base machine 20 End position regulating support 20L Left end position regulating support 20R Right end position regulating support 22 Side position support 22L Left side position support 22R Right side position support 24 Central position support 24A First central position support 24B Second central position support 24C Third central position support 26 Air nozzle 28 Air supply source 30 Air supply path 30A Branch pipeline 30B Branch pipeline 30C Branch pipeline 30D Common pipeline 30E Distribution pipeline 32 Flow rate adjusting device 34 Air outlet holes 36 Air nozzle support 36A Air nozzle supports at both ends 36B Air nozzle support at the central position 38 Air receiving position

Claims

1. An air supply device for blowing away welding fumes generated at the welding points in a laser irradiation welding device that joins long parts with a series of continuous and numerous welding points in the longitudinal direction, comprising: an air nozzle in which air blowing holes are disposed in proximity to the welding points set on the long parts; an air supply source that supplies air to the air nozzle; an air supply path that connects the air supply source and the air nozzle, wherein the air nozzle has a flat-shaped blowing hole, and the flat-shaped blowing holes of one air nozzle are arranged so as to be able to blow toward at least a plurality of adjacent welding points to each other, and a plurality of the air nozzles are continuously arranged along the series of continuous and numerous welding points. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

2. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to Claim 1, wherein the series of continuous and numerous welding points in the longitudinal direction are set at side positions in the longitudinal direction of the long parts. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

3. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to Claim 1, wherein the air nozzle is formed in a shape that expands from the air supply path toward the welding point direction, and the flat-shaped blowing hole has a mesh shape so that air is evenly supplied toward the welding point. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

4. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to Claim 3, wherein the shape of the air nozzle is a shape that expands from the air supply path toward the welding point direction. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

5. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to Claim 1, wherein a flow rate adjusting device is installed in the air supply path. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

6. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the long part is a bumper reinforcement. An air supply device for a laser irradiation welding device.

Images