Rotor manufacturing apparatus and rotor manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a rotor manufacturing apparatus that allows for easy insertion of a magnet into a magnet insertion hole, even when the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the magnet is reduced. [Solution] The system includes a positioning jig for positioning a magnet using two inner surfaces that abut two adjacent sides of the magnet as reference planes, an opening position acquisition device positioned at a predetermined location relative to the positioning jig to acquire positional information of the opening of the magnet insertion hole, a transport device that transports both the positioning jig and the opening position acquisition device relative to the rotor, an extrusion device that pushes the magnet into the magnet insertion hole, and a control device. The control device detects the positions of two adjacent sides of the opening from the positional information of the opening of the magnet insertion hole acquired by the opening position acquisition device, drives the transport device to transport the positioning jig so that the position of the reference plane coincides with the positions of the two sides of the opening, drives the extrusion device when the position of the reference plane and the positions of the two sides of the opening coincide, pushes the magnet out of the positioning jig and inserts it into the magnet insertion hole.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a rotor and a method for manufacturing a rotor.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a technique for manufacturing a rotor of a rotating electrical machine, a technique of fitting a magnet inserted into a magnetization jig to an end portion of the rotor, pushing out the magnet from the magnetization jig, and transferring it into a magnet insertion hole of the rotor (see, for example, Patent Document 1), a technique of inserting a magnet into a magnet insertion hole of a rotor and further filling a resin composition into the magnet insertion hole (see, for example, Patent Document 2), etc. are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The rotor of a rotating electrical machine is formed by laminating a plurality of thin electromagnetic steel sheets. Since the magnet insertion holes are formed so as to penetrate the laminated electromagnetic steel sheets, the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion holes is not necessarily a flat surface over the entire length, and may have minute steps due to a slight misalignment of the electromagnetic steel sheets. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a sufficient gap between the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion hole and the side surface of the inserted magnet to facilitate the insertion of the magnet.

[0005] However, increasing the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the side of the magnet can cause variations in the magnet's position relative to the insertion hole. This can lead to variations in the magnetic flux generated during the operation of the rotating electric machine, potentially resulting in individual differences. On the other hand, reducing the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the side of the magnet can make it difficult to insert the magnet into the insertion hole due to tolerance issues in the shape of the magnet and the insertion hole, issues with the accuracy of positional reproduction between the two, and issues with deterioration of stability due to interference.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a rotor manufacturing apparatus and a rotor manufacturing method that enable easy insertion of a magnet into a magnet insertion hole, even when the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the magnet is reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A rotor manufacturing apparatus for inserting a magnet (e.g., a magnet 34 described later) into a magnet insertion hole (e.g., a magnet insertion hole 33 described later) formed in the rotor (e.g., a rotor 3 described later) of a rotating electric machine (e.g., a rotating electric machine 1 described later), the apparatus comprising: a positioning jig (e.g., a positioning jig 130 described later) for positioning the magnet with reference planes being two inner surfaces (e.g., inner surfaces 131, 132 described later) that abut against two adjacent sides (e.g., sides 341, 342 described later) of the magnet; an opening position acquisition device (e.g., an imaging device 140 described later) positioned at a predetermined position relative to the positioning jig for acquiring position information of the opening of the magnet insertion hole (e.g., opening 33a described later); and a transport device (e.g., a robot 120 described later) for transporting both the positioning jig and the opening position acquisition device to the rotor, and A rotor manufacturing apparatus comprising: an extrusion device (for example, an extrusion device 150 described later) for pushing a magnet into the magnet insertion hole; and a control device (for example, a control device 170 described later) for controlling the operation of the opening position acquisition device, the transport device, and the extrusion device, wherein the control device detects the positions of two adjacent sides of the opening (for example, sides 331, 332 described later) from the position information of the opening of the magnet insertion hole acquired by the opening position acquisition device, drives the transport device to transport the positioning jig so that the position of the reference surface of the positioning jig coincides with the detected positions of the two sides of the opening, and drives the extrusion device to push the magnet out of the positioning jig and insert it into the magnet insertion hole when the position of the reference surface of the positioning jig and the positions of the two sides of the opening coincide, the control device

[0008] According to (1) above, by aligning the two sides of the magnet with the two sides of the opening of the magnet insertion hole, the magnet can be inserted into the magnet insertion hole by moving it in only one direction, thus reducing the range of misalignment of the magnet relative to the magnet insertion hole. Therefore, even if the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the magnet is made small, the magnet can be easily inserted into the magnet insertion hole. This makes it possible to reduce or eliminate the amount of fixing material such as resin used to fix the magnet in the magnet insertion hole, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0009] (2) In the rotor manufacturing apparatus described in (1) above, the two sides of the magnet are arranged along the direction of insertion into the magnet insertion hole and are arranged perpendicular to each other.

[0010] According to (2) above, the magnet can be stably positioned relative to the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0011] (3) The rotor manufacturing apparatus described in (1) or (2) above has a support device (for example, the support device 160 described later) that supports the magnet by pressing the two sides of the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig, respectively.

[0012] According to (3) above, the support device can support the magnet in a position relative to the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0013] (4) In the rotor manufacturing apparatus described in (3) above, the support device has a spring mechanism (for example, the spring mechanism 164 described later) that elastically presses the magnet.

[0014] According to (4) above, the spring mechanism can absorb the displacement of the magnet when it overcomes a step in the magnet insertion hole, so that the magnet can smoothly overcome the step without compromising its support.

[0015] (5) In the rotor manufacturing apparatus described in (3) or (4) above, the support device makes point contact or line contact with the magnet.

[0016] According to (5) above, the magnet can be stably pressed against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0017] (6) In the rotor manufacturing apparatus described in any of (3) to (5) above, the support device has a difference in the pressing loads that press the two sides of the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0018] According to (6) above, the magnet can be reliably brought into contact with the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig, and the magnet can be stably positioned.

[0019] (7) In the rotor manufacturing apparatus described in any of (3) to (6) above, the support device has a roller (for example, the roller 165 described later) at the tip that contacts the magnet, which is rotatable in accordance with the movement of the magnet that is pushed out by the extrusion device.

[0020] According to (7) above, when inserting the magnet into the magnet insertion hole of the rotor, the support device does not create resistance, and the magnet can be inserted smoothly.

[0021] (8) A method for manufacturing a rotor (for example, a rotating electric machine 1 described later) in which a magnet (for example, a magnet 34 described later) is inserted into a magnet insertion hole (for example, a magnet insertion hole 33 described later) formed in the rotor (for example, a rotor 3 described later), wherein the magnet is positioned by a positioning jig (for example, a positioning jig 130 described later) that uses two inner surfaces (for example, inner surfaces 131, 132 described later) that abut two adjacent sides (for example, sides 341, 342 described later) of the magnet as reference planes. The method includes a positioning step of positioning the magnet, an alignment step of aligning the reference surface of the positioning jig in which the magnet is positioned so that it coincides with the positions of two adjacent sides (for example, sides 331 and 332 described later) in the opening of the magnet insertion hole (for example, opening 33a described later), and an insertion step of pushing the magnet out of the positioning jig and inserting it into the magnet insertion hole while the position of the reference surface of the positioning jig and the positions of the two sides of the opening are aligned.

[0022] According to (8) above, with the two side surfaces of the magnet aligned with two sides of the opening of the magnet insertion hole, the magnet can be inserted into the magnet insertion hole by moving it in only one direction. Therefore, the range in which the magnet is displaced with respect to the magnet insertion hole is reduced. Thus, even if the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the magnet is made small, the magnet can be easily inserted into the magnet insertion hole. As a result, the amount of fixing material such as resin used to fix the magnet in the magnet insertion hole can be reduced or eliminated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0023] (9) In the method for manufacturing a rotor according to (8) above, the two side surfaces of the magnet are two side surfaces that are arranged along the insertion direction into the magnet insertion hole and intersect each other at a right angle.

[0024] According to (9) above, the magnet can be stably positioned with respect to the two inner side surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0025] (10) In the method for manufacturing a rotor according to (8) or (9) above, in the positioning step, the magnet is supported by the positioning jig by pressing the magnet against the two inner side surfaces of the positioning jig by a support device (for example, the support device 160 described later).

[0026] According to (10) above, the magnet can be supported in a state where it is positioned with respect to the two inner side surfaces of the positioning jig by the support device.

[0027] (11) In the method for manufacturing a rotor according to (10) above, in the positioning step, the magnet is elastically pressed against the two inner side surfaces of the positioning jig by the support device.

[0028] According to (11) above, since the displacement of the magnet when the magnet crosses a step in the magnet insertion hole can be absorbed by a spring mechanism, the magnet can smoothly cross the step without impairing the supported state.

[0029] (12) In the rotor manufacturing method described in (10) or (11) above, the positioning step involves pressing the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig by making the support device point-contact or line-contact with the magnet.

[0030] According to (12) above, the magnet can be stably pressed against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0031] (13) In the method for manufacturing a rotor described in any of (10) to (12) above, the positioning step provides a difference in the pressing load used to individually press the two sides of the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

[0032] According to (13) above, the magnet can be reliably brought into contact with the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig, and the magnet can be stably positioned.

[0033] (14) In the method for manufacturing a rotor described in any of (10) to (13) above, the insertion step rotates the tip of the support device in accordance with the movement of the magnet that has been pushed out toward the magnet insertion hole.

[0034] According to (14) above, when inserting the magnet into the magnet insertion hole of the rotor, the support device does not create resistance, and the magnet can be inserted smoothly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0035] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rotor manufacturing apparatus and a rotor manufacturing method that allow magnets to be easily inserted into magnet insertion holes even when the gap between the magnet insertion hole and the magnet is reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0036] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of a rotating electric machine. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the rotor. [Figure 3]This is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the rotor manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a side view of the main part of the rotor manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of the main part of the rotor manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the positioning jig and the opening position acquisition device of the rotor manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram of the rotor manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the opening of the magnet insertion hole. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating the method for manufacturing the rotor according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a plan view showing the positioning of a magnet in a positioning jig. [Figure 11] This diagram shows the state where the position of the reference surface of the magnet and the positions of the two sides of the opening of the magnet insertion hole coincide. [Figure 12] This is a side view showing the positioning jig's magnet positioned in the magnet insertion hole of the rotor. [Figure 13] This is a side view showing how the magnets of the positioning jig are inserted into the magnet insertion holes of the rotor. [Figure 14] This is a side view showing how the magnets of the positioning jig are inserted into the magnet insertion holes of the rotor. [Figure 15] This is a side view showing how the magnets of the positioning jig are inserted into the magnet insertion holes of the rotor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the rotating electric machine 1 is configured to have a stator 2 and a rotor 3.

[0038] The stator 2 has a stator core 21 made of a laminate of multiple thin electromagnetic steel sheets. The stator core 21 has an axial hole 22 that penetrates through the center in the axial direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1), a plurality of teeth 23 arranged radially around the axial hole 22, and a plurality of slots 24 formed between adjacent teeth 23, 23, which open toward the axial hole 22 and both axial end faces of the stator core 21. A coil is inserted into each of the slots 24. The coils are omitted in Figure 1.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rotor 3 includes a rotating shaft 31 and a rotor core 32 provided in a cylindrical shape on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 31. The rotating shaft 31 is rotatably supported by the stator 2. The rotor core 32 is made of a laminate of multiple thin electromagnetic steel sheets stacked together, and is positioned in the shaft hole 22 so that its outer circumferential surface is close to the teeth 23 of the stator core 21.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rotor core 32 is provided with a plurality of magnet insertion holes 33 along the circumferential direction of the rotor core 32. The magnet insertion holes 33 are formed to penetrate the rotor core 32 in the axial direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1, and left-right direction in Figure 2) and open in a rectangular shape at both axial ends of the rotor core 32. In this embodiment, the rotor core 32 has eight pairs of magnet insertion holes 33, 33 arranged in a V-shape along the circumferential direction of the rotor core 32, but the number and arrangement of the magnet insertion holes 33 are not particularly limited.

[0041] Each magnet insertion hole 33 contains a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped magnet 34. The cross-sectional shape of the magnet 34 is formed to be approximately square, following the shape of the opening of the magnet insertion hole 33. As shown in Figure 2, end plates 35, 35 are provided on both axial ends of the rotor core 32, each containing a magnet 34, to close the magnet insertion holes 33.

[0042] Next, the manufacturing apparatus 100 for inserting the magnet 34 into the magnet insertion hole 33 of the rotor core 32 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 8. The manufacturing apparatus 100 consists of a mounting table 110 on which the rotor core 32 is placed, a robot 120, a positioning jig 130, an imaging device 140, an extrusion device 150, a support device 160, and a control device 170.

[0043] The mounting base 110 has a mounting surface 111 for the rotor core 32 before the magnet 34 is inserted. The rotor core 32 is placed on the mounting base 110 and fixedly supported so that the axial direction of the rotor core 32 is perpendicular to the mounting surface 111.

[0044] The robot 120 is a transport device equipped with a rotatable first arm 122, a second arm 123, and a third arm 124. The first arm 122 is rotatably mounted around a first axis 121, which is provided on a base (not shown). The second arm 123 is rotatably connected horizontally to the tip of the first arm 122. The third arm 124 is movably mounted vertically to the tip of the second arm 123. A mounting platform 125 is attached to the lower end of the third arm 124. The first arm 122, the second arm 123, and the third arm 124 are driven by a robot motor 126 (see Figure 7) to move the mounting platform 125 to any position horizontally and vertically on the mounting base 110. The mounting platform 125 is equipped with a positioning jig 130, an imaging device 140, an extrusion device 150, and a support device 160, which will be described later.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the positioning jig 130 consists of a metal member formed in an L-shape in plan view. The magnet 34, which has a square cross-section, has two adjacent sides 341 and 342. The two sides 341 and 342 are arranged along the insertion direction when inserting the magnet 34 into the magnet insertion hole 33 of the rotor core 32 and intersect at a right angle. The positioning jig 130 has two inner sides 131 and 132 that abut against the two sides 341 and 342 of the magnet 34. The two inner sides 131 and 132 are arranged along the insertion direction when inserting the magnet 34 into the magnet insertion hole 33 of the rotor core 32 and intersect at a right angle, and constitute a reference surface when positioning the magnet 34. The positioning jig 130 is fixed to the mounting base 125 in a position where the plane directions of its two inner surfaces 131 and 132 (the vertical direction in Figure 4 and the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 5) are perpendicular to the mounting surface 111 of the mounting base 110.

[0046] The imaging device 140 is composed of, for example, a camera capable of capturing two-dimensional images. The imaging device 140 individually images the positions of the magnet insertion holes 33 of the rotor core 32, which is placed on the mounting surface 111 of the mounting base 110. The imaging device 140, in cooperation with the control device 170 (described later), constitutes an opening position acquisition device that acquires position information of the opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33. The position information of the opening 33a is the position information of two sides that intersect at right angles in the rectangular opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33. The imaging device 140 is fixed to the mounting base 125 so that it can image downwards. As shown in Figure 6, the imaging device 140 is positioned horizontally at a predetermined distance L from the positioning jig 130. That is, the position of the imaging device 140 relative to the positioning jig 130 is defined by the distance L, which is an unchanging fixed value.

[0047] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the extrusion device 150 is fixed on the mounting base 125 above the positioning jig 130. The extrusion device 150 has an ejector pin 151 that can protrude downward. The ejector pin 151 protrudes downward by the operation of a drive source such as an actuator (not shown), and pushes the magnet 34, which is positioned on the positioning jig 130, downward.

[0048] As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the support device 160 is composed of a first support device 160A and a second support device 160B. The first support device 160A and the second support device 160B are arranged on the same horizontal plane on the mounting base 125, with their directions of movement being perpendicular to each other. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the first support device 160A is positioned near the positioning jig 130, facing one inner surface 131 of the positioning jig 130, and the second support device 160B is positioned near the positioning jig 130, facing the other inner surface 132 of the positioning jig 130. The first support device 160A is provided to be able to move forward and backward toward one inner surface 131 of the positioning jig 130 by a moving mechanism (not shown). The second support device 160B is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward toward the other inner surface 132 of the positioning jig 130 by a moving mechanism (not shown).

[0049] The first support device 160A and the second support device 160B have the same structure. In both the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B, the bracket 161 has a front support plate 161a and a rear support plate 161b arranged in parallel. A rectangular prism portion 162 is provided penetrating from the front support plate 161a to the rear support plate 161b. A roller support portion 163 is provided at the tip of the rectangular prism portion 162 facing the positioning jig 130. A drum-shaped roller 165 that can rotate around a horizontally extending axis of rotation is supported on the roller support portion 163. The roller 165 of the first support device 160A is positioned to protrude toward one inner surface 131 of the positioning jig 130. The roller 165 of the second support device 160B is positioned to protrude toward the other inner surface 132 of the positioning jig 130.

[0050] The prismatic section 162 has a disc-shaped boss section 162a. The boss section 162a is fixed to the portion of the prismatic section 162 between the front support plate 161a and the rear support plate 161b. A spring mechanism 164 is provided between the boss section 162a and the rear support plate 161b. The spring mechanism 164 is configured to have a compression spring 164a provided on the outer circumference of the prismatic section 162. When a load is applied to the roller 165, the prismatic section 162 moves backward via the roller support section 163, and the boss section 162a compresses the compression spring 164a between itself and the rear support plate 161b. As a result, the roller 165 moves elastically backward. When the load on the roller 165 is released, the compression spring 164a elastically returns to its original position, and the prismatic section 162 moves forward.

[0051] Furthermore, a threaded portion 162b is provided at the rear end of the prism portion 162, and it penetrates the rear support plate 161b. A nut 162c is screwed onto the threaded portion 162b. As a result, even if the biasing force of the compression spring 164a acting forward on the prism portion 162, the nut portion 162c will come into contact with the rear support plate 161b, restricting the forward movement of the prism portion 162.

[0052] The control device 170 is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the overall operation of the manufacturing apparatus 100. Specifically, the control device 170 controls the drive of the robot motors 126 (see Figure 7) that operate each of the arms 122 to 124 of the robot 120, thereby moving the mounting platform 125 to any desired position. The control device 170 acquires an image of the rectangular opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33 captured by the imaging device 140, and from this image, as shown in Figure 8, obtains position information of two adjacent sides 331 and 332 on the periphery of the opening 33a. The two sides 331 and 332 are two sides that are mutually orthogonal to each other in the opening 33a. The position information of the two sides 331 and 332 is obtained from the motor position information detected by the robot motors 126 that drive each of the arms 122 to 124 when the opening 33a is imaged by the imaging device 140. The motor position information is a detected value obtained from a position detector (not shown) such as an encoder provided on the robot motor 126. The control device 170 controls the operation of the drive source of the extrusion device 150, thereby controlling the extrusion operation of the extrusion pin 151. Furthermore, the control device 170 controls the operation of the movement mechanism of the support device 160, thereby controlling the forward and backward movement of the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B.

[0053] Next, the process of manufacturing the rotor 3 by inserting magnets 34 into magnet insertion holes 33 of the rotor core 32 using the manufacturing apparatus 100 will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0054] As shown in Figure 3, a rotor core 32 is mounted and fixed on the mounting surface 111 of the mounting table 110 of the manufacturing apparatus 100. In this state, an unmagnetized magnet 34 is set on the inner surfaces 131 and 132 of the positioning jig 130 of the manufacturing apparatus 100 by an operator or by another conveying device such as a robot (not shown) (step S1).

[0055] When the magnets 34 are set on the inner surfaces 131 and 132 of the positioning jig 130, the control device 170 drives the movement mechanisms of the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B, respectively, to advance the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B toward the positioning jig 130. As a result, the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B, as shown in Figure 10, use rollers 165 provided at their tips to press the magnets 34 against the two inner surfaces 131 and 132 of the positioning jig 130 with a predetermined pressing force. One side 341 of the magnets 34 is pressed against the roller 165 of the first support device 160A and comes into contact with the inner surface 131 of the positioning jig 130. The other side 342 of the magnet 34 is pressed against the roller 165 of the second support device 160B and comes into contact with the inner surface 132 of the positioning jig 130 (step S2).

[0056] The first support device 160A and the second support device 160B each have rollers 165 provided at their tips that come into contact with the sides 341 and 342 of the magnet 34, and the action of the compression spring 164a elastically presses the magnet 34 against the inner surfaces 131 and 132 of the positioning jig 130. At this time, the magnet 34 and the positioning jig 130 are in surface contact, while the magnet 34 and the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B are in point contact or line contact via the rollers 165. If the contact between the magnet 34 and the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B is also surface contact, it becomes uncertain whether the magnet 34 will follow the inner surfaces 131,132 of the positioning jig 130 or the first support device 160A or the second support device 160B, raising concerns that the controllability of the positioning posture of the magnet 34 will deteriorate. However, if the magnet 34 and the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B make point contact or line contact, the sides 341,342 of the magnet 34 can be reliably pressed against the inner surfaces 131,132 of the positioning jig 130. This also suppresses displacement of the magnet 34 during positioning. Therefore, the magnet 34 can be stably positioned.

[0057] As shown in Figure 10, the first support device 160A presses the magnet 34 with a pressing load F1, and the second support device 160B presses the magnet 34 with a pressing load F2, but there is a difference between these pressing loads F1 and F2. Either pressing load F1 or F2 may be larger. For example, if the pressing load F1 of the first support device 160A is greater than the pressing load F2 of the second support device 160B, the magnet 34 can be positioned by making sure one side surface 341 of the magnet 34 is in contact with one inner surface surface 131 of the positioning jig 130, and then bringing the other side surface 342 of the magnet into contact with the other inner surface 132 of the positioning jig 130. As a result, the magnet 34 can be positioned more stably. The difference between the pressing loads F1 and F2 between the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B can be achieved by creating a difference in the spring constants of the compression springs 164a provided in each spring mechanism 164.

[0058] After the magnet 34 is positioned on the positioning jig 130, the control device 170 drives and controls the robot motor 126 to move the mounting platform 125 to a position where the imaging device 140 can image the magnet insertion hole 33 in the rotor core 32 where the magnet is to be inserted. Then, as shown in Figure 8, the control device 170 controls the imaging device 140 to image the opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33, acquires positional information of two sides 331 and 332 at the opening 33a, and confirms the positions of the two sides 331 and 332 (step S3).

[0059] The control device 170 confirms the positions of two sides 331 and 332 of the opening 33a, and then drives and controls the robot motor 126 to move the mounting platform 125 based on the position information of the two sides 331 and 332. This moves the magnet 34 to a position where the two sides 341 and 342 of the magnet 34 held by the positioning jig 130 (the two inner sides 131 and 132 of the positioning jig 130) coincide with the two sides 331 and 332 of the opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33 (step S4).

[0060] At this time, as shown in Figure 12, the distance h1 between the lower end surface 343 of the magnet 34 and the upper end surface 321 of the rotor core 32 is set to a distance such that the magnet 34 and the rotor core 32 do not interfere with each other, for example, 5 mm. The distance h2 between the lower end surface 343 of the magnet 34 and the position where the roller 165 of the support device 160 contacts the magnet 34 is set to, for example, 10 mm.

[0061] After the reference surface of the magnet 34 and two sides 331 and 332 of the opening 33a align, the control device 170 drives and controls the extrusion device 150 to protrude the extrusion pin 151, and pushes the magnet 34 out of the positioning jig 130 toward the magnet insertion hole 33 (step S5).

[0062] As the magnet 34 is pushed downward by the ejection pin 151, as shown in Figure 13, the magnet 34 gradually moves downward while sliding along the inner surfaces 131 and 132 of the positioning jig 130, while being pressed against the rollers 165 of the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B. When the lower end of the magnet 34 reaches the opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33, the magnet 34 is gradually inserted, with its two sides 341 and 342 aligned with the two sides 331 and 332 of the opening 33a.

[0063] As the magnet 34 moves in the insertion direction, the roller 165 of the support device 160 rotates in accordance with the movement of the magnet 34. Therefore, the roller 165 supporting the magnet 34 does not resist the movement of the magnet 34, allowing the magnet 34 to be smoothly inserted into the magnet insertion hole 33.

[0064] As shown in Figure 13, the rotor core 32 is constructed by laminating multiple electromagnetic steel sheets, and a step 33b may be formed on the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion hole 33 due to misalignment between the electromagnetic steel sheets. Here, at least the corner R on the leading side in the insertion direction of the magnet 34 is rounded or chamfered. Therefore, even if the magnet 34 comes into contact with the step 33b in the magnet insertion hole 33, it can easily overcome the step 33b due to the rounded or chamfered corner R.

[0065] When the magnet 34 overcomes the step 33b, it shifts from an upright position perpendicular to the upper end surface 321 of the rotor core 32 to a tilted position. At this time, the magnet 34 pushes back against the roller 165 of the support device 160, but the compression spring 164a of the spring mechanism 164 compresses, elastically absorbing the amount of movement of the roller 165 caused by the pushback. Therefore, even if the position of the magnet 34 is displaced, the support state by the roller 165 is not impaired. The magnet 34 can smoothly overcome the step 33b while changing its position.

[0066] As shown in Figure 14, when the magnet 34 is pushed beyond the pressing position by the roller 165, the support from the support device 160 is released. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 15, the magnet 34 falls naturally into the magnet insertion hole 33 and is completely housed within the magnet insertion hole 33.

[0067] According to the rotor manufacturing apparatus 100 and rotor manufacturing method of this embodiment, the magnet 34 can be inserted into the magnet insertion hole 33 by moving it in only one direction, with the two sides 341 and 342 of the magnet 34 aligned with the two sides 331 and 332 of the opening 33a of the magnet insertion hole 33 of the rotor 3. This reduces the range of misalignment of the magnet 34 relative to the magnet insertion hole 33. Even if the gap between the magnet insertion hole 33 and the magnet 34 is reduced, the magnet 34 can be easily inserted into the magnet insertion hole 33. Therefore, the amount of fixing material such as resin used to fix the magnet 34 in the magnet insertion hole 33 can be reduced or eliminated, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0068] In the rotor manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the magnet 34 is positioned and supported on the positioning jig 130 using a first support device 160A and a second support device 160B, each having a drum-shaped roller 165 at its tip. However, the first support device 160A and the second support device 160B may be configured with ball plungers that have a sphere at their tip instead of a roller 165, although these are not shown in the figures. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1 Rotating electric machine, 3 Rotor, 33 Magnet insertion hole, 33a Opening, 331, 332 Two sides, 34 Magnet, 341, 342 Sides, 120 Robot (transport device), 130 Positioning jig, 131, 132 Inner surface (reference surface), 140 Imaging device (opening position acquisition device), 150 Extrusion device, 160 Support device, 160A First support device, 160B Second support device, 164 Spring mechanism, 165 Roller, 170 Control device

Claims

1. A rotor manufacturing apparatus for inserting magnets into magnet insertion holes formed in the rotor of a rotating electric machine, A positioning jig for positioning the magnet using two inner surfaces that abut two adjacent sides of the magnet as reference surfaces, An opening position acquisition device is positioned at a predetermined location relative to the positioning jig and acquires positional information of the opening of the magnet insertion hole, A conveying device that conveys both the positioning jig and the opening position acquisition device to the rotor, An extrusion device for pushing the magnet into the magnet insertion hole, The system comprises a control device for controlling the drive of the opening position acquisition device, the conveying device, and the extrusion device, The control device is From the position information of the opening of the magnet insertion hole acquired by the opening position acquisition device, the positions of two adjacent sides of the opening are detected. The transport device is driven to transport the positioning jig so that the position of the reference surface of the positioning jig coincides with the positions of the two sides of the detected opening. A rotor manufacturing apparatus comprising driving the extrusion device while the position of the reference surface of the positioning jig and the positions of the two sides of the opening are aligned, thereby pushing the magnet out of the positioning jig and inserting it into the magnet insertion hole.

2. The rotor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two sides of the magnet are arranged along the direction of insertion into the magnet insertion hole and are arranged perpendicularly to each other.

3. A rotor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a support device that supports the magnet by pressing the two sides of the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig, respectively.

4. The rotor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support device has a spring mechanism that elastically presses the magnet against it.

5. The rotor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support device makes point contact or line contact with the magnet.

6. The rotor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support device has a difference in the pressing loads that press the two sides of the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig, respectively.

7. The rotor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support device has a roller at its tip that contacts the magnet, which is rotatable in accordance with the movement of the magnet that is pushed out by the extrusion device.

8. A method for manufacturing a rotor of a rotating electric machine, comprising inserting magnets into magnet insertion holes formed in the rotor of the rotor, A positioning step of positioning the magnet using a positioning jig that uses two inner surfaces that abut two adjacent sides of the magnet as reference surfaces, A positioning step of aligning the reference surface of the positioning jig that has positioned the magnet so that it coincides with the positions of two adjacent sides in the opening of the magnet insertion hole, A method for manufacturing a rotor, comprising: an insertion step of pushing the magnet out of the positioning jig and inserting it into the magnet insertion hole, while the position of the reference surface of the positioning jig and the positions of the two sides of the opening are aligned.

9. The method for manufacturing a rotor according to claim 8, wherein the two sides of the magnet are arranged along the direction of insertion into the magnet insertion hole and are arranged perpendicularly to each other.

10. The method for manufacturing a rotor according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the positioning step involves supporting the magnet on the positioning jig by pressing the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig with a support device.

11. The method for manufacturing a rotor according to claim 10, wherein the positioning step involves elastically pressing the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig using the support device.

12. The method for manufacturing a rotor according to claim 10, wherein the positioning step involves pressing the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig by making point contact or line contact of the support device with the magnet.

13. The method for manufacturing a rotor according to claim 10, wherein the positioning step involves providing a difference in the pressing load used to press the two sides of the magnet against the two inner surfaces of the positioning jig.

14. The method for manufacturing a rotor according to claim 10, wherein the insertion step involves rotating the tip of the support device in accordance with the movement of the magnet that has been pushed toward the magnet insertion hole.

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