Apparatus and method for manufacturing oscillators

Abstract

This invention suppresses mold burnout when heating reflow materials using a burner, enabling the manufacture of oscillators with improved shape symmetry. [Solution] The vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 comprises a burner 10 for heating the reflow material RM, a mold 20 in which the reflow material RM is placed, and a mold protection jig 30 attached to the mold 20 so as not to come into contact with the reflow material RM. The mold 20 has a cavity 22 and a vent hole 24 used for reducing the pressure of the cavity 22. The mold protection jig 30 comprises a hollow portion 311 that faces the reflow material RM and is positioned away from the reflow material RM, and a through hole 33 provided in the hollow portion 311 that exposes the reflow material RM toward the burner 10.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vibrator manufacturing apparatus and a vibrator manufacturing method for manufacturing a vibrator having a three-dimensional curved surface.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, BRG is known as an inertial sensor using a vibrator that has a three-dimensional curved surface and vibrates in a wineglass mode. BRG is an abbreviation for Bird-bath Resonator Gyroscope. For a vibrator of such a form, the Q value representing the vibration state is 10 6 or higher, so higher accuracy than before is expected. Examples of this type of vibrator manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method include those described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] In the vibrator manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1, a mold that has a recess and a support portion protruding from the center of the bottom surface of the recess and allows vacuum depressurization inside the recess, and a reflow material such as quartz glass are prepared, the reflow material is set on the recess, and the inside of the recess is depressurized while the reflow material is heated by a burner flame. As a result, part of the reflow material softened by heating is pulled into the recess, the center of the softened portion is supported by the support portion, and a vibrator including a curved surface portion having a three-dimensional curved surface and a bottomed cylindrical connection portion recessed toward the center of the hemispherical portion formed by the curved surface portion can be manufactured.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When reflow material is heated with a burner, the part of the mold near the reflow material is exposed to the burner flame. As a result of repeated manufacturing of oscillators, the mold is partially burned out by the flame, reducing the alignment accuracy of the reflow material and the symmetry of heat dissipation in the mold during heating. When such mold burnout occurs, the heat input to the reflow material becomes uneven, reducing the symmetry of the curved surface of the oscillator.

[0006] In view of the above, this disclosure aims to provide an oscillator manufacturing apparatus and an oscillator manufacturing method that can manufacture oscillators with improved shape symmetry by suppressing mold burnout when heating reflow material using a burner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the oscillator manufacturing apparatus is an oscillator manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an oscillator (100) having a curved surface portion (110) having a three-dimensional curved surface, A burner (10) for heating a plate-shaped reflow material (RM), A mold (20) having a cavity (22) recessed from one side (20a, 21a) facing the burner where the reflow material is placed, and a vent (24) that connects the cavity to the outside and is used to reduce the pressure of the space created by the reflow material covering the cavity and the cavity, The mold protection jig (30) includes a hollow section (311) that is attached to the mold and faces the reflow material, while being positioned away from the reflow material, and a through-hole (33) provided in the hollow section that exposes the reflow material toward the burner.

[0008] This vibrator manufacturing apparatus comprises a burner for heating the reflow material, a mold for placing the reflow material, and a mold protection jig attached to the mold and positioned away from the reflow material, the jig having a hollow section and through holes formed in the hollow section. This vibrator manufacturing apparatus suppresses mold burnout due to the mold protection jig, and because the mold protection jig does not come into contact with the reflow material, it enables the manufacture of vibrators with improved shape symmetry.

[0009] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the method for manufacturing an oscillator is a method for manufacturing an oscillator (100) having a curved surface portion (110) having a three-dimensional curved surface, Prepare a plate-shaped reflow material (RM) that softens upon heating, A mold (20) is prepared having a cavity (22) recessed from one side (20a, 21a) and a vent (24) that connects the cavity to the outside and is used to reduce the pressure in the cavity. The reflow material is placed on one side of the mold to cover the cavity, A mold protection jig (30) is provided, having a hollow section (311) that faces the reflow material and is positioned away from the reflow material, and a through hole (33) provided in the hollow section. The mold protection fixture is attached to the mold, covering a portion of the reflow material outside the cavity with a hollow section, and exposing at least the portion of the reflow material covering the cavity towards the burner (10) through through holes. This includes heating the reflow material with a burner through a through-hole in the mold protection jig, while simultaneously depressurizing the cavity and deforming the reflow material.

[0010] This oscillator manufacturing method involves preparing reflow material, a mold with a cavity, and a mold protection jig with a hollow section and through-holes. The reflow material is placed in the mold, the mold protection jig is attached to the mold, and the portion of the reflow material that covers the cavity is exposed to the burner through the through-holes. Then, the reflow material is heated with a burner while the mold protection jig covers the outer portion of the reflow material that covers the cavity, and the reflow material is deformed by the reduced pressure in the cavity. As a result, the mold protection jig prevents the mold from burning out, and because the mold protection jig does not come into contact with the reflow material, it becomes possible to manufacture oscillators with improved shape symmetry.

[0011] The reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between that component and the specific components described in the embodiments described later. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the vibrator manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vibrator manufactured by the vibrator manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing an example of a mold, a reflow material, and a mold protection jig. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing another example of a mold, a reflow material, and a mold protection jig. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a mold and a mold protection jig. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram of the burnout of a mold in a comparative example that does not use a mold protection jig. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram for the manufacture of a vibrator according to another comparative example using an upper mold and a lower mold. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing the evaluation results of the height of the step portion of the mold before and after manufacturing a plurality of vibrators using the vibrator manufacturing apparatuses of the comparative example and the example. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing a vibrator manufactured by the vibrator manufacturing apparatus of the example. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mold and a mold protection jig according to the first modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a mold and a mold protection jig according to the first modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a cross-sectional view showing a mold and a mold protection jig according to the second modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a cross-sectional view showing a mold and a mold protection jig related to the vibrator manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a plan view showing an example of a mold, a reflow material, and a mold protection jig in the second embodiment. [Figure 15A] This is a diagram showing the first step of the alignment process between the reflow material and the mold protection jig in the second embodiment. [Figure 15B] This is a diagram showing the step subsequent to Figure 15A. [Figure 15C]This is a diagram showing the steps following Fig. 15B. [Figure 16] This is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a mold and a mold protection jig. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following respective embodiments, parts that are identical or equivalent to each other are denoted by the same reference numerals in the description. Further, when only some of the constituent elements are described in an embodiment, the constituent elements described in the preceding embodiment can be applied to the other parts of the constituent elements. The following embodiments can be partially combined with each other as long as no problem arises in the combination, even if not explicitly specified otherwise.

[0014] (First Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1 for example, the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a burner 10, a mold 20, a mold protection jig 30, and a cooling body 40. The vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 can, for example, arrange a plate-shaped reflow material RM on the stepped portion 21 of the mold 20, soften the reflow material RM with the flame F from the burner 10, and deform it by reducing the pressure in the cavity 22 of the mold 20, thereby enabling the manufacture of the vibrator 100 shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] Hereinafter, for convenience of description, as indicated by arrows and the like in FIG. 1, the directions of two orthogonal axes on the plane formed by the one surface 20a of the mold 20 facing the burner 10 are referred to as "X direction" and "Y direction". The direction orthogonal to the XY plane to which the X direction and Y direction belong is referred to as "Z direction", and the state in which the mold 20 and the mold protection jig 30 are viewed from the Z direction may be referred to as "top view". The Z direction corresponds to the normal direction to the one surface 20a.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the resonator 100 is a three-dimensional, substantially symmetrical structure comprising a curved surface portion 110 including the outer shape of a roughly hemispherical three-dimensional curved surface, and a bottomed cylindrical recess 120 extending from the apex side of the virtual hemisphere formed by the curved surface portion 110 toward the inner center of the hemisphere. The resonator 100 may also be called a Bird-bath Resonator. For example, the resonator 100 is mounted on a mounting substrate (not shown) with the side with the larger outer diameter as the front surface and the opposite side as the back surface, with the back surface of the recess 120 being used to form a BRG. For example, the resonator 100 is manufactured by forming the curved surface portion 110 and the recess 120 in a reflow material RM using a resonator manufacturing apparatus 1, then removing unnecessary parts by polishing or laser processing, and forming a conductive film (not shown) at least on the back surface by sputtering or the like. The transducer 100 has a rim at the end of the curved surface 110 opposite to the recess 120, and the rim can vibrate in wineglass mode when a voltage is applied from a mounted substrate (not shown). The transducer 100 has dimensions on the order of millimeters, such as the thickness of the curved surface 110 and the recess 120 being on the order of micrometers (10 μm to 100 μm), the height dimension of the recess 120 along the extension direction being 2.5 mm, and the outer diameter of the rim on the surface side being 5 mm.

[0017] The reflow material RM is a plate-like component made of any material that softens upon heating, such as borosilicate glass or quartz. The thickness of the reflow material RM is not limited, but it is typically on the order of micrometers, ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers.

[0018] The burner 10 is a heat source for heating and softening the reflow material RM with a flame F. The burner 10 is connected to a gas supply system (not shown) that supplies fuel gas such as propane and oxygen gas, and a gas flow regulator (not shown) that adjusts the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply system. The burner 10 emits a flame F when, for example, the fuel gas and oxygen gas with adjusted flow rates are mixed internally and ignited at a gas outlet that discharges the mixed gas. The burner 10 is connected to a Z-stage (not shown) that is movable in the Z direction, and its distance from the mold 20 is adjustable.

[0019] The mold 20 has one flat surface 20a facing the burner 10 and is made of any material that can withstand the flame F of the burner 10, such as carbon, and is used for processing the reflow material RM. In this embodiment, the mold 20 comprises a stepped portion 21 in which the reflow material RM is placed, a cavity 22 which is a recessed portion that is recessed from the bottom surface 21a of the stepped portion 21, a support portion 23 protruding from the bottom surface of the cavity 22, and ventilation holes 24 provided in the cavity 22. The mold 20 is circular in shape when viewed from above, for example as shown in Figure 3, but is not limited to this.

[0020] In Figures 3 and 4, a portion of the outer casing of the positioning section 32 of the mold protection jig 30, which is not visible from above, and the outer casing of the area of ​​the mold 20 exposed by the through-hole 33 are shown with dashed lines, while auxiliary lines indicating the positional relationship between the reflow material RM, the mold 20, and the mold protection jig 30 are shown with dashed lines. The same applies to Figure 14, which will be described later.

[0021] The stepped portion 21 is a recessed area extending from one surface 20a, and contacts at least a portion of the side surface of the reflow material RM, and is used for aligning the reflow material RM. The stepped portion 21 is set to a depth such that the reflow material RM does not protrude above the height of the one surface 20a. The stepped portion 21 is, for example, rectangular or circular in shape when viewed from above, following the outer shape of the reflow material RM, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, but is not limited to these, and can be any shape such as a square or a regular octagon.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 5 for example, the depth of the stepped portion 21 is set to less than T+1 mm, where T is the thickness of the reflow material RM. For example, when the thickness of the reflow material RM is 100 μm, the depth of the stepped portion 21 is adjusted to 200 μm. As a result, the gap D between the mold protection jig 30 and the reflow material RM satisfies 0<D<1 mm, the flame F of the burner 10 is suppressed from reaching the mold 20, and burning of the mold 20 is suppressed. Note that if the gap D is 1 mm or more, the flame of the burner 10 may enter the gap D, reach the mold 20, and lead to partial burning of the mold 20, so the gap D is set to less than 1 mm. In addition, the gap D is in a so-called blind alley state that is closed between the mold 20 and the mold protection jig 30, except for the portion between the reflow material RM and the hollow portion 311. As a result, even if the flame F of the burner 10 enters the gap D, there is no escape route for the flame and oxygen in the gap D is consumed, so the flame F is suppressed from reaching the mold 20.

[0023] The cavity 22 is a portion that serves as a space for forming the three-dimensional curved surface shape of the curved surface portion 110 of the vibrator 100, and is, for example, hemispherical. The support column portion 23 is a portion that supports part of the reflow material RM heated and softened by the burner 10, and is used to form the recessed portion 120 of the vibrator 100. The support column portion 23 is provided, for example, at the center position of the cavity 22 in top view, and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The plurality of vent holes 24 are provided, for example, in the cavity 22 in the vicinity of the support column portion 23, are through holes communicating with the outside of the mold 20, and are used to reduce the pressure of the space formed by the reflow material RM and the cavity 22. The vent holes 24 communicate with the outside on the lower surface of the mold 20 opposite to the one surface 20a, for example, and are connected to the vent holes 41 of the cooling body 40.

[0024] The mold protection jig 30 is a jig that prevents the mold 20 from being burned and worn out by the flame F of the burner 10. The mold protection jig 30 is made of any material that can withstand the flame F of the burner 10. For example, the mold protection jig 30 is made of a metal material, alloy material, or oxide compound with a melting point of 1000°C or higher, or a non-metallic material, but it is preferably made of a material that is not easily oxidized, such as quartz glass or gold. Examples of metal materials include gold, platinum, zirconia, silver, germanium, cobalt, samarium, scandium, tungsten, tantalum, titanium, iron, copper, niobium, nickel, neodymium, manganese, and molybdenum. Examples of compounds include aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, boron nitride, silicon carbide, and alumina. Examples of non-metallic materials include silicon and quartz glass, and examples of alloy materials include stainless steel. The mold protection jig 30 may be made of the above-mentioned material alone, a combination of the above-mentioned materials, or other materials.

[0025] The mold protection jig 30 is attached to the mold 20 and covers the mold 20 and a portion of the reflow material RM. In this embodiment, for example, the mold protection jig 30 includes a lid portion 31 that abuts against one surface 20a of the mold 20, and a positioning portion 32 that is shaped along the edge of the one surface 20a of the mold 20 and fits with that edge. A portion of the lid portion 31 of the mold protection jig 30 protrudes from the stepped portion 21, forming a hollow portion 311 that does not come into contact with the reflow material RM. The positioning portion 32 is, for example, cylindrical in shape that protrudes more than the lid portion 31, and has an inner diameter that matches the outer diameter of the one surface 20a of the mold 20. In other words, since the mold protection jig 30 is attached to the mold 20 without contacting the reflow material RM, it does not affect the heat dissipation from the reflow material RM heated by the flame F of the burner 10 to the mold 20. This improves the shape symmetry of the curved portion 110 of the vibrator 100.

[0026] The mold protection jig 30 is circular in shape when viewed from above, as shown in Figure 3, for example, and has a through hole 33 formed in a predetermined area including the center of the lid portion 31, so that the portion of the reflow material RM that covers the cavity 22 is exposed to the burner 10. The hollow portion 311 is circular in shape when viewed from above, as shown in Figure 5, for example, and covers the area of ​​the reflow material RM outside the area that covers the cavity 22, and the gap D between the hollow portion 311 and the reflow material RM is less than 1 mm. The width of the overlap portion, which is the area where the hollow portion 311 and the reflow material RM overlap when viewed from above, is preferably 1 mm or more, for example, from the viewpoint of suppressing the flame F of the burner 10 from reaching the mold 20, but is not limited to this. The through hole 33 is circular in shape when viewed from above, for example, and has a diameter larger than the diameter of the cavity 22. The through hole 33 is preferably perfectly circular in shape when viewed from above, from the viewpoint of suppressing variations in heat input to the reflow material RM due to the flame F of the burner 10. The through-hole 33 is positioned so that, when viewed from above, the center of the through-hole 33 aligns with the center of the cavity 22, as the mold protection jig 30 is aligned with the mold 20 by the positioning unit 32.

[0027] The cooling body 40 is for cooling the mold 20 and is made of any material, such as a metal material with high thermal conductivity and heat resistance. The cooling body 40 has ventilation holes 41, which are through holes connecting the mounting surface 40a on which the mold 20 is placed to other surfaces, and the ventilation holes 41 are connected to ventilation holes 24 of the mold 20. The cooling body 40 has an opening in the ventilation holes 41 that is different from the mounting surface 40a and is connected to a negative pressure source such as a vacuum mechanism (not shown), allowing for depressurization of the cavity 22 of the mold 20 via the ventilation holes 41. The cooling body 40 may have another ventilation hole (not shown) for adsorbing and fixing the lower surface of the mold 20 by vacuum. The cooling body 40 is configured to be connected to a heat sink (not shown) located on the opposite side of the mold 20, and to dissipate heat by a coolant supplied from a chiller (not shown) into the heat sink. The cooling unit 40 is, for example, positioned on an XY stage (not shown) that is movable in the X and Y directions, and is configured to allow for positional adjustment of the burner 10, the mold 20, and the mold protection jig 30.

[0028] The above describes the basic configuration of the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 and the vibrator 100 manufactured therein according to this embodiment.

[0029] Next, we will explain how the mold 20 can be prevented from burning out by the mold protection jig 30.

[0030] If the mold protection jig 30 is not used, for example, as shown in Figure 6, the area of ​​the mold 20 near the reflow material RM will be exposed to the flame F of the burner 10. As the manufacturing of the vibrator 100 is repeated, the stepped portion 21 will gradually burn away, reducing the height of the stepped portion 21 and impairing the heat dissipation symmetry from the reflow material RM to the mold 20. As a result, the shape symmetry of the curved portion 110 of the vibrator 100 will decrease, and consequently, the vibration characteristics will deteriorate. The same problem occurs even if the mold 20 does not have a stepped portion 21. Note that the ventilation holes 24 of the mold 20 are omitted in Figure 6.

[0031] As a method for suppressing the burning of the mold described above, for example, as shown in Figure 7, a lower mold 210 having a cavity 211 and a support column 212 provided at the center of the bottom surface of the cavity 211, and an upper mold 220 having a through hole 221 that exposes the cavity 211 can be used. In this case, the reflow material RM is placed so as to cover the cavity 211 of the lower mold 210, and the upper mold 220 is attached on top of it, sandwiching the reflow material RM between the upper mold 220 and the lower mold 210. Then, the reflow material RM is heated by the flame F of the burner 10 through the through hole 221 of the upper mold 220, and the inside of the cavity 211 is depressurized by a ventilation hole (not shown), thereby manufacturing the vibrator 100. In this case, since the lower mold 210 is not exposed to the flame F of the burner 10, the burning of the lower mold 210 and the resulting decrease in the shape symmetry of the vibrator 100 can be suppressed.

[0032] However, in the example shown in Figure 7, the upper mold 220 is in contact with the reflow material RM, and the heat from the heated reflow material RM is also dissipated to the upper mold 220, altering the heat dissipation from the reflow material RM to the lower mold 210. Therefore, when using the upper mold 220, there is a concern that the heat dissipation symmetry from the reflow material RM to the lower mold 210 will be impaired, and the shape symmetry of the oscillator 100 will decrease.

[0033] In contrast, the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a mold protection jig 30 that is attached to the mold 20 and is configured to prevent the mold 20 from being exposed to the flame F of the burner 10 while not coming into contact with the reflow material RM.

[0034] Here, we will describe the results of evaluating the height of the stepped portion 21 before and after manufacturing 20 vibrators 100 under the same conditions for both the comparative example and the embodiment, using the case where mold 20 is used but mold protection jig 30 is not, and the case where mold 20 and mold protection jig 30 are not used as an example. The height of the stepped portion 21 (hereinafter referred to as "stepped portion height") is the difference in height position in the Z direction between the vicinity of the stepped portion 21 on one surface 20a and the bottom surface 21a of the stepped portion 21, and was measured using a contact-type step meter.

[0035] As shown in Figure 8, the step height in the comparative example was 188 μm before processing and 116 μm after processing, with a change of 72 μm. The change corresponds to the decrease in step height and can also be said to be the amount of mold burnout near the step 21 on one surface 20a. When the decrease in step height, i.e., the burnout rate (μm / piece), for the production of one vibrator 100 was calculated, the burnout rate for the comparative example was 3.6 μm / piece.

[0036] In contrast, the step height in the example was 194 μm before processing and 193 μm after processing, with a change of 1 μm. The burnout rate in the example was 0.05 μm / piece. This result indicates that the burnout of the mold 20 was suppressed by using the mold protection jig 30. Furthermore, the vibrator 100 obtained with the configuration of the example had high shape symmetry of the curved surface portion 110, as shown in Figure 9, for example.

[0037] The transducer 100 can be manufactured, for example, by the following process. First, the mold 20 is mounted on the cooling body 40, the prepared reflow material RM is set in the stepped portion 21 of the mold 20, and the inside of the cavity 22 is depressurized by a negative pressure source (not shown) to fix the reflow material RM by vacuum suction. After attaching the mold protection jig 30 to the mold 20 so as not to come into contact with the reflow material RM, the mold 20 and the burner 10 are aligned using an XY stage (not shown). Then, the burner 10 is ignited to form a flame F, and then the burner 10 is brought closer to the reflow material RM using a Z stage (not shown) to heat the reflow material RM. The reflow material RM, which has softened due to heating, is deformed by the pressure difference with atmospheric pressure due to the depressurization inside the cavity 22 to form a curved portion 110, and then the burner 10 is moved away from the reflow material RM using a Z stage (not shown) to extinguish the flame. Then, the reflow material RM with the curved portion 110 and recessed portion 120 formed on it is cooled, the pressure in the cavity 22 is released, and the reflow material RM is removed from the mold 20. After that, the reflow material RM is sealed with resin material, and after removing the unnecessary parts along with the resin material by a polishing process, the resin material is removed with a solvent or the like. Finally, by forming a conductive film (not shown) that covers part or all of the curved portion 110 and recessed portion 120 by sputtering or the like, the vibrator 100 shown in Figure 2 can be manufactured.

[0038] According to this embodiment, the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 comprises a burner 10 for heating the reflow material RM, a mold 20 for placing the reflow material RM, and a mold protection jig 30 attached to the mold 20. The mold protection jig 30 has a hollow portion 311 that is positioned away from the reflow material RM when attached to the mold 20, covering the mold 20 without contacting the reflow material RM. As a result, the mold protection jig 30 suppresses the burning out of the mold 20, and the influence of heat dissipation from the reflow material RM to the mold 20 by the mold protection jig 30 is reduced, making it possible to manufacture a vibrator 100 with improved shape symmetry.

[0039] (First embodiment, first modified example) The mold 20 and the mold protection jig 30 may each have their configurations modified as shown in, for example, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. In the mold 20, for example, the depth of the stepped portion 21 may be set to be equal to or less than the thickness T of the reflow material RM. In this case, the mold protection jig 30 is configured such that, for example, a surface of the lid portion 31 facing the mold 20 is defined as a lower surface 31b, a surface opposite to the lower surface 31b is defined as an upper surface 31a, and the lower surface 31b of the lid portion 31 has a recessed portion 34 recessed toward the upper surface 31a side. As shown in, for example, FIG. 10, in a configuration where a part of the reflow material RM protrudes from the one surface 20a of the mold 20, the recessed portion 34 has a depth obtained by adding a height dimension of less than 1 mm to the height dimension of the protruding part.

[0040] Further, as shown in, for example, FIG. 11, when the depth of the stepped portion 21 and the thickness T of the reflow material RM are the same, the recessed portion 34 has a depth of less than 1 mm. Thereby, the gap D with the reflow material RM satisfies the condition of 0 < D < 1 mm. The recessed portion 34 has a planar size that allows the stepped portion 21 to be accommodated inside when viewed from the top, and has a dimension such that the mold protection jig 30 does not come into contact with the reflow material RM. In any of the above cases, in the mold protection jig 30, the portion of the lid portion 31 where the recessed portion 34 is formed serves as a hollow portion 311 arranged away from the mold 20.

[0041] This modified example also provides the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 that can achieve the same effects as the above-described first embodiment.

[0042] (Second Modified Example of First Embodiment) The mold 20 and the mold protection jig 30 may each have their configurations modified as shown in, for example, FIG. 12. The mold 20 may have, for example, a positioning stepped portion 25 along the outer diameter of the mold protection jig 30 on one surface 20a, and the stepped portion 21 and the cavity 22 may be formed on the bottom surface 25a of the positioning stepped portion 25. In this case, the mold protection jig 30 is, for example, in a disk shape having a lid portion 31 and a through hole 33, and the outer peripheral portion of the lid portion 31 functions as a positioning portion 32. Further, the mold protection jig 30 has a planar size that fits within the one surface 20a of the mold 20.

[0043] This modified version also provides a vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 that achieves the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0044] (Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 will now be described. The vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the configuration of the mold 20 and the mold protection jig 30 has been changed, as shown in Figure 13, for example. This embodiment will mainly describe these differences.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the mold 20 does not have a stepped portion 21, and the cavity 22 is recessed from one surface 20a. In this embodiment, the reflow material RM is set on one surface 20a of the mold 20, and alignment with the mold 20 is performed using an alignment jig 50, which will be described later.

[0046] In this embodiment, the mold protection jig 30 has basically the same configuration as the first modified example of the first embodiment described above, but the depth of the recess 34 is deeper than in that modified example so as not to come into contact with the reflow material RM.

[0047] Next, we will explain the alignment of the reflow material RM and mold 20.

[0048] First, as shown in Figure 15A, for example, an alignment jig 50 is attached to the mold 20. The alignment jig 50 has, for example, a covering portion 51 that covers a predetermined area on one surface 20a of the mold 20, an opening 52 formed in the covering portion 51 that exposes the cavity 22 and its vicinity, and a fitting portion 53 that fits with the end of the surface 20a. The opening 52 is shaped to follow the outer shape of the reflow material RM, for example, a rectangle if the reflow material RM is rectangular, or a circle if it is circular. The opening 52 has an inner dimension that matches the outer dimension of the reflow material RM, for example, and is shaped to allow the reflow material RM to be inserted into it. The opening 52 contacts at least a part of the side surface of the reflow material RM and has a shape that uniquely determines the position of the inserted reflow material RM.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 15B, for example, after the reflow material RM is introduced into the opening 52, the pressure inside the cavity 22 is reduced to adsorb and fix the reflow material RM. As a result, the reflow material RM is placed on one surface 20a of the mold 20, and is fixed in place so as not to shift position relative to the mold 20.

[0050] Then, as shown in Figure 15C, for example, the alignment jig 50 is removed from the mold 20. From this point onward, similar to the first embodiment described above, the mold protection jig 30 is attached to the mold 20, and the reflow material RM is heated and deformed by the burner 10 to manufacture the vibrator 100.

[0051] This embodiment also provides a vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 that achieves the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0052] (Other embodiments) This disclosure is described in accordance with the embodiments, but it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to such embodiments or structures. This disclosure also includes various modifications and variations within the equivalence range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including one, more, or less of those elements, fall within the scope and concept of this disclosure.

[0053] In each of the above embodiments and its variations, the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 may be configured to allow alignment between the mold 20 and the mold protection jig 30, for example, as shown in Figure 16. For example, the vibrator manufacturing apparatus 1 may be configured such that the mold 20 has a chamfered portion 26 on the end of one surface 20a, and the mold protection jig 30 may have an inner surface of the positioning portion 32 that conforms to the shape of the chamfered portion 26. The chamfered portion 26 may be, for example, a tapered or curved shape that is inclined so that the diameter increases as it moves away from the surface 20a. As a result, when attaching the mold protection jig 30 to the mold 20, the chamfered portion 26 and the inner surface of the positioning portion 32 overlap neatly, and auto-alignment is performed so that the center of the cavity 22 and the center of the through hole 33 coincide when viewed from above.

[0054] It goes without saying that, in each of the above embodiments, the elements constituting the embodiment are not necessarily essential unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or considered to be fundamentally essential. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, when numerical values ​​such as the number, numerical values, quantities, or ranges of the components of the embodiment are mentioned, the embodiment is not limited to those specific numbers unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or considered to be fundamentally limited to a specific number. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, when the shape, positional relationship, etc., of the components are mentioned, the embodiment is not limited to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., unless explicitly stated or considered to be fundamentally limited to specific shapes, positional relationships, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 10...Burner, 20...Mold, 20a...Single surface, 21...Stepped section, 21a...Bottom surface, 22...Cavity, 24...Ventilation hole, 26...Chamfered section, 30...Mold protection jig, 31b...Bottom surface, 311...Hollow section, 32...Positioning section, 33...Through hole, 50...Alignment jig, 100...Vibrator, 110...Curved section, RM...Reflow material

Claims

1. A vibrator manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a vibrator (100) having a curved surface portion (110) having a three-dimensional curved surface, A burner (10) for heating a plate-shaped reflow material (RM), A mold (20) having a cavity (22) facing the burner and recessed from one side (20a, 21a) where the reflow material is placed, and a vent hole (24) connecting the cavity to the outside and used to reduce the pressure of the space created by the reflow material covering the cavity and the cavity, A vibrator manufacturing apparatus comprising a mold protection jig (30) having a hollow portion (311) attached to the mold and facing the reflow material, and positioned away from the reflow material, and a through hole (33) provided in the hollow portion for exposing the reflow material toward the burner.

2. The vibrator manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mold has a stepped portion (21) that contacts at least a portion of the side surface of the reflow material and is used for positioning the reflow material.

3. The aforementioned type has a chamfered portion (26) on the end of one surface, The vibrator manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mold protection jig has a positioning portion (32) that fits with the chamfered portion.

4. The above-mentioned type is a vibrator manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gap between the hollow portion and the reflow material is D, satisfying 0 < D < 1 mm.

5. A method for manufacturing an oscillator (100) having a curved surface portion (110) having a three-dimensional curved surface, Prepare a plate-shaped reflow material (RM) that softens upon heating, A mold (20) is prepared having a cavity (22) recessed from one side (20a, 21a) and a vent (24) that connects the cavity to the outside and is used to reduce the pressure of the cavity. The reflow material is placed on one surface of the mold to cover the cavity, A mold protection jig (30) is provided having a hollow portion (311) that faces the reflow material and is positioned away from the reflow material, and a through hole (33) provided in the hollow portion. The mold protection fixture is attached to the mold, a portion of the reflow material outside the cavity is covered by the hollow portion, and at least the portion of the reflow material covering the cavity is exposed to the burner (10) through the through hole. A method for manufacturing an oscillator, comprising heating the reflow material with the burner through the through-hole of the mold protection jig, while depressurizing the cavity and deforming the reflow material.

6. In placing the reflow material on one surface of the mold, the alignment of the mold and the reflow material is performed using an alignment jig (50), and then the alignment jig is removed. In preparing the aforementioned mold, the mold is prepared such that one of its surfaces is a flat surface without any steps. The method for manufacturing a vibrator according to claim 5, wherein, in preparing the mold protection jig, the mold is prepared having a lower surface (31b) that abuts against the one surface and a recess (34) that is recessed from the lower surface, and the hollow portion is provided in the recess.

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