Stack manufacturing device and stack manufacturing method

Abstract

A stack manufacturing device according to the present disclosure comprises: a supply mechanism capable of supplying a plurality of iron core members each having a first locking part; a squeeze having a plurality of second locking parts and having a conveyance path formed at the center thereof through which the plurality of iron core members are conveyed in a state of being stacked on each other; a rotation mechanism for rotating the squeeze; and a receiving member for receiving the plurality of iron core members conveyed out of the squeeze. The rotation mechanism rotates the squeeze to either a first rotation position in which the first locking part of one iron core member among the plurality of iron core members supplied to the squeeze is locked to the second locking part, or a second rotation position in which the first locking part of the one iron core member is not locked to the second locking part.

Description

LAMINATE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS AND LAMINATE MANUFACTURING METHOD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laminate manufacturing apparatus and a laminate manufacturing method.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In order to obtain a motor core (more specifically, a rotor core or a stator core) used in a motor mounted on an electric vehicle or the like, it has been conventional to manufacture a laminated body by stacking a plurality of core members.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2019-118169 describes the use of a plate stacking device to manufacture laminations that constitute stator cores. This plate stacking device is equipped with a sensor that detects the passage of plates conveyed from a cylinder serving as a conveying path, and a cutting mechanism that supports the plates, which are located near the exit of the cylinder. Based on the detection results of this sensor, the cutting mechanism is caused to protrude onto the plate conveying path at any time to stop the conveyance of the plates, thereby controlling the number and timing of plates supplied to the jig.

[0004] The use of the cutting mechanism described in JP 2019-118169 A allows for free control of the supply of plates to the jig, making it easy to replace the jig. However, a structure like that described in JP 2019-118169 A, which stops conveyance by protruding the cutting mechanism into the conveyance path, requires high accuracy in the actuator that operates the cutting mechanism and the sensor that detects the passage of the plate. Therefore, there is room for further improvement in manufacturing equipment equipped with such a cutting function.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a laminate manufacturing apparatus and a laminate manufacturing method that are capable of accurately and efficiently laminating iron core members with a simple configuration.

[0006] A laminate manufacturing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a supply mechanism capable of supplying a plurality of iron core members having first locking portions at a plurality of locations on their outer peripheral surfaces; a squeeze box having a transport path formed in the center thereof along which the plurality of iron core members supplied from the supply mechanism are transported in a stacked state, the squeeze box having a plurality of second locking portions around the transport path; a rotation mechanism that rotates the squeeze box about an axis along the transport direction of the plurality of iron core members transported within the transport path; and a receiving member that receives the plurality of iron core members transported from the downstream end of the squeeze box in the transport direction, wherein the rotation mechanism rotates the squeeze box to either a first rotation position in which the first locking portion of one of the plurality of iron core members supplied to the upstream end of the squeeze box in the transport direction is locked with the second locking portion, or a second rotation position in which the first locking portion of one of the iron core members is not locked with the second locking portion.

[0007] In the laminate manufacturing apparatus described above, the orientation of the core materials supplied to the squeeze device can be changed relative to the squeeze device by rotating the squeeze device using a rotation mechanism. Furthermore, by engaging the second locking portion of the squeeze device with only the first locking portions of some of the core materials transported along the transport path, the timing of the core materials being transported from the squeeze device to the receiving member can be adjusted. This eliminates the need to stop the apparatus when, for example, replacing the receiving member. As a result, the laminate manufacturing apparatus described above can accurately and efficiently stack the core materials with a relatively simple configuration that employs a rotation mechanism.

[0008] A laminate manufacturing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the laminate manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the supply mechanism includes a conveying mechanism that conveys a metal plate along a direction intersecting the conveying direction, and a mold that can sequentially punch out and form the plurality of iron core members of the same shape from the metal plate conveyed by the conveying mechanism.

[0009] In the laminate manufacturing device as described above, the supply mechanism is only required to punch out and form core members of the same shape, so there is no need to prepare a separate mold or the like for changing the shape of the core members.

[0010] A laminate manufacturing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the laminate manufacturing apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the plurality of iron core members are stacked to form a block core, and the block core is formed by stacking one or more of the block cores to form a motor core, and the rotation mechanism sets the squeeze to the first rotation position when one or more iron core members located on one end side of the block core are supplied to the upstream end of the squeeze in the conveying direction.

[0011] In the laminate manufacturing apparatus as described above, the timing of carrying out the core members from the squeezer to the receiving member can be adjusted for each block core.

[0012] A method for manufacturing a laminate according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: acquiring information about a block core made up of a plurality of core members having first locking portions at a plurality of locations on their outer peripheral surfaces; determining, based on the information about the block core, whether the first locking portion of one of the plurality of core members supplied to one end of a squeeze wheel should be locked by the second locking portion of the squeeze wheel; rotating the squeeze wheel based on the result of the determination, wherein the squeeze wheel is rotated to either a first rotational position where the first locking portion of the one core member is locked by the second locking portion, or a second rotational position where the first locking portion of the one core member is not locked by the second locking portion; and supplying the one core member to one end of the squeeze wheel.

[0013] In the manufacturing method of the laminate described above, the orientation of the core materials supplied to the squeeze device can be changed by rotating the squeeze device based on the information from the block core. Then, by engaging the second locking portions of the squeeze device with only the first locking portions of some of the core materials transported along the transport path, it becomes possible to adjust the timing at which the core materials are transported from the squeeze device to the receiving member.

[0014] According to the laminate manufacturing apparatus and laminate manufacturing method of the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately and efficiently stack the iron core members with a simple configuration.

[0015] 6 is a plan view showing an example of an iron core member punched and formed in a method for manufacturing a laminate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a laminate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a laminate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when the method for manufacturing a laminate shown in FIG. 6 is executed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when the method for manufacturing a laminate shown in FIG. 6 is executed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when the method for manufacturing a laminate shown in FIG. 6 is executed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when the method for manufacturing a laminate shown in FIG. 6 is executed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of a main part of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when the method for manufacturing a laminate shown in FIG. 6 is executed. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the state of the main parts of the manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 2 when the process shown in Fig. 9 is performed. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the state of the main parts of the manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 2 when the process shown in Fig. 9 is performed.

[0016] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-135897, filed on August 23, 2023, in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description. Further scope of application of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description. However, the detailed description and specific examples are preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are described for illustrative purposes only. From this detailed description, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The applicant does not intend to dedicate any of the described embodiments to the public, and the applicants also consider disclosed modifications and alternatives, even if not literally included within the scope of the claims, to be part of the invention under the doctrine of equivalents. Like reference numbers and names in the various drawings indicate like elements.

[0017] Hereinafter, each embodiment for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope necessary for the explanation to achieve the object of the present disclosure will be schematically shown below, and the scope necessary for explaining the relevant parts of the present disclosure will be mainly explained, and the parts for which explanation is omitted will be referred to as publicly known techniques. Furthermore, identical or similar reference numerals will be used to designate identical or corresponding components in the drawings, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0018] The laminate manufacturing apparatus 1 (see FIG. 2 ) and laminate manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure described below manufacture a laminate by stacking formed core members 10. Therefore, the structure of the core member 10 will first be briefly described below.

[0019] In this embodiment, the laminated iron core members 10 may be capable of forming a block core by laminating a plurality of them. This block core can be formed singly or in a plurality of laminated pieces to form a motor core, for example, a stator core for an inner rotor type rotating electric machine. In this disclosure, the term "laminated body" refers to a body in which a plurality of iron core members are simply laminated, and a body in which such laminated bodies are joined by welding or the like is called a "motor core," and the two are distinguished from each other. In this disclosure, the laminated body may include the above-mentioned block core. Furthermore, the above-mentioned motor core may be either a divided stator core or a non-divided stator core, and may also form a divided or non-divided rotor core instead of a stator core.

[0020] 1 is a plan view showing an example of an iron core member supplied to a laminate manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the iron core member 10 according to this embodiment can be formed from a single plate-shaped electromagnetic steel sheet (sometimes called a "core piece") having a predetermined thickness.

[0021] The iron core member 10 of this embodiment may include at least a substantially annular yoke 11 having a through hole in its center in which a rotor core (not shown) can be disposed, and teeth 12 that are substantially T-shaped in plan view and are arranged on the inner periphery of the yoke 11 so as to protrude toward the center of the yoke 11.

[0022] The teeth 12 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the core member 10 may be plural, for example, eight, and may be provided at approximately equal intervals along the inner peripheral surface. When assembled into a stator core, armature coils may be wound around the teeth 12. Note that the specific shape, number, and arrangement of the teeth 12 may be changed as appropriate.

[0023] A plurality of recesses 13 are formed at appropriate positions on the outer peripheral surface of yoke 11. Portions of the outer peripheral surface of yoke 11 excluding the portions where recesses 13 are formed can function as locking pieces 14, which are an example of first locking portions. A plurality of recesses 13, for example, four, may be provided at approximately equal intervals along the outer periphery of yoke 11. Similarly, a plurality of locking pieces 14, for example, four, may be provided at approximately equal intervals along the outer periphery of yoke 11.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the recess 13 is preferably provided radially outside one of the eight teeth 12 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the yoke 11. Typically, the density of magnetic flux generated when the iron core member 10 is operated as part of the motor core tends to be lower radially outside the teeth 12 compared to other positions. Therefore, by locating the recess 13 radially outside the teeth 12, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the magnetic characteristics of the motor core due to the provision of this recess 13.

[0025] In the above example, a plurality of recesses 13 and locking pieces 14 are arranged on the core member 10, but the number, arrangement, shape, etc. of the recesses 13 and locking pieces 14 can be changed as appropriate. Also, the recesses 13 can be omitted depending on the shape of the locking pieces 14. For example, if the locking pieces 14 are formed as protrusions that protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the yoke 11, the recesses 13 can be omitted.

[0026] (Laminate Manufacturing Apparatus) FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a laminate manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The core members 10 in FIG. 2 are shown as a cross-sectional view of one of the core members 10 taken at a position corresponding to line B-B in FIG. 1 . Also, in FIG. 2 , and FIGS. 7 , 8 , and 10 described below, a relatively small number of core members 10 are shown as examples of the core members 10 being transported through the squeeze box 30 for ease of understanding. However, the number of core members 10 that can be transported through the squeeze box 30 may be in the tens to hundreds. The total number of core members 10 constituting the laminate manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1 may also be in the tens to hundreds.

[0027] 2, the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes at least a supply mechanism 20 capable of supplying iron core materials 10, a squeezer 30 that transports a plurality of iron core materials 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20, a receiving jig 40 as an example of a receiving member that can receive the plurality of iron core materials 10 carried out from the squeezer 30, and a rotation mechanism 50 that rotates the squeezer 30. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow X in Fig. 2 is the left-right direction, and similarly, the direction indicated by arrow Y is the front-rear direction, and the direction indicated by arrow Z is the up-down direction.

[0028] The supply mechanism 20 may be a press device that selectively punches out and forms the core material 10 from a strip-shaped metal plate 2 that is transported in the direction of arrow A1 in Fig. 2. Specifically, the supply mechanism 20 may include at least a transport mechanism 21 that transports the metal plate 2 in the left-right direction, and a punch 22 and a die 23 as examples of dies that can sequentially punch out and form a plurality of core materials 10 of the same shape from the metal plate 2 transported by the transport mechanism 21. The supply mechanism 20 may further include a support table 24 that supports the metal plate 2.

[0029] The conveying mechanism 21 is a mechanism for conveying the metal sheet 2 in the left-right direction indicated by the arrow A1 in Fig. 2. For example, a conveying roller having a drive source can be used as the conveying mechanism 21. Furthermore, the metal sheet 2 conveyed by the conveying mechanism 21 can be a strip-shaped body made of electromagnetic steel sheet that is long in one direction.

[0030] The punch 22 and the die 23 function as an upper and lower die for punching out the iron core material 10. Of these, the punch 22 can be formed, for example, from a columnar member. The punch 22 is attached to a press machine (not shown) that operates in an up-and-down direction, and the press machine lowers the punch 22 in the direction of arrow A2 in Figure 2, thereby successively punching out and forming iron core materials 10 of the same shape from the metal plate 2. The die 23 can be formed, for example, from an annular member, and may be attached at an appropriate position on a support stand 24 that supports the underside of the metal plate 2 as it is transported.

[0031] The punched core material 10 is pressed downward by the downward movement of the punch 22 and conveyed downward. The downward direction here corresponds to the conveyance direction of each core material 10 in this embodiment. Note that, although only one set of punch 22 and die 23 is shown as a metal mold in Fig. 2, a separate metal mold may be disposed upstream of the punch 22 and die 23 to pre-punch out the teeth 12 and recesses 13 of the core material 10.

[0032] On the other hand, it is important to note that the core materials 10 continuously punched by the punch 22 and die 23 have the same shape, at least for those constituting a common block core. In other words, the multiple core materials 10 constituting a specific block core supplied from the supply mechanism 20 to the squeeze 30 always have the same positions of the recesses 13, etc. In this way, if the core materials 10 punched by the punch 22 and die 23 have the same shape, the forming process for the continuously supplied core materials 10 can be simplified.

[0033] The squeeze die 30 has a conveying path 35 in its center along which the plurality of core materials 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 are conveyed in a stacked state, and the conveying path 35 has a plurality of locking protrusions 34 as an example of second locking portions around the periphery thereof. The squeeze die 30 may be formed, for example, of a substantially cylindrical member, and its upper end may be attached so as to be continuous with the lower end of the die 23. The core materials 10 conveyed through the squeeze die 30 are supported from the sides by the inner peripheral surface of the squeeze die 30, and are conveyed downward while maintaining their stacked state. Note that the core materials 10 conveyed through the squeeze die 30 are actually conveyed sequentially in a stacked state in contact with each other, but in FIG. 2 , the core materials 10 are shown with a small gap between them so that the boundaries between them can be seen.

[0034] Specifically, the squeeze tool 30 may transport the core materials 10 that have been punched by a supply mechanism 20 including a die 23 and a punch 22 and pushed out below the die 23 to a receiving jig 40. In addition, the squeeze tool 30 may be configured with an upstream squeeze tool section 31 located upstream in the transport direction of the core materials 10 and supporting both core materials 10 passing through the squeeze tool 30 from the sides, and a downstream squeeze tool section 32 located downstream in the transport direction of the core materials 10 and supporting the locking pieces 14 of specific core materials 10 passing through the squeeze tool 30 from the sides. The locking projections 34 described above are provided on the downstream squeeze tool section 32. Note that, although the present embodiment illustrates an example in which the squeeze tool 30 includes the upstream squeeze tool section 31 and the downstream squeeze tool section 32, the upstream squeeze tool section 31 may be omitted.

[0035] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the size and shape of the inner circumferential surface of the upstream squeeze section 31 may be adjusted to match the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the iron core material 10 being transported through the squeeze section 30. As a result, the sides (i.e., outer peripheries) of the multiple iron core materials 10 passing through the upstream squeeze section 31 are supported by the inner circumferential surface of the upstream squeeze section 31, and the multiple iron core materials 10 can be transported along the transport path 35 in a stacked state. In this way, all of the multiple iron core materials 10 supplied to the squeeze section 30 are transported while being supported by the upstream squeeze section 31 at their sides, thereby stabilizing the posture of the iron core materials 10. Note that the specific structure of the inner circumferential surface of the upstream squeeze section 31 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, as long as it is a structure that can support the iron core materials 10 from the sides.

[0036] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the squeeze downstream section 32 has locking projections 34 formed at appropriate positions on its inner circumferential surface, extending toward the axis of the squeeze 30. These locking projections 34 come into lateral contact with the locking pieces 14 of some of the iron core members 10 passing through the squeeze downstream section 32, thereby being able to support the iron core members.

[0037] Here, the inner circumferential surface of the squeeze downstream section 32 other than the portion where the locking projections 34 are formed does not support any part of the iron core material 10. Specifically, a gap 33 is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the squeeze downstream section 32 other than the portion where the locking projections 34 are formed and the outer circumferential surface of each iron core material 10. Note that the shape of the inner circumferential surface of the squeeze downstream section 32 including the locking projections 34 can be changed as appropriate to match the shape of the iron core material 10 to be transported, as long as the above-mentioned function can be maintained.

[0038] By the squeeze mechanism 30 described above, only core members 10 having locking pieces 14 arranged in positions facing the locking projections 34 are supported in the squeeze downstream section 32. Conversely, core members 10 that do not have locking pieces 14 arranged in positions facing the locking projections 34, specifically core members 10 having recesses 13 arranged instead of locking pieces 14, are not supported in the squeeze downstream section 32. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between these core members 10 for the purpose of explanation, core members 10 having locking pieces 14 arranged in positions facing the locking projections 34 will be referred to as "locking core member 10A" and core members 10 having recesses 13 arranged in positions facing the locking projections 34 will be referred to as "non-locking core member 10B." Whether a core member 10 is a locking core member 10A or a non-locking core member 10B is determined by the rotational position of the squeeze mechanism 30 when core members 10 of the same shape are supplied to the squeeze mechanism 30. The rotational position of the squeeze 30 is adjusted by a rotation mechanism 50, and the method for adjusting the rotational position will be described later.

[0039] As described above, the non-locking core member 10B is not supported by the locking protrusions 34 in the squeeze downstream section 32, as shown in Figure 5. Therefore, the non-locking core member 10B moves in the squeeze downstream section 32 while being placed on the locking core member 10A located downstream in the conveying direction. As a result, when the locking core member 10A located below it is carried out from the lower end of the squeeze 30, the non-locking core member 10B in the squeeze downstream section 32 is carried out from the squeeze 30 together with the locking core member 10A. Note that in Figure 5, the locking core member 10A located downstream in the conveying direction of the non-locking core member 10B is not shown to make it easier to understand the relationship between the non-locking core member 10B and the squeeze downstream section 32.

[0040] The receiving jig 40 receives the core materials 10 transported from the downstream end of the squeezer 30 in the transport direction. The receiving jig 40 includes a base 41 on which the core materials 10 transported from the squeezer 30 are placed, a plurality of support poles 42 extending upward from the top surface of the base 41 to support the core materials 10 from the sides, and a transport arm 43 for moving the base 41 in any direction. The transport arm 43 supports the lower part of the base 41 and may be capable of moving the base 41 in at least one of a predetermined direction, such as the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, or the up-down direction. Additionally, the transport arm 43 may function as a rotation mechanism. That is, the supported base 41 may be rotated, for example, in the direction indicated by arrow A5 in FIG. 2 around a rotation axis AR2 extending in the up-down direction. Note that the receiving jig 40 is not limited to the above-described configuration as long as it is capable of receiving each core material 10. Its transport structure, in particular, may be modified as appropriate.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the receiving jig 40 described above is used as an example of the receiving member, but the receiving member may be something other than the receiving jig 40 described above as long as it is capable of receiving the core material 10 carried out from the squeeze 30. Specifically, the receiving member may also be a conveying device such as a conveyor or a slope, or a receiving table that can apply pressure in the direction opposite to the conveying direction (also called back pressure) to the core material 10 being conveyed through the squeeze 30. Furthermore, these conveying devices and the receiving jig 40 described above may also be used in appropriate combination.

[0042] The rotation mechanism 50 rotates the squeeze element 30 about an axis AR1 aligned with the conveyance direction of the core material 10. A known rotation device, such as a device including multiple gears and a motor, may be used as the rotation mechanism 50. In this regard, teeth that mesh with the gears of the rotation mechanism 50 may be provided at any position on the outer circumferential surface of the squeeze element 30. The rotation mechanism 50 rotates the squeeze element 30 to either a first rotation position where the locking piece 14 of one of the multiple core materials 10 supplied to the upstream end of the squeeze element 30 in the conveyance direction is locked with the locking protrusion 34 of the downstream squeeze element 32, or a second rotation position where the locking piece 14 of the one core material is not locked with the locking protrusion 34. The angle between the first rotation position and the second rotation position may be adjusted as appropriate, taking into account the spacing between the teeth, etc. In this embodiment, the angle is set to 45°.

[0043] In this embodiment, the position of the squeeze mechanism 30 is adjusted so that the locking projections 34 of the squeeze mechanism 30 in the second rotation position are disposed in positions facing the recesses 13 of the core material 10 being carried into the squeeze mechanism 30. The core material 10 carried into the squeeze mechanism 30 set to the first rotation position by the rotation mechanism 50 becomes the locked core material 10A described above, and the core material 10 carried into the squeeze mechanism 30 set to the second rotation position by the rotation mechanism 50 becomes the non-locked core material 10B described above.

[0044] In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment may further include a control device 60 to control the above-described components. This control device 60 may be communicatively connected to the components via wired or wireless communication, as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 2 , for example. A computer including a sequencer (Programmable Logic Controller, PLC) may be used as the control device 60. The computer referred to here may be a well-known computer, for example, one including at least one processor, a memory storing programs including control commands to be executed by the processor, and various interfaces. The control device 60 according to this embodiment may at least control the supply of the iron core material 10 by the supply mechanism 20 and the rotation of the rotation mechanism 50.

[0045] In the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1 including the series of components described above, the squeezer 30 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 50, and the core members 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 are separated into locking core members 10A and non-locking core members 10B. At this time, the control device 60 controls the rotation mechanism 50 based on information about the block cores that make up the laminate manufactured by the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0046] For example, when the control device 60 determines that the block core is composed of n (n = natural number) core members 10, it controls the rotation mechanism 50 to designate one or more of the n core members 10 constituting the block core, located at one end, of which m (m < n) core members 10 are supplied in advance from the supply mechanism 20 to the squeeze coil 30, as locked core members 10A. Then, the remaining nm core members 10 supplied to the squeeze coil 30 after the aforementioned m core members 10 have been supplied to the squeeze coil 30 are designated as unlocked core members 10B. At the timing when the aforementioned m core members 10 are supplied to the squeeze coil 30, the rotation mechanism 50 supports the squeeze coil 30 in a state where it is rotated to the first rotation position. Then, immediately after the aforementioned m iron core members 10 have been supplied to the squeezer 30, the rotation mechanism 50 rotates the squeezer 30 from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. nm iron core members 10 are supplied to the squeezer 30 supported at the second rotation position. The above-described series of operations is repeatedly performed for each block core. Note that the fewer the number (m) of locking core members 10A included in the iron core members 10 that make up the block core, the longer the time required for rolling or replacing the receiving jig 40 can be.

[0047] As described above, in the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the core members 10 of the same shape being carried into the squeezer 30 can be identified as either locking core members 10A or non-locking core members 10B by the simple operation of rotating the squeezer 30 using the rotation mechanism 50. Among the multiple core members 10 identified as either locking core members 10A or non-locking core members 10B in this manner, only the locking core members 10A are locked in the squeezer downstream section 32. Therefore, the locking core members 10A and non-locking core members 10B can be simultaneously carried out from the squeezer 30. When multiple core members 10 are discharged from the squeezer 30 in this manner, a predetermined grace period can be secured before the next core member 10 is carried out. This grace period can then be used to rotate the receiving jig 40 to perform a rolling operation or to replace the receiving jig 40, eliminating the need to stop the manufacturing apparatus 1 for rolling, etc. Therefore, the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment makes it possible to accurately and efficiently stack the iron core members with a simple configuration.

[0048] (Laminate Manufacturing Method) Next, a laminate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, an example will be given in which a laminate is manufactured using the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1 described above, but the laminate manufacturing method of the present disclosure can also be implemented using an apparatus other than the manufacturing apparatus 1. The laminate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, which is realized by the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1, can be realized by a control device 60 that controls each component of the laminate manufacturing apparatus 1. The laminate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment can be provided in the form of a program or program product that causes a processor of a computer constituting the control device 60 to execute a predetermined operation, or in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing this program. Note that the following description of the effects and the like also serves as a description of the effects of the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0049] First, a process of supplying core members 10 from supply mechanism 20 to squeeze device 30 will be described in the laminate manufacturing method according to this embodiment. The laminate manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes the steps of: acquiring information about a block core made up of a plurality of core members 10, each having a plurality of locking pieces 14 (step S01); specifying, based on the block core information, whether the first locking portion of one of the plurality of core members supplied to one end of the squeeze device should be locked by the second locking portion of the squeeze device (step S02); rotating the squeeze device based on the result of the specification (step S04); and supplying one core member to one end of the squeeze device 30 (step S05). The process will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 .

[0050] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a manufacturing method of a laminate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. When the manufacturing method of a laminate according to this embodiment is started, the control device 60 first acquires information about the block cores that constitute the laminate manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1 (step S01). This block core information may include various information related to the block cores, such as the total number (n) of block cores and the number (m) of locking core members 10A in the core members 10 that constitute the block cores. In addition, the block core information may be acquired when acquiring a work recipe input by a user of the manufacturing apparatus 1, etc.

[0051] After acquiring the block core information, the control device 60 determines at what position on the block core the core material 10 to be punched and formed next by the supply mechanism 20 will be placed (step S02). By determining this position, it is possible to determine whether the punched core material 10 should be locked at the squeeze downstream section 32, i.e., whether it should be a locking core material 10A or an unlocking core material 10B. The position on the block core of the core material 10 to be the locking core material 10A may be determined by calculation based on the strength and weight of the core material 10 itself, or may be determined based on instructions from the user.

[0052] Once it has been determined whether the core material 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 should be the locked core material 10A or the unlocked core material 10B, the control device 60 adjusts the position of the squeezer 30 using the rotation mechanism 50. Here, the squeezer 30, whose position can be adjusted by the rotation mechanism 50, is supported at either a first rotation position where the locking pieces 14 of the core material 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 are locked with the locking projections 34 of the squeezer downstream section 32, or a second rotation position where the locking pieces 14 of the core material 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 are not locked with the locking projections 34 of the squeezer downstream section 32. Therefore, since there may be cases where rotation by the rotation mechanism 50 is not necessary, this process determines whether rotation of the squeezer 30 is necessary (step S03).

[0053] For example, if the initial position of the squeezer 30 is the first rotational position and the control device 60 determines that the core material 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 should be the locking core material 10A (No in step S03), the control device 70 does not need to operate the rotation mechanism 50. On the other hand, if the initial position of the squeezer 30 is similarly the first rotational position and the control device 60 determines that the core material 10 supplied from the supply mechanism 20 should be the non-locking core material 10B (Yes in step S03), the control device 70 operates the rotation mechanism 50 to move the squeezer 30 from the first rotational position to the second rotational position (step S04).

[0054] When the control device 60 has positioned the squeeze tool 30 at the desired rotational position, it executes a punching and forming operation using the supply mechanism, and supplies the iron core material 10 to the upstream end of the squeeze tool 30 in the conveying direction (step S05). The iron core material 10 supplied here is carried into the squeeze tool 30 so as to overlap the upper surface of another iron core material 10 that was previously supplied into the squeeze tool 30. Furthermore, one or more iron core materials 10 that have already been carried into the squeeze tool 30 are pushed in the conveying direction as the new iron core material 10 is carried in, and are conveyed through the conveying path 35.

[0055] The above-described steps S02 to S05 are repeatedly executed until the number of core members 10 supplied to the squeeze 30 reaches n, which is the total number of core members 10 constituting the block core (step S06). When the number of core members 10 supplied to the squeeze 30 reaches n, the supply of core members 10 corresponding to one block core is considered to be complete, and the process returns to step S01, where information on a new block core to be manufactured is obtained and the series of steps is repeated.

[0056] The specific operation of the rotation mechanism when the above-described series of processes are performed will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C, 8A, and 8B. FIGS. 7A to 7C, 8A, and 8B are operation explanatory diagrams showing the state of the main parts of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 when the laminate manufacturing method shown in FIG. 6 is performed. Note that in FIGS. 7A to 7C, 8A, and 8B, to facilitate understanding of the state in which the core materials are supplied from the supply mechanism 20 to the squeeze 30, only the parts of the manufacturing apparatus 1 related to the supply operation are shown, and other parts are omitted. In this embodiment, a block core to be manufactured is configured by stacking four core members 10. Of the four core members 10 constituting a block core, two core members supplied to the squeeze 30 in the first half are designated as locking core members 10A, and two core members supplied to the squeeze 30 in the second half are designated as non-locking core members 10B.

[0057] When the manufacturing method for the laminate is started, information on the block core to be manufactured is obtained, and it is determined that the first core member 10 to be supplied to the squeeze core 30 should be the locking core member 10A, the control device 60 operates the supply mechanism 20 with the squeeze core 30 supported at the first rotation position, as shown in Figure 7A, to supply the first core member 10 to the squeeze core 30. As described above, of the four core members 10 that make up the block core, the two core members supplied to the squeeze core 30 in the first half will be the locking core member 10A, and therefore the supply of the second core member 10 is carried out under the same conditions as the supply of the first core member 10.

[0058] After the supply of the second core material 10 is completed, the control device 60 determines that the third core material 10 should be the non-locked core material 10B, and therefore operates the rotation mechanism 50 to rotate the squeeze device 30. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B , the rotation mechanism 50 is operated to rotate the squeeze device 30, which is supported at the first rotation position, by a predetermined angle (e.g., 45°) around the axis AR2 along the conveyance direction in the direction indicated by the arrow A3, to the second rotation position. At this time, the core material 10 being conveyed within the squeeze device 30 also rotates in accordance with the rotation of the squeeze device 30. Therefore, the positional relationship between the locking piece 14 of the core material 10 within the squeeze device 30 and the locking protrusion 34 of the downstream squeeze device portion 32 remains unchanged.

[0059] 7C , of the four core members 10 that make up the block core, the two core members 10 that are supplied to the squeeze box 30 in the latter half are designated as non-locking core members 10B, and therefore the supply of the fourth core member 10 is carried out under the same conditions as the supply of the third core member 10.

[0060] When the supply of the fourth core member 10 is completed, the supply of all core members 10 constituting one block core is completed. Therefore, the control device 60 acquires information about the block core to be manufactured next and determines whether the first core member 10 to be supplied to the squeezer 30, among the multiple core members 10 constituting the new block core, should be a locking core member 10A or a non-locking core member 10B. If this determination determines that the first core member 10 of the new block core should also be a locking core member 10A, the control device 60 rotates the squeezer 30 using the rotation mechanism 50. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A , the rotation mechanism 50 is operated to rotate the squeezer 30, which is supported at the second rotation position, by a predetermined angle (e.g., −45°) around an axis AR2 aligned with the conveyance direction in the direction indicated by arrow A4, for example, to the first rotation position.

[0061] When the rotation of the squeezer 30 is completed, the control device 60 operates the supply mechanism 20 in the same manner as the previous time, as shown in Fig. 8B, to supply the first iron core member 10 of a new block core to the squeezer 30. By repeating the same process thereafter, laminates can be continuously manufactured.

[0062] Next, a description will be given of the process of manufacturing a laminate according to this embodiment, in which a plurality of core members 10 stamped out from metal plate 2 are stacked to manufacture the laminate. The stacking process in the manufacturing method of a laminate according to this embodiment can include at least a step of supporting locking pieces 14 of locking core member 10A with locking protrusions 34 of squeezer 30, thereby controlling the timing of carrying out core member 10 from squeezer 30 to receiving jig 40.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing steps of a method for manufacturing a laminate that are carried out together with the steps shown in Fig. 6. Also, Figs. 10A to 10C are operation explanatory diagrams showing the state of the main parts of the manufacturing apparatus shown in Fig. 2 when the steps shown in Fig. 9 are carried out. Note that in Figs. 10A to 10C, in order to make it easy to understand how the iron core member 10 is carried out from the squeezer 30 to the receiving jig 40, only the parts of the manufacturing apparatus 1 that are related to the carrying-out operation are shown, and other parts are not shown.

[0064] 9, the manufacturing method of the laminate according to this embodiment starts with the supply mechanism 20 supplying a plurality of core members 10 of the same shape to the squeezer 30 (step S11). Then, as the core members 10 are supplied, the squeezer 30 also starts transporting the core members (step S12). In these steps S11 and S12, the series of processes shown in FIG. 6 are carried out.

[0065] In the manufacturing method of the laminate according to this embodiment, the iron core members G constituting the block core (hereinafter simply referred to as "block core") are rotated or the receiving jig 40 is replaced each time they are supplied onto the receiving jig 40 from the downstream end of the squeeze 30 in the conveying direction. As described above, of the four iron core members 10 constituting the block core G, the first two are locking core members 10A and the last two are non-locking core members 10B. This allows the supply of each iron core member 10 to the receiving jig 40 to be temporarily stopped when rotating or replacing the receiving members 70 when the block core G is supplied onto the receiving jig 40.

[0066] As the conveyance of each core member by the squeeze 30 progresses, the locked core member 10A and the non-locked core member 10B that have been conveyed through the squeeze upstream section 31 reach the squeeze downstream section 32. Of the core members that have reached the squeeze downstream section 32, the locked core member 10A maintains its lateral support as its locking pieces 14 come into contact with locking projections 34 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the squeeze downstream section 32. On the other hand, the non-locked core member 10B has recesses 13 disposed in positions opposite the locking projections 34, so that its lateral support is released and it is placed on and supported by the upper surface of the locked core member 10A located downstream (see FIG. 10A).

[0067] As the conveyance of each core member by the squeeze 30 progresses further, of the four core members 10 constituting one block core G, the first locking core member 10A located furthest downstream is carried out from the lower end of the squeeze 30. Next, the second locking core member 10A, which has been conveyed within the squeeze downstream section 32 with its underside abutting the upper surface of the first locking core member 10A, is also carried out from the lower end of the squeeze 30.

[0068] Here, the second locking core member 10A has two non-locking core members 10B included in the same block core G placed on and supported on its upper surface in the squeeze downstream section 32. The non-locking core member 10B is not supported in the squeeze downstream section 32. Therefore, when the second locking core member 10A is carried out from the lower end of the squeeze 30, the two non-locking core members 10B are also carried out from the lower end of the squeeze 30 at the same time, as shown in Figure 10B. At this time, the first locking core member 10A of the other block core G, which had been stacked and transported upstream of the two non-locking core members 10B, is being transported to a position away from the lower end of the squeeze 30, also as shown in Figure 10B.

[0069] When the second locking core member 10A and the two non-locking core members 10B supported on its upper surface are placed on the pedestal 41 of the receiving jig 40 (Yes in step S13), the receiving jig 40 is used to rotate the core members 10A or replace the core members 10B (step S14). As shown in FIG. 10C , the rotation can be performed by operating the transport arm 43 to rotate the pedestal 41 on which one block core G is placed in the direction indicated by arrow A5. At the time of the rotation, the first locking core member 10A of another block core G to be transferred to the receiving jig 40 is transferred to a position away from the lower end of the squeeze chuck 30, as described above. Therefore, a relatively long grace period is ensured before the first locking core member 10A of this other block core G is transferred from the lower end of the squeeze chuck 30. Therefore, a new core member 10 is not transferred from the squeeze chuck 30 during the rotation.

[0070] In step S14, when the required number of iron core members 10 are stacked on the base 41 as a laminate, the receiving jig 40 can be replaced. Once the rolling or replacement of the receiving jig 40 is completed in step S14, the process returns to step S13 and waits until the next block core G is carried out.

[0071] As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the laminate according to this embodiment, the timing of supply of each core member discharged from the lower end of the squeezer 30 can be adjusted by using the rotation mechanism 50 described above to rotate the squeezer 30 and by devising the shape of a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the squeezer 30. Therefore, laminates can be manufactured continuously with a simple configuration. Furthermore, because the downstream squeezer section 32 supports only the locking core member 10A, a long time can be ensured before the next block core G is discharged each time one is discharged, and rolling and replacement of the receiving jig 40 can be performed without stopping the apparatus.

[0072] As an option, in the above embodiment, of the four core members 10 that make up one block core G, the two downstream members are locking core members 10A and the two upstream members are non-locking core members 10B, but instead, only the downstream member may be a locking core member 10A. Increasing the number of non-locking core members 10B that make up one block core G makes it possible to ensure a longer time until the core members 10 included in the next block core G are carried out from the squeeze 30.

[0073] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, all of which are included in the technical concept of the present disclosure.

[0074] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference was individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and set forth in its entirety herein.

[0075] The use of nouns and similar referents in connection with the description of this disclosure (particularly in connection with the claims that follow) shall be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The words "comprises," "has," "includes," and "comprises" shall be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to"), unless otherwise noted. The recitation of numerical ranges herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method for referring individually to each value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Any example or exemplary language used herein (e.g., "such as"), unless otherwise claimed, is intended merely to better illustrate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the present disclosure.

[0076] Preferred embodiments of the disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. Variations of these preferred embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor expects that skilled persons will apply such variations as appropriate, and intends to practice the disclosure otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, this disclosure includes any combination of the above-described elements in all variations thereof unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a laminate, comprising: a supply mechanism capable of supplying a plurality of iron core members having first locking portions at a plurality of locations on their outer peripheral surface; a squeeze box having a transport path formed in the center thereof along which the plurality of iron core members supplied from the supply mechanism are transported in a stacked state, the squeeze box having a plurality of second locking portions around the transport path; a rotation mechanism that rotates the squeeze box about an axis along a transport direction of the plurality of iron core members transported within the transport path; and a receiving member that receives the plurality of iron core members unloaded from the downstream end of the squeeze box in the transport direction, wherein the rotation mechanism rotates the squeeze box to either a first rotation position where the first locking portion of one of the plurality of iron core members supplied to the upstream end of the squeeze box in the transport direction is locked with the second locking portion, or a second rotation position where the first locking portion of the one iron core member is not locked with the second locking portion.

2. The laminate manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supply mechanism comprises: a conveying mechanism that conveys the metal plate along a direction intersecting the conveying direction; and a die that is capable of sequentially punching out and forming the multiple core components of the same shape from the metal plate conveyed by the conveying mechanism.

3. The laminate manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of iron core members are stacked to form a block core, and the block core is formed individually or in multiples by stacking to form a motor core, and the rotation mechanism sets the squeeze to the first rotation position when one or more iron core members located on one end side of the block core are supplied to the upstream end of the squeeze in the conveying direction.

4. A method for manufacturing a laminate, comprising: a step of acquiring information about a block core composed of a plurality of iron core members having first locking portions at multiple locations on their outer peripheral surface; a step of identifying, based on the information about the block core, whether or not the first locking portion of one of the plurality of iron core members supplied to one end of a squeeze should be locked by the second locking portion of the squeeze; a step of rotating the squeeze based on the result of the identification, wherein the squeeze is rotated to either a first rotational position where the first locking portion of the one iron core member is locked by the second locking portion, or a second rotational position where the first locking portion of the one iron core member is not locked by the second locking portion; and a step of supplying the one iron core member to one end of the squeeze.

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