Motor manufacturing device and motor manufacturing method

Abstract

This motor manufacturing device includes: a mold which holds a motor core including a plurality of resin filling sections from an axial direction; a resin material supply device which is formed in the mold and supplies a resin material to a resin material filling path one end of which communicates with the resin filling sections; and a heater which heats the motor core held by the mold from the inner side and / or the outer side in a direction intersecting the axial direction.

Description

Motor manufacturing device and motor manufacturing method

[0001] The technology of the present disclosure relates to a motor manufacturing apparatus and a motor manufacturing method.

[0002] Some rotating electrical machines have permanent magnets attached to their motor cores, such as rotor cores. A known method for attaching permanent magnets to a motor core is to insert the permanent magnets into slots in the motor core, then fill the surrounding area with a resin material and allow it to harden in order to secure the magnets in place.

[0003] For example, Patent No. 4855123 describes a method in which molten resin raw material in a resin reservoir pot is pushed out with a plunger and injected into a magnet insertion hole, and then heated and hardened with a heating means in a mold, thereby fixing a permanent magnet in the magnet insertion hole.

[0004] In devices for attaching permanent magnets to slots in motor cores, such as that described in the aforementioned Patent No. 4855123, it is common to use a heating means provided in a mold to preheat the motor core and to heat the resin material for hardening. However, if the motor core held in the mold is large, for example, if its axial length is long, the axial center portion of the motor core is supported at a position away from the mold, which can cause uneven temperature distribution and make it impossible to achieve the desired temperature control.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a motor manufacturing apparatus and a motor manufacturing method that are capable of achieving desired temperature control of the entire motor core.

[0006] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a mold that holds a motor core, including a plurality of resin-filled portions, from the axial direction, a resin material supply device that supplies resin material to a resin material filling passage formed in the mold, one end of which is connected to the resin-filled portions, and a heater that heats the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction.

[0007] In such a motor manufacturing apparatus, the heater heats the motor core from at least one of the inside and outside, allowing the motor core to be heated evenly along its entire axial length, making it easier to control the temperature of the entire motor core.

[0008] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the motor core has a through hole extending along the axial direction in the center, and the heater includes a first heater inserted into the through hole of the motor core to heat the motor core.

[0009] In such a motor manufacturing apparatus, the motor core is heated from the inside by the first heater, allowing the motor core to be heated evenly along its entire axial length, making it easier to control the temperature of the entire motor core.

[0010] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater includes a second heater arranged on the outer periphery of the motor core held in the mold, the second heater intersecting the axial direction of the motor core, and heating the motor core.

[0011] In such a motor manufacturing apparatus, the motor core is heated from the outside by the second heater, allowing the motor core to be heated evenly along its entire axial length, making it easier to control the temperature of the entire motor core.

[0012] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the motor manufacturing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the second heater includes a plurality of block bodies each having a heat source therein, and an actuator that moves the plurality of block bodies toward and away from the motor core.

[0013] In this type of motor manufacturing device, the block body equipped with the heat source can be moved by an actuator, so that the block body can be reliably brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the motor core, enabling the motor core to be heated efficiently.

[0014] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the motor core has a through hole extending along the axial direction in the center and a plurality of small holes extending parallel to the through hole around the through hole, and the heater includes a third heater inserted into the small holes to heat the motor core.

[0015] In such a motor manufacturing apparatus, the motor core is heated from the inside by the third heater, allowing the motor core to be heated evenly along its entire axial length, making it easier to control the temperature of the entire motor core.

[0016] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the mold can hold a plurality of motor cores arranged in the axial direction with a pallet member interposed between the plurality of motor cores, and the pallet member includes communication holes that connect the resin-filled portions of adjacent motor cores.

[0017] In such a motor manufacturing device, resin material can be filled into the resin filling sections of multiple motor cores connected via pallet members all at once, thereby shortening the takt time compared to manufacturing motor cores one by one.

[0018] A motor manufacturing method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: using a mold to hold a motor core, which includes a plurality of resin-filled sections, from the axial direction; preheating the motor core; supplying resin material from a resin material supply device to a resin material filling passage formed in the mold, one end of which is connected to the resin-filled sections; hardening the resin material filled in the resin-filled sections; and using a heater to heat the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction, wherein the motor core is heated in at least one of the steps of supplying resin material to the resin material filling passage, hardening the resin material, and preheating the motor core.

[0019] In this type of motor manufacturing method, the motor core is heated by a heater from at least one of the inside and outside, allowing the motor core to be heated evenly along its entire axial length, making it easier to control the temperature of the entire motor core.

[0020] A motor manufacturing method according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is the motor manufacturing method according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater is composed of at least one of a first heater inserted into a through hole extending along the axial direction in the center of the motor core to heat the motor core, a second heater arranged on the outer periphery of the motor core held in the mold intersecting the axial direction to heat the motor core, and a third heater inserted into a plurality of small holes extending parallel to the through hole around the through hole to heat the motor core.

[0021] In such a method for manufacturing a motor, an optimum heater can be selected and used according to the shape of the motor core, etc.

[0022] A motor manufacturing method according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing method according to the seventh or eighth aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the step of using the mold to hold a motor core including a plurality of resin-filled portions from the axial direction includes the steps of arranging a plurality of the motor cores along the axial direction and interposing a pallet member between the plurality of motor cores so that the resin-filled portions of the motor cores adjacent to the pallet member are in communication with each other through communicating holes provided in the pallet member, and using the mold to hold the plurality of motor cores with the pallet member interposed from the axial direction.

[0023] In this type of motor manufacturing method, resin material can be filled into the resin filling sections of multiple motor cores connected via pallet members all at once, thereby shortening the takt time compared to manufacturing the motor cores one by one.

[0024] A motor control method according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing method according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the step of using the heater to heat the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction further includes a step of using a mold heater provided in the mold to heat the motor core held in the mold from the axial direction.

[0025] In this type of motor manufacturing method, the motor core can be heated using both a heater and a mold heater, making it relatively easy to heat the entire motor core uniformly compared to when fewer heaters are used.

[0026] A motor control method according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is a motor manufacturing method according to any one of the seventh to tenth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the heater is equipped with a plurality of temperature sensors arranged along the axial direction to measure the temperature of the motor core, and the process of using the heater to heat the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction controls the temperature of the heater based on the measurement results of the plurality of temperature sensors.

[0027] In such a motor manufacturing method, the temperature of the motor core can be reflected in the temperature control of the heater, making it easier to control the temperature of the entire motor core.

[0028] According to the motor manufacturing apparatus and motor manufacturing method of the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve desired temperature control of the entire motor core.

[0029] 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows an example of a motor core used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a motor manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which softened resin material is filled into slots in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating a case in which one motor core is held in a mold of the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a motor manufacturing method according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 11A. FIG. 11B is a plan view of one block body in a modified example of the second heater, as viewed from above. FIG. 11C is a view from the direction of arrow C in FIG.

[0030] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-054451, filed on March 28, 2024, 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.

[0031] 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 technologies. Furthermore, identical or similar reference numerals will be used for identical or corresponding components in the drawings, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, when a plurality of identical or corresponding components are included in the drawings, only some of them may be referenced to make the drawings easier to understand.

[0032] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a motor core used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . Note that FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of the motor in cross section to facilitate understanding of the structure. Also, FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the rotor core 1 and the permanent magnets 4 are separated. A motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can be used as an apparatus for attaching permanent magnets 4 to a motor core, for example, a rotor core 1 constituting an inner rotor motor as shown in FIG. 2 . The permanent magnets 4 can be attached to the rotor core 1 by resin molding using a resin material P. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the permanent magnets 4 are attached to two rotor cores 1 (to distinguish between them, the upper rotor core is illustrated as rotor core 1A and the lower rotor core is illustrated as rotor core 1B in FIG. 1 ). The term "motor" used in this specification also refers to a semi-finished product in which some components are attached to the motor core.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the rotor core 1 is exemplified as the motor core machined by the motor manufacturing apparatus 10, and the slots 3 of the rotor core 1 are exemplified as the resin-filled portions of the motor core, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Specifically, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 can also be used to resin-mold the coil-wound portions of a stator core serving as a motor core, or to fill resin into through-holes provided in the axial direction of an uncrimped laminated core to fix the laminated core together. Furthermore, in the following description, for ease of understanding, the X direction shown in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the left-right direction, the Y direction as the front-rear direction, and the Z direction as the up-down direction.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2 , the rotor core 1 may be formed of a substantially cylindrical magnetic body made of multiple thin electromagnetic steel sheets laminated together. A through hole 2 extending along the axial direction may be provided in the center of the rotor core 1, in other words, the axial center portion. A shaft (not shown) that constitutes a rotating shaft when assembled into a motor may be inserted into this through hole 2. The rotor core 1 may also have multiple (16 in FIG. 2 ) slots 3 extending along the axial direction and arranged annularly around the through hole 2 at predetermined intervals. The slots 3 may have a shape that allows insertion of permanent magnets 4, such as rectangular or arc-shaped through holes that penetrate the rotor core 1 in the axial direction, but the specific shape is not particularly limited. Similarly, the number of slots may be arbitrarily changed and may be adjusted appropriately between 10 and 40, for example.

[0035] The slots 3 of the rotor core 1 are an example of resin-filled portions into which permanent magnets 4 are inserted and fixed. The shape of the slots 3 may be adjusted to match the shape of the inserted permanent magnets. Furthermore, the permanent magnets 4 inserted into the slots 3 may be formed, for example, as rectangular parallelepiped or arc-shaped blocks slightly smaller than the slots 3. The permanent magnets 4 may or may not be magnetized when inserted into the slots 3. Furthermore, the permanent magnets 4 may or may not be divided in the stacking direction or in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. When the permanent magnets 4 are inserted into the slots 3, at least a partial gap is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the permanent magnets 4 and the inner circumferential surface of the slots 3. In the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the gaps formed in the slots 3 are filled with resin material P.

[0036] Furthermore, this rotor core 1 may have a plurality of small holes 5 (eight in FIG. 2 ) formed around the through hole 2 and extending parallel to the through hole 2. Providing these small holes 5 can reduce the overall weight of the rotor core 1. Note that the number, arrangement, and shape of the small holes 5 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 2 and can be changed as appropriate.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes at least an upper mold 21 and a lower mold 22 as examples of molds that hold the rotor core 1 in the axial direction, a resin material supply device 30 that supplies resin material P to a resin material filling path 25 formed in the upper mold 21 or the lower mold 22, and a heater 40 that heats the rotor core 1 held by the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction.

[0038] The upper die 21 is an example of a die, and its lower surface may be configured to abut against one axial end of the rotor core 1, more specifically, the upper end surface. This lower surface may be configured, for example, as a substantially flat surface so as to be in close contact with the rotor core 1. The upper surface of the upper die 21 may be fixed to the top plate 11. Furthermore, an upper die heater 23 may be disposed inside the upper die 21, which is capable of heating the upper die 21 and the rotor core 1 held by the upper die 21. For example, an infrared heater, a sheath heater, a cartridge heater, or a heater using a heat medium such as oil can be used as the upper die heater 23. The upper die heater 23 is an example of a die heater.

[0039] The lower mold 22 is an example of a mold, and its lower surface is disposed on the support base 12, and its upper surface may be configured to abut against the other axial end of the rotor core 1, more specifically, the lower end surface. Like the upper mold 21, a lower mold heater 24 capable of heating the lower mold 22 and the rotor core 1 held by the lower mold 22 may be disposed inside the lower mold 22. This lower mold heater 24 may also be, for example, an infrared heater, a sheathed heater, or a heater using a heat medium such as oil. Additionally, a resin material filling path 25 is provided inside the lower mold 22. One end of the path 25 communicates with the slots 3 of the rotor core 1 held by the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22, and the other end of the path 25 communicates with the resin material supply device 30. The lower mold heater 24 is an example of a mold heater.

[0040] The resin material filling path 25 may branch radially inside so that one end is connected to each slot 3 of the rotor core 1. The other end of the resin material filling path 25 may be connected to the upper part of the chamber 31 of the resin material supply device 30. In this embodiment, since the resin material supply device 30 is disposed on the support base 12 side, the resin material filling path 25 is provided in the lower mold 22 as an example. Therefore, for example, if the resin material supply device 30 is disposed on the top plate 11 side, the resin material filling path 25 may be provided in the upper mold 21.

[0041] 1, the above-described upper mold 21 and lower mold 22 can hold a plurality of rotor cores 1A, 1B. The plurality of rotor cores 1A, 1B held by the upper mold 21 and lower mold 22 are arranged side by side in the axial direction and are preferably aligned on the same axis so that the slots 3 of each rotor core communicate with each other. When the slots 3 of one rotor core 1A communicate with the slots 3 of the other rotor core 1B, the softened resin material P1 can be continuously and smoothly supplied into each slot 3.

[0042] To facilitate the task of arranging the multiple rotor cores 1A, 1B in an aligned state, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can use a pallet member 50 that supports the rotor cores 1A, 1B. The pallet member 50 can be made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as a metal plate. The upper and lower surfaces of the pallet member 50 function as abutment surfaces that abut against one end surfaces of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. The pallet member 50 is provided with positioning protrusions 51 that can position each of the rotor cores 1A, 1B when abutting against the rotor cores 1A, 1B. The positioning protrusions 51 can be inserted into the small holes 5 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B, for example, to position the rotor cores 1A, 1B relative to the pallet member 50. Note that, although the pallet member 50 according to this embodiment positions the rotor cores 1A, 1B using the positioning protrusions 51, the positioning protrusions 51 can be omitted if the rotor cores 1A, 1B can be positioned by other means.

[0043] Furthermore, the pallet member 50 may be provided with communication holes 52 penetrating its upper and lower surfaces to communicate the slots 3 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B positioned by the positioning protrusions 51. The communication holes 52 may extend linearly in the vertical direction to communicate the ends of the opposing slots 3 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. Therefore, the number of communication holes 52 provided in the pallet member 50 may be the same as the number of slots 3 of the rotor core 1.

[0044] By employing the above-described pallet member 50, multiple rotor cores can be easily stacked in the desired positional relationship. Note that, if the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 collectively attaches permanent magnets 4 to three or more rotor cores, it is advisable to interpose a pallet member 50 between each of the rotor cores. In other words, the number of pallet members 50 may be multiple, depending on the number of rotor cores.

[0045] The resin material supplying device 30 is a device for supplying the resin material P, more specifically, the softened resin material P1 (see FIG. 4 ), to the resin material filling path 25. The resin material supplying device 30 may include, for example, a chamber 31 capable of accommodating the resin material P, and a plunger 32 that presses the resin material P in the chamber 31 into the resin material filling path 25.

[0046] The chamber (sometimes called a "pot") 31 is configured as a space capable of accommodating the resin material P. The chamber 31 can be configured, for example, as a cylindrical through-hole provided in the support base 12. The upper end of this chamber 31 is connected to the other end of the resin material filling path 25. In this embodiment, the shape of the chamber 31 is exemplified as a cylindrical space, but the shape can be changed as appropriate to suit the shape of the resin material P to be charged. Specifically, when multiple resin materials P are charged, for example, multiple chambers 31 can be set. In addition, a chamber heater (not shown) for heating and softening the resin material P charged into the chamber 31 may be provided around the chamber 31.

[0047] The resin material P used in the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can be composed of a resin composition molded into a shape that can be accommodated in the chamber 31, for example, a cylindrical shape (sometimes called a tablet shape) having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the chamber 31. This resin material P can mainly contain a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, a phenolic resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, or a cyanate resin. In addition to the thermosetting resin, a curing agent, a filler, etc. may also be added to this resin material P.

[0048] The plunger 32 is capable of moving up and down within the chamber 31, and moving the resin material P introduced into the chamber 31 toward the resin material filling path 25. In the present embodiment, the plunger 32 has a lower surface formed by the upper surface of the plunger head closing the bottom of the chamber 31. The plunger 32 may also be connected to an actuator (not shown) so as to be movable up and down within the chamber 31. When the plunger 32 moves upward, the softened resin material P1 in the chamber 31 is pressed by the plunger 32 and flows into the resin material filling path 25. After passing through the resin material filling path 25, it is filled into the slot 3.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 1 , the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is capable of simultaneously attaching permanent magnets 4 to multiple rotor cores 1A, 1B. When attempting to simultaneously attach permanent magnets to multiple rotor cores using the motor manufacturing apparatus, the multiple rotor cores (and pallet members) are stacked axially and held between upper and lower molds. This means that the distance between the upper and lower molds increases in proportion to the number of rotor cores and the stack height. In such a case, if a conventional mold heater (e.g., upper mold heater 23 and lower mold heater 24) is used to preheat the rotor core and harden the softened resin material, variations in temperature and heating rate at each location can occur due to differences in distance from the mold heater. Specifically, the temperature and heating rate in areas relatively close to the mold heater are higher than those in areas relatively far from the mold heater. Such variations in temperature, etc. make it difficult to control the curing reaction of the resin material in the motor manufacturing equipment, and can cause the curing reaction to start prematurely, resulting in insufficient filling of the resin material or partial curing failure. In light of the above, the motor manufacturing equipment 10 according to this embodiment newly employs a heater 40, which enables the rotor core held in the mold to be heated evenly and without variation, thereby achieving the desired temperature control of the entire motor core.

[0050] Heater 40 heats rotor cores 1A, 1B held by upper mold 21 and lower mold 22 from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction of rotor cores 1A, 1B. Here, "heating" in this disclosure includes not only increasing the temperature but also maintaining a uniform temperature, that is, so-called heat retention. In this embodiment, heater 40 is exemplified by a first heater 40A that is inserted into through holes 2 of rotor cores 1A, 1B and heats rotor cores 1A, 1B from the inside in a direction intersecting the axial direction of rotor cores 1A, 1B.

[0051] The first heater 40A may include a first heater 41 and a jig 42 on which the rotor cores 1A, 1B, aligned with each other by a pallet member 50, are placed. The jig 42 is formed of a plate-shaped member and includes a support 43 at its center that is inserted into the through-holes 2 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. Inserting the support 43 into the through-holes 2 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B enables the rotor cores 1A, 1B to be positioned horizontally relative to the first heater 40A. The first heater 41 may be a heater similar to the upper die heater 23 and the lower die heater 24 described above, and preferably functions as a relatively long heat source. One or more (e.g., four) relatively long first heaters 41 may be disposed so as to extend the entire length of the support 43, as shown in FIG. 1 .

[0052] By adopting the above-described arrangement, the first heater 41 can heat the inside of the rotor cores 1A, 1B over substantially the entire axial length when the rotor cores 1A, 1B are placed on the jig 42 of the first heater 40A. This allows the rotor cores 1A, 1B, heated by the first heater 40A, to be heated evenly regardless of their axial positions. While the present embodiment illustrates an example in which the first heater 41 is adjusted in length and position to heat the entire axial length of the rotor cores 1A, 1B, it is sufficient for the first heater 41 to heat at least portions relatively far from the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22. Specifically, it is sufficient for the first heater 41 to heat the longitudinal center of the laminated body formed by the rotor cores 1A, 1B and the pallet member 50. In this case, it is preferable to achieve even heating by controlling the operation of the upper mold heater 23 and the lower mold heater 24 in accordance with the heating by the upper mold heater 23 and the lower mold heater 24. 1 is illustrated as being elongated along the extending direction of the support 43, the shape of the first heater 41 is not particularly limited. For example, the first heater 41 may have a shape extending in a spiral shape along the extending direction of the support 43, or a shape extending in a meandering manner along the extending direction of the support 43.

[0053] Furthermore, this first heater 40A is used with the jig 42 portion placed on the upper surface of the lower mold 22. In relation to this, it is preferable that a resin material passing hole 44 be provided at a position corresponding to one end of the resin material filling path 25 of the jig 42, for communicating the resin material filling path 25 with the slots 3 of the rotor core 1B placed on the jig 42.

[0054] The motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment may further include a control device 60 for controlling the above-described components. The control device 60 may be electrically connected to the above-described components and control their operation to realize any manufacturing process. The control device 60 may be communicatively connected to the components via wired or wireless communication, as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 1 , for example. The control device 60 may be realized using a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or a well-known computer. The control device 60 may also be configured using only one of the above-described computers or a combination of multiple computers.

[0055] By operating the above-mentioned components, this control device 60 can realize a motor manufacturing method using the motor manufacturing device of this embodiment, which will be described later. This motor manufacturing method can be provided in the form of a program such as software containing instructions for causing a computer processor constituting control device 60 to execute predetermined operations, in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which this program is stored, in the form of an application program provided via a network or the like, or in the form of a program product.

[0056] Next, a method for manufacturing a motor according to this embodiment will be described below, mainly with reference to Fig. 3. Note that the following describes, as an example, a case in which the method for manufacturing a motor according to this embodiment is performed on two rotor cores 1A and 1B using the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 described above. In this regard, the effects of the motor manufacturing method described below also serve as an explanation of the effects of the motor manufacturing apparatus 10.

[0057] The manufacturing method of the motor according to this embodiment includes at least a step of axially holding rotor cores 1A and 1B, each including a plurality of slots 3, using upper mold 21 and lower mold 22 (corresponding to step S04 described later), a step of preheating rotor cores 1A and 1B (corresponding to step S03 described later), a step of supplying resin material P from resin material supply device 30 to resin material filling passages 25 formed in lower mold 22, one end of which communicates with slots 3 (corresponding to step S06 described later), and a step of curing resin material P filled in slots 3. The method includes a step (corresponding to step S07 described later), and a step (corresponding to steps S03, S06, and S07 described later) of using a heater 40 to heat the rotor cores 1A and 1B held by the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction, wherein the rotor cores 1A and 1B are heated in at least one of the steps of supplying resin material P to the resin material filling path 25, hardening the resin material P, and preheating the rotor cores 1A and 1B.

[0058] Furthermore, the manufacturing method for the motor according to this embodiment may include, as the step of axially holding rotor cores 1A, 1B including a plurality of slots 3 using upper mold 21 and lower mold 22, a step of arranging a plurality of rotor cores 1A, 1B along the axial direction and interposing pallet members 50 between the plurality of rotor cores 1A, 1B so that the slots 3 of rotor cores 1A, 1B adjacent to pallet member 50 communicate with each other via communication holes 52 formed in pallet member 50 (corresponding to step S02 described later), and a step of axially holding the plurality of rotor cores 1A, 1B with pallet members 50 interposed therebetween using upper mold 21 and lower mold 22 (corresponding to step S04 described later). This will be described in more detail below.

[0059] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a manufacturing method for the motor according to the first embodiment. When the manufacturing method for the motor according to this embodiment begins, as shown in FIG. 3, first, a plurality of permanent magnets 4 and rotor cores 1A, 1B to which the permanent magnets 4 are to be attached are prepared, and the permanent magnets 4 are inserted into the slots 3 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B (step S01). Next, the rotor cores 1A, 1B with the permanent magnets 4 inserted are placed on the upper and lower surfaces of a pallet member 50, and positioning protrusions 51 are inserted into the small holes 5 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B to align them. This positions the pallet member 50 between the two rotor cores 1A, 1B (step S02).

[0060] Next, preheating of the upper mold 21, the lower mold 22, and the rotor cores 1A and 1B begins (step S03). Preheating of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 can be performed, for example, using the upper mold heater 23 and the lower mold heater 24. Alternatively, the first heater 40A fixed on the lower mold 22 can also be preheated by operating the first heater 41. Preheating of the rotor cores 1A and 1B can also be performed in a heating furnace (not shown). In this regard, step S03 may be performed before steps S01 and S02, or simultaneously with these steps. Note that step S04, which will be described later, can also be performed before the above-mentioned step S03. In this case, preheating of the rotor cores 1A and 1B can be performed using the first heater 41, or the first heater 41 and at least one of the upper mold heater 23 and the lower mold heater 24, instead of the above-mentioned heating furnace.

[0061] The preheating temperature of the upper mold 21, the lower mold 22 and the rotor cores 1A, 1B can be, for example, about 100 to 200° C. In addition, in parallel with the preheating of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22, it is preferable to also preheat the chamber 31 using a chamber heater (not shown).

[0062] Next, the rotor cores 1A, 1B, more specifically, the laminated assembly formed of the two rotor cores 1A, 1B and the pallet member 50, is held by the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 (step S04). This holding can be achieved by placing the laminated assembly including the rotor cores 1A, 1B on the first heater 40A fixed on the lower mold 22, and then operating the top plate 11 to lower the upper mold 21 so that the lower surface of the upper mold 21 abuts against the upper end surface of the rotor core 1A. At this time, it is preferable that the upper mold 21 is adjusted to press the upper end surface of the rotor core 1A with a predetermined pressure. This allows the upper mold 21 and the upper end surface of the rotor core 1A, the lower end surface of the rotor core 1A and the upper surface of the pallet member 50, the lower surface of the pallet member 50 and the upper end surface of the rotor core 1B, the lower end surface of the rotor core 1B and the upper surface of the jig 42, and the lower surface of the jig 42 and the lower mold 22 to be in close contact with each other.

[0063] Next, the resin material P is introduced into the chamber 31 and heated and softened by a chamber heater (not shown) (step S05). The resin material P is heated in the chamber 31 in order to reduce the viscosity of the resin material P molded into a tablet shape and improve its fluidity. The resin material P heated to the softening temperature in the chamber 31 changes into a softened resin material P1 with a low viscosity.

[0064] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state in which softened resin material is filled into the slots in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . Once the softening of the resin material P is complete, the plunger 32 is then operated to fill the slots 3 with the softened resin material P1 (step S06). This filling is achieved by raising the plunger 32 to push the softened resin material P1 in the chamber 31 upward and supplying it into the resin filling path 25. In this embodiment, in step S06, the first heater 41 of the first heater 40A is operated to control the temperature of the rotor cores 1A and 1B. The first heater 41 heats the rotor cores 1A and 1B from the inside. This allows the entire rotor cores 1A and 1B to be adjusted to a uniform temperature. If the preheating shown in step S03 is performed using the first heater 41, this temperature control can be performed consecutively with the preheating operation.

[0065] In addition, the rotor cores 1A, 1B can be heated in the axial direction by operating at least one of the upper die heater 23 and the lower die heater 24 simultaneously with the operation of the first heater 41. In this way, by operating the upper die heater 23 and the lower die heater 24 in addition to the first heater 41 to heat the rotor cores 1A, 1B, it becomes possible to heat the entire rotor cores 1A, 1B uniformly and relatively easily.

[0066] As shown in Figure 4, the softened resin material P1 supplied into the resin material filling path 25 passes from the resin material filling path 25 through the resin material passing hole 44 of the jig 42 and is filled into the slots 3 of the rotor core 1B. As this filling progresses and the slots 3 of the rotor core 1B are filled with the softened resin material P1, the softened resin material P1 then flows from the slots 3 of the rotor core 1B through the communication holes 52 of the pallet member 50 and fills into the slots 3 of the rotor core 1A. Because temperature adjustment by the first heater 40A is continuously performed during the series of filling operations, the temperature of the resin material P can be stabilized.

[0067] Once the softened resin material P1 has been filled into each slot 3, the rotor cores 1A and 1B are heated to a high temperature to harden the softened resin material P1 in the slots 3 (step S07). Hardening the softened resin material P1 may include operating the first heater 41, the upper die heater 23, and the lower die heater 24 to a temperature higher than the preheating temperature shown in step S03 and the temperature during temperature control shown in step S06. Once the softened resin material P1 in the slots 3 has hardened, the permanent magnets 4 are fixed in the slots 3. At this time, the heating operation of the lower die heater 24 also hardens the softened resin material P1 and the like in the resin filling passages 25.

[0068] When the series of resin molding processes described above is completed, the upper mold 21 is raised to release the rotor, specifically the rotor cores 1A and 1B with the permanent magnets 4 fixed in the slots 3. Then, the rotor is carried out of the apparatus together with the pallet member 50 using a transport means (not shown) such as a robot arm (step S08). The carried-out rotor can be separated from the pallet member 50 and transferred to another manufacturing apparatus for, for example, fitting a shaft into the through hole 2.

[0069] Once the rotor has been removed, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 is cleaned (step S09). Cleaning the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 includes removing hardened resin (commonly referred to as "cull") from within the resin filling passage 25, the resin passage hole 44, etc. Once the removal of the cull is complete, a cleaning member such as a brush is used to clean the contact surfaces of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22, the inside of the chamber 31, the pallet member 50, the first heater 40A, etc., completing the series of manufacturing processes.

[0070] As described above, the motor manufacturing method and motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment employ the first heater 40A as the heater 40, thereby enabling the rotor cores 1A, 1B to be heated uniformly along their entire axial length. This allows the resin material P to be heated stably and uniformly, even when permanent magnets are attached to multiple motor cores at once, thereby preventing insufficient curing or filling of the resin material P. Note that this embodiment illustrates the case where the rotor cores 1A, 1B are heated using the first heater 40A in the three steps S03, S06, and S07. However, the above-described effects can be expected as long as heating using the first heater 40A is performed during at least one of the steps S03, S06, and S07.

[0071] FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating a case where one motor core is held in a mold of the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . In the above-described embodiment, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 is used to attach permanent magnets 4 to multiple rotor cores 1A and 1B at once. However, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 can also be used to attach permanent magnets 4 to a single rotor core. In this case, the above-described exceptional effects can be similarly expected when the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 is used to manufacture a relatively large motor with a long axial length, such as a motor for a vehicle. Specifically, when a rotor core 1C with a long axial length, such as the rotor core 1C shown in FIG. 5, is heated using a conventional heating method, variations in temperature and the like can occur, similar to the case where permanent magnets 4 are attached to multiple rotor cores at once. Therefore, when attaching permanent magnets 4 to such a rotor core 1C, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can achieve stable heating with reduced variations in temperature and the like.

[0072] Second Embodiment In the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment described above, the first heater 40A is used as the heater 40, but the heater 40 of the present disclosure is not limited to the first heater 40A. Therefore, a motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to a second embodiment will be described below, in which a second heater 40B is used in addition to the first heater 40A. The motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment shares a structure with the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, except for the inclusion of the second heater 40B. Therefore, in the following description, components similar to those of the motor manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0073] Fig. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to this embodiment includes, as heater 40, in addition to the first heater 40A described above, a second heater 40B that is disposed around the rotor cores 1A, 1B held by the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rotor cores 1A, 1B and heats the rotor cores 1A, 1B.

[0074] The second heater 40B heats the rotor cores 1A, 1B from the outside by means of second heaters 45 disposed outside the rotor cores 1A, 1B held by the upper die 21 and the lower die 22. A specific structure of the second heater 40B can include, for example, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, a plurality of block bodies 46 (four in Figure 7) each housing a second heater 45 therein, and an actuator 47 that moves the plurality of block bodies 46 in directions toward and away from the rotor cores 1A, 1B held by the upper die 21 and the lower die 22.

[0075] The block body 46 may be formed of a member whose surface facing the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotor cores 1A, 1B is curved in an arc along the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. Aluminum is preferably used as the material for the block body 46 because of its high thermal conductivity and the fact that it is less likely to damage the rotor cores 1A, 1B when it comes into contact with them. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 , the block body 46 is a substantially arc-shaped member in a plan view whose vertical length is adjusted to be approximately the same as the support columns 43 of the first heater 40A, and may be formed of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as a metal member. These substantially arc-shaped block bodies 46 may be arranged, for example, one on each of the four sides, so as to surround the outer peripheries of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. A second heater 45 is disposed inside the block body 46 along the surface facing the rotor cores 1A, 1B. The second heater 45 can be a heater similar to the first heater 41, and preferably functions as a relatively long heat source. One or more (e.g., five) relatively long second heaters 45 are preferably disposed so as to extend over the entire vertical length of each block body 46, as shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, it is preferable that the second heaters 45 be disposed over the entire block body 46, since this reduces the likelihood of uneven heating when heating the rotor cores 1A, 1B.

[0076] The actuator 47 moves the block body 46. This actuator 47 can be configured with a ball screw, a solenoid, a single-axis robot, or the like. By operating the actuator 47, each block body 46 can be moved toward or away from the rotor cores 1A, 1B held by the upper die 21 and the lower die 22. When heating the rotor cores 1A, 1B using the second heater 45, the actuator 47 is operated to bring the block body 46 into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. This allows heat from the second heater 45 to be efficiently transferred to the rotor cores 1A, 1B.

[0077] Here, when the multiple block bodies 46 abut against the rotor cores 1A, 1B, a small gap G may be formed between adjacent block bodies 46. The position of each block body 46 may be adjusted so that this gap G is located in an outer circumferential portion corresponding to a position of the rotor cores 1A, 1B where no slots 3 are provided. By arranging the gap G in this manner, it is possible to prevent the slots 3 close to the gap G from being locally insufficiently heated.

[0078] By adopting the above-described arrangement within the block body 46, the second heater 45 can heat the outside of the rotor cores 1A, 1B over substantially the entire axial length when the block body 46 abuts against the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. This allows the rotor cores 1A, 1B, heated by the first heater 40A and the second heater 40B, to be heated evenly over the entire axial length. Note that, in the present embodiment, the second heater 45 is adjusted in length and arrangement to heat the entire axial length of the rotor cores 1A, 1B. However, like the first heater 41, the second heater 45 only needs to be able to heat at least portions relatively far from the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22. Specifically, it is only necessary for the second heater 45 to be able to heat the longitudinal center of the laminated body formed by the rotor cores 1A, 1B and the pallet member 50. 6 illustrates an example in which multiple long second heaters 45 are arranged in the vertical direction of block body 46, but the shape and arrangement are not particularly limited. For example, the second heaters 45 may be shaped to extend in a serpentine manner along the extension direction of block body 46, or multiple long second heaters 45 may be arranged in the axial direction at predetermined intervals, extending along surfaces facing the outer peripheral surfaces of rotor cores 1A, 1B.

[0079] As described above, motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to this embodiment employs two heaters 40, the first heater 40A and the second heater 40B, thereby enabling rotor cores 1A, 1B to be heated more uniformly and stably. In particular, when the motor core has slots 3 relatively close to the outer periphery as shown in FIG. 2, employing second heater 40B allows for more efficient heating of softened resin material P1 filled into slots 3.

[0080] Next, a method for manufacturing a motor according to this embodiment will be described below, mainly with reference to Fig. 8. Note that the following describes, as an example, a case in which the method for manufacturing a motor according to this embodiment is performed on two rotor cores 1A and 1B using the motor manufacturing apparatus 10A described above. In this regard, the effects of the motor manufacturing method described below also serve as an explanation of the effects of the motor manufacturing apparatus 10A.

[0081] 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a motor according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the method for manufacturing a motor according to this embodiment includes the same steps as the method for manufacturing a motor according to the first embodiment described above, except that it includes a step related to second heater 40B (specifically, step S10). Therefore, only the steps unique to this embodiment will be described in detail below, and the points common to the method for manufacturing a motor according to the first embodiment will be described in a simplified manner, with the details of these steps being the same as those described in the first embodiment.

[0082] 8, the manufacturing method for the motor according to this embodiment begins by inserting permanent magnets 4 into the slots 3 of the rotor cores 1A and 1B (step S01). Next, a pallet member 50 is interposed between the rotor cores 1A and 1B into which the permanent magnets 4 have been inserted (step S02). Next, preheating of the upper mold 21, the lower mold 22, and the rotor cores 1A and 1B begins (step S03). The upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 can be preheated using, for example, an upper mold heater 23 and a lower mold heater 24. Alternatively, the rotor cores 1A and 1B can be preheated in a heating furnace (not shown). Alternatively, as in the first embodiment, step S04 described below can be performed before step S03 described above, and the rotor cores 1A and 1B can be preheated using at least one of the first heater 41 and the second heater 45 instead of a heating furnace, or at least one of the first heater 41 and the second heater 45 and at least one of the upper mold heater 23 and the lower mold heater 24.

[0083] Next, a stack made up of two rotor cores 1A, 1B and pallet member 50 is placed on first heater 40A and held by upper mold 21 and lower mold 22 (step S04). Once rotor cores 1A, 1B are placed on first heater 40A fixed to lower mold 22, preparations for heating by second heater 40B begin. More specifically, actuator 47 is operated to move block body 46 in a direction approaching rotor cores 1A, 1B, and the surface of block body 46 facing rotor cores 1A, 1B is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of rotor cores 1A, 1B (step S10).

[0084] Next, to soften the resin material P in the chamber 31, a chamber heater (not shown) is operated to heat and soften the resin material P (step S05). Once the softening of the resin material P is complete, the plunger 32 is operated to fill the slots 3 with the softened resin material P1 (step S06). In this embodiment, in step S06, the first heater 41 of the first heater 40A and the second heater 45 of the second heater 40B are operated to control the temperature of the rotor cores 1A and 1B. The first heater 41 and the second heater 45 heat the rotor cores 1A and 1B from the inside and outside, respectively, so that the entire rotor cores 1A and 1B are adjusted to a uniform temperature. Also in this embodiment, in addition to or instead of the first heater 41 and the second heater 45, at least one of the upper mold heater 23 and the lower mold heater 24 may be operated to heat the rotor cores 1A and 1B from the axial direction.

[0085] Once the softened resin material P1 has been filled into each slot 3, the rotor cores 1A and 1B are heated to a high temperature to harden the softened resin material P1 in the slots 3 (step S07). Hardening the softened resin material P1 includes operating the first heater 41, the second heater 45, the upper die heater 23, and the lower die heater 24 to a temperature higher than the preheating temperature shown in step S04 or the temperature during temperature control shown in step S06. Once the softened resin material P1 in the slots 3 has hardened, the permanent magnets 4 are fixed in the slots 3. Note that the hardening of the softened resin material P1 in step S07 can also be performed using two heaters, the upper die heater 23 and the lower die heater 24.

[0086] When the series of resin molding processes described above is complete, actuator 47 is operated to move block body 46 in a direction away from rotor cores 1A, 1B (for example, to the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 7), and then upper mold 21 is raised to release the rotors, specifically rotor cores 1A, 1B with permanent magnets 4 fixed in slots 3. Then, this rotor is carried out of the apparatus together with pallet member 50 (step S08). Then, after the rotors have been carried out, motor manufacturing apparatus 10A is cleaned (step S09), completing the series of manufacturing processes.

[0087] As described above, in the motor manufacturing method and motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to this embodiment, the rotor cores 1A, 1B can be heated evenly along their entire axial length by employing the first heater 40A and the second heater 40B as the heaters 40. This allows stable temperature control of the resin material P without variation, and prevents insufficient curing or filling of the resin material P.

[0088] In the second embodiment, the second heater 40B is exemplified as using block bodies 46 that are moved horizontally by actuators 47. However, the second heater 40B is not limited to this structure as long as it is capable of heating rotor cores 1A, 1B from the outside. Specifically, for example, the block bodies 46 may be fixed to the jig 42 that constitutes the first heater 40A. In addition, in the second embodiment, the four block bodies 46 are moved horizontally to abut against the outer peripheral surfaces of rotor cores 1A, 1B. However, the block bodies 46 may be cylindrical and moved up and down by actuators to abut against the outer peripheral surfaces of rotor cores 1A, 1B.

[0089] Third Embodiment In the motor manufacturing apparatuses 10 and 10A according to the first and second embodiments described above, the first heater 40A is used as the heater 40. However, the heater 40 of the present disclosure is not limited to the first heater 40A. Therefore, a motor manufacturing apparatus 10B according to a third embodiment will be described below, in which the second heater 40B and the third heater 40C are used as the heater 40. The motor manufacturing apparatus 10B according to the third embodiment shares a structure with the motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment, except for the use of the third heater 40C instead of the first heater 40A. Therefore, in the following description, the same components as those in the motor manufacturing apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. The following description will focus on the differences from the second embodiment.

[0090] Fig. 9 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to the third embodiment. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9, the motor manufacturing apparatus 10B according to this embodiment includes, as heater 40, in addition to the second heater 40B described above, a third heater 40C that is inserted into the small holes 5 of rotor cores 1A, 1B to heat rotor cores 1A, 1B from the inside.

[0091] The third heater 40C may include a third heater 48 and a jig 42A on which the rotor cores 1A, 1B are placed. The jig 42A is similar to the jig 42 of the first heater 40A in that it is formed of a plate-shaped member and has a resin material passage hole 44. However, the jig 42A differs from the first heater 40A in that it includes a plurality of small supports 49 instead of the support pillars 43. The plurality of small supports 49 have a shape that allows them to be inserted into the small holes 5 of the rotor cores 1A, 1B and are erected from the upper surface of the jig 42 in alignment with the positions of the small holes 5. The third heater 48 is disposed within the plurality of small supports 49. The third heater 48 may be a heater similar to the first heater 41 or the second heater 45, and preferably functions as a relatively long heat source. As shown in FIG. 9, the relatively long third heater 48 may be disposed inside each of the plurality of small pillars 49 so as to extend over the entire length of the pillar.

[0092] In relation to the fact that the third heater 40C includes small supports 49, the pallet member 50A used in this embodiment has a different shape from the pallet member 50 described in the first and second embodiments in that the positioning protrusions 51A are inserted into the through holes 2. By inserting the positioning protrusions 51A of this pallet member 50A into the through holes 2 of the rotor cores 1A and 1B, respectively, it is possible to align the rotor cores 1A and 1B with respect to the pallet member 50A.

[0093] By adopting the above-described arrangement, the third heater 48 can heat the inside of the rotor cores 1A, 1B over substantially the entire axial length when the rotor cores 1A, 1B are placed on the jig 42A of the third heater 40C. This allows the rotor cores 1A, 1B heated by the third heater 40C to be heated evenly regardless of their axial positions. While the third heater 48 is illustrated as having a length adjusted to heat the entire axial length of the rotor cores 1A, 1B, similar to the first heater 41 and the second heater 45, the third heater 48 only needs to be able to heat at least portions relatively far from the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22. Specifically, it is sufficient that the third heater 48 can heat the longitudinal center of the laminated body formed by the rotor cores 1A, 1B and the pallet member 50A.

[0094] The motor manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, which can be carried out using the motor manufacturing apparatus 10B described above, includes the same steps as the motor manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, except that the third heater 40C is used instead of the first heater 40A. Therefore, the same explanation as for the motor manufacturing method according to each of the above-described embodiments applies to the motor manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, and a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0095] As described above, in the motor manufacturing method and motor manufacturing apparatus 10B according to this embodiment, the rotor cores 1A, 1B can be heated evenly along their entire axial length by employing the second heater 40B and the third heater 40C as the heaters 40. This allows the resin material P to be heated stably and evenly, and prevents insufficient curing or filling of the resin material P.

[0096] In the above-described embodiments, the heater 40 is typically exemplified by the first heater 40A alone, the combination of the first heater 40A and the second heater 40B, and the combination of the second heater 40B and the third heater 40C, but the combinations of the heaters 40 are not limited to these. That is, the present disclosure also includes heaters 40 that employ only the second heater 40B, those that employ only the third heater 40C, or those that employ the first heater 40A and the third heater 40C.

[0097] <Modification> In the second and third embodiments described above, the second heater 40B has been exemplified as having a structure in which a plurality of second heaters 45 extending in the vertical direction are arranged at predetermined intervals inside a block body 46. However, the structure of the second heater is not limited to this. Therefore, the structure of a second heater 40B1 as a modification of the second heater will be described below mainly with reference to FIG. 11 . The structure of the second heater 40B1 may be similar to that of the second heater 40B, except for the arrangement of the second heaters 45 and the inclusion of a temperature sensor 70. Specifically, the second heater 40B1 may include four block bodies 46 whose inner circumferential surfaces are curved in an arc along the outer circumferential surface of the rotor core 1 (which may be rotor core 1A, 1B, or 1C), and an actuator 47 that moves the block bodies 46 toward and away from the rotor core 1 held by the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22. In the following, the same symbols will be used for the structures of the second heater 40B1 that are similar to those of the second heater 40B, and their explanations will be omitted, and the following explanation will focus on the differences from the second heater 40B.

[0098] Fig. 11 shows a modified example of the second heater, with Fig. 11A being a plan view of one block body seen from above and Fig. 11B being a view seen from the direction of arrow C in Fig. 11A. Fig. 11 describes the structure of one block body 46 included in the second heater 40B1, but the other block bodies 46 constituting the second heater 40B1 may also have a similar structure.

[0099] 11A and 11B, the second heaters 45A to 45C provided on the block body 46 of the second heater 40B1 are arranged such that multiple (three in FIG. 11B) planar heaters extending along the circumferential direction are lined up in the vertical direction on the inner peripheral surface of the block body 46 facing the rotor core 1. The second heaters 45A to 45C of the second heater 40B1 according to this modification may be composed of an upper heater 45A arranged adjacent to the upper mold 21, a lower heater 45C arranged adjacent to the lower mold 22, and a central heater 45B arranged between the upper heater 45A and the lower heater 45C. All of these three heaters 45A to 45C may be heaters having a substantially rectangular heating surface that faces and heats the outer peripheral surface of the rotor core 1 held between the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22.

[0100] Furthermore, one or more temperature sensors 70 may be disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the block body 46 on which the above-described second heaters 45A to 45C are provided. In this modified example, the temperature sensors 70 are disposed between the upper heater 45A and the central heater 45B, and between the central heater 45B and the lower heater 45C. The arrangement and number of temperature sensors 70 can be adjusted as appropriate as long as they are capable of measuring the temperature of the rotor core 1.

[0101] The temperature sensor 70 may be a sensor that directly measures the actual temperature by contacting an object, such as a magnet-type temperature sensor. In this regard, a hole capable of accommodating at least a portion of the temperature sensor 70 may be provided at the position of the block body 46 where the temperature sensor 70 is to be installed. In this manner, if multiple temperature sensors 70 are arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the block body 46, the temperature of the rotor core 1 can be measured in real time when the rotor core 1 is heated by the second heater 40B1. In this regard, when the rotor core 1 is heated using the second heater 40B1, it is preferable to control the output of the heaters 40, including the second heater 40B1, (specifically, feedback control) based on the measurement results of the multiple temperature sensors 70.

[0102] In addition, when a structure in which three or more heaters are arranged along the vertical direction on the inner circumferential surface of the block body 46, such as the second heater 40B1 described above, is adopted, adjusting the output of each heater makes it easier to achieve uniform heating of the rotor core 1. Specifically, for example, when the axial length of the rotor core 1 held between the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 is long, it is important to heat the axial center portion at the same temperature as other portions in order to achieve uniform heating of the entire rotor core 1. Therefore, among the second heaters of the block body 46, the output of the heater arranged in the vertical center portion of the second heater 40B1, specifically the central heater 45B, is made higher than the output of the heaters arranged at both ends of the second heater 40B1, specifically the upper heater 45A and the lower heater 45C. Adjusting the heater output in this manner makes it easier to achieve uniform heating of the entire rotor core 1. It is preferable that the entire rotor core 1 can be uniformly heated, because this can prevent the softened resin material P1 inside the rotor core 1 from unintentionally hardening or the softness of the softened resin material P1 from changing locally. Note that the heater structure using multiple heaters as described above can also be used for the first heater described above.

[0103] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. All of these modifications are included in the technical concept of the present disclosure. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified in the specification, each component of the present disclosure is not limited to one, and may be present in multiple forms.

[0104] In the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0105] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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.

[0108] 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. A motor manufacturing device comprising: a mold that holds a motor core, including a plurality of resin-filled portions, from the axial direction; a resin material supply device that supplies resin material to a resin material filling passage formed in the mold, one end of which communicates with the resin-filled portions; and a heater that heats the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction.

2. The motor manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the motor core has a through hole in the center extending along the axial direction, and the heater comprises a first heater inserted into the through hole of the motor core to heat the motor core.

3. The motor manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the heater includes a second heater disposed around the outer periphery of the motor core held in the mold in a direction intersecting the axial direction, and heating the motor core.

4. The motor manufacturing device according to claim 3, wherein the second heater comprises a plurality of block bodies each having a heat source therein, and an actuator that moves the plurality of block bodies in directions toward and away from the motor core.

5. A motor manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the motor core has a through hole in the center extending along the axial direction and a plurality of small holes extending around the through hole in parallel to the through hole, and the heater includes a third heater inserted into the small holes to heat the motor core.

6. A motor manufacturing device as described in claim 1, wherein the mold is capable of holding a plurality of the motor cores arranged in the axial direction with a pallet member interposed between the plurality of motor cores, and the pallet member has communication holes that allow the resin-filled portions of adjacent motor cores to communicate with each other.

7. A method for manufacturing a motor, comprising: a step of using a mold to hold a motor core, which includes a plurality of resin-filled portions, from the axial direction; a step of preheating the motor core; a step of supplying resin material from a resin material supply device to a resin material filling passage formed in the mold, one end of which communicates with the resin-filled portions; a step of hardening the resin material filled in the resin-filled portions; and a step of using a heater to heat the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction, wherein the motor core is heated in at least one of the steps of supplying resin material to the resin material filling passage, hardening the resin material, and preheating the motor core.

8. A method for manufacturing a motor as described in claim 7, wherein the heater is composed of at least one of: a first heater inserted into a through hole extending along the axial direction in the center of the motor core to heat the motor core; a second heater arranged on the outer periphery of the motor core held in the mold, intersecting the axial direction, to heat the motor core; and a third heater inserted into a plurality of small holes extending around the through hole in parallel to the through hole to heat the motor core.

9. A method for manufacturing a motor as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step of using the mold to hold a motor core including a plurality of resin-filled portions in the axial direction comprises the steps of: arranging a plurality of the motor cores along the axial direction and interposing pallet members between the plurality of motor cores so that the resin-filled portions of the motor cores adjacent to the pallet member communicate with each other through communication holes provided in the pallet members; and using the mold to hold the plurality of motor cores with the pallet members interposed in the axial direction.

10. A motor manufacturing method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step of using the heater to heat the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction further includes the step of using a mold heater provided in the mold to heat the motor core held in the mold from the axial direction.

11. A motor manufacturing method as described in claim 7, wherein the heater is provided with a plurality of temperature sensors arranged along the axial direction to measure the temperature of the motor core, and the step of using the heater to heat the motor core held in the mold from at least one of the inside and outside in a direction intersecting the axial direction controls the temperature of the heater based on the measurement results of the plurality of temperature sensors.

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