Mold device, motor manufacturing device, and motor manufacturing method

Abstract

This mold device is capable of holding a motor core including a plurality of resin filling portions, and includes: a first mold and a second mold which abut against both ends of the motor core in the axial direction; and a resin filling path which is provided in the first mold and which is for filling the plurality of resin filling portions with resin material. The resin filling path includes: an annular resin supply port which opens on the surface of the first mold opposite from the surface that abuts against the motor core, a plurality of first resin injection ports which open on the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core and which communicate with at least a portion of the plurality of resin filling portions when the motor core is held; and runners which extend from the annular resin supply port toward the first resin injection ports.

Description

Die device, motor manufacturing device, and motor manufacturing method

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

[0002] Some rotating electrical machines have permanent magnets attached to a motor core, such as a rotor core, which has multiple slots arranged in an annular shape at predetermined intervals. One known method for attaching permanent magnets to a motor core is to insert the permanent magnets into the slots, then fill the surrounding area with resin and allow it to harden.

[0003] JP 2019-134566 A describes a method for filling a magnet insertion hole in a rotor core with resin as a filler by placing tablet-shaped resin in a filler supply section (sometimes called a "pot") and heating it to soften and melt it before filling.

[0004] When the motor core itself is large, such as a motor core used in a motor mounted on a vehicle, the amount of resin filling increases due to factors such as larger slots, an increased number of slots, and a higher stack height. Here, when a cylindrical pot is formed in the center of the mold, as in JP 2019-134566 A, the slots of the motor core are generally arranged on the outer periphery of the motor core, so the distance from the pot to the slot is relatively long. Therefore, the total length of the resin filling path formed in the mold also increases. A longer resin filling path leads to an increase in the size of the resin that hardens within the resin filling path (commonly referred to as a "cull") during the process of filling and hardening the resin into the slot. A larger cull increases the amount of resin material used for each resin filling.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure provides a mold device, a motor manufacturing device, and a motor manufacturing method that reduce the amount of resin material used.

[0006] A mold apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a mold apparatus capable of holding a motor core including a plurality of resin filling portions, and comprises a first mold and a second mold that abut against both axial ends of the motor core, and a resin filling passage provided in the first mold for filling the plurality of resin filling portions with resin material, wherein the resin filling passage includes an annular resin supply port that opens on the surface of the first mold opposite the surface that abuts against the motor core, a plurality of first resin injection ports that open on the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core and communicate with at least a portion of the plurality of resin filling portions when the motor core is held, and a runner extending from the annular resin supply port toward the first resin injection port.

[0007] In the above-described mold apparatus, the resin filling passage includes an annular resin supply port, which allows the distance between the resin supply port and the first resin injection port to be shortened without substantially increasing the volume of the resin supply port itself, compared to conventional cylindrical resin supply ports. This shortens the overall length of the resin filling passage, including the runner, and reduces the amount of resin required to fill the motor core. Furthermore, while a cylindrical resin supply port creates a space for the resin to harden in the center of the resin supply port, an annular resin supply port eliminates this space, thereby reducing the amount of resin that hardens within the resin filling passage. Furthermore, because the runner connects the annular resin supply port and the first resin injection port, there is no need to change the size of the annular resin supply port to match the arrangement of the resin filling section. This allows the same annular resin to be used to fill various motor cores with different resin filling section arrangements.

[0008] A mold apparatus according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the mold apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, further including a plurality of second resin injection ports extending along the axial direction of the motor core from the end of the annular resin supply port to the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core, and communicating with at least a portion of the plurality of resin filling sections when the motor core is held.

[0009] The mold device described above includes a second resin inlet in addition to the first resin inlet, allowing for an optimal resin inlet layout that matches the position of the resin filling portion of the motor core. Furthermore, because the second resin inlet extends directly from the annular resin supply port to the resin filling portion, the overall length of the resin filling path can be reduced.

[0010] A mold device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a mold device according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the inner diameter of the annular resin supply port is larger than the outer diameter of the through hole formed in the center of the motor core, and the outer diameter of the annular resin supply port is smaller than the outer diameter of the motor core.

[0011] In the above-described mold device, the strength of the lower mold can be supplemented by the motor core, so the lower mold can be made thinner and the overall length of the resin filling path can be made shorter.

[0012] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure includes a mold apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present disclosure, a chamber that communicates with the annular resin supply port and is capable of containing an annular resin material therein, a plunger that is provided within the chamber and is capable of pressing the annular resin material, and a heater that heats the annular resin material.

[0013] In the motor manufacturing apparatus described above, the resin filling passage of the mold assembly includes an annular resin supply port. This allows for a shorter distance between the resin supply port and the first resin injection port without substantially increasing the volume of the resin supply port itself, compared to a conventional cylindrical resin supply port. This shortens the overall length of the resin filling passage, including the runner, and reduces the amount of resin required to fill the motor core. Furthermore, while a cylindrical resin supply port creates a space for the resin to harden in the center of the resin supply port, an annular resin supply port eliminates this space, reducing the amount of resin that hardens within the resin filling passage. Furthermore, because the size of the annular resin supply port does not need to be adjusted to accommodate the slot arrangement of the motor core, the size of the chamber connected to the annular resin supply port does not need to be adjusted to accommodate the motor core's shape.

[0014] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the motor manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the chamber is an annular chamber capable of accommodating the annular resin material, and the plunger is an annular plunger capable of moving within the chamber.

[0015] In the motor manufacturing apparatus described above, by making the chamber and plunger annular in shape, just like the annular resin material, the resin that has been heated and softened in the chamber can be supplied to the annular resin supply port without waste simply by operating the plunger.

[0016] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the motor manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the heater is arranged within the mold device and around the chamber.

[0017] In the motor manufacturing apparatus as described above, the softening and hardening reactions of the annular resin material can be adjusted with high precision.

[0018] A motor manufacturing method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: pouring an annular resin material into a chamber; holding a motor core including a plurality of resin-filled portions in a mold device, the mold device including a first mold and a second mold that abut against both axial ends of the motor core, and a resin filling passage provided in the first mold for filling the plurality of resin-filled portions with the annular resin material; heating and softening the annular resin material in the chamber; and operating a plunger that is movable within the chamber to extract resin from the softened annular resin material in the chamber. the softened resin comprising the resin filling passage into the plurality of resin filling sections via the resin filling passage, wherein the resin filling passage comprises: an annular resin supply port opening on the surface of the first mold opposite the surface that abuts against the motor core; a plurality of first resin injection ports that open on the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core and communicate with at least a portion of the plurality of resin filling sections when the motor core is held; and a runner extending from the annular resin supply port toward the first resin injection port; and a process of hardening the softened resin filled into the plurality of resin filling sections.

[0019] In the motor manufacturing method described above, the resin filling passage of the mold assembly includes an annular resin supply port. This allows the distance between the resin supply port and the first resin injection port to be shortened without substantially increasing the volume of the resin supply port itself, compared to when a conventional cylindrical resin supply port is used. This shortens the overall length of the resin filling passage, including the runner, and reduces the amount of resin required to fill the motor core. Furthermore, while a cylindrical resin supply port creates a space in the center of the resin supply port where the resin hardens, an annular resin supply port eliminates this space, reducing the amount of resin that hardens within the resin filling passage.

[0020] According to the mold device, motor manufacturing device, and motor manufacturing method of the present disclosure, the amount of resin material used can be reduced.

[0021] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a rotor core used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a rotor core used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of annular resin used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a view showing the lower mold of the mold apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from below; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a motor manufacturing method according to the first embodiment; FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the motor manufacturing apparatus when the motor manufacturing method shown in FIG. 5 is performed; FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the motor manufacturing apparatus when the motor manufacturing method shown in FIG. 5 is performed; FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the motor manufacturing apparatus when the motor manufacturing method shown in FIG. 5 is performed; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the motor manufacturing apparatus when the motor manufacturing method shown in FIG. 5 is performed;

[0022] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-077333, filed on May 10, 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 set forth 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.

[0023] 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 corresponding components in the drawings will be given the same or similar reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, when a single drawing includes multiple identical or corresponding components, only some of them may be given reference numerals to make the drawing easier to understand.

[0024] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. The motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment may be an apparatus for attaching permanent magnets 3 to slots 4, which are an example of resin-filled portions formed in a motor core, such as an inner-rotor rotor core 2. The permanent magnets 3 may be attached by resin molding. While the rotor core 2 is used as an example of the motor core in this embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Specifically, the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 may be used to resin-mold the coil-wound portion of a stator core serving as a motor core, or to fill axial through-holes in an uncrimped laminated core with resin to secure the laminated core together. In this specification, the term "motor" also refers to a semi-finished product in which some components are attached to the motor core. Furthermore, in the following description, for ease of understanding, the X direction 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.

[0025] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an example of a rotor core, which is used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2B is a plan view showing an example of a rotor core, which is used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 2A , the rotor core 2 can be formed of a substantially cylindrical magnetic body made of multiple thin electromagnetic steel sheets stacked together. A through hole 5 may be provided in the axial center of the rotor core 2, into which a shaft constituting a rotating shaft is inserted when assembled into a motor. The rotor core 2 may also have a plurality of slots 4 (16 in FIGS. 2A and 2B ) arranged annularly at predetermined intervals, extending along the axial direction of the rotor core 2 and surrounding the through hole 5. The slots 4 can be configured in a shape that allows insertion of permanent magnets 3, such as through holes with a rectangular or arc-shaped cross section that penetrate the rotor core 2 in the thickness direction, but the specific shape is not particularly limited. Similarly, the number of slots can be arbitrarily changed and can be appropriately adjusted within a range of, for example, approximately 10 to 100. 2B shows a state in which permanent magnets 3 are inserted into slots 4. Also, the rotor core 2 and related resin filling passages 25, etc. in FIG. 1 are shown in cross section taken along line A-A in FIG. 2B, but the dimensions have been adjusted so that the structure of the slot 4 portion in particular can be easily seen.

[0026] Permanent magnets 3 are inserted into and fixed in the slots 4 of the rotor core 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B , the permanent magnets 3 can be formed, for example, as rectangular parallelepiped or arc-shaped blocks slightly smaller than the slots 4. The permanent magnets 3 may or may not be magnetized when inserted into the slots 4. Furthermore, the permanent magnets 3 may or may not be divided in the stacking direction or in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. When the permanent magnets 3 are inserted into the slots 4, at least a partial gap is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the permanent magnets 3 and the inner circumferential surface of the slots 4. The gaps formed in the slots 4 serve as filling spaces into which resin is filled. When the rotor core 2 is placed on the lower mold 22, each of these filling spaces can communicate with the resin filling passages 25.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an annular resin used in the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . The resin to be filled into the slot 4 described above is provided to the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 as an annular resin material P as shown in FIG. 3 . The annular resin material P used in the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can be composed mainly of a thermosetting resin material. Specifically, the annular resin material P can be a material that mainly contains a thermosetting resin material such as an epoxy resin, a phenolic resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, or a cyanate resin. Furthermore, in addition to the thermosetting resin material, a curing agent, a filler, etc. may be added to this annular resin material P.

[0028] 3, the annular resin material P can be formed of a resin molded body molded into an annular, preferably circular, ring shape having a predetermined thickness. In other words, the annular resin material P according to this embodiment can be said to be a resin molded body molded into a doughnut shape having a through-hole H in the center. The detailed dimensions of this annular resin material P are preferably adjusted according to the shapes of the chamber 30 and the resin filling path 25, which will be described later, and the capacity of the slot 4.

[0029] 1, the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes at least a mold device 20 capable of holding a rotor core 2 including a plurality of slots 4, a chamber 30 capable of accommodating an annular resin material P therein, a plunger 35 provided in the chamber 30 and capable of pressing the annular resin material P, and a heater 40 for heating the annular resin material P. Furthermore, each of the above-described components can be housed within a manufacturing apparatus main body 10 or attached to an appropriate position of the manufacturing apparatus main body 10.

[0030] The manufacturing apparatus main body 10 may include a base 11, a plurality of (for example, four) support columns 12 erected on the surface of the base 11, and a top plate 13 supported at the tip portions of the support columns 12. The top plate 13 may have an upper mold 21 of a mold device 20 of the present embodiment, which will be described later, fixed to its lower surface, and may be able to be raised and lowered together with the support columns 12 and the upper mold 21 in the vertical direction using an actuator (not shown). The raising and lowering operation of the top plate 13 may be performed mainly when the rotor core 2 is held in the mold device 20 or when the rotor core 2 is carried out from the mold device 20.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the mold device 20 of this embodiment includes at least a lower mold 22 as an example of a first mold that abuts both axial ends of the rotor core 2, an upper mold 21 as an example of a second mold, and a resin filling path 25 provided in the lower mold 22 for filling resin into multiple slots 4.

[0032] The upper die 21 may support the rotor core 2 by abutting against the upper axial end of the rotor core 2, i.e., the upper surface of the rotor core 2. Furthermore, the upper die 21 may be movable up and down together with the top plate 13, as described above. When the rotor core 2 is placed on the lower die 22, the upper die 21 of the mold device 20 descends and presses the upper surface of the rotor core 2 with a predetermined pressing force, thereby holding the rotor core 2 between the upper die 21 and the lower die 22.

[0033] The lower die 22 may support the rotor core 2 by contacting the lower axial end of the rotor core 2, i.e., the lower surface of the rotor core 2. The lower die 22 may be placed on a support base 31 of a chamber 30, which will be described later. The lower die 22 may also be fixed to a lifter 26 that can raise and lower the lower die 22 in the vertical direction relative to the support base 31 described above.

[0034] The shapes, materials, etc. of the surfaces of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 that come into contact with the rotor core 2 can be adjusted so that the resin being filled does not leak out of the rotor core 2 when the resin is filled into the slots 4. Specifically, the contact surfaces can be adjusted so that when the rotor core 2 is sandwiched between the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22, they are in a sealed or semi-sealed state. The aforementioned semi-sealed state refers to a state in which the resin that has flowed into the slots 4 does not leak out, but a small gap is formed that allows air within the slots 4 to leak out.

[0035] In this embodiment, as described above, a structure is adopted in which the upper mold 21 moves up and down together with the top plate 13, but other structures can be adopted as long as they are structures that allow the relative vertical positions of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 to be changed. Specifically, for example, instead of moving the upper mold 21 up and down, a structure may be adopted in which the lower mold 22 moves up and down, or in which both the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 move up and down.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the slots 4 of the rotor core 2 are exemplified as rectangular parallelepiped slots that are open in the vertical direction and have substantially no gaps in the front-rear or left-right directions. In this regard, the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 have substantially flat contact surfaces, but the shapes of the contact surfaces of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 may be changed as appropriate to match the shape of the rotor core 2 to be held. For example, when the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is used for resin molding of an inner rotor type stator core, the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 may include protrusions that are inserted into spaces formed in the center of the stator core.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a view from below of the lower mold of the mold apparatus shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the resin filling path 25 is provided inside the lower mold 22, connecting the chamber 30 with the slots 4 of the rotor core 2 placed on the lower mold 22. The path structure of this resin filling path 25 may be changed according to the number and shape of the slots 4 of the rotor core 2 placed on the lower mold 22, the shape of the chamber 30, etc.

[0038] The resin filling path 25 also includes a ring-shaped resin supply port 61 that opens on the surface opposite to the upper surface of the lower mold 22 that abuts against the rotor core 2, i.e., the lower surface, a plurality of first resin injection ports 62 that open on the upper surface of the lower mold 22 and communicate with at least some of the plurality of slots 4 of the rotor core 2 when the mold device 20 holds the rotor core 2, and a runner 63 that extends from the ring-shaped resin supply port 61 toward the first resin injection port 62.

[0039] The annular resin supply port 61 is provided so as to cover the upper part of the chamber 30 described below, and functions as an inlet through which softened resin P1 (see FIG. 8) softened within the chamber 30 is supplied. In this embodiment, the annular resin supply port 61 has a circular shape when the lower surface of the lower mold 22 is viewed from below, which matches the shape of the chamber 30. Note that the term "annular" here does not only refer to an opening that is continuous in an annular shape, but may also include a shape in which a plurality of openings (e.g., arc-shaped) divided into a plurality of pieces along the circumferential direction are arranged in an annular shape.

[0040] Furthermore, one or more convex portions extending toward the opening of the annular resin supply port 61 may be provided on the upper surface of the annular resin supply port 61. By providing such convex portions, it is possible to reduce the amount of resin that hardens inside the annular resin supply port 61. The height of the convex portions should be adjusted so that they do not come into contact with the plunger 35 that moves when the softened resin P1 described above is supplied to the resin filling path 25.

[0041] The first resin injection inlets 62 open to the upper surface of the lower mold 22 and communicate with the plurality of slots 4 of the rotor core 2 placed on the lower mold 22, thereby functioning as an outlet for the softened resin P1 supplied from the chamber 30. As shown in FIG. 4 , a plurality of first resin injection inlets 62 may be arranged in a ring shape in a plan view at positions adjacent to the outer periphery of the lower mold 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the first resin injection inlets 62 are arranged such that their arrangement and number are adjusted so that each inlet communicates with all of the slots 4 of the rotor core 2 placed on the lower mold 22. Note that a plurality of first resin injection inlets 62 may communicate with one slot 4. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the first resin injection inlets 62 are arranged outside the annular resin supply inlet 61. However, instead of or in addition to this, the first resin injection inlets 62 may be arranged inside the annular resin supply inlet 61.

[0042] The runner 63 forms a passage connecting the annular resin supply port 61 and the first resin injection port 62. The path of the runner 63 is not particularly limited as long as it extends from the annular resin supply port 61 toward the first resin injection port 62, but for example, as shown in Fig. 4, the runner 63 may extend from the annular resin supply port 61 to a position where the multiple first resin injection ports 62 are arranged, and then branch off to connect to two adjacent first resin injection ports 62. Alternatively, the runner may be configured to extend radially so as to connect the annular resin supply port 61 and each of the multiple first resin injection ports 62 over the shortest distance.

[0043] According to the mold apparatus 20 including the resin filling path 25 having the above-described configuration, by employing the annular resin supply port 61, it is possible to shorten the distance between the resin supply port 61 and the first resin injection port 62 without substantially increasing the volume of the resin supply port itself, compared to when a conventional columnar resin supply port is provided in the center of the mold. This allows the overall length of the resin filling path 25 to be shortened, and the amount of resin that hardens in the resin filling path 25 is reduced compared to the conventional case, allowing for reduced resin usage. In addition, because the overall length of the resin filling path 25 can be shortened, the time it takes for resin to pass through the resin filling path 25 can be shortened, thereby shortening the time required to manufacture a motor.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1 , the annular resin supply port 61 is preferably adjusted so that its inner diameter D1 is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the through hole 5 of the rotor core 2 and its outer diameter D3 is smaller than the outer diameter D4 of the rotor core 2. By adjusting the inner diameter D1 and outer diameter D3 of the annular resin supply port 61 in this manner, the steel plate constituting the rotor core 2 is positioned at the position where the annular resin supply port 61 is formed on the upper surface of the lower mold 22. This allows the pressure applied when resin is supplied to the resin supply port 61 to be borne by the steel plate constituting the rotor core 2 as well as the lower mold 22. Therefore, even if the thickness of the lower mold 22 in this portion is reduced, the lower mold 22 will not be deformed by the pressure. By reducing the thickness of the lower mold 22 in this manner, the vertical lengths of the annular resin supply port 61 and the first resin injection port 62 formed in the lower mold 22 can be shortened, thereby reducing the cull that hardens in the resin filling path 25 and further reducing the amount of resin used.

[0045] The rotor core 2 manufactured by the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 described above can often be changed to a different shape. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare a plurality of lower dies 22 having resin filling passages 25 with different structures in advance and use them by appropriately replacing them according to the rotor core 2 held in the mold device 20.

[0046] The chamber (sometimes called a "pot") 30 forms a space into which the annular resin material P can be poured. The chamber 30 is formed inside a support base 31 provided on the base 11 and is configured as a space extending in the vertical direction. The chamber 30 also communicates with a resin filling passage 25 formed in the lower mold 22. In this embodiment, the shape of the chamber 30 is exemplified as a space formed as a circular ring in a plan view that matches the shape of the annular resin material P to be poured. In this way, by forming the chamber 30 in the same shape as the annular resin P to be poured, the annular resin P can be heated efficiently when being heated and softened within the chamber 30.

[0047] The support table 31 is composed of an annular member erected on the base table 11, and a part of its inner peripheral surface functions as the outer wall surface of the chamber 30. A cylindrical block body 31A, whose outer peripheral surface functions as the inner wall surface of the chamber 30, may be disposed in the center of the support table 31. The block body 31A may be supported at a predetermined height by a support column attached to the base table 11.

[0048] The plunger 35 is a member that presses the resin in the chamber 30, which is an annular space, toward the resin filling path 25. In this regard, the plunger 35 of this embodiment has at least an annular pressing surface 37 located at its upper portion, which is disposed so as to seal off the lower portion of the chamber 30. In this case, the pressing surface 37 functions as the bottom surface of the chamber 30. A lifting arm 36 connected to an actuator (not shown) may be attached to the surface of the plunger 35 opposite the pressing surface 37. The pressing surface 37 moves up and down within the chamber 30 as the operation of the actuator is transmitted to the plunger 35 via the lifting arm 36. It is preferable to provide sealing members (preferably metal seals) on the inner and outer peripheries of the tip of the plunger 35 to prevent resin leakage from the chamber 30.

[0049] Furthermore, the pressing surface 37 may be provided with one or more convex portions that extend toward the annular resin supply port 61 and have the same function as the convex portions formed on the above-described annular resin supply port 61. The convex portions that can be formed on the pressing surface 37 can be used instead of the convex portions that can be formed on the annular resin supply port 61, or can be used together with the convex portions that can be formed on the annular resin supply port 61.

[0050] As with the annular resin supply port 61 described above, the annular chamber 30 and the annular plunger 35 of this embodiment may have not only a continuous annular shape, but also a shape in which they are divided into multiple pieces along the circumferential direction and arranged in an annular shape.

[0051] The heater 40 may be configured with a known heater or the like, and may heat appropriate locations within the manufacturing apparatus main body 10. The heater 40 according to this embodiment includes a mold heater 41 disposed within the mold device 20, and chamber heaters 42 disposed around the outside and inside of the chamber 30.

[0052] The mold heater 41 is disposed in at least one of the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the mold heater 41 is disposed in both the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22. The mold heater 41 mainly operates to preheat the mold device 20 including the resin filling passage 25 and to harden the softened resin P1 injected into the slot 4 and the resin filling passage 25.

[0053] The chamber heater 42 is disposed at least one of adjacent to the outer wall surface and the inner wall surface of the chamber 30 so as to surround the chamber 30 and heat the interior of the chamber 30. In this embodiment, the chamber heater 42 is disposed both within the support base 31 that constitutes the outer wall surface of the chamber 30 and within the block body 31A that constitutes the inner wall surface of the chamber 30. The chamber heater 42 operates mainly when softening the annular resin material P. The heater 40 according to this embodiment is not limited to the two-heater configuration described above. For example, a separate heater may be provided adjacent to the pressing surface 37 of the plunger 35. The mold heater 41 and the chamber heater 42 may be, for example, an infrared heater or a sheathed heater.

[0054] The motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment may further include a control device 50 for controlling the above-described components. The control device 50 may be electrically connected to the above-described components and control their operation to realize any manufacturing process. The control device 50 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 50 may be realized using a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or a well-known computer. The well-known computer may include at least a processor and a memory. The control device 50 may be configured using only one of the above-described computers or a combination of multiple computers.

[0055] This control device 50 can realize the motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment, which will be described later, by operating the above-mentioned components. In this regard, the motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment can be provided in the form of a program such as software containing instructions for causing a computer constituting the control device 50 to execute predetermined operations, in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which this program is stored, or in the form of an application program provided via a network or the like. The motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described in detail later.

[0056] As described above, the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those described in relation to the mold apparatus 20. Additionally, by making the chamber 30 and the plunger 35 both annular, resin can be stably supplied to the annular resin supply port 61. Furthermore, by arranging the heater 40 around the chamber 30, the annular resin material P can be uniformly heated. Furthermore, since the resin heated and softened in the annular chamber 30 is heated from both the inside and outside, the temperature difference during heating is suppressed, allowing the curing reaction after injection into the slot 4 to proceed uniformly. Therefore, clogging of the resin filling path 25 and a decrease in fluidity caused by the unintended progress of the resin curing reaction can also be suppressed.

[0057] Next, a method for manufacturing a motor according to this embodiment will be described. In the following description of the motor manufacturing method, the case where the slots 4 of the rotor core 2 are filled with resin and cured using the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 described above will be described as an example. However, the following method can also be realized using an apparatus other than the motor manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0058] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a motor according to the first embodiment. Figs. 6 to 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of a motor manufacturing apparatus when the motor manufacturing method shown in Fig. 5 is carried out. The motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described below mainly with reference to Figs. 6 to 10. Note that, in order to make the drawings easier to understand, some of the components and their reference numerals that are less relevant to the series of operations are omitted in Figs. 6 to 10.

[0059] The manufacturing method of the motor according to this embodiment includes at least the steps of pouring an annular resin material P into the chamber 30 (corresponding to step S5 described later), holding the rotor core 2 including the plurality of slots 4 in the mold device 20 (corresponding to step S6 described later), heating and softening the annular resin material P poured into the chamber 30 (corresponding to step S7 described later), operating the plunger 35 movable within the chamber 30 to fill the slots 4 with the softened resin P1 softened in the chamber 30 through the resin filling path 25 (corresponding to step S9 described later), and hardening the softened resin P1 filled into the slots 4 (corresponding to step S10 described later). These steps will be described in detail below.

[0060] When the manufacturing method for a motor according to this embodiment is started, the control device 50 first preheats the mold device 20 (step S1). This preheating of the mold device 20 can be performed using, for example, the mold heater 41. It is preferable to preheat the chamber 30 in parallel with this preheating of the mold device 20. Preheating of the chamber 30 can be achieved, for example, by operating the chamber heater 42.

[0061] Next, permanent magnets 3 and a rotor core 2 to which the permanent magnets 3 are attached are prepared, and the permanent magnets 3 are inserted into the slots 4 of the rotor core 2 (step S2). The rotor core 2 with the permanent magnets 3 inserted into the slots 4 is then preheated (step S3). Preheating of the rotor core 2 may be performed in a location different from the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 using a known heating means (not shown). The preheating temperature of the mold device 20, chamber 30, and rotor core 2 may be, for example, approximately 120 to 220°C, more preferably approximately 180 to 190°C. This preheating may be performed on only either the mold device 20 or the rotor core 2. The order of steps S1, S2, and S3 described above is not limited to the above, and may be changed as appropriate or performed in parallel.

[0062] When the mold device 20, chamber 30, and rotor core 2 reach the target temperatures through the preheating described above, the control device 50 then moves the top plate 13 to which the upper mold 21 is attached upward to ensure space between the upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22, and places the rotor core 2 with the permanent magnets 3 inserted on the lower mold 22 (step S4). Then, as shown in Fig. 6, the lifter 26 is operated to raise the lower mold 22, and an annular resin material P is poured into the chamber 30 whose top has been opened by the raising of the lower mold 22 (step S5). Note that the timing of placing the rotor core 2 on the lower mold 22 and the timing of pouring the annular resin material P into the chamber 30 are not limited to those described above, and they can also be performed simultaneously, for example.

[0063] 7, the lifter 26 is operated to lower the lower mold 22, and then the upper mold 21 is moved downward to hold the rotor core 2 in the mold device 20 (step S6). At this time, the upper mold 21 is adjusted to press the upper surface of the rotor core 2 with a predetermined pressure, and this pressure can bring the upper mold 21 and the upper surface of the rotor core 2, and the lower mold 22 and the lower surface of the rotor core 2, into close contact with each other.

[0064] Furthermore, since the chamber 30 is preheated in step S1, when the annular resin material P is introduced into the chamber 30 in step S5, the annular resin material P is instantly heated. At this time, the chamber heater 42 can be further operated as needed to maintain or increase the temperature inside the chamber 30. By continuing the heating, the annular resin material P is softened to become a softened resin P1 (step S7). The purpose of heating the annular resin material P inside the chamber 30 is to reduce the viscosity of the annular resin material P to become a softened resin P1. Therefore, it is preferable that the heating temperature inside the chamber 30 be adjusted to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening temperature of the annular resin material P and lower than the hardening temperature.

[0065] Once the annular resin material P in the chamber 30 has softened to become softened resin P1, the plunger 35 is then raised (step S8). As the plunger 35 is raised, the softened resin P1 in the chamber 30 is pushed up by the pressing surface 37 and supplied to the annular resin supply port 61. As shown in FIG. 8 , the softened resin P1 supplied to the annular resin supply port 61 is supplied to the first resin injection port 62 via the runner 63 and injected into the slots 4 communicating with the first resin injection port 62. This fills the slots 4 with the softened resin P1 (step S9). To smoothly fill the slots 4 with the softened resin P1 in step S9, it is preferable to provide air holes (not shown) in appropriate positions on the upper mold 21 or the rotor core 2 to remove air from the slots 4.

[0066] Once the slots 4 have been filled with the softened resin P1, the mold heater 41 is operated to heat the mold device 20 and the rotor core 2 to a temperature higher than the preheating temperature in step S3, thereby hardening the softened resin P1 in the slots 4 (step S10). This heating hardens the softened resin P1 in the slots 4 and the resin filling passages 25, turning it into hardened resin P2. The hardened resin P2 fixes the permanent magnets 3 in the slots 4.

[0067] Once the above-described series of processes are completed, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper mold 21 is raised, and the motor, specifically the rotor core 2 to which the permanent magnets 3 are fixed, is removed from the apparatus using a conveying means (not shown), such as a robot arm (step S11). The removed motor can then be transferred to another manufacturing apparatus, for example, for shaft installation. Once the motor has been removed, the manufacturing apparatus 1 is cleaned (step S12). Cleaning the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes operating the lifter 26 to remove the cull C1 formed by the cured resin P2 that has hardened within the resin filling path 25, as shown in FIG. 10. Additionally, the process may include cleaning the surface of the mold apparatus 20 and the interior of the chamber 30 using a cleaning member (not shown), such as a brush.

[0068] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a cull generated by the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in Figure 1. In the mold device 20 of this embodiment, the annular resin supply port 61 is employed, so that the annular resin supply port 61 and the first resin injection port 62 are relatively close to each other, and the cull C1 hardened in the resin filling path 25 also contains a smaller amount of resin than in the conventional case, as shown in Figure 11.

[0069] As explained above, in the manufacturing method of the motor according to this embodiment, the cull C1 generated by the series of processes can be reduced, so that the slots can be filled with resin using a small amount of resin.

[0070] Second Embodiment In the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the rotor core 2 is illustrated as having slots 4 arranged in a ring shape at positions adjacent to each other around the outer periphery of the rotor core 2, but the rotor core 2 is not limited to this structure. Therefore, below, a motor manufacturing apparatus 1A including a die apparatus 20A according to the second embodiment will be described, in which permanent magnets are fixed to a rotor core 2A having a different slot layout from the rotor core 2 described above. Note that the components of the motor manufacturing apparatus 1A described below may be similar to those of the motor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the structure of the die apparatus 20A. Therefore, below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and components similar to those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted.

[0071] Fig. 12 is a plan view showing another example of a rotor core. As shown in Fig. 12, the rotor core 2A used in this embodiment includes first slots 4A arranged in an annular shape at a predetermined interval at a position adjacent to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor core 2A, and second slots 4B arranged in an annular shape at a predetermined interval at a position closer to the through holes 5 of the rotor core 2A than the first slots 4A. Note that this rotor core 2A may have the same structure as the rotor core 2 shown in Fig. 2, except for the structure of the slots described above.

[0072] The first slots 4A and the second slots 4B can each be configured as a rectangular or arc-shaped through-hole extending along the axial direction of the rotor core 2A. The first slots 4A have a smaller cross-sectional area than the second slots 4B, and the first permanent magnets 3A (see FIG. 13) inserted into the first slots 4A also have a smaller cross-sectional area than the second permanent magnets 3B (see FIG. 13) inserted into the second slots 4B. The shapes and numbers of the first slots 4A and the second slots 4B can be arbitrarily changed. In relation to this, the shapes and numbers of the first permanent magnets 3A and the second permanent magnets 3B inserted into the first slots 4A and the second slots 4B can also be arbitrarily changed.

[0073] Fig. 13 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. Note that Fig. 13 shows a cross section of rotor core 2A and related resin filling passages 25A, etc., taken along line B-B in Fig. 12, and the dimensions have been adjusted so that the structure of each slot 4A, 4B can be easily seen.

[0074] 13, a mold apparatus 20A according to this embodiment includes an upper mold 21 and a lower mold 22A. Of these, the shape of the upper mold 21 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

[0075] The lower die 22A abuts against the lower surface of the rotor core 2A to support the rotor core 2A, and is placed on a support base 31 of the chamber 30. The lower die 22A may be fixed to a lifter 26. The lower die 22A is formed with a resin filling path 25A for filling the first slots 4A and the second slots 4B of the rotor core 2A with resin.

[0076] The resin filling path 25A includes an annular resin supply port 61 that opens to the lower surface of the lower mold 22A, a plurality of first resin injection ports 62 that open to the upper surface of the lower mold 22A and that communicate with at least a portion of the first slot 4A and the second slot 4B of the rotor core 2A when the mold device 20A holds the rotor core 2A, and a runner 63 that extends from the annular resin supply port 61 toward the first resin injection port 62, as well as a plurality of second resin injection ports 64 that extend from the end of the annular resin supply port 61 to the upper surface of the lower mold 22A along the axial direction of the rotor core 2A and that communicate with at least a portion of the first slot 4A and the second slot 4B when the mold device 20A holds the rotor core 2A.

[0077] 13, the second resin injection port 64 of this embodiment may be an opening formed to penetrate the upper surface of the annular resin supply port 61 and the upper surface of the lower mold 22A. Also, the second resin injection port 64 of this embodiment is illustrated as being in communication with the second slot 4B. On the other hand, the first resin injection port 62 of this embodiment is in communication with both the first slot 4A and the second slot 4B.

[0078] In the present embodiment, the first slots 4A are each connected to one first resin injection inlet 62, and the second slots 4B are each connected to one first resin injection inlet 62 and one second resin injection inlet 64, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the first slots 4A may each be connected to one first resin injection inlet 62, and the second slots 4B may each be connected to one second resin injection inlet 64.

[0079] In addition, since the cross-sectional area of ​​the second slot 4B in this embodiment is larger than that of the first slot 4A, the first resin injection port 62 and the second resin injection port 64 are connected to both longitudinal ends of the end face of the second slot 4B. With this configuration, the time required to fill the softened resin P1 into the second slot 4B and the time required to fill the softened resin P1 into the first slot 4A can be made approximately the same, and insufficient filling of the softened resin P1 can be suppressed.

[0080] Figure 14 is a perspective view showing an example of a cull generated by the motor manufacturing apparatus shown in Figure 13. The motor manufacturing method described as the first embodiment can also be realized using the motor manufacturing apparatus 1A including the above-mentioned mold apparatus 20A. In this case, each step of the motor manufacturing method is the same as that described above, but the generated cull C2 has the same shape as the resin filling path 25A including the second resin injection port 64 as shown in Figure 14.

[0081] As described above, the mold apparatus 20A, motor manufacturing apparatus 1A, and motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment provide the same effects as those described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, because the resin filling path 25A is configured to include the second resin injection port 64, smooth resin filling can be achieved even in a rotor core having multiple types of slots with different cross-sectional areas.

[0082] 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, in the present disclosure, each component may be present in only one form or in two or more forms, provided that no contradiction occurs.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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 mold device capable of holding a motor core including a plurality of resin-filled portions, comprising: a first mold and a second mold that abut against both axial ends of the motor core; and a resin filling passage provided in the first mold for filling the plurality of resin-filled portions with resin material, wherein the resin filling passage comprises: an annular resin supply port that opens on the surface of the first mold opposite the surface that abuts against the motor core; a plurality of first resin injection ports that open on the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core and communicate with at least some of the plurality of resin-filled portions when the motor core is held; and a runner extending from the annular resin supply port toward the first resin injection port.

2. A mold apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of second resin injection ports extending from the end of the annular resin supply port to the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core along the axial direction of the motor core, and communicating with at least a portion of the plurality of resin filling sections when the motor core is held.

3. The mold device according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the annular resin supply port is larger than the outer diameter of the through hole formed in the center of the motor core, and the outer diameter of the annular resin supply port is smaller than the outer diameter of the motor core.

4. A motor manufacturing device comprising: a mold device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a chamber communicating with the annular resin supply port and capable of accommodating an annular resin material therein; a plunger provided in the chamber and capable of pressing the annular resin material; and a heater for heating the annular resin material.

5. The motor manufacturing device according to claim 4, wherein the chamber is configured as an annular chamber capable of accommodating the annular resin material, and the plunger is configured as an annular plunger capable of moving within the chamber.

6. The motor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the heater is disposed within the mold device and around the chamber.

7. A process of pouring an annular resin material into a chamber; and a process of holding a motor core including a plurality of resin-filled portions in a mold device, the mold device comprising a first mold and a second mold that abut against both axial ends of the motor core, and a resin filling passage provided in the first mold for filling the plurality of resin-filled portions with the annular resin material; a process of heating and softening the annular resin material in the chamber; and a process of operating a plunger that is movable within the chamber to fill the plurality of resin-filled portions with softened resin made of the annular resin material softened in the chamber through the resin filling passage, the resin filling passage comprising: an annular resin supply port that opens on a surface of the first mold opposite to a surface that abuts against the motor core; a plurality of first resin injection ports that open on the surface of the first mold that abuts against the motor core and communicate with at least some of the plurality of resin-filled portions when the motor core is held; and a runner extending from the annular resin supply port toward the first resin injection port; and hardening the softened resin filled in the plurality of resin filled portions.

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