Runner plate, motor manufacturing apparatus, and motor manufacturing method

Abstract

This runner plate includes: a plate body on which a motor core provided with a plurality of resin filling holes is placed on one surface side; a resin injection port provided on the other surface side of the plate body; a plurality of runners extending from the resin injection port in a direction approaching the plurality of resin filling holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a first discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating between tip portions in the extension direction of the plurality of runners and the plurality of resin filling holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; and a second discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating between intermediate portions in the extension direction of the plurality of runners and the plurality of resin filling holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

Description

Runner plate, motor manufacturing apparatus, and motor manufacturing method

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

[0002] As an example of a rotating electric machine, a motor is manufactured by attaching predetermined members such as permanent magnets and coils to a motor core. As one method of attaching a permanent magnet or the like to a motor core, a method of injecting a thermosetting resin around a member to be attached to the motor core and curing it is known.

[0003] For example, in Japanese Patent No. 6424193, when manufacturing a rotor including a rotor core having a plurality of magnet insertion holes, a magnet disposed in the magnet insertion holes, and a resin portion filled between the magnet and the magnet insertion holes, a gate that is a plurality of resin flow paths is formed radially, and a gate mold is used in which the tip of the gate branches and the tips of the branched portions continue to a plurality of resin injection holes.

[0004] For example, some rotor cores used in relatively large motors have a larger number of magnet insertion holes than those used in small motors. When injecting resin into a rotor core having a large number of magnet insertion holes as described in Japanese Patent No. 6424193 using the gate mold, the number of branches of the resin flow path increases in proportion to the number of magnet insertion holes, so the amount of resin required for resin filling increases.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a runner plate, a motor manufacturing apparatus, and a motor manufacturing method that reduce the amount of resin required for resin filling into a motor core.

[0006] A runner plate according to the first embodiment includes a plate body on which a motor core having a plurality of resin-filled holes is arranged on one side; a resin injection port provided on the other side of the plate body; a plurality of runners extending from the resin injection port toward the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a first discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the leading ends of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; and a second discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the intermediate portions of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

[0007] In such a runner plate, by connecting the second discharge port to the middle of the runner, the number of runners required to supply resin to all discharge ports can be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of resin required for resin filling.

[0008] In the runner plate according to the second embodiment, the resin injection port is provided in the center of the other side of the plate body, as in the runner plate according to the first embodiment.

[0009] In such a runner plate, the resin injection port and the first and second discharge ports are relatively far apart, which tends to result in a relatively long overall length of the runner. This allows for significant room to shorten the overall length of the runner, making it easier to reduce the amount of resin required to fill the motor core.

[0010] A runner plate according to a third embodiment is a runner plate according to the first or second embodiment, wherein the runner includes a main runner extending from the resin injection port and a sub-runner branching off from the main runner and extending toward the first discharge port, and the second discharge port communicates the intermediate portion of the sub-runner in the extending direction with the plurality of resin filling holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

[0011] In such a runner plate, the sub-runners have a greater degree of freedom in the direction of extension compared to the main runners, making it easy to arrange them so that they pass through the ends of the second and first discharge ports. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the number of main runners. For example, while main runners may have a larger cross-sectional area than sub-runners, reducing the number of such main runners can reduce the amount of resin remaining on the runner plate.

[0012] The runner plate according to the fourth embodiment is the runner plate according to the third embodiment, wherein the plurality of sub-runners include a bent portion in the middle portion thereof in which the direction of extension changes.

[0013] In such a runner plate, the degree of freedom in the extension direction of the sub-runner can be further improved.

[0014] The runner plate according to the fifth embodiment is the runner plate according to the fourth embodiment, wherein the second discharge port communicates the bent portion with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

[0015] In such a runner plate, the resin material flows smoothly into the second discharge port.

[0016] The runner plate according to the sixth embodiment is a runner plate according to any of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein at least one of the plurality of resin filling holes is in communication with both the first discharge port and the second discharge port.

[0017] In such a runner plate, the rate at which resin is filled into a resin-filled hole can be controlled by adjusting the number of discharge ports that communicate with a single resin-filled hole.

[0018] The runner plate according to the seventh embodiment is a runner plate according to the first to sixth embodiments, wherein at least one of the plurality of resin-filled holes constitutes a magnet insertion hole into which one or more magnets are inserted, and the magnet insertion hole communicates with at least one of the first discharge port and the second discharge port in a number equal to or greater than the number of magnets inserted.

[0019] In such runner plates, by adjusting the number of discharge ports communicating with the resin filling holes to match the number of magnets inserted into the resin filling holes, stable resin filling can be achieved, and misalignment of permanent magnets caused by filling defects or pressure during resin filling can be suppressed.

[0020] A motor manufacturing apparatus according to the eighth embodiment includes a mold for holding a laminate in the axial direction, which includes a motor core provided with a plurality of resin-filled holes and a runner plate according to any of the first to seventh embodiments on which the motor core is mounted, and a resin material supply device for supplying resin material to the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core.

[0021] In this type of motor manufacturing apparatus, the second discharge port of the runner plate communicates with the middle section of the runner, which reduces the number of runners required for the number of discharge ports. This shortens the overall length of the runner and reduces the amount of resin that hardens within the runner. As a result, the amount of resin required to fill the resin filling holes of the motor core can be reduced, improving the manufacturing yield of the motor.

[0022] A motor manufacturing method according to the ninth embodiment includes the steps of: arranging a motor core having a plurality of resin-filled holes on one side of a runner plate, wherein the runner plate comprises: a plate body on which the motor core is arranged on one side; a resin injection port provided on the other side of the plate body; a plurality of runners extending from the resin injection port toward the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a first discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the leading ends of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; and a second discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the intermediate portions of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; and holding a laminate including the motor core and the runner plate on which the motor core is placed from the axial direction using a mold; and supplying resin material to the resin-filled holes from a resin material supply device.

[0023] In this motor manufacturing method, the second discharge port of the runner plate communicates with the middle section of the runner, which reduces the number of runners required for the necessary discharge ports. This shortens the overall length of the runners and reduces the amount of resin that hardens within the runners. As a result, the amount of resin required to fill the resin filling holes of the motor core can be reduced, improving the manufacturing yield of the motor.

[0024] According to the runner plate, motor manufacturing apparatus, and motor manufacturing method of this disclosure, the amount of resin required for resin filling into the motor core can be reduced.

[0025] This is a perspective view showing an example of a runner plate according to one embodiment. This is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a rotor core supported by the runner plate shown in Figure 1. This is a perspective view showing the rotor core placed on the surface of the runner plate shown in Figure 1. This is a plan view of the runner plate shown in Figure 1. This is a rear view of the runner plate shown in Figure 1. This is a plan view of Figure 3. This is an enlarged view showing an enlarged portion A of Figure 4B. This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of Figure 6. This is an enlarged view corresponding to Figure 6 showing a modified example of the runner structure. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment. This is a flowchart showing an example of a motor manufacturing method according to one embodiment. This is a rear view showing a modified example of a runner plate.

[0026] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-205715, filed in Japan on November 26, 2024, the contents of which form part of the content of this application. The disclosure can be understood more fully by the following detailed description. Further applications of this application will become clear from the following detailed description. However, the detailed description and specific examples are preferred embodiments of the disclosure and are described for illustrative purposes only, for various changes and modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the disclosure from this detailed description. The applicant has no intention of dedicating any of the described embodiments to the public, and any disclosed modifications and alternatives, even those not literally included in the claims, are considered part of the invention under the doctrine of equivalents. Similar reference numbers and names in various drawings indicate similar elements.

[0027] The following describes various embodiments for implementing this disclosure with reference to the drawings. In the following, only the necessary parts for explaining the objectives of this disclosure are schematically shown, and the explanation will primarily focus on the parts necessary for explaining the relevant sections of this disclosure. Any parts omitted from the explanation will be considered to be based on prior art. Furthermore, identical or equivalent components in the drawings are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. Additionally, if multiple identical or equivalent components are included in the drawings, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of them for clarity.

[0028] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a runner plate according to one embodiment. In Figure 1, the structure of the other side of the runner plate is shown in perspective. The runner plate 10 according to this embodiment includes a plate body 11 on which a rotor core 1, as an example of a motor core, is arranged on one side, for example, the front side, and a resin filling passage 20 provided on the other side of the plate body 11, for example, the back side. In this embodiment, a rotor core 1 is exemplified as the motor core supported by the runner plate 10, but other motor cores, such as a stator core, can also be used. Furthermore, in the following description, the X direction shown in Figure 1 may be referred to as the left-right direction, the Y direction as the front-back direction, and the Z direction as the up-down direction.

[0029] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a rotor core supported by the runner plate shown in Figure 1. The runner plate 10 according to this embodiment can support a rotor core 1 which constitutes part of an inner rotor type motor, for example, as shown in Figure 2. The runner plate 10 according to this embodiment may also be used for transporting the rotor core 1. The rotor core 1 may include a rotor core body 2, a through hole 3 extending axially in the center of the rotor core body 2, and a plurality of resin-filled holes (sometimes called "slots") 5A, 5B formed around the through hole 3 of the rotor core body 2.

[0030] The rotor core body 2 can be made of a roughly cylindrical magnetic material composed of multiple thin electromagnetic steel sheets laminated together. The number of electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the rotor core body 2 is not particularly limited and can range from a few sheets to several hundred sheets. The electromagnetic steel sheets may also be connected to each other by crimping, adhesive, or the like.

[0031] The through-hole 3 may be a cylindrical hole into which a shaft (not shown) that constitutes the rotating axis when the rotor core 1 is assembled as a motor is inserted. The inner circumferential surface of this through-hole 3 may be provided with a key or keyway that engages with the aforementioned shaft.

[0032] The resin-filled holes 5A and 5B can be configured as through holes that penetrate the rotor core body 2 in the vertical direction (in other words, the axial direction), and multiple such holes can be arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction near the outer surface of the rotor core body 2. The resin-filled holes 5A and 5B in this embodiment may be magnet insertion holes into which permanent magnets 6A and 6B are inserted and fixed. In this regard, the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B can be configured as through holes with a shape into which permanent magnets 6A and 6B can be inserted, for example, a roughly rectangular parallelepiped or roughly arc-shaped hole, but their specific shape is not particularly limited. Similarly, the number of resin-filled holes 5A and 5B can be arbitrarily changed and can be appropriately adjusted between, for example, 10 and 40, or more than 40. In this embodiment, the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B are exemplified as being composed of a first resin-filled hole 5A into which one permanent magnet is inserted, and a second resin-filled hole 5B into which two permanent magnets are inserted. Figure 2 also shows the permanent magnets 6A and 6B before they are inserted into the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B.

[0033] In this embodiment, magnet insertion holes are given as examples of resin-filled holes 5A and 5B, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the resin-filled holes may be holes in which a resin material is filled to bond a plurality of electromagnetic steel sheets constituting the rotor core 1.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the permanent magnets 6A and 6B can be composed of, for example, rectangular parallelepipeds or arc-shaped blocks in plan view that are slightly smaller than the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B. It is not necessary whether the permanent magnets 6A and 6B are magnetized or not at the time of insertion into the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B. Furthermore, it is not necessary whether the permanent magnets 6A and 6B are divided in the stacking direction or in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. In this embodiment, the one inserted into the first resin-filled hole 5A may be described as the first permanent magnet 6A, and the one inserted into the second resin-filled hole 5B may be described as the second permanent magnet 6B. When the permanent magnets 6A and 6B are inserted into the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B, a gap is formed at least partially between the outer circumferential surfaces of the permanent magnets 6A and 6B and the inner circumferential surfaces of the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B. A resin material P (see Figure 9) can be used to fill this gap formed in the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B.

[0035] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the rotor core shown in Figure 2 being placed on the surface of the runner plate shown in Figure 1. Figure 4A is a plan view of the runner plate shown in Figure 1, and Figure 4B is a back view of the runner plate shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 3. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the rotor core 1 described above is supported on the runner plate 10 to fix permanent magnets 6A and 6B in, for example, resin-filled holes 5A and 5B, and is transported to a predetermined manufacturing apparatus. Note that in Figure 5, the structure of the back side of the runner plate is shown in perspective, similar to Figure 1.

[0036] The plate body 11 constituting the runner plate 10 can be mainly composed of a rectangular plate having a predetermined thickness, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4. The material of the plate body 11 is not particularly limited, but for example, the plate body 11 can be made of a material with good thermal conductivity (for example, a metal including an alloy). The surface 11F of the plate body 11 in this embodiment functions as a mounting surface on which the rotor core 1 is placed. The thickness direction of the runner plate 10 refers to the Z direction (in other words, the vertical direction) shown in Figure 1.

[0037] The surface 11F of the plate body 11 may be provided with support protrusions 12 for supporting the rotor core 1. As shown mainly in Figures 1, 3, and 4A, two of these support protrusions 12 are arranged approximately in the center of the surface 11F of the plate body 11. The two support protrusions 12 can position the rotor core 1 on the plate body 11 by their sides contacting the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 3 of the rotor core 1. The center portion referred to here is the central portion when the plate body 11 is viewed from above.

[0038] Furthermore, a connecting hole 14 may be provided in a suitable location on the plate body 11, for example, adjacent to a corner, into which a connecting shaft 18 (see Figure 9) is inserted when connecting the runner plate 10 to another plate, for example, a holding plate 16 (see Figure 9) described later. In addition, a locking portion 15 may be provided in a suitable location on the outer circumference of the plate body 11 for a manipulator or the like to support the runner plate 10. The shape of this locking portion 15 is not particularly limited as long as it can stabilize the support posture by the manipulator or the like. As shown in Figure 1, the locking portion 15 in this embodiment may be configured, for example, by thinning the thickness of a part of the plate body 11.

[0039] The resin filling passage 20 is mainly composed of a resin inlet 21, a plurality of runners 22, a first discharge port 23, and a second discharge port 24, as shown in Figure 4B. The resin inlet 21 is provided on the back surface 11B of the plate body 11. The plurality of runners 22 extend from the resin inlet 21 toward the plurality of resin filling holes 5A, 5B of the rotor core 1 placed on the plate body 11. The first discharge port 23 is a through hole extending along the thickness direction of the plate body 11. The first discharge port 23 connects the leading edge 22E (see Figure 7) of the plurality of runners 22 in the extending direction with the plurality of resin filling holes 5A of the rotor core 1 placed on the plate body 11. The second discharge port 24 is a through hole extending along the thickness direction of the plate body 11. The second discharge port 24 connects the intermediate portion 22M (see Figure 7) of the multiple runners 22 in the extending direction with the multiple resin-filled holes 5B of the rotor core 1 placed on the plate body 11.

[0040] The resin injection port 21 can be made up of a substantially cylindrical bottomed hole provided in the center of the back surface 11B of the plate body 11. For example, resin material P, or more specifically softened resin material P, can be injected into the resin injection port 21 from a resin material supply device 50 (see Figure 9), which will be described later.

[0041] Figure 6 is an enlarged view showing an enlarged portion A of Figure 4B. The runner 22 may be a passage connecting the resin inlet 21 and the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4B, an example is shown in which 10 runners 22 are arranged around the resin inlet 21. Also, as shown in Figure 6, the runner 22 in this embodiment includes a main runner 25 extending from the resin inlet 21 and sub-runners 26 branching off from the main runner 25 and extending toward the first discharge port 23. Of these, the cross-sectional area of ​​the main runner 25 may be adjusted to be larger than that of the sub-runners 26. Also, the sub-runners 26 may extend so as to branch off from the side of the main runner 25. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which one runner 22 includes one main runner 25 and four sub-runners 26 branching off from the side and tip of the main runner 25.

[0042] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 5, one end of the first discharge port 23 opens at a position corresponding to the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 which is placed on the surface 11F of the plate body 11. The other end of the first discharge port 23 opens at the tip 22E of the runner 22, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. In other words, the first discharge port 23 may be composed of a through hole that penetrates vertically between the position corresponding to the resin filling holes 5A and 5B on the surface 11F of the plate body 11 and the tip 22E of the runner 22. In this embodiment, one runner 22 has four tip 22E, and the first discharge port 23 is in communication with all four tip 22E. Here, the tip 22E of the runner 22 refers to the outermost end of the runner 22 that extends from the outer circumference of the resin injection port 21, but also includes the area slightly towards the base end from that end.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the second discharge port 24 is the same as the aforementioned first discharge port 23 in that one end thereof is open at a position corresponding to the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 placed on the surface 11F of the plate body 11. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the other end of the second discharge port 24 is open at the intermediate portion 22M of the runner 22. In other words, the second discharge port 24 can be configured as a through hole that vertically penetrates between the position corresponding to the resin filling hole 5B on the surface 11F of the plate body 11 and the intermediate portion 22M of the runner 22. Here, the intermediate portion 22M refers to an arbitrary region in the runner 22 between the first discharge port 23 and the proximal end portion into which the outer peripheral portion of the plunger 52 (see FIG. 9) is inserted.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the intermediate portion 22M where the second discharge port 24 opens is set at the intermediate portion 26M of the sub-runner 26. Thus, when the other end of the second discharge port 24 is set to open at the intermediate portion 26M of the sub-runner 26, it is not necessary to increase the number of main runners 25 to supply the resin material P to the second discharge port 24. Further, the proximal end of the sub-runner 26 can be set on an arbitrary side surface of the main runner 25, and the extending direction of the sub-runner 26 has a higher degree of freedom than that of the main runner 25. Therefore, it is relatively easy to pass the sub-runner 26 through the three of the main runner 25, the lower portion of the second discharge port 24, and the lower portion of the first discharge port 23 at a short distance. Also, by opening the second discharge port 24 in the sub-runner 26, the main runner 25 having a larger cross-sectional area than the sub-runner 26 does not become longer, and the total length of the runner 22 can be shortened.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the sub-runner 26, the first discharge port 23 and the second discharge port 24 communicate with the same resin-filled hole 5B. As described above, two permanent magnets 6B are inserted into the second resin-filled hole 5B. The first discharge port 23 is provided in this resin-filled hole 5B so as to communicate with the position in which one of the two inserted permanent magnets 6B is inserted. The second discharge port 24 is provided so as to communicate with the position in which the other of the two permanent magnets 6B is inserted. In other words, multiple permanent magnets 6B are inserted into the resin-filled hole 5B, the first discharge port 23 is provided at a position corresponding to one of the multiple permanent magnets 6B, and the second discharge port 24 is provided at a position corresponding to another of the multiple permanent magnets 6B.

[0046] Figure 8 is an enlarged view corresponding to Figure 6, showing a modified example of the runner structure. In the embodiment described above, a sub-runner 26 extending in a straight line was exemplified, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8 as a modified example of the embodiment described above, the sub-runner 26A may have one or more bent portions 27 in its middle section, which change in the direction of extension. The extension direction of the sub-runner 26A has a greater degree of freedom than the sub-runner 26 described above because it has bent portions 27. Therefore, in this modified example, the extension direction of the sub-runner 26 can be freely adjusted to match the arrangement of the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 placed on the plate body 11.

[0047] In addition, as shown in the modified example above, if a bent portion 27 is formed in the middle of the sub-runner 26A, it is preferable to open the other end of the second discharge port 24 into this bent portion 27. The bent portion 27 is a part where the direction of flow of the resin material P flowing through the runner 22 changes, so the flow velocity becomes relatively slower at this point. As a result, if the second discharge port 24 is opened into this bent portion 27, the resin material P can be smoothly filled from the second discharge port 24 into the resin filling hole 5B.

[0048] Further, in the runner plate 10 according to the present embodiment, at least one of the plurality of resin filling holes 5A and 5B, specifically, the second resin filling hole 5B may communicate with both the first discharge port 23 and the second discharge port 24. When a plurality of discharge ports communicate with one resin filling hole, the filling speed of the resin material can be improved as compared with the case where only one discharge port communicates. Therefore, when filling the resin material P into the rotor core 1 including resin filling holes of different sizes such as the first resin filling hole 5A and the second resin filling hole 5B described above, the filling speed can be controlled by adjusting the number of discharge ports communicating with the resin filling holes 5A and 5B.

[0049] Further, when a plurality of permanent magnets (for example, two second permanent magnets 6B) are inserted into one resin filling hole as in the second resin filling hole 5B shown in the present embodiment, the resin filling hole may communicate with the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24 in the same number or more than the number of permanent magnets inserted. In this way, by adjusting the number of the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24 communicating with one resin filling hole according to the number of permanent magnets to be inserted, in addition to avoiding filling failure of the resin material P, variations in the fixed positions of the permanent magnets due to the pressure during filling of the resin material P are less likely to occur. Specifically, when the number of the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24 is increased according to the number of permanent magnets inserted into one resin filling hole, the resin material P flows out in order from the discharge port close to the resin injection port 21, so that the resin material P is fixed in order from the permanent magnet inserted near the discharge port close to the resin injection port 21. In this way, when the flow of the resin material can be generally grasped, the arrangement of the permanent magnets and the like can be adjusted in consideration of the flow of the resin material, so that variations in the fixed positions of the permanent magnets are less likely to occur.

[0050] Here, in order to make the understanding of the runner plate 10 according to the present embodiment easier, an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus 30 capable of filling the resin material P into the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 using the runner plate 10 will be described.

[0051] Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a motor manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 according to this embodiment is capable of filling and curing resin material P into the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 using the runner plate 10 described above, and fixing the permanent magnets 6A and 6B. In this motor manufacturing apparatus 30, the fixing of the permanent magnets 6A and 6B to the rotor core 1 is achieved by resin molding using resin material P. In this specification, the term "motor" is used to include a semi-finished product in which some parts are attached to the motor core.

[0052] Furthermore, in the following description, the rotor core 1 is used as an example of the motor core processed by the motor manufacturing apparatus 30, and the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 are used as examples of the resin-filled parts of the motor core, but the description is not limited to this. To give a specific example, a stator core can be used as the motor core, and the portion of the stator where the coils are wound can be used for resin molding.

[0053] In addition, the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 can perform resin molding on a single rotor core 1, but it can also perform resin molding on multiple rotor cores 1 at once. Therefore, the following description will illustrate the process of performing resin molding on multiple (for example, four) rotor cores 1 using the motor manufacturing apparatus 30.

[0054] In relation to the points mentioned above, the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 described below performs resin molding on a laminate S formed by stacking multiple rotor cores 1 supported on runner plates. This laminate S may consist of a runner plate 10 disposed at the bottom, multiple rotor cores 1, a holding plate 16 sandwiched between the rotor cores 1, and a retaining plate 19 disposed at the top.

[0055] The retaining plate 16 included in the laminate S described above can be made of a material similar to the runner plate 10, such as a metal plate, which can support the rotor core 1 on its front and back surfaces. Furthermore, the retaining plate has through holes formed at the same positions as the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24 of the runner plate 10, thereby connecting the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1, which are arranged on the front and back surfaces. In addition, the front and back surfaces of the retaining plate 16 are provided with support protrusions 12 similar to the support protrusions 12 of the runner plate 10.

[0056] Furthermore, the retaining plate 19 included in the laminate S can close the upper ends of the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1 installed at the top of the laminate S, and can also integrally fix the laminate S. A connecting shaft 18 may be attached to this retaining plate 19, which is inserted into a connecting hole 14 formed in the runner plate 10 and the retaining plate 16. When this connecting shaft 18 is inserted into the connecting hole 14 and fixed, the runner plate 10, the retaining plate 16 and the rotor core 1 can be supported integrally. Note that the retaining plate 19 can be omitted, or it can be attached to the lower surface of the upper mold 41, which will be described later, instead of the top of the laminate S.

[0057] As shown in Figure 9, the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 according to this embodiment includes at least a mold 40 that holds a laminate S including a rotor core 1 and a runner plate 10 from the axial direction, and a resin material supply device 50 that supplies resin material P to a plurality of resin filling holes 5A, 5B of the rotor core 1.

[0058] The mold 40 consists of an upper mold 41 and a lower mold 42. The upper mold 41 may be configured such that its lower surface can contact one end of the laminate S in the axial direction, more specifically, the upper surface of the retaining plate 19. The upper mold 41 may be fixed to a lifting device (not shown) so that it can move toward and away from the lower mold 42.

[0059] The lower mold 42 may be configured such that its upper surface abuts the other end of the laminate S in the axial direction, more specifically the back surface 11B of the plate body 11 of the runner plate 10. A support plate 43 for positioning the placed laminate S is provided on the upper surface of the lower mold 42.

[0060] The resin material supply device 50 is a device for supplying resin material P, more specifically softened resin material P, to resin filling holes 5A and 5B. This resin material supply device 50 may include, for example, a chamber 51 capable of accommodating the resin material P, and a plunger 52 that presses the resin material P in the chamber 51 toward a resin injection port 21 communicating with the resin filling holes 5A and 5B.

[0061] The chamber (sometimes called a "pot") 51 is a space capable of accommodating the resin material P. The chamber 51 can be, for example, a cylindrical through-hole provided in the lower mold 42. The upper end of this chamber 51 communicates with the resin injection port 21 when the laminate S is installed. In this embodiment, the shape of the chamber 51 is shown as a cylindrical space having substantially the same diameter as the resin injection port 21, but its shape can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the resin material P to be injected, the size of the resin injection port 21, etc. For example, the specific shape of the chamber 51 can be annular or prismatic.

[0062] The resin material P used in the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 can be made of a resin composition molded into a shape that can be accommodated in the chamber 51, for example, a cylindrical shape (sometimes called a tablet shape) having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the chamber 51. This resin material P may mainly contain thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, phenolic resin, unsaturated polyester resin, or cyanate resin. In addition to the thermosetting resin, curing agents, fillers, etc., may be added to this resin material P.

[0063] The plunger 52 moves vertically within the chamber 51, and is capable of moving the resin material P introduced into the chamber 51 toward the resin injection port 21. In this embodiment, the plunger 52 has an upper surface of the plunger head that closes the bottom of the chamber 51, thereby forming the lower surface of the chamber 51. The plunger 52 is also connected to an actuator (not shown) and moves vertically within the chamber 51. When the plunger 52 moves upward, the softened resin material P in the chamber 51 is pressed by the plunger 52 and filled into the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1. The shape of the plunger head can be appropriately changed to match the shape of the chamber 51.

[0064] Furthermore, the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 according to this embodiment may include a heater 60 for heating the laminate S held in the mold 40. The heater 60 is a heat source used to soften or harden the resin material P. For example, the heater 60 can be an infrared heater, a sheathed heater, or a heater using a heat transfer medium such as oil. In this embodiment, the heater 60 is positioned adjacent to the lower surface of the upper mold 41, adjacent to the upper surface of the lower mold, and surrounding the chamber 51, respectively.

[0065] The motor manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include a control device (not shown) for controlling each of the above-mentioned components. This control device may be a device that is electrically connected to each of the above-mentioned components and controls their operation, thereby enabling any manufacturing process. This control device may be communicated to each of the components of the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 via wired or wireless communication. This control device can be implemented using a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or a well-known computer. Furthermore, the control device may be composed of one or more of the above-mentioned computers, etc.

[0066] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a motor manufacturing method according to one embodiment. Next, an example of a motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be briefly described below with reference to Figure 10. The motor manufacturing method described below can be realized using the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 described above. More specifically, it can be realized by operating various components of the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 based on signals from a control device included in the motor manufacturing apparatus 30.

[0067] As shown in Figure 10, the motor manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes at least the steps of: placing the rotor core 1 on the runner plate 10 (corresponding to step S01 described later); holding the laminate S, which includes the rotor core 1 and the runner plate 10 on which the rotor core 1 is placed, from the axial direction using a mold 40 (corresponding to step S05 described later); and supplying resin material P from a resin material supply device 50 to resin filling holes 5A and 5B (corresponding to step S07 described later). A detailed explanation follows below.

[0068] To specifically describe the manufacturing method of the motor of this embodiment, first, one or more rotor cores 1, for example four, are prepared, each having permanent magnets 6A and 6B inserted into resin-filled holes 5A and 5B. Next, as shown in Figure 10, one of the rotor cores 1 is placed on a runner plate 10 (step S01). Then, three retaining plates 16 and three rotor cores 1 are alternately stacked on top of the rotor core 1 placed on the runner plate 10, and finally, a retaining plate 19 is attached from above to create a laminated body S (step S02). When stacking the rotor cores 1 as described above, the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24 of the runner plate 10 are connected to the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B of each rotor core 1.

[0069] Furthermore, in parallel with the above-described process, the mold 40 and the laminate S are preheated (step S03). At this time, it is more preferable to operate the heater 60 to preheat the chamber 51 in addition to the mold 40 and the laminate S. The mold 40 and the laminate S may be preheated using the heater 60 or by other heating means not shown.

[0070] Next, a tablet-shaped resin material P is introduced into the chamber 51 (step S04). After the introduction of the resin material P, the laminate S is placed on the lower mold 42 and the upper mold 41 is lowered to hold the laminate S in the mold 40 (step S05). At this time, the upper mold 41 should be adjusted to press the upper surface of the retaining plate 19 with a predetermined pressure. This allows the contact surfaces between the retaining plate 19 and the rotor core 1, the contact surfaces between the holding plate 16 and the rotor core 1, and the contact surfaces between the runner plate 10 and the rotor core 1 to be held in close contact within the mold 40. The timing of introducing the resin material P into the chamber 51 is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, before preheating the mold 40 and the laminate S, or after holding the laminate S in the mold 40.

[0071] Next, the resin material P introduced into the chamber 51 is heated and softened by operating the heater 60 (step S06). The heating of the resin material P in the chamber 51 is performed 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 51 changes into a softened resin material P with low viscosity.

[0072] Once the softening of the resin material P is complete, the plunger 52 is then operated to supply the softened resin material P to the resin filling holes 5A and 5B (step S07). This supply operation is achieved by raising the plunger 52, which pushes the softened resin material P in the chamber 51 upwards and supplies it to the resin injection port 21 formed in the runner plate 10.

[0073] The softened resin material P supplied to the resin inlet 21 is then supplied from the resin inlet 21 to the runner 22. Once the runner 22 is generally filled with the softened resin material P, the filling of the softened resin material P into the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the rotor core 1, which is placed on the surface 11F of the runner plate 10, begins from the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24. This filling of the softened resin material P continues until all of the resin filling holes 5A and 5B of the four rotor cores 1 are filled.

[0074] Looking at the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24 that communicate with the resin filling hole 5B, the second discharge port 24 is positioned closer to the resin injection port 21 than the first discharge port 23. Therefore, the softened resin material P flows into the second discharge port 24 before the first discharge port 23. In this way, if the order in which the softened resin material P flows in is generally determined, it is easier to estimate the flow state of the softened resin material P into the resin filling hole 5B, and it is possible to avoid the second permanent magnet 6B being fixed in a position different from the intended position.

[0075] Once the softened resin material P is filled into all of the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B of the four rotor cores 1 contained in the laminate S, the heater 60 is operated to heat the laminate S to a high temperature and harden the softened resin material P in the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B (step S08). When the softened resin material P in the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B hardens, the permanent magnets 6A and 6B are fixed in place within the resin-filled holes 5A and 5B by the hardened resin.

[0076] Once the series of resin molding processes described above are complete, the upper mold 41 is raised to release the mold 40 from holding the laminate S. The laminate S is then carried out of the apparatus by a transport means (not shown), such as a robot arm, by gripping the locking portion 15 of the runner plate 10, etc. (step S09). The carried-out laminate S is separated into a set of rotor core 1 and runner plate 10 or holding plate 16, and can be transferred to another manufacturing apparatus for purposes such as installing a shaft into the through hole 3.

[0077] As described above, according to the runner plate, motor manufacturing apparatus, and motor manufacturing method of this embodiment, by connecting a portion of the necessary discharge ports to the middle part of the runner, the overall length of the runner can be shortened compared to the case where all discharge ports are connected to the tip of the runner. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of resin (so-called "cull") that hardens inside the runner, and improve the manufacturing yield of the motor.

[0078] In the embodiments described above, the runner plate 10 is exemplified as one that can be used independently for purposes such as transporting the rotor core 1 to other equipment, but the runner plate of this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the runner plate 10 may constitute a part of the lower mold 42 used in the resin filling process, or it may be a so-called dummy plate that is fixed to the rotor core 1 and, after a series of manufacturing processes are carried out, is separated from the rotor core 1 and discarded.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the resin injection port 21 was exemplified as being an opening in the center of the back surface 11B of the plate body 11, but the arrangement, shape, and number of resin injection ports 21 are not limited to this. For example, multiple resin injection ports may be arranged at appropriate locations on the back surface 11B of the plate body 11, or the shape of the resin injection port may be annular. In addition, the shape of the resin material supply device 50 of the motor manufacturing apparatus 30 according to this embodiment can be appropriately changed to match the shape of the resin injection port, etc.

[0080] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the second discharge port 24 is shown as opening in the intermediate portion 26M of the sub-runner 26, but the opening position of the second discharge port 24 can be appropriately changed as long as it is in the intermediate portion 22M of the runner 22. Specifically, it may open in the intermediate portion of the main runner 25 in addition to the intermediate portion 26M of the sub-runner 26, or it may open only in the intermediate portion of the main runner 25. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the runner 22 is shown as including the main runner 25 and the sub-runner 26, but the runner 22 may consist only of the main runner 25.

[0081] Figure 11 is a rear view showing one modified example of a runner plate. Figure 11 corresponds to Figure 4B. In the embodiment described above, the resin injection port 21 is exemplified as being composed of a substantially cylindrical bottomed hole provided in the center of the back surface 11B of the plate body 11, but the shape of the resin injection port is not limited to this. Specifically, as in the modified runner plate 10A shown in Figure 11, a resin injection port 21A composed of an annular (more specifically, annular) bottomed hole provided on the back surface 11B of the plate body 11 can also be used. In this modified runner plate 10A, the resin injection port 21A is located near the center of the plate body 11, and the runner 22 is connected to its outer circumferential surface. In this modified example, the resin injection port 21A is not provided in the central part 21X of the runner plate 10A, and this area is not through which the resin material P passes.

[0082] In relation to the above, although not shown in the figures, it is preferable that the chamber, plunger, and resin material introduced into the chamber, which communicate with the resin inlet 21A of the modified runner plate 10A, are all annular in shape to match the shape of the resin inlet 21A, as this allows for a smoother flow of resin material into the resin inlet 21A. As described above, making the resin inlet 21A annular brings the resin inlet 21A closer to the first and second discharge ports 23 and 24, thereby shortening the overall length of the runner 22. This reduces the size of the culm generated in the runner plate 10A, and thus reduces the amount of resin material used.

[0083] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. All such modifications are included in the technical concept of this disclosure. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified in the specification, each component of this disclosure is not limited to one, but may exist in multiple forms.

[0084] All documents cited herein, including publications, patent applications, and patents, are incorporated here by reference to the same extent as each document is individually and specifically identified and its contents are described herein.

[0085] The use of nouns and similar demonstrative pronouns in connection with the description of this disclosure (particularly in connection with the following claims) shall be construed as both singular and plural unless otherwise specifically noted herein or if it is clearly inconsistent with the context. The words “equip,” “have,” “include,” and “incorporate” shall be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., “include, but not limited to”) unless otherwise specifically noted herein. The numerical ranges described herein are intended solely as abbreviations for referring individually to each value that falls within that range, unless otherwise specifically noted herein, and each value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually enumerated herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any appropriate order unless otherwise specifically noted herein or if it is clearly inconsistent with the context. Any examples or illustrative phrases used herein (e.g., “etc.”) are intended solely to better illustrate this disclosure and not to impose any limitations on the scope of this disclosure unless otherwise specifically asserted. Nothing in the specification shall be construed as indicating that any element not described in the claims is essential to the implementation of this disclosure.

[0086] This specification describes preferred embodiments of the Disclosure, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the Disclosure. Those skilled in the art will see, upon reading the above description, that variations of these preferred embodiments will become apparent. The inventors expect that skilled individuals will appropriately apply such variations and that the Disclosure will be carried out in ways other than those specifically described herein. Therefore, this Disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the claims appended to this Specification, as permitted by applicable law. Furthermore, any combination of the above elements in all variations is incorporated into this Disclosure unless specifically noted herein or is obviously inconsistent with the context.

Claims

1. A runner plate comprising: a plate body on one side having a motor core provided with a plurality of resin-filled holes; a resin injection port provided on the other side of the plate body; a plurality of runners extending from the resin injection port toward the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a first discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the leading ends of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; and a second discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the intermediate portions of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

2. The runner plate according to claim 1, wherein the resin injection port is provided in the center of the other side of the plate body.

3. The runner plate according to claim 1, comprising a main runner extending from the resin injection port and a sub-runner branching from the main runner and extending toward the first discharge port, wherein the second discharge port communicates the intermediate portion of the sub-runner in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

4. The runner plate according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of sub-runners are provided with a bent portion in the middle portion whose direction of extension changes.

5. The runner plate according to claim 4, wherein the second discharge port communicates the bent portion with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body.

6. The runner plate according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of resin-filled holes is in communication with both the first discharge port and the second discharge port.

7. The runner plate according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of resin-filled holes constitutes a magnet insertion hole into which one or more magnets are inserted, and the magnet insertion hole communicates with at least one of the first discharge port and the second discharge port in a number equal to or greater than the number of magnets inserted.

8. A motor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a mold for holding a laminate in the axial direction, which includes a motor core having a plurality of resin-filled holes and a runner plate according to any one of claims 1 to 7 on which the motor core is mounted; and a resin material supply device for supplying resin material to the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core.

9. A step of arranging a motor core having a plurality of resin-filled holes on one side of a runner plate, wherein the runner plate comprises: a plate body on which the motor core is arranged on one side; a resin injection port provided on the other side of the plate body; a plurality of runners extending from the resin injection port toward the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a first discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the leading ends of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a second discharge port extending along the thickness direction of the plate body and communicating the intermediate portions of the plurality of runners in the extending direction with the plurality of resin-filled holes of the motor core placed on the plate body; a step of holding a laminate including the motor core and the runner plate on which the motor core is placed in the axial direction using a mold; and a step of supplying resin material to the resin-filled holes from a resin material supply device.

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