Welding device and welding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10926482-B2
Application number	US-201716071913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2017
Priority date	Jan 25, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

The welding chip heats and melts the first welded part and the second welded part, and includes a projected part, a first extension part, and a second extension part. The projected part has a tubular shape with a bottom. One end of the tubular shape extending in a predetermined direction opens and the other end of the tubular shape is closed. The projected part is pushed into the first welded part and the second welded part in the predetermined direction from the opening one end of the tubular shape. The first extension part has a shape extending from a tube outer surface of the projected part and extending annularly around the predetermined direction. The second extension part has a shape extending from the first extension part to the opening one end of the projected part in the predetermined direction and extending annularly around the predetermined direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A welding device for joining together a first molded article made of resin and a second molded article made of resin by welding, wherein
the first molded article includes:
a first seat portion outwardly protruding from a first outer surface of the first molded article in a first protruding direction perpendicular to the first outer surface;
a first welded part outwardly protruding from a first protruding end surface of the first seat portion in the first protruding direction; and
a first side surface extending from a side end of the first outer surface in a direction opposite to the first protruding direction,
wherein a surface area of a first projected surface of the first welded part is smaller than that of the first seat portion,
the second molded article includes:
a second seat portion outwardly protruding from a second outer surface of the second molded article in a second protruding direction perpendicular to the second outer surface;
a second welded part outwardly protruding from a second protruding end surface of the second seat portion in the second protruding direction; and
a second side surface extending from a side end of the second outer surface in a direction opposite to the second protruding direction,
wherein a surface area of a second projected surface of the second welded part is smaller than that of the second seat portion,
wherein the first side surface and the second side surface are in a surface-to-surface contact with each other in a surface contact direction, which is perpendicular to each of the first and the second protruding directions,
wherein the first protruding direction and the second protruding direction are parallel to each other in a condition that the first molded article and the second molded article are in contact with each other at the first and the second side surfaces,
wherein the first side surface of the first seat portion is in the surface-to-surface contact with the second side surface of the second seat portion, and
wherein the first side surface of the first welded part is in the surface-to-surface contact with the second side surface of the second welded part,
the welding device comprises a welding chip that concurrently comes into contact with both the projected surface of the first welded part of the first molded article and the projected surface of the second welded part of the second molded article,
wherein the welding chip heats and melts the first welded part and the second welded part, and includes:
a projected part that has a tubular shape with a bottom, wherein:
one end of the tubular shape extending in a predetermined direction opens and the other end of the tubular shape is closed; and
the projected part is pushed into the first welded part and the second welded part in the predetermined direction from the opening one end of the tubular shape;
a first extension part that has a shape extending from a tube outer surface of the projected part and extending annularly around the predetermined direction, wherein an outer periphery of the first extension part is located at an outer side of an outer periphery of the first and the second welded parts when viewed in the predetermined direction; and
a second extension part that has a shape extending from the outer periphery of the first extension part to the opening one end of the projected part in the predetermined direction and extending annularly around the predetermined direction,
wherein a length of the second extension part is larger than that of the projected part in the predetermined direction, so that an extension distal end surface of the second extension part is located at a position which is more away from a tube end surface of the projected part in the predetermined direction and which is separated from the first and the second protruding end surfaces.

2. A welding method for joining together by welding a first molded article made of resin and a second molded article made of resin by heating and melting both a part of the first molded article and a part of the second molded article by a welding chip, wherein:
the first molded article includes:
a first seat portion outwardly protruding from a first outer surface of the first molded article in a first protruding direction perpendicular to the first outer surface;
a first welded part outwardly protruding from a first protruding end surface of the first seat portion in the first protruding direction; and
a first side surface extending from a side end of the first outer surface in a direction opposite to the first protruding direction,
wherein a surface area of a first projected surface of the first welded part is smaller than that of the first seat portion,
the second molded article includes:
a second seat portion outwardly protruding from a second outer surface of the second molded article in a second protruding direction perpendicular to the second outer surface;
a second welded part outwardly protruding from a second protruding end surface of the second seat portion in the second protruding direction; and
a second side surface extending from a side end of the second outer surface in a direction opposite to the second protruding direction,
wherein a surface area of a second projected surface of the second welded part is smaller than that of the second seat portion,
wherein the first side surface and the second side surface are in a surface-to-surface contact with each other in a surface contact direction, which is perpendicular to each of the first and the second protruding directions,
wherein the first protruding direction and the second protruding direction are parallel to each other in a condition that the first molded article and the second molded article are in contact with each other at the first and the second side surfaces,
wherein the first side surface of the first seat portion is in the surface-to-surface contact with the second side surface of the second seat portion, and
wherein the first side surface of the first welded part is in the surface-to-surface contact with the second side surface of the second welded part,
the welding chip includes:
a projected part that has a tubular shape with a bottom, wherein one end of the tubular shape extending in a predetermined direction opens and the other end of the tubular shape is closed;
a first extension part that has a shape extending from a tube outer surface of the projected part and extending annularly around the predetermined direction, wherein an outer periphery of the first extension part is located at an outer side of an outer periphery of the first and the second welded parts when viewed in the predetermined direction; and
a second extension part that has a shape extending from the first extension part to the opening one end of the projected part in the predetermined direction and extending annularly around the predetermined direction,
the welding method comprises:
performing an arrangement procedure, in which the first molded article and the second molded article are arranged so that the first welded part and the second welded part are in the surface-to-surface contact with each other;
performing a push-in procedure, in which the projected part is pushed into the first welded part and the second welded part in the predetermined direction from the opening one end of the tubular shape after the arrangement procedure, wherein the welding chip is moved in the predetermined direction by a maximum stroke amount to form a clearance between an extension distal end surface of the second extension part and the first and the second outer surfaces of the first and the second molded articles in the predetermined direction;
performing a heating melt procedure, in which a state where the projected part is pushed in by the maximum stroke amount, and a state where the first welded part and the second

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Taniguchi Kouta
• Suzuki Naoto

Classifications

• B29C65/30 Primary

  Electrical means {(B29C65/38 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C66/326

  Shaping the burr, e.g. by the joining tool · CPC title

• B29C65/568

  using a swaging operation, i.e. totally deforming the edge or the rim of a first part to be joined to clamp a second part to be joined · CPC title

• B29C66/81811

  of the welding jaws · CPC title

• B29C66/3494

  while keeping the welding zone under pressure · CPC title