Laser welding apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014201-B2
Application number	US-201816039064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Dec 15, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

A laser welding apparatus for laser-welding a first welding target and a second welding target seated on the first welding target includes a first jig on which the first welding target is seated, a second jig configured to press the first welding target such that the first welding target is adhered to the first jig, a third jig configured to press the second welding target such that the second welding target is adhered to the first welding target, one or more connection members connecting the second jig and the third jig such that the second welding target is pressed by the second jig when the first welding target is pressed by the first jig, and a laser head configured to laser-weld the first welding target and the second welding target by irradiating a laser beam to a specific welding part of the second welding target.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser welding apparatus for laser-welding a first welding target and a second welding target seated on the first welding target, the laser welding apparatus comprising:
a first jig on which the first welding target is seated;
a second jig configured to press the first welding target such that the first welding target contacts the first jig;
a third jig configured to press the second welding target such that the second welding target contacts the first welding target;
one or more connection members connecting the second jig and the third jig such that the second welding target is pressed by the third jig when the first welding target is pressed by the second jig; and
a laser head configured to laser-weld the first welding target and the second welding target by irradiating a laser beam to a specific welding part of the second welding target,
wherein the second jig includes a pressing wall separated from the third jig, the pressing wall configured to press a specific pressing part of the first welding target, and
wherein the pressing wall is configured to contact the first welding target after the third jig contacts the second welding target.

2. The laser welding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the connection members includes an elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the second jig such that the second welding target is elastically pressed by the third jig when the first welding target is pressed by the second jig.

3. The laser welding apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the elastic member is a coil spring.

4. The laser welding apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each of the connection members further includes a guide pin interposed between the elastic member and the third jig.

5. The laser welding apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each of the connection members has a specific length such that the second welding target is elastically pressed by the third jig when the pressing part is pressed by the pressing wall.

6. The laser welding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first welding target is a main body of a manifold block for a fuel cell, and
wherein the second welding target is a cover that is combined with the main body to constitute a passage for a reaction gas or cooling water.

7. The laser welding apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cover includes:
a passage part configured to form the passage for the reaction gas or cooling water; and
a welding part formed along a circumference of the passage part to be seated on the main body, and
wherein the third jig has an area corresponding to the passage part such that the welding part contacts the main body by selectively pressing the passage part.

8. The laser welding apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the third jig is formed of an elastically deformable flexible material to contact the passage part.

9. The laser welding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the laser head is installed such that the laser beam transmits the second jig to be irradiated to the welding target.

10. The laser welding apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second jig includes:
a laser transmission window mounted to a part corresponding to the welding part to transmit the laser beam.

11. The laser welding apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a feeding member configured to reciprocally feed the first jig such that the first jig becomes closer to the second jig or far away from the second jig.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Wooshin Ind Co Ltd
• Dong Yang Piston Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Duck Whan
• Jeong Kwi Seong
• Yu Jung Han
• Kum Young Bum
• Lee Young Je
• Lee Tae Min
• Choi Yong Woo
• Lee Chang Jun

Classifications

• B29C65/7841

  Holding or clamping means for handling purposes (clamping means for the purpose of applying pressure on the parts to be joined, in the area to be joined B29C66/81; work holders in general B25B; devices for holding or positioning work for welding metal B23K37/04) · CPC title

• B29C65/7802

  Positioning the parts to be joined, e.g. aligning, indexing or centring · CPC title

• B29C65/16 Primary

  Laser beams · CPC title

• H01M8/0267

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title

• H01M8/0258

  characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant · CPC title