Thin Metal Strip Winding Method and Thin Metal Strip Winding System

This application claims the benefit of foreign priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-058291, filed on Mar. 29, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a thin metal strip winding method and a thin metal strip winding system.

Electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and the like are equipped with motors for driving. The motors include motor cores (stators and rotors) as their parts. The motor cores are formed laminating thin electrical steel sheets each pressed with a die to a thickness of 1 mm or less, for example. The smaller the thickness of the thin sheet, the smaller the eddy-current core loss. Hence, efficient manufacturing of thin sheets with smaller thicknesses has been considered. One possible example of a method to this end is that a thin strip (thin film) with a small thickness is manufactured by rapidly cooling and solidifying a molten metal by a single-roll process or the like, and this thin strip is processed as desired and used as a thin electrical steel sheet for motor cores. The single-roll process is a publicly know method in which a molten metal is sprayed onto the surface of a metallic cooling roller rotating at high speed to rapidly cool and solidify the molten metal on the cooling roller and thereby continuously manufacture a thin metal strip (amorphous thin metal strip). To manufacture a thin metal strip on an industrial scale, a thin metal strip obtained by rapid cooling and solidification is wound up around a winding roll to be collected. A method of winding up a thin metal strip around a winding roll is disclosed in JP4690994B, for example.

In the conventional thin metal strip winding method, a thin metal strip obtained by rapid cooling and solidification is mounted to a winding roll, the winding roll is rotated to wind up the thin metal strip around the winding roll, and the thin metal strip is cut at any timing. A problem with such a conventional thin metal strip winding method is that, since a thin metal strip is manufactured and then wound up around the winding roll to be collected, the process cycle tends to be long and a shorter process cycle has been desired.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and a main object thereof is to provide a thin metal strip winding method and a thin metal strip winding system that shorten the process cycle time.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a thin metal strip winding method including: a step of causing a thin metal strip to fly from a flight tube; a thin metal strip connecting step of connecting any portion of the thin metal strip flying from the flight tube and a leader as a ribbon, the leader being a to-be-connected portion of another thin metal strip remaining on a winding roll set on a winding roll rotation unit of a winder that winds up the thin metal strip; and a thin metal strip winding step of winding up the ribbon around the winding roll by causing the winding roll rotation unit to rotate.

Also, the present invention provides a thin metal strip winding system including: a flight tube which causes a thin metal strip to fly; a winding roll rotation unit on which a winding roll with a thin metal strip remaining thereon is set; a connecting unit which connects any portion of the thin metal strip flying from the flight tube and a leader as a ribbon, the leader being a to-be-connected portion of the thin metal strip remaining on the winding roll; and a winding unit which winds up the ribbon around the winding roll by causing the winding roll rotation unit to rotate.

Other elements will be described later.

Embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter each referred to as “the present embodiment”) will now be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each drawing is merely schematically presented to such an extent that the present invention can be sufficiently understood. The present invention is therefore not limited only to the illustrated examples. Also, identical or similar constituent elements in drawings are denoted by the same reference sign, and duplicated description thereof is omitted.

The present embodiment provides a thin metal strip winding method and a thin metal strip winding system that shorten the process cycle time. The present embodiment also provides a thin metal strip winding method and a thin metal strip winding system that reduce the size of a ribbon storage space (a stock spaceto be described later).

A configuration of a thin metal strip winding systemA according to the first embodiment will now be described below with reference to.is a diagram of the configuration of the thin metal strip winding systemA according to the first embodiment. In, “UPSTREAM” and “DOWNSTREAM” are based on the direction of movement of a ribbonto be described later.is a diagram of an arrangement in the thin metal strip winding systemA.is a diagram of a configuration of a connecting unitA in the thin metal strip winding systemA and its surroundings.

As shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA includes equipment for manufacturing a thin metal strip inside an operation room. The operation roomis configured such that multiple column partsare provided upright on a base plateand each column partsupports multiple wall parts.

The thin metal strip winding systemA includes a supply unit, the stock space, a ribbon cutting jigA, a leader connection jigA, and a winderinside the operation roomas the equipment for manufacturing a thin metal strip.

The supply unitis a constituent element that supplies the ribbon, which is a thin metal strip. The ribbonis connected to a leaderto be described later. The supply unitincludes a metallic cooling roller, a rotation shaftof the cooling roller, a cooling roller rotation unit, and a tundish. The cooling roller rotation unitis an electric motor that is connected to the rotation shaftand rotationally drives the rotation shaft. The tundishis a container for a molten metaland disposed directly above the cooling roller. A lower portion of the tundishis formed in a funnel shape. A stopper rodis disposed inside the tundish. The stopper rodis a member that adjusts the flow rate of the molten metalthat is caused to flow downward from the tundishonto the surface of the cooling roller. The stopper rodhas a lower portion in the shape of a circular cone and an upper portion in the shape of a circular cylinder, and moves in the upper-lower direction. When the stopper rodis at the lowermost position, the stopper rodcloses an opening portion provided at a lower end portion of the tundish. Thus, the flow rate of the molten metalis zero in this case. As the stopper rodrises, the opening portion provided at the lower end portion of the tundishopens. As a result, the molten metalinside the tundishflows downward onto the surface of the cooling roller. The cooling rolleris rotated at high speed by the rotation shaftconnected to the cooling roller rotation unit. The supply unitcauses the molten metalto flow downward onto the surface of the cooling rollerrotating at high speed from directly above the cooling roller. As a result, the molten metalbecomes rapidly cooled and solidified on the cooling roller. Then, the supply unitreleases a ribbonthat is the molten metalrapidly cooled and solidified into the form of a thin film into the stock spacewhile causing the ribbonto fly off the surface of the cooling rollerby means of a flight tube. The flight tubeis a pipe having an internal space through which the ribbonbeing the molten metalformed into a thin film is caused to fly. The ribbonis released toward the stock spacefrom its flying tip portion. In this way, the supply unitcontinuously manufactures a ribbon, which is an amorphous thin metal strip, and stores it in the stock space.

The stock spaceis a constituent element that stores the ribbon, which is a thin metal strip. A ribbon connection robotA is disposed around the stock space. The ribbon connection robotA is a constituent element that scoops up an intermediate portion of a thin metal strip flying toward the stock spaceand supplies it to the ribbon cutting jigA. Incidentally, the manufacturing of the ribbonby the single-roll process is performed at an extremely high speed. For this reason, if a manufacturing site with limited space is to employ a configuration for setting the tip of the ribbononto the winding rolland immediately winding it up as soon as the tip of the ribbonflies out, the configuration will be heavy, bulky, and costly. To address this, the thin metal strip winding systemA according to the present embodiment is configured to scoop up, cut, and grasp an intermediate portion of a flying thin metal strip (ribbon) at the outlet of the flight tube, connect the later-described leaderand the ribbon, and wind them up. Also, in order to simultaneously manufacture a thin metal strip (ribbon) and wind up the thin metal strip (ribbon), the winding speed of the ribbononto the winding rollis set to be more than or equal to the manufacturing speed of the ribbon.

The ribbon cutting jigA is a jig that cuts the ribbonso as to make it easy to connect any portion thereof, such as a trailing end, to the leader. The ribbon cutting jigA is provided above a front portion of the stock space. Together with the ribbon connection robotA, the ribbon cutting jigA forms a cutting-grasping unitthat cuts and grasps the ribbon.

The leader connection jigA is a jig that connects the ribbonto the leader. The leader connection jigA is provided at a position that is substantially the same as the position of the ribbon cutting jigA in the front-rear direction and is higher than the ribbon cutting jigA (). The leaderis a to-be-connected portion of a thin metal strip remaining on the winding rollset on a winding roll rotation unitof the winder. Adhesive tape() is bonded to an end portion of the leader(remaining tip portion()) in advance by an operator. The leader connection jigA pressurizes (presses) the ribbonand the leaderagainst each other to connect the ribbonand the leaderby the adhesive tape.

The winding rollis repetitively used. When a ribbonwound around the winding rollis unwound and processed as desired, a small portion of the ribbonmay be left and utilized as the leader, instead of unwinding the whole ribbonfrom the winding roll. In this way, the operation of mounting a ribbononto the winding rollwill be efficiently done as compared to mounting the ribbononto the winding rollin an empty state. Note that the leadermay be other than a remaining portion of a ribbon.

Incidentally, tape that can be easily detached (detachable tape) may be used as the adhesive tapeso that the tape will not be wasted and can be reused.

The winderis an apparatus that winds up a ribbonaround the winding roll. The winderis provided rearward of the stock space. The winderhas the winding roll rotation unit, on which the winding rollis set. The winding rollis a winding roll with the leader, which is a portion of a thin metal strip to be connected to the ribbon, left thereon. That is, the winding rollis a winding roll after being used with a small amount of a thin metal strip (leader) left thereon. The winding roll rotation unitrotates in the direction of an arrow Aby means of a winding motorto wind up the ribbonconnected to the leaderaround the winding roll. The winderhas a winding nip roller, a roll diameter measurement unit, feed rollers, and a feed control motor.

The winding nip rolleris a constituent element that sandwiches a thin metal strip (the leaderand the ribbonconnected to the leader) between itself and the winding roll.

The roll diameter measurement unitis a constituent element that measures the roll diameter of the winding roll. The roll diameter measurement unitmeasures the roll diameter of the winding rollby moving in the radial direction of the winding roll(the direction of an arrow A, which is the upper-lower direction in the illustrated example) along with the winding nip roller.

The feed rollersare constituent elements that feed the thin metal strip (the leaderand the ribbonconnected to the leader) in the direction toward the winding roll. The feed control motoris a constituent element that controls the rotational speed of the feed rollers. There are two feed rollersfacing each other in the upper-lower direction. Of the two feed rollers, one feed roller(the upper feed rollerin the illustrated example) is configured to move in the direction of an arrow A(upper-lower direction) to make a gap therebetween so that the operator trying to set the leadercan easily perform the operation. Between the feed rollersand the leader connection jigA, there are provided ribbon guide barsover which the thin metal strip (the leaderand the ribbonconnected to the leader) is laid to remove the thin metal strip's twist.

shows an example of the layout of constituent elements in the thin metal strip winding systemA as view from above. As shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA includes the flight tubein front (upstream side) of the stock space. Moreover, in the thin metal strip winding systemA, the ribbon cutting jigA and leader connection jigA and the ribbon connection robotA are disposed so as to face each other across the stock space. Furthermore, the thin metal strip winding systemA includes the winderbehind (downstream side) of the stock space.

shows a configuration of the connecting unitA in the thin metal strip winding systemA and its surroundings. The thin metal strip winding systemA includes the ribbon cutting jigA and the ribbon connection robotA, which function as the cutting-grasping unit. The ribbon cutting jigA has a stopperA that fixes the ribbon. The stopperA has a fixed shaftAa disposed in a fixed state and a pressure shaftAb that sandwiches the ribbonbetween itself and the fixed shaftAa. The stopperA also has an air cylinderAc that moves the pressure shaftAb in the direction of an arrow AA (a direction toward or away from the fixed shaftAa), and a ribbon positioning blockAd that determines the position of the ribbonin the width direction. Also, the ribbon connection robotA has a robotic handA. The robotic handA has a ribbon cutterAa in the shape of an edged tool.

Also, the thin metal strip winding systemA includes the leader connection jigA. The leader connection jigA includes the connecting unitA. The connecting unitA has a cushion plateAa, a pressure reception cushionAb, and a fixed bracketAc. The cushion plateAa is an elastic plate. The pressure reception cushionAb is a cushion that receives a pressure applied to the thin metal strip through the cushion plateAa. The fixed bracketAc is a member that supports the cushion plateAa and the pressure reception cushionAb.

As shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA causes the ribbonto fly in the direction of an arrow Aand cuts and grasps an intermediate portion of the flying ribbonwith the robotic handA of the ribbon connection robotA. Then, after cutting the ribbon, the thin metal strip winding systemA moves the robotic handA along an arrow AAa to bring a side of the ribboninto contact with the ribbon positioning blockAd and thereby adjust the position of the ribbonin the left-right direction. As a result, the thin metal strip winding systemA places a cut tip portionof the ribbonsuch that the cut tip portionfaces the remaining tip portionof the leader.

Then, the thin metal strip winding systemA moves the pressure shaftAb in the direction toward the fixed shaftAa along the arrow AA. The adhesive tapeis bonded to the remaining tip portionof the leader. Thus, at this time, the cut tip portionof the ribbonand the remaining tip portionof the leaderget bonded to each other with the adhesive tapetherebetween. Also, when the cut tip portionof the ribbonand the remaining tip portionof the leaderare bonded, the thin metal strip winding systemA retracts the ribbon cutterAa to a predetermined retracted position (an origin for stopping Pshown inor) along the arrow AA.

Operation of the thin metal strip winding systemA will now be described below with reference to.is a flowchart showing the operation of the thin metal strip winding systemA.are each an explanatory diagram of the operation of the thin metal strip winding systemA.are each an explanatory diagram of operation of the ribbon cutterAa of the thin metal strip winding systemA.

As shown in, firstly, in the thin metal strip winding systemA, the winding rollwith the leader, which is a to-be-connected portion of a thin metal strip, remaining thereon is set on the winding roll rotation unitby the operator or a robot not shown (step S).

Then, the thin metal strip winding systemA starts causing a ribbonto fly from the flight tubeby driving the supply unit(step S). Note that the thin metal strip winding systemA is configured to execute the processes in and after step Sonly without the operator presence in the operation roomin order to secure the operator's safety. Specifically, the thin metal strip winding systemA is configured such that the operator cannot enter the operation roomduring winding of the thin metal strip (ribbon) around the winding rollin order to secure the operator's safety. Note that the thin metal strip winding systemA is preferably configured to manufacture only the amount of a thin metal strip (ribbon) that can be wound up around a single winding roll. Moreover, the thin metal strip winding systemA is preferably configured such that the winding rollcannot be replaced while the molten metalis caused to flow downward onto the surface of the cooling rollerfrom the tundish.

Then, the thin metal strip winding systemA cuts and grasps the ribbonby driving the cutting-grasping unit(step S).

Then, the thin metal strip winding systemA connects the leaderand the ribbonto each other by driving the leader connection jigA (step S). That is, the thin metal strip winding systemA connects the ribbonand the leader, each of which is a thin metal strip. Note that the thin metal strip winding systemA is capable of omitting the process of step Sand instead storing a ribbonin the stock spacebefore the process of step Sand connecting the ribbonstored in the stock spaceand the leaderto each other. In this case, the thin metal strip winding systemA is configured to execute the processes only without the operator presence in the operation roomin order to secure the operator's safety.

Then, the thin metal strip winding systemA winds up the thin metal strip (ribbon) around the winding rollby driving the winding roll rotation unit(step S). The thin metal strip winding systemA stops the winding roll rotation unitwhen completing winding up the thin metal strip (ribbon) around the winding roll.

Note that, in steps Sand S, the thin metal strip winding systemA causes the ribbon cutting jigA, the connecting unitA, and the ribbon cutterAa to operate as shown in, for example.

shows a state of preparing to scoop up the ribbon. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the origin for stopping Pto an origin for scooping P. The origin for stopping Pis the retracted position of the ribbon cutterAa. The origin for stopping Pis a position that is outside the stock space. Further, in the example of, the origin for stopping Pis a position that is below the stopperA of the ribbon cutting jigA and separated from the fixed bracketAc of the connecting unitA toward the front. The origin for scooping Pis the position of the ribbon cutterAa before scooping up the ribbon. The origin for scooping Pis preferably a position that is inside the stock spaceand directly under the outlet of the flight tube. In the example shown in, the origin for scooping Pis a position that is below the stopperA of the ribbon cutting jigA and between the fixed shaftAa and the pressure shaftAb.

shows a state of scooping up the ribbon. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the origin for scooping Pto a scooping point P. The scooping point Pis the position of the ribbon cutterAa at the time of scooping up the ribbon. In the example shown in, the scooping point Pis a position that is above the stopperA of the ribbon cutting jigA and between the fixed shaftAa and the pressure shaftAb. Specifically, the scooping point Pis a position at which the ribbon cutterAa is disposed to face the cushion plateAa (in other words, disposed such that their side faces are parallel to each other).shows the position of the ribbon cutterAa as viewed from the rear in the state shown in. The ribbonand the leaderare disposed at positions that are offset from each other in the left-right direction.

shows a state of preparing to cut the ribbon. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the scooping point Pto an origin for cutting P. The origin for cutting Pis the position of the ribbon cutterAa before cutting the ribbon. The origin for cutting Pis a position that is offset from the scooping point Pin the left-right direction.shows the position of the ribbon cutterAa as viewed from the rear in the state shown in. The ribbonand the leaderare disposed at positions that overlap each other in the left-right direction. Thereafter, the thin metal strip winding systemA moves the ribbonin the front-rear direction to lay the ribbonover the leaderwith the adhesive tapetherebetween.

shows a state of fixing the ribbon. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the pressure shaftAb to the fixed shaftAa side. By doing so, the thin metal strip winding systemA has sandwiched the ribbonbetween the pressure shaftAb and the fixed shaftAa, thereby fixing the ribbon.

shows a state of cutting the ribbon. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the origin for cutting Pto a cutting point Pto cut the ribbon. The cutting point Pis the position of the ribbon cutterAa at the time of cutting the ribbon. The cutting point Pis set above the origin for cutting P.

shows a state of being bonded to the leader. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the cutting point Pto a bonding point Pto bond the ribbonto the leaderwith the adhesive tapetherebetween. The bonding point Pis the position of the ribbon cutterAa at the time of bonding the ribbonto the leader. The bonding point Pis a position closer to the cushion plateAa than the cutting point Pis, i.e., the position of the ribbon cutterAa pressed against the cushion plateAa side.

shows a state of releasing the ribbon. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the pressure shaftAb away from the fixed shaftAa. By doing so, the thin metal strip winding systemA has released the sandwiching of the ribbonbetween the pressure shaftAb and the fixed shaftAa, thereby releasing the ribbon. Note that the end portion of the ribbonnot connected to the leaderwith the adhesive tapetherebetween falls and enters the stock space.

each show a state where the ribbon cutterAa returns to an origin. In the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the bonding point P() to the cutting point P, i.e., toward a side away from the cushion plateAa. Then, in the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the cutting point P() to a relay point P. The relay point Pis a relay position through which to move the ribbon cutterAa to the origin for stopping P. Then, in the example shown in, the thin metal strip winding systemA has moved the ribbon cutterAa from the relay point P() to the origin for stopping P.shows the positions of the ribbon cutterAa as viewed from the rear to which the ribbon cutterAa moves in the states shown in.

Thereafter, the thin metal strip winding systemA performs the process of step Sshown into wind up the thin metal strip (ribbon) around the winding roll.

After this, the processes of steps Sto Sshown inare repeated. At this time, in the process of step Sshown in, the robot not shown sets the winding rollwith the leaderremaining thereon onto the winding roll rotation unit. In this way, the thin metal strip winding systemA can only connect a ribbonto the leaderand avoid directly mounting the ribbonto the winding roll. This enables the thin metal strip winding systemA to improve the safety and case of winding of the thin metal strip (ribbon) around the winding roll.

Note that the thin metal strip winding systemA is capable of adjusting the operation speed of the cutting-grasping unitand the operation speed of the leader connection jigA according to the speed of winding of the ribbonaround the winding rollby the winderand the rotational speed of the feed rollers. In this way, the thin metal strip winding systemA can avoid applying an excessive tension to the ribbonor letting the ribbonslack during the operation of winding the ribbon. This also enables the thin metal strip winding systemA to improve the safety and case of winding of the thin metal strip (ribbon) around the winding roll.

The thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment has the following features.

(1) As shown in, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment includes a flying step (step S), a thin metal strip connecting step (step S), and a thin metal strip winding step (step S). The flying step (step S) is a step of causing a thin metal strip to fly from the flight tube. The thin metal strip connecting step (step S) is a step of connecting any portion of the thin metal strip flying from the flight tubeand the leaderas a ribbon, the leaderbeing a to-be-connected portion of another thin metal strip remaining on the winding rollset on the winding roll rotation unitof the winder, which winds up the thin metal strip. The thin metal strip winding step (step S) is a step of winding up the ribbonaround the winding rollby causing the winding roll rotation unitto rotate. The any portion of the ribbonis a portion determined as appropriate according to the purpose and is a portion to be bonded to the leaderwith the adhesive tapetherebetween.

The thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment involves manufacturing a thin metal strip by causing a thin metal strip obtained by rapidly cooling a liquid by a single-roll process or the like, for example, to fly from the flight tube. Moreover, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment involves connecting any portion of the thin metal strip as a ribbonserving as a connecting portion to the to-be-connected portion (leader) of the thin metal strip remaining on the winding roll rotation unitset on the winding roll rotation unit. In such a thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment, the manufacturing of a thin metal strip (ribbon) and the winding of the thin metal strip (ribbon) are performed simultaneously. Accordingly, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment shortens the process cycle time. Ideally, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment can simultaneously finish the manufacturing of the thin metal strip (ribbon) and the winding of the thin metal strip (ribbon).

Also, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment involves scooping up, cutting, and grasping an intermediate portion of the flying thin metal strip (ribbon) at the outlet of the flight tube, connecting the leaderand the ribbon, and winding them up. By setting the manufacturing speed of the ribbonand the winding speed of the ribbonto the same or similar speeds, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment can store only the minimum amount of the ribbonin the stock space. Accordingly, the thin metal strip winding method according to the present embodiment can reduce the size of the stock space(ribbon storage space).