IP Library Granted Patent US 10,466,204
Granted Patent B2
US 10,466,204 · App. 14/760,907 · Granted Nov 5, 2019

Welding state inspection method

Inventors: Koichi Kawamoto (Hiratsuka, JP); Shuji Yoshida (Tokyo, JP); Yutaka Suzuki (Kanagawa, JP); Takashi Matsuoka (Sagamihara, JP); Toshiharu Tanaka (Ebina, JP)
Assignees: Automotive Energy Supply Corporation; Envision AESC Japan Ltd.
G01N29/04B23K20/10B23K31/125G01N2291/267H01L2924/0002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,466,204
App. No.
14/760,907
Granted
Nov 5, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A welding state inspection method for ultrasonic-welded plate-like members includes the steps of measuring energy that has been transmitted to an anvil when ultrasonic-welding a plurality of plate-like members stacked on the anvil while pressing a horn that vibrates against the plate-like members; and determining a quality of a welding state of the plate-like members on the basis of the energy measured in the measuring step.

Claims (22)

1. A welding state inspection device comprising a vibration sensor and a computer comprising a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to implement a welding state inspection method comprising:

measuring energy that has been transmitted to an anvil when ultrasonic-welding a plurality of plate members stacked on the anvil while pressing a horn that vibrates against the plate members by

measuring, by the vibration sensor, vibration amplitude of the anvil; and

calculating, by the processor, time integration of vibration data, wherein the vibration data is obtained by measuring the vibration amplitude of the anvil;

determining, by the processor, a welding state of the plate members on the basis of a result of time integration in the calculating operation, wherein the vibration sensor is a non-contact type displacement sensor

comparing, by the processor, a value obtained by dividing an integration value of the vibration data by an integration time with a threshold value that has been set in advance; and

determining, by the processor, that the welding state of the plate members is favorable in a case where the value obtained by dividing the integration value by the integration time is larger than the threshold value.

2. A welding state inspection device comprising a vibration sensor and a computer comprising a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to implement a welding state inspection method comprising:

measuring energy that has been transmitted to an anvil when ultrasonic-welding a plurality of plate members stacked on the anvil while pressing a horn that vibrates against the plate members by

measuring, by the vibration sensor, vibration amplitude of the anvil; and

calculating, by the processor, time integration of vibration data, wherein the vibration data is obtained by measuring the vibration amplitude of the anvil; and

determining, by the processor, a welding state of the plate members on the basis of a result of time integration in the calculating operation, wherein the vibration sensor is a non-contact type displacement sensor wherein the measuring operation is prior to the calculating operation, and the measuring operation further includes:

extracting, by the processor, data of a period of time from the vibration data, the period of time being when the anvil is vibrating; and

integrating, by the processor, the extracted data of the period of time.

3. A welding state inspection device comprising a vibration sensor and a computer comprising a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to implement a welding state inspection method comprising:

measuring energy that has been transmitted to an anvil when ultrasonic-welding a plurality of plate members stacked on the anvil while pressing a horn that vibrates against the plate members by

measuring, by the vibration sensor, vibration amplitude of the anvil; and

calculating, by the processor, time integration of vibration data, wherein the vibration data is obtained by measuring the vibration amplitude of the anvil; and

determining, by the processor, a welding state of the plate members on the basis of a result of time integration in the calculating operation, wherein the vibration sensor is a non-contact type displacement sensor, wherein the measuring operation is prior to the calculating operation, and the measuring operation further includes:

applying, by the processor, a band-pass filter of a frequency band defined by a vibration frequency of the horn to extract data of the frequency band from the vibration data; and

integrating, by the processor, the extracted data of the frequency band.

4. The welding state inspection device according to claim 3 , wherein a center frequency of the band-pass filter matches the vibration frequency of the horn.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 25, 2019
From: AUTOMOTIVE ENERGY SUPPLY CORPORATION
To: ENVISION AESC JAPAN LTD.
Reel/Frame 050481/0456 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 6, 2019
From: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
To: ENVISION AESC JAPAN LTD.,
Reel/Frame 049970/0140 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2015
From: KAWAMOTO, KOICHI; YOSHIDA, SHUJI; SUZUKI, YUTAKA; MATSUOKA, TAKASHI; TANAKA, TOSHIHARU
To: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.; AUTOMOTIVE ENERGY SUPPLY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 036082/0836 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-004664 · Jan 15, 2013 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150369779A1 · Dec 24, 2015
Cited By (1)
US 12,390,880