Segment-core coupled body and method of manufacturing armature

1. A segment-core coupled body, comprising:

a plurality of segment cores, each including a core back having an arc shape and a tooth projecting from the core back toward a radially inner side; and

a plurality of coupling portions configured to couple the core backs to one another, to thereby continuously and linearly arrange the plurality of segment cores,

wherein the plurality of segment cores are coupled to one another only by the plurality of coupling portions, and

wherein the plurality of segment cores and the plurality of coupling portions are each a laminated body of magnetic sheets,

wherein the plurality of coupling portions each include:

a posture holding portion adjacent to a gap defined between adjacent core backs;

a first thin portion configured to couple one corner portion of opposed corner portions of the adjacent core backs on an outer peripheral side and the posture holding portion; and

a second thin portion configured to couple another corner portion of the opposed corner portions of the adjacent core backs on the outer peripheral side and the posture holding portion, and

wherein, when viewed from a lamination direction of the laminated body, the posture holding portion projects toward a radially outer side with respect to the adjacent core backs and is located radially outward of radially outermost peripheral surfaces of the core backs.

2. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of segment cores have a configuration in which side surfaces of adjacent core backs in a circumferential direction are arranged in an arc shape under a state in which the posture holding portions are separated at the first thin portion and the second thin portion.

3. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 1 , wherein, when viewed from the lamination direction of the laminated body, an intersecting point of extension lines of opposed sides of the adjacent core backs is located on a radially outer side with respect to an imaginary line connecting outer peripheral sides of the adjacent core backs.

4. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic sheets for forming each of the plurality of posture holding portions and being laminated on one another are fixed with use of a first fixing member.

5. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 4 , wherein the first fixing member is a caulking portion or a welding portion.

6. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 4 , wherein the laminated magnetic sheets for forming each of the plurality of the segment core and being laminated on one another are fixed with use of a second fixing member.

7. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 6 , wherein the second fixing member is a bonding portion.

8. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of posture holding members is connected at the first thin portion to a part of a magnetic sheet for forming one core back of the adjacent core backs, and is connected at the second thin portion to a part of a magnetic sheet for forming another core back of the adjacent core backs.

9. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 4 ,

wherein each of the first thin portion and the second thin portion has a minimum width portion, and

wherein the minimum width portion is located on an inner side of the outer peripheral surfaces of core backs, to which the first thin portion and the second thin portion are coupled, and is located on a circumferentially inner side of side surfaces of the core backs.

10. The segment-core coupled body according to claim 1 ,

wherein the minimum width portion is located on an inner side of the outer peripheral surfaces of core back, to which the first thin portion and the second thin portion are coupled and is located on a circumferentially inner side of side surfaces of core backs, which is the surface where the adjacent core backs in a circumferential direction contact each other when the plurality of segment cores are arranged in an arc shape.

11. A method of manufacturing an armature, comprising:

a pressing step of stamping core-piece coupled bodies from a magnetic elongated belt-like body;

a laminating step of laminating the core-piece coupled bodies having been stamped to produce a segment-core coupled body; and

a separating step of separating segment cores from the segment-core coupled body,

wherein the core-piece coupled body having been stamped from the elongated belt-like body has a configuration in which a plurality of core pieces each including a core back portion having an arc shape and a tooth portion projecting from the core back portion toward a radially inner side are coupled to one another at the core back portions only with use of coupling pieces and are continuously and linearly arranged,

wherein the coupling pieces each include:

a posture holding piece adjacent to a gap defined between adjacent core back portions;

a first thin piece configured to couple one corner portion of opposed corner portions of the adjacent core back portions on an outer peripheral side and the posture holding piece; and

a second thin piece configured to couple another corner portion of the opposed corner portions of the adjacent core back portions on the outer peripheral side and the posture holding piece,

wherein, when viewed from a plate thickness direction of the core piece, the posture holding piece projects toward a radially outer side with respect to the adjacent core back portions and is located radially outward of radially outermost peripheral surfaces of the adjacent core back portions, and

wherein the segment-core coupled body has a configuration in which the segment cores each formed of a core back being a laminated body of the core back portions and a tooth being a laminated body of the tooth portions are coupled to one another by a first thin portion being a laminated body of the first thin pieces, a posture holding portion being a laminated body of the posture holding pieces, and a second thin portion being a laminated body of the second thin pieces, and are continuously and linearly arranged.

12. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 , wherein, in the separating step, the first thin portion and the second thin portion are cut by reciprocatingly moving the posture holding portion or the core back in a plane of the core piece.

13. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 , wherein, when viewed from the plate thickness direction of the core piece, an intersecting point of extension lines of opposed side pieces of the adjacent core back portions is located on a radially outer side with respect to an imaginary line connecting outer peripheral pieces of the adjacent core back portions.

14. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 ,

wherein, in the pressing step, the core-piece coupled body is stamped from the elongated belt-like body under a state in which:

an arrangement direction of the core pieces matches a width direction of the elongated belt-like body;

the tooth portions of the core pieces are oriented toward one side in a delivery direction of the elongated belt-like body; and

the posture holding portions are stamped under a state in which the posture holding portions are each located between the tooth portions of the core-piece coupled body on another side in the delivery direction of the elongated belt-like body.

15. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 ,

wherein, in the pressing step, the core-piece coupled body is stamped from the elongated belt-like body under a state in which:

an arrangement direction of the core pieces matches a width direction of the elongated belt-like body; and

tooth portions of one core-piece coupled body of core-piece coupled bodies adjacent to each other in a delivery direction of the elongated belt-like body are each located between tooth portions of another core-piece coupled body.

16. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 ,

wherein, in the pressing step, the core-piece coupled body is stamped from the elongated belt-like body under a state in which:

an arrangement direction of the core pieces matches a width direction of the elongated belt-like body; and

tooth portions of one core-piece coupled body of core-piece coupled bodies adjacent to each other in a delivery direction of the elongated belt-like body are each located between core back portions of another core-piece coupled body.

17. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 , prior to the separating step, further comprising:

an insulating member mounting step of bending the first thin portion and the second thin portion of the segment-core coupled body and opening one segment core of adjacent segment cores with respect to another segment core about the posture holding portion, to thereby mount an insulating member to the tooth of the one segment core; and

a coil mounting step of winding a wire around the tooth having the insulating member mounted thereto.

18. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 , prior to the separating step, further comprising:

a step of bending the first thin portion and the second thin portion of the segment-core coupled body and increasing a distance between adjacent segment cores, to thereby produce the segment-core coupled body which is linearly expanded;

an insulating member mounting step of mounting an insulating member to the tooth of the segment core; and

a coil mounting step of winding a wire around the tooth having the insulating member mounted thereto.

19. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 ,

wherein the posture holding portion of the segment-core coupled body having been laminated in the laminating step is fixed by a first fixing member, and

wherein, in the separating step, the segment core is separated by cutting the first thin portion and the second thin portion.

20. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 19 , wherein the first fixing member is a caulking portion or welding.

21. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 19 , wherein the segment core of the segment-core coupled body having been laminated in the laminating step is fixed by a second fixing member.

22. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 21 , wherein the second fixing member is a bonding portion.

23. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 , prior to the separating step, further comprising:

a step of bending the first thin portion and the second thin portion of the segment-core coupled body and increasing a distance between adjacent segment cores, to thereby produce the segment-core coupled body which is linearly expanded;

an insulating member mounting step of covering both side surfaces and both end surfaces of the tooth of the segment core with molded resin; and

a coil mounting step of winding a wire around the tooth covered with the molded resin.

24. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 11 , further comprising:

a step of annularly arranging the segment cores by bringing side surfaces of the core backs in the circumferential direction in to abutment against one another; and

a step of integrating the segment cores having been annularly arranged by welding the abutment portions of the core backs from a radially outer side.

25. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 24 ,

wherein, in the separating step, the segment core is separated from the segment-core coupled body by cutting the first thin portion and the second thin portion, and

wherein the welding portion of the abutment portion of the adjacent core backs is formed in a circumferential region including a cut surface of the first thin portion and a cut surface of the second thin portion which are opposed to each other across the abutment portion of the adjacent core backs.

26. The method of manufacturing an armature according to claim 24 ,

wherein, in the separating step, the segment core is separated from the segment-core coupled body by cutting the first thin portion and the second thin portion, and

wherein the welding portion of the abutment portion of the adjacent core backs is formed, in a circumferential region including a cut surface of the first thin portion and a cut surface of the second thin portion which are opposed to each other across the abutment portion of the adjacent core backs, in a region on the second thin portion side with respect to the cut surface of the first thin portion and on the first thin portion side with respect to the second thin portion.