Motor driven resistance spot welding gun

• US 7,067,768 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2002
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Hiroki, Sasaki, Hitoshi, Shoji, Masaaki, Shimizu, Akiyoshi, Kugimiya, Takuro, Miwa, Hiroshi, Yoshimi, Shigenori, Kurihara, Osamu, Nakabayashi, Shigemitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US10/478,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20040208031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 363/141, 219/136, 219/137.PS, 219/137.2, 219/137.31, 219/137.62, 310/46, 310/47, 310/50, 310/52, 310/54, 310 58- 61, 310/60.A
• US Class Current: 219/137.62
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/315 with one electrode moving on a linear path
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/317 Equalizing; Balancing devices for electrode holders
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/06 Means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa

Abstract

A motor-driven welding gun has a servomotor for displacing a movable electrode tip toward and away from a fixed electrode tip. The servomotor has a motor housing with a copper pipe which is inserted therein when the motor housing is cast. The copper pipe provides a coolant passage in the motor housing for supplying a coolant therethrough. When the coolant passage is supplied with the coolant, the motor housing is forcibly cooled, reducing the amount of heat generated by the servomotor.

Claims

1. A motor-driven welding gun comprising:

a pair of electrode tips;

a servomotor; and

a feed screw mechanism coupled to said servomotor and rotatable thereby for moving one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip;

said servomotor having a motor housing having a coolant passage defined therein for supplying a coolant therethrough, said coolant passage being defined by a pipe of copper which is inserted in said motor housing when the motor housing is cast;

said pipe being of a helically coiled structure, comprising tubular holders of copper connected to respective inlet and outlet ends of said pipe and inserted in said motor housing when the motor housing is cast.

2. A motor-driven welding gun comprising:

a welding gun assembly including a pair of electrode tips, a servomotor, and a feed screw mechanism coupled to said servomotor and rotatable thereby for moving one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip;

said servomotor comprising;

a motor housing mounted on said welding gun assembly;

a stator fixedly mounted in said motor housing;

a hollow rotor rotatably housed in said motor j housing, and

a plurality of magnets fixed to said hollow rotor;

each of said magnets having a constant radial dimension and a constant thickness;

said magnets being arranged along an axis of said hollow rotor depending on the output poorer of said servomotor, so that the whole of said magnets has an axial dimension, which is substantially proportional to the magnitude of the output power of said servomotor;

said stator including a coil having an axial dimension which is commensurate with the axial dimension of said magnet which is disposed in confronting relation to said coil.

3. A motor-driven welding gun comprising:

a welding gun assembly including a pair of electrode tips, a servomotor, and a feed screw mechanism coupled to said servomotor and rotatable thereby for moving one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip;

said servomotor comprising;

a motor housing mounted on said welding gun assembly;

a stator fixedly mounted in said motor housing; and

a hollow rotor rotatably housed in said motor I housing;

said feed screw mechanism comprising;

a feed screw coupled to and rotatable with said hollow rotor; and

a nut threaded over said feed screw for moving said one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip in response to rotation of said feed screw;

said hollow rotor and said feed screw being joined to each other by an interfitting fastening structure or by a press-fitting structure, said interfitting fastening structure comprising splined members.

4. A motor-driven welding gun comprising:

a welding gun assembly including a pair of electrode tips, a servomotor, and a feed screw mechanism coupled to said servomotor and rotatable thereby for moving one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip;

said servomotor comprising;

a motor housing mounted on said welding gun assembly;

a stator fixedly mounted in said motor housing; and

a hollow rotor rotatably housed in said motor housing; and

a seal member interposed between said motor housing and said hollow rotor and disposed on an open end that faces said electrode tips.

5. A motor-driven welding gun according to claim 4, wherein said seal member comprises:

a bearing by which said hollow rotor is rotatable supported in said motor housing; and

an oil seal disposed in an opening defined between an outer circumferential surface of said hollow rotor and an inner circumferential surface of said motor housing,

wherein said damping member is of a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, said damping member having recesses which receive respective heads of screws fastening said damping member to said nut and respective heads of screws fastening a hollow rod which holds said one of said electrode tips to said nut, said damping member having a contact surface contacting said hollow rotor and extending between said recesses to an outer circumferential edge of said damping member.

6. A motor-driven welding gun comprising:

a welding gun assembly including a pair of electrode tips, a servomotor, and a feed screw mechanism coupled to said servomotor and rotatable thereby for moving one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip;

said servomotor comprising;

a motor housing mounted on said welding gun assembly;

a stator fixedly mounted in said motor housing; and

a hollow rotor rotatably housed in said motor housing;

said feed screw mechanism comprising;

a feed screw coupled to and rotatable with said hollow rotor ; and

a nut threaded over said feed screw for moving said one of said electrode tips toward and away from the other electrode tip in response to rotation of said feed screw ; and

a damping member disposed in a region of contact between said hollow rotor and said nut , for absorbing shocks produced between said nut and said hollow rotor when said one of said electrode tips is moved away from the other electrode tip .

7. A motor-driven welding gun according to claim 6, wherein said damping member is of a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, said damping member having recesses which receive respective heads of screws fastening said damping member to said nut and respective heads of screws fastening a hollow rod which holds said one of said electrode tips to said nut , said damping member having a contact surface contacting said hollow rotor and extending between said recesses to an outer circumferential edge of said damping member .