阅读说明：本技术 熔接装置 (Welding device ) 是由 山浦诚司 小岛浩教 于 2018-11-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种装置(1),该装置(1)具有：一对模具(10a)和模具(10b),其夹持多个薄膜状构件相叠合的部分并进行加热,从而进行熔接；一对加热块(20a)和加热块(20b),其分别支承一对模具；多个第1支承块(37),其借助在中途包含阻碍热传递的部分的多个棒状构件(50)连接于一个加热块(20a)；多个第2支承块(38),其借助多个棒状构件(50)连接于另一个加热块(20b)；以及驱动机构(60),其借助这些支承块以使一对模具的间隔可变的方式来夹持薄膜状构件。多个第1支承块包含至少1个能够移动的支承块(39),该能够移动的支承块(39)包含与作为支承对象的加热块的第1方向上的热变形对应地相对于驱动机构在第1方向上移动的机构(35),多个第2支承块包含至少1个能够移动的支承块(39)。(The invention provides a device (1), the device (1) comprising: a pair of molds (10a, 10b) for holding and heating the overlapped portions of the plurality of film-shaped members to weld the film-shaped members; a pair of heating blocks (20a, 20b) for supporting the pair of molds; a plurality of 1 st support blocks (37) connected to one heating block (20a) via a plurality of rod-shaped members (50) including portions that inhibit heat transfer in the middle; a plurality of No. 2 support blocks (38) connected to another heating block (20b) via a plurality of rod-shaped members (50); and a drive mechanism (60) for holding the film-like member by the support blocks so that the distance between the pair of molds can be changed. The plurality of 1 st support blocks include at least 1 movable support block (39), the movable support block (39) includes a mechanism (35) that moves in the 1 st direction relative to the drive mechanism in accordance with thermal deformation in the 1 st direction of the heating block to be supported, and the plurality of 2 nd support blocks include at least 1 movable support block (39).)

1. An apparatus for fusing a plurality of film-like members, wherein,

the device has:

a pair of molds extending in a 1 st direction, respectively, and holding and heating overlapped portions of the plurality of film-like members to weld at least a part of the overlapped portions;

a pair of heating blocks supporting the pair of molds, respectively, and extending in the 1 st direction, respectively;

a plurality of 1 st support blocks arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction, the plurality of 1 st support blocks being connected to one of the pair of heating blocks by a plurality of rod-shaped members extending in a direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction and including portions that inhibit heat transfer in the middle;

a plurality of 2 nd support blocks arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction, the plurality of 2 nd support blocks being connected to the other of the pair of heating blocks via the plurality of rod-shaped members; and

a drive mechanism for holding the film-like member by the plurality of 1 st support blocks and the plurality of 2 nd support blocks so that an interval between the pair of molds is variable,

the plurality of 1 st support blocks include at least 1 movable support block including a mechanism that moves in the 1 st direction with respect to the drive mechanism in accordance with thermal deformation of a heating block as a support target in the 1 st direction,

the plurality of 2 nd support blocks comprises at least 1 of the movable support blocks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

the support blocks of the 1 st support block are connected by the rod-shaped members arranged at the distributed 3 or 4 positions, and the support blocks of the 2 nd support block are connected by the rod-shaped members arranged at the distributed 3 or 4 positions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2,

the plurality of the 1 st supporting blocks are composed of two or 3 supporting blocks including the movable supporting block,

the plurality of 2 nd support blocks are composed of two or 3 support blocks including the movable support block.

4. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3,

the total length Lh of one of the pair of heating blocks and the total length Ls of the plurality of first support blocks satisfy the following condition:

0.05＜Ls/Lh＜0.5。

5. the apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4,

the apparatus further has a vacuum container in which the pair of molds, the pair of heating blocks, the plurality of 1 st support blocks, and the plurality of 2 nd support blocks are built.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus for welding a film-like member.

Background

Japanese patent application laid-open publication No. 2011-181390 describes providing a welding apparatus capable of maintaining both pressure and temperature distribution with high accuracy. The device disclosed in this document has: a pair of molds for welding at least a part of the overlapped portions of the plurality of film-shaped members; and a pair of support units that support the pair of molds, respectively. The support units each include a heating block made of metal and having a heater built therein, and a support block to which the respective molds are attached on one side, and which is connected to the heating block via a plurality of rod-shaped members. The rod-like members are each made of metal, and the rod-like members are thinned in the middle thereof and arranged at intervals from each other.

Disclosure of Invention

A battery in which a film-like member (laminate film) in which a metal layer (metal foil, metal film) and a resin layer are laminated is used for a battery case is provided. In the process of manufacturing this laminate type battery, two film-like members (laminate films) are stacked such that the resin layers thereof are on the inside, and the resin layers are thermally welded to each other around the film-like members, whereby the two film-like members are joined (bonded) to manufacture a battery case.

In recent years, batteries have been required to have large capacity and large size, and battery cases have been increasing in size. In addition, the heating accuracy (accuracy of heat input) of the welded portion is required to be high when the laminate film is welded to manufacture a battery case. Therefore, for a pair of molds for sandwiching a film-like member for welding, it is desirable that: the pair of molds is lengthened in accordance with the increase in size, and can maintain a shape with high accuracy in which deformation due to warpage or the like is small.

One aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus (welding apparatus) for welding a plurality of film-like members, the apparatus including: a pair of molds extending in the 1 st direction, respectively, the pair of molds holding and heating overlapped portions of the plurality of film-shaped members to weld at least a part of the overlapped portions; and a pair of heating blocks supporting the pair of molds, respectively, and extending in the 1 st direction, respectively. The apparatus further has: a plurality of 1 st support blocks which are arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction and are connected to one of the pair of heating blocks via a plurality of rod-shaped members; and a plurality of 2 nd support blocks which are arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction and are connected to the other heating block of the pair of heating blocks through a plurality of rod-shaped members. Each of the rod-like members extends in a direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction, and includes a portion that impedes heat transfer, for example, a portion that is tapered at a midpoint. The apparatus further includes a driving mechanism for holding the film-like member so that an interval between the pair of molds is variable by a plurality of 1 st support blocks and a plurality of 2 nd support blocks, wherein the plurality of 1 st support blocks include at least 1 movable support block including a mechanism that moves in the 1 st direction with respect to the driving mechanism in accordance with thermal deformation in the 1 st direction of the heating block to be supported, and the plurality of 2 nd support blocks include at least 1 similarly movable support block.

In 1 method for maintaining the shape accuracy of a pair of molds extending in the 1 st direction, the molds are supported in the 1 st direction by other support blocks having high rigidity extending in the 1 st direction. However, in this method, the mold becomes long, and the support block for supporting becomes long, and even if heat transfer between the mold and the support block which become high in temperature is inhibited, the temperature of the support block rises due to the use of the mold for a long time. Accordingly, the inventors of the present application have found that: the thermal deformation of the support block corresponding to the temperature rise also increases, and as a result, the mold supported by the support block deforms.

A mechanism, for example, a slide mechanism, which moves in the 1 st direction with respect to the drive mechanism when the support block is thermally deformed and extends in the 1 st direction, can be introduced. However, when the thermal deformation of the support block becomes large, it is difficult to operate such a mechanism stably.

Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of support blocks are arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction, so that the joint portion between the heating block and the support block is defined, and the support blocks and the heating block are connected to each other via the rod-like member including the portion that impedes heat transfer in the middle. In addition, some or all of the plurality of support blocks are movable support blocks including a mechanism movable in the 1 st direction with respect to the driving mechanism in accordance with thermal deformation in the 1 st direction of the heating block to be supported. The heating block can be stably supported by the plurality of support blocks, and the support blocks are small and distributed to further suppress inflow of heat, thereby suppressing thermal deformation. Therefore, it is possible to provide an apparatus in which a movable support block having a mechanism that stably moves in the 1 st direction can be provided with a simple configuration, and the heating block can be stably extended in the 1 st direction. Therefore, it is possible to provide a welding apparatus which is a mold long in the 1 st direction, is less likely to cause warpage or the like, and can apply pressure more uniformly to a film-shaped member to be welded.

The support blocks of the 1 st support block may be connected by a plurality of rod-shaped members arranged at discrete 3 or 4 positions, and the support blocks of the 2 nd support block may be connected by a plurality of rod-shaped members arranged at discrete 3 or 4 positions. The plurality of 1 st support blocks may be composed of two or 3 support blocks including a movable support block, and the plurality of 2 nd support blocks may be composed of two or 3 support blocks including a movable support block.

The total length Lh of one heating block of the pair of heating blocks and the total length Ls of the plurality of support blocks corresponding to the heating block, for example, the plurality of 1 st support blocks may satisfy the following condition (1):

0.05＜Ls/Lh＜0.5…(1)。

in order to reduce the influence of thermal deformation (thermal elongation), the total length Ls of the plurality of support blocks is desirably short. On the other hand, if the total length Ls is too short, it is difficult to move the heating block and the mold by applying pressure via the support block. The upper limit of the condition (1) may be 0.3 or 0.25. The lower limit of the condition (1) may be 0.07, 0.1, or 0.15.

The apparatus also has a vacuum vessel that houses a pair of molds, a pair of heating blocks, a plurality of the 1 st support blocks, and a plurality of the 2 nd support blocks.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a fusion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a state where the mold and the heating block are viewed from the front.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the mold, the heating block, and the support block.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a state of the support block as viewed from the front.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an example of the welding apparatus 1 as viewed from above. The welding apparatus 1 is an apparatus for manufacturing a laminated bag (japanese patent No. ラ ミ ネ ー ト パ ッ ク) by overlapping two film-like members (laminated film, film) and welding a part of the overlapped members.

The welding apparatus 1 includes: a pair of dies 10a and 10b extending in the 1 st direction (X direction, longitudinal direction); a pair of heating blocks 20a and 20b that support the pair of molds 10a and 10b, respectively; and a plurality of support blocks 30 which are arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction X and relay a force to be applied to the pair of dies 10a and 10b via the heating blocks 20a and 20 b. The support block 30 of the welding apparatus 1 of the present example includes a pair of left and right support blocks 31a and 32a and a pair of left and right support blocks 31b and 32 b. The support blocks 31a and 32a are included in the plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 that support one heating block 20a of the pair of heating blocks 20a and 20 b. The support blocks 31b and 32b are included in a plurality of No. 2 support blocks 38 that support the other heating block 20b of the pair of heating blocks 20a and 20 b. The support blocks 32a and 32b are movable support blocks 39 including a mechanism (moving mechanism) 35 that moves within a range defined in the longitudinal direction X, and are shown in cross section to show the outline of the internal structure.

The pair of molds 10a and 10b, the pair of heating blocks 20a and 20b, the pair of left and right support blocks 31a and 32a, and the pair of left and right support blocks 31b and 32b have a common configuration, and in describing a specific configuration or structure, reference is made to one mold 10a, one heating block 20a, one support block 31a, and one support block 32 a.

The welding apparatus 1 further includes a plurality of rod-shaped members 50, and the plurality of rod-shaped members 50 extend in a direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the 1 st direction (X direction) so as to connect the support blocks 31a and 32a of the plurality of support blocks 30 to the heating block 20 a. Each of the rod-like members 50 includes a heat transfer inhibiting portion 51 in the middle. The heating block 20a is supported by the support blocks 31a and 32a via 4 bar-shaped members 50 arranged in the left, right, and up and down directions. An example of the rod-shaped member 50 including the heat transfer inhibiting portion 51 is a metal member having a shape in which the area of the heat transfer inhibiting portion 51 is reduced in the middle.

More specifically, the rod-shaped member 50 of the present example has a shape in which two truncated cones or two truncated pyramids tapered toward the central portion 51 that inhibits heat transfer are combined at the center. Since the cross-sectional area of the central (intermediate) portion 51, which is narrowed in cross-sectional area, is reduced (decreased), the cross-sectional area necessary for heat transfer is decreased, and this portion 51 becomes a portion that hinders heat transfer. Instead of reducing the cross-sectional area of the central portion 51 of the rod-like member 50, a material having excellent heat insulation properties may be sandwiched, or a material having excellent heat insulation properties may be sandwiched while reducing the cross-sectional area. The rod-shaped member 50 of the present example, which is a single material, particularly a metal material, and includes a structure capable of inhibiting heat transfer, is a preferable example of a member having a simple structure and capable of accurately transferring the pressurizing force.

The welding apparatus 1 further includes: a vacuum container 3 in which a pair of molds 10a and 10b, a pair of heating blocks 20a and 20b, a pair of left and right support blocks 31a and 32a, and a pair of left and right support blocks 31b and 32b are placed; and a drive mechanism 60 for holding the film-like member by the plurality of support blocks 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b so that the distance between the pair of molds 10a and 10b is variable. The drive mechanism 60 includes: a plurality of shafts 66 disposed so as to penetrate the wall of the vacuum chamber 3 through the bushing 65 and connected to the support blocks 31a to 32b, respectively; and a pair of driving rods 67 that drive the plurality of shafts 66 from the outside of the vacuum vessel 3. In this example, one of the drive rods 67 is fixed, and the other drive rod 67 is pushed and pulled by a pressing mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder, whereby the film to be welded is sandwiched and pressed by the support blocks 31a to 32b, the pair of heating blocks 20a and 20b so that the distance between the pair of dies 10a and 10b is variable. The shaft 66 may be configured to sandwich an appropriate heat insulating material for improving heat insulation.

The driving mechanism (driving device) 60 may be any structure as long as the driving mechanism (driving device) 60 can relatively move the pair of molds 10a and 10b via the plurality of support blocks 30, and can press the film-like member sandwiched between the molds 10a and 10b by controlling the gap 18 between the molds 10a and 10b, without being limited to the structure of the present example. More specifically, the driving mechanism 60 may be any mechanism that can control the position of the mold 10a by the support blocks 31a and 32a of the plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 disposed in a manner dispersed in the 1 st direction (X direction) with respect to the heating block 20a and the mold 10a on one side, and can control the position of the mold 10b by the support blocks 31b and 32b of the plurality of 2 nd support blocks 38 disposed in a manner dispersed in the 1 st direction (X direction) with respect to the heating block 20b and the mold 10b on the other side.

Fig. 2 shows the mold 10a and the heating block 20a as viewed from the front (Y direction, II direction). Fig. 3 shows a state in which the mold 10a and the heating block 20a are connected to the support block 31a by the rod member 50, as viewed from the side (X direction, III direction). Fig. 4 shows the support block 31a as viewed from the front (Y direction, IV direction).

The mold 10a is attached to the front of the heating block 20a, and as shown by the broken line in fig. 3, a portion where the film-like member 19 is superimposed is sandwiched between the mold 10a and the mold 10b in the gap 18, and the film-like member 19 is fused by applying pressure and heat. Similarly to the mold 10a, the heating block 20a is a metal member having a rectangular cross section and extending in the X direction (1 st direction), and the heater 22 is inserted into the heating block 20a at the center along the longitudinal direction X. The heating block 20a heats the mold 10a to a temperature necessary for welding, and has a function as a heat sink and a function as a support member that supports the mold 10 a. The mold 10a is fixed to the heating block 20a by screws 12 arranged in a dispersed manner in the X direction, and the linearity of the mold 10a with respect to the heating block 20a can be adjusted by sandwiching a backing ring (japanese: シ ム リ ン グ).

The heating block 20a is connected to and supported by a plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 including support blocks 31a and support blocks 32a distributed at two left and right positions (contact portions, connection portions) 25 and 26 distributed at two left and right positions in the X direction. The support block 31a and the support block 32a are connected to the drive mechanism 60, specifically, the shaft 66 of the drive mechanism 60. The support block 31a and the support block 32a are pressed by a shaft 66 that moves at synchronized timing and force. Therefore, the heating block 20a is operated in the Y direction (the heating block 20a is pressurized) via the support block 31a and the support block 32a, and the mold 10a heated by the heating block 20a is moved, thereby welding the film-like member 19 sandwiched in the gap 18 between the mold 10a and the mold 10b facing the mold 10 a.

The heating block 20a and the support blocks 31a and 32a are connected by 4 bar-shaped members 50 arranged vertically and horizontally. The rod-shaped member 50 includes a structure 51 for blocking heat transfer, and the rod-shaped member 50 is configured to transmit the pressure applied by the driving mechanism 60 to the heating block 20a well, but to transmit the heat from the heating block 20a to the support block 31a and the support block 32a less easily. In the apparatus 1 of this example, the total length Lh of the heating block 20a in the X direction is 550mm, and the lengths of the support block 31a and the support block 32a in the X direction are 65mm, respectively. Therefore, the total length Ls of the support block 31a and the support block 32a is 130mm, and Ls/Lh is 0.24, and the condition (1) is satisfied.

In the welding apparatus 1, the overall length of the heating block 20a is 550mm, and the overall length of the mold 10a is substantially the same as that of the heating block 20a, and the film-shaped member 19 having a width of about 500mm can be welded. Therefore, the present apparatus 1 can weld a large battery pack, and the present apparatus 1 is suitable for manufacturing a large-capacity battery. When the heating block 20a is long, the extension in the longitudinal direction (X direction, 1 st direction) of the heating block 20a when the temperature rises due to thermal expansion (thermal deformation) is also large. Therefore, if the heating block 20a is supported by a single support block, the stress of the heating block 20a may fluctuate due to a temperature difference or a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the support block and the heating block, and the shape of the heating block 20a may become unstable. Further, if the support block long in the X direction and the heating block 20a are connected by the rod-like member 50 that blocks the heat transfer in order to prevent the thermal deformation of the support block, the speed difference between the temperature change of the support block and the temperature change of the heating block 20a becomes large, and it is difficult to stabilize the shape of the heating block 20 a.

Therefore, in the welding apparatus 1, first, the support blocks 30 are arranged in a dispersed manner without supporting the entire heating block 20a by the support blocks, and the contact area between the contact portion 25 and the contact portion 26 of the heating block 20a and the support blocks is limited to a minimum area (two-dimensional amount) that can ensure a stable transfer of the pressurizing force. The heating block 20a and the support blocks 31a and 32a are connected by a limited number of rod-shaped members 50, that is, rod-shaped members 50 having a small amount of heat transfer. This can minimize the amount of heat flowing from the heating block 20a to the support blocks 31a and 32a, and can suppress a decrease in the temperature of the contact portions 25 and 26 of the heating block 20 a.

In this example, 1 support block 31a is dispersed at 4 positions, and the support block 31a and the heating block 20a are connected by 4 rod-shaped members 50 arranged two-dimensionally, so that the pressure can be transmitted to the heating block 20a while the posture of the support block 31a with respect to the heating block 20a is maintained. The support blocks 31a may be distributed at 3 positions and the support blocks 31a and the heating block 20a may be connected by 3 rod-shaped members 50 arranged two-dimensionally. The support blocks 31a may be distributed at 5 or more points and connected by 5 or more rod-shaped members 50 arranged two-dimensionally, but increasing the number of rod-shaped members 50 easily increases the amount of heat transferred from the heating block 20a to the support blocks 31a, easily causes a temperature difference in the heating block 20a, and also increases the support blocks 31a themselves and easily raises the temperature of the support blocks 31a, thus increasing the possibility of deformation due to heat.

By making the support block 31a and the support block 32a small and connecting the support block 31a and the support block 32a to the heating block 20a with the minimum rod-shaped member 50, the amount of heat (heat flux) flowing out of the heating block 20a to the support block 31a and the support block 32a can be made small. Therefore, the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction X of the heating block 20a can be made more constant (uniform) by controlling with the heater 22 inserted in the longitudinal direction (X direction, 1 st direction) of the heating block 20 a. Therefore, the heating block 20a can be deformed in the longitudinal direction X as uniformly as possible, stress due to temperature rise can be suppressed, and warping, bending, or deformation of the heating block 20a into an unexpected shape due to temperature rise can be suppressed.

Further, since the support blocks 31a and the support blocks 32a are arranged in a dispersed manner in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the heating block 20a, the length of each of the support blocks 31a and the support blocks 32a can be shortened. Therefore, the amount of thermal deformation (thermal elongation) due to temperature of each of the support blocks 31a and 32a can be suppressed, and stress in the longitudinal direction X is less likely to occur within a range in which the function of transmitting the pressing force by the rod-like member 50 can be maintained. Therefore, the influence of the deformation of the support blocks 31a and 32a due to the temperature rise on the heating block 20a can be minimized.

In the welding apparatus 1 of the present example, one support block 32a of the 1 st support block 37 is a movable support block 39, and a mechanism (moving mechanism, sliding mechanism) 35 that is movable in the longitudinal direction X with respect to the shaft 66 of the driving mechanism 60 is attached to the support block 39. By this slide mechanism 35, the support block 32a moves autonomously in the longitudinal direction X with respect to the shaft 66 in accordance with the thermal extension of the heating block 20a in the longitudinal direction X. Therefore, the heating block 20a is supported by the support blocks 31a and 32a so as to be thermally deformable and extend in the longitudinal direction X. Therefore, stress applied to the heating block 20a can be suppressed, and the heating block 20a can be thermally deformed uniformly in the longitudinal direction X more stably, and as a result, linearity can be maintained even when the temperature of the mold 10a changes.

As described above, the movable support block 39 is small and connected to the heating block 20a by the rod-shaped member 50, similarly to the other support blocks 30, and therefore, the inflow of heat is small, and thermal deformation is less likely to occur. In the case of using carbon steel or the like as the heating block 20a, the amount of extension of the heating block 20a due to thermal deformation is expected to be about several mm. Therefore, the support block 39 can be moved relative to the shaft 66 of the drive mechanism 60 by the moving mechanism 35 having a simple structure. In this example, as the slide mechanism 35, the following configuration is adopted: the tip 66a of the shaft 66 having the stepped structure is inserted into the hole 35a having the stepped structure provided to the support block 39, and the stepped portion is slid in the longitudinal direction X by the washer 35b having the backing ring. The hole 35a is a circular hole or an elongated hole having a size (dimension, diameter) in which the movement amount is added to the diameter of the distal end 66a, and the support block 39 can be slid in the longitudinal direction X relative to the shaft 66 by moving the distal end 66a of the shaft in the longitudinal direction X in the hole 35 a. By changing the thickness or the number of washers 35b that also serve as backing rings, the position of the support block 39 in the Y direction with respect to the shaft 66 can be freely adjusted, and the inclination of the mold 10a in the longitudinal direction X can be finely adjusted via the heating block 20 a. The mechanism 35 attached to the movable support block 39 is not limited to this example, and any other known mechanism such as a slide rail may be used as long as the mechanism 35 can move in the longitudinal direction X.

In this way, in the welding apparatus 1, the heating block 20a is uniformly deformed in the longitudinal direction X when heated without suppressing the deformation of the heating block 20 a. As a result, deformation such as warping of the mold 10a due to temperature change can be prevented, and linearity can be maintained. Further, since the amount of heat transferred from the heating block 20a to the support blocks 31a and 32a can be suppressed, variation in the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction X of the heating block 20a can be suppressed. Therefore, deformation such as warpage which is difficult to control can be suppressed, and the heating block 20a is easily deformed uniformly in the longitudinal direction X. In this regard, the mold 10a can be prevented from warping due to a temperature change.

In order to suppress thermal deformation of the support block 30, it is desirable that the total length of the plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 supporting the heating block 20a, that is, the total length Ls of the support block 31a and the support block 32a in this example, be as short as possible. On the other hand, if a force is applied to the heating block 20a at a precise position (japanese: ピ ン ポ イ ン ト), deformation such as distortion of the heating block 20a may occur, and the linearity of the mold 10a supported by the heating block 20a may be impaired. Therefore, it is desirable that each of the support blocks 31a and 32a of the plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 dispersedly apply the force from the driving device 60 to the heating block 20a within a range in which the heating block 20a is less likely to be distorted by the transmitted pressure (pressurizing force). Therefore, it is desirable that the number of the support blocks 30 included in the plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 supporting one heating block 20a is two or more, and the number is preferably as small as possible, for example, within 3.

The number of the rod-like members 50 connecting the heating block 20a to the support blocks 31a and 32a is preferably small in a range in which the heating block 20a can be supported without inclining the heating block 20a and the pressurizing force can be transmitted. Therefore, it is desirable that the number of the rod-like members 50 is small in a range where the rod-like members 50 can be two-dimensionally arranged in the respective support blocks 31a and 31b so as to be dispersed vertically and horizontally, and it is desirable that the number of the rod-like members 50 is 4 or 3 for each support block as disclosed above.

One support block 32a included in the plurality of support blocks 37 supporting the heating block 20a functions as the support block 39 movable as described above. The other support block 31a included in the plurality of support blocks 37 supporting the heating block 20a may be a movable support block 39, or a support block whose position in the longitudinal direction X is fixed with respect to the shaft 66 of the driving mechanism 60 without including the sliding mechanism 35.

Although the description has been given above with reference to the 1 st support block 37 supporting one heating block 20a as an example, the same applies to the 2 nd support block 38 supporting the other heating block 20b, and one of the support blocks 31b and 32b of the plurality of 2 nd support blocks 38 may be the movable support block 39, or both may be the movable support blocks 39.

In the welding apparatus 1, the mold 10a and the mold 10b, the two heating blocks 20a and 20b, the plurality of rod-shaped members 50, the support blocks 31a and 31b, and the support blocks 32a and 32b may all be made of a metal having a small thermal expansion coefficient, for example, a heat-resistant metal such as carbon steel or stainless steel, and the mold 10a and the mold 10b may be supported without interposing a so-called heat insulating material such as resin, ceramic, or fiber. Therefore, it is possible to provide the welding apparatus 1 in which problems such as thermal expansion, assembly accuracy, durability, and the like are less likely to occur when a so-called heat insulating material such as a resin, a ceramic, or a fiber is used.

Further, there is disclosed an apparatus 1 for welding a plurality of film-like members 19, wherein the apparatus 1 includes: a pair of molds 10a and 10b extending in the 1 st direction X so as to sandwich and heat the overlapped portions of the plurality of film-like members and weld at least a part of the overlapped portions; a pair of heating blocks 20a and 20b extending in the 1 st direction X so as to support the pair of molds, respectively; a plurality of support blocks 30 which are arranged in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction X and which relay a force to be applied to the pair of molds via the heating blocks; and a plurality of rod-shaped members 50 extending in a direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction X so as to connect each of the plurality of support blocks and the heating block. The plurality of rod-shaped members 50 each include a portion 51 that impedes heat transfer in the middle, and are arranged to support the support blocks 30 and the heating block 20a and the support blocks 30 and the heating block 20b at least at 3 points.

In this apparatus 1, the support blocks 30 are dispersed in the 1 st direction X, so that the joint between the heating block 20a and the support block 30 and the joint between the heating block 20b and the support block 30 are defined, and the support blocks and the heating block are connected to each other via a rod-shaped member 50 including a portion that impedes heat transfer in the middle. Therefore, the flow of heat from the heating blocks 20a and 20b to the support blocks can be minimized by the plurality of support blocks 30, the temperature distribution of the heating blocks can be made uniform, the heating blocks can be made uniformly thermally deformed, and the heating blocks can be supported so as to be uniformly extended in the 1 st direction X, which is the longitudinal direction, due to temperature changes. Therefore, even if the temperature changes, the linearity of the heating blocks 20a and 20b can be suppressed from being damaged. Further, by arranging a plurality of support blocks 30 in a dispersed manner in the 1 st direction X and shortening the total length Ls of the support blocks 30 in the 1 st direction X, the influence of thermal deformation of the support blocks 30 on the heating block 20a and the heating block 20b can be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, the welding apparatus 1 can be provided which includes the mold 10a and the mold 10b that are long in the 1 st direction X, and which can apply pressure more uniformly to the film-like member to be welded while preventing the mold 10a and the mold 10b from warping or the like.

At least 1 of the plurality of support blocks 30 may include a mechanism 35, and the mechanism 35 may move in the 1 st direction X in accordance with thermal deformation of the heating block 20a and the heating block 20b in the 1 st direction X. The plurality of 1 st support blocks 37 to be supported by one heating block 20a may include at least one movable support block 39 including the movable mechanism 35, and the plurality of 2 nd support blocks 38 to be supported by the other heating block 20b may also include at least one movable support block 39. Since the movable mechanism 35 can be attached to the support block 39 having a small thermal deformation, the support block 39 can be stably moved against a temperature change with a simple structure, and thermal expansion of the heating blocks 20a and 20b can be reliably absorbed. Therefore, the generation of stress due to thermal deformation in the heating block 20a and the heating block 20b can be further suppressed, and deformation of the mold 10a and the mold 10b can be suppressed.

The plurality of support blocks 37 and the plurality of support blocks 38 corresponding to one heating block may be constituted by two or 3 support blocks 30, respectively. It is desirable that the number of the support blocks 30 arranged dispersedly is small. Further, each support block 30 may be connected to each of the heating blocks 20a and 20b to be supported by 3 or 4 rod-shaped members 50 arranged in a two-dimensional dispersed manner. The number of rod-shaped members 50 that generate heat transfer may be small in a range that can stably support the heating blocks 20a and 20 b.

The present invention has been described above in connection with specific embodiments and examples thereof, but it should be understood that various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, equivalent elements may be replaced with elements specifically illustrated and described within the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims, and a particular feature may be used independently of other features, and in some cases, a particular position of an element may be reversed or provided in the middle.