Welding device for plate laminated body in horizontal orientation and producing method for plate structure thereof

{
  "publication_number": "US12202079B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Welding device for plate laminated body in horizontal orientation and producing method for plate structure thereof",
  "abstract": "A welding device for a plate laminated body according to an embodiment includes a welding torch, a chuck for gripping a plurality of laminated plates with a lamination direction being in a horizontal position, and at least one support extending along the lamination direction for supporting the plate laminated body from below.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A welding device for a plate laminated body, comprising: a welding torch; a chuck for gripping the plate laminated body with a lamination direction being in a horizontal position; at least one support extending along the lamination direction for supporting the plate laminated body from below: a drive part for moving the at least one support along a vertical direction; and a control part for controlling an operation of the drive part and controlling a support height of the at least one support based on a rotation angle of the chuck.",
    "2. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 1, wherein the chuck is configured to rotate the plate laminated body around an axis along the lamination direction, and wherein the at least one support is constituted by a support roller.",
    "3. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 2, wherein the support roller is configured to make a driven rotation in accordance with the rotation of the plate laminated body.",
    "4. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 1, wherein the at least one support is configured to include a first support and a second support disposed on both sides of a vertical surface passing through a rotation center of the chuck.",
    "5. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 1, wherein the drive part includes: a servomotor; a ball screw disposed along the vertical direction and supporting the at least one support; and a power transmission part configured to transmit power of the servomotor to vertically move the ball screw by the power.",
    "6. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 5, wherein a value of a drive current supplied to the servomotor represents a load applied to the at least one support by the plate laminated body, and the control part is configured to control an operation of the drive part and to control the support height of the at least one support in consideration of the value of the drive current.",
    "7. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 1, wherein the control part is configured to control the support height of the at least one support in consideration of a load applied to the at least one support by the plate laminated body.",
    "8. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 1, wherein the plate laminated body is constituted by a plurality of non-circular plates laminated with the same outer shape.",
    "9. The welding device for the plate laminated body according to claim 1, wherein the welding torch is disposed above the plate laminated body and configured to perform downward welding.",
    "10. A producing method for a plate structure, comprising: causing at least two sets of pair plates, each of which is constituted by a pair of plates joined such that outer peripheral edges thereof are superimposed in a front view, to be supported from below with a lamination direction being in a horizontal position by at least one support such that the outer peripheral edges of the plates are butted between the at least two sets of pair plates; welding, with a welding torch, the outer peripheral edges butted to each other, by rotating the at least two sets of pair plates in a circumferential direction of the pair plates; moving the at least one support along a vertical direction; and controlling a support height of the at least one support based on a rotation angle of a chuck that grips the at least two sets of pair plates."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure relates to a welding device for a plate laminated body and a producing method for a plate structure.\n\nFor a heat exchanging part provided for a shell-and-plate type heat exchanger, for example, a plate structure is used which is constituted by a plurality of plates laminated with the same outer shape. The plate structure is produced by joining a pair of plates each having two refrigerant flow holes, where a refrigerant flows in or flows out, at peripheral edges of the refrigerant flow holes to form a pair plate, and further by laminating a plurality of pair plates, as well as joining outer peripheral edges of plates arranged to face each other among the plurality of pair plates. In the plate structure, a refrigerant flowing on a front-surface side of each plate and a refrigerant flowing on a back-surface side exchange heat. Patent Document 1 discloses the configuration of a shell-and-plate type heat exchanger and a producing step of a plate structure (FIG. 13).\n\nPatent Document 2 discloses a plate structure which is constituted by a plurality of plates each having an outer shape which is not a perfect circle but a non-circular shape whose curvature differs in the circumferential direction, and a welding device for welding outer peripheral edges of the non-circular plates arranged to face each other between the pair plates. First, the welding device vertically laminates the plurality of pair plates whose plate surfaces are horizontally disposed, and grips the plates to be fixed with a rotary jig from above and below.",
  "cpc": [
    "B23K 37/047",
    "B23K 2101/14",
    "B23K 37/053",
    "B23K 37/0538",
    "B23K 9/29",
    "B25J 9/1633",
    "F28D 9/0043",
    "F28F 2275/06",
    "F28F 3/046",
    "Y02E 60/50"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B23K 37/047",
    "B23K 37/053",
    "B25J 9/16"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Mayekawa Manufacturing Co"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Keisuke Yamada",
    "Tetsuji Terada",
    "Daisuke Miyazaki",
    "Hideki Shudai"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2019-06-11",
  "publication_date": "2025-01-21",
  "grant_date": "2025-01-21",
  "priority_date": "2019-06-11",
  "application_number": "US-201917612415-A",
  "family_id": "73781442",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US4644129A",
    "JPH07323370A",
    "JPH0760445A",
    "JPH1190685A",
    "JP5690532B2",
    "CN203649780U",
    "WO2018066136A1",
    "WO2018066137A1",
    "EP3446823A1",
    "US20190151977A1",
    "US20190232410A1"
  ]
}