Laminated body manufacturing apparatus and laminated body manufacturing method

A laminated body manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

• a supply mechanism capable of supplying, along a predetermined conveyance direction, a plurality of iron core members including latching iron core members that have latching pieces at a plurality of places on their outer peripheral surfaces or inner peripheral surfaces and non-latching iron core members that do not have the latching pieces;
• a squeeze that is disposed downstream of the supply mechanism in the conveyance direction and that is capable of conveying along the conveyance direction, while laterally supporting, the iron core members supplied from the supply mechanism;
• a conveyor that can receive the iron core members supplied from a conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze and that is capable of conveying the iron core members in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction;
• a separation mechanism that is disposed between the squeeze and the conveyor in the conveyance direction and that controls supply of the iron core members to the conveyor;
• and
• a positioning mechanism that is disposed between the separation mechanism and the conveyor in the conveyance direction in order to position the iron core members supplied onto the conveyor and that is movable in a direction toward and a direction away from side surfaces of the iron core members supplied from the conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze,
• wherein the separation mechanism includes latching portions capable of moving between a latching position at which they latch a plurality of the latching pieces of the latching iron core members supplied from the conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze and a non-latching position at which they do not latch the latching pieces and an actuation device that moves the latching portions to the latching position and the non-latching position.

A laminated body manufacturing method, comprising:

• supplying, to a squeeze, a plurality of iron core members including latching iron core members that have latching pieces at a plurality of places on their outer peripheral surfaces and non-latching iron core members that do not have the latching pieces, the squeeze including a squeeze upstream portion that is positioned at an upstream side of the squeeze in a conveyance direction of the iron core members and that laterally supports a plurality of the latching iron core members and the non-latching iron core members passing through the squeeze and a squeeze downstream portion that is positioned at a conveyance direction downstream side of the squeeze and that laterally supports the latching pieces of the latching iron core members passing through the squeeze;
• moving, to a positioning position, a positioning mechanism disposed between a conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze and the conveyor in order to position the iron core members supplied from a conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze onto the conveyor;
• supplying the iron core members from the conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze onto the conveyor;
• and
• when a predetermined number of the iron core members have been placed on the conveyor, moving the positioning mechanism to a positioning cancellation position and operating the conveyor to convey, in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction, the predetermined number of the iron core members that have been placed on the conveyor.

A laminated body manufacturing method, comprising:

• supplying, from a supply mechanism, a plurality of iron core members including latching iron core members that have latching pieces at a plurality of places on their outer peripheral surfaces or inner peripheral surfaces and non-latching iron core members that do not have the latching pieces;
• using a squeeze to convey, while laterally supporting, the iron core members supplied from the supply mechanism, the squeeze being disposed downstream of the supply mechanism in a conveyance direction of the iron core members, and the iron core members laterally supported by the squeeze being conveyable along the conveyance direction through the squeeze;
• using a separation mechanism to selectively support the iron core members supplied from a conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze, the separation mechanism including latching portions capable of moving between a latching position at which they latch a plurality of the latching pieces of the latching iron core members supplied from the conveyance direction downstream end portion of the squeeze and a non-latching position at which they do not latch the latching pieces and an actuation device that moves the latching portions to the latching position and the non-latching position, the iron core members being supported as a result of the latching portions positioned at the latching position latching the latching pieces of the latching iron core members;
• moving, to a positioning position, a positioning mechanism disposed between the separation mechanism and the conveyor in the conveyance direction in order to position the iron core members supplied onto the conveyor;
• moving the latching portions from the latching position to the non-latching position in order to supply onto the conveyor a plurality of the iron core members supported by the separation mechanism;
• returning the latching portions that were moved to the non-latching position to the latching position during periods when the non-latching iron core members are passing a position including the latching position on a conveyance path of the iron core members;
• and
• when a predetermined number of the iron core members have been placed on the conveyor, moving the positioning mechanism to a positioning cancellation position and operating the conveyor to convey, in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction, the predetermined number of the iron core members that have been placed on the conveyor.