(19) Japan Patent Office (JP)
`(12) Unexamined Patent Application (A)
`
`(11) Patent Publication No.
`2002-79381
`(P2002-79381A)
`(43) Publication Date: March 19, 2002
`Subject Code (Reference)
`
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`
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`(51) Int. Cl. 7
`B23K 11/30
`
`ID No.
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`FI
`B23K 11/30
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`
`Examination requested: Not yet
`Number of Claims: 9 OL (Total
`pages: 11)
`
`(21) Application No.
`
`(22) Application Date
`
`
`
`2000-270923
`(P2000-270923)
`
`September 7,
`2000
`
`
`
`(71) Applicant 000003218
`Toyota Industries Corp.
`2-1 Toyota-cho, Kariya,
`Aichi
`TAKABA, Hideki
`c/o 2-1 Toyota-cho,
`Kariya, Aichi
`SHIKAI, Takeshi
`c/o 2-1 Toyota-cho,
`Kariya, Aichi
`
`(72) Inventor
`
`(72) Inventor
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` (54) [Title of the Invention] Welding gun tip exchanging device
`
`(57) ABSTRACT
`[PROBLEM]
`To provide a structure for an electrode tip exchanging device for a welding gun that shortens the
`time required for exchanging a tip 18 by removing and installing an upper and lower pair of tips
`18 in a condition where the welding gun is secured in a fixed position.
`RESOLUTION MEANS
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 1
`
`

`
`In order to resolve the aforementioned problem,
`the present invention has an upper and lower pair
`of tip removing devices 10 that have a tip
`removing tool 13 that removes an upper and lower
`pair of tips 18 that are attached by engagement to
`the tip and of a shank 19 in a fixed position, and an
`upper and lower pair of tip installing devices 11
`that are located between the welding guns, with the
`welding gun separated from the shank 19, and the
`tip removing device 10 and the tip installing device
`11 are joined such that the tip 18 can be completely
`achieved by one cycle of reciprocal motion by the
`tip removing tool 13 and one cycle of pressurizing
`of the welding gun.
`
`
`
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 2
`
`

`
`EXTENT OF PATENT CLAIMS
`
`What Is Claimed Is:
`
`1.
`A tip exchanging device for a welding gun that exchanges a pair of upper and
`lower tips that are attached by engagement to a shank tip and part of a welding gun, comprising:
`an upper and lower pair of tip removing devices having a tip removing tool that removes a tip
`that has been attached by engagement to the shank tip and in a fixed position where the welding
`gun is separated from the shank; and an upper and lower pair of tip mounting devices that are
`positioned between the welding guns in a fixed position where the welding gun is separated from
`the shank.
`The tip exchanging device according to claim 1, wherein the tip removing device
`
`2.
`and the tip mounting device are joined.
`
`3.
`The tip exchanging device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the tip
`mounting device is a gripping tool, and a pair of upper and lower tip supplying devices
`continuously supply tips to the tip installing device.
`
`4.
`The tip exchanging device according to claim 3, wherein a tip transferring part of
`the tip supplying device is a gripping tool with two wave shaped plate springs, the tip end part of
`the plate spring is opened in the transferring direction, the tip insulation part of the tip installing
`device is a gripping tool that also contains to wave shaped plate springs, and the tip and part of
`the plate springs is opened in the transferring direction, and the free width of the tip and part of
`the plate spring of the transferring part is larger than the free width of the tip end part of the plate
`spring of the insulation part.
`
`5.
`The tip exchanging device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the tip
`installing device has a storage part that successively feeds a plurality of tips.
`
`6.
`The tip exchanging device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the tip
`supplying device has a storage part that successively feeds a plurality of tips.
`
`7.
`The tip exchanging device according to any one of claims 1 through 6, wherein
`the tip removing device contains a driving part, a supporting part that is moved by the driving
`part, and a removing tool that can penetrate the gap between the shank and the tip that is
`supported by the supporting part in a manner that can tiltably move, and the removing tool enters
`the gap between the tip and the shank and is tilted by the reaction force received from the shank
`neck.
`The tip exchanging device according to claim 7, wherein the supporting part is a
`8.
`
`pair of guide plates that guide the tip removing tool, two pairs of cam holes are provided in the
`guide plate such that a tip removing rod tilts with the tip shoulder part as a point of action, two
`pairs of cam locking protruding parts are provided on the tip removing rod, the two pairs of cam
`locking protruding parts lock into the two pair of cam holes, and a cam mechanism containing an
`elastic member that presses the removing rod to the leading end of the: is provided.
`
`9.
`The tip exchanging device according to any one of claims 1 through 6, wherein
`the tip removing device contains a removing tool where the tip and part of the tip removing tool
`has a wedge shape, and an elongated hole that is open on the front surface that can penetrate into
`the gap between the tip and the shank is formed in the wedge-shaped tip end part.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`[0001]
`TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 3
`
`

`
`The present invention relates to an electrode tip exchanging device that exchanges an electrode
`tip of a spot welding machine.
`[0002]
`BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
`Generally, with spot welding, overlaid materials to be welded are subjected to pressure (2000 to
`3000 N compressive force) by a pair of tips to secure a current path, and as the number of
`welding points increase, the tip end shape of the tip deforms and wears from the heat and
`pressure due to the high current during welding, and thus sufficient welding quality cannot be
`achieved. Therefore, the welding current is stepped up based on the number of welding points.
`Furthermore, when the upper limit of the welding current is reached, the production line is
`stopped and the tip is automatically polished or removed and replaced with a new or polished tip
`to secure the shape of the tip end of the tip.
`[0003]
`Incidentally, a chemically treated material such as strong rustproofing material or the like is used
`as the material to be welded in recent years, and the electrode tip wears faster and the exchanging
`frequency tends to increase, and therefore stopping the production line to exchange tips is not
`suitable for the current situation. In order to exchange a tip without stopping the production line,
`the exchange must be performed during the time between the end of a welding operation and the
`initiation of the next welding (for example, the work transfer time). However, this time is short,
`only a few seconds.
`[0004]
`Japanese Unexamined Patent Application H11-90646 discloses an automatic electrode tip
`exchanging device. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the electrode tip is interposed between
`chuck hooks 2A, 2B by a link mechanism 4 that oscillates over a predetermined range by a direct
`action actuator 5, simply by positioning the shank tip end part 1A of a welding gun having an
`electrode tip at a holding center 0 by a robot arm, and the tip is loosened by turning the chuck
`hooks 2A, 2B, and removed by the shank tip end part. Next, the tip supporting means 9 oscillates
`together with a supporting member 3 by the reactive force of an elastic body 6, and the tip is
`installed at the holding center 0 that is the position determined position. With this tip exchanging
`device, removing the tip and installing the tip is performed at the same position, and therefore,
`there is an advantage of not requiring time to move the welding gun.
`[0005]
`PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED BY THE INVENTION
`However, with the method of H11-90646, removing the tip is uncertain if the tip and the shank
`tip end part are strongly attached, and there are cases where much time is required to turn the
`chuck hook. Furthermore, there are problems such as subtle adjustments of pressure being
`difficult, the tip not being able to be removed if the pressure is too strong or too weak, and the tip
`surface being scratched. Furthermore, there is a problem where the oscillation position of the
`chip supporting means easily shifted as a property of the movement of the link mechanism and
`elastic body. Therefore, much time is required for exchanging the tips.
`[0006]
`Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure for an electrode tip
`exchanging device for a welding gun that requires less time for exchanging tips by removing and
`installing of an upper and lower pair of tips for a welding gun secured in a fixed position.
` [0007]
`MEANS FOR RESOLVING PROBLEMS
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 4
`
`

`
`In order to resolve the aforementioned problems, the invention of claim 1 generally provides
`an upper and lower pair of tip removing devices having an upper and lower pair of tip removing
`tools that removes a tip that has been attached by engagement to the shank tip and in a fixed
`position where the welding gun is separated from the shank; and an upper and lower pair of tip
`mounting devices that are positioned between the welding guns in a fixed position where the
`welding gun is separated from the shank. With the aforementioned structure, removal is
`performed by inserting the tip removing tool in a gap between the tip and the shank by advancing
`the tip removing device in a state where the welding gun is separated from the shank at a
`constant position. Furthermore, the tip is installed by a pressurizing operation of the welding gun
`on the tip after the tip removing device has retracted. Thereby, after the welding gun is fastened
`at a fixed position, tip removal and installation is completed by a single reciprocating movement
`of the tip removing device and a single pressurizing of the welding gun.
`[0008]
`A gist of the invention of claim 2 is that the tip removing device and the tip installing device are
`connected.
`[0009]
`With the aforementioned structure, tip removal and installation are performed by a single
`reciprocating movement of a drive source.
`[0010]
`A gist of the invention of claim 3 is that the tip installing device is a holding tool such as a spring
`or clip, and the upper and lower pair of tip supplying devices such as a part feeder that
`continuously supply the tip to the tip installing device is provided.
`[0011]
`With the aforementioned structure, the tip sent by the part feeder from the tip storing box is
`supplied to the holding tool of the tip installing device, and thus continuous supplying of the tip
`is possible.
`[0012]
`A gist of the invention of claim 4 is that the tip supplying device provides a tip transferring part,
`the transferring part is two wave shaped plate spring holding tools opened in the transferring
`direction, the tip installing device provides a tip installing part, and the installing part is two
`wave shaped plate spring holding tools opened in the transferring direction.
`[0013]
`With the aforementioned structure, movement of the tip from the tip supplying device to the tip
`installing device towards the installing part is performed by inserting such that the tip is
`interposed between the wave shaped plate springs of the installing part, in a gap between the tip
`and the two wave shaped plate springs of the transferring part of the tip supplying device, and
`removing the tip from the plate springs of the transferring part while interposed between the
`plate springs of the installing part. A gist of the invention of claim 5 is that the tip installing
`device provides a storing part (cartridge) that stores a plurality of tips, and the tips are
`sequentially fed to the installing part from the storing part. According to the aforementioned
`structure, the tip is installed on the shank by the welding gun pressurizing towards the tip, and
`the tip and shank are removed from the installing part by releasing the pressure of the welding
`gun. Furthermore, a tip is fed to the installing part from the storing part and is provided for the
`next installation.
`[0014]
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 5
`
`

`
`A gist of the present invention of claim 6 is that the tip supplying device provides a storing part
`(cartridge) that stores a plurality of tips.
`[0015]
`With the aforementioned structure, the tips that are stored in the storing part are successively fed
`to the transferring part.
`[0016]
`With the invention of claim 7, the tip removing device contains a driving part, a supporting part
`that is moved by the driving part, and a removing tool that can penetrate the gap between the
`shank and the tip that is supported by the supporting part in a manner that can tiltably move and
`is attached by engagement to the tip and of the shank, and the removing tool enters the gap
`between the tip and the shank and is tilted by the reaction force received from the shank neck.
`[0017]
`With the aforementioned structure, the removing tool enters the gap between the tip and the
`shank by a driving force of the driving part. Furthermore, when the removing tool contacts the
`neck of the shank, a counterforce is received from the shank head, which causes tilting, and the
`tip is removed by prying in the direction in which the tip head is removed. With the invention of
`claim 8, the supporting part is a cam mechanism. The cam mechanism contains a pair of guide
`plates that guide the tip removing tool, two pairs of cam holes provided on the guide plate such
`that the tip removing rod which is the tip removing tool tilts, using the tip shoulder as a point of
`action, and two pairs of cam locking protruding parts provided on the tip removing rod, and the
`two pairs of cam locking protruding parts lock into the two pair of cam holes. With the
`aforementioned structure, the removing rod is inserted in to the gap between the tip and the
`shank, and the removing rod contacts the neck of the shank. Furthermore, the removing rod
`receives a reactive force from the shank neck, and the removing rod tilts due to a cam locking
`protruding part 16 moving inside the cam hole.
`[0018]
`A gist of the invention of claim 9 is that the tip removing device is a tip removing tool where the
`tip part is a wedge. Furthermore, the tip of the tip removing tool forms a front surface opening
`elongated hole that can be inserted between the tip and the welding gun tip part.
`[0019]
`With the aforementioned structure, the tip part of the removing tool is inserted in the gap
`between the tip and the shank, and the tip is removed by gradually spreading the gap between the
`tip and the welding gun tip part by a wedging operation.
`[0020]
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
`First Example
`Structure
`A first example of the present invention is described below while referring to FIG. 1 through 4.
`The tip exchanging device of the first example is configured from a tip removing device 10, tip
`installing device 11, and tip supplying device 12, and tip removing device 10 and the installing
`device 11 are connected.
`Tip Removing Device
`With the tip removing device 10, a U-groove with a U shape in a plan view that can be inserted
`into a gap 20 between a shank 19 and a tip 18 is formed on the tip end of a hook part 13A of a
`lever 13 that is the tip removing tool, and furthermore, the side surface of lever 13 is interposed
`between two guide plates 14. Two cam holes 15 are provided on the guide plates 14, and two
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 6
`
`

`
`cam locking protruding parts 16 formed on the lever 13 are engaged in the cam holes 15 and are
`movable in each of the cam holes. The lever 13 is structured to tilt by each of the two cam
`locking protruding parts 16 moving in the two cam holes 15. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 4
`(A), the lever 13 is pressed against the upper part of the cam hole 15 by a spring 38 that is an
`elastic member. Furthermore, a cam mechanism 17 configured by the lever 13, guide plate 14,
`and spring 38, is assembled on the tip end of a piston rod 22 of an air cylinder 21 as driving
`means, along with a supporting plate 27, and reciprocating is possible by extending and
`retracting the air cylinder 21.
`[0021]
`The tip removing device 10 has a pair structure that inverts up and down to correspond to the
`exchanging of the upper and lower pair of tips 18.
`Tip Installing Device
`The upper side installing part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B of the tip installing
`device 11 have a holding tool made from two wave shaped plate springs 24A and 24B. The
`construction is such that plate springs that sandwich the substrate 26 joined to the supporting
`plate 27 have mutually facing wide surfaces that are joined to the substrate 26 by two sets of left
`and right screws 25, and the tip 18 is sandwiched in a vertical direction between the plate springs
`24A, 24B. The tip end parts of the plate springs 24A and 24B slightly open in a Y shape in the
`direction of an upper side transferring part 28A and a lower side transferring part 28B of the tip
`supplying device 12. The tip installing device 11 has a pair structure that inverts up and down to
`correspond to the exchanging of the upper and lower pair of tips 18, similar to the tip removing
`device 10. The border of the upper side installing part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B
`of the substrate 26 has a protruding part 26A that supports the head part of the upper and lower
`tips 18.
`[0022]
`The tip installing device 11 is layered and combined with one of the guide plates 14 of the tip
`removing device 10 by the supporting plate 27, and thereby, the tip installing device 11 and the
`tip removing device 10 can reciprocate as one body by sliding of the air cylinder.
`Tip Supplying Device
`The upper side transferring part 28A and the lower side transferring part 28B of a tip supplying
`device 12 each have a holding tool made from two wave shaped plate springs 30A and 30B,
`similar to the upper side installing part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B. The
`construction is such that plate springs that sandwich the substrate 29 of the supplying side have
`mutually facing wide surfaces that are joined to the substrate 29 by four sets of left and right
`screws 25, and the tip 18 is sandwiched in a vertical direction between the plate springs 30A and
`30B. The tip end parts of the plate springs 30 and 30B slightly open in a Y shape in the direction
`of an upper side installing part 23A and a lower side installing part 23B of the tip installing
`device 11. Furthermore, the opening width of the top end part of the plate springs 30A and 30B
`is wider than the opening width of the top end part of the plate springs 24A and 24B of the upper
`side installing part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B. The tip supplying device 12 is a
`pair structure that inverts up and down with regards to the upper side transferring part 28A and
`the lower side transferring part 28B to correspond to the exchanging of the upper and lower pair
`of tips 18, similar to the tip removing device 10. The border of the upper side transferring part
`28A and the lower side transferring part 28B is provided with a protruding part 29A that controls
`the position of the upper and lower tip 18. (Note that, a recessed part 29B is provided on the
`protruding part 29A of the supplying device side so as to not come in contact with the protruding
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 7
`
`

`
`part 26A on the tip installing device 11 side, and therefore, the installing device protruding part
`26A and the supplying device recessed part 29B do not come in contact at the leading end of the
`cylinder, and therefore unnecessary impact does not occur.) The construction is such that a part
`feeder including a tip storing box (not shown), an upper side feeder tube (not shown), and a
`lower side feeder tube (not shown) transfers the tips 18 to the upper side transferring part 28A
`and the lower side transferring part 28B. In detail, the lower side end of the upper side tip
`supplying tube 32 that is provided in the vertical direction in the substrate 29 is open in the upper
`side transferring part 28A, and one end of the upper side feeder tube is connected through the
`upper side feeder connecting part 39A to the upper end of the upper side tip supplying tube 32.
`[0023]
`An upper side end of a riser tube 33 of the lower side tip that is provided in the vertical direction
`in the substrate 29 is open in the lower side transferring part 28B, and the air cylinder 34 is
`mounted to the lower end of the riser tube 33. The rod head part of the air cylinder 34 can move
`in the riser tube 33. Furthermore, the lower side tip supplying tube 35 is joined at an angle with
`the middle part of the riser tube 33, and the other end of the lower side tip supplying tube 35 is
`open to the upper part of the substrate 29, and one end of the lower side feeder continues through
`the lower side feeder joint part 39B. The other end of the upper side feeder tube and the lower
`side feeder tube continues to the tip storing box, and the construction is that the tips 18 are
`oriented in a certain direction and fed out one by one from the tip storing box.
`[0024]
`Note that, a portion of the symbols in the drawings was omitted for the portion that is a paired
`structure where the upper side and the lower side are inverted.
`[0025]
`Function
`Next, the operation of the tip exchanging device of the first example is described.
`Welding Gun Constant Position Arrival
`If an electrode tip needs to be exchanged, the welding gun (not shown) is moved by a welding
`robot that is not shown, to the fixed position so that the tip 18 is positioned in front of the lever
`13. At that time, the pressure of the welding gun is released and the shank 19 opens to a
`condition where the shank 19 is separated (refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 (A)).
`Tip Arrival
`The tip 18 fed from the lower side feeder tube to the riser piston 34 for the tip in the riser tube 33,
`is pushed up by the riser piston 34 of the air cylinder for tip rising, and arrives at the lower side
`transferring part 28B of the tip supplying device 12. Furthermore, a tip 18 arrives at the upper
`side transferring part 28A from the upper part feeder tube.
`Tip Removal
`The piston rod 22 of the air cylinder 21 is advanced, and as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 (B),
`the tip end hook part 13A of the lever 13 that is attached to the cam mechanism 17 is inserted in
`the gap 20 between the tip 18 and the shank 19 of the welding gun, and the U-shaped groove of
`the tip end hook part 13A of the lever 13 contacts the neck part of the shank 19. Then, the lever
`13 is subjected to the reaction force of the shank 19 neck part. The spring 38 is extended by this
`reaction force and the force of the piston rod 22 further extending, and the two locking
`protruding parts 16 move in the cam hole 15 thereby tilting the lever 13, and the height of the tip
`end hook part 13A of the lever 13 is constant while the tilt changes by the operation of the lever
`which point of action is the shoulder part of tip 18, and thus the tip 18 is pried. Thereby the tip
`18 is removed from the shank 19. Note that, a flow path of cooling water is provided on the
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 8
`
`

`
`shank 19 and tip 18 to reduce the temperature of the heat generated by the high current during
`welding. The cooling water is switched to air during tip 18 removal to prevent leaking of cooling
`water, and the change in pressure of the air is detected by a sensor and the shank 19 is checked to
`see whether or not the tip 18 was removed.
`Tip Transferring
`During the advancing of air cylinder 21, the plate springs 24A, 24B of the upper side installing
`part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B of the tip installing device 11 push the plate
`springs 30A, 30B of the upper side transferring part 28A and the lower part transferring part 28B
`of the tip supplying device 12 and penetrate, and the plate springs 30A, 30B are inserted between
`the tips 18, and the tip 18 is firmly grabbed by the plate springs 30A, 30B at the leading end of
`the air cylinder 21.
`Tip Constant Position Set
`The plate spring 24A, 24B of the upper side installing part 28A and the lower side installing part
`28B both grab the tip 18 while the air cylinder 21 recedes, and thereby the plate springs 24A,
`24B convey the tip 18 to the receding end of the air cylinder 21.
`Tip Installation
`As illustrated in FIG. 3, the welding gun releases pressure at the receding end position of the air
`cylinder 21 and holds in a separated state of the shank 19, and the upper and lower shank 19 of
`the welding gun and tips 18 are attached by the action of adding pressure to the upper side
`installing part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B of the welding gun. At this time, the
`construction is that the 26A is compressed by both tips 18.
`[0026]
`Effect
`Next, the effect of the present example is described below.
`(1) The welding gun is fastened in a fixed position, and removing and installing of the upper and
`lower paired tip 18 is completed by the tip removing device 10 reciprocating once and the
`welding gun adding pressure once, and thus the time spent on replacing the tip 18 can be reduced.
`(2) The tip removing device 10 and the tip installing device 11 are joined, and because they
`reciprocate, only one driving source is required, and the movement is only in the forward and
`backward direction, so the moving power of the driving source can be relatively small.
`Furthermore, there is an advantage of stable positioning of the tip installing device, because of
`the simple reciprocating.
`(3) Continuous supplying is performed by the part feeder made of the storing box and the upper
`side feeder tube and the lower side feeder tube, and thereby, there is no restrictions to the
`storable number of the tip 18 unlike the cartridge, and can respond with a large amount of tips 18
`and quick exchanging.
`[0027]
`Furthermore, functioning as a tip grinder that performs the following series of operation is also
`possible. First, the polished tip 18 that was deformed and worn by multi-point welding is
`collected from the line and put into the storing box of the part feeder of the tip exchanging device
`of the present example. The tip 18 by the upper and lower pair is fed by the feeder tube from the
`storing box to the upper side transferring part and the lower side transferring part, and further to
`the installing part, and by the added pressure of the welding gun, is attached to the shank 19.
`Furthermore, the welding gun is moved from the constant position to the second position, and
`polishing is performed by the grinder. The welding gun is moved back to the constant position
`and the polished tip 18 is removed by the removing device and collected.
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 9
`
`

`
`(4) Transferring from the upper side transferring part 28A and the lower side transferring part
`28B to the upper side installing part 23A and the lower side installing part 23B is performed by
`the plate spring type holding tool, and thereby a reliable transferring by a simple structure is
`possible.
`(5) According to the present example, removing is performed by the lever 13 tilting by the cam
`mechanism 17, and therefore, the piston stroke is shorter compared to the case where the
`removing tool only advances like in, for example, the wedging type, and the reduction in
`removing time can be attempted. Furthermore, for example, compared to H11-90646 where the
`construction is that the tip 18 is interposed and turned, the subtle adjustment of the pressure
`interposing the tip 18 is unnecessary, and the configuration of the cam mechanism 17 is simple,
`yet the reliability of removing is high.
`[0028]
`Second Example
`Structure
`A description is made below while referring to FIG. 5 and 6. The present example contains the
`tip removing device 10, and the tip installing device 11. In the first example, the tip installing
`device 11 is a plate spring holding tool, and the tip supplying device 12 is a part feeder, but in the
`present example, the tip installing is a cartridge having a plurality of storing parts, and the tip
`supplying device 12 is not provided. Note that the tip removing device 10 is the same as in
`Example 1, and therefore, a description is omitted.
`[0029]
`In simply describing the cartridge 60 illustrated in FIG. 5, a pair of upper and lower cylinders 61
`that rotate by a rotational force of a spiral spring 62 are inserted between three partitioning plates
`64A, 64B, and 64C, and a spacer 65. The cylinders 61 contain metal material, and is a storing
`part of the tip 18. In the present example, the cylinders 61 have a height and diameter such that
`eleven tips 18 can be stored placed vertically along the inner circumferential surface of the
`cylinder 61. The spiral spring 62 is placed in a center part of the cylinder 61. A center axis 63 is
`installed on a center end of the spiral spring 62. An upper end of the center axis 63 protrudes
`upwards towards the upper partitioning plate 64A, and a ratchet 70 that rotates clockwise is
`installed for storing elastic energy of the spiral spring 62 on the protruding portion. Furthermore,
`a hook 73 for regulating the rotation of the ratchet 70 is installed on the upper part of the
`partitioning plate 64A, which can rotate with the movement of the ratchet 70. The spiral spring
`62 biases and rotates the cylinder 61 clockwise, due to elastic energy stored by rotating the
`ratchet 70. Furthermore, the tip 18 is pressed against an inner circumferential surface of the
`cylinder 61 due a pressing force in the outer circumferential direction of the spiral spring 62. The
`pressing force of the spiral spring 62 is a strength where the tip 18 inside the storing part on the
`lower side does not fall, and that can remove a shank 19 where the tip 18 is attached from an
`upper side installing part 23A and lower side installing part 23B.
`[0030]
`The upper part partitioning plates 64A, 64B, and 64C form an approximately square shape, and
`the spacers 65 (total: 8) are interposed and fastened by a bolt (not illustrated) to four corners
`between the upper part partitioning plate 64A and middle part partitioning plate 64B, and middle
`part partitioning plate 64B and lower part partitioning plate 64C. The bolt fastens the cartridge
`60 by penetrating inside the spacer 65 and a bolt hole 69 on the partitioning plates 64A, 64B, and
`64C. The cylinder 61 is inserted to be rotatable between the partitioning plates 64A, 64B, and
`64C and the spacer 65. At this time, the height of the spacer 65 is higher than the height of the
`
`Ex. C&D 1011, page 10
`
`

`
`cylinder 61, and therefore, the cylinder 61 can rotate between the partitioning plates 64A, 64B,
`and 64C even in an assembled state. (Note that a structure is possible where the cylinder 61 is
`fastened by appropriately adjusting the rotational force of the spiral spring 62 and the pressing
`force in the outer circumferential direction, and where only the tip 18 of the inner part is pushed
`to rotate and move.)
`Approximately two installing ports 66 per tip 18 are formed on the upper part partitioning plate
`64A and the lower part partitioning plate 64C, continuously on the outer circumference along the
`installing side of the store tip 18. An L-shaped tip fastener 67 is attached by a screw 68 in the
`clockwise direction of the installing port 66. After the tip 18 and shank 19 are removed by the tip
`fastener 67, the subsequent tip 18 is stopped by the upper side installing part 23A and lower side
`installing part 23B, and provided for the next installation. Storing of the tips 18 in the cartridge
`60 is performed by removing the hook 73, rotating the ratchet 70 to the loose side, inserting the
`tip 18 from the installing port 66 in a state where the spiral spring 62 is loose, completing
`insertion, rotating the center axis 63 using a tool, storing elastic energy in the spiral spring 62,
`and fastening the ratchet 70 using the hook 73. Furthermore, the cartridge 60 as illustrated in FIG.
`6 is supported by a supporting rod 76 stored in a cartridge storing container 74, and is a structure
`positioned between the welding gun at a constant position in a state where the shank 19 is
`separated. (Note that problems such as the tip 18 removed by the tip removing device 10 falling
`onto the cartridge 60 and the like are avoided, and therefore, the position of the cartridge 60 does
`not necessarily need to be fastened, and a movable structure can be implemented to be positioned
`between the uppe