JPH0362916A - Impregnating apparatus for electrolytic capacitor and method of supplying electrolyte to same impregnating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to supply electrolyte into a liquid bath quietly without mixing bubbles into the electrolyte by making it possible to move the liquid bath up and down relatively with respect to a vacuum housing so that the liquid level of the electrolyte in the liquid bath is lower than the lower surface of a capacitor element which is housed in a vacuum housing with respect to the lower limit position of the liquid bath. CONSTITUTION:During the time when two parts of a vacuum housing 2 are separated, a plurality of capacitor elements (e) are heled with a tape (t) and supplied. Under the state wherein two parts are brought close together and the inside of the housing is kept at an atmospheric pressure, a liquid bath is lowered to a lower limit position. Electrolyte l is supplied. A level h1 from the upper surface 11 of a supporting plate 11 to the liquid level of the electrolyte l in an auxiliary tank 8 is determined so that h1 becomes approximately equal to a level h2 from the upper surface of the supporting plate 11 to the liquid level of the electrolyte l in the liquid bath 3 at the lowest position when the supply of the specified amount of the electrolyte into the liquid bath is completed. Therefore, the electrolyte flows slowly, and the bubbles are not mixed into the electrolyte.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 0) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an apparatus for impregnating electrolytic capacitor elements, and more specifically, to an apparatus for impregnating electrolytic capacitor elements, and more specifically, a vacuum housing and an electrolyte tank are movable relative to each other to smoothly impregnate capacitor elements. The present invention relates to an impregnation device and a method for supplying an electrolyte to the impregnation device.

(B) Prior Art In the manufacturing process of electrolytic capacitors, there is a step for impregnating the capacitor element with an electrolytic solution. As an apparatus for carrying out such a process, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-28
As shown in No. 2429, persimmons have been developed in the past.

By the way, in order to reliably impregnate the capacitor element with the electrolyte, it is necessary to impregnate the capacitor element with the electrolyte in a vacuum (negative pressure) atmosphere.However, in conventional impregnation equipment, the vacuum housing that creates the vacuum atmosphere and the electrolyte are separated. Due to structural problems with the liquid tank in which the electrolyte is placed, either the capacitor element is housed in a vacuum housing and the inside is evacuated, and then the electrolyte is placed in the liquid tank, or the inside of the vacuum housing is evacuated. I had to supply electrolyte along the way.

However, in such devices, impregnation with electrolyte may begin before the air inside the capacitor element is completely evacuated, or electrolyte may suddenly flow into the liquid tank in the vacuum housing. This and the air in the electrolyte expands rapidly when it enters the liquid tank due to the effect of vacuum, causing the electrolyte in the liquid tank to become turbulent as if it were boiling. This obstructs the degassing of air within the capacitor element and prevents smooth impregnation with the electrolytic solution.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention The problems to be solved by the present invention are that, in an impregnating apparatus for electrolytic capacitor elements, by making the liquid tank movable relative to the vacuum housing, the inside of the vacuum chamber is kept in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The purpose is to supply an electrolytic solution into the liquid tank, and then evacuate the inside of the vacuum housing so that the capacitor element can be immersed in the electrolytic solution.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to supply the electrolytic solution to the impregnating device in the method 1 in which the electrolytic solution is supplied to the liquid tank in the most quiet manner in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere without introducing air bubbles into the electrolytic solution. The purpose is to supply

(→ Means for Solving the Problems One of the inventions of the present application includes a vacuum housing having two parts, at least one of which is movable, the inside of which is evacuated by a vacuum device, and a vacuum housing inside the vacuum housing. and a liquid tank into which an electrolyte can be placed,
An impregnation device for immersing a capacitor element housed in the vacuum housing in an electrolytic solution in the liquid tank in a vacuum atmosphere,
The liquid tank is movable up and down relative to the vacuum housing, and the lower limit position of the liquid tank with respect to the vacuum housing is set.
The liquid level of the electrolytic solution in the liquid tank at the lower limit position is configured to be below the lower surface of the capacitor element housed in the vacuum housing.

Another invention of the present application is a method for supplying an electrolytic solution to an impregnating apparatus having a vacuum housing whose interior is evacuated and a liquid tank housed in the vacuum housing so as to be able to move up and down relatively. , an auxiliary tank is provided which is connected to the liquid tank and is supplied with electrolyte from an electrolyte supply source, and the amount of electrolyte used in one impregnation operation is determined in advance; When supplying the electrolyte into the liquid tank, the inside of the vacuum housing is brought to atmospheric pressure, and the liquid level of the electrolyte in the liquid tank is lower than the bottom surface of the capacitor element housed in the vacuum housing. The liquid level of the electrolyte in the auxiliary tank is lowered relative to the vacuum housing so that the level of the electrolyte in the auxiliary tank is lowered by an amount corresponding to the amount used at one time. The electrolyte is raised above the liquid level and is configured to supply electrolyte into the liquid tank by means of a pressure head.

(e) Effect In the above configuration, a plurality of capacitor elements are held by tape and supplied while the two parts of the vacuum housing are separated from each other, and then the two parts are brought close to each other and the inside of the vacuum housing is passed from the outside. Separate. On the other hand, while the inside of the vacuum housing is maintained at atmospheric pressure, the liquid tank is lowered to the lower limit position, and in this state, the electrolyte is supplied into the liquid tank. Thereafter, the inside of the vacuum housing is evacuated and the air inside the capacitor element is evacuated. Thereafter, the liquid bath is raised and the capacitor element is immersed in the electrolyte for impregnation.

(f) Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, an impregnation device 1 and an electrolyte supply device 6 therefor according to the present embodiment are shown.

2 and 3, the impregnating apparatus 1 includes a vacuum housing 2 and a liquid tank 3 housed within the vacuum housing 2.
and a drive device 4 for moving the liquid tank 3 up and down relative to the vacuum housing 2.

The vacuum housing 2 has a fixed part 21 attached to a bracket 12 arranged and fixed on the support plate 11 and moves horizontally on a guide 13 arranged adjacent to the fixed part 21 and above the support plate 11. It has a movable part 22 that can be supported and guided. As is clear from FIG. 3, the portions 21 and 22 define a rectangular vacuum chamber C that is elongated from side to side. The movable part 22 is a cylinder etc. (not shown)
It is horizontally movable with respect to the fixed part 21 by known means.

An annular groove is formed in the movable part side end surface 25 of the fixed part 21, and a sealing member 26 is installed in the groove.

An exhaust port 27 is formed in the earthen wall of the fixed portion 21, and a pair of guide tubes 28 are fixed to the lower wall.

The fixed part 21 and the movable part 22 of the vacuum housing 2 are elongated in the direction of extension of the tape t holding the capacitor element e, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of capacitor elements held by tape t can be accommodated within the capacitor. Note that the tape t is intermittently moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 at intervals of a pitch p.

The liquid tank 3 in which the electrolytic solution is placed extends within the vacuum housing over almost its entire length, as shown in FIG. 2, and has a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 3. The liquid tank 3 is open at the top over its entire length. The liquid tank 3 is fixed to the upper end of a support tube 31 that is vertically movably inserted into each guide tube 28, and is held within a vacuum chamber defined by the vacuum housing 2 by the support tube 31. The interior 33 of the support tube 31 communicates with the interior 32 of the liquid tank 3, so that electrolyte can be supplied to the interior 32 of the liquid tank 3 via the support tube. The support tube 31 protrudes sufficiently downward from the lower end of the guide tube 28.

The drive device 4 includes a pair of brackets 4 on the lower side of the support plate 11.
1, a rotating shaft 42 is rotatably supported adjacent to the support tube 31, a pair of eccentric disk cams 43 fixed to the rotating shaft 42 adjacent to each support tube 31, and a gear device 44 for rotation. A pulse motor 45 is connected to the shaft 42 and drives the rotating shaft, and is rotatably attached to each support tube 31 via a member 46.
It includes a cam follower 47 that comes into contact with the outer periphery of the disc cam 43. Note that 29 is a sealing member that seals between the guide tube and the support tube.

In this drive device 4, when the rotary shaft 42 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 and the disc cam 43 is also rotated in the same direction, the cam follower 47 moves up and down due to the action of the eccentric cam, thereby causing the support tube to move up and down. The liquid tank 3 is moved up and down within the vacuum chamber C via the vacuum chamber C.

In addition, 5 is a vacuum device of the vacuum chamber C, and the conduit 5
1 and an on-off valve 52 to the exhaust port 27 of the vacuum housing 2, and a vacuum pump 54 connected to the dust remover 53.

The electrolyte supply device 6 includes an electrolyte supply source 7 including a main tank 71 and a pump 72, an auxiliary tank 78 mounted on a support plate 11 at the same level as the vacuum housing 2, and a supply source 7 and an auxiliary It has a supply circuit 9 that connects the tank 8 and the support tube 31.

The main tank 71 is provided with a partition wall 73 extending upward from the bottom, and a suction pipe 74 connected to a pump 72 is connected to the bottom on one side of the partition wall 73. Further, the return pipe 75 is connected to the main tank 71. Further, the electrolytic solution ρ is sent to the suction pipe 74 side through the partition wall 73, so that as many bubbles as possible in the electrolytic solution g are discharged to the outside, and the electrolytic solution p without air bubbles is sucked from the suction pipe.

The auxiliary tank 8 is provided with a partition wall 81 extending upward. The bottom of one of the partition walls 81 (on the right side in FIG. 1) is connected to the lower end of the support tube 31 via a conduit 91 and an on-off valve 92 of the supply circuit 9. It is possible to supply electrolyte.

A pump 72 is connected to the other bottom of the partition wall 81 via a conduit 93.
The electrolyte g in the main tank 71 can be supplied to the bottom of the auxiliary tank 8. The auxiliary tank 8 is provided with a discharge pipe 82 which is connected via a conduit 95 to the return pipe 75 of the main tank 71 . The discharge pipe 82 is designed to keep the level of the electrolytes in the auxiliary tank 8 constant as described below. That is, the level h1 from the upper surface of the support plate it to the liquid level of the electrolytic solution ρ in the auxiliary tank 8 is the same as that of the support plate 1.
The level h2 from the top surface of 1 to the level of the electrolyte in the liquid tank 3 at the lowest position is approximately equal to the level h2 when the supply of a predetermined amount of electrolyte to the liquid tank is completed. It has been decided. Note that 96 is an overflow conduit, and 97 is a return conduit. This auxiliary tank 8 also has a structure that prevents air bubbles from being mixed into the electrolytic solution due to the presence of a partition wall and the connection position of the conduit.

In the above configuration, when the movable part 22 of the vacuum housing 2 is separated from the fixed part, the tape t is intermittently transferred by one pitch p, and the plurality of capacitor elements e to be impregnated are sent to the position of the vacuum chamber C. . At this time, the liquid tank 3 is lowered to the lowest position by the drive device 4. During the intermittent feeding of the tape t, the on-off valve 92 opens and the electrolyte ρ in the auxiliary tank 8 flows into the conduit 9i and the support pipe 3.
1 into the interior 32 of the liquid tank 3. The electrolyte ρ is supplied by opening the on-off valve 92 for a certain period of time depending on the level difference, since the liquid level h is lower than the liquid level h1 by the amount used in the previous impregnation operation. . In this way, when both the auxiliary tank side and the liquid tank side are under atmospheric pressure, the difference between the liquid level h1 of the electrolyte in the auxiliary tank and the liquid level h2 of the electrolyte in the liquid tank (before supply) is calculated. Since the electrolyte is supplied at a level equal to the amount of electrolyte used in the previous impregnation operation (the liquid level h2 is lower), the electrolyte flows slowly and air bubbles are not mixed into the electrolyte. It disappears.

Next, the movable part 22 moves toward the fixed part and comes into contact with each other, sealing the vacuum chamber C from the outside and fixing the part of the tape t that does not hold the capacitor element by both of them. Thereafter, the vacuum chamber C is evacuated by the vacuum device 5. When the vacuum chamber C reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum, the drive device 4 operates to rotate the rotating shaft 42 and move the liquid tank to the third
Gradually raise the capacitor element until it is completely immersed in the electrolytic solution g as shown in the figure. Then, the capacitor element e supported by the tape t is immersed in the electrolytic solution ρ in the liquid tank 3. When the vacuum chamber C becomes evacuated, the capacitor element is not immersed into the electrolyte solution rapidly, but gradually immersed in it, so that the air bubbles that were present in the electrolyte expand due to the vacuum, and the electrolyte is removed. Even if the bubbles flow out, the amount that can be newly supplied into the liquid tank is limited, so the flow of bubbles ends by the time the capacitor element begins to be immersed. Therefore, smooth impregnation is performed.

When the impregnation is completed, the liquid tank 3 is lowered to the lowest position by the drive device 4, and then atmospheric pressure is introduced into the vacuum chamber C, and the movable part 22 of the vacuum housing 2 is separated from the fixed part 21. Then the tape t is moved by one pitch p,
The following capacitor elements are provided: The following steps are performed in the same manner. The above operation can be expressed in a table as shown in FIG.

ω) Effects According to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.

■Since the electrolyte is supplied to the liquid tank under atmospheric pressure, the supply is done slowly and the lead wires are not contaminated with the electrolyte.

For the same reason as in ■■, the air inside the capacitor element can be removed to facilitate impregnation with the electrolyte.

■Maintenance is easy because there are few valves and the piping system is clean.

■Since there is no dirt on the lead wires, there is no need to clean the capacitor after assembly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the entire impregnation device and electrolyte supply device of this embodiment, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the impregnation device, taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the impregnating device, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how a capacitor element is held by a tape, and FIG. 5 is a timing diagram of the operation.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. a vacuum housing having two parts, at least one of which is movable, the interior of which is evacuated by a vacuum device; and a liquid tank located within the vacuum housing and configured to contain an electrolyte. an impregnating device for immersing a capacitor element housed in the vacuum housing in an electrolytic solution in the liquid tank in a vacuum atmosphere, the liquid tank being movable up and down relative to the vacuum housing; An electrolytic capacitor characterized in that the lower limit position of the liquid tank is set such that the liquid level of the electrolyte in the liquid tank at the lower limit position is lower than the lower surface of the capacitor element housed in the vacuum housing. Element impregnation equipment. 2. a vacuum housing whose interior is evacuated;
A method for supplying an electrolyte to an impregnating device having a liquid tank housed in the vacuum housing so as to be relatively movable up and down, wherein the electrolyte is replenished from an electrolyte supply source connected to the liquid tank. An auxiliary tank is installed, and the amount of electrolyte used in one impregnation operation is determined in advance.
When supplying the electrolyte into the liquid tank, the inside of the vacuum housing is brought to atmospheric pressure, and the liquid level of the electrolyte in the liquid tank is lower than the bottom surface of the capacitor element housed in the vacuum housing. The liquid level of the electrolyte in the auxiliary tank is lowered relative to the vacuum housing so that the liquid level of the electrolyte in the liquid tank is lowered by an amount corresponding to the amount used at one time. A method for supplying an electrolytic solution, characterized in that the electrolytic solution is supplied into the liquid tank using a pressure head at a height higher than the surface of the tank.