Ultrasonic crimping apparatus, crimping member, ultrasonic crimping method and arm production method

Abstract

The ultrasonic crimping apparatus of the invention includes: a supporting section that supports a crimped object having a crimped section with a through hole formed therein; a crimping member in a bar shape that is smaller toward a front end thereof and larger toward a rear end thereof; a driving section that causes the crimping member to be inserted in the through hole, first from the front end thereof; an ultrasonic application section that applies ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby causing radial displacement of the crimping member; and a crimping control section that causes the crimping member to be inserted into the through hole of the crimped object, while causing application of ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby causing the crimped section of the crimped object to be crimped.

1 . An ultrasonic crimping apparatus comprising:
 a supporting section that supports a crimped object having a crimped section with a through hole formed in the crimped section;   a crimping member in a bar shape that is smaller toward a front end thereof and larger toward a rear end thereof;   a driving section that causes the crimping member to be inserted in the through hole of the crimped object supported by the supporting section, first from the front end of the crimping member;   an ultrasonic application section that applies ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby causing radial displacement of the crimping member; and   a crimping control section that causes the crimping member to be inserted into the through hole of the crimped object, while causing application of ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby causing the crimped section of the crimped object to be crimped.   
   
   
       2 . The ultrasonic crimping apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the supporting section supports a crimped object having a plurality of crimped sections with a plurality of through holes formed in the crimped sections such that the through holes are aligned to enable the crimping member to be inserted into the through holes simultaneously, and
 the crimping control section causes the crimping member to be inserted into the through holes, while causing application of ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby causing the crimped sections to be crimped simultaneously.   
   
   
       3 . The ultrasonic crimping apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the crimping member has a maximum thickness area that is uniform in thickness over a predetermined length and that has a maximum thickness to be inserted into the through holes, and
 the crimping control section causes the driving section to make the crimping member inserted into the through holes until the maximum thickness area of the crimping member is inserted through the through holes.   
   
   
       4 . The ultrasonic crimping apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the crimping member has a first section and a second section that are formed alternatively in the crimping member in a longitudinal direction, when ultrasonic wave is applied to the crimping member, the first section having minimum radial displacement of the crimping member, the second section having maximum radial displacement of the crimping member and further having a uniform thickness area where thickness of the crimping member is uniform over a predetermined length. 
   
   
       5 . A crimping member that crimps a crimped object having a crimped section with a through hole formed in the crimping section, and that is inserted through the through hole and thereby crimps the crimped section, wherein:
 the crimping member is in a bar shape that is smaller toward a front end thereof and larger toward a rear end thereof; and   the crimping member has an ultrasonic vibrator that is disposed at the rear end of the crimping member and that vibrates in response to application of a voltage of a frequency equal to ultrasonic wave.   
   
   
       6 . The crimping member according to  claim 5 , wherein the crimping member has a maximum thickness area that is uniform in thickness over a predetermined length and that has a maximum thickness to be inserted into the through hole, the maximum thickness area being formed at the rear end of the crimping member. 
   
   
       7 . The crimping member according to  claim 5 , wherein the crimping member has a first section and a second section that are alternatively formed in the crimping member in the longitudinal direction, when ultrasonic wave is applied to the crimping member, the first section having minimum radial displacement of the crimping section, the second section having maximum radial displacement of the crimping section and further having a uniform thickness area where thickness of the crimping member is uniform over a predetermined length. 
   
   
       8 . An ultrasonic crimping method comprising the steps of:
 preparing a crimping member in a bar shape that is smaller toward a front end thereof and larger toward a rear end thereof and is displaced radially in response to application of ultrasonic wave; and   inserting the crimping member, first from the front end thereof, into a though hole formed in a crimped section of a crimped object while applying ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby crimping the crimped section of the crimped object.   
   
   
       9 . The ultrasonic crimping method according to  claim 8 , wherein the crimping member has a maximum thickness area that is uniform in thickness over a predetermined length and that has a maximum thickness to be inserted into the through hole, the maximum thickness area being formed at the rear end,
 the crimped object has a plurality of crimped sections with a plurality of through holes formed in the crimped sections, the through holes are aligned so that the crimping member can be inserted into the through holes simultaneously, and the crimping member is inserted, first from the front end thereof, into the through holes until the maximum thickness area of the crimping member passes through the though holes, thereby crimping the crimped sections simultaneously.   
   
   
       10 . A method of producing an arm of a disk apparatus, the arm including: a carriage whose front end is rotatably moved along and above a surface of a disk in a radial direction of the disk; and a suspension that extends from the front end of the carriage and whose rear end is fixed to the front end of the carriage and whose front end is provided with a head that accesses the disk, the head being positioned so as to access the disk, the method comprising the steps of:
 preparing a crimping member that is smaller toward a front end thereof and larger toward a rear end thereof and is displaced radially in response to application of ultrasonic wave;   aligning a first through hole formed in the front end of the carriage with a second through hole formed in the rear end of the suspension; and   inserting the crimping member into the aligned first and second through holes first from the front end of the crimping member, while applying ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby crimping the suspension onto the carriage.   
   
   
       11 . A crimped object comprising:
 a crimped section with a through hole formed in the crimping section,   wherein the crimped section is crimped by inserting a crimping member into the though hole first from a front end of the crimping member, while applying ultrasonic wave to the crimping member, thereby crimping the crimping section, the crimping member being in a bar shape that is smaller toward the front end thereof and larger toward a rear end thereof and is displaced radially in response to application of ultrasonic wave.