JP7655746B2 - Coating device and coating method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for applying a membrane agent to a surface that requires application, and in particular to an application apparatus and application method suitable for forming a waterproof coating of uniform thickness on irregular surfaces such as the excavated surfaces of tunnels and outdoor waste disposal sites.

Tunnels and outdoor waste disposal sites constructed by excavating the natural ground require waterproofing to prevent the inflow of groundwater and the outflow of wastewater. Patent Document 1 proposes forming a waterproof layer by applying a waterproof membrane agent such as polyurea or polyurethane to the excavated natural ground surface.

JP 2020-180489 A

On the other hand, since this type of natural excavation surface is uneven, it is not easy to make the film thickness uniform, and variations are likely to occur depending on the skill level of the worker.
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method capable of uniformly applying a film agent even when the surface to be applied is irregular.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an apparatus for applying a film agent to a surface to be applied, comprising:
a coating surface detection means for detecting, in a non-contact manner, coating surface information including the orientation and position of each surface portion of the coating surface;
A nozzle for discharging the film agent;
A support means for movably supporting the nozzle;
a nozzle information acquiring means for acquiring nozzle information including the orientation and position of the nozzle;
a control means for controlling the support means so that an orientation and a position of the nozzle relative to the surface portion are optimized based on the nozzle information and the coating surface information;
The present invention is characterized by comprising:

The coating surface detection means may be one that emits light waves, electromagnetic waves, ultrasonic waves, etc. to the surface to be coated and analyzes the distance to each surface portion of the surface to be coated and the orientation of the surface portion from the reflected waves, or one that photographs the surface to be coated with a camera such as an infrared camera and analyzes the image.
The nozzle information acquisition means preferably includes one or more markers provided on a movable arm connected to the nozzle on the support means or on the nozzle, and a marker observation means such as a camera that optically observes the positions of the markers, and obtains the nozzle information at the time of observation based on position information of the observed markers. This makes it possible to obtain information on the orientation and position of the nozzle in real time by a motion capture method.
The nozzle information acquisition means may include a position sensor or angle sensor, such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or an encoder, provided on a movable arm connected to the nozzle in the support means or on the nozzle.

It is preferable that the control means controls the support means so that the nozzle faces in a direction perpendicular to the surface portion and so that the distance from the nozzle to the surface portion is predetermined.

The method of the present invention is a method for applying a film agent to a surface to be coated, comprising the steps of:
detecting, in a non-contact manner, information on the surface to be coated, including the orientation and position of each surface portion of the surface to be coated;
acquiring nozzle information including an orientation and a position of a nozzle movably supported by a support means;
controlling the support means so that an orientation and a position of the nozzle relative to the surface portion are optimized based on the nozzle information and the coating surface information;
and discharging the film agent from the nozzle at a predetermined flow rate.
The coating surface information may be detected in advance and stored in a storage means, and then coating may be performed by the nozzle, and during the coating, the control may be performed using the coating surface information that has been stored.
Alternatively, the nozzle direction and position may be corrected in real time by detecting the coating surface information in parallel with coating by the nozzle.

It is preferable to perform the control so that the nozzle faces in a direction perpendicular to the surface portion and so that the distance from the nozzle to the surface portion is a predetermined value.

According to the present invention, even if the surface to be coated is irregular, the film agent can be uniformly applied to the surface to be coated, and a coating film with a uniform thickness can be formed.

FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a tunnel (a structure requiring waterproofing) to which waterproofing is applied by a coating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view of the coating apparatus in operation, showing an enlarged view of the circled area II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the relationship between the second arm portion and the nozzle of the coating device and a surface portion to be coated. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the tunnel taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1, showing modifications such as the nozzle orientation. FIG. 5 is an explanatory front view showing a process of detecting coated surface information of a tunnel (a waterproof structure) by a coating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory front view showing a coating process by the coating device according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in Fig. 1, the structure requiring waterproofing in this embodiment is, for example, a waterproof (non-drainage) NATM tunnel. Waterproofing is applied to the entire circumference of the tunnel 1. Note that the tunnel may be of a drainage type, and only the upper half arch portion of the drainage type tunnel may be waterproofed.

First Embodiment
A coating device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed inside the tunnel 1. The coating device 10 includes an apparatus body 11, a track 18, and a nozzle 74. The apparatus body 11 and the track 18 form a support means 13 that movably supports the nozzle 74.

A circular track 18 is installed along the inner circumference of the tunnel 1. Preferably, the track is movable in the axial direction of the tunnel 1 (a direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1). The device body 11 is mounted on the track 18. The device body 11 is moved in the circumferential direction of the tunnel 1 by being guided on the track 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, a coating device 10 applies a membrane agent 3a to the natural ground excavation surface 2 (surface to be coated) of a tunnel 1. The applied membrane agent 3a hardens or forms a membrane on the natural ground excavation surface 2 to become a waterproof layer 3. This completes the waterproofing process. The membrane agent 3a may be applied directly to the natural ground excavation surface 2, or the natural ground excavation surface 2 may be covered with a base layer (not shown) such as sprayed concrete, and the surface may be leveled to a certain extent before the membrane agent 3a is applied to the base layer.

The film agent 3a is a resin that has fluidity at least when applied, and exhibits waterproofing properties by subsequent curing or film formation. Preferred examples of the film agent 3a include polyurea, polyurethane, polyurethane-polyurea hybrid resin, epoxy resin, and epoxy-polyurethane resin.

The main body 11 of the coating device 10 includes a body 12 and a movable arm 20. The body 12 is supported so as to be guided by the track 18.

A movable arm 20 extends from the body 12. The movable arm 20 is displaceable relative to the body 12. More specifically, the movable arm 20 has a first arm portion 21 and a second arm portion 22. The first arm portion 21 extends from the body 12. The first arm portion 21 may be fixed (immovable) relative to the body 12, or may be movable relative to the body 12. When movable, the first arm portion 21 may be slidable, for example, vertically (up and down) and horizontally (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2) relative to the body 12, or may be rotatable so as to swing vertically and horizontally or twist relative to the body 12.

The second arm portion 22 extends from the tip of the first arm portion 21. A joint 23 is provided between these arm portions 21, 22. The second arm portion 22 is rotatably connected to the first arm portion 21 by the joint 23 so as to swing vertically and horizontally. Furthermore, the second arm portion 22 is extendable and contractible. In Fig. 2, the extension and contraction structure of the second arm portion 22 is a telescopic type, but is not limited to this and may be a bellows type or the like.
The first arm portion 21 may also be extendable and contractible.

The device main body 11 is provided with an arm drive mechanism 26 including a motor, a cylinder, gears, etc. for rotating and extending at least the second arm portion 22 of the arm portions 21 and 22. In FIG. 2, the arm drive mechanism 26 is provided in the body 12, but it may also be provided in the first arm portion 21.

The first arm portion 21 may be extendable instead of the second arm portion 22. Both the first and second arm portions 21, 22 may be extendable.
The number of arm portions of the movable arm 20 is not limited to two. The movable arm 20 may be composed of single arm portions 21, 22. The movable arm 20 may include three or more arm portions connected via joints.

2, a nozzle 74 is provided at the tip of the second arm portion 22. The nozzle 74 extends in a straight line along the axial direction of the second arm portion 22. The nozzle 74 tapers toward the tip.
The nozzle 74 constitutes a terminal element of the film agent supply system 70. The film agent supply system 70 includes a film agent tank 71 and a supply pump 72 connected thereto. In Fig. 2, the film agent tank 71 is provided outside the body 12, but it may be housed inside the body 12. In Fig. 2, the supply pump 72 is housed inside the body 12, but it may be provided outside the body 12. A supply pipe 73 extends from the supply pump 72. The supply pipe 73 may be piped along the movable arm 20 to the outside of the movable arm 20, or may be passed through the inside of the movable arm 20. The tip of the supply pipe 73 is connected to the nozzle 74.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coating device 10 is provided with a nozzle information acquisition means 49 that acquires nozzle information including the orientation and position of the nozzle 74, and a coating surface detection means 59 that detects coating surface information including the orientation and position of each surface portion 2a of the coating surface 2 in a non-contact manner. The nozzle information acquisition means 49 includes a plurality of markers 31, 32 and a marker observation means 40.

The markers 31 and 32 are provided at a plurality of locations spaced apart from each other on the movable arm 20. The first marker 31 is provided, for example, at the joint 23, i.e., the connecting portion between the first arm portion 21 and the second arm portion 22. The second marker 32 is provided at the tip of the second arm portion 22. The markers 31 and 32 are made of a reflective material that reflects incident light in the incident direction without diffusing the light.
The positions and number of the markers 31, 32 are not necessarily limited to those described above. The markers 31, 32 may be arranged spaced apart from each other at least in the extension direction of the second arm portion 21 of the movable arm 20. The marker 32 may be provided on the nozzle 74.

The marker observation means 40 optically observes the positions of the markers 31 and 32 in real time using the principle of motion capture. Specifically, the marker observation means 40 includes a plurality of infrared cameras 41 (only one is shown in FIG. 2) installed at a distance from each other on the body 12 (fixed system in motion capture), and an infrared light emitter 42 provided on each camera 41. Infrared light from the infrared light emitter 42 hits the markers 31 and 32 and is reflected to the camera 41, which acquires an infrared image of the markers 31 and 32. Spatial position information of each marker 31 and 32 on three-dimensional coordinates is obtained from the images of the markers 31 and 32 captured by the cameras 41 at multiple locations. Furthermore, nozzle information including the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 is obtained from the spatial position information of these markers 31 and 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second arm portion 22 of the movable arm 20 or the nozzle 74 is provided with a laser distance meter unit 50 constituting the coating surface detection means 59. The laser distance meter unit 50 includes multiple (preferably three to four) laser distance meters 51, 54. Each laser distance meter 51, 54 optically detects the distance to the irradiation point 56 by irradiating a laser 55 in one direction and receiving the reflected light. The laser 55 may be an invisible light laser such as an infrared light laser, or a visible light laser.

The irradiation direction of the laser range finders 51, 54 is roughly along the extension direction of the second arm portion 22 and the nozzle 74. More specifically, the three laser range finders 51 are oriented in three directions centered on a direction parallel to the axis _L74 of the nozzle 74. From the measured distances and laser irradiation angles of these three laser range finders 51, coating surface information including the orientation and position of a triangular surface portion 2a connecting the irradiation points of the three laser range finders 51 on the natural ground excavation surface 2 (surface to be coated) is obtained. Specifically, the angle _θ2a of the normal of the surface portion 2a with respect to the axis L74 of the nozzle ₇₄ and the distance D2a from the tip of the nozzle ₇₄ to the surface portion 2a can be obtained.
The irradiation direction of the fourth laser range finder 54 (broken line in FIG. 3) may be oriented parallel to the axis L74 of the nozzle ₇₄ , and the distance _D2a may be derived from the distance measured by the fourth laser range finder 54.

As shown in FIG. 4, the actual surface portion 2a is often uneven, but for the sake of simplicity, the surface portion 2a is virtually or approximately considered to be a flat surface 2a' in the process of the coating device 10. By setting the area of the surface portion 2a to be small, the actual surface portion 2a also approaches a flat surface 2a'.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coating device 10 further includes a processing unit 19. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the processing unit 19 includes, for example, a general-purpose PC, a microcomputer, a PLC, a computer, an interface, a drive circuit for the arm drive mechanism 26 and the pump 72, and the like. The computer function of the processing unit 19 calculates the spatial positions of the markers 31 and 32, and further calculates the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 (nozzle information), calculates the orientation and position of the surface portion 2a relative to the nozzle 74 (coating surface information), and calculates the optimal orientation in which the nozzle 74 should face and the optimal position to be placed relative to the surface portion 2a (nozzle target information). The processing unit 19 constitutes elements of the nozzle information acquisition means 49 and the coating surface detection means 59. Furthermore, the processing unit 19 functions as a control means for correcting and controlling the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 by operating the arm drive mechanism 26 via the driving circuit. The processing unit 19 also functions as a control means for the pump 72.
In FIG. 2, the processing section 19 is provided inside the device body 11, but this is not limiting and the processing section 19 may be provided outside the device body 11.

The coating device 10 performs waterproofing on the excavated natural ground surface 2 by operating as follows.
The positions of the markers 31, 32 are optically observed by the cameras 41 of the marker observation means 40 (observation step). The processing unit 19 integrates the observation data from each camera 41 in its computer function to calculate, in real time, the position information of the markers 31, 32 on a three-dimensional coordinate system with the body 12 as the reference.
Next, the processing unit 19 obtains nozzle information including the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 at the time of observation in real time based on the position information of the markers 31 and 32 (nozzle information acquisition step).
In parallel, the laser range finder 51 optically detects the orientation θ _2a and distance D _2a of the surface portion 2a to be coated that intersects with the extension direction of the axis of the nozzle 74 with respect to the nozzle 74. In other words, surface information to be coated including the orientation and position of each surface portion 2a of the surface 2 to be coated is detected in a non-contact manner (surface information to be coated detection process).

Furthermore, the processing unit 19 (control unit) controls the support unit 13 based on the nozzle information and the coating surface information so that the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 relative to the coating surface portion 2a are optimized (control step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the axis L ₇₄ of the nozzle 74 is inclined with respect to the normal direction L _2a of the coating surface portion 2a (2a'), the movable arm 20 is moved so that the inclination becomes smaller. When the distance D _2a from the tip of the nozzle 74 to the coating surface portion 2a (2a') is greater than the predetermined distance, the second arm portion 22 is extended, and when the distance D _2a is smaller than the predetermined distance, the second arm portion 22 is contracted. In short, the support unit 13 is controlled by the control unit 19 so that the nozzle 74 faces in a direction perpendicular to the surface portion 2a and the distance D _2a from the nozzle 74 to the surface portion 2a becomes predetermined.

Even during correction, the orientation and tip position of the movable arm 20 are observed in real time, and the orientation and distance of the surface portion 2a (2a') to be coated relative to the tip of the movable arm 20 are detected, thereby re-correcting the orientation and position of the movable arm 20 and, in turn, the nozzle 74. As a result, the nozzle 74 is orthogonal to the surface portion 2a to be coated, and the nozzle 74 is positioned at a position where the distance _D2a from the tip of the nozzle 74 to the surface portion 2a (2a') to be coated is a predetermined distance.

Then, the pump 72 is operated to discharge the film agent 3a from the nozzle 74 at a predetermined flow rate (application process). This allows the film agent 3a to be applied to the surface portion 2a of the natural ground excavation surface 2 that needs to be applied from an appropriate angle and distance. Even if the natural ground excavation surface 2 is an irregular surface, the film agent 3a can be applied uniformly.

Furthermore, the movable arm 20 or the body 12 is moved so that the nozzle 74 moves at a constant speed in a constant direction along the ground excavation surface 2 (surface to be coated). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, within the span 1s between the adjacent supports 4 of the tunnel 1, the nozzle 74 is moved in the tunnel axial direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4) and the direction and position of the nozzle 74 are corrected to match the surface portion 2a (2a'). In addition, the body 12 is moved along the track 18 (FIG. 1) to shift the coating area in the tunnel circumferential direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 4). After the waterproof membrane 3 is applied to the entire circumference of one span 1s, the track 18 is moved in the tunnel axial direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1) to perform waterproofing of the next span 1s.
In this way, a uniform waterproof membrane 3 of a predetermined thickness can be formed over the entire natural ground excavation surface 2 of the tunnel 1.

Second embodiment (FIGS. 5 and 6)
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiment, the same components as those in the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the coating device 10B of the second embodiment of the present invention, the coating surface information detection process is performed in advance by the laser range finder unit 50. The detected coating surface information including the orientation and position of each surface portion 2a of the surface 2 to be coated is stored in the memory unit 19m of the processing unit 19. Preferably, in the processing unit 19, the surface 2 to be coated is modeled on a coordinate system, and the detection information of the orientation relative to the reference axis and the position relative to the reference point for each coordinate point corresponding to each surface portion 2a is stored in a database. The reference axis and the reference point may be, for example, a coordinate axis and a coordinate origin. The reference axis and the reference point may be set according to the position of the surface portion 2a in the tunnel axis direction and the position in the tunnel circumferential direction. The orientation and position of the nozzle 74 may be the reference axis and the reference point.

After the coating surface information has been acquired for the entire area or a specified area of the surface 2 to be coated, the coating process of the film agent 3a is performed by the nozzle 74, as shown in FIG. 6. In parallel with this coating process, a nozzle information acquisition process by the nozzle information acquisition means 49 and a control process for optimizing the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 are performed. In the control process, coating surface information for the surface portion 2a to be coated is read from the memory unit 19m, and the orientation and position of the nozzle 74 relative to the surface portion 2a are corrected to be optimal based on the coating surface information and the nozzle information acquired in real time.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the coating surface detection means 59 is not limited to a position detection sensor using light waves such as a laser rangefinder 51, but may also be a position detection sensor using electromagnetic waves or a position detection sensor using ultrasonic waves, and may also be a sensor that photographs the surface to be coated using an infrared camera or other camera and performs image analysis of the surface shape and the position of each surface part.
The nozzle information acquisition means 49 is not limited to a motion capture method using the markers 31, 32 and the infrared camera 41, but may be a sensor method that detects the position and angle of the nozzle 74 using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an encoder, or the like.
The flow rate of air mixed into the film agent 3a may be adjusted according to the distance D2a between the nozzle 74 and the surface portion _2a to be coated, which is acquired by the nozzle information acquisition means 49.
The speed of movement of the body 12 along the track 18 and the application rate of the film agent 3a may be adjusted to be proportional to each other.
A plurality of coating devices 10 may be installed at intervals around the circumference of the tunnel 1, and coating may be performed simultaneously by these coating devices 10. This allows coating to be performed on a wide area of the surface to be coated in a short time, thereby saving labor.
In the second embodiment, a coating surface detection means that performs the coating surface information detection step in advance may be provided separately from the device parts that perform the subsequent nozzle information acquisition step, control step, and coating step. One coating device 10 may have multiple movable arms 20, and a leading movable arm 20 may perform the coating surface information detection step, and a trailing movable arm 20 may perform the nozzle information acquisition step, control step, and coating step. The correction operation of the leading movable arm 20 may be stored, and the trailing movable arm 20 may operate to trace the correction operation of the leading movable arm 20.
When the coating area is small, coating may be completed by simply moving the movable arm 20 while fixing the body 12, and the track 18 may be omitted.
The surface to be coated is not limited to the natural ground excavation surface 2 of a tunnel, but may be an underground structure other than a tunnel, a waste disposal site, a foundation, a riverbed, a slope, etc.

The present invention can be applied, for example, to waterproofing construction of tunnels.

1 Tunnel 2 Ground excavation surface (surface to be coated)
2a: actual surface portion to be coated 2a': surface portion to be coated considered as flat 3: waterproof layer 3a: film agent 10: coating device 11: device main body 12: body 13: support means 18: track 19: processing section (control means)
20 Movable arm 21 First arm section 22 Second arm section 23 Joint 26 Arm drive mechanism 31 First marker 32 Second marker 40 Marker observation means 41 Camera 42 Infrared light emission section 49 Nozzle information acquisition means 50 Laser distance meter unit 51 Laser distance meter 59 Coating surface detection means 70 Film agent supply system 71 Film agent tank 72 Supply pump 73 Supply pipe 74 Nozzle

Claims (4)

An apparatus for applying a film agent to a surface to be coated, comprising:
a coating surface detection means for detecting, in a non-contact manner, coating surface information including the orientation and position of each surface portion of the coating surface;
A nozzle for discharging the film agent;
a support means including a body and a movable arm provided on the body, the nozzle being connected to the movable arm to movably support the nozzle;
a nozzle information acquiring means for acquiring nozzle information including the orientation and position of the nozzle;
a control means for controlling the support means so that an orientation and a position of the nozzle relative to the surface portion are optimized based on the nozzle information and the coating surface information;
the nozzle information acquisition means includes a plurality of markers made of a reflective material provided on the movable arm or the nozzle, and a marker observation means having a camera and a light-emitting unit provided on the body to optically observe positions of the markers, and the nozzle information is obtained based on position information of the observed markers. The coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means controls the support means so that the nozzle faces in a direction perpendicular to the surface portion and so that the distance from the nozzle to the surface portion is predetermined. A method for applying a film agent to a surface to be coated, comprising the steps of:
detecting, in a non-contact manner, information on the surface to be coated, including the orientation and position of each surface portion of the surface to be coated;
acquiring nozzle information including an orientation and a position of a nozzle movably supported by a support means;
controlling the support means so that an orientation and a position of the nozzle relative to the surface portion are optimized based on the nozzle information and the coating surface information;
and a step of discharging the film agent from the nozzle at a predetermined flow rate, wherein the supporting means includes a body and a movable arm provided on the body, the nozzle is connected to the movable arm, the movable arm or the nozzle is provided with a plurality of markers made of a reflective material, the body is provided with a camera and a light-emitting unit, light from the light-emitting unit is reflected by the markers, an image of the markers is obtained by the camera, and spatial position information of the markers, and ultimately the nozzle information, are obtained from the image. The coating method according to claim 3, characterized in that the control is performed so that the nozzle faces in a direction perpendicular to the surface portion and so that the distance from the nozzle to the surface portion is predetermined.

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