JP7702838B2 - Painting work management system and painting work management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a painting work management system and a painting work management method, and in particular to a painting work management system and a painting work management method suitable for forming an appropriate paint film thickness on a workpiece when a worker paints the workpiece.

Many structures, including buildings, are painted to add design and for protection. In particular, for moving objects such as railway cars and automobiles, it is necessary to make the paint surface smooth to add aesthetic appeal and reduce aerodynamic resistance.

The coating may be a single layer, but is often multi-layered to ensure the coating's surface is smooth. For example, when forming a coating on a metal surface, the process involves roughening the metal surface by blasting or other methods, then applying and drying an anti-rust primer, applying a putty to cover any irregularities on the metal surface and ensure smoothness, drying and polishing, applying a primer to cover any minute irregularities on the putty surface, drying and polishing, applying a middle coat, drying and polishing, and finally applying a top coat to give the surface a design, drying and polishing.

Painting is generally done by hand or with automated machines such as robots. When painting is done by workers, they use tools such as sprays, brushes, and rollers, but it is difficult to quantitatively grasp the paint thickness in real time or immediately after painting, and it is highly dependent on the skill of the worker.

On the other hand, when using a robot, capital investment is expensive, and when using paint containing organic solvents, explosion-proof specifications are required, further increasing the capital investment amount. Also, when heating the location where the robot is installed or the object to be painted, a process to evacuate the robot or a process to move the object to be painted and heat it are required.

In robot painting, there is a method for obtaining the paint film thickness distribution through simulation. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a "paint film thickness simulation method" as a simulation technology. According to the simulation method of Patent Document 1, the film thickness distribution value at the paint gun position is obtained based on a reference pattern, and the film thickness distribution value is integrated to obtain the film thickness distribution value of the object to be painted.

JP 2006-122830 A

The method in Patent Document 1 involves robotic painting, which requires capital investment. In addition, painting of complex structures generally relies on manual labor, and manual labor cannot be eliminated from painting work.

In general, whether painting is done by hand or by robot, attention must be paid to the paint thickness when painting. If the thickness is thinner than the specified thickness, problems such as the paint providing less protection and not achieving the required aesthetic appearance may occur. If the thickness is thicker than the specified thickness, the solvent may remain in the paint film and evaporate, causing problems such as blisters and cracks, and the use of large amounts of paint may lead to increased costs. Furthermore, if these problems occur in combination, the aesthetic appearance may be marred by unevenness, etc. To prevent these, it is necessary to ensure the appropriate film thickness.

The object of the present invention is to provide a painting work management system and a painting work management method that enable a paint film thickness of an appropriate thickness to be formed on an object to be painted when painting is performed manually by an operator.

The paint operation management system of the present invention is preferably configured as a paint operation management system that manages a paint operation in which paint is applied to an object by spraying paint with a paint gun, and includes a paint supply device that supplies paint to the paint gun, a measuring device that measures the position and posture of the paint gun at each time, and a paint operation management device that inputs information about the paint from the paint supply device and information about the paint gun from the measuring device that measures the position and posture of the paint gun at each time, and calculates a film thickness formation pattern to be formed on the object to be painted. The paint operation management device holds information about the film thickness pattern associated with the painting conditions, and the paint operation management device selects a film thickness pattern based on the information about the film thickness pattern associated with the painting conditions, the painting conditions at a certain painting time, and the position and posture of the paint gun at the painting time, calculates the movement speed of the paint gun from the position and posture of the paint gun at each time, and integrates the film thickness value indicated by the film thickness pattern from the calculated movement speed of the paint gun and the selected film thickness pattern for a certain period of time, and calculates the film thickness formation pattern to be formed on the object to be painted and the coordinate values of the film thickness formation pattern.

The present invention provides a painting work management system and a painting work management method that enable a paint film thickness of an appropriate thickness to be formed on an object to be painted when painting is performed manually by an operator.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a painting operation management system. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the painting operation management device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware/software configuration of the painting operation management device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a painting work information table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a film thickness pattern table. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing examples of film thickness patterns (part 1). 11A to 11C are diagrams showing examples of film thickness patterns (part 2). 11A to 11C are diagrams showing examples of film thickness patterns (part 3). FIG. 11 is a diagram showing examples of film thickness patterns (part 4). 5A to 5C are diagrams showing examples of film thickness patterns; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a painting condition table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a paint gun moving speed table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a film thickness result table. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a film thickness formation pattern. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the side of a railway vehicle as an example of an object to be painted. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a coordinate system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a workpiece and a paint gun. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position and attitude of the paint gun and the film thickness formed on the surface of the workpiece (part 1). This is a diagram showing the relationship between the position of the paint gun, the attitude of the paint gun, and the film thickness formed on the surface of the workpiece (part 2). This is a diagram showing the relationship between the position of the paint gun, the attitude of the paint gun, and the film thickness formed on the surface of the workpiece (part 3). 1 is a flowchart showing the process of the painting operation management device (part 1). 13 is a flowchart showing the processing of the painting operation management device (part 2). FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an equation used in a process for selecting a film thickness pattern. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining an equation used in a process for calculating a film thickness formation pattern. 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a process for calculating a film thickness formation pattern (part 1); FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the process of calculating a film thickness formation pattern (part 2). FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the process of calculating a film thickness formation pattern (part 3). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display image when a worker uses an AR-HMD.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the configuration of the painting operation management system will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the overall configuration of the painting operation management system will be described with reference to FIG.
The painting operation management system is a system that supports painting operations mainly performed manually on an object 10. An operator 1 applies the paint 4 to the surface of the object 10 by discharging and spraying paint 4 from a paint gun 40 and at the same time moving the paint gun parallel to the surface of the object 10. In the following embodiment, an example will be described in which the object 10 is a railroad car.

As shown in FIG. 1, the painting work management system includes an AR-HMD (Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display) 20, cameras 30 (in FIG. 1, labeled 30a and 30b), a paint gun 40, a painting work management device 100, and a paint supply device 300.

The paint gun 40 is a painting device that uses compressed air from a compressor (not shown) to spray a liquid such as paint 4 in a mist onto a target. A typical paint gun 40 is shaped like a pistol, and paint is sprayed by pulling the trigger.

The paint gun 40 is connected to the paint supply device 300 by a hose 50, and the amount of paint discharged from the paint gun 40 (paint flow rate) is recorded by the paint supply device, which automatically mixes multiple paint components, and reported to the paint work management device 100 via a wired or wireless network or connection line. In this embodiment, the paint gun 40 is an air gun, and is connected to a compressor (not shown) by an air hose, and the air, etc. discharged simultaneously with the paint and the air flow rate are also recorded and reported to the paint work management device 100.

The paint gun 40 of this embodiment is also fitted with markers 41 that allow the position and orientation of the gun relative to the workpiece 10 to be ascertained. The markers 41 indicate the gun position by emitting, for example, visible light, infrared light, or radio waves, and multiple markers (e.g., three locations) are fitted to indicate the orientation.

The position and orientation of the paint gun 40 are calculated based on the position information received from the marker 41 of the paint gun 40. As a reception method, for example, a sensor or multiple cameras 30 may be used to capture the radio waves emitted from the marker 41.

In addition, the paint gun 40 in this embodiment may be in the form of an air gun, an airless gun, an electrostatic gun, etc.

The camera 30 is a device that captures images of the painting work of the worker 1 and transfers the images to the painting work management device 100 via a wired or wireless network. As described above, the camera 30 may also transmit the position, orientation, and movement speed of the paint gun 40 to the painting work management device 100.

The AR-HMD 20 is worn on the head of the worker 1 and is a display that displays necessary information for the painting work. For example, in accordance with instructions from the painting work management device 100, it informs the worker 1 of the current film thickness of the workpiece 10 to display information to the worker so that the film thickness is not excessive or insufficient during the painting work. Details of the user interface provided by the AR-HMD 20 will be explained later.

The paint supply device 300 mixes the paint concentrate with a solvent and supplies the paint to the paint gun 40 via a hose 50. The amount of paint discharged is recorded periodically and reported to the paint work management device 100 via a network or a connection line.

The painting work management device 100 is a device that manages the overall painting work of the worker 1 and displays necessary information on the AR-HMD 20. In particular, the painting work management device 100 calculates the thickness of the paint on the workpiece 10 from the paint flow rate and air flow rate discharged from the paint gun 40, and the position, orientation, and movement speed of the paint gun 40 relative to the workpiece 10. The method for calculating the thickness of the paint on the workpiece 10 will be explained in detail later.

Next, the functional configuration of the painting operation management device will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the painting operation management device 100 has the following functional sections: a painting information input section 101, a painting volume/air volume IF (InterFace) section 102, an imaging information IF section 103, a film thickness pattern search section 104, a painting gun speed calculation section 105, a film thickness calculation section 106, an HMD data editing section 107, an HMD data output section 108, and a memory section 110.

The painting information input unit 101 is a functional unit into which the painting worker 1 or the work manager inputs information about the painting work. The paint volume/air volume IF (Interface) unit 102 is a functional unit that receives the paint discharge volume and air flow rate from the paint supply device 300. The image information/sensor information IF unit 103 is a functional unit that receives image information from the camera 30 and information from various sensors. The film thickness pattern search unit 104 is a functional unit that searches for a film thickness pattern (details will be described later) based on the conditions related to painting. The paint gun speed calculation unit 105 is a functional unit that calculates the moving speed of the paint gun 40 based on information input from a measuring device such as the camera 30 or a sensor. The film thickness calculation unit 106 is a functional unit that calculates the film thickness formed on the workpiece based on the film thickness pattern and the moving speed of the paint gun 40. The HMD data editing unit 107 is a functional unit that edits data for the information displayed on the AR-HMD 20. The HMD data output unit 108 is a functional unit that outputs data to the AR-HMD 20. The memory unit 110 is a functional unit that stores data used by the painting work management device 100.

The memory unit 110 holds the following tables: a painting work information table 500, a film thickness pattern table 501, a film thickness pattern 502, a painting condition table 503, a painting gun movement speed table 504, a film thickness result table 505, and a film thickness formation pattern 506.

Details of each table will be explained later.

Next, the hardware and software configuration of the paint work management device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
The hardware configuration of the painting work management device 100 is realized by, for example, a general information processing device such as a personal computer shown in Fig. 3. However, as long as the functions shown in Fig. 2 can be executed, the system may execute the functions by a cloud system.

The paint work management device 100 is configured such that a processor 402, a main memory device 404, a network I/F (InterFace) 406, a display I/F 408, an input/output I/F 410, and an auxiliary memory I/F 412 are connected via a bus.

The processor 402 controls each part of the painting work management device 100, and loads and executes necessary programs into the main memory device 404. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), but other semiconductor devices may also be used as long as they are the main body that executes the specified processing.

The main memory device 404 is typically composed of volatile memory such as RAM, and stores the programs executed by the CPU 402 and the data referenced by it.

Network I/F 406 is an interface for connecting to network 5.

The display I/F 408 is an interface for connecting a display device 420 such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

The input/output I/F 410 is an interface for connecting input/output devices. In the example of FIG. 3, a keyboard 430 and a pointing device, a mouse 432, are connected.

The auxiliary memory I/F 412 is an interface for connecting an auxiliary memory device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) 450 or a solid state drive (SSD).

The HDD 450 has a large storage capacity and stores the programs for executing this embodiment. The painting operation management device 100 has installed therein a painting information input program 461, a paint volume/air volume IF program 462, an image capture information IF program 463, a film thickness pattern search program 464, a painting gun speed calculation program 465, a film thickness calculation program 466, an HMD data editing program 467, and an HMD data output program 468.

The coating information input program 461, coating amount/air amount IF program 462, imaging information IF program 463, film thickness pattern search program 464, coating gun speed calculation program 465, film thickness calculation program 466, HMD data editing program 467, and HMD data output program 468 are programs that respectively realize the functions of the coating information input unit 101, coating amount/air amount IF unit 102, imaging information IF unit 103, film thickness pattern search unit 104, coating gun speed calculation unit 105, film thickness calculation unit 106, HMD data editing unit 107, and HMD data output unit 108.

Each program may be provided on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or may be distributed by a program distribution server via the Internet, etc.

Next, we will explain the data structure used in the painting work management system using Figures 4 to 10.

The painting work information table 500 is a table that holds information for managing painting work, and as shown in FIG. 4, has fields for the work ID 500a, worker 500b, model of vehicle to be painted 500c, paint gun name 500d, nozzle diameter 500e, painting location 500f, paint name 500g, dilution rate h, work start date and time 500i, work end date and time 500j, film thickness lower limit 500k, film thickness upper limit 500l, and post-work instructions 500m.

The work ID 500a stores an ID that uniquely identifies the painting work. The worker 500b stores a character string representing the worker or the worker's ID. The painting vehicle type 500c stores a character string representing the vehicle involved in the painting work or the vehicle ID. The paint gun product name 500d stores the product name of the paint gun 40 input from the input device of the paint work management device 100. The nozzle diameter 500e stores the value of the diameter of the outlet of the paint gun 40 of the paint gun product name 500d in mm units. The painted location 500f stores information on the part of the vehicle related to the painting work. The paint product name 500g stores information on the paint product name. The work start date and time 500i stores information on the date and time when the work started in the format of yyyymmddhhmm. The work end date and time 500j stores information on the date and time when the work ended in the format of yyyymmddhhmm. The lower limit of the coating thickness 500k stores the lower limit of the coating specified in the coating work (the limit below which the coating thickness must not be thinner) in μm. The upper limit of the coating thickness 500l stores the upper limit of the coating specified in the coating work (the limit below which the coating thickness must not be thicker) in μm. The post-work instruction 500m stores a character string or ID indicating the content of the work, if necessary, after the coating work.

The film thickness pattern table 501 is a table that holds the correspondence between the coating conditions and the film thickness pattern that is formed, and as shown in FIG. 5, has fields for paint product name 501a, dilution ratio 501b, paint flow rate 501c, discharge air flow rate 501d, control air flow rate 501e, paint gun product name 501f, nozzle diameter 501g, gun distance 501h, horizontal angle 501i, vertical angle 501j, and film thickness pattern 501k.

The paint name 501a stores information on the paint name. The dilution ratio 501b stores the dilution ratio of the paint. The dilution ratio is generally defined as (volume of paint concentrate + volume of diluent) / (volume of diluent). The paint flow rate 501c stores the value of the paint flow rate per unit time recorded by the paint supply device 300 in mL/s. The discharge air flow rate 501d stores the value of the air flow rate per unit time discharged from the paint gun 40 in mL/s. The controlled air flow rate 501e stores the value of the air flow rate per unit time controlled by the paint supply device 300 in mL/s. The paint gun name 501f stores the name of the paint gun 40. The nozzle diameter 501g stores the value of the diameter of the discharge port of the paint gun 40 in mm. The gun distance 501h stores the vertical distance between the paint gun 40 and the workpiece 10 in m. Horizontal angle 501i stores the value of the horizontal angle of the tip of the paint gun 40 in degrees. Vertical angle 501j stores the value of the vertical angle of the tip of the paint gun 40 in degrees. Film thickness pattern 501k stores a character string or ID that uniquely indicates a film thickness pattern, which is described next.

In the example of FIG. 5, the values of the paint name 501a, dilution ratio 501b, paint flow rate 501c, discharge air flow rate 501d, control air flow rate 501e, paint gun name 501f, nozzle diameter 501g, gun distance 501h, horizontal angle 501i, and vertical angle 501j are converted into character strings, and the character string formed by connecting these with "-" is used as the value of the film thickness pattern 501k.

As shown in Figures 6A to 6E, the film thickness pattern 502 is a data structure that indicates the paint film thickness formed on the surface of the workpiece 10 during painting per unit time in μm units for each unit lattice. In Figures 6A to 6E, the unit time is 1 s, and the unit lattice is a 10 mm square lattice. The center of the film thickness pattern 502 is the intersection point between the extension line of the nozzle direction of the paint gun 40 and the surface of the workpiece 10.

The type of film thickness pattern that will be formed under these coating conditions can be determined by conducting coating experiments on the actual object to be coated under those coating conditions and measuring the thickness using a coating thickness meter or other means, or by numerical calculation or computer simulation.

The painting condition table 503 is a table that holds the conditions for the actual painting work, and as shown in FIG. 7, has fields for work ID 503a, date and time 503b, paint product name 503c, dilution rate 503d, nozzle diameter 503e, paint gun product name 503g, paint flow rate 503g, discharge air flow rate 503h, control air flow rate 503i, gun position (x) 503j, gun position (y) 503k, gun distance 503g, horizontal angle 503m, and vertical angle 503i.

The work ID 503a stores an ID that uniquely identifies the painting work. The date and time 503b stores the date and time when the work is performed in the format yyyymmddhhmmss. The paint name 503c stores information on the paint name entered by the worker or manager before the work. The dilution ratio 503d stores the dilution ratio of the paint stored in the painting work information table 500. The nozzle diameter 503e stores the value of the diameter of the outlet of the paint gun 40 stored in the painting work information table 500 in mm. The paint gun name 503g stores the name of the paint gun 40 entered by the worker or manager before the work. The paint flow rate 503g stores the value of the paint flow rate per unit time measured by a paint flow meter built into or external to the paint supply device 300 in mL/s. The discharge air flow rate 503h stores the value of the air flow rate per unit time discharged from the paint gun 40 measured by an air flow meter in mL/s. The controlled air flow rate 503i stores the value of the air flow rate per unit time supplied by a compressor (not shown) in mL/s. The gun position (x) 503j stores the x-coordinate position of the reference point of the paint gun 40 (e.g., the nozzle tip of the paint gun 40) measured by the camera 30 or a sensor in m. The gun position (y) 503k stores the y-coordinate position of the reference point of the paint gun 40 measured by the camera 30 or a sensor in m. The gun distance 503g stores the position (in this embodiment, equal to the z-coordinate (details will be described later)) between the reference point of the paint gun 40 measured by the camera 30 or a sensor and the surface of the workpiece. The horizontal angle 503m stores the value of the horizontal angle of the tip of the paint gun 40 measured by the camera 30 or a sensor in degrees. Vertical angle 503i stores the value of the vertical angle of the tip of the paint gun 40 measured by the camera 30 or a sensor in degrees.

The paint gun movement speed table 504 is a table that holds information about the movement speed of the paint gun 40 calculated from the time information and position information of the paint gun 40, and as shown in FIG. 8, has fields for a job ID 504a, date and time 504b, movement speed (x direction) 504c, movement speed (y direction) 504d, and movement speed (z direction) 504e.

Job ID 504a stores an ID that uniquely identifies the painting job. Date and time 504b stores the date and time when the movement speed of the paint gun 40 was calculated in yyyymmddhhmmss format. Movement speed (x direction) 504c, movement speed (y direction) 504d, and movement speed (z direction) 504e store the movement speed values of the paint gun 40 in the x direction, y direction, and z direction, respectively, calculated from the time information and position information of the paint gun 40 in m/s format.

The film thickness result table 505 is a table that holds information about the film thickness of the paint formed on the surface of the workpiece 10 calculated from the painting conditions, the movement speed of the paint gun 40, and the film thickness pattern, and as shown in FIG. 9, has fields for the job ID 505a, date and time 505b, film thickness formation pattern 505c, and pattern coordinates 505d.

The job ID 505a stores an ID that uniquely identifies the painting job. The date and time 505b stores the date and time when the film thickness shown in the film thickness formation pattern 505c is calculated to be formed in the format yyyymmddhhmmss. The film thickness formation pattern 505c stores a character string or ID that indicates the film thickness formation pattern 505c. In this embodiment, a character string that is a character string that has a prefix (RS) added to the character string that indicates the film thickness pattern used to generate the film thickness formation pattern. The pattern coordinates 505d stores a pair of values of the x and y coordinates that indicate, for example, the center of the film thickness formation pattern 505c.

As shown in FIG. 10, the film thickness formation pattern 506 is a data structure that indicates the film thickness of the paint formed on the surface of the workpiece 10 at the time of painting in μm units for each unit cell. Each unit cell in FIG. 10 corresponds to the unit cell of the film thickness pattern shown in FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E.

Next, the processing of the painting work management system will be explained using Figures 11 to 14C.

First, the structure of a railway vehicle will be described as an example of an object to be painted with reference to FIG.
An outer wall 605 of a railway vehicle 601 shown in Fig. 11 is formed by side sections and a top section which is a ceiling, and these are formed from processed metal plate. Door sections 603 which are opening and closing doors and window sections 604 are provided on the side sections of the railway vehicle. In addition, a pantograph 606 is provided on the top section of the railway vehicle. The railway vehicle is supported by a bogie section 602, and wheels 607 rotate on rails to move the railway vehicle 601.

In this embodiment, a paint film is formed on the exterior walls of a railway vehicle by an operator spraying paint using a paint gun 40 in accordance with specifications within a specified film thickness range. By covering the surface of a metal material with the paint film of this embodiment, the surface of the metal material is physically protected and direct contact with the metal material surface, including foreign matter and rainwater, is prevented. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of metal corrosion on the metal material surface. Furthermore, the use of a colored topcoat can impart design appeal to the railway vehicle.

Next, we will explain the premise for the paint work management device to calculate the thickness of the paint formed on the workpiece using Figures 12 to 14C.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the coordinate system is such that the x-axis and y-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system are located on the surface of the workpiece (railroad car) 10, and the z-axis is located perpendicular to the surface. Therefore, the distance between the surface of the workpiece 10 and the nozzle at the tip of the paint gun 40 is equal to the value of the z-axis.

As shown in FIG. 13, a marker 41 is set on the paint gun 40, and the position and attitude of the paint gun 40 are measured at each time by the camera 30 or a sensor. The paint flow rate per unit time sent to the paint gun 40 is measured by a paint flow meter, and the value of the air flow rate per unit time discharged from the paint gun 40 (discharge air flow rate) measured by an air flow meter and the value of the air flow rate per unit time supplied by the compressor (control air flow rate) are measured.

The worker 1 sprays paint with the paint gun 40 while moving the paint gun 40 in the x-axis or y-axis direction, keeping a certain distance from the surface of the workpiece 10. At this time, the worker 1 can view information that supports the painting work along with the work status on the AR-HDM 20.

The relationship between the distance between the paint gun 40 and the workpiece 10 and the attitude of the paint gun 40 is as shown in Figures 14A to 14C. As shown in Figure 14A, if the distance between the paint gun 40 and the workpiece 10 is large, the film thickness formed on the surface of the workpiece 10 will be thin, and as shown in Figure 14B, if the distance between the paint gun 40 and the workpiece 10 is large, the film thickness formed on the surface of the workpiece 10 will be thin. Also, as shown in Figure 14C, if the paint gun 40 is tilted relative to the surface of the workpiece 10, thin and thick film thicknesses will occur, resulting in uneven film thickness on the surface of the workpiece 10.

The painting work management device 100 of this embodiment thus stores a film thickness pattern that indicates the film thickness formed per unit time when painting is performed under the position and posture of the paint gun 40 and other painting conditions.

Next, the processing of the painting work management device will be explained using Figures 15A to 18C.

First, the paint operator 1 or the manager inputs the type of vehicle to be painted, information about the operator, and the name of the paint gun via an input screen (not shown) or command line that is output to the display device of the paint work management device 100 (S100).

Next, based on the input information, the paint work management device 100 refers to the paint work specification data (not shown) and the paint gun specification data (not shown) and sets the information about painting and the information about the paint gun in the paint work information table 500 (S101).

When painting information and paint gun information cannot be obtained by referring to the painting work specification data and the painting gun specification data (for example, when the model of the vehicle to be painted is known but the name of the paint cannot be uniquely determined), the painting worker 1 or the manager inputs such information into the painting work management device 100.

Next, when the painting worker 1 starts painting work, the painting work management device 100 sets the work start date and time to the work start date and time 500i in the painting work information table 500 (S102).

The following steps S103, S104, and S105 to S113 are parallel processes.

The painting work management device 100 reads the coordinate data and posture of the painting gun 40 from the camera 3 or sensor at a certain time (S103).

The paint work management device 100 also reads the paint flow rate from the paint meter and the air flow rate (discharge air flow rate, control air flow rate) from the air flow meter (S104).

In parallel with the processing of S103 and S104, values are set in the painting condition table 503 based on the values read in S104 and S104, the clock information of the painting work management device 100, and the values set in the painting work information table 500 (S105).

Next, the painting work management device 100 selects the optimal film thickness pattern from the film thickness patterns stored in the film thickness pattern table 501 based on the values set in the painting condition table 503 (S106).

The method of selecting the film thickness pattern is, for example, to select the film thickness pattern of the record in the film thickness pattern table that has the smallest distance from the value set in the painting work information table 500 shown in (Equation 1) in Figure 16.

Here, e _i (field value of the painting condition table) is the evaluation value of the field value of the painting condition table 503, e _i (field value of the film thickness pattern table) is the evaluation value of the field value of the film thickness pattern table 501, and k _i (0≦k _i ≦1) is a weighting coefficient for evaluation.

The fields in the film thickness pattern table 501 and the coating condition table 503 for each item correspond to each other (paint name 501a: paint name 503c, dilution ratio 501b: dilution ratio 503d, paint flow rate 501c: paint flow rate 503g, discharge air flow rate 501d: discharge air flow rate 503h, controlled air flow rate 501e: controlled air flow rate 503i, coating gun name 501f: coating gun name 503e, nozzle diameter 501g: nozzle diameter 503f, gun distance 501h: gun distance 503l, horizontal angle 501i: horizontal angle 503m, vertical angle 501j: vertical angle 503n).

When the field values of the painting condition table 503 and the film thickness pattern table 501 are equal, the square of the term that is their sum is 0, and the greater the difference between the values, the greater the value and the greater the distance. Therefore, it is desirable to assign evaluation values that are close to each other for paint product names (paint product names 501a: paint product names 503c) and paint gun product names (paint gun product names 501j: paint gun product names 503f) for paints and paint guns with similar specifications.

In addition, the weighting coefficient k _i for each evaluation can be determined to a desired value by a supervised machine learning technique.

Next, the paint work management device 100 calculates the movement speed of the paint gun 40 at (x, y, z) at the time of the date and time 503b in the paint condition table 503 from the coordinate data and posture of the paint gun 40 from the camera 3 or sensor at each time, and sets the value in the paint gun movement speed table 504 (S107).

Next, the paint work management device 100 calculates the coordinate position where the film thickness is formed and the film thickness based on the values in the paint gun movement speed table 504 and the film thickness pattern selected in S106, and sets the film thickness formation pattern and its coordinate position in the film thickness result table 505 (S108).

The coordinate position where the film thickness is formed is the intersection of the nozzle direction of the paint gun 40 and the surface of the workpiece 10, which is also the center position of the film thickness formation pattern.

The value of the film thickness formation pattern in the unit cell (i, j) of the film thickness formation pattern is calculated by (Equation 2) in FIG.
The k in Σ in (Equation 2) is an integer of 1 or more that satisfies (Equation 3) in FIG.
Here, T is the time interval for calculating the film thickness forming pattern, and Δt is the unit of time increment.
In addition, r _x and _ry in (Equation 2) are the coating efficiency coefficients in the x and y directions, respectively, and are shown in (Equation 4) in Fig. 17. This is equal to the time that paint is sprayed on one unit lattice within the time increment Δt.

The process of calculating the film thickness formation pattern is explained in detail below using Figures 18A to 18C.

In this example, only the film thickness formation pattern formed by movement in the x direction is shown, and the time interval for calculating the film thickness formation pattern is T = 60 [s] = 1 [minute], and Δt = 1/100 [s]. When the movement speed in the x direction is 100 [mm/s], and one side of the unit lattice is 10 mm, r _x = 10 [mm]/100 [mm/s] = 1/10 [1/s], which is the time interval at which paint is sprayed by the paint gun 40 in increments of time Δt.

Therefore, since the film thickness value formed as a result of forming the film thickness pattern in a unit time under certain conditions is illustrated for each unit lattice, the film thickness formation pattern is obtained by multiplying and adding up the coating efficiency coefficient r _x in the x direction and the coating efficiency coefficient r _{y in the y direction for each corresponding unit lattice, as shown in (Equation 2) and Fig. 18C. Figs. 18A to 18C show that the film thickness formation pattern RS-A} -1.0-7.5-5-2.5-G1-1.3-0.2-0-0 is calculated at time: 10:10:02:00 from the film thickness pattern A-1.0-7.5-5-2.5-G1-1.3-0.2-0-0 for every 1/100 [s] from time: 10:10:01:00 to 10:10:02:00.

Next, the painting work management device 100 refers to the painting work information table 500, the painting condition table 503, and the film thickness result table 505, and edits the HMD data to be output to the AR-HMD 20 (S109).

Next, the painting work management device 100 outputs the HMD data edited in S109 to the AR-HMD 20 (S110).

Next, the paint work management device 100 determines whether the painting work is finished (S111). The criteria for determining whether the painting work is finished may be a predetermined work time for the painting work and compared with this, or the worker or manager may determine the end of the painting work and input a command for the paint work management device 100.

If the painting work is not completed (S111: NO), the painting work management device 100 determines whether or not an interval T has elapsed since the previous processing (S113), and if the interval T has elapsed (S113: YES), the process returns to S105.

When the painting work is completed (S111: YES), the painting work management device 100 sets the work end date and time to the work end date and time 500j in the painting work information table 500 (S120).

Next, the paint work management device 100 stores information about subsequent instructions when the painting work is completed in the post-work instructions 500m of the paint work information table 500, and ends the process.

For example, the following example is possible.
1) In the film thickness formation pattern shown in the film thickness result table 505, when the number of unit cells whose film thickness is less than the lower limit of the film thickness specification is greater than a predetermined threshold, repainting of the predetermined locations is instructed.
2) In the film thickness formation pattern shown in the film thickness result table 505, when the number of unit cells in which the film thickness exceeds the upper limit of the film thickness regulation is greater than a predetermined threshold, repair such as polishing after the paint dries is instructed.
3) If the end of work is due to a worker's break, indicate the time to resume painting work.

Next, a display image of the AR-HDM displayed to the painting worker will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 19, an HDM display image 700 of the AR-HDM 20 displays a time view 710, a work information view 720, a remote view 730, an enlarged view 740, a painting condition view 750, and a status view 760.

The time view 710 displays the current time and the time since the start of painting to the worker. The work information view 720 displays the necessary information from the painting work information table 500 to the worker. The remote view 730 displays the display image when the workpiece 10 is visually recognized. The enlarged view 740 refers to the film thickness formation pattern shown in the film thickness result table 505 and displays an enlarged view of the painting status on the workpiece 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, each unit lattice is displayed in a different color to indicate whether the film thickness is appropriate, exceeds the specified specifications, or does not reach the specified specifications. For example, unit lattices within the film thickness specifications are displayed in white, unit lattices that have not reached the lower film thickness limit are displayed in blue, and unit lattices that have exceeded the upper film thickness limit are displayed in red. The area of the workpiece 10 displayed in the enlarged view 740 may display the vicinity of the area currently being painted, or the worker may specify the area of the workpiece 10 that he or she wants to view.

The painting work management device 100 can instruct the painter 1 to repaint when a unit cell within the film thickness specification occurs at or above a predetermined threshold during painting. In addition, it can instruct the painter 1 to wipe off any areas that exceed the film thickness limit during painting.

The painting condition view 750 displays the necessary information from the painting condition table 503. The STATUS view 760 displays the current status that the operator should be informed of, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, a warning message when the paint film thickness exceeds the upper limit of the specifications. Alternatively, when an area where the paint film thickness does not meet the lower limit of the specifications exceeds a certain area, a warning message is displayed.

As the HDM display image 700 of the AR-HDM 20, only the remote view 730 may be displayed at all times, and the required view area may be displayed upon command input by the operator 1.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the paint work management device selects the film thickness pattern to be applied in the paint work, calculates the film thickness formation pattern of the paint that will actually be formed on the workpiece while taking into account the movement speed of the paint gun, and displays this information in real time on the worker's AR-HDM.

This improves the quality of painting by making the paint film uniform when painting by hand, ensures protection and aesthetics by ensuring a minimum specified film thickness, and minimizes the cost of painting by minimizing the amount of paint used.

[Creating a film thickness pattern]
First, an aluminum plate was prepared as the object to be coated 10. Specifically, an aluminum plate having a smooth surface and made of 6N01 alloy from among Al-Mg-Si alloys (6000 series aluminum alloys) was used. The dimensions were 1 m long x 1.2 m wide and 2 mm thick.

The aluminum plate of the object 10 was set vertically and primer coating was performed. For the primer coating, an automatic mixer was used to mix Uniepoch 30 primer NC red rust paint liquid (manufactured by Nippon Paint) and Uniepoch 30 primer hardener (manufactured by Nippon Paint) in a weight ratio of 6:1. The paint flow rate was changed between 5 and 30 mL/sec, which corresponds to the value defined in the paint flow rate 501c of the film thickness pattern table 501 in Figure 5 shown in the embodiment. The discharge air flow rate was also changed between 7.5 and 32.5 mL/sec. In addition, the paint gun 40 with a nozzle diameter of 1.3 mm was placed 0.2 to 0.5 m from the aluminum plate of the object, the horizontal angle was changed between 0 and 30°, and the vertical angle was changed between 0 and 30°.

The thickness of the coating film applied under the above conditions was measured using an eddy current coating thickness gauge over the entire area where the coating film was present, at intervals of 10 mm above, below, left and right, with the center of the coating film as the origin.

These were stored in the film thickness pattern table 501 in correspondence with the conditions as film thickness patterns as shown in Figures 6A to 6E.

[Painting on the object to be painted]
First, a similar aluminum plate was prepared as the coating object 10. The specific specifications were the same as those in the case of creating the film thickness pattern, and the aluminum plate used was a 6N01 alloy from the Al-Mg-Si alloys (6000 series aluminum alloys), with dimensions of 1 m length × 1.2 m width × 2 mm thickness, and a smooth surface.

To ensure adhesion between the coated object and the paint film, a blasting treatment was carried out. The blasting treatment was carried out by spraying crushed steel particles with a particle diameter of 0.5 mm onto the target aluminum plate at a projection speed of 35 m/s. After spraying was completed, air was blown and visual inspection was performed to confirm that no abrasive remained.

The coating was performed in the same manner as when the film thickness pattern was created. For the primer coating, an automatic mixer was used to mix Uniepoch 30 Primer NC Red Rust Paint Liquid (manufactured by Nippon Paint) and Uniepoch 30 Primer Hardener (manufactured by Nippon Paint) in a weight ratio of 6:1. As shown in the example of coating condition table 503 in Figure 7, the paint flow rate was set to 5 mL/sec and the discharge air flow rate to 7.5 mL/sec. In addition, an air coating gun with a nozzle diameter of 1.3 mm was kept at a distance of 0.2 to 0.3 m from the aluminum plate to be coated, and the range of change was set to a horizontal angle and vertical angle of 0°±30°.

The coordinate position and orientation of the paint gun 40 were calculated from the camera images of three LED light emitters attached to the paint gun 40 as markers 41. The movement speed was also calculated from the time and the measured coordinate positions. As shown in Figures 18A to 18C, a film thickness pattern per unit time created under the same conditions as the painting conditions was selected, the film thickness was reduced to 1/10, and the coordinate positions were adjusted and integrated according to the movement direction and movement speed to calculate the film thickness formation pattern.

The coating thickness specification was set to 40-50 μm. The display on the AR-HMD20 was set to white if the coating thickness was within the specification range, blue if the coating thickness was less than 40 μm, and red if the coating thickness was greater than 50 μm. As shown in Figure 19, the coating thickness was displayed numerically and in each color for each unit lattice. Coating was repeated multiple times, and multiple coating thickness patterns were added depending on the number of coats applied, and coating was completed when the coating thickness indicated 35-55 μm.

The thickness of the coating after painting was measured with an eddy current coating thickness gauge. The thickness measured by the coating thickness gauge in the areas marked blue on the AR-HMD20 was 35-39 μm, the thickness measured by the coating thickness gauge in the areas marked white was 40-50 μm, and the thickness measured by the coating thickness gauge in the areas marked red was greater than 50 μm.

1...worker, 20...AR-HMD (Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display), 30...camera, 40...paint gun, 100...paint work management device, 300...paint supply device 101...paint information input unit, 102...paint amount/air amount IF (Interface) unit, 103...image capture information IF unit, 104...film thickness pattern search unit, 105...paint gun speed calculation unit, 106...film thickness calculation unit, 107...HMD data editing unit, 108...HMD data output unit, 110...storage unit 500...paint work information table, 501...film thickness pattern table, 502...film thickness pattern, 503...paint condition table, 504...paint gun movement speed table, 505...film thickness result table, 506...film thickness formation pattern

Claims (1)

A coating operation management method for a coating operation management system that manages a coating operation in which a coating is applied to an object to be coated by spraying paint with a coating gun, comprising the steps of:
The painting work management system is
a paint supply device for supplying paint to the paint gun;
A measuring device for measuring the position and attitude of the paint gun at each time;
a coating operation management device which receives information about the coating material from the coating material supply device and information about the coating gun from a measurement device which measures the position and attitude of the coating gun at each time, and calculates a coating thickness pattern to be formed on the workpiece;
The device is worn by a paint worker and is equipped with a head-mounted display that displays the object to be painted and information necessary for the painting work.
The painting operation management device includes:
a film thickness pattern table for storing information on film thickness patterns corresponding to coating conditions;
a coating condition table that stores a coating time, a coating condition at the coating time, a coating gun position and attitude at the coating time, and the coating thickness pattern in association with each other;
a paint gun movement speed table that stores the speed of the paint gun at a certain time;
A film thickness result table is stored in which the coating time, the coordinate value, and the film thickness formation pattern are associated with each other, and
the coating operation management device storing the coating conditions at the time of coating and the position and attitude of the coating gun at the time of coating in the coating condition table;
a step in which the coating operation management device selects a coating thickness pattern based on the coating thickness pattern table, the coating conditions at the time of coating stored in the coating condition table, and the position and attitude of the coating gun at the time of coating;
the coating operation management device calculating a moving speed of the coating gun at the time of coating and storing the moving speed in the coating gun moving speed table;
the coating operation management device accumulates the film thickness value indicated by the selected film thickness pattern for a certain period of time based on the speed of the coating gun at a certain time stored in the coating gun moving speed table, calculates the film thickness formation pattern and the coordinate values of the film thickness formation pattern, and stores the coating time, the coordinate values, and the film thickness formation pattern in the film thickness result table in association with each other;
a step of the coating operation management device editing display data for the head mounted display to be displayed on the head mounted display, the display data including information on the film thickness value indicated by the film thickness formation pattern, and outputting the edited data to the head mounted display;
the film thickness pattern is a film thickness value of a coating material formed in each unit lattice per unit time,
A painting work management method characterized in that, for each of the x and y directions on the surface of the workpiece, the film thickness value indicated by each unit cell of the film thickness pattern is multiplied by a coefficient obtained by dividing the length of one side of the unit cell by the moving speed of the paint gun in the x direction, and multiplied by a coefficient obtained by dividing the length of one side of the unit cell by the moving speed of the paint gun in the y direction, and the integrated value is calculated for a certain period of time for each time increment, and the calculated value is used as the film thickness value indicated by each unit cell of the film thickness formation pattern.

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